“This nettlewort ointment will soothe your burns, and the foxglove pills will help with the fluttering in your chest and the swelling as well. Just remember to take no more than one lozenge per day.”
The older man wheezing for breath gave a relieved smile. “Thank you, assistant. I should have picked these up days ago but...” he shrugged.
Alex gave an understanding nod. “Life happens, I know.”
“But if you don’t take care of yourself, there will be far less of it for you to enjoy,” Yana softly remonstrated, before ameliorating it with a gentle smile. “Solen, it is good to see you. Your son still isn’t back from his caravan run?”
The man sighed and gave a tired shake of his head. “Sadly, no. And that’s no excuse. You yourself told me that I should at least be walking the distance between my home and your pharmacy every day.” He flashed a rueful smile. “Believe you me, I’ve learned my lesson.” He gave Alex a friendly nod. “And my compliments to your new assistant. He makes a fine addition to your pharmacy, Yana.”
With a final farewell wave to a blushing Yana and a grinning Alex, the older gentleman left the pharmacy and it was just the two of them after the morning rush. Yana, cheeks blushing as bars of warm desert sunlight caressed her features from the barred windows gazed Alex’s way. Soft brown eyes suddenly vulnerable, Alex already knowing what she was too shy to ask.
“I hope you don’t mind my staying over and making myself useful, last night,” Alex said, gazing fondly at the neatly stocked apothecary. “After putting you to bed, and praying you wouldn’t be too mad at my encouraging you to drink so much with me last night, I thought I’d make myself useful by helping you restock.”
Yana swallowed, biting her lip. “Alex, did...”
He calmly shook his head, before directing her attention to the tinctures he had prepared. “If you wouldn’t mind taking a look at these, making sure that they meet with your approval? It would be good to see if the formulae we practiced is up to standard.”
Her odd mixture of relief and, strangely, regret, morphed into genuine surprise. “Wait, Alex, are you saying you used my ingredients to make a fresh batch of potions?”
Alex solemnly nodded.
Her brow furrowed. “Alex, I’m sorry to waste your hard effort, but half of those formulae need a beast core even to...”
Her words died off when he showed her the beast core in his hand. She blinked in disbelief.
“Alex, did you truly… do you have any idea how long it takes for most apprentices to learn how to properly infuse spiritual essences into a tincture with a core or spirit pearl?” She quickly went up to the potions, carefully holding each up to the morning sunlight, her eyes widening with a look of disbelief bordering on awe.
She slowly turned to gaze back at Alex, wide eyes peering intently into his own, a stray lock of hair from her top bun slipping free to brush her cheek. “Alex… these potions… they’re every bit as good as the ones we made yesterday!”
Alex was a bit surprised himself. “Wait, you can sense potency, just by the way the light refracts through the vials?”
Her eyes twinkled. “Of course! Why do you think I use such high quality glass? Just one of the skills my father taught me.” She swallowed before gently squeezing his hand with her own. “You have a genuine gift, Alex. You know that, right?”
Alex chuckled awkwardly. “It’s really just a sensitive nose, as much as anything else.”
She smiled, squeezing his hand. “I had fun, working with you today.”
“I did as well.”
Warm brown eyes locked with his own. “So… would you like to help me make lunch?”
Alex flashed an apologetic smile. “Maybe we could get something on the way to Silver Sands… if you didn’t mind showing me the way?”
She swallowed, lowering her gaze. “You did so much for me already, with no obligation. I’m grateful, Alex.”
“I was happy to help. Honestly, I enjoyed pitching in.”
She flashed an odd smile. “You liked it enough to work the entire night. A perfect gentleman as well.” She swallowed. “The quality of your tinctures, your gentle spirit, the fact that you clearly care about the people under our care.” She bit her lip, nodding to herself as if coming to a resolution. “Alex, If things worked out… I’d be looking for more than just an employee.”
Alex felt his cheeks flush, touched and humbled by her words, honoring her with a bow that also broke eye contact and allowed them both to collect themselves and save face. “Thank you, Yana. That means more to me than I can say.”
She chuckled softly. “But you’re a boy who wants to chase a cultivator’s dreams… or the elements as a Ruidian gem master, right?” Her nod was strangely understanding. “Of course you do. Were it otherwise, you never would have left your former master who I’m sure already did all they could to have you stay on, knowing even better than I do everything about your remarkable gifts.”
Alex winked, dodging the question with truth. “Attending Silver Sands and learning a wujen’s arts is something of a dream of mine, I’ll admit. One I’ve put off for far too long already.”
