“Wher … where am I?”

  Dante was startled awake by the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Since they had arrived here, the only noises in their world was the constant chiming crystal tones of the spawn and their slightly less musical shattering. Rarely were voices heard here now. They had discussed all they were willing to discuss in the early days and mostly chose to keep silent now. So a new voice was noteworthy.

  “Still on the battlefield I am afraid,” Pauwna answered. “Now drink.”

  Dante opened his eyes and looked towards Ren. Pauwna was kneeling over Ren and was helping Ren drink from her water skin. They had taken care of her the best they could, which had been a difficult ordeal. Ren had nearly choked a few times. It must have not been enough as, after draining an entire waterskin, she devoured a fair portion of their remaining supplies while barraging Pauwna with questions.

  “How long have I been unconscious?”

  “Eight days.”

  “Have you seen any of the others?”

  “Not since we were separated by the Black Wind.”

  “What is keeping these things back.”

  “He is.”

  Pauwna pointed over at Dante and Ren turned to see him, eyes widening in surprise. Her eyes played over his pinned form to the swarm of crystal insects being held back. Dante forced his hand up to give her a small wave.

  “How are you doing this? You weren't that strong during the battle.”

  I think I preferred her unconscious. Leave it to her to cut directly to what I don’t want to talk about.

  “Through an incredibly lucky and convenient series of events. It so happens that my ability is perfect against this kind of foe. Also, through great effort. As you can clearly see.” That last part was full of accusation and Ren inclined her head in acknowledgement.

  All of which was perfectly true. As Pauwna told him, the most believable lies are the ones where the lie is the smallest part. Although, something in his excuse unexpectedly resonated with him.

  You know, it is incredibly fortunate that my abilities counter the Chausus spawn this well. Could it truly all be coincidence? Something to think on later I guess.

  Ren moved to rise and Pauwna pushed her back down. “No you don’t. Not after you just woke up.” She pointed at Ren’s bandaged form. “I spent way too much time fixing you up for you to do undo all of it.”

  Ren gazed down at herself and seemed surprised at the extent of her injuries. She poked a bloody patch and grimaced. “I hardly even noticed. You have outdone yourself Pauwna, especially for a Naula. I shall make sure that you receive a commendation for this.”

  It was only because Dante had spent so much time with her that he noticed the slight tightening around Pauwna’s eyes. She was pissed. To anyone els, she gave a pleasent smile to Ren and said: “It is always my pleasure to care for one of the Empire’s finest. I do not deserve such praise.”

  “Please Pauwna, no need to speak so formly between us. We have fought so long together after all.”

  “Then thank you. Anything for a friend.”

  They shared a moment that Dant thought each got two entirely different things from. He was almost jealous of the shade that Pauwna could throw subtly. That was beyond him.

  The moment ended when Ren shifted her gaze towards the swarm, stretched, and then said: “Hold one a minute, there is something that I need to do.”

  Ren raised a hand and pointed towards the spawn. A large magic circle formed, one that he recognized as — It was only Pauwna’s hand covering his eyes that saved him from being blinded. From between her fingers he could see an intense light, feel a heat like a forge emanating from her, and hear an intense spitting sound reminiscent of molten metal.

  “Take that you motherless curs! That will teach you to lay a finger on Ren Rivell. Now burn!”

  The barrage continued uninterrupted for half a minute, during which the weight on him slowly diminished then vanished. It ended as suddenly as it began and the world was quiet. A true quiet without the constant chimes of the swarm. Ren let out a satisfied sigh and lay against the stone, content. Pauwna lifted her hand and Dante could see that the canyon, starting a few feet away, glowed red hot.

  “Phew, I needed that!” Ren chuckled. “That’s just the start too. Just wait until I recharge! Then —”

  A oddly distorted shadow filled the canyon. Scattered light beams scintillated through it widely, moving from shadow to light in no discernable pattern. Dante looked up to find the sky filled with an unbroken wall of purple crystal. The crystal moved and an enormous hexagonal crystal plunged down, biting deep into the rocky wall of the canyon mere feet away. Dante belatedly withdrew his aura into the rock behind them.

  Then the air began to hum. It was not a gentle thing, this humming. It made Dantes teeth grind against each other and he opened his mouth for fear that they might chip. It grew more intense and his eyes grew blurry. He could feel it deep in his bones and he thought that if his fortitude wasn’t so high, something might burst inside of him.

