Aodhán awoke the next morning to the ping of a notification announcing the next week as the midterm break. He grinned in excitement. Finally! He couldn't wait to see Unrid, Aldric, and Synové again after almost two months apart.
He checked his time, and seeing that he only had a few minutes to spare before gym, he untangled himself from Varéc's snoring form and raced to the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, when he was done dressing, he readjusted his storm scarf, urged Varéc back into his spirit, and jetted out the window on a storm platform.
Aodhán found Daruk and Andrew already waiting for him at the front of House 1, inpatient scowls etched on their lips, and he quickly apologized before they could scold him.
Coming late was slowly becoming a habit of his, especially on mornings such as this, but he honestly had good reasons; chief among them was Varéc, who always arrived from his nightly hunts several hours past midnight with a shimmering core or two held between his fangs.
Aodhán had started having difficulties sleeping as a result of that, so he'd begun staying awake until Varéc arrived before sleeping.
Take last night, for instance. He'd stayed awake until half past two before Varéc returned, and although he'd wanted to scold the Fury for coming back so late, he'd been presented with two evolved Tier 21 water cores that shimmered with various shades of blue. His anger had withered instantly.
He'd practically had to hold himself back from absorbing the cores immediately and had instead shoved them into his spatial space, where they joined the others he'd accumulated so far.
He explained the reason for his lateness to them, but it only seemed to worsen the case. Andrew scoffed while Daruk glared at him, unappeased and still hurt by their failure in the simulation yesterday.
The simulation had managed to reduce the growing tension among the first years, although it had created a sort of rivalry between the two groups. Now, those from Aodhán's group waved enthusiastically when they passed by him and Andrew, while those from Daruk's group glared daggers at them, only acknowledging Daruk with their greetings.
Aodhán ignored the group of glaring students and sighed. “I'm sorry.” Aodhán said for the umpteenth time that week. “I swear, I'll do better.”
Andrew shook his head, while Daruk sniffed derisively, grudgingly accepting his apology. With that out of the way, they joined Aodhán on his platform and made their way to the gym for another round of torture.
After running, sweating, and wheezing for an hour and a half, Aodhán headed to the bathroom to wash off the grime and put on his official uniform, after which he joined the others, including Yurin, in heading to the cafeteria.
After a fulfilling breakfast, Yurin and Aodhán proceeded to the runic lab. When they walked in, they found Professor Caldwell already present, conversing with Ankaz, Lupin, and a group of students about runic links.
“Runic links can be likened to conjunctions and are used to join two or more runes together to form a runic script. Still, that is a topic still far above you, and it will only become useful after you've mastered the runic alphabets.”
Aodhán groaned along with several others. He couldn't wait to finally link runes, as that was where real runic power came from. Numbers.
He was making decent progress, though. He'd reduced the time needed to draw FEHU to one minute, URZA to two, and THIRUSAZ to roughly three minutes. Hopefully, by the end of the break, he would have mastered all the initiate runes. Doubtful, but not impossible.
“All in good time, students.” Professor Caldwell smirked as they all returned to their work benches. The class wasn’t supposed to begin yet, but since everyone was present, Professor Caldwell decided to start.
This time, rather than with a pen and paper, she drew the fourth runic alphabet, ANSUZ, on the air.
“This is Ansuz.” She began. “The rune of fire and heat. But it also signifies passion and can be used in many different ways for many different purposes.”
Aodhán scrutinized the floating rune as she continued. He already knew that runes could be drawn on air, but to see them floating before him was a different matter entirely. The rune looked like a floating energy construct, and the more he stared at it, the more convinced he became. But just to be sure, he asked. “What's the difference between a floating rune and a construct?”
Professor Caldwell chuckled. “I asked that same question back in my day; now I'll tell you what my teacher told me. A floating rune is a command written directly on the fabric of reality.” She gestured towards the rune and continued. “If this rune is activated, it will alter the reality within this room. Constructs, on the other hand, are manifestations of your will. They do not affect reality in the same manner as runes.
Take a spear construct; for instance, regardless of its affinity, it won't change the reality within this room, but a darkness rune will banish light completely, thereby altering our reality.”
Aodhán nodded in understanding, and Professor Caldwell continued. “Drawing runes on air is much more difficult than drawing them on paper, metal, or any other surface, as it requires a more precise control over energy than any of you currently possess." She smiled when many of them groaned in disappointment. “You'll get there eventually; there's no need to run before you can crawl.”
Professor Caldwell spent the next few minutes explaining the importance and meaning of Ansuz, and half an hour later, she instructed them to start practicing it.
Aodhán focused on the rune, trying to channel his will and intent into drawing it like Professor Caldwell had explained. He didn't perfect it on his first trial, of course, but he didn't exactly fail either. The rune was almost perfect, and with a smile, he tried again.
