Chapter 37:

  Eli hadn’t realized just how far he’d traveled on the rune car until he needed to make his way home. He’d been traveling for over an hour, on a vehicle that moved faster than a speeding carriage, but he’d been so absorbed with juggling multiple spells of incredible precision that he hadn’t had the mental space to pay attention to just how far and for how long he’d traveled. Usually, his time affinity would let him keep an accurate estimate of just how long he spent doing, well, anything. It was a passive ability, and learning how to sense this timekeeping aspect of himself was one of the first lessons his mother had taught him when he began learning magic.

  It’s also why he knew that even at his fastest speed, getting back to Lira would take longer than getting here. Wherever here was. This was one of the only times he’d truly cursed his youth. He had memories of being able to do so much more. No, he knew he was able to do so much more; handle more spells, more delicate manipulations, more weaves, just more capacity. In his prime he’d been able to split his focus into dozens of simultaneous tasks. But his brain just wasn’t ready to handle that kind of input. He wouldn’t have gotten so carried away. Literally.

  He hoped his gains were worth it, because he knew if he wanted to get back to Lira before the night guard changed shifts, he’d be scraping to the very dregs of his limited mana and pushing beyond the limits of his body while he was at it. How was he meant to explain that to his father at training when he required healing before he could properly walk. What would he tell his mother when she asked him to perform a spell during their lesson, and his poor, still developing mana channels were strained beyond their limits.

  The pain he could handle, the disappointment… He took a deep breath to fortify himself, and, still cloaked in shadow – the barest amount he could get away with – he began to sprint. His steps were silent, his body invisible as he whizzed through the roadside woodlands at speeds horses would envy. His eyes saw clearly in the darkness. His mana a steady trickle fueling his every move. His footfalls became a rhythmic staccato that only he could feel as his steady feet left no traces in their wake. And slowly, as he breathed in and out, every inhale measured, every exhale controlled, he began to feel his mana refilling?

  Moving meditation. Moving meditation! He didn’t know exactly when it had happened, but at some point, slipping into active meditation had become reflexive. Could he at some point develop passive meditation? The realization nearly made him lose his rhythm as he wondered just how many battles, how many deaths, how many near death experiences their side could have overcome if they all knew how to meditate in motion. A skill that all the invaders seemed to deem basic knowledge. Just how far behind was Vereth? How far behind was he? His storage bag seemed somehow heavier as he realized he had answers so close to him.

  For now, though, he needed to get home. Fast. With his mana actively refilling he realized he could just barely spare enough to reinforce his channels, as well as his muscles and tendons to allow him to push just a little bit harder. A little faster. A little steadier as he made his way back with his well-earned spoils. By the time the trees opened into the familiar space of his clearing. His training ground. He was nearly spent. So close to home he pushed just a little harder, a little faster. Shadow wrapped around him and space subtly warped as he dashed through town, invisible in the night.

  He had left himself an opening in the wards. It was slim, and it was safer to climb than to try and leap through it, but with his body not giving out, and his channels both fortified and flowing smoothly, he felt so in sync with himself that he felt like he could make it. However, Eli didn’t change the plan just on a feeling, he wouldn’t have made it this far if he did. Just when he was about to slow, to take the safest route with the best outcome, something in him stirred.

  For the first time since his return, his time affinity activated. He didn’t even realize he was doing it, and it took a big chunk out of his already bottoming mana pool, but he caught a glimpse of the future. It was only a second or so, but it was enough. So, with a grin more like a snarl he launched himself up and through the gap. His mana closing the wards behind him. He was in, he was on time, and he was spent. Beyond spent. But his time affinity. Feeling that familiar mana flow through him once again like a lost child coming home. And for all it was familiar, he also felt as though there was something different about his time mana now. Something, more. He couldn’t describe the feeling, but his curiosity was overwhelmed by the sheer relief of his time mana flowing freely again. He felt like jumping or laughing or roaring into the night. He did none of those things. Instead, he gradually slowed his pace and slipped back into the keep.

  He was still meditating as he forced himself to maintain the shadows, but he really was scraping the dregs of mana left in him to hide his presence. His feet dragged, but he kept a steady pace. The keep was dark, the few servants and guards didn’t even notice as he slipped past them one by one to reach his chambers. He went to open the doors when he froze. He looked closely, and noticed that the simple alert script had gone off. Someone had entered while he was gone.

  Still cloaked in shadow, Eli entered his chambers and stopped. Reaching out with a touch of his newly recovered spatial mana, he allowed his awareness to drift throughout the space. His bedroom was untouched, and there was nothing in the bathing chambers, the workroom, or his study. That only really left one place, the only place he’d discovered a sign of life. His brows unknit and with a sense of relief that he hadn’t felt in ages, he released his magic and stepped into the sitting room.

  Aria was curled on the couch. She was asleep, though it was a fitful thing, likely less restful than just being awake. Sweat stuck her baby hairs to her temples, and her limbs were twitching as she gasped her breaths, in short, uneven hitches.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Eli crouched beside her. His calves ached with the motion, mud still streaked his clothes, and he was honestly unsure how long he’d be able to keep upright, but looking at her, he couldn’t just leave her here. He looked up, squeezed his eyes closed, and took a deep breath before he gathered her carefully into his arms.

  Whatever silent agony she was experiencing had her curling into his chest, as a pained, muffled sound broke free from pinched lips. Pushing into his own bedchamber, set her on the bed and tucked her into the sheets. Then he looked down at himself, and grimaced. He needed to put a cleaning enchantment on this these clothes if he was going to be using them often.

