13. Meant to Die

"How didn’t I see you? You’re like… tall now,” Lucas whispered. It’s been so long since Lucas saw him. “…And aren’t we supposed to be–– lowkey?"

“Our senses narrow when we find ourselves drawn to a single person,” whispered his Mexurian friend, ignoring Lucas' inquiry and the students who were a bit too obvious when they stared at Cale like hawks, whispering among themselves. “Be more attentive.”

“…What?”

Chloe smiled at Cale as she released Lucas’ wrist. “Hello!”

“Greetings,” said Cale, his tone almost cold, before turning away.

“Don’t be rude,” Lucas chastised his friend, before looking at Chloe. “And you sure don’t wanna know?” he asked, noticing how Chloe seemed to hide her worries about something. But he had an idea as to what that might be.

She’s sharp, Lucas thought. Wait... we've already met before. She knows I'm a SPECTRA. So, that's why.

If he was in Chloe’s position, even if she did not outright say it, he also would be wondering why a SPECTRA is enrolling at the Academy, and he would be worried why that even would be the case.

So, he needed to assuage her worries.

“Why you’re here? Of course I want to,” she said. “But it’s not like you’re gonna tell me?”

Lucas mustered the most mysterious smile he could ever muster. He also wanted to look cool and show off a bit. Hell, he’s a Prime and a top-ranked Awakened. He’s Avernus!

But until he’s come of age in three years, he wouldn’t be able to show off, so he has to don the fucking mask.

So, for someone, especially Chloe, to know what he is, he actually welcomed the feeling despite the inherent risks. But, it still wouldn't be wise to reveal that he's Avernus. “Let’s just say the League sent me out on a secret mission. And that there’s nothing for you to worry about. Think of it as a secret government audit… and a secret between the two of us," he said. It wasn't an outright lie, but he won't be complicating the mission or putting her in danger by saying that.

But God, he’d been dreaming his whole life to say that to someone.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Sure… whatever. I’m not gonna pry,” she said, but she looked more relieved, and it seemed she believed him.

Lucas nodded proudly to himself as he moved along the queue.

“Hey, Cass?”

“Hm?”

“Ask.”

Lucas glanced at her from his peripherals, raising an eyebrow. “Ask?”

“I know you’re curious about something, and I can see it in your eyes. You’re being too… you know? So, ask.”

“Says the one being too observant,” Lucas said before pointing at his hazel eyes. They're contact lenses. “I was just wondering if you’ve ever tried contacts.”

“Lenses?” Chloe said and nodded her head. “When I was younger, yes, because I felt sort of self-conscious about it. But people weren’t that interested. So, it’s like, it doesn’t matter anymore. Like even for magic people… err..., the Awakened. They just talk when they see me, but that’s about it. But it does make it harder to make friends, even the non-Awakened. Most people are not rude. It’s mostly the other way around. They’re too polite that it’s almost like, I can feel them walking around eggshells every time they talk to me.”

Lucas nodded in realization. He felt as if he just did the same thing without even realizing it. “Sorry.”

Chloe shook her head. “No, I mean, you were not like that. You guys don’t like see me as… different, I guess? Like I didn’t get that feeling. It sounds egotistical, I know. But I mean, it’s like, just a relief, I guess?”

While she tried to keep calm and cheerful. Her voice sounded a bit crestfallen.

Lucas chuckled a little bit. “Like…”

“Oh shut up…”

Lucas cleared his throat. “Just kidding. But like you said, as those doctors told you in the past, there are just so many mysteries with the aether. That quite literally anything could happen. Assumed rules and laws are broken each day. So, the Awakened have been trained to expect the unexpected. Just in case,” he said, quoting an epigraph he learned at SPECTRA.

“Yeah… I wish more people were like that.”

Suddenly, Cale’s calm and almost hypnotic voice echoed out.

“It is said that our eyes turn silver when we awaken… because it mirrors the colour of the aether. But it’s simply how we see it. In its raw form–– how we see it with our limited vision. Its true appearance may be something we cannot comprehend,” said Cale with a glance at Chloe. He is a tad bit introverted, and barely spoke. But he must have been paying attention to their chat after all.

So, Lucas was surprised.

Chloe slightly canted her head. “I see.”

Even Lucas wondered what direction Cale was going in on his statement.

Cale continued, speaking more in plain terms this time. “My people believes the Awakened Eyes is merely a side-effect of a person’s connection with the aether. For yourself, Miss, it may simply indicate your stronger connection to it. One may see it as a gift. A blessing awaiting to be unlocked. While others, like us, only sees it as it is.”

