The day slowly passed by as the sky turned orange from the setting sun. Aidan stood by with his wooden sword in hand, facing the rather tired Van with some bruises here and there.
He offered to heal them, but Van said he didn’t need to waste mana when his regeneration could handle it itself.
“Man, you really got strong,” Van said, wiping away the sweat off his brow.
“I am using Infuse, you know,” Aidan clarified. “Not exactly fighting fair here.”
“I don’t care. I’m not going to fight against a guy missing an arm and a leg,” Van scoffed. “Come on, at least let me have this.”
“Alright, alright. Just saying that magic really makes a difference here.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Van shook his head. Throughout their spars, his soul showed that he grew frustrated at the clear difference in power when Aidan used Infuse. But Aidan also knew that it was aimed at the magic itself rather than at Aidan for using it. Other times, Aidan was assaulted with pity and guilt whenever Van landed a blow on him, not knowing whether it was from outplaying Aidan or from the fact that he was leaning on his prosthetic leg the wrong way.
Aidan knew he was being a bit unreasonable to fight in his crippled state, but the two understood that he really needed some exercise from being in bed for so long. Not to mention the fact that he could still use magic was also a defining factor in their bouts.
On that note…
“Hey, can you really not learn any spells?” Aidan asked, figuring the two could take a break for now.
“Well, yeah,” Van said, shrugging at the question. “I never really got how it works, the mana and all.”
“But it’s not like it’s impossible,” Aidan added. “I saw some Warriors use spells and stuff. It’s not like you’re completely blocked from using magic just because your class is Warrior, right?”
At least, he learned that many people could still learn magic and use spells without ever getting the Mage class. After all, that was how Aidan learned magic. However, he knew it was due to his talent. But the fact was that one could still learn a spell if they worked on how to use mana.
“It’s just… I don’t know how to use magic,” Van said. He didn’t seem against talking, but he was growing awkward at the questioning from the way his soul sang. “I mean, I tried before. But asking questions to other mages would just annoy them, and from what I heard, it would take years before someone could learn how to use mana to create a spell. Without a talent, you’re shit out of luck.”
Aidan nodded, understanding what Van was trying to say. But he couldn’t help but think that it might be easier than it looked from an outside perspective.
“But what if I helped you?” Aidan asked, catching Van’s attention.
“Uhh, can you? I mean, I did see you help Ander, but he already has a talent that can help him make lightning magic. What can you do?”
“I can’t teach you how to use a spell like mine, if that’s what you’re asking. But I think I might be able to help you understand how mana works. After that, we can see how it goes. I just think it’s better for you to pick up some spells that would help you survive better in combat.”
“But my stats are heavily leaning towards Strength and Vitality. I don’t have an ounce of stats in my Intelligence,” Van added, bringing up a good point.
“I agree with that, but remember that it’s not always about how much Intelligence you have. Having a spell or two to use when you have mana to spare can make a lot of differences in a fight. Plus, you’ll get titles if you learn spells, and you get more points that way. Either way, you’re not losing anything if you learn how to use mana at least.”
“That’s… true,” Van lowered his head. “But you’re okay with that? I don’t want to waste your time if you can use it to improve yourself instead.”
“Dude, I’m not exactly busy with anything,” Aidan put his single hand to his hip. “And I don’t consider it a waste of time. I know you want to get stronger too. You still feel guilty about what happened with Haley, don’t you?”
That got Van to purse his lips, as though he had been caught red-handed. He grabbed his sword and gripped the hilt tightly, his soul rising with agitation and fury from the memory.
“I don’t want to lose her again like that,” Van said, mostly to himself than to Aidan. “It was all because I was weak.”
“And outnumbered,” Aidan raised a finger, and then another as he pointed each one out. “In a bad environment, while protecting someone.”
“There’s… that too,” Van scrunched his face in awkwardness. “But you’re right. That’s why I wanna get stronger. Even though I know you’re there, there might be a time when you aren’t.”