She snorted at that. “You can’t be older than eighteen? Twenty? Maybe twenty-two?” She frowned thoughtfully. “You might be just a year or two younger than me… but you’re so powerfully built that no one will mistake you for anything but a man in his prime… odd as it is to see such physique in, well...”
“Someone who looks like me?” he said with a goodnatured smile.
She flushed and lowered her gaze. “You look handsome… downright exotic. And I have absolutely no problem with your heritage. If anything… I’d love to learn whatever I could of Ruidian traditions, and maybe teach you mine as well.”
The look she gave him then made his heart race. He flashed a gentle smile. “It’s nice to know that if things don’t work out at Silver Sands… I managed to find a precious opportunity of a different sort.”
“You need only claim it,” she whispered, before her cheeks brightened with surprise at her own temerity before shaking it away, grabbing his hand and closing the shop with a bronze key that impressed him with its sophistication and craftsmanship. Liuishi might lack some things compared to the Sacred Cities, but sophisticated metallurgy, plumbing, and glass were not among them.
“Come, let me show you the way to Silver Sands.”
Yana’s solemn mood soon turned lighthearted and cheerful as they enjoyed the beautiful day, the midday sun tamed by the shade overhead, each of them savoring a loaf of fresh-baked bread filled with tomatoes, olives, and chickpeas, the pair of them laughing about the customer who had somehow managed to turn her skin green when her niece tried to save money by picking wild spirit herbs and taking them without any proper preparation at all. Fortunately, Yana actually had a cure for just that type of spirit-grass poisoning, and Alex was still chuckling, Yana’s eyes twinkling with remembered mirth when they turned a final corner to catch sight of a magnificent pagoda at least a dozen stories tall. It instantly captivated Alex, the moment he caught sight of it. A structure so grand that it could have served as a centerpiece of Royal Phoenix Academy. A relic of the past, or perhaps a grand tribute to an era and tradition he otherwise saw almost no trace of in Liushi… however many centuries it had been since the world had changed so drastically.
Alex swallowed, his cheeks flushing, heart twisting with an odd mixture of excitement for a fresh new start… and deep-seated regret for halcyon days long lost. Perhaps he was doomed never to know if his final act had been that of a hero, or a monster. Had he saved the Jade Empire and her peoples from an invasion that would have been a hundred million strong? Had he successfully averted genocidal pogroms? What had become the ultimate fate of the kitsune people? Most pressing, was the desert world he had awoken to a direct result of his own actions? He dreaded the knowledge, and was desperate to find out.
He felt Yana’s concerned tug. “Alex? Are you alright?”
He forced a smile, praying she couldn’t see the strain underneath. “Yes, I’m… it’s quite the view, isn’t it?”
She nodded solemnly, because indeed it was. The massive ivory white pagoda seemed to soar to the heavens, and was fronted by several football-field’s worth of lush green grass only partially shaded by palm and date fronds, and Alex could only wonder the care that went into maintaining it, utterly unlike the rest of the architecture of Liushi. The scores of individuals presently bustling outside it wore the entire gamut of attire he had seen in Liushi and during his caravan ride, olive to ebony hued skin tones in abundance, with the occasional flash of heavily freckled ivory a sharp contrast displayed only by a trio of Ruidians entirely covered by flowing attire and wide brimmed hats, clearly from a different clan than Linnea’s own, where the melding of skin tones and features was much more significant, even if their mixed heritage was still quite clear, with crimson locks and emerald green eyes that were clearly dominant in ways that the Terran equivalent had never been.
All in all, the gathering of cultivators and the central pagoda itself was an awe-inspiring sight, but paled next to the wonder just beyond the lip of the caldera that Alex now realized the entire city surrounded.
It was a pristine valley oasis stretching for miles, bejeweled by countless carefully tended grain crops and fruit groves heavy with ripe fruit hanging off the vine, gracing the lush green valley with splashes of color he could see even from the caldera summit upon which the city had been founded.
Alex shook his head as he gazed down upon the secret that the city held so close, a lush valley radiating so much life-affirming spiritual energy that he likened it to his own paradise, now forever a world away. Even from here, he could sense how the spray from multiple waterfalls both cooled and nurtured a valley so rich with life, cycling the waste Qi of an entire city.
Alex was humbled to think that an entire city was depending on this one picturesque valley with silvery ribbon streams and a placid lake right in the heart of it to sustain what Alex suspected was at least several hundred thousand people, spacious and aerie as the city was. And why wouldn’t it be? It was encircling miles of paradise in the form of a single, life-sustaining caldera.