Chloe waited with bated breath. “That is?”

A disease, thought Lucas as he frowned.

Cale hesitated but did continue. “A curiosity. The same curiosity when we look at the stars. Wondering if we’re alone. Wondering if anyone else is out there.”

Chloe smiled. “That’s a really romantic way of putting it.”

Lucas raised a brow at his friend’s response, scrutinizing his countenance. A curiosity, my ass. But Cale must have noticed his gaze.

Cale’s lips parted, but no words came out. A form of communication common among those who works in the intelligence community: ‘There is no need to have her live in fear. I’m sure the Consortium plans to help her, no matter what their intent may be.’

But, shouldn’t she know? Lucas thought. However, perhaps his features were so easy to read, that it was as if Cale was able to read his mind. His friend is showing more and more of the same characteristics as those two – the Director and Mrs. Livia.

Cale mouthed once more. Shorter this time. It’s like writing in short-hand but through silent lip communication. But, Lucas was able to translate it in full. Basically, Cale said: ’It is likely she already knows. Many hide behind the guise of a smile, and yet deep beneath, there is only hopelessness and desperation. There is no need to remind her of her misery. All you can do is be a friend.’

Lucas narrowed his eyes at Cale, before stealing a glance at Chloe for a second, who kept that seemingly innocent smile. But he’s not wrong.

“She seems desperate for friends and it seems she already sees you as one. It’s something that often happens when two souls shared a moment of disaster at the same place and at the same time,” Cale whispered and looked away. With the same look he has every time he didn’t want to be bothered. “…and if the Consortium have given her hope. Who are we to take that hope away?”

Lucas pursed his lips but did nod in agreement, remembering what Chloe said – how she felt as if people were walking around eggshells when they talked to her. Perhaps that was why she was alone in the first place on that bench. Right, of course… She was speaking to me under the assumption that I already knew about her condition. She just didn’t want to talk about it, but I practically forced her to, thought Lucas, feeling stupid. Man, fuck you Lucas.

“You two seem to know each other,” asked Chloe after Cale turned away, perhaps sensing herself that the Mexurian would rather not be bothered by further small talk.

Cale only has so much energy to spare speaking to lesser beings like them, or so Lucas thought.

“Oh yeah. He is. We’re childhood friends,” said Lucas.

Since his relationship with Cale was pretty evident, and his secret was out to Chloe anyway, which he still felt conflicted about because who knows what SPECTRA would do–– he opted not to lie to her and make matters more convoluted or worse.

“Is he a Prime too? SPECTRA?” Chloe leaned forward, lowering her voice to a mere hush.

But maybe he should lie to that question. “Cale? No,” Lucas said. Lie and divert. “Wait. Hold on. Are you assuming I have no other friends aside from Primes and SPECTRAs?” Which, honestly, would be true. The Hummingbird Unit are the only ones he could truly call his friends, and obviously, the younger generation of Primes still training at SPECTRA.

Wow, now that I think about it. I’m connected with a lot of powerful or future-powerful people, Lucas thought in a moment of disgusting arrogance.

But the reason he said what he said is to take advantage of the common perception of Primes. That they’re unfortunate children trained to be emotionless killing machines, taken advantage of by the government.

It’s just a matter of Chloe taking that bait.

“What? No! But, I mean. I guess Primes are indeed normally born only once in every few years. You and Cale are the same age, so I guess it wouldn’t make sense that he’s a Prime too. But, who knows, right? Not to mention it’s an open secret anyway that the government actively looks for them and trains them secretly, right? So, it’ll be an educated assumption that they’re kept out of the public and be with each other instead, right? Which sounds… sad!”

Chloe whispered really fast her excuses that didn’t really directly answer Lucas’ question in a bid to defend herself, waving her hands as she did so, averting her gaze from his sarcastically accusatory eyes.

“You’re not… really saving yourself here,” said Lucas as he inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. Diversion successful, he thought.

However, her assumption was fairly accurate. In fact, it was dead on. Because while Primes are normally only born once in a few years, there are some special cases when two Primes are born in the same year – like Lucas and Cale.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The idea is that: Primes are so rare that there’s no way there could be two born in the same year. That’s how rare they are.

Thankfully, Chloe herself already made the conclusion, and he didn’t need to over-explain himself.

When Cale glanced at him, there was a subtle nod from the Mexurian. A rare compliment.

