Aethernea

by Cloe D Frost

  He would have sent someone else to remind them, but he knew that the trio wouldn’t take it to heart unless either Icya or he scolded them face to face. Unfortunately, Icya was too busy supervising the entrance exams, making the task fall to him.

  Initially, he had intended to send someone to call the trio over to his office, but when he counted the number of people laying a siege outside his door, requesting to see him, he decided to abandon his post and make his way towards Sapphire Quarters.

  Hopefully, by the time he came back, the crowd would have solved the majority of their issues themselves.

  Naturally, Eruan Arite had no need to leave through the front door, lest the sieging troops outside stopped him.

  Instead, he teleported away like a boss.

  He was an Arite. Arites didn’t waste their time walking and flying around like normal people.

  By the gods, it would be awkward if he, the headmaster of the most prestigious mage university, actually walked across the campus like a student.

  All Muni buildings had a specially marked area of empty space where arcane mages could set up their teleportation points and Eruan visited his regularly, making sure that they never ran out of mana.

  And so, he popped up into the teleportation area of the Sapphire Quarters. Yet, who could have predicted that the first thing he heard after his arrival was an explosion coming from the fourth floor?

  His first thought was – Wasn’t Deora banned from entering the Sapphire Quarters?

  His second thought was – For the love of Origin, please let them solve it by themselves. I don’t need more people joining the queue in front of my office…

  Shockingly, when he scanned the afflicted classroom with his mana sense, he realized that Deora had nothing to do with this incident (Well, that’s a first…) and more so, the chief granny of the Sapphire division was present at the scene. Thus, he concluded he had nothing to worry about. There was certainly no need to interrupt their exam, situation under control.

  Eruan let out a breath of relief and flew towards the Spell Breaking department on the sixth floor.

  A quick sweep of his mana sense revealed that the three antiques were inside a classroom, apparently in the middle of an exam?

  Eruan’s eyebrows furrowed. Was there someone who applied for the spell breaking exam this year?

  Well, judging by the time, the exam should be coming to an end any second. Eruan’s eyebrows relaxed and he decided to just wait for the examinee to leave and confront the trio in the classroom.

  Unexpectedly, 10 minutes later the trio still showed no sign that the exam was coming to an end.

  Eruan’s pale forehead creased as he considered reminding the trio that the allotted time for the exam had already passed.

  After all, he was the headmaster, his every minute was very precious. Who would dare make him wait so long?

  Just as he was about to knock on the door he noticed that the examinee was finally leaving, thus he stopped himself.

  Yet, before he could even step away from the door he heard a muffled thump and several squeals.

  His eyebrows twitched, and decisively, he opened the door with one hand while simultaneously knocking with the other. (After all, it wouldn’t be polite if he just went in without knocking.)

  The scene that entered his eyes made him freeze on the spot, his beautiful face turning wooden.

  Four bodies laid sprawled on the floor. The three esteemed old experts were hugging the thighs of a young girl, looking miserable.

  The poor thing weakly lifted her red head to look at him with a pale face and puckered her lush red lips.

  Then she let out a tired sigh and swiped her thumb under her nose to wipe away her nosebleed before it reached her mouth.

  The trio of old men also looked up, their faces stuck in between shock, embarrassment, and dread, but Eruan’s purple gaze didn’t move from the redheaded beauty.

  Her large teal eyes were deep and calm like two pools of stagnant spring water. There was no place for surprise, pain, or fear in those clear eyes.

  Eruan’s facial expression remained calm and composed, however, inexplicably, he felt his hair stand on end. Unsettling, uncanny sense of familiarity. Yet no matter how he cycled through acquaintances with similar features, he couldn’t find the source of the feeling.

  The closest resemblance that he could pinpoint was the similarity of color to the eyes of councilman Zaal Etezza. However, the feeling their gaze left on him was totally different.

  Being stared at by Zaal felt like being stared at by a poisonous viper. Yet, the gaze of this girl held no danger, no hostility. Just unreadable depth. Her aura also held absolutely no resemblance to any member of the Etezza family he had met previously. He was sure that this feeling of familiarity didn’t come from the Etezzas. There was something, someone else…

  Eruan Arite stood still for a moment, his facial expression showing nothing of the confusion inside, remaining composed and calm. The thoughts flashed by in an instant, only several seconds of silence passing by.

  “What is going on here…?” Headmaster Eruan opened his mouth to ask.

  However, before the words left his mouth, the three old men jumped up like they had been burned, with vigor that should have been impossible for their old bones.

  “I swear, headmaster, it’s not what it looks like!”

  “It was an accident! Accident!”

  “Nothing inappropriate happened!”

  The three spoke up at the same time, fumbling their words.

  The more they tried to look innocent, the guiltier they looked, and the more stifling Eruan’s aura became. His eyebrows never furrowed, his eyes didn’t become chilly nor reprimanding, he didn’t even speak, however, his ramrod straight, elegant yet apathetic figure left one feeling like a child that committed a wrong.