  Freshly washed, and in such soft bedclothes, Eli was so exhausted he could collapse. He returned to his bedroom to find Aria had settled some, though her brow was still pinched. He wished he had the energy to do anything more than dragging his uncooperative body under the sheets and praying that morning would come late.

  He woke to the soft light of dawn warming his face. For a moment, he kept his eyes closed and simply lay there, taking in the room with all his other senses. A habit he’d picked up in a much more chaotic time of his past life. The sound of breathing beside him reminded him that he wasn’t alone.

  He blinked his eyes open and turned his head. When he looked, there was Aria. She had woken up and was sitting cross legged on the bed beside him. She was playing with an enchanted puzzle box that was meant to train finger dexterity, but that Eli used to keep his hands busy when he had heavy thinking to do.

  When she noticed he was awake she turned to face him. Blinked once, slowly. Then without changing position, she flopped to the side. Her body going limp as her head met his stomach.

  “Oof.” He said. Laughing. The movement bounced her head and sent her into a fit of giggles all her own. Once the laughter died down, the two of them were quiet for a while. Aria was facing away from him, lying sideways with her eyes towards the foot of the bed. However, even being unable to see her face, he could guess exactly what expressions she was making just by the sound of her voice.

  “Elias, I-” she started, then stopped. Her voice was small, embarrassed.

  Eli reached down and began running his fingers through her hair. It was longer now, than it was when they’d first met, though that made her curls seem almost gravity defying in their poofiness. With his other hand he rubbed his tired eyes. His own voice was utterly matter of fact, as he changed the subject. “It’s good you didn’t try to enter my room last night,” he said, voice still a little softened by sleep.

  “It’s good?” She asked, more curious than hurt. Though there was a little bit of that laced in there too.

  “Yes. If you had tried to come in you would have tripped the wards.”

  “Wards?” No more hurt, just mounting curiosity.

  “Wards.” He repeated, grinning. He knew she was smiling too. “My room’s layered in protections,” Eli explained. That final word elongated by a yawn. “They would have gone off if you had tried to enter without invitation, or a recognized signature. I will key you into the night wards for next time. Okay?”

  “Um, okay.”

  He grinned, boyish and quick, she had no clue what he was talking about, but was happy to go along with it anyway. He shook his own head before addressing the statement she’d aborted earlier.

  “Ari?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It is okay that you had nightmare. I get nightmares sometimes too.”

  “Really?”

  “Really,” the smile that had been on his face rapidly dimmed as a memory tore through him, leaving jagged edges in its wake.

  The world on fire. His lungs heaving; every breath drawing in smoke and sand and the distinctive fizz of magic. The copper bite of blood slick on his face, his fingers, his friends. Rubble-grit pasted to sweaty skin, his knees screaming from crouching, as they hid for hours. Sometimes days. An ache no body enhancement magic could truly soothe away. Wrists and arms burning from the violent clash of staves and blades. The boom of magic in the distance like constant, relentless, thunder. The thrum of mana in the air, a perfume mist that creates a resonant thrum. A sound so beautiful clashing in a discordant cacophony with the shrieks of the dying and the moans of the damned.

  His mana churned. Some dregs of time affinity mana had been agitated. It pulled Eli back to himself. He closed his eyes and took a slow, steadying inhale. She had turned to face him now. Her head still on his blanket covered stomach.

  “Thanks… Eli.” She smiled, before turning her face to burry it in the sheets.

  “Come on,” he said softly, patting at her shoulder. “Let’s get breakfast.”

  *****

  The Rodrigo breakfast room was quieter than usual. Morning light slanted through long windows, leaving pale gold strips across the table. Servants moved in silence, setting down dishes: warm porridge, a haunch of spirit beast meat, steaming bread, fresh from the oven.

  Aria sat slightly more relaxed than normal. Sela ate gracefully, and Gabriel had not yet spoken a word. Eli’s mind was far away as he ate. The spoon moving in habitual rhythm, thoughts far from the meal.

  Expansion is only stage one. Compression is stage two.

  The words repeated, each syllable like hammer on anvil. ‘Compression. Stage. Two.’ He wanted to weep. All his life he’d been taught it was expansion, then refinement. No talk of compression. He didn’t know exactly how compression might work, but based on the conversation the two retainers on the rune car were having, the process somehow increased the density? Potency? Of his mana. Same amount of effort, for a better or stronger effect. That wasn’t even to mention the manuals he’d liberated. The two young men had spoken about body refinement like it was foundational, obvious, not the optional thing the Academy taught it as. Something for mele fighters, and reservoirs to keep up with mages, not the power amplifier it seemed to be.

  How many of his conjectures were incomplete, or just wrong. The Families always boasted superior bloodline. That their offspring were just born better, and that’s why they were stronger, and had the right to rule. But what if they just had better methods of cultivating their power? What if he’d had those same foundations. How much information was being kept from them. How far behind were they from those invaders from beyond the sky. Just how much power had he squandered through sheer ignorance, and how many lives could he-

  No. He couldn’t think like that. What he could do was take action now. Now that he knew… or at least had deduced. He set his spoon down carefully, eyes finally coming back to the room.

  “Father,” he began. “Would you tell me about body refinement?”

  His father paused in his motions, looked at his son, then at his wife before looking back to Eli.

  “That depends. Would you tell me why your mana’s half empty, your posture is stiff, and when you came in you moved like you could barely walk?”

  It was Eli’s turn to freeze.