The citizens suffer, and hate festers in their hearts as the war rages on, unforgiving in its brutality. In the twilight of battle, shattered dreams lie amidst the echoes of destruction, whispering tales of loss and despair. The stench of death hangs heavy, a grin symphony of broken bodies and shattered spirits, where every step forward is a tragic testament to the merciless grip of war’s cruelty.
Horror of war.
Scholar José Narosky
Calodan kingdom, year 2273.
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Aodhán awoke the next morning to the ding of a notification, and he opened it to find an enthusiastic reply from Daruk, asking them to go to the post office immediately after gym. He grinned after he read the message and turned to the clock on his bedside table. His eyes widened when he realized he only had a minute or two left before he had to be at the gymnasium.
He cursed as he stumbled out of bed and rushed towards the bathroom. He’d allowed the feeling of freedom he'd felt as he soared through the skies to get the best of him, and now, as he washed his body, he cursed himself and Varéc for being so careless.
He barely spent a minute in the bathroom before rushing out, and without drying himself, he put on his uniform and created a new storm scarf for himself before rushing out of his room.
A lightning platform appeared beneath his feet the moment he stepped out of the house, and he immediately imbued it with all five strands of energized willpower he was allowed to use.
The construct zipped forward with tremendous speed, but he still failed to make it on time, and coach Harvey chuckled. “You’re four minutes late; that translates to an extra two laps around the gymnasium.”
Aodhán groaned as coach Harvey waved him in, but he couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Lupin, only just wearing her null armor. She must have run all the way from her house to the gym, as she was still panting heavily and her uniform was soaked with sweat.
Even with how messy she looked, Lupin was beautiful. Her silvery-white hair clung to her forehead, which glistened with tiny beads of sweat.
She turned as he approached Miss Greene for his own armor and groaned. “It’s not funny, Raol; I can barely complete the normal two laps as it is, not to mention four.”
The comment only made him laugh harder, and even Miss Greene chuckled, although she eyed him as she produced his own armor and band.
“What happened?” Aodhán asked when he finally got his amusement under control. He hadn’t known Lupin long; in fact, he barely knew her at all, but in the past week, she’d never attended any class late. This was the first time she’d arrived too late, so Aodhán believed she had to have a genuine reason, although he doubted Coach Harvey cared about their reasons.
“I was reading the textbook on advancement theory, and time just flew. Before I realized it, it was already too late.” Lupin grumbled as Miss Greene placed the band on his wrist, and they both turned to the tracks at the edge of the gym.
Aodhán wasn’t too surprised when he realized she’d only been reading. She had the same serious vibe Imani had, although she wasn’t as obsessive. She sighed and asked. “What about you?”
Aodhán was aware of how ridiculous and unbelievable his reason would sound, but he wanted to show off, so he shrugged. “I spent the entire night soaring the skies with Varéc, and I’m only running on about two hours of sleep at the moment.”
Lupin stumbled but managed to catch herself on time, and she cleared her throat awkwardly. “Yeah, that’s not unusual at all.”
Aodhán chuckled, fully aware of the effect a mention of his familiar had on people. “It’s just a thing we like to do.” He said as they began their laps, and Lupin shook her head. “Okay, now you’re just messing with me.”
“Maybe a little.”
She rolled her eyes in amusement, and he asked. “So, we’re still on for today?”
“I promised you my evening, didn’t I?”
Aodhán smiled again and tipped a non-existent hat. “Then I shall see you in the evening.”
He picked up his pace after that and soon left Lupin behind. Since there were no classes today, the coach held them back until they finished their laps, along with half a dozen others who had also come late.
Three hours later, Aodhán was completely soaked with sweat as he crawled the last hundred feet to the finish line, and as coach Harvey pulled off the armor from Aodhán’s body, he said to him, “Impressive. Very impressive.”
Aodhán didn’t even have enough strength to appreciate the comment, as he collapsed to the floor immediately, utterly drained of strength. He lay on the ground for a long moment before pushing himself to his feet, and after a worried glance in Lupin’s direction, he made his way to the bathroom.
Lupin would be fine, and there really wasn’t anything he could do to help her. When he got to the bathroom, he did a few stretching exercises to help his regeneration along, and by the time he was done, he felt a lot better.
When he finally exited the gym, he found Andrew, Yurin, and Daruk seated on the steps, laughing at whatever story Yurin was telling, and when he reached them, Yurin grinned.
“You look like a mega-shuttle ran you over.”
Aodhán had never seen a mega-shuttle before, but he could imagine a bigger version of the shuttle they boarded back in Sector 8, and he couldn’t help but agree. “I feel like that.”
Andrew laughed and changed the topic. “Daruk told us the good news about your parents moving to the 5th sector. Amazing man.”