Aidan could only agree with a forceful nod. “Totally.”
“But… it just feels like I’m asking so much from you.”
“You’re a good guy, Van,” Aidan said. He stared directly into Van’s eyes as he kept speaking. “And I like Haley too. The last thing I want is for you two to get into trouble all because of me and Nina’s business. Since you kinda have no choice but to work with us, the least I can do is keep you two alive. I’d feel like shit if I didn't.”
Van chuckled slightly, his soul an array of complicated emotions. There was that small hint of agitation from remembering how his sister was forced to work with Nina by signing the contract, but it was so little compared to how he felt towards Aidan and Nina as a whole. It was all because she had to sign away to Nina’s authority that the two siblings got to reach this level of power and perhaps even survived the horror incident due to their leveling spree from the dungeon.
“So how about it? Maybe not now, but tomorrow, we can experiment with some stuff.”
“I’d like that,” Van nodded. “And after seeing what you did for Ander, I’m excited to see what might happen.”
“Van!”
The sudden sharp noise coming from a girl made the two flinch, even though Aidan knew she was coming with his senses. Turning around, they saw Haley running towards them, fuming as she glared at the two while Nicky and Bill walked behind catching up.
“Van!” Haley shouted again. “Are you seriously fighting Aidan while he’s like this? I can’t believe you!”
“Wha–?” Van uttered out, but Haley kept speaking.
“I know you wanna get stronger but there’s no reason to force Aidan to fight you when he’s still recovering!” Haley said, glaring daggers at her brother despite the height difference, making her a true terror in Aidan’s eyes.
“Oh come on, that’s not fair!” Van exclaimed. “It’s not like I wanted to do this!”
“Yeah, I kinda forced him into it,” Aidan interrupted, raising his hand. He thought about joking that Van indeed forced him to fight, but seeing how angry Haley looked, he decided to offer a fake olive branch instead. “Same goes for Ander too.”
“Seriously, Aidan?” Haley only looked exasperated, now shifting her heavy gaze onto him. “Look at yourself! Do you not even care that you’re making me worried?”
“I’m sorry, I do care,” Aidan said, wincing once he heard the dreaded worried comment.
He knew doing this wasn’t just selfish to do for his sparring partners, but to those who took care of him throughout the three days he was bedridden. Haley put it upon herself to be his caretaker, considering she was the closest to him compared to everyone else and with Nina constantly being away. She wasn’t even ordered to do so by Nina, though it was sort of implied when Nina said to both Haley and Van to take care of Aidan while she was away.
There were plenty of reasons for why Haley took it upon herself to care for Aidan, and he had no reason to combat any of them as he tried to appease her righteous fury by saying that he needed the exercise and the training while put under physical limits.
Haley still had that look like Aidan was trying to gaslight her, but she sighed and understood that for someone like Aidan, staying around all the time wasn’t all that good for him either.
“Just remember to take it easy, okay?” Haley once more added. “Sure, Yin thinks you can handle anything so she’s not that worried, but I still worry. Also, it’s kinda shitty for you to force Van and Ander to fight you while you’re like this.”
“I know! That’s why I’m also helping them train and improve themselves while I do this!” Aidan quickly added.
“Does sound like a nice idea,” Bill added, putting himself into the conversation with his hands resting behind his head. “Having someone crazy like Aidan teaching Ander some tricks?”
“I don’t disagree, but where is he?” Nicky said, showing concern as she kept glancing around the vicinity. She was also constantly doing this while Haley was giving Aidan a beatdown in proper manners as well. “It’s getting dark, and I’m worried there might be more of those horror things hiding around.”
“Don’t worry, there ain’t a single one of them around for miles,” Aidan assured her hard, his senses telling him that. It was like spotting an inky dark spot in an otherwise completely white canvas–they’re not exactly hard to find. “And Ander is coming back around… now, actually.”
His eyes lit up when he sensed Ander approaching from beyond, then turned his direction to the sky. The others followed his gaze, wondering what he was looking at.
