“Do you really think I’m ready for this?” I fidgeted with my belt, tightened it, and then put it back into the same position when it didn’t feel quite right.
Daniel didn’t look back. He strode calmly along the sidewalk, his eyes diverting from the massive structures of the Bastion to the patches of grass and flowers separating them from the dome. The only structure carved into the surrounding land was a straight, several-kilometer-long street, connecting the Bastion’s main street with the edge of the dome.
The empty land between the dome and the edge of the Bastion could be used to expand infrastructure, but such development seemed unlikely anytime soon. Everyone sought the safety of the Bastion—the protection of the Blessed living in its center. If something happened, nobody wanted to be near the dome.
“We will see about that soon enough,” Daniel responded at last, but his words were far from reassuring.
Confidence and excitement flowed into me through the bond, yet even Aureus’ attempts to reassure me didn’t work. Not right now. Not with the first hunt, the first kill, waiting for me.
Aureus yapped, fully invested in his new hobby of combining sounds like clicking, chirping, and other noises, trying to distract me. His tiny head popped out of my chest pocket, and I had to tone down our bond to avoid the monsoon of utter excitement and uncontrollable joy that would have otherwise overwhelmed me at full power.
Why was my Soulkin such an excited child? I grimaced and cursed my fate, only to give in and pat the little glutton’s head as our journey to the edge of the dome continued.
Aureus was growing fast. A lot faster than Daniel and I had anticipated, to be precise.
However, the Soulkin’s growth was not focused on the physical aspect. Quite the contrary. All that seemed to grow was Aureus’ hunger, intelligence, and the increasing soul energy required to maintain our bond.
“Take this.” Daniel slowed down to walk beside me, a scabbard resting in his hands. “This is a silvernit sword. Precisely, it is the sword I used when I was a Novice. It’s made from a simple alloy and is commonly used by young Novices. It is very durable and has a decent ether conductivity, which allows you to augment the blade.”
He put the scabbard into my hands and helped me fix it to my belt before we continued walking.
“While augmenting the blade won’t be important for today’s hunt, you can further refine your ether control by experimenting with the silvernit sword. Then again, I doubt you will have any problems with that,” Daniel said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Regardless, you can test it out once we’re back. I want you to keep the weapon so you can practice even when I am not there. Putting that aside, the blade won’t dull easily. It is also sharp enough to harm an Awakened beast as long as you apply enough force.”
He shrugged at that and glanced in my direction as if to look for a reaction. Clearly, Daniel didn’t think I was strong enough to harm an Awakened beast. But who was I kidding? I doubted I could survive a fight with an Awakened beast for more than a second. Maybe I’d last a full breath if the Awakened toyed with me.
“I see. Thank you,” I muttered under my breath, one hand resting on the silvernit sword’s handle. Ether swirled out of my World core on command. It riveted smoothly through my body and out of my arm, pouring into the sword, analyzing its internal structure.
It was easy to move ether at will, and it didn’t take long to analyze the ether pathways within the blade either. I unsheathed the blade and inspected it thoroughly. The silvernit sword was well-balanced and rested easily in my hand. It was a little short for a longsword, but I suspected Daniel wielded it when he was younger. It was not hard to tell that it had been a while since Daniel graduated from being a Novice.
Was he ever a Novice? Probably no longer than a few months when he was a literal child. I mused to myself as old memories of our childhood resurfaced—of that particular day Daniel spent bragging about his massive World; the same day he begged his parents to gift me a beast egg.
That day had opened my eyes in many ways—most importantly, it showed how different people could be. Being born in the same Bastion didn’t mean anything.
Shaking my head to discard the thoughts, I wove the ether within the sword through the vein-like pathways naturally and augmented the blade.
It vibrated faintly, and I was certain it glowed ever so slightly in the reflection of the early morning sun.
There was no obstruction, nor any challenge that could help refine my ether control.
“Why did you say I won’t have a problem with the sword? I mean, I understand what you’re talking about because everything feels so natural. The only thing I can learn with the silvernit sword is probably how to micromanage my ether consumption.”
I quickened my pace to look at Daniel. He met me with a faint smile as I added, “Is that related to why we’re moving out of the Bastion ahead of schedule?”
He nodded and motioned for me to put my sword away. “I know your bond has already granted you access to natural ether recovery, but you shouldn’t waste too much energy. You will need every bit of it later.”
Unlawfully taken from NovelFire, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
I scoffed at him, trying to hide my increasing anxiety, and put the sword away.
“To answer your earlier question, we’re going outside because of what you can do.”
My lips parted, but Daniel lifted his hand. “Because of what your bond allows you to do.”
“Are you talking about the soulshare? But I am not getting a big share, and you know that.”
I didn’t think as the words escaped my lips, and technically, I wasn’t being truthful. My bond with Aureus was firm and constantly growing, diminishing the requirements to maintain it, while simultaneously providing us with more benefits. If not for that, I’d be scrambling, trying to collect the shards of my World, which would’ve burst into countless fragments by this point.
