The group was almost back to the academy when they were approached by another swimmer. Aeric and Elsie were swimming next to each other now, though they didn’t need to hold hands to communicate like Aeric had done with Lyric for so long. Amos had already made it to the academy. Lyric was almost out of sight behind them, having slowed down after initially swimming away from Aeric. Professor Nidus was keeping her company.

The individual who approached them underwater had long, thin strands of translucent jellyfish-like tentacles coming out of her head instead of hair. Below her streamlined torso, similar translucent material flared out at her hips. The twins initially thought she was wearing the skirts of a puffy ball gown, but as she swam they saw how the dress was attached directly to her skin at her waist.

Is this some sort of jellyfish person?

I think it’s probably a female Firefin. See how her skin has the same bluish-grayish diving suit look that Professor Nidus has?

Are you sure it’s a female? It doesn’t look very feminine. Except for the dress of course.

Fish don’t have mammary glands, genius.

But people do. So wouldn’t a fish-person have them?

Not in this world, apparently. And good thing too since she is, as Lyric put it, having a genuine Firefin dip anyway.

“Hello!” She said in a beautiful singsong voice. “Welcome back to the academy. My name is Lea.”

The twins smiled and waved, but could not respond outside of their swim bubbles.

“Follow me and I’ll show you the dock where your friend landed earlier.” She turned and swam downstream, angling towards one side of the river.

Her dress has so many layers! It’s beautiful. And functional too, look at how fast she can boost herself away by contracting the dress around her legs.

It’s still weird to me that you have decided to be so interested in fashion, Elsie.

I’m just naturally embracing my new life. It’s fun.

They soon arrived at the dock and swam to the surface of the water. The twins’ swim bubbles began hissing as the magic shell effect evaporated in the air. By the time they reached the edge of the dock they were back to feeling like they were swimming in water like normal.

Amos was sitting on a wooden crate with a blanket wrapped around him, a warm mug of something steaming in his hands. Sir Alvin was there talking to him, wearing his academy uniform rather than armor today. He walked over to the edge of the dock when he saw the twins.

“Aeric! Elsie! I’m so relieved that you are okay,” Alvin said. He turned towards the Firefin woman treading water beside them. “Thank you for directing them here, Lea. Would you be willing to help me get them up here?”

“Of course, Sir Alvin,” she said. Her voice sounded different above the water. Scratchier. Less melodic. She swam beneath Aeric, then swam up with him on her shoulders. It reminded Aeric of chicken fights in swimming pools on Earth. Alvin took Aeric by the hands and pulled him up onto the dock. They helped Elsie up next.

The twins sat on the rough wood grain of the dock, shivering in the morning air, no longer having the warmth provided by their swim bubbles. An Astral Knight approached with two blankets in his arms. Alvin took them with thanks and wrapped one around each of the shivering students.

“We’ll get you some tea in a moment. It’s made with fireberries so you’ll warm right up.”

“Thanks,” they both said.

“Now you had one more in your group didn’t you? The green haired divination student?”

“Lyric,” Aeric said. “She was swimming a bit slower with Professor Nidus.”

An explosion of water splashed over the dock, spraying water over everyone like the observation area next to a theme park water ride. Elsie shrieked. When the water receded, Professor Nidus was standing up, holding Lyric in his arms in a princess carry. He had a big grin plastered over his face, amused at the commotion he had caused. Amos sighed and poured out his mug of tea that was now filled with river water. Lea giggled from the water, holding the spear and bags that the other Firefin had handed her before making such a dramatic leap.

The professor set Lyric onto her feet. Her bubble hissed and dissipated and the cold air hit her skin. She shivered and held her arms around her wet sundress until Sir Alvin got another blanket and handed it to her.

“That really wasn’t necessary,” Alvin said to the Firefin professor. “You could have just handed her up here without making such a mess.”

“You’re right,” Nidus said simply. “But where is fun in that?!”

