by Blake Vanier
Sosimo puts a lepisent into his forearm harness and walks over to the Aether generator. It is connected to two devices with lepisents in them pointing at a target wall. He adjusts the knobs on the two devices resting on the table. “These will take in Aether and power the lepisents. They’re both exothermic Pahzan lepisents; one is a continuous type, and the other is a pulse type. Ryder, hit the button on the left when I tell you.” Sosimo grabs his dark, polished styk and touches it to an exposed wire of the Aether storage container. He walks in front of the target wall. “Okay, Ryder.”
Ryder hits the button. A small red fireball emerges from the lepisent. It wobbles as it moves just faster than a walking pace. Sosimo shoots another fireball. It collides with the first, releasing a wave of heat as they both disappear.
“Woo,” Iona says, touching her face.
“When I use the same cast, they interact quickly. Depending on how much Aether I use, I can stop the attack, slow it, or plow over it.” Sosimo walks over to the table and switches his lepisent. “Again, Ryder.”
This time, Sosimo shoots a black shimmering ball that is barely visible. When it hits the fireball, they both disappear.
“That wasn’t very exciting,” Thea says.
“That was endothermic Pahzan Aether reacting with exothermic Pahzan Aether. Basically, hot and cold, which makes warm. Right? There are all sorts of interesting interactions between types of Aether, so keep that in mind. Now, Aether can only exist in our space for a time proportional to the user’s Aethersotto. When this time is up, the Aether will destabilize and release its energy. If we mix different types of Aether, they won’t cancel like before, but the rate of their destabilization will increase.”
Sosimo switches his lepisent, touches the Aether storage container again, and readies himself in front of Ryder.
A ball of crackling electrical energy shoots from Sosimo’s lepisent and collides with the fireball from Ryder. They form a churning ball of fire and electricity hovering in the middle of the room. After a heartbeat, the ball pops, sending out a wave of crackling heat. The air smells of ozone.
“That attack would’ve lasted another second or so if I didn’t use my Aether to destabilize it. Again, Ryder.”
This time, Sosimo shoots a much smaller ball of electricity to collide with the fireball. The fireball angles oddly away from Sosimo, hitting the wall to the side of him.
“It takes much less energy to change the direction of something than to stop it completely. This technique requires more skill. It was only possible because I’m using a lepisent of a different cast. When my Aether interacts with the lepisent’s Aether, there is a bond I can use to nudge the incoming attack away from me.”
Sosimo demonstrates how pulse lepisents and continuous lepisents interact. When he finishes, he looks over the children. “What methods you use will come down to the situation and your own style, but regardless, your resourcefulness and conservation of energy is the key to survival. Always keep an open mind. Any questions?”
*****
Sosimo pulls out a nice wooden case with a latched lid, placing it on the table. “It’s time to check the type of Aether you all are capable of using.”
Iona, Thea, Ryder, and Korbin crowd around for a better look. They are covered in sweat and scorch marks from another day of training.
Sosimo pops the latches and opens the case. Inside are six crystal balls. Each is etched with a unique symbol. “These are called Adter Tursents. They’re used to test Aether cast.” Sosimo quickly reviews the Aether casts that correspond to each ball. He calls Ryder forward. “We’ll start with you, Ryder.”
Sosimo pulls out the Pahzan Adter Tursent and places it in Ryder’s hand. “Now, just like a lepisent, try to transfer Aether into it.”
Ryder closes his eyes for a moment. Then, he looks at Sosimo. “I couldn’t feel anything. Am I doing it wrong?”
Sosimo shakes his head. “Not at all. It’ll feel natural when you match with the sphere.” Sosimo gives Ryder the Icor Adter Tursent. Again, nothing happens. The Moltrik Adter Tursent also does nothing. “Hm, well, I’m glad I borrowed a full set.”
“Why’s that?” Ryder asks.
“Ru, Nesiv, and Biat Adter Tursents are difficult to come by and they’re just as unlikely. Let’s try Ru.” Sosimo holds his breath as Ryder tries the Ru Adter Tursent. He exhales when nothing happens. “Okay, good. Now the others.”
