First Light, page 14
He did nothing to help their mother when she carried his sons in her womb, nor did he do anything when she passed on and left two six-year-old children to fend for themselves. The only fortune the two had been they were born in Jelmoore, where the city’s lord ran an orphanage to help children like them.
It was an institution run in concert with the Vanguard, and many of the children grew up to become warriors within the organization’s ranks. Others became soldiers, while others still took on jobs as city officials. Such an agreement helped build a veritable army of people who were loyal to the city of Jelmoore, the lord who ruled it, and the Vanguard itself.
When Jeruul was young, he often fancied the life of a soldier; something simple and honorable. His brother was not built for such a thing. Dannon hid his pain and trauma behind a mask of sarcasm and humor. Eventually, that mask transformed into a permanent fixture upon his brother’s personality. Such a person was not suitable for the rigors of a soldier’s life. As such, Jeruul decided he would join Dannon as a member of the Vanguard.
For years, they practiced together, Dannon with daggers and the bow and himself with a sword and shield. When they came of age, they joined the Vanguard together and fought their first beasts. It was exhilarating, terrifying, and above all…fun. The feeling of freedom beyond Jelmoore’s towering walls and the rushing of adrenaline as they fought for their lives was a sensation beyond compare.
Nearly a year later, their party of two gained a young Volari woman that Dannon had almost dragged into the hall. She quickly fell into their group dynamic, becoming somewhat of a face for their group. Dannon was far too aggressive in his social interactions, and Jeruul knew himself to be far too withdrawn. Teryn quickly became their filter and thus, their party was formed.
Now, after some time, they had a new face added to the party. A kindly young man named Rune. His odd hair, hazel eyes, and friendly demeanor created a unique presence that did not quite blend with his combat ability. When Rune had fought against a D-Ranker and won with what appeared to be relative ease, Jeruul’s mind was blown.
One did not expect such a performance from someone like Rune, who by all accounts, had been a member of the Vanguard for only two months. When they went on their first quest together, the young man easily handled the Bash Eagles, taking out four of them on his own. When the battle was done, he apologized for taking care of most of the work alone, but claimed he had thought it was a test of his skills.
Had he not shown his skills against Bordo, then they might have thought of testing him. However, Dannon quickly informed Rune they had no such requirements for their group and that they already trusted his abilities. Given how much of the job was handled by Rune’s skill alone, they tried to give him the lion’s share of the reward and harvests, but he quickly denied them, asking only for an equal cut.
A few weeks had passed since then and their new friend had finally blended in with the group. Rune stopped overwhelming enemies and acted as a front-line fighter, protecting Teryn and Dannon, who acted as the middle guard and ranged attacker, respectively. There was only one thing that was odd.
“Hey, Teryn!” Dannon casually called out. “Why are you always staring at the new guy?”
Right, that…
Teryn glanced away from the young man in question, who was walking a few hundred feet away between various stalls at the city market. He was in charge of this week’s supply gathering, something they each took turns at to share the responsibilities. Since the group had a party fund, they each took turns using those funds for party needs. Secretly, they all wanted to make the new member do it every time. He had a way of charming the vendors into better prices with his sincerity.
“I’m not always staring at him.”
“Okay, then why are you usually staring at him?” Dannon pressed.
“I’m not.”
“You actually do look at him quite a lot,” Jeruul interjected. Teryn was definitely hiding something. The look in her eyes was an odd blend of intrigue and suspicion. Jeruul was worried it would eventually become a problem. If they could not trust each other, how could they work properly as a party?
“There’s just something in the way he fights. It’s odd. I can’t really describe it.”
The woman had a point. Many times, they had discussed the strange fighting style and abilities their friend had. He was far more skilled than he appeared and fought unlike anything that Jeruul had seen. Rune’s movements flowed like water, always gaining in momentum, never wasting energy. Each attack smoothly flowed into the next one, sometimes incorporating his enemy’s own strikes and defensive movements into the flow, turning every fight into a macabre dance of death. And other times…
“Odd though it may be, it is supremely helpful. I have no complaints,” Jeruul finally said with a shrug.
“I think it’s really neat!” Dannon agreed in between bites of a smoked leg of meat he had picked up from a nearby food stall.
Teryn shrugged. “Okay—a fair point—but what about the headaches? He gets them all the time. Should he even be allowed in the field?”
“They only happen after the fight is over. Since it doesn’t really hinder us, I don’t see a problem with it either. Besides, he says he’s managing them. If it becomes a problem, we can talk about it again later,” Jeruul continued. “We all have things we keep to ourselves. If he wants to share information on where he learned to fight, where his headaches come from, or anything else… that’s on him. Just stop creepily staring at him all the time.”
Teryn nodded once more, but pursed her lips in frustration. Silence settled into the surrounding air, broken only by the loud chewing sounds coming from Dannon and his meal. A few moments later, the woman excused herself politely. The twins followed her movements with their eyes. Her target appeared to be their friend. Teryn stepped up to Rune’s side, and they began discussing something before walking to another set of stalls together.
Jeruul sighed once more. It is only a matter of time. We will fall in step with one another off the battlefield, eventually. For now, working together on jobs is good enough. Maybe we can truly become a party at some point. I know Dannon would love that.
Chapter Thirteen
Lylah
Lylah sighed to herself, standing in front of a class full of new students. It was yet again the start of a new term. Another year of being assigned to instruct the introductory class on Aura History and Development. This year’s batch of students was about average in size and so far, no one seemed to stand out as exceptional. Lylah also noticed that there were no Volari nor even Wanderer students this year, which also bothered her.
The murmurs of conversation came to a slow stop once Lylah put up a hand and addressed her new students. “My name is Lylah vas Mithra. I am your professor this year. I teach Aura Development, Aura Theory, and History. Welcome to your introductory course in Development and Theory. I don’t have a lot of patience or care for formalities, so let us get to it. Who can tell me what Aura is?”
Lylah looked over the faces before her. The room was set up as a large lecture hall with several levels of desks, each spot filled with questioning and confused faces. After several moments of silence, a hand rose near the front. “It’s the source of life that flows through the world.”
Lylah shook her head. “No. Anyone else?”
The class confusedly talked amongst themselves again at their professor’s denial. She knew she would have to break their misconceptions. Humans. A minute passed before she finally answered on her students’ behalf. “Aura is, for lack of a better term, everything. It is matter, energy, the essence of reality itself, and even something quantifiable: life.”
She paused before continuing, “Many believe it simply is the source of life because of how frequently one is exposed to Volari who manipulate the Aura in living things such as plants. Plant-Weaving, as such a skill is called, is the most common skill among Volari. Our eyes can also see the concentration of Aura within people and the surroundings. This thought process is understandable, as Aura has higher concentrations inside of living creatures and things. Such a fact is especially true for the Awakened. However, Aura exists in non-living things as well.”
The students were visibly confused, so Lylah provided a demonstration. She took a simple stone out of her pocket. “See this stone? There is nothing special about it. I picked it up on my walk here this morning. Now observe.”
Lylah’s eyes glowed as she clasped the rock in both hands. She collapsed her hands flat, as though there was nothing in them. A small disc then flew out of her hands and spun lazily in circles in the surrounding air.
“As I would hope you all know, a rock contains no life. Yet there are Volari such as myself, a Stone-Weaver, that can manipulate the form of the earth itself.”
There was a collective gasp from the audience. Several of the more studious members were furiously writing down these new revelations. The stone disc maintained its orbit around the woman while she continued. “Even Awakened do not manipulate life…usually. Rather, they slowly accumulate Aura from their environment inside special ‘wells’ in their bodies and can release the concentrated energy in bursts. This takes several forms, like the barriers, bolts of pure energy, and the strengthening of one’s body.”
A blue-haired student raised a hand. “Usually, professor?”
Light flashed from within her eyes as Lylah scanned the class. In this view, the world was simply shades of purples, violets, and blacks. While all Volari could see Aura like this, she was more adept and able to see the concentration of Aura within a person, and the channels in their bodies through which it flowed. Seeing this could allow her to determine if someone was Awakened or human. It also allowed her to see if someone was Volari without being able to see their eyes. In some specific scenarios, she could detect a person’s class.
Satisfied with what she saw among her students—or rather did not see—she finally answered the student who she identified as Tayven Nefera. “That lecture is beyond the scope of this coursework. It can be further discussed should you continue into higher-level courses in Aura History and Theory, Mister Nefera.”
The boy put his hand down, mildly annoyed he had not gotten his answer immediately. At least he understood he would receive one, eventually. Questions such as that continued for another hour before Lylah finally cut the conversation off.
“Alright!” She clapped her hands. The stone hovering around her shattered apart, spraying dust across the class. “That is quite enough for day one. Next class will begin with a lecture. For those of you who are Awakened and are also still classless, please follow me to the training fields. Normal humans and Awakened who have already determined their Class are dismissed. Unless you would like to observe. Since our number lacks any Volari… well, no instruction for that.”
The professor did not wait for anyone to raise their hands or gather their things; she simply left the room. Dozens of students rushed after her since many of them had just started and would get lost if they did not follow her closely. After a few minutes of navigating the halls of the academy, the group noticed several of the upperclassmen leaned against the stone walls, whispering to each other while they watched the procession. Silent murmurs bounced off stonework, creating a dull roar despite each person’s individual volume being hushed.
It was commonplace for the older students to gather and watch Awakened students finally learn about their classes. It was a good way to know who to ingratiate themselves to, who to party with, and who to ignore. While the academy did not boast extra-curricular activities like some schools in other parts of the world, it allowed some of its students to form parties and complete jobs for the Vanguard. Since most students were members of the organization, it only made sense for such allowances to be made. Sometimes someone would be stuck with whatever party they could find, if their abilities appeared to be lacking. It was useful for those who possessed power to be approached by the strong. The established groups benefited from knowing who would be useful and who would be fodder.
Tayven and his larger friend both appeared to be well aware of this, having been at the academy for some months already while they waited for the second term to begin. Unlike them, most of the other students were shifting uncomfortably under the analytical gazes of their betters. These proceedings always amused Lylah and were anyone to pay attention to her, they would notice the faintest hint of a smile teasing her lips.
Soon, the group arrived at their destined location. Waiting for them was a circular table with a perfectly cuboidal box. On either side of the table were two strange-looking individuals. Their face coverings and glimpses of metal beneath their cloaks hinted at their dangerous nature. There was an air of confidence exuding from them that could only be seen by the most veteran of warriors. Something, Lylah noticed, did not escape Tayven Nefera’s attention. Seems a noble’s upbringing has done much to benefit his perception.
Lylah approached the box while giving a slight nod to its protectors. She opened it and reached inside, pulling out a large, white sphere. “Anyone know why we use these crystals on Awakened?”
She was met with silence before a raven-haired girl spoke up. “It’s the only way to complete your Awakening.”
Lylah sighed once more. “Incorrect. An Awakened can learn their class without this, though it is usually triggered by a stressful event. This crystal, however, bypasses that stress trigger and forcibly pushes Aura into your bodies. This causes your body to expel the excess Aura in a way that aligns with your class abilities and activates the pathways your abilities use. With those pathways being forced open, the recipient of the Awakening Crystal’s power will utilize their pathways without additional assistance.”
The same girl locked her jaw momentarily before asking a follow-up question. “If all it does is shove extra Aura into our bodies, what causes a crystal to only complete the Awakening of a specific class? Hilden’s Hall possesses a crystal that can only assist with awakening Enhancers.”
“Good question,” Lylah stated with surprise. “Each class uses Aura at a specific frequency. Those inner pathways only allow Aura to either enter or exit using that same frequency. If you don’t know what the word ‘frequency’ means, consider that an assignment. It will be on your next test. And yes, I do require tests in my class. Anyway, sometimes a crystal will break or degrade and be incapable of forcing Aura of the correct frequency into someone’s body. This effectively prevents it from helping anyone who is not in a specific class. If it cannot attune the Aura directed through it to the necessary frequency, it’s no different from trying to pour water into a canteen without removing the lid.”
She stared at the group once more and motioned for the girl with the questions to come forward. “You first. Please point your dominant hand towards the targets and place your non-dominant hand on the crystal.”
The girl did as was requested of her. For a moment, nothing happened, before suddenly, the crystal glowed. The glow faded and seemed to focus itself near where her hand touched the object. The glow then seemed to enter the girl’s hand. She briefly winced before a purple flash erupted from her right palm and exited as a bolt of purple energy at the targets. It was far larger than Lylah had expected. The entire center of the target was completely missing, with the edges of the new hole sizzling.
“Congratulations, girl, you are a Pulser. With decent potential, if I do say so.”
“Venraya is my name; not girl.”
“Sure. Next!”
The girl huffed and walked away, barely hiding the excitement in her face while she flexed her hands. The next up was a very large student, one that always seemed to be near Tayven Nefera. He also placed one hand on the crystal and another in the air, pointed at the targets. The same glow began again, just like with the first student. This time, however, the purple flash did not create a bolt of energy. Instead, the veins in the student’s entire arm flashed with purple light.
“Enhancer. Congrats, it seems to fit your…aesthetic. Honestly looking at you, anything else would have been a cruel trick by the gods.”
Next up was Tayven Nefera. He turned out to be an Enhancer as well, which Lylah figured was something he was happy about, given his whooping and shouting. The process repeated a few dozen times, resulting in several Pulsers, Enhancers, and Shielders.
Not everyone was happy with the results. Some students seemed confused about how to implement their class abilities into their already developed fighting styles. Of course, this was also part of their coursework while at the academy. They could either adapt the power to their fighting style, learn a new style, or completely ignore their class abilities and only focus only on using enhanced weapons. Many would fail, and as a result, die in the field. But this was the Vanguard Academy, not a daycare.
This is going to be a long year unless something interesting happens, Lylah thought. Though with this batch of students, I doubt that. So much for that exciting feeling I had before the boat ride. Seems my hunch was wrong.
Everyone eventually trickled back into the building, leaving the training field empty. Lylah looked back for a moment, seeing someone standing off in the distance. No else one seemed to notice a man in an oversized gray cloak standing by the targets. The sheer volume of fabric suggested he would trip the moment he took a step, and his face was completely hidden by its hood. The figure gave her a slight wave before he noiselessly walked away from the field. Lylah rubbed her eyes, thinking she had been seeing things and when her vision returned, the figure was gone.
Odd.
Unknown
Two people clad in black robes stood in a dark room, separated from one another by several paces. The tension in the air was so heavy, one could scarcely breathe under its weight. They locked eyes for several minutes before one finally broke the silence.
