Chapter 25: Struggling
MARIN, MONDAY, MERCHANTUS 16TH
Marin discovered Aellaria. When she first entered the room, she thought Aellaria was asleep—taking a nap with the lights on. However, when Marin started preparing for her shower, she saw something was wrong. Aellaria was shaking and gasping as if entirely out of breath.
Aellaria’s eyes were closed, but tears flowed freely from them. Marin ran over and began shaking Aellaria. “Aellaria! Wake up! It is just a dream!” Marin said assertively. She shook Aellaria and felt how cold her roommate’s skin was.
It wasn’t just a dream.
Marin tried opening Aellaria’s eyes, but they just wouldn’t focus. Soon, the shaking started slowing down, which scared Marin even more. Marin opened the door and shouted for help. She had seen enough to worry about Aellaria’s life.
Marin leaned in and picked Aellaria up. After two months of Tilly’s training, she only slightly struggled to carry the taller Aellaria. Aellaria’s hat fell off, and the pendant dropped to the floor.
When Marin turned around, the number one ranked in the class, Terra, stood in the doorway. She ran in. “Overdose? What’s wrong?”
“I- I don’t know!” Marin shouted. “I found her like this.”
Terra ran over and took Aellaria in her strong arms. Terra sprinted out of the room with Aellaria, and Marin followed. From behind, Marin could only see Aellaria’s pale face and black hair hanging down.
Some other girls watched from their rooms. Marin only really recognized and remembered Olyza.
Marin followed Terra into the teleportation circle to the floor of the Main Gymnasium and infirmary. Terra was already moving and pushed through to Cryonolon’s domain.
Terra found an open bed and shouted, “Someone help! She's going cold!”
Professor Cryonolon and a gray-robed healer entered from the back room. Cryonolon went over to a shelf and shouted at the student. “Elzo, triage.”
The student, Elzo, went to Aellaria. Marin and Terra watched the Senior cast a cantrip, pushing air into Aellaria’s lungs. With his other hand, he cast a higher-level spell before responding. “Mana suffocation.”
Cryonolon grabbed a mana potion off of the shelf. “How in Paph’s wings does a Freshman get mana suffocation? Close airways.” Cryonolon approached the unconscious student, shaking the mana potion.
Elzo and Master Cryonolon worked together to keep Aellaria breathing, processing mana, and, most importantly, keeping her heart beating. After a couple of moments, the heart continued beating on its own.
When Elzo and Cryonolon stepped away from the pale woman on the table, Marin asked in a concerned voice. “Is she okay? What happened?”
Master Cryonolon looked to Elzo to explain. His hair was shaved on one side and curled over stylishly. “Your friend here must have cast a spell their body wasn’t ready for. They ran out of mana, which I had never seen before. Was your friend taking any strange potions or powders?”
Marin looked nervously at Aellaria and then at Cryonolon. “Only one. Like the blue one you gave her. Is it bad?”
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Elzo smiled, “Your friend wouldn’t be in trouble for taking a mana potion, but why do they need it?”
Cryonolon answered, “This is the girl with no efficiencies. Is that right?”
Marin's expression was vacant for a second. Then, after she replayed the words in her head again, it clicked: “Right, she has talent but no efficiencies.”
Elzo raised an eyebrow, “What is a child with no efficiencies doing at Spire?”
“Struggling. It looks like.” Cryonolon said.
AELLARIA
About ninety minutes later, Aellaria’s eyes fluttered open. She registered new surroundings and looked around. Aellaria saw three people in the room with her: Terra, Marin, and a healer from the Senior class. “I’m sick,” Aellaria warned before her stomach churned. She gagged and struggled to keep the mana potions down. Her empty stomach made the moment even worse than it was.
“Aellaria! You’re alive!” Marin shouted as she crouched next to her friend. “What were you doing? You scared me to death.”
Aellaria looked at her friend with a slightly glazed expression. Her voice was as soft and gentle as butterfly kisses, “Practicing.”
Elzo was organizing the alchemical stores for the week, “What in Tillia’s Garden did you take to force yourself to practice to the point of mana exhaustion? Not mana exhaustion, mana depletion. Death,” He admonished.
Aellaria giggled. “It's not the first time I died… or the second.”
Marin felt uncomfortable. It was almost like this wasn’t Aellaria. Her voice was different, and it took Marin a moment to understand. This Aellaria was girly. Aellaria was always composed, calm, and collected. This person giggled like a child until sleep claimed her again.
This display made Marin worry even more. “Elzo, what is wrong with her? Why is she acting like this?”
Elzo walked over and scanned the unconscious Aellaria with a spell. “The elements of her mind still need to balance. Sleep can help this process. Let her rest, and we will check back with her when she wakes up. You can stay here if you want, but if she is ready to be discharged at any time, I will have a sophomore guide her back to her room.”
Terra sat with her arms crossed, and Marin turned to look at the intimidating Pyromancer. “I can stay here longer if you want to return. Thank you for your help.”
Terra stood up and straightened out her red robes. “Of course.”
Marin walked over to Terra. The intimidating presence of the top of their class dulled somewhat by the powerful aura radiating off of the upperclassman in their presence. “You were so quick to come to help. I mean it. Thank you so much.”
Terra looked coolly into Marin’s eyes. “You two don’t belong here, but I vowed to protect the weak.”
“I–” Marin begins, but Terra continues.
“This makes it particularly frustrating when the weak insist on putting themselves in danger. Just know that I will only save the lemmings I can see approaching the cliff.”
Marin didn’t know what to say. If Aellaria didn’t belong, then surely she didn't. Aellaria proved every day in their sparring sessions how much better she was. Terra didn’t give her the chance to respond. She had already left the infirmary.