“Thank you, Andrew.” He glanced at Daruk and found that he couldn’t exactly determine what he was feeling or thinking. His face was blank and neutral, in the way that Eren Thornhill’s usually was.
Aodhán sighed. The expression was a new development. A new default Daruk had begun reverting to ever since he gained his seal. He turned back to Yurin, who jumped to his feet and asked. “So, any plans for today?”
“We’re heading to the post office to write a letter.” Aodhán replied after another glance in Daruk’s direction.
“Well, I’ll leave you guys to it; I’ve got a thing.” He raced down the gym steps after that, and Andrew stood up. “Text me when you’re done; I need to get a few hours of training before the forge challenges today.”
After Andrew left, Aodhán returned his gaze to Daruk, who hadn’t said a word to him since he arrived. “How are you doing?”
Daruk raised his head and pursed his lips in thought before responding. "Well, it's hard to say. My adopted brother is an alien with the legacy of a mass slaughterer, and I’ve got the willpower of two ascendants within me, so like, no pressure or anything.”
Aodhán chuckled, not too surprised that Daruk had put it together. In fact, he would be surprised if the principal hadn’t figured it out. The storm element was a rare one, and there was only one individual who had ascended with the element in the last 750 years.
Daruk shook his head, his lips tugging up slightly in amusement, and a moment later, he sighed. “Look, I don’t hate you, and although I’m still amazed at the whole transmigrating business, it’s not the weirdest thing that has happened to me lately.” He shook his head once more and continued. “I understand your reasons, but I can’t help the part of me that feels betrayed. I trusted you completely, but you kept so much from me, and now it’s going to take a while for me to trust you again.”
Aodhán nodded. “I hear you, and I’m fine with it.”
The Brystions were his first family, as he’d never really had one, and he was ready to do anything for them—to keep them, to make sure that he never lost them. Their conversation flowed after that, and although it was still a little awkward at first, it had smoothed out by the time they arrived at the post office.
The post office was a small building not too far from the administration block, and when they walked into it, they found several stacks of sealed letters, divided into two sections, one representing the incoming and the other outgoing letters.
Students and several staff members moved about, either to receive or submit letters. Several clerks stood behind a long white counter, and two large plaques hung above it, indicating the clerks assigned to sending and receiving letters. There was even a customer care stand, filled with stacks of paper and pens for sale.
Aodhán and Daruk bought a sheet of paper they believed was large enough to contain all they had to write and made their way to an empty corner of the room, where they began writing.
There was so much to tell, and they began their narration from the moment they left the Warren, although they left out several important parts like Daruk’s affinity change and the destruction of the Raventhorn.
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Still, the paper was filled up by the time they finished detailing their admission into the academy, so they had to buy an extra sheet of paper. They spoke about how much they missed them and urged them to write back quickly.
They hadn’t said all that they wanted to, but by the time they were done, the lingering tension between them had disappeared. Rehashing their history together had pulled them closer.
They submitted the letter to a kind-looking clerk and paid two silvers for the delivery fee. When they stepped out of the post office a few minutes later, Daruk asked. “So, any other plans for today?”
Aodhán grinned. “Aside from the forge matches and perhaps the tower, I’ve got a date with Lupin tonight.”
Daruk winked in amusement, but a moment later he frowned. “Wasn’t that the girl you and Cyrus fought over?”
Aodhán cleared his throat awkwardly and confessed. “The fight wasn’t about her; one of Cyrus’s friends figured out that I was already aware of the limit in Professor Dubois’s class, and instead of simply talking to me like any sane person should, he decided to attack me.”
“Oh.” Daruk replied with raised eyebrows and nodded. “That makes more sense, actually. You know, I suspected you were lying that time.”
“I didn’t lie. Andrew assumed that was the reason, and I simply didn't correct him.” Aodhán replied with a chuckle, and Daruk shook his head. “What about the tower? Are you not challenging it today?”
“I’m not sure if I should anymore; I’ve got so much going on that I doubt I’ll even have the time.” Aodhán sighed. “Besides, I doubt I can take the 24th level, even with Varéc’s assistance, which still leaves me at level 23, so there’s no point.”
“Whatever suits you.” Daruk replied and smiled. “So, what are your plans for this date?”
Aodhán paused and turned to him in confusion. “I don’t have any plans; I just thought we’d enjoy dinner in the cafeteria and have a nice conversation.”
Daruk came to a sudden halt and stared at him incredulously. “Wait, let me get this straight. You mean to tell me that you intend to take a noble lady to the cafeteria on a date?”
Aodhán scratched his jaw awkwardly. “When you put it that way...