He only belatedly registered Yana’s sad chuckle. “And now I’ve truly lost you, I suppose, to Silver Sand’s most sacred role.”
Alex turned to face the young apothecary, surprised to see such regret and longing in her features. “And what role would that be?” Alex asked.
“Protectors and defenders of our sanctuary, of course. Just one of the reasons why our Liushi is so welcoming of both cultivators and Ruidians. It is only thanks to you that our city is what it is today.”
She visibly swallowed. “It was a genuine pleasure meeting you, Alex. If you’re ever in need of a tincture...”
Alex grinned, squeezing her hand with genuine warmth. “I’ll definitely visit the first friend I made in Liushi. Whether we’re filling orders and connecting with our customers, or going out to eat and sharing drinks and laughter, we’ll hang out again, and that’s a promise.
Her crestfallen features immediately brightened into a smile. In that moment, mortal or no, she truly was beautiful, even if he was too surprised to react when dusky lips brushed against his own. “I look forward to it, Alex. And if you’re really good...” She blushed and turned away, though not without stealing one final glance, solemn eyes genuinely lighting up when she found Alex still looking her way.
That was when he heard the sonorous peel of a gong being rung. “Last call for all New Harvest Applicants!” cried a sonorous voice, immediately jolting Alex out of his warm reverie as he found himself darting forward, racing past numerous others to find himself panting only slightly under a grand arch along with several score other applicants before meeting the calm smile of a smooth-cheeked girl wearing what were unmistakably cultivator’s robes, radiating the strength of at least several protective enchantments. She smiled curiously up at Alex as a gruff-voiced man several feet to her left asked the pair of near-wheezing young men why the hell they had been dallying and to choose their path.
“There’s no need for you to apply hear, honored Ruidian. Your services are always welcome at the agreed upon rates.”
Alex blinked in confusion before offering a sheepish smile. “No, I’m not… how does that even… anyway, I’m here to apply. As a student,” he added helpfully, feeling more awkward with every passing moment, as her polite smile turned to look of bemusement followed by the soft snort of someone behind him.
“Wait, that oversized Ruidian actually wants to try cultivating? Does he even know what it means?”
“He’s clearly from a distant tribe. Someone should have told him a pure-blood’s size does not mean possessing the gifts of the enlightened.”
Alex smirked despite himself, the mocking condescension oddly comforting, considering how unbelievably and absurdly kind and considerate everyone had been since his arrival, leaving him oddly terrified that he had popped into some mirror reality where of course it would be impossible for him to find any trace of the girls who had… he rapidly shook the thought away as the thoughtful interviewer’s expression hardened, glaring back into the crowd at a pair of shame-faced boys who couldn’t have been more than 17.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
The pair of youths looked genuinely startled when Alex turned to smirk back at them, expecting trouble, only to find genuine fear in their gazes when they took in his height and mass, looking nothing like the scrawny youth he had been, just a couple of years ago by his own estimation.
Even if he had, in one sense, completely started over, he was in a far more powerfully built body than he had ever woken up to before.
“My apologies,” the girl said with an edge in her voice that Alex just knew had the youths behind her wincing. “You are, of course, more than welcome to apply formally as a student. Please understand that the arts don’t always translate, but they may serve as an inspiration for you to better master your own...”
Alex smiled, lifting his hat and revealing his naked forehead, further cutting her off.
“Not a jewel master, sorry. Is that why everyone’s treating me so absurdly kindly? I swear it makes my teeth itch. No, I’m actually applying as on who walks the cultivator’s path, seeking inspiration and enlightenment along with countless others like yourself.”
The girl blinked, before bowing her head in unspoken apology. “Ah, this one now understands. Forgive me.” she then pointed back to three different clusters of applicants. The leftmost one was comprised a group of more powerfully built men and a few women showing off their martial skills under the gaze of a hard-eyed man wearing jet black robes and radiating the power a half-step Silver.