  Just when he thought that he could bear it no longer, a rush of movement filled the trench as the swarm of spawn returned. They crashed close against his withdrawn barrier and Dante grunted as the pressure returned with a vengeance. The low chorus of chimes resumed and the bone rattling humming sharply cut off. The leg withdrew a moment later.

  I see. The spawn were providing a sort of camouflage for us. Killing all of them must have made that thing notice us. That, and the light show probably didn’t help.

  All of them waited for what must have been an hour before Pauwna spoke up.

  “Let’s not do that again. Agreed?”

  Ren nodded sheepishly, before asking, slightly paniced: “Do we have a plan for leaving here? To my eyes it looks as if we could leave at anytime. As long as Dante’s ability holds, of course.”

  Dante hesitated, torn on what lie to tell. Thankfully Pauwna beat him to the punch, “We were waiting on you. I can’t carry both of you, so you will need to walk on you own. Still, how about we wait until tomorrow so you can eat and recover your strength a little?”

  He stared dumbly at Pauwna. This was news to him. They were not ready at all. Not until he unlocked [Aura Compression]. Just what was she playing at?

  Ren nodded enthusiastically. “That would probably be for the best.”

  Ok, I guess I have a deadline now. A single night when I have not made progress for days. Great … Is Pauwna trying to mouth something at me?

  She was. While Ren had turned her back on them to inspect the spawn up close, Pauwna was silently mouthing words at him. It was two words something like …

  Ask her? About what? The skill? I guess it couldn’t hurt. Is there any way I can bring it up naturally?

  “Perhaps I misjudged you,” said Ren, who had turned from the boundary to face him.

  Caught offguard, Dante could only offer up an elaborate, “Huh?”

  “I thought you were a Summer Orchid when I first saw you. Delicate, inexperienced, quick to wither. A princeling. Then you tried to court Urvun and I.”

  I what!?!

  Seeing the look on his face, Ren shook her head. “I see now that you were ignorant of our ways. At the time I wondered why such a rude, weak man had been assigned to our august squad when so many had been turned down. I see now that — ” Ren waved her armor at the barrier. “Your potential is great. So I must apologize.”

  Both of her eyes were fixed on his and Dante knew enough about Sūnsian culture to realize that Ren was trying to honor him. He maintained the eye contact, something he was surprised no longer was difficult, while he pondered how to respond. Then it hit him. This was Dante’s opportunity. His ‘in’.

  “Do not worry yourself over it so much! Misunderstandings like that are inevitable given my … foreigness. Though if you wish to apologize, perhaps you could do me a small favor? If thats alright?”

  Ren’s expression grew guarded. “If it’s within my abilities and not untoward, I see no problem with that.”

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  It was an active struggle to talk with Ren. She kept using difficult words which he had constantly infer their meaning. It was different then everyone else he spoke with and he thought she might be from a higher social class or the like. Dante kept his consternation off his face and asked, “I was wondering if you were familiar with aura?”

  “I have some small familiarity with it. While I don’t use it myself, it’s a part of every self-respecting mages education. If you are asking about it, I presume you are a user yourself?”

  “Just so. The barrier that protects us is an application of aura. It just happened recently that I unlocked the [Aura Condensation] skill before the battle.”

  “Congratulations, it is often touted as the hardest to unlock of the three fundamentals.”

  “Thank you, but that is precisely the problem I am having. I can’t seem to condense aura beyond a small amount. It feels like I am fighting against the skill itself. I was hoping that you could give me some tips about using it?”

  “Ah I see. I did swear an oath to the Royal Academy to never reveal their secrets to anyone who is also not a student. But … ” Ren hesitated then seemed to make up her mind. “this is a special situation. Our survival depends upon. Besides, I doubt anyone will ever know as long as we don’t speak of this again.” Ren cast a meaningful glance at the literal hole in the ground they currently were inhabiting. “Considered this payback for saving my life. Keep in mind that I don’t use aura myself, so this is all second hand knowledge, but I do remember hearing some of my fellow students complaining about it.”

  Ren tapped her chin and her eyes grew unfocused as she delved into memory. “The main thing complained about was the difficulty of making a decent reflection.”