  Eruan Arite didn’t need to do anything.

  His presence was enough to inspire obedience.

  “Who can explain what is going on here?” Headmaster’s steady voice cut through the air, the unmistakable authority silencing everyone else.

  * * *

  After explanations and apologies from the headmaster and the three old men, Elaru was advised to visit the infirmary and finally allowed to depart. The trio wanted to protest but one look at that pretty face of the headmaster was enough to make them shut their mouths.

  Papa once told Elaru that Eruan Arite was a smart man who could grasp the weaknesses of his opponents and hit them right where it hurt the most with exactly the right amount of force.

  If outsiders looked at it, there was nothing inappropriate about his punishments, they even seemed light. Yet in truth, there was clever psychological warfare involved, making it something that the entire Muni faculty strangely dreaded.

  She felt assured that the trio would receive their due punishment for taking advantage of her, thus she left the thoughts of the trio behind as soon as she closed the classroom door.

  Without further ado, she erased her presence, wrapping herself in her mind cocoon and layers of invisibility. She had just flown several meters down the corridor, when her entire vision turned dark.

  * * *

  Author Note

  Coming up in the next episode:

  The only sound that could be heard was her labored breathing. And the dripping of blood, as it rolled down her chin onto the floor.

  Her mana vision had returned, and she could once again see the bloody red flower of flames staring at her from deep underground.

  “Forceful activation of Aethernea has destabilized your vessel.”

  She stared at the black markings on her face that were no longer black. They had faded out like an old tattoo, their black color washed out.

  * * *

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  Episode 145 – Reunion

  Previously:

  Friday, the last
day of Muni entrance exams, Special exam. Examiners give Kiel a final artifact, whose enchantment he doesn’t need to replicate but to just draw out. However, Kiel finds that the enchantment is too small and he can’t sense it clearly with his mana sense. While Kiel is stressing out, Elaru can feel his panic and wants to help him, however, the anti-cheating contract they had signed prevents them from communicating. So she comes up with an idea to break it as a part of her special exam and shocks the trio of old men with her ability. After breaking her contract she realizes that Kiel no longer needs her help and a backlash of Kiel’s actions hits her. After the appearance of the headmaster Eruan Arite, she finally manages to break away from the trio of shameless old men, leaving the classroom.

  * * *

  Without further ado, she erased her presence, wrapping herself in her mind cocoon and layers of invisibility. She had just flown several meters down the corridor when her entire vision turned dark.

  * * *

  Episode 145 – Reunion

  Her mana vision blurred in front of her eyes, her mind turning foggy.

  She stopped to lean on the wall.

  The corridors were strangely empty. Strangely quiet.

  In the deathly silence, her labored breathing was especially audible.

  Even the dripping of her blood could be heard clearly, as it rolled down her chin onto the floor.

  With her back pressed against the wall, she slid down onto her behind.

  This time, she didn’t bother to wipe away the trickling blood.

  Instead, she reached into her pouch, fumbling through it for some time before her trembling fingers managed to take out a bottle of pills.

  She flicked the cork out and stuffed a handful of pills down her throat as if eating candy.

  Then she just sat, with her eyes closed, taking in deep breaths.

  Her mana vision had cleared up, once again revealing the bloody red flower of flames staring at her from deep underground. Without an eye or a pupil, even for Elaru it was difficult to tell the focus of its attention.

  But right now, she could feel its gaze clearly. It was almost prickling her skin.

  “Those pills can only lessen the symptoms, not treat the cause.” A disembodied emotionless voice whispered inside her head. “Forceful activation of Aethernea has destabilized your vessel.”

  Elaru let out a long sigh before speaking out into thin air. “Can you fix it?”

  * * *

  Elaru blinked her long black eyelashes furiously. As if trying to blink away sleep, to blink away the moisture in her eyes blurring her vision. She didn’t think of whether her blinking would be effective. It was just a natural instinct of a person whose bright world had suddenly turned dark. An instinct to blink the darkness away.

  As her own reflection became crystal clear in front of her eyes, her fluttering eyelashes finally calmed down.

  She stared at the black shiny surface that was so clear it could have just as well been a mirror.

  For a moment she thought that something went haywire, for the face looking back at her wasn’t quite the same as she remembered it. It was paler than usual, looking even paler due to the faded markings on her face. Their usually deep black color was washed out, fading out, almost blending with her skin.

  And then she realized that her current state was to be expected. Thus, she only sighed tiredly and wiped her hand over her face.

  When she looked back at her reflection, her face had been restored back to its usual radiance, her markings looking the same as they always did.

  * * *

  Kiel had been sitting under this tree for an indeterminate amount of time, yet only after he felt Elaru’s familiar warm aura wash over him did he wake up from his daze.

  Only then did it occur to him that he had no recollection of how or when he arrived here.

  He had been walking slowly, scarcely paying attention where he was going, his mind occupied with various thoughts. Out of habit he made his way to this familiar place and then he just sat there, not knowing what to do with himself, looking like a soulless statue.