A short distance away from those obvious Bronze tier body cultivators was a far larger crowd of wide-eyed youths much like the ones behind Alex who were being carefully examined by a hawk-eyed man pressing his hand to forehead or chest when they assumed a lotus position, giving more than a few of the pleased-looking aspirants solemn nods, or sad shakes of the head for youths that immediately crumpled, tears in their eyes
The last group consisted of men and women dressed in cultivation robes cut of far more elegant cloth, with the confident smiles of those who already knew their skill, demonstrating before a pair of pleased-looking women that Alex sensed radiating Silver tier pressure. All of their disciples had no problem showing awe-inspiring mastery over the elements of Water, Wind, Sand, Ice and Fire as well, in the short time Alex was watching, each and every one of them earning pleased nods of satisfaction as distant targets were obliterated with the very ranged elemental attacks that defined the wujen’s arts, and that Alex had been eager to learn for years. Alex wasn’t quite sure if the Bronze body cultivators and cluster of wujen were actual applicants, or perhaps inner disciples giving a demonstration to awe and inspire all the other academy attendants. Either way, Alex was beyond impressed and eager to learn.
“There are three paths to walk here, like in all academies. That of the warrior, that of the wujen, or that of the aspirant eager to unlock his potential, in addition to those of the craftsman and healer.” She flashed a welcome smile. “And I can personally attest that Silver Sands possesses some of the best meridian cleansing techniques you’ll find in any desert sanctuary if you’re still walking your first steps as a cultivator which, of course, most students who arrive here are. Our training is top notch, and the elites of any class can enjoy the finest education you’ll find anywhere for as far as the sands that stretch in all directions.”
She gave him a curious look. “I don’t suppose you are applying as a healer, alchemist, or artificer, are you? Should your gifts lie in that direction, our craftsmaster can escort you right to your building where your future instructors will be eager to set up an ideal curriculum for you, right away.” She gestured toward a portly cultivator who smiled genially and nodded his head in Alex’s direction.
Alex suppressed a smile. It was so obvious to sense the path before him. A path he was somehow certain he had walked more than once before in the countless dreams too often turned dark and bitter that was his existence, an existence he still only recalled the tiniest bit of, so much of it like a dream in truth, poignant and painful as the half-recalled memories so often were. But one thing he was absolutely certain of was that he had never before dared the path he would walk now. And with a life that he hoped would be long and sweet, with a friend so recently left making it clear that gentle paths were still open to him… he was, for now, eager to explore life in entirely new directions than that of alchemist or artificer.
Alex bowed his head before the pair of cultivators. “If I may, I would like to walk the Wujen’s Path,” he said, earning thoughtful frowns from both of them.
The girl exchanged a look with her senior. “Of course you’re welcome to try, but didn’t you just say...” her dusky cheeks took on a slightly rosy cast. “Forgive me, no matter. Kol Su will show you the way.”
With those words a smiling youth wearing robes edged with silver thread, much like the woman before him, honored Alex with a shallow bow before leading him off to the only group of cultivators that had so impressed Alex with their mastery over the elements.
“Welcome to Silver Sands!” The young man enthused. “I must say, Ruidians rarely bother entering so formally. Are you here to compare Gem arts with Spiritual Energy? Is it true that they work differently in the rifts?” The youth asked with a curious smile.
Alex, knowing no offense was met, offered a wink and an easy going grin. “Honestly, I couldn’t tell you, since I never took the Lesser Elementalist’s path. But since I have some small understanding of Spiritual Energy… I’d love to see just how far I can take my gifts.”
The boy’s eyes widened with genuine surprise. “You’re a Ruidian that can actually cultivate? How remarkable!” He then gestured to the pair of ageless-looking women radiating the power and potency Alex would hope for in Silver-tier instructors, the closest one tilting her head curiously.
“Kol Su, you know the way to both the cafeteria, baths, and the sauna that our Ruidian guests most prefer, as well as the private quarters. So why are you troubling our no doubt weary guest with an unnecessary tour under the noonday sun?”
This was from the more imperious-looking of the pair, and Alex was relieved to sense no disdain or bemusement in her voice, just what sounded like genuine concern on Alex’s behalf, which he found oddly touching, bowing his head in turn.
“This humble student of the way apologizes for any misunderstandings caused. He is not here to partake of the bounty that is clearly the province of worthy gem masters who serve the school in their own way, but that of the scholar seeking to better his understanding of Heaven and Earthly spiritual energy with the wisdom of countless others who have come before.”
Alex sensed a bemused undertone in the now animated whispers between the wujen aspirants as the pair of now silent instructors regarded Alex thoughtfully.
“Truly?” Asked the second of the pair. “To be clear. You aren’t here to trade pointers on the merits of jewel versus cultivation, spiritual energy as opposed to mana, but to walk the path that brings our students to our hallowed halls?”