“I’m not trying to save my––,” Chloe said before playfully clicking her tongue as she looked away. “God. I’m sorry, OK?”

“I’m just kidding,” Lucas grinned. “Cale’s a Legacy. Sometimes, we go to Mexur to train with their young Legacies. That’s really how we know each other. And he saw my real face by accident. But as you can see, he doesn't really care. And that's how we became friends."

As Cale has always told him. Sometimes, when you lie, it's better to include an anecdote indicating–– stupidity.

"Jeez. You've got to be more careful," said Chloe.

Lucas wasn't sure if she believed him or not. But she's not giving any indication that she's someone who would rat him off. "But I gotta give it to you, though. Not a lot of people bothers learning about Primes.”

“If you were in my position, you would be too. Like imagine being in a position where you’re saved by a Prime who didn’t even introduce their name. Wouldn’t you be curious too?”

“I’m not sure if you’re gaslighting me or not.”

“Are you crazy?”

Lucas laughed. “I mean, I can’t just pause and admire how cute you were,” he said. But when he realized what he just said, he cringed.

Who says that? Like seriously? I can’t just pause and admire how cute you were? That was bad! Lucas wanted to puke.

He also noticed Cale cringe at him in sheer disgust.

“Cute?” Chloe smirked.

“Beauty is not everlasting,” Lucas coldly replied.

“Rude. Negging doesn’t work on me.”

“What the fuck is negging?” said Lucas with a cracked voice.

“Forget about it!”

He laughed. “But yeah, I was just telling him earlier I’d rather not be here,” said Lucas with an exaggerated scoff. “And do you know what he told me?”

“Yeah?” Chloe said.

“He said, ‘Arrogance is the downfall of many,’ then looked at me as if I was a scum,” he said, mimicking Cale’s voice.

Cale did not react, pretending as if he didn’t hear them.

Chloe chuckled. “But he’s right! You know, my dad said…” Chloe began to talk in rapid fire. But basically, she told him there could be a lot of things the Academy could teach him.

As if…

Lucas leaned to whisper. “Are you forgetting I’m a Prime?”

Chloe scoffed. “So? That doesn’t mean you can’t learn new things, mister Prime.”

“Hey now…”

“Hey now…” Chloe mimicked his tone. “Prime. Pshh… You think you’re better than us?”

They were still whispering, by the way.

“Hey, I didn’t say that. You did,” Lucas said with a pause, before smirking. “But… am I though? Better than you all?”

Chloe looked offended and disgusted before continuing to lecture him about the importance of learning. About how it’s important to remain open-minded.

But it sounds more like she’s berating me more than anything, Lucas thought. She’s got a point though.

But as they talked, Lucas’ mind was partially elsewhere.

The reason he, Aoife, and Fia were surprised earlier about Chloe’s eyes was simple.

She’s meant to die.

***

They soared through the sky, with Lucas finding the open deck of their dropship, taking note of the other two dropships that flew on a distance.

He was still thinking about Chloe’s condition. It bothered him that while he had no reason to care, he couldn’t help but be concerned.

So, he slipped away from her with Cale to look it up on his phone, just to make sure. He also had to be briefed by Cale anyway.

“Soul Core Imbalance. A rare chronic disease,” Lucas said as he read an online news article about the disease from his phone.

“It’s not something you could deal with,” said Cale; gone was his usual blank features, replaced only by sheer confusion as he raised a brow. “Why are you so invested, anyway?”

“I don’t know…” Lucas said and ignored his friend, going back to his musing.

It’s a common knowledge among the Awakened that the aether is like blood. It flows everywhere, and can even flow within the veins of the body. Such is the case for those with a soul core.

If the heart pumps out blood, the soul core pumps aether. It doesn’t stop flowing.

But what he didn’t know, was that too much aether causes the body to die.

According to the article, it bursts out:

…Awakening was previously believed to be the cure for SCI. But it only delays the inevitable – death. Those with SCI who awaken usually have a few years at most.

In a recent study conducted by the University of Stirling and the Consortium of Awakened Academies, they posit that the only potential cure for the disease is for an Awakened to reach Class III when the soul core can only be injured and not destroyed.

However, Dr. James Atkinson with the University of Stirling’s Awakened Studies department, who also led the study, said he believes the theory is a fact, but it only remains a theory because there are no documented cases in history to prove it.