As he drew the rune over and over, his mind wandered, and he wondered if there was a way to merge two or more runes together to get a different rune entirely.
The idea had been inspired by the rune links Professor Caldwell had mentioned earlier. If one could link two runes together, could they merge them instead to create a different rune entirely?
Perhaps a mixture of Fehu, the rune of strength and vitality, and Ansuz would produce a healing-flame rune? He chuckled. It was stupid, but he was sure there was a possibility there somewhere.
As the class progressed, though, Lupin and Yurin soon left their seats and came to join him so they could practice together.
Professor Caldwell was usually against such sitting arrangements, but today she ignored them, choosing to focus her attention on helping those who were yet to perfect even a single rune.
Time passed on in this manner, and when the class finally ended, Aodhán, Yurin, and Lupin walked out of the hall excitedly. “I can't believe I almost dropped this course.” Lupin exclaimed. “The possibilities involved in runic machinations are endless.”
“Not quite.” Yurin snorted. “You'll find that out when we get into runic activations.”
Aodhán groaned. Of course, he'd read about runic activations, and although rune scripting was filled with endless possibilities, it was during their activation that the limitations came in.
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Runes could only be activated by the infusion of the right essence. A darkness rune could only be activated by the infusion of shadow or darkness essence, and a light rune could only be activated by the infusion of light essence.
Of course, some runes like FEHU could be activated by anyone regardless of their affinities, but a rune like ANSUZ required a fire or solar affinity to activate.
From what he'd read, there were also some runes that could be charged with ambient energy. A simple light rune, for instance, could be linked and scripted in such a way that it passively absorbed energy from the air to fuel itself, but such a process only worked for initiate runes. Advanced runes could also be charged with ambient energy, but the charging process was much slower, making it ineffective in a battle.
Grand and elder runes couldn't even be activated with ambient energies, as they required an infusion of a suitable energy first to jumpstart them.
Activation truly was the limiting point, but the runes still provided some wiggle room, which was the main reason why Aodhán had chosen the course in the first place. All runes, even elder runes, could be activated using energy cores, and that was the reason why he'd registered for the forgemastery course, but now he wondered if he could imbue his constructs with runes.
It should be possible, as Daruk's {Forge} did something similar, imbuing his constructs with minor enchantments such as durability, sharpness, and piercing power.
As Yurin and Lupin argued, Aodhán's mind drifted to a video the principal had shown him. It was the battle of champions that took place in the agricultural sector of Sunstone three weeks ago.
As impressive and awe-inspiring as all the other champions had been, Aodhán's gaze had lingered on two: Artemis Valerion, only because he was the half brother of his current torturer, and Geneva Ryntharion, whose quintessence affinity basically made her the best runic warrior ever.
She had no limitations when it came to runic activations, as she could simply manipulate and change the nature of energy to match the rune she wanted to activate.
It had been glorious watching her draw dozens of elder runes in microseconds, affecting the reality of light, gravity, balance, heat, and even fire within her domain.
Aodhán frowned as another idea came to him, and he wondered if it was possible to create or tweak runes until they aligned with a particular affinity. Was it possible to merge a storm rune with a light rune to produce something different? What effect would such a rune even have? Or perhaps a power rune that increased the strength of his abilities?
Aodhán sighed. All he had were ideas upon ideas, none of which he could experiment on yet. He didn't discard them, though; instead, he pushed them to the back of his mind and left them to simmer.
He returned his attention to the conversation just as Lupin wrapped her arms around him and smiled. “I'm so glad we get to leave the academy this weekend; I miss my family so much.” She sighed wistfully and asked them. “What are your plans for the break?”
Yurin answered first. “I am going to sector 6 to see my grandparents before they die of old age. They're both sleepers, so...”
He trailed off, and Aodhán responded. “I've got no plans, really. I just want to spend time with my family and, maybe, explore the sector.”
Lupin grinned, almost bouncing in excitement. “Great. That means you're free, and I don't have to feel guilty for pulling you away to meet my family.”
Aodhán sputtered. “I'm sorry. What?!”
Lupin rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I didn't mean it that way, but even if I did, is that such a bad idea?”
“And that's my cue to leave.” Yurin quipped and rushed forward, leaving them to converse alone.
“No, it's not a bad idea.” Aodhán replied. “It's just… It caught me off guard.”
Lupin narrowed her eyes and moved closer. “You're a fool, Aodhán Brystion; do you know that?”
Aodhán blinked and smiled nervously. “I'm not quite sure what you mean.”
It was a lie. He knew what she meant. They'd been going out for almost four weeks now, and he was yet to pop the girlfriend question. It wasn't that he didn't want to; he was just waiting for the right moment to do so.
Lupin shook her head and sighed. “My family's holding an awakening party for a cousin of mine, who is turning sixteen next week, and I would really love for you to attend.”