Alex smiled, once more revealing his jeweless brow, thinking it long past time for him to get his absurdly thick and glossy full head of post-dragon blood hair a trim so people could at least make out his bare forehead. And that was without the brim of his hat also blocking the view. He might no longer be glowing with barely contained potency, but his hair was still an absurd shade of spun gold and far too thick to be normal, no matter how many warm smiles it had earned him from girls that, were his heart not already claimed, he would have been all too happy to earn the admiration of.
“No jewel here, but my parentage is still interesting enough that I’m not completely hopeless as a cultivator… at least I don’t think.”
This earned him a bemused snort. “Truly? Fascinating,” said the taller one. “You may call me Instructor Lin. If you truly have the gift...”
Alex, having carefully thought of the best path forward that would disguise so much, yet still leave the path open to learn the magnificent Half-Step element that had so intrigued him in the desert, earned more than a few wide-eyed stares when a swirling disk of swirling water appeared before him.
Instructor Lin peered thoughtfully at her partner, the pair giving Alex expressions that were almost that of approval.
“He is a fool to challenge tradition like this,” snorted someone in the crowd behind him. “But if he truly has the talent to back up his arrogance...”
“If you would permit me?” Instructor Lin asked with a bemused smile as a thick bar of liquid flame formed in her hands. Her companion crossed her arms, all but glaring Alex’s way.
Alex’s eyes widened, all his focus on the bar of liquid fire, now genuinely curious as to just how strong his Enhanced Water Shield was. “Please do.”
With a solemn nod the woman approached, her blade of liquid flame before her as she lowered her center and adopted a stance he knew how to counter very well, perfectly mirroring Ya Ling’s mid-ward with her jian, even if the wujen before him wasn’t quite so graceful as the girl he had savored so many late night dances with on the hot desert sands.
She furrowed her brow thoughtfully when Alex instinctively tilted the angle of his disk to cause her blade to slide off it with a minimum of effort or spiritual energy drain, though Alex did spot a number of wide-eyed glances being sent his way as the air filled with hissing steam.
The instructor shifted back from her slow lunge, honoring Alex with a bemused half-smile. “Clearly you are trained in how to use your shield to deflect attacks both physical and spiritual. This is good. But please keep your shield facing me at 90 degrees, so I may test how much spiritual pressure it takes to push through.”
Alex nodded, momentarily uncertain if he should undersell his abilities… before deciding he wouldn’t in the least. If he gave it his all and anyone resented it, well then he had no interest in learning at such a petty back-biting institution. But on the other hand, if he failed to give his all and they considered him unworthy, then it would be his own fault, his own weakness, insecurities, and self-defeating deception that had held him back, and that was a bitter irony he would take adamant strides to avoid.
Setting his jaw in a hard smile, he gave a solemn nod, refusing to be distracted by the odd looks he was now being given as the instructor pressed her blade forward, just at the lip of his now significantly larger Water Shield, assuring the white-hot blade wouldn’t hit him when it punched through.
“Did you see his shield? It actually grew bigger. Can you do that?”
“Look how rapidly it swirls, he’s using angular momentum to enhance his defenses!”
Alex paid no mind to the soft comments as the instructor’s placid smile turned to furrowed brows and, eventually, a hard glare as her blade of flame transformed to a white hot bar of liquid fire.
Contest of Skills between Rank 6 Enhanced Water Shield and Dragon’s Tear!
Your opponent is using a Silver Tier attack!
Water enjoys bonuses against all Fire based attacks. Enhanced Water Shield enjoys additional bonuses against all attacks.
Inescapable current quenches opponent’s flame!
The crowd of murmuring students and instructors grew oddly silent.
Instructor Lin’s thoughtful frown turned to an unexpected scowl, momentarily pinning Alex with her killing glare.
Before she closed her eyes, took a breath, and nodded. “Impressive. Your… hybridization has given you a unique, if warped approach, to what is normally a pristine discipline whose teachings have remained consistent among our people for centuries.”
Alex furrowed his brow, not quite sure if he had been complimented or insulted, before she led him to the half dozen prospective students gazing Alex’s way with curious frowns or thoughtful smiles, all of them showing the confident stance and bemused half-smiles of those born of wealth and privilege.
Instructor Lin gestured towards the handful of targets some forty feet away. “As you no doubt know, the most crucial role wujen plays in both rifts and battlefield is taking out enemies before they can pierce the front line. If you would demonstrate your ability to project Qi, I think I can confidently say that you will be welcomed among our number.”