It is only when Ryder tries the Biat Adter Tursent that it glows. Ryder opens his eyes and smiles. “I felt that one.”
Sosimo takes the sphere from him. “Hm, interesting. You could go your entire life without encountering Biat Aether.”
“What can he do with it?” Thea asks.
“Adter Tursents are unable to differentiate between different branches of a specific cast, so we’ll just have to wait and see what his abilities lean toward,” Sosimo says. “There are three main branches of this type of Aether. The Biat Aether, Take, lets someone absorb essence. All Humans have a sliver of this. The only difference is that Humans can only interact with a weak essence such as an entity or one from a broken shell. On the other hand, someone with this branch of Aether can interact with an essence directly, so they don’t necessarily have to kill the Aether-being in order to absorb their essence. People with Take Biat Aether also have the ability to make puppets.”
“What’s a puppet?” Ryder asks.
“A person can use Aether to pull the essence out of an individual. Instead of absorbing it completely, they leave it partially connected. Through this link, the person has the ability to manipulate the individual like a puppet. If they are skilled, they can control the other individual perfectly. You’d never be the wiser. You think they’re your friends, but next thing you know, they’re stabbing you in the back. If you have this branch, I don’t ever want to see you do this.”
Thea shakes her head. “Ryder would never do that.”
“I’d expect not,” Sosimo says.
“What are the other branches?” Iona asks.
“Destroy Biat Aether is equally as horrible as making a Puppet. It lets you unravel someone’s essence from the inside out, killing them in that moment or sometime later. It can be used to harness a large amount of Aether.”
“Oh, gosh. That sounds awful,” Ryder says, disgusted.
“Yes. It is. Now, the last branch is something special. Creation Biat Aether allows someone to shave off some of their essence and imbue an inanimate object with life. It is incredibly difficult to do. I’ve heard a person has the ability to make the new essence have whatever cast they desire. Someone could create a rock creature with Pahzan Aether to act like a guardian.”
“That sounds awesome!” Korbin jumps up. “You should totally learn how to do that, Ryder.”
Sosimo chuckles. “If he has this branch he could, but it’ll take a lot of work.” Sosimo looks at Ryder. “I hope you realize how lucky you are that absorbing this entity didn’t kill you.”
“What? I could have died?” Ryder glares at Korbin. “I thought absorbing weak essence like ours was okay.”
“Yes, but if the Biat essence has the Take branch and it’s strong enough, it will absorb your essence. Then, it either kills you or takes over your body. You need to be careful. Don’t play with things you don’t understand.”
Ryder nods. “Okay.”
“Good. Now, let’s move on. Korbin, come up here.”
Sosimo hands Korbin one Adter Tursent after another until the Ru Adter Tursent glows. Sosimo lets out a breath. “Oh no.”
Korbin’s smile falls away. “Why’s that bad?”
“Ru Aether has a higher potential for destruction than any other Aether cast. It can level buildings and poison the land. We need to keep this an absolute secret, or you may get expelled from the city. I’ll think on this more, but you must promise not to use Aether outside of anything I’ve taught you.”
Korbin looks down at his feet.
“It’s alright, Korbin. It’s not your fa
ult. It’s just a big responsibility. Promise me you won’t try anything unless you talk to me, or someone else with experience.” Sosimo waits a moment. “Korbin. Promise me.”
Korbin looks up and nods. “I promise.”
“Good. Now, let’s check the final two casts, just in case.”
The remaining two Adter Tursents do nothing when Korbin tries to make them glow.
“Wait a second,” Iona says. “I thought you said all Humans have some Biat Aether. Why didn’t it glow?”
“Good observation. No Human would activate the Biat Adter Tursent normally. A Human’s ability with Biat Aether is greatly limited. It’s really only a fraction of one of the branches so the Biat Adter Tursent doesn’t even register the partial talent.” Sosimo signals Iona to step forward. “You can go next.”
Iona tries to activate all the Adter Tursent spheres. Only the Icor Adter Tursent glows.
Sosimo takes the last sphere from Iona. “Icor Aether is the most practical of all. It’s my cast as well. Depending on the branches you’re capable of, you may be able to heal people, augment your strength and or speed further than typical Fundamental Aether, increase your physical resistance, and read or manipulate minds.”
Read minds? That would be interesting. I could figure out when Korbin is causing trouble… “How do you learn this stuff?”
“With time. When you’re older I’ll show you what I know.” Sosimo turns to Thea. “Now you, Thea.”
Thea holds the Pahzan Adter Tursent. It glows.
Sosimo nods. “Okay, good. That’s a pretty common cast to have. You’ve got the potential to freeze things and make fireballs. It should be useful. Let’s check the others, just in case.”
Thea holds the Icor Adter Tursent and it glows as well.
“Okay, you’re at least a bicast. That’s impressive.”
Sosimo hands Thea the Moltrik Adter Tursent. She focuses on the sphere and it glows as well.
“Wow, a tricast. That’s even more impressive. Moltrik Aether allows someone to manipulate electric and magnetic fields and also chemical bonds if they’re really good.”
Thea then tries the Ru and Nesiv Adter Tursents with no success. The Biat Aether, however, glows when she uses it.
Sosimo stares at the glowing sphere for a long moment. He reaches out his hand, hesitates for a moment, then takes it. “Huh.” His eyes wander as he rolls the sphere in his hand.
“What? Isn’t that good?” Thea asks.
After a moment, Sosimo makes eye contact with Thea. “It’s curious. I’m not sure what it means, but this happens to be the exact same casts the Seekers of the Drebin have.”
Thea’s face loses color. “Does that mean I’m a Drebin?”
Sosimo shakes his head. “No, no. It’s not possible. You know how I told Ryder he was lucky the entity didn’t kill him? An essence from a Seeker would do that to anyone that tried to absorb it. Instead of killing the person, it overwhelms them. They’re just a shadow of their former self, completely driven by the essence and by Drebin beliefs… So, if this was a Seeker essence, you’d most likely have lost your mind and run off to try to join them. Fortunately, you haven’t, which is a good sign. I’m just curious what the Erohsians were doing with these essences…” Sosimo shakes his head, shrugging his shoulders. “Or perhaps they’re not from the Erohsians… I’ll have to ask some Humans I know in Sunta next time I’m around.”
Sosimo puts the last Adter Tursent in the case, latching it shut. “Well, you all certainly have some interesting casts. Now, go start on your chores. I’d like to talk with Korbin in private.”
The other children gather their stuff and leave the training room. Iona glances back to see Sosimo lead Korbin over to a chair, a hand on his shoulder.
I hope he’s okay. She turns, following Ryder and Thea.
21
The Smoking Boy
Nero
The dark violet Entity forces Nero to back up to a large tree. His broomstick is packed with so much Aether, it vibrates harshly in his hands. Can this thing blow up? He draws as much Aether as he can to augment his strength, but it hardly seems to make a dent. Please don’t blow up. Please don’t blow up! He glances around in the early morning darkness for easy cover, seeing nothing. I don’t think I can block anymore.
The Entity shoots a bolt of energy at him. He reacts with the broomstick. Oh no! His body tenses, pushing against the Aether. The impact creates a small pop to the side. A ring of smoke rises from the ground.
Did I just deflect that?
The Entity flickers briefly and attacks again. Nero focuses on putting pressure against the Aether in his broomstick. He sends another bolt of energy ricocheting off his stick.
This is awesome! Now I don't have to worry about this thing blowing up in my face! A smile creeps across his lips. He advances, pushing the Entity back to earn himself some breathing room. “Not so tough now, Mister I-can-use-Aether-but-I'm-still-just-a-blob-of-mist. Or is it Little Piggly Pinky?”
The Entity grows darker, only a hint of violet visible. It fiercely attacks, driving Nero back on his heels. He swings the stick wildly to keep up.