“Sure.” Aodhán shrugged, glad that she'd dropped the previous topic, and although he thought it was a little absurd to throw an awakening party for someone who was yet to awaken, he understood that it was a noble custom. Besides, it was a great opportunity to spend time with Lupin and perhaps finally ask her to be his girlfriend.
Still, just for clarification, he asked. “What happens if your cousin fails to awaken after the party?”
Lupin shrugged. “Nothing; my family would be sad and disappointed, but they'll get over it and move on. Besides, the party is more of an excuse to socialize than the awakening itself.”
Aodhán nodded. “Well, send me the date, dress code, and location, Daruk, and I will be there.”
“Thank you.” Lupin smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek before rushing to join Scarlett and Lyra, who were waiting impatiently for them at the end of the hallway.
After she left, Aodhán shook his head and made his way to the library to research more on the possibilities and limitations of runes.
***
The rest of the week passed slowly, painfully crawling forward as if hesitant to reach the weekend. Anticipation filled the air as the students prepared to go home, and for some reason, Aodhán realized that almost every noble house was throwing a party during the break.
Aodhán got invited to over a dozen, most of them issued by members of his simulation group, the red order, as they now called themselves, but he politely declined them as he'd already made plans with Lupin and intended to spend the break practicing runes and spending time with his family.
Still, he couldn't reject all of them and had been forced to accept Alesh Vilari’s invitation to his great-grandfather's burial and Andrew's invitation to his sister's promotional banquet.
He'd coordinated with Daruk so they could attend the same events, but with these three engagements now scheduled, he doubted he would even have enough time to spend with his family.
Still, the week wasn't over yet, and just as he stepped out of Gwendolyn Blackwood's class on the energy signatures of awakened plants with Andrew, Imani rushed forward with an artfully decorated black envelope, and a minute later, Aodhán found himself muttering. “Of course, I'll try my possible best to make it to your father's birthday party.”
He could have said no, but he'd rejected the girl once and didn't have the heart to do so again. He made his way back to his room and began packing everything he would need during the break into his spatial storage. It wasn't much, as he only needed his clothes, textbooks, and a few essentials.
After he was done packing, he texted Daruk and Andrew that he was ready, but just as he stepped out of his room, he received a message from principal Zatya asking him to come to her office immediately.
Aodhán sighed. He wanted to ignore the message, but he could already feel Zatya's attention on him, which meant she was watching and she wanted him to know that she was.
He scowled and began marching to her office in the admin building. When he reached the office several minutes later, he found Principal Zatya seated comfortably in her chair, a half-drunk glass of sparkling blue wine set on her table.
She smiled and gestured for him to sit. “You were about to leave without a goodbye; I thought we'd bonded over the weeks.”
They had indeed bonded, as over the last four weeks, Aodhán had gotten to know her well, as she regularly summoned him to her office to talk about his training, the war, and his experiences as a transmigrant. He had told her all he could but had kept the most important details to himself. The woman was insane and painfully eccentric, but she had made no other move to threaten him. Nevertheless, he hadn't let his guard down around her, as he didn't fully trust her and didn't see a reason to pretend otherwise.
“My brother is waiting for me.” He replied as he sat down, and principal Zatya chuckled. “Always so guarded; it's one of the things I like about you.”
She took a sip of her drink, and her voice took on a serious tone. “As you step out of the academy, remember that the students may have gotten used to the uniqueness of your situation; I doubt many of them even understand the gravity of what you did at the tournament, but their parents and the public will. By now, you must have received invitations from various noble houses as a result of this. I advise you to go, but remain vigilant and composed; it'll be the first week all over again.”
“I will. Thank you for the advice.” Aodhán knew this was coming. In fact, he was prepared, and that was one of the reasons he'd rejected most of the invitations he'd received.
Principal Zatya continued. “There are also the emissaries of the 1st and 2nd academies to worry about; I hope you haven't forgotten our deal.”
Aodhán snorted. “How can I ever forget?”
She chuckled. “Well, that is good. Also, your parents have been living in relative peace for the past month, going home will lead not only the press to their doorsteps but also the vigilance of several noble houses. I hope you've prepared them for their newfound fame.”
Aodhán grimaced. He had written to Unrid and Synové about it in one of their letters, but he couldn't go as far as to say he had prepared them. The issue had plagued him for weeks now, but he had yet to figure out a solution to it.
“One last thing.” Principal Zatya smiled and leaned forward. “I’ve been informed that you received an invitation from Imani Blackwell.”
Aodhán didn't even bother asking how she'd gotten that information, and although her statement was phrased innocently, Aodhán suspected this was the main reason she'd called him to her office in the first place.
“Yes.” He replied dly, “Is there a problem?”
“Of course not.” Principal Zatya replied, her smile widening into a cheshire grin that sent a shiver down his spine. “There is something of mine within the Blackwell mansion; how would you like to help me retrieve it?”