"If you have an SCI, your sweet spot of reaching [Class III] is 15 to 21," Atkinson said, explaining no one with SCI ever survived past 21 years old. "But the thing is, it's impossible to do that."

So, he adds that the survival rate for SCI remains zero.

According to Atkinson, those with SCI are as rare as Primes, or about one in every 10,000 Awakened.

“You could say that those with Soul Core Imbalance are Primes who did not unlock their soul cores at birth,” Atkinson told the Noah Herald. But Atkinson remains positive, expressing hope that a cure will someday be found.

“To reach Class III, huh?” Lucas whispered.

He understood why the survival rate for those with a Soul Core Imbalance remains zero.

On average, obviously except for Primes, the Awakened reaches Class III in their early 30s – provided they actively cultivate and hunt the Ashen for their aether cores. It’s just impossible. She won’t have until then to rank up that high, Lucas thought.

He heaved a sigh and gazed toward the cloudy sky. Why did he feel so… powerless? He’d just met Chloe, but he felt the need to help her, and he’d never felt that way before. What’s going on with me, he thought before slapping his cheek.

“You are troubled,” Cale said, stating the fucking obvious.

Lucas did not respond to that and just stared at his palm. He needed to distract himself somehow. “Anyway. How have you been?”

“A sudden shift of interest indicates a––”

“Cale.”

“…Well. We’ve found some information about who Hades is,” said Cale with a nod, placing both hands behind his waist as he stared at the distant horizon. “But nothing about Avernus.”

“What did you learn?”

“It's funny, really. The information we got was from some elder on a coastal city in Athura. He said that in Greek mythology, the Underworld is a realm of the dead, separate from Olympus where the Olympians reside.”

"Yeah. When I spoke the Oath, that's how I referred to Hades. But he said something else."

"King of the Is'mar. Suzerain of Apathania," Cale nodded. "Your Oath seems to imply that Is'mar refers to the Underworld, while Apathania refers to the Undeath. And we've cross-referenced the words with other archives."

"And?"

Cale shook his head. "We found nothing. Not even anything about this... Almar," he said. While he tried to keep that stoic expression on his face, Lucas noticed an ever-rare subtle frown of frustration.

Lucas couldn't blame him. Two years of research only to find minimal information must be frustrating. "I see... But you must have some idea what this could all mean, no?"

"As much as I appreciate your confidence in me, even Master Livia, with all her knowledge of obscured history, is left stumped with the puzzle of Hades."

"Damn... That's fair. How about you? What level are you now?" asked Lucas.

Within those two years, Hummingbird was also active internationally against the Ashen. They still had to somehow keep up appearances that they were not going behind the government's back.

So, Lucas was particularly curious about each of their progress.

"Level 47."

"That's impressive. You're just 5 levels away from catching up with me," Lucas said, unable to hide the shock on his face. He remembered that Cale was just Level 38 two years ago, and within two years, he levelled up nine times. Even calling it impressive would be an understatement. Because even for Primes, to level up that fast would take five years at the very least. But Cale practically doubled the speed.

"Exploration of ancient ruins has its perks," Cale said.

"But that's too fast. The other nations would be wondering how you leveled up that fast," replied Lucas. There's a reason that 37 had to die. To avoid a public scandal.

Cale showed his phone to show an article. The headline said: Unprecedented progress for Hummingbird Unit

NOAH – The Hummingbird Unit, famed as the Specialized Covert Enforcement and Tactical Response Agency's (SPECTRA) new all-Prime squad, is showing unprecedented progress in the past year due to their active exploration of high-danger ancient ruins, as well as their continued participation with high-grade Ashen missions.

All of them have increased their rankings, with two members already breaking through to Class III.

But their progress has earned some doubts. Some analysts believe that SPECTRA found a way to level up faster, criticizing the organization for not sharing its methods with the rest of the nation.

The Noah Herald reached out to SPECTRA for answers.

Hummingbird, Unit Team Leader, said in an interview, that their method is anything but new. "Anyone, even Naturals, can level up this fast if they choose to do so," she said, explaining that in the past, there were far more Class IIIs and Class IVs because they were forced to fight the Ashen, "and they do not hide behind the comfort of their Walls."

"The only benefit we have is that we're Primes," she concluded.

Asked what inspired the group to participate in increasingly dangerous missions, Hummingbird fell quiet for a moment. "When we lost 37 to a Grade III Ashen a year ago, it was my fault. I swore after my master [Oliver Hill] died, that I will push my team harder so they won't meet the same fate. But I was wrong. I did not push my team hard enough. We were complacent and that led to 37's death," she said.