Sparks of electricity flew out as a figure dove through the air, covered in lightning. The small figure made some spins, creating a circular figure before eventually stopping in mid-air while looking down. From above, his appearance looked almost majestic with the backdrop of the sunset behind him, his silver hair fluttering in the breeze creating a decent look.
Needless to say, it was Ander, and his appearance in the sky did exactly as Aidan and Van suspected.
“H-He’s flying?!” Bill shouted at the top of his lungs, both hands slapping on his cheeks in pure shock. “Ander is fucking flying?!”
“H-How?!” Nicky also added, her eyes popped wide open with Haley mimicking her. Aidan nodded while Van shook his head in exasperation.
“I know, I felt the exact same way,” Van said, but he still looked up with a smile on his face.
It was clear that Ander, the usually stoic and silent type, was eager in showing off as, despite already appearing, he continued flying around, lowering himself towards the ground to give the onlookers a better look, therefore showing off some more. His excitement was palpable through his soul, and even his expression was showing that of an excited teen driving around in a new car he now owned for all to see, making donuts across the grassy plains. In this case, he was making donuts in the air, leaving trails of lightning behind to make the donut shape even more apparent.
The more he showed off, the more the shock on them wore off and instead was replaced with a sense of wonder and joy as, quite frankly, they were excited for Ander’s clear joy upon reaching flight. Soon enough, after about a minute or so of extra flying, he deftly landed on the ground, the lightning dissipating across the soil as he practiced before running towards the group. Though he wobbled a little, suggesting that he flew around so much that he apparently forgot how to walk just then.
“Did you see?” Ander asked, his young age clearly showing as he asked Nicky. Nicky nodded like a bobble head.
“I did! Ander, that’s incredible! But how?”
“Magic,” Aidan simply said. And before Nicky and everyone else would rightly judge him for giving him such a boring answer, he continued. “That’s all it was, really. Well, it sort of works when his lightning is doing it. It’s sort of complicated, but I’ll give you the basic rundown.”
Aidan had this idea of his when he saw Ander use his lightning liberally throughout his fights. When he asked how Ander used his lightning, he wondered why he hadn’t figured out how to use his lightning in a different way than just to boost himself.
He knew bioelectricity was a thing, so using lightning to enhance one’s bodily reactions was something that seemed obvious for Aidan who received this kind of education in his old world. But since Ander also used this same principle, he wondered what stopped Ander from trying something else. Hearing that he would get damaged gave Aidan the confidence to instead control his lightning for him, making sure that it didn’t hurt him.
He explained that with that process, he was basically holding the damaging parts of the lightning hostage while Ander experimented with it liberally, allowing him to generate more and more lightning without any backlash. That’s when Aidan suggested Ander to do something that he hadn’t known due to not having enough physics education in this fantasy world.
He opted Ander to generate lightning in a way that spread all around him, and focused more electricity around his bottom half to ‘connect’ with the lesser lightning amount around him. After some experimentation for an hour or so, his body now lessened in weight before finally achieving liftoff. He was practically riding his own lightning, always flying about in the charged air around him through his earlier practice.
Aidan could have taught him some more things with his lightning, but since achieving flight for the first time, it was obvious Ander wanted to try it out and play to his heart’s content, and how could Aidan not let the kid enjoy what would only be a dream for the common man back in his old world?
“That’s… so…cool!” Haley practically shouted, her eyes glittering brightly. “Aidan, Aidan! Can you teach me how to fly too?!”
“Well, not like Ander,” Aidan said, popping her excitement a little as her expression fell. “But I can probably teach you how to use spells. I’m planning on doing the same to Van. Once you know how to use mana for yourselves, I might be able to help you learn what element you can use to make magic with, and maybe then you can learn how to fly. It’s a whole process, but if you’re willing to–”
“I’ll do it!” Haley shot her hand up to the sky, jumping up and down without caring how silly she looked. “I wanna learn how to use wind magic and learn how to fly like you can!”
