They knew they would need to adjust their schedule; after conditioning, they had been having dinner before getting a little more studying in. Now that they had become Gin’s students, they went to a training hall after conditioning and worked on what he was teaching them for an hour, ate dinner, then went back to their rooