Aether Engineering

Chapter 19

Maston Academy

The Town of Maston in the Candis East District

Kate waited patiently until Myles fell deep into a delving trance before quietly cracking her window open and jumping out into the night.

She dropped to the ground, evoking pure mana to slow her fall. Kate didn’t really have to sneak out, but she also didn’t want Myles to know she was leaving. He wouldn’t stop her, but it would be harder to leave if she had to explain she was leaving for good. They had worked together closely over the last few days, managing to just barely avoid death.

Kate shook her head. They may have been able to help each other out in that situation, but it had been very painful to go through it. Her affliction had ensured that she had been in near constant pain the entire time. Even tonight, with Myles’ leg wound mostly healed, Kate had still been able to feel that pain. When Silas moved back in, she would have to endure that pain. Then there was the other squad. She would be surprised if they were any less injured than Silas and Myles. She doubted she could endure all that pain for long.

As Kate walked, she kept a watch around her. Growing up in a rural town with no protection from soldiers taught her just how valuable food and safe shelter could be. Combine that with the instruction she had been given, and she doubted that she would be allowed to leave easily.

Before she even made it ten steps, a voice whispered into her ear. “Running away already?”

Kate whirled around only to find Reah leaning against a wall nearly ten feet away. Had she really managed to move that distance in the time it took to turn around? She gave off a sense of creepiness that Kate couldn’t quite explain. It was probably her age. She didn’t look any older than the students, but she was leagues ahead of everyone their age in terms of power.

Kate tried to look Reah in the eye, but the night’s darkness clung to her like a thick cloak, making it impossible to make out where her face was. It must have been some trick using light mana because the night was well lit. The moon was out in force tonight. “I never intended to stay here long. It was just a way to get away. Besides, I doubt I’m the only one leaving tonight.”

Reah didn’t make a move. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking because of the darkness. “When was it that you stopped even trying to make others believe you?”

“What?”

“The scouting reports say that you call it your ‘affliction’: the way you feel the pain of others.”

Kate didn’t respond. She had no answer. How many times had she been laughed out for telling others about her affliction? How many times had they laughed it off or chastised her for being lazy, for avoiding her mother’s clinic?

Reah leaned forward calmly, the darkness following her. Kate ignored it. She knew that Reah could manipulate the light. This had to be a trick to do with that.

“Right now, you’re pointedly ignoring the darkness that surrounds me. Its not natural or even logical. Still, you look for a rational explanation for this, but not for why you feel others pain. Do you really think you’re so special that your little affliction can’t be explained?”

As Reah walked towards her, the darkness pulled around them, blocking out the rest of the academy. Reah walked right up to her and tapped her fingers to her forehead. From the spot where she touched there came pain. It was just a flicker, the lightest touch, but Kate could tell it wasn’t her pain. She could tell in the way that she always could that the pain came from her affliction, but that didn’t make any sense.

Nobody was close enough for her to feel their pain. Kate looked over Reah, but she didn’t have a single injury. That could only mean that Reah was somehow making her feel that pain. How could she do that though? Surely, she couldn’t do that just by evoking mana, could she?

Reah smiled at her gently. There was something there that made Kate want to trust her, want to accept her. There was something telling her that Reah was somehow like her. Kate reminded herself that there was no one like her, but the feeling stayed.

“Stay for just one more night. Pay attention to your class tomorrow. Think carefully and you might start to figure out what your affliction really is. Trust me on that.”

Kate started to protest, but the darkness delicately grabbed her, pushing her back up through her window. When Kate looked back down, Reah was gone, but Kate hard her voice one last time. “I will block your affliction tonight. If you still wish to leave, you may do so tomorrow night.”

It didn’t take long for Kate to settle down and enter into a delving trance. Her mind wasn’t really focused on the process, Kate was a little busy marveling at the lack of pain she felt from her affliction. Sure, she still felt the burn on her back, but she was fine feeling her own pain. Fortunately for her in that moment, delving had become a bit of a mindless activity. That was because she had hit a bit of a roadblock in her delving. When she tried widening her mana well, she had no trouble, but whenever she tried to dig it deeper into her aether space, her mana resisted.

When she heard three pairs of shoes entering, Kate slowly left her delving trance and walked to her door. By the time she opened it, Myles was already chatting with Seth, Jane, and Mercy. The three of them were each covered from head to foot in bruises. Kate wasn’t sure what could have caused that kind of injury, but she was certainly glad that her affliction was blocked.

Seth stretched out, trying to work a kink out of his shoulders. “Ran right into the territory of some rock deer. We tried to get past them a few times, but well…” Seth left his explanation trailing as he gestured to himself and his companions.

Kate nodded in understanding. Rock deer were known for pelting people with small pebble sized bits of solid earth mana. They weren’t much more dangerous than ogren, so Kate would guess that Seth had followed the same strategy she had tried. Follow a group of weaker monsters and hope to avoid the stronger ones. It was becoming clear that that strategy was flawed.

“Wait. Where’s Silas?” Mercy looked around wildly as if expecting Silas to walk out of one of the corners of the room.

Myles stepped forward. “He’s in the infirmary. We ran into a pack of ogren and he took a tusk through the stomach. They say he should be fine. He was in rough shape to start with, but Kate treated him, so, he’ll manage to pull through.”

Jane gave Kate a look that was less than friendly. Kate gave an internal wince. She was still mad for her comment that first day. Kate had realized that a while ago, but there hadn’t been much of a reason to apologize. Kate had assumed she would probably be leaving quickly anyway.

Myles seemed to notice the look and went quiet, appearing to think for a while. Kate knew he cared far less about the comment than Jane did. Actually, come to think of it, Silas and Mercy both seemed more upset about it than Myles was.

Kate found the whole situation somewhat odd. She had grown up in the uncreatively named Milltown. There had only been one family who wore yellow bands there. For as long back as Kate could remember, nobody had really bothered them. Until the son of the family had started a barfight. Kate shuddered.

Mercy seemed to pick up on the tension that had suddenly sprung up in the room because she loudly declared that she was going to bed. Mercy was in many ways the glue of their little group, and her declaration sent everyone else wondering over to their rooms too. Before Myles could escape back into his room though, Kate walked over and tapped on his shoulder. “Do you have a minute to talk?”

Kate could tell that Myles just wanted to get to bed, but he nodded his assent regardless and followed Kate back to her room where she sat on her bed. Myles stayed standing. Kate awkwardly realized there wasn’t really a good place for him to sit, so, she stood up again.

Kate hesitated a second before looking up. “How well do you know that girl who saved us earlier?” Kate avoided mentioning Reah’s name. Myles would probably give her a fairer answer if he didn’t understand why Kate was interested.

Myles was somewhat thrown by the question, but he managed to give a response. “That was Reah. I met her when I came here from Candis. I’ve only talked to her briefly. I was surprised she was that strong.” As he responded, Myles looked strangely thoughtful, as if he was thinking of something else that had happened.

Kate nodded to his answer, slightly disappointed. She wasn’t quite ready to give up though. “Do you trust her?”

Myles frowned in thought. “I’m not really sure. I don’t really know her.”

Kate smiled faintly, managing to hold back an irritated growl. When they had been about to die, Myles had managed to keep up a near constant explanation about his construct, but now he had nothing to say!?

Kate reigned in her annoyance. “I guess that makes sense.” She looked down for a second then got up. There was one more thing she had to take care of, and it wouldn’t be fair to avoid telling Myles her intentions. “I wanted to apologize for my comment on that first day of class. I know I owe you and Jane an apology, but I’m too tired to give one right now. You mind if I talk with you two tomorrow?”

Myles turned around without saying anything and quietly left the room. Kate really hoped he was just tired.