“It’s a terrible idea; you’ll be shooting yourself in the leg.” Daruk laughed. “Haven’t you been on a date before?”
"Actually, no, I haven’t. I lived in a monastery.” Aodhán replied with a roll of his eyes, and Daruk frowned. “What is a monastery?”
“It’s like an orphanage, except it’s more of a religious organization.” Aodhán replied, his smile dimming as his memories resurfaced. “I was doing a photography project when I stumbled upon a cave and found the legacy seed.”
Silence descended, and their pace slowed as Aodhán contemplated sharing this part of himself. After a moment, though, he decided there was no harm in Daruk knowing more about him, so he continued.
“It’s been two months since that fateful day. Sometimes I wonder if they’re still searching for me or if they’ve given up. Does time move the same way? Or have centuries passed on my home planet?”
Daruk’s expression softened, and he placed a hand on Aodhán’s shoulders. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I’d like to learn about your world some time, to know the real you.”
“This is the real me.” Aodhán chuckled, and Daruk rolled his eyes. “Fine, then I’d like to know who you were before awakening.”
Aodhán nodded, and after a moment, he sighed. “I was the North-wing coordinator.” He chuckled as fond memories rose in his mind. “I was always calm and even-tempered, and the monks felt that I could lead my brothers. Of course, I was assigned to the most notorious wing, and when I became the coordinator, things got worse, and it almost drove me crazy, having to manage about thirty boys within the range of 5 and 16.”
Daruk chuckled, and Aodhán shook his head in amusement. “It was hell, and I hated every moment of it, but now I miss it.”
“How did you get to the orphanage or monastery, as you said?” Daruk asked.
“I was brought to the monastery at the age of six by a group of travelers who found me in the forest. I have no idea how I got there, but I vividly remember the smell of smoke and the wails of a woman as she screamed for me to run.”
Aodhán swallowed, lost in his fragmented memories. “I think my home was attacked and my parents killed, but somehow I managed to escape into the forest.”
He created a bench at the side of the road and sat down. “For the first few years, I hated myself for running away like a coward, as if I could have done anything to save them.” He scoffed. “It took me years to accept that I couldn’t. I hoped that once I became an independent citizen, I would investigate their deaths and find out who they were, but I can’t do that anymore.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Daruk whispered, and Aodhán sighed. “Thanks. It doesn’t hurt as much as it used to, though; now it’s just a dull ache that I feel once in a while.”
“It doesn’t matter how painful it is; loss is loss.” Daruk replied, and Aodhán nodded as his mind flashed back to his early days in the monastery, when the pain of loss had filled his entire existence. Fortunately, he’d had others to share his pain with, others who understood his pain as they had all lost a parent one way or another.”
Trying to draw Aodhán’s mind out of the dark hole it had sunk into, Daruk asked. “What were your hobbies?”
Aodhán blinked at the unexpected question and stammered. “I loved photography and nature hikes. I loved taking pictures of forests in my spare time; perhaps it’s because it was my refuge after my parents murder or death. I don’t know, but I’ve always felt most at peace within them; something about their silent existence just comforts me.”
“I understand.” Daruk nodded and stood up. “Perhaps that’s enough memory delving for one day; besides, Andrew is expecting us.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s enough.” Aodhán chuckled, and they continued their walk to the training center, where they found Andrew moving through a series of combat steps that vaguely resembled karate. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and turned to them. “I’m working on something right now, and I think I need a spar to figure it out.”
Aodhán constructed a chair for himself and asked. “Don’t you have a match in about two hours?”
“An hour and a half, actually.” Andrew responded and waved to Daruk. “Come on, fight me.”
“What? Why not Aodhán!?”
“Because Aodhán would crush me.” Andrew replied impatiently. “I don’t want to be crushed; I want a fight.”
“I feel both insulted and underestimated.” Daruk replied as he walked towards the center of the room and took up a furious stance.
Andrew smiled. “I might be underestimating you a little bit, but I know you can’t crush me yet, so I’ll take my chances with you.”
“Well, I’ll just sit here and watch then.” Aodhán muttered as he took out a tray of small snacks he’d snatched from the cafeteria earlier. Andrew shifted back until there was about ten feet between him and Daruk, and when Aodhán felt they were ready, he shouted around a mouthful of sausages. “Fight!
They exploded forward immediately. Daruk waved a hand, and a cascade of jagged blue ice spikes materialized on the floor in a swift and fluid motion. They surged forward in a crescent path that threatened to impale Andrew.
Andrew side-stepped hurriedly and threw out half a dozen white seeds into the jagged ice trap. Curious, Aodhán stood up so he could watch the spar from a better angle as both Andrew and Daruk released their auras at the same time.