Lea handed the students’ equipment up to Alvin while Nidus turned and dove back into the water. “Come, my Lea. So much swimming means so much breakfast.” He gave her a swift kiss on the cheek and dove underwater. She smiled and the twins noticed she had razor sharp teeth that matched with Professor Nidus.

“Goodbye, young fry. It was nice to meet you,” Lea said to the students. “Goodbye, Alvin.” She followed the other Firefin underwater.

“Are they together?” Elsie asked Sir Alvin.

“They are lifemates,” he replied. “Firefins do not have marriages, exactly. At least not the way humans do. You can think of them as husband and wife though, if you wish. It would not offend them.”

“Interesting,” Elsie said. “I have so much to learn about this world.”

“First things first: let's get you cleaned up, fed, and checked for injuries,” Sir Alvin said. “Then I’d like a full report of what happened out there. I’ll be speaking to Professor Nidus about it as well as soon as I can.”

“Food and comfort can wait, Sir Alvin,” Amos said. “The report is more important.”

Lyric looked as if someone had just claimed the sky was not blue. She was about to protest, but Amos continued.

“We encountered the Enthralled.”

Sir Alvin’s eyes went wide. Several of the nearby Astral Knights shifted in their metal armors as they heard the news. “Tell me everything,” Alvin said.

---

Elsie woke up from a brief nap on her bed. Her ruby red hair, freshly washed, was splayed out around her as she enjoyed the softness of the bathrobe she had bought from Tailor Taylor’s. It was hard to believe so much had happened in so short an amount of time.

The report had not taken too long, and Amos did most of the talking. Sir Alvin assured them that the Astral Knights would look into the matter. Now they were back in their dorms, enjoying a much needed moment of relaxation. Lyric was sitting at her vanity desk brushing her hair. She hadn’t said much since the swim.

“So today is called Seventhday, right?” Elsie asked.

“Nn-nn,” Lyric hummed in negation.

“Yesterday was Sixthday and tomorrow is Firstday isn’t it? So what is today called?”

“Sparksday,” Lyric said simply.

“So all the other days are named after ordinals except this one? Is it considered a special day or something?”

“Yep,” Lyric said quietly. She was working on braiding her hair now, not making any eye contact while talking.

Elsie sighed and rolled over, standing up from the bed. “Thank you for healing my wounds earlier, Lyric. And thank you for the fun shopping trip and adventure. I’m looking forward to being your roommate and becoming better friends.”

Lyric only briefly glanced towards her, but her mood was clearly still too dark to respond in her usual, bubbly way. After a moment Elsie went behind her decorative wooden dressing wall to change into something she could wear out and about.

“I’m going to go explore the academy grounds today,” she said from the other side of the dressing screen. Maybe take a walk through Brightglen. I would love to have a tour guide if you wanted to join me.”

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“Can’t,” Lyric said after a moment of silence.

“Can’t, or won’t?” Elsie asked.

“I’m going to the divination meadow,” Lyric said, finally saying more than just one word. “I feel lost without being able to see what is coming next.”

“No one is blaming you for not knowing about the Enthralled,” Elsie said.

“Amos did. But more importantly when there are major deviations, like with the hunt or… other things… it makes all the other predictions I’ve seen have completely different probabilities. I have to recenter and form a new baseline of what I expect is most likely to happen next.”

“Would you like some company while you work your magic?” Elsie asked. She stepped out from behind the dressing screen, wearing one of her new outfits. It looked a bit warm for a Spring outfit, but that was understandable considering how cold and wet she’d been over the past day.

Lyric looked over at her while finishing up her braid. Her facade finally broke as she grinned. “My dear pupil,” she said with the poshest accent she could pull off. “I simply cannot allow you to leave in such a state.” She stood up and walked over to Elsie’s vanity desk.

“Such a state? Excuse me, I’m all cleaned up!” Elsie raised her arms and dropped them to her sides.

“You’re clean, sure, but are you truly prepared for what lies before you today? Come have a seat at your desk. It’s time for your next lesson.”

“That lesson being…”

“Something you desperately need to learn, especially with those gorgeous red curls you’ve chosen.”