  That was the last word Dante as expecting to hear. He wanted to ask a reflection of what, but exposing too much of his ignorance could trigger suspicion. The best action was probably to play along and hope she reveals more.

  “Ah yes, the reflections! That is exactly where I am struggling as well. I just can’t seem to get them quite right.”

  C’mon, give me something more.

  “That is unsurprising to hear. There is a reason that most will specialize [Aura Manipulation] into [Adroit Aura] before succeeding with [Aura Condensation]. It is easier to smooth over the imperfections with it.”

  Well that boat has sailed.

  “Is [Adroit Aura] considered better? I took … something else.”

  Ren gave him a shocked look. “I am honestly surprised you managed to unlock [Aura Condensation] without it. You must have some considerable talent. No, you made the right choice. [Adroit Aura] is wasted if you can do it yourself. Anyway, I remember that the hardest part was apparently controlling the fluctuations. Sorry, I can’ remember much else.”

  Once again, I’ve been screwed over by my lack of knowledge. Though I suppose I didn’t have the leeway to take that specialization anyway. I probably shouldn’t ask anymore questions, Ren apparently already considers me a genius based on my supposed claims. Still, I got some good hints.

  Dante thanked her for her advice, then closed his eyes and activated hyper focus. He would need every edge make the deadline Pauwna had imposed on him. It was time to review his new knowledge.

  Alright, reflections. Still have no idea what of, but they should be made of aura, right? I mean it’s in the name of the skill. Having the reflection be accurate is important, which is going to be harder for me because of my specialization choice. Ren wasn’t surprised I managed to achieve it down here, so I must already have everything I need.

  Looking over the canyon, there wasn’t much here. Just the three of them and the supplies they brought with them. For Dante, that was the knife that Svōl had given him, his heavy crossbow, the makeshift notebook, and his waterskin. He couldn’t be expected to make a copy of one of those in aura, right? That felt closer to enchanting then anything. Still, it was worth a try.

  He fetched the knife and studied it closely. Once he had a firm mental image, he attempted to craft an aura replica of it. As it was impossible to make an aura construct inside aura, he was forced to create an auraless bubble to craft his creation in — which was annoying to maintain. This proved to be nearly impossible. While Dante had grown adept at moving great amounts of aura and forming rough shapes, forming something as thin as a blade simple eluded him. He felt like a sculptor trying to mold clay with boxing gloves on. With great time and effort, he managed to make something that approximated the dagger. Though it looked more an inflatable version of it. The blade was more oval then anything else and the entire thing was a size too large.

  Now that Dante had made it, he wasn’t quite sure what to do next. While probably the most intricate aura work he had ever made, it didn’t feel special and certainly hadn’t unlocked any skill. Experimentally, he overlaid the aura copy over the real thing. Nothing happened. Undeterred, he let it fade and tried again. For a good many hours, he made countless copies of the dagger, and all other of his possessions when that proved fruitless. With a scowl, Dante tucked all of his worldly possessions back into his bag.

  I give up. It’s been hours and nothing remarkable has happened. There is no way this is the right answer. But if this isn’t the answer, then what is? Perhaps a reflection of another aura construct?

  Emboldened, Dante created a tendril of aura and then another right beside it. He had done this before, but this time he was careful to put the same amount of aura into each and keep them at the same angle. Even after all of this, they were slightly different.

  What am I missing?

  After inspecting it, he had an answer. It was the aura fluctuations, like Ren had mentioned. His aura was not static, tiny ripples frequently went through it. Whenever he changed something about it, they intensified. Dante concentrated, trying to squash the ripples. It didn’t work. They actively resisted and, in the end, it only served to intensify them.

  Giving up for the moment, Dante decided to go for it and brought the two identical pillars close to each other. Something was different. The pillars resonated with each other. Perhaps … It felt similar to what the Chaussus spawn did when they grouped together?

  Do they use aura?

  The thought almost caused him to lose control and he put it out of his mind. Continuing to bring them together, Dante felt the resonance increase. But so did the mental strength required to maintain the construct. As soon as they touched, it was too much and the both the pillars dissolved back into his shapeless aura.

  Dante released a shaking breath and swiped sweat from his brow. Though he had failed, he felt ecstatic. For days now, he had hit a dead wall and finally overcoming that was a magnificent feeling. It was just a matter of time now.