This was the first time Aodhán was seeing Andrew’s aura, and it was simply a thick haze of verdant energy that had almost no effect on the barren floor. Before Aodhán could study the aura better, it was instantly crushed by the unforgiving chill of Daruk’s aura, which coated the entire floor in a thick layer of frost.
Aodhán shivered slightly, but a simple pulse of willpower chased the cold away before it could penetrate deeper into him. Still, being so close to the aura was uncomfortable, and it was a reminder that, as strong as he was, Daruk had a seal, which empowered his skills and bloodline to an insane degree.
Daruk flicked his fingers, and the layer of ice beneath his feet shattered and rose up, transforming into jagged shards of ice that carried the telltale shimmer of increased sharpness. As the shards of ice shot forward, Andrew moved, and half a dozen wooden vines suddenly shot out from beneath him.
The vines were covered in long thorns, which Aodhán recognized as Andrew’s {Forest of Thorns} skill. The vines twisted and weaved themselves together until they formed a wall that blocked Daruk’s attack.
The vines untangled a moment later and immediately shot towards Daruk, who scoffed in amusement and simply raised a hand to the approaching vines. Aodhán raised an eyebrow in surprise when the vines simply froze and shattered like glass.
Aodhán had seen the effect of {Freeze} before, but this perfected version was much more dangerous, even to him, and Aodhán began searching for ways to counter it, just in case they ever had to fight in the future.
Surprisingly, Andrew wasn’t as handicapped as he’d expected, which indicated that he must have found a way to circumvent his limitations. Aodhán smiled when he saw the effect of {Create seed} and {Accelerate growth} working in tandem.
Dozens of vines shot out of the frozen floor, and when one shattered, two replaced them. At one point, there were over three dozen vines, but Aodhán noted that not all the vines were under Andrew’s control; some seemingly moved on their own, aimless, as they futilely attacked the walls.
Frustrated with the ever-increasing number of vines, Daruk shattered all the ice around him and forged them into needles as long as his arms. The needless shot forward with great speed, and Andrew’s eyes widened in alarm.
Quickly, he gathered the vines closest to him and wrapped them around himself until they formed an impenetrable cocoon of writhing vines. Daruk was not deterred, and for the first time, Aodhán saw {Drain Heat} in action.
Daruk raised a hand to the cocoon of vines and clenched. Immediately, the vines blackened and began to wither as every single mote of heat was drained from them.
Andrew stumbled back as the needles slammed into his withering vines with the force of a trailer, but he released his aura again, and as the thick haze of verdant energy burst out of him, the vines began to regain their vitality. When one vine withered, another took its place.
As interesting as the spar was, Aodhán was more interested in figuring out how Andrew kept attacking without creating the vines himself, and he smiled when his gaze found several blocks of ice protected by the seemingly aimless vines he’d dismissed a while ago.
Daruk scoffed in annoyance as the number of vines suddenly doubled and shot towards him like arrows, but before they struck, a massive shield of blue ice formed around Daruk.
The shield shattered from the force of Andrew's attack, but it had bought him enough time to dodge the approaching vines. Daruk surged forward, his eyes glowing with bluish-white light, the telltale sign of his crude body enhancement technique, and before Andrew could react, he lashed out with a jagged ice blade that cut through every vine that tried to block his attack.
The blade stopped a hairsbreadth from Andrew’s neck, and Daruk sagged slightly as he released the technique and muttered. “I need to improve this technique. It’s so draining and wasteful.”
"Congratulations, Daruk; I was rooting for you.” Aodhán responded teasingly, and Andrew groaned. “Damn, I was so close to hitting you with that last surge of vines.”
“But you didn’t, and I won.” Daruk grinned, and his gaze turned to the mass of limp vines that littered the floor. “How did you do this, though? I thought you were limited in a place like this.”
Andrew grinned, proud of his genius, and pointed to the blocks of ice hidden by the tangle of vines. “I read! For the first time in my life, I went to the library and read a text on awakened plants. That’s where I found this mundane plant called the frozen render that only grows in ice, so in a feat of spectacular genius, I used your abilities to power my own.”
“Well, it sure is interesting.” Daruk muttered in annoyance. “Genius though? I doubt that.”
Aodhán laughed and said, “Disregard Daruk; it was impressive to watch, and I’m glad you’ve finally found a way to circumvent this particular limitation.”
Daruk snorted as he created an ice chair for himself and draped himself over it. “I should have destroyed all the ice the moment I realized something was fishy.”
“Well, unfortunately for you, you didn’t.” Andrew responded, and the bickering began.
Aodhán sighed and moved back to his construct. He draped himself on it in a fashion similar to Daruk’s, and not wanting to be left out, Andrew did the same. Their bickering continued until their chips pinged with a general message that the forge challenge was about to begin.