“Oh. Another lesson on being a woman,” Elsie said. “Like I said before I really appreciate the offer, but I am perfectly okay figuring it out on my own.”

“And like I said before, the fact that you were about to leave this room without so much as looking in the mirror clearly disproves your claim. Now sit down. It’s time to learn one of the most important lessons I can teach you: how to care for your new hair.”

---

Amos and Aeric were sitting in the academy’s communal bathhouse, relaxing in the steaming astra-infused water. They were sitting on the submerged stone ledge with their backs to the rim of the pool, the water coming up to chest height. Amos looked over to his roommate.

“This will be one of the most important lessons I can teach you: how to care for your new body.”

“I can see why you wanted to come here, the water feels amazing,” Aeric said. “What does this have to do with caring for my body though?”

“It’s the special kind of water here. It’s more than just amazing: it’s enhanced with magic effects. The astral infusion rejuvenates your channels and core in a way that normal heated water couldn’t possibly do. You’re healing your internal magic system just by being in here. Proper care of your magic system is vital to keeping your new body healthy.”

“What do you mean?” Aeric asked. They were both talking quietly. The outdoor artificial hot springs bathhouse was more of a spa than a swimming pool. A dozen or so other men were similarly relaxing in the quiet atmosphere.

A large wall separated the men’s and women’s sections of the pool. It was made of a layered wood mesh that blocked sight but allowed the magic water to flow throughout the entire area. There was a pavilion roof on pillars as well as privacy walls enclosing the entire area. The walls did not directly connect to the roof itself, allowing for more airflow.

“Inside your body you have different systems. You’ve learned about them in school back on Earth. Things like your circulatory system or nervous system. Your newly summoned body has something else included: an internal magic system.”

“You’re talking about my internal astra,” Aeric said.

“That’s right. Your magic system is divided into three parts: your core, your channels, and your personal internal astra,” Amos said. “You could think of it as your heart, blood vessels, and blood. Your core circulates your astra through your astral channels, pushing energy and information throughout.”

“Information?” Aeric asked, thinking of the visions he had received when he circulated Lyric’s astra.

“Signals. Like how your brain communicates through your spinal cord and nerves in order to cause muscles to move throughout your body. Your core pulses astra through your channels and your body reacts.”

“So my body is physically different here than it was on Earth,” Aeric said.

“Aside from the obvious point about how you customized your own body here, there’s more to it than just that physical difference. The truth is your channels and astra exist only in the astral realm. Your core is the only part of you that is actually present in physical reality. If we cut you open just here,” he tapped his finger against the center of Aeric’s bare chest, “we’d be able to pull something out similar to the monster cores that Professor Nidus harvested from the minorats for us.”

“The headmaster did warn us that some people harvest cores from summons,” Aeric said.

“It’s rare, at least in the Kingdom of Astraeus. Taking one of the main four races’ cores is a crime punished as harshly as murder, especially since it often results in the victim’s death. Other places in the world might not have such strict laws. I’ve heard horror stories about what it does to you. Trust me, they’re better left unsaid.”

“Why harvest our cores in particular?” Aeric asked.

“Summons are created with extremely powerful magic systems compared to most other people or monsters. We tend to be more adept at magic than our peers. It’s a blessed life to live: we require less effort to achieve the same results as everyone else.”

“Hey, I’m not opposed to that.”

“It’s not a reason to put forth less effort, you know,” Amos said. “It makes us inherently more likely to be targeted as well. Some only see us as a get rich quick scheme. All it takes is a little murder.”

Aeric stared hard at the other boy’s face, trying to read his expression to tell if he was making a joke or not. He didn’t look like he was joking.

“Now back to the lesson on hand. If you remember, I didn’t have time to establish an astral connection to the leyline when the minorats surprised us in the farmhouse. That meant any magic I cast was coming directly from my own internal astra reserves. Do that too much and you’ll damage your channels.”

“How do you know when it’s too much?”

