Aether’s Guard (Aether’s Revival Book 2)

Gregory groaned as he sat up, rubbing at his eyes to remove the gunk from them. Getting to his feet slowly, he nearly stumbled, but retained his feet as he went to dress. He’d started to put on his novice kimono before he remembered it was his day off after the tournament. Pulling on one of his other sets of clothes, he took one of the aether-refining pills from Alvis Alchemy.

Need to wake Yuki, he thought as he made his way toward the door. Supposed to ask Dia about leaving the academy during the week… Something else was at the back of his mind, but he couldn’t recall it in his sleep-addled condition. Write a letter home today, give it to Steva to have their son take there. Brow furrowing as he reached the door, he tried to pull whatever was nagging him to his thoughts. Rafiq should have the money Yuki bet on us… but that’s not it, either… Hand on his door, Gregory blinked slowly as the fog of sleep began to slowly pull back from his memory.

Welcome home, Aether… welcome home. Darkness’ words came back to him like a hammer to the face.

Frozen in place as the dream flooded his mind, Gregory started to hyperventilate as everything he’d been told replayed for him. Aether reborn? That’s crazy… yet Darkness wouldn’t joke like that to me. It would explain why we could walk all three paths. Does that mean I can extend that to others?

A soft knock on his door snapped him back to reality. “Greg, are you awake?” Yukiko asked from the other side of his door.

Opening it, Gregory saw her standing there. Yukiko looked as tired as he felt, but she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, even with the dark circles under her eyes. Her smile matched his own as they just gazed at each other in silence for a moment.

“Morning, Yuki,” Gregory said softly. “We need to talk. I had a dream last night.”

Yukiko’s smile vanished as she became serious. “Here?”

Gregory stepped aside, letting her into his room. Once he closed the door, the two of them took a seat at the small table. “Here is probably best, honestly. Darkness talked to me again.” Gregory pulled his medallion from inside his clothing, showing her that the seventh circle was now illuminated.

Yukiko fished hers out and blinked, not having noticed it was also on the seventh circle. “Oh, I missed that this morning.”

“She told me things you should know, too,” Gregory said. “My magic is twofold… one is from my mother’s bloodline. That’s the part that lets me see possible futures. I can try to actively use it, but it’s draining. The other part is… that I’m apparently a reborn soul.”

“I’m not surprised by that,” Yukiko said softly, covering his hand with hers. “Did she tell you what the magic is? And is she really called ‘Darkness’?”

“She won’t tell me her name yet, and I can’t make her. She told me to call her what I wanted, so Darkness is her name until she tells me otherwise.”

“Okay,” Yukiko’s amusement was easy to hear. “Hello, Darkness.”

“As for my magic from being a reborn soul… uh… well, this is the weird part. She says I’m Aether reborn.”

Yukiko’s smile widened as she waited for him to laugh, but when he just looked at her seriously, her smile slipped. “You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

“Oh…” Yukiko’s hand squeezed his. “Then the reason we can use all the paths…?”

“Is because of me. My wanting you to be my equal somehow extended it to you. It also explains the strings of aether I see sometimes. It’s because my magic is to touch the raw aether of the world. She hinted that I’d be able to alter, change, or even stop it from being used by others.”

Yukiko stared at him, her cyan eyes focused on his face. “We need to keep this as secret as we can.” Her words were barely audible. “If that’s true, you’ll be a threat to grandmasters, sages, and even the emperor.”

Gregory swallowed, as he hadn’t thought that far ahead. “You’re right. We need to keep this just between us. Not even our families can be told.”

“I’ll keep my heart safe,” Yukiko said, squeezing his hand again.

Gregory smiled. “I’ll do my best to keep you safe, as well.”

“We have things to get done today,” Yukiko said softly. “We need to speak with Dia first.”

“Yes,” Gregory said, standing and making his way to the door again.

“I hope that there aren’t any clan emissaries waiting for us downstairs,” Yukiko sighed as she got up to follow him, “but with us being the top two from the tournament, the chance of that is pretty low.”

Gregory stopped just short of the door, turning to face her. “Before we go…” He put his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss.

Yukiko returned the embrace and kiss with a happy sound. As the kiss lingered, she pressed against him.

Gregory was breathing a little faster when he stepped away. “Darkness also said she can do as you asked, but it won’t be often, because it greatly taxes her.”

Leaning her head against his chest, she breathed deeply. “Thank you, Darkness. It doesn’t have to be right away, even if that’s what I want. Just the chance of it is enough for right now.”

Kissing the top of her head, Gregory smiled. “I like the idea of stealing a kiss first thing in the morning, too.”

“Yes,” Yukiko agreed.

They separated after another few seconds. Gregory opened the door, leaving the room first, looking both ways as he went. Making it down to the first floor, they traded their slippers for shoes and exited the dormitory.

“Morning to you both,” Dia said, exhaling a smoke ring. “Congratulations on your betrothal.”

The new couple turned and bowed to her. “Thank you, Keeper,” Gregory said.

“We’re grateful to you, Keeper, and our thanks for allowing your staff to attend as they did. They’ll be welcome to the wedding, as well.”

Dia smiled. “They were excited when they returned last night. I’m sure that many of them would like to attend when that day comes. When might it be?”

“After the second tournament,” Yukiko replied.

“Ah. Depending on exactly when that is and if you’re still staying inside the dorm, I might be able to attend, if the invitation is still open.”

“It is,” Gregory said, beating Yukiko to it.