  Day 9.

  Perhaps Dante had gotten a little over confident. It was the early hours of the morning and both of his companions had started getting ready for the journey ahead. Dante had begun to get uncomfortably warm, the beginning symptoms of aura overuse that Pauwna had warned him about, so he had decided to take a break. He needed one anyway, to contemplate where he went wrong.

  Since the breakthrough, he had made some progress and got the two aura forms to overlap, but the effort require to keep them there was too much. Exponential even. It was so much that he started to think that it was an attribute problem. He hadn’t really invested in any of the mental ones and he was starting to think that it was holding him back.

  But that wasn’t something he could change now. He needed another solution. If only he had an example to draw from …

  Wait a moment.

  Dante drew in two of the Chausus spawn and locked them in place right before him. He began to probe them with aura tendrils, then paid attention to the feedback they gave him. As always, the information he received from his aura was overwhelming but he was getting better at paying attention to certain parts. Some of it was entirely too particular, like he was fairly certain that one of the sensations was humidity. Given the ridiculous amount of information, he was beting that one of them was related to aura.

  After a brief period of searching, Dante was surprised to find that in fact, multiple were sensitive to aura. He didn’t have time to explore all of them, so he focused in on the one that simply sensed aura’s prescense, then related it to his phantom sense of touch.

  Each of the spawn did have an aura. It was a pitiful thing, hardly a fingers breath from their shell, and it retreated with barely any resistance from his. The spawnsr aura didn’t seem so different from his, though he had no idea what it did. In fact, the ripples that ran through were even more choppy.

  How is it that they meld their aura together?

  Dante brought the two spawn closer slowly. It wasn’t until they were right next to each other that their aura surged. Dante activated [Temporal Senses] just in time to see it. Right before their auras combined, the side facing each other became identically flat. The ripples still ran through it, but they now ran in the same direction. Whats more, the period and amplitude of their waves matched up. After that, the two auras practically jumped to combine.

  I see now. It is useless to fight the ripples, I just have to control them.

  Now that he had gotten what he needed from them, Dante separated and then crushed the spawn. He recreate his pillars and then set to recreating what he had seen. Slowly, he nudged the ripples until they were both going in the same direction. Once Dante was happy with that, he slowed the speed of the ripples until they matched. By the time he had finished, he was annoyed to see that the ripple direction was straying again. He kept tweaking both of these things until he realized that he had reached a standstill. Besides, [Aura Reinforcement] had activated enough so that they wouldn’t destabilize the instant he looked away.

  Time to give this a try.

  Carefully, so that he avoided destabilizing the delicate balance he had setup, Dante brought them together. There was resistance, though less then his previous attempts. When they had intersected halfway, there was a sudden leap and they combined into one stronger aura form.

  You have acquired [Aura Condensation]

  A thrill of victory went through Dante. He had done it! No skill had ever yet given him such a challenge and yet he had preserved in the end. Moreover, he had gotten confirmation from Ren that unlocking it without [Adroit Aura] was a big deal. Dante wanted to shout and celebrate, but kept it contained for fear of alerting Ren.

  “Ready to go?” Dante looked up to see Pauwna extending the last of their food to him. He smiled wryly. Dante should have known that he couldn’t have hidden his exhaltion from her.

  “Just about,” Taking the offered hard tack, he took a bite and said past the tasteless mouthful. “Just give me a second to eat this and collect my things.”

  Before he let it go, he studied the condensed aura construct a little more. True to the name, his repulsion was stronger inside it. Though it wasn’t anywhere near double strength. It was a bit hard to judge, but he thought it might have been closer to a quarter stronger. Which was quite a waste, but was good enough for his purposes. One unexpected positive was that it cost the same amount of mental power to hold it in place. He let the auraless space fall and sighed in relief when the condensed aura held strong. That was one potential disaster dealt with.

  Dante let all of his aura shaping go and concentrated on getting the hard tack down. The stuff was awful enough already without a week of repetition. Dante would be glad to get away from this place just for that. It was a bit uncomfortable as both of his companions were clearly waiting on him, so he chocked it down and then gathered his meager belongings.

  Before he knew it, Pauwna had scooped him up and carried him to the canyon entrance. It still burned that he was unable to move under his own direction, but it was necessary At his instruction, Ren stood close behind. It was time.