“There’s no easy way to know without an Oracle reading you. Imagine if you had to use your blood for magic instead of using your astra. Could you tell me a definitive way of knowing when you had lost too much blood? It’s probably just something you’d feel internally. And similar to blood, if you drain too much of your internal astra you can pass out or even damage your magic system. This usually results in a weakened ability to use magic, but can sometimes even lead to death if there are more complications with their body.”

Lucian.

The headmaster said we didn’t kill him.

I still feel bad about it.

“So about this water,” Amos said, splashing around gently. “The academy’s leymaster has created a complicated enchantment permanently connected to this bath. The water here has a rejuvenating effect on our astral channels. I’m restoring my internal astra faster by sitting in here than I could otherwise.”

“Why not just make all of the plumbing in the castle have restorative water like this?” Aeric asked.

“That’s kind of like asking why hospitals on Earth didn’t just have medicine plumbed directly to each emergency room. It would have been useful, sure, but way too complicated and wasteful. The system that the leymaster had to create to provide this bathhouse is far more complex than just plumbing hot water to our dorm room shower.”

“I suppose that explains the communal nature of it as well,” Aeric said. “Though I’m still not sure why it’s separated by gender. We’re wearing our swimsuits anyway. Are normal swimming pools separated by gender?” He pulled at the hem of his swimming shorts, which were much better suited to the water than the undershorts he had worn when they traveled down the river.

“The baths aren’t separated by gender because of modesty. You’ll find that no one cares what you wear in the water here. In fact you’re welcome to wear the same things Firefins do in the water if you really want to. Swimming is heavily influenced by their culture, and as you’ve noticed from Nidus and Lea, Firefins consider swimsuits unnecessary.”

“What? Everyone I’ve seen at the academy has been dressed rather conservatively. Why would modesty standards change just because you’re swimming?”

Amos eyed him with a raised eyebrow. “Were swimsuits particularly modest where you come from?”

“Well no, but they were more than nothing,” Aeric admitted.

“You’re talking like someone from the States. Where I grew up in Europe there were plenty of people who dressed conservatively but still went to the clothing-optional beaches available there. It wasn’t a big deal. Anyway, I think they dress so modestly here because that’s what is considered fashionable right now, rather than doing it because of any sort of American Puritanism ideals. You’ll see what I mean if you take Underwater Combat from Professor Nidus.”

“Does everyone take the Underwater Combat course?”

“It’s an elective. I only attended a few lessons before deciding there wasn’t much I could actually use. Not much use for ranged mastery skills underwater, so I ended up deciding I’d be better off just trying to avoid fighting in the water entirely.”

Let’s take it!

Let’s not.

“This still doesn’t explain why the baths are separated though,” Aeric said.

“That’s because the very concept of revitalizing your astra is considered intimate to the Astraeans.”

“Why is that?”

“Who knows. Why did some cultures consider certain things to be more intimate on Earth that other cultures didn’t? I think it has something to do with a method that can sort of supercharge your astra as well. It’s usually only done with a very close partner though. I can’t tell you much about it because I’ve never done it.”

“I’ve… been informed that this exists already,” Aeric said. He was glad the hot baths had already made his face red before now as he recalled the experience he’d had with Lyric.

“Good. It’s sort of considered an unmentionable topic from what I hear anyway.”

“I think I understand why,” Aeric said.

Amos gave him a raised eyebrow, but said nothing else on the matter.

Do people of the same gender not cycle astra together in this world?

Not something I really want to ask, sis.

It just seems like if they’re really trying to avoid intimate feelings they would have separate isolated astra baths for everyone rather than having them separated by male and female.

“Anyway we’ll be visiting the baths at least once a week to make sure our astra is in tip-top shape,” Amos said, slapping a hand on Aeric’s shoulder in a friendly manner. “I’m very serious about you winning the competition with your sister, so we are going to give you every advantage we can.”

“Fine by me,” Aeric said. “I could get used to having magic baths every now and then.” He leaned his head back and relaxed once again, letting the warm water flow over his body, restoring his energy.