“Very well. I look forward to hearing when the date is set for.”

“We did have a question for you,” Yukiko said, changing the topic. “Are novices allowed to leave the grounds during the week?”

Dia shook her head. “No. Even with your classes considered passed, that isn’t allowed. The only day novices can leave the grounds is on their day off.”

Yukiko and Gregory shared a glance, both of them wondering what that would mean for them.

“If you were part of a clan, you’d be free to have the trainers there teach you, since you wouldn’t need to attend the classes,” Dia said, exhaling a large smoke ring, then blowing a smaller one through it. “Though you both seem to be avoiding them.”

“What does it take to make a clan?” Yukiko asked.

“I don’t know. The archive should have that answer for you, however.”

“Thank you,” Gregory said. “We’ll be scarce until the curfew.”

“I’ll let the clans know you aren’t due back until then. You’re permitted to use the back stairs to avoid them.”

“Thank you for moving our shoes to the front for us,” Yukiko said, not having thought about it until that moment.

“You’re welcome. Don’t let me detain you from your routine,” Dia smiled.

“Thank you, Keeper,” they said before heading away.

As they walked toward the mess hall, Gregory glanced at Yukiko. “Yuki, I’ve been meaning to tell you about Nick.”

“What about him?”

“Before the final eight, he tried to convince me once more to join the Eternal Flame and bring you with me. He suggested a drug that’d make you susceptible to suggestion and having a magus on hand to servant-brand you.”

Yukiko’s lips thinned. “I thought I already had a low opinion of him… I was wrong. It was able to go lower.”

“I wanted you to know so you’re careful around any drinks,” Gregory said.

“Thank you, dear one,” Yukiko smiled. “I’m always wary of drinks and food. After all, people do many different things to try getting the best deal from merchants. I’ve even built up a resistance to some of the more usual drugs of that kind.”

“You have?” Gregory asked in surprise.

“Yes. It was just something that seemed prudent when I was going to follow in my father’s footsteps.”

“Oh, right.”

Entering the mess hall, the duo waved back to the cooks, who looked exhausted. “Morning to you all,” Gregory said when they got to the serving area. “I hope you enjoyed dinner.”

“Thank you for having us,” Velma smiled. “It was worth the lack of sleep.”

“Will you have the letter tomorrow?” Steva asked Gregory.

“Yes. I’ll bring it with me tomorrow morning.”

“I won’t accept any money with it,” Steva said. “We’ve already made so much from the tournament.”

Gregory sighed, “I’ll feel bad.”

“I’d feel bad for taking it,” Steva said adamantly.

“I’m not going to fight it,” Gregory said. “Thank you, and your son.”

“Thank you,” Steva smiled.

“You’re seventh rank already?” Velma asked in surprise after Yukiko held out her medallion to be checked for her food.

The other cooks all looked over in surprise, too.

“So am I,” Gregory said, holding out his medallion to her. “Can we get our snacks, too? We’re going to be off the grounds most of the day.”

Velma quickly hovered her hand over both medallions before rushing off. “Of course.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko smiled. “When we set a firm date for the wedding, we’ll let you know.”

The cooks all bowed to her. “We’re honored,” they said together.

“We’re thankful that you came,” Gregory said.

“Enjoy the meal,” Zenim said.

“We always do,” Yukiko smiled.

~*~*~

Arriving at the archive after breakfast, they were surprised to find Rafiq on duty. “Morning to you both,” Rafiq greeted them.

“Morning to you, too,” Gregory replied.

“Before you go study, I have this for you.” Rafiq pulled a pouch from his desk and held it out to Yukiko. “Your winnings.”

Yukiko took the pouch. “Thank you for betting for me.”

“Many novices do similarly if they feel they can trust the one betting for them,” Rafiq grinned. “I hear that Shun and his friend lost a good amount of vela during the final four matches.”

Yukiko touched her short hair with a pained expression. “It was a near thing.”

“Twice,” Gregory added.

“Yes, I heard about that, as well,” Rafiq said somberly. “I’m glad to see you’re both alright.”

“I have a question, Rafiq,” Gregory said, remembering one from the other day. “Why do the tournament winners need an honor guard to the arena?”

Rafiq shook his head. “Because some people are sore losers.”

“They’d really attack before awards are given out?” Gregory asked.

“Yes. If the winner is no longer alive, then the next place winner is moved up to take their place.”

“I hadn’t even considered that,” Gregory said.

“I had hoped it was for different reasons,” Yukiko sighed. “Sadly, it looks like I was right.”

“You’ll need to be especially aware of your surroundings,” Rafiq said. “Without the backing of a clan, it’ll be tougher for you.”

“We’ll be careful,” Gregory said.

“Did you wish for the scrolls you’d been reading?”

“I’d like to look at anything on meditation during tea ceremonies,” Yukiko said. “Anything that talks about the meditative trance, specifically.”

Rafiq bowed his head. “I’ll have something brought to you.”

“I’d like to see what it takes to create a clan.”

Rafiq blinked for a moment. “I can get you the laws for the creation of such, but I do not think it’d do you much good. For a clan to be recognized as legitimate, it requires other clans to back them.”

“Well, that’s a problem,” Gregory sighed.

“Do you still want to see the books? Or would you rather something else?”

“I’ll continue with the scroll I was working on,” Gregory said.

“Very well. I’ll have them brought out,” Rafiq replied. “Please enjoy your time of study.”

“We will,” Yukiko smiled as the pair headed for the table they had come to think of as theirs.