“Alright! I take it back. I like pigs. I like pink!” Nero dives out of the way, blocking a shot. I need to go on the offensive, or I'm going to get smoked! He deflects another few attacks. Each time the stick is knocked around like he is blocking a ball. Wait a second! If I can deflect the attacks, I wonder―
He grips the stick in both hands, settling on the balls of his feet. Everything seems to slow. A small spot on the Entity brightens, and it releases a huge bolt of energy. Nero steps into it, swinging with all his might. He connects with what feels like concrete. There is a moment of calm, then the stick's vibration increases painfully.
A bright flash, and a surge of energy propels Nero through the air. He trails smoke like a streamer, hitting the ground and tumbling backward into a bush. Pain stabs him in the stomach each time he tries to take a breath, reducing him to short gasps. Slowly, his breathing comes back. The ache throughout his entire body takes over. A strange, smoky smell tickles his nostrils. He closes his eyes.
Ouch.
Hurried footsteps crunch through the surrounding area. Great… Maybe if I don't move they won't see me.
“Are you okay?” Comes the voice of a young girl.
Dang. Nero claws his way from the bush, struggling to his feet. The same Borukin girl and man he had seen in the morning at Saraf's are looking at him: Natina and Grebson. Princess! What do I do? The girl's eyebrows are furrowed in worry, but the man's face is completely neutral. He has the Aether cast symbols of Pahzan, Icor, and Moltrik tattooed onto his face. Nero quickly glances around. To his relief, the Entity is gone.
“What are you doing in that bush?” Natina asks.
“Uh―I was―um… sleeping. If that's okay?”
The girl tilts her head, frowning. “Why are you smoking?”
“I don’t smoke!”
“No, look at yourself. You’re smoking!”
What is she talking about? Nero looks at himself. He is definitely smoking. He tries to clear the air with his hands to little effect. “Oh, that? Uh… that's normal,” he says, coughing.
She raises her eyebrows. “It's normal for you to look like you’re roasting over a smoldering fire?”
Yeah, that was pretty stupid. Nero looks around in the plants for inspiration. Maybe I can change the subject. “What are you doing back here? No one’s ever back here.”
“Grebson,” she says, indicating the impressively large Borukin, “wanted us to walk through the park before training. We heard a big explosion, so we came to look. And we found a roasted Human boy.”
Nero's shoulders drop. Was it that loud? “You're not going to cut me any slack, are you?”
“No. It’s pretty ridiculous. Did you blow yourself up? What were you doing?”
“Nothing,” he spurts out. Did she see anything? “You know. The usual.”
“I'd sure like to know wh
at the 'usual' is.”
“Uh…” Nero steps from one foot to the other, avoiding eye contact. A few moments of silence pass.
“Alright, Natina. We should go.” The deep voice of Grebson startles Nero.
Natina shrugs. “Fine. He was getting boring, anyway.” She turns and stomps off.
Nero swallows as Grebson walks up to him. “You work for Saraf, don't you?” Nero barely manages a nod. “Good. I'll see you later.” Grebson turns to follow Natina.
Nero slaps the sides of his thighs. What did I do this time?
*****
Nero hurries into Saraf's shop after Sosimo's morning exercise, his hair still damp from a quick rinse.
“Smoke-flavored today, Nero?” Saraf asks, chuckling.
Nero sniffs his shirt. Still? He hurries to do his morning chores before Saraf can say any more. Where am I going to find another broomstick?
Later that morning, the bell on the door jingles for the fourth time.
“Did you leave something, Grebson?” Saraf asks.
“I'm here to talk about the boy.”
Nero glances up to see the massive Borukin staring down at him. Here it comes…
“I know he doesn’t look like much, but his brain isn’t as feeble as you’d expect,” Saraf says.
“That’s not what I want to talk about.”
“Well, it’s hard to find good work these days, especially when the people that I train leave,” Saraf says, looking straight into Grebson’s eyes. “I don’t have the luxury to be picky, even if he’s not Borukin.”
“Can he use Aether?”
Saraf beckons Nero closer. “Can you?”
“I don’t know.” Nero cannot look either of them in the eye.
Saraf holds up a hand. “Don’t let that answer fool you. I don’t think his brain is properly connected to his mouth.”
“Aether or not, he seems to have enough time in the morning to light himself on fire. I think we should put him to work,” Grebson says.