  Thinking about it now, he did have a vague recollection of walking here but the memories of what he was thinking at the time were much clearer.

  Feeling Elaru’s aura coming closer he let out a sigh of contentment. Her presence felt like a warm water bath on a cold winter night, instantly relaxing him and sobering him up.

  He raised his eyes to ask her “What took you so long?” but before he could do so Elaru lunged at him with her arms outstretched making his entire body involuntarily stiffen.

  His head rigidly moved to look down at the arms circling his waist and the red head burrowing into his chest, and suddenly blood rushed into his head.

  A second later he jumped to his feet, resembling a hissing lunar with its hair standing up. “Get! Off! What in the name of everything sacred are you doing?!”

  “It’s called a hug.” He could hear a murmur from the region of his stomach, the vibration causing a tickling yet electrifying current to spread from his navel to his limbs.

  “I know what it is called!” He hissed, doing his utmost to control his volume. “And I can’t imagine what made you think that it would be a good idea!”

  Surprisingly, this time her hold was unusually weak for he easily managed to push her away. And even more surprisingly, instead of feeling satisfied that he had managed to get her off easily for a change, he felt… almost disappointed.

  It gave no sense of achievement if she complied so easily – he reasoned.

  “I thought that you might be in a need of a hug. And I wanted to remind you that you are not alone in whatever mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”

  And that’s when Kiel realized that his earlier episode didn’t go unnoticed by his little soulmate. “Ah… it’s nothing…” His glare melted and he looked away to hide his embarrassment.

  “…what do you mean mess? I don’t get us into trouble… that’s your job…” Kiel mumbled under his breath.

  Elaru’s mouth jerked upwards. Who was the one being chased by the entire Rroda family and even an assassin? – she thought, but decided not to bring that up. Instead, she scanned him up and down with an unreadable face, yet no matter how good she was at controlling her facial expression Kiel could feel worry oozing out of her aura loud and clear.

  “Is your body feeling alright?” She didn’t wait for Kiel to respond before stuffing a bottle of healing pills into his arms. “Here, I’ve got some healing pills.”

  Kiel looked at the encouraging smile spreading on her calm face, then he looked down at the bottle of pills in his hand, and his mouth couldn’t help but twitch. Why are you putting on a nonchalant attitude when you are clearly worried sick?

  Well… forget it… Kiel shook his head wryly; both his heart and face couldn’t help but warm up. He looked away again, avoiding her large inquisitive eyes, yet his slim fingers unconsciously patted her red head. The feel of the silky red strands was nothing short of addicting.

  Elaru stared at the side of Kiel’s face, feeling his warm and gentle fingers on her head. A conflicted expression flashed briefly on her face tinged with sorrow, before she once again covered it up with a bright smile.

  * * *

  When Kiel mentioned his sudden ability to see the spell as if he was seeing it through her eyes, Elaru didn’t have much to say about it:

  “You should avoid doing something like that in the near future.” – was her conclusion. “It obviously puts a lot of strain on the body. It is possible that you forcefully activated some ability for which our bond isn’t ready yet. I feel that our bond sustained some damage in a backlash. It’ll take some time for it to recover to its previous state.”

  That’s when Kiel realized that the mana coming from his marking had decreased. And then he felt very, very glad that the mana exam had already passed.

  “What kind of ability do you think it is? Is it possible that the bond can allow me to use your Aethernea as if it was mine?�
�� – he had asked her.

  “Your guess is as good as mine.” Elaru had shrugged her shoulders and that was the end of that.

  Instead of lingering on this topic, Kiel had continued his recollection, moving onto IPOMQ.

  “This is the first time I’ve heard of such a power. I don’t think it’s something granted to you by the Aetherneal bond. As for the possibility of it being an Aethernea… it doesn’t resemble any Aethernea that I know of. But then again, I’m hardly an expert on the matter. I am not even that familiar with my own Aethernea of Sight let alone others.” Elaru mused.

  “What do you mean? How can you not be familiar with your own Aethernea?” Kiel’s eyebrow jumped.

  “Aethernea of Sight gives one the ability to see things others can’t see. But not everyone who possesses it can see the same things. All of us get a basic boost to vision making our eyes keener than argel eyes, and all of us can see mana. But that is where our similarities end.

  Some wielders of Aethernea of Sight can zoom in on their target to the point of seeing cells and tiny particles. And then there are others that have the ability to see through all illusions. Others still, can see through things… like walls… or clothes.”

  Kiel’s abrupt change of expression and unconscious covering of private parts didn’t escape Elaru’s eyes. She couldn’t help but burst out into a fit of giggles. “No, I can’t see through clothes. And if I could, I wouldn’t have used it to peep.”

  After a brief pause to giggle some more she didn’t forget to add another jab: “Unless it was something that I can’t control. In which case I would have already seen all your assets. No need to cover up now.”

  A grumpy glare was her only response. That and him nonchalantly moving back his hands from his lap as if he had just been stretching and not covering himself up in a fluster.