Here is where Alex grimaced, the surge of confidence and pride in his own abilities that he had felt just moments ago, countering a Silver tier attack with his Bronze tier defense, faded to a bitter half-smile.
“I’m afraid that’s beyond me.”
The intrigued conversations of moments before died down once more. Lin’s partner raised a curious eyebrow. “Truly? You’re unable to harness Qi at range, despite your clear mixed heritage?”
Alex bowed his head. “In truth I had come here intending to learn those very arts. Ice, I was hoping, might be a good fit for me, related as it is to Water. But… no, I haven’t been able to learn any such arts. Yet.”
The second instructor snorted. “So, he’s just a gifted body cultivator.” She crossed her arms in odd satisfaction. “It makes sense. Few can do more than enhance their bodies, though the exceptional ones can project spiritual energy in close proximity to themselves in addition to hardening and strengthening their frames.” She shook her head. “Which makes you an elementally attuned body cultivator, but no wujen. I’m sorry, aspirant, but I’m afraid you don’t belong with the elites. And since I see that the trials are closing for the month...”
She turned to the half-dozen youths, all radiating Bronze tier potency, a few of whom no longer bothered holding back their own smirks as they immediately left in her wake. Alex still wasn’t sure if they were fresh aspirants or inner disciples, but sure as sin they enjoyed striding right past him, especially the ones Alex had sensed definite envy from, after his Water Shield proved more than a match for Instructor Lin’s Fire.
Lin prepared to follow, but not before turning to Alex, gently touching his shoulder. “I fear much should have been explained that wasn’t, and sadly, we have no more time today. But if your goal is to enter the school and you don’t mind walking the path that almost all of our supplicants do...” she gestured gracefully to the large cluster of hopefuls presently being tested for any cultivation potential at all in the center of the courtyard, under the hot noonday sun, Alex only now appreciating how sheltered and privileged this small group’s location had been. “You are of course, more than welcome to join the school.”
Alex blinked, gazing at the half dozen powerfully built Bronze body cultivators, one or two catching his eyes and flashing challenging smiles. He flashed a relieved grin of his own. “Perhaps that won’t be necessary.”
“Actually I’m afraid it will be,” Lin corrected, her lips curving in a sympathetic smile. “For you chose the wujen’s path, and there’s no way that Master Wu will accept you now. Not without enduring the trials all aspirants must face.”
Alex blinked at this, before giving a rueful chuckle, shaking his head. “So things are like that, are they? And if I had thought to gather just a little bit more information as to how these trials worked, the requirements for joining your own disciples, and the price for my daring… but of course I walked right in, trusting to kind fates and fortune, as if it was my due and not something fought for and earned.” He then gave a good-natured chuckle. “But who am I to complain? With all the grace and kindness I’ve been shown since entering this city, a little egg in my face is probably just what I needed to get my head back in the game and remember that choices, and mistakes always shave consequences.”
Lin nodded approvingly. “And that’s just the attitude you need to both survive and triumph as a cultivator. Far better you learn whatever you have to on the very first day, then half a mile deep in a rift, overwhelmed by shadow beasts, never to see the light of day again.” Alex blinked at that, but before he could ask exactly what she meant, she spoke on. “And your Water Shield is a skill most body cultivators would kill for. You’ll do well on the front lines, even should you never develop a wujen’s powers.” She tilted her head curiously. “The water...”
Alex smiled. “Yes, it’s permanent. I can make it salty or fresh, so no worries about electrolyte depletion, which I’m sure means nothing to you. And it will quench thirst under the desert sun.”
Instructor Lin’s eyes positively twinkled. “Rift or desert, you’ll certainly be in demand. Fear not, I think you’ll find your future to be bright indeed.”
Alex smiled his gratitude at her kind words, and by the time her cohort turned around to glare back Alex’s way, her partner was already beside her, the pair immediately falling into conversation and Alex was on his own once more.
“Alex couldn’t help but chuckle at his own mistake, but he wouldn’t take back the day he had spent with Yana, even if he could. He was in no mad rush to accomplish everything all at once, and if it took him a bit of time to get his bearings and truly understand how things worked at this academy, then maybe that was all for the best. And even if Lin’s partner had seemed just a bit smug about Alex being denied entrance along with her elites...what of it? He’d earn his rank and her respect the old fashioned way. He challenge the hell out of everyone he could for it. But not until he had made sure he understood how this academy really worked.
So with a rueful smile, he quickly made his way towards the still large crowd of basic supplicants, which was no doubt exactly where he belonged.