Another SPECTRA, Avernus, also rose to stardom two years ago due to his unique ability – Black Fire. The SPECTRA website reads that Avernus is a "Solo Operative".

When asked if Hummingbird is aware of Avernus' abilities, she revealed that he was also a protege of the late Oliver Hill.......

Lucas' jaw dropped after reading that. "No way in hell I'm going to read the rest of that. What the hell is this?"

Cale shrugged. "PR. And if you check Socials, it worked. We're getting tons of support," he said. "And Mildred wasn't lying anyway. While we had less Awakened in the past, their qualities far surpassed us. And we did really level up that fast because of the quantity of missions we undertook."

"I feel like there's another purpose for that interview though, but I can't put my finger on it."

"Those ancient ruins. They were all leads to Hades. That interview is to avert any suspicion."

"Right... And? The others? How are they doing? Says in your phone two members already classed up to III. I'm assuming that's Lucy and Soren."

"Yes. They're thriving."

"Seriously? How about Adelia? When is she planning to break through? She should already be Level 50."

"She's in no rush. But the Hummingbird Unit is trying to gain CPs as fast as possible so she could procure the spells she needs before she attempts a breakthrough."

"Wait, CPs? We're not purchasing them?" Lucas replied. CPs or contribution points are far more valuable than money.

Just like how the Awakened Society functions, SPECTRA follows a similar contribution system. In addition to their individual pay, when SPECTRA Units complete missions, they each gain a contribution point.

While CPs are primarily gained through the completion of missions, they can also be gained by accomplishing smaller objectives. After all, missions sometimes take a while to complete. Just like undercover or expedition missions.

CPs are also only gained during Grade II missions and above, making it more difficult to acquire them. Grade II = 1 point, Grade III = 2 points, Grade IV = 4, Grade V = 8.

So, if all five members of the Hummingbird Unit complete a Grade II mission, they would gain 5 CPs in total.

That doesn't change the fact that CPs are extremely slow to obtain.

But at his question, Cale shook his head.

Lucas frowned. "How much more CP do we need?"

"20 more CPs. So, Hummingbird needs to complete at least 5 Grade II missions," Cale said.

"That's insane. How come?" Lucas asked in surprise.

Spells from Common-rate Elemental Aspects like Fire are easy to procure. Even at the Awakened Society, it takes only 10 CPs in exchange for a spellkit, or a set of three common elemental spells. So people usually just buy them, because CPs are a far more valuable type of currency.

"She's got an Epic Aspect. Nature," said Cale. When an Awakened reaches Level 50, while their Aspect remains locked, they would learn what it is.

"Holy... That explains a whole lot," Lucas said.

People often mistakenly believe that rarer Aspects are always good. But that's not always necessarily the case, because their spells are few and far between, more so for Epic Aspects like Nature.

So, purchasing their spells is rarely an option.

"Indeed," said Cale.

"And how much CPs do we have?"

"30 CPs."

"Does that include mine? I gained 10 CPs as Avernus in the past year," Lucas said.

Cale shook his head. "No. It looks like Avernus is not officially a part of Hummingbird. The Director said it is to avert suspicion after 37 died."

Lucas sighed. "So, that's how it is, huh? What should we do then? 50 CPs in total for an Epic spellkit? That's crazy. How would we even get 20 CPs? You're stuck here with me too. How do we even––"

"Stop," Cale said. "You're making my head ache. You need to calm down," he added. "And we're fine. The Director told me that I, as 36, can gain 10 CP if we find anybody from the Order. So if we find just one, I'm sure Mildred and the rest will have gained the rest for Adelia."

"Oh, that's right. We can still get a CP by completing objectives. But, 10 CP for completing an objective? That's really high, though. I assumed our mission, at the very least, would be just Grade III?"

Cale let out an ever-rare smile. "No. But since we're talking about the mission anyway, I suppose this is the best time as any to brief you."

“Go on.”

“OPERATION: ROLLING PANDA. A Grade VI operation. Our mission, Case Farewell, is under this operation."

“ROLLING PANDA,” Lucas stifled a laugh. It sounded funny. Even funnier when Cale said it with such a straight face. But Lucas' laugh broke in a beat. Hold on, did I hear that right? he thought with a dead gaze at Cale. “Did you say Grade VI?" he asked.

Cale nodded.

A Grade VI operation is practically equal to hunting down a Grade VI Ashen or–– a Calamity...