Aidan couldn’t feel more giddy and proud to hear that. She probably had this fascination from when Aidan helped save her from Red Riot and carried her while he flew around. She probably got hooked from his flight around in the air using the air he crafted, thus leading her down this path.
It was also good that she picked up an element that was easy to manage. While he was certain that one could learn different types of magic that were different from the common four elements of water, fire, earth, and air–it was considerably harder to manage. After all, while he could ‘craft’ these elements into existence if he tried hard enough, making other types of elements or affinities, like poison or blood or even that dreaded demonic energy, was a lot harder to pull off.
Once Haley got into it, the others quickly grew interested as well as Bill more than happily applied to learn how to use magic. Nicky, meanwhile, already knew how to use magic as she had a few spells on hand, so she offered to help everyone else out by learning how to feel for the mana like she did.
She even explained that there was a way to feel that mana, and that was by learning the skill Mana Sense. It was the sort of skill one naturally learned without having to pick up a Mage Class to use magic. Funnily enough, while Mages could cast magic, they weren’t actually considered spells, but abilities chosen by the Class through the system. Mages then use these abilities to learn how the magic works, allowing them to gain Mana Sense in return.
It was sort of how Aidan first learned to use the spells Rend and Craft solely due to the properties of his talent, allowing him to have a deeper understanding and connection to the harmony affinity. Now that affinity was definitely hands off to learn for them as even Aidan, who had a talent for it, had no way to properly explain how to use it.
“So, tomorrow, let’s get some free time so that everyone here can learn how to use magic,” Aidan said, prompting everyone to agree with nodding heads, some more enthusiastic than others. “Oh, before I forget, how are things going in town?”
“Everything’s going right as rain, boss,” Bill said, pulling a thumbs-up. “Everyone’s working their butts off to get things moving again, and some of the shops and taverns opened up on time too!”
“Those are the only places where their buildings weren’t destroyed during the attack,” Nicky added. “There are still plenty of locations that are currently down and unable to get passage in. There were already loads of fights and plenty of people complaining about the state of things. There’s just not enough material to quickly rebuild the stuff that’s broken.”
“Yeah, and there aren’t any traders coming in either to help export extra material,” Haley commented. “I had some of our old customers come to me and complain about how, thanks to the attack, merchants and traders are too scared to visit, thinking that it’s still a warzone here.”
“Oof, that sucks,” Aidan muttered.
“There’s also not enough builders and workers since a lot of people died during the attack,” Nicky continued. “Not a lot, but the people that died were the people that had experience in these kinds of things. Thanks to that, reconstruction is taking longer than average.”
“And what about Nina?” Aidan asked, figuring she was doing something about it. “Did you hear what she’s up to?”
“Manhandling the higher ups through her iron grip, for sure,” Nicky said with a bit of sarcasm in her tone. There was also a hint of frustration in there as well. “You can’t even take a step without hearing her name everywhere. Worse yet, I heard she’s getting plenty of stuff through her connections, but none of them are anything that could be used for reconstruction. It’s like she’s gathering something up for some other thing she’s cooking, but nobody has a clue on what it could be. They’re all pretty cheap too, according to some eyewitnesses, and don't seem to have anything to do with what the city needs despite her owning half the damn place already.”
Aidan wondered what Nina was pulling from how Nicky explained it, but hearing about the cheap materials made his eyes widen in realization. It looked like Van and Haley also understood, looking back at each other before facing Aidan.
“She’s going to put you through a ringer again,” Haley said. “You sure you’re up for it?”
Nicky turned a confused look on Haley at her response, but Aidan only grinned back at her.
“I’m more than okay with it. I’m kinda curious if I’m able to pull it off too. I also got plenty of time on my hands, and it’ll help the city out quicker. It’s a win-win-win in this case.”
“Uhh, what’s going on?” Bill asked, tilting his head.
“Nothing, just that we’re about to enter into the fastest reconstruction period this world has ever seen,” Aidan smirked.
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