“While it’s true that your situation is somewhat unique, it is not unheard of—some aspects, at least.” Daniel waved dismissively. “Either way, repetitive testing indicated that nothing is wrong with Aureus. But you know that already. You’re also aware that Aureus is basically a 2-Star Wild, even if the soulshare barely provides you with a physical empowerment, right?”
I nodded. Everything Daniel had said so far was logical and known.
“Why’s that the case? It is simple, really. Aureus is small and fragile. There is little your Soulkin can share in terms of physical prowess. However, that gluttonous lizard of yours is intelligent and also provides other benefits. That leads us to believe that he’s not a physical Soulkin like his peers.” He continued to explain, a smile tugging at his lips. “That could change once Aureus evolves, and there is a low chance he will be physically stronger once he’s fully mature, but it’s highly unlikely. Postponing our first hunt, hoping Aureus’ soulshare will empower your more physically, is therefore a waste of time. Time we could utilize much better.”
Initially, Daniel wanted to wait until Aureus matured, until the Soulkin’s physical soulshare would improve my strength, increasing my chances in a fight against beasts with stronger physical attributes, but the situation appeared to have changed.
“But while your companion’s situation is different…” He looked at me from the side, his eyes lingering on my lean figure, “…so is your physique.”
I recognized the envy in his voice.
“What did you mean by ‘us’?” I asked, only to receive a confused look in return. “You said ‘leads us to believe’ earlier.”
Daniel slowed a little, his head cocked to the side. He looked at me for a moment and nodded, his eyes widening ever so slightly.
“Ah, that’s what you meant.” He said calmly, checking his bracelet when he received a notification. He read something on the holographic screen that materialized on his forearm and grimaced. “That was Teach. He wants your data. More data, to be precise.”
He must have caught my look and explained, “Teach found out what we’ve been doing. He was a bit angry, but that didn’t last long. Teach is no longer angry. If anything, he is very interested in your… predicament.”
Daniel ruffled through his hair and looked away, but I caught his conflicted expression anyway. “Teach wants more data from you and Aureus. He said he might be willing to sponsor you if the combat data is as interesting as all the other data and records have been. I’m sure your combat data will be very interesting — nothing to worry about.”
He looked back at me and shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the deadly glare I shot his way. “Don’t look at me like that, buddy. You’re the one who’s been complaining to me about your family’s financial situation since your father returned from the hospital. Furthermore, it is none other than yourself who makes it look like I punch you in the gut whenever I give you something, no matter how used-up or cheap it is.”
I wanted to be angry, but there was nothing to be angry about. Daniel had done nothing but help me for the last few weeks. Furthermore, my data would be in his teacher’s records whether someone told him about me or not. It wasn’t even like Daniel’s teacher asked for money either. That was already good enough, especially with the dozens of tests they’d performed over the past few weeks.
Just thinking about having to pay for them made me shudder. Giving Daniel’s teacher more data in exchange was already very generous, and the possibility of earning money for providing combat data and related services was enticing as well. It sounded perfect.
Almost too good to be true.
“Why is your teacher so interested in my situation?” I asked, patting Aureus’ head. The Soulkin didn’t seem to mind that I considered it weak. If anything, the glutton flooded me with emotions that made me feel like a fool.
Why are you so damn intelligent?
Aureus could understand us clearly, and while he couldn’t talk, he had learned to communicate with emotions and fragmented images, though the latter was rare and draining.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Daniel snorted. “Your bond is firmer than it should be at this point—Teach thinks that’s related to the World’s synergy with Aureus—and your physique is phenomenal. I do understand that you cannot fathom it since you don’t have anyone to compare to, but your physique is already comparable to a weak 2-Star Wild with pure physical attributes, even though your Soulkin doesn’t empower you physically.”
The envy in Daniel’s voice returned as he went on and on, but I tuned him out for a moment.
He mentioned that my body was highly attuned to ether tempering.
“Teach is very interested in your body’s need for ether. How you’ve been ‘crippled’ before gaining access to ether, how the etherstones helped you temporarily, and how you turned into this.” Daniel motioned exaggeratedly toward me. “A natural, a few weeks into being a Blessed. You may not get it, but many spend months tempering their bodies with worse results.”
“So… the combination of both our mutations is enough to get sponsored by your teacher?”
“We will see about that,” Daniel said with a smile on his lips, but something was off.
He looked like he had more to say, like he was hiding something, yet he looked away and cut the conversation short. His steps grew wider and he accelerated, nearing the border.
I’d known Daniel long enough to know there was more to it. But he wasn’t lying to me. Not directly, at least.
Suit yourself. I mused and followed behind with hurried strides.
This was not the time to distrust Daniel. He had helped me more than any friend would. If someone deserved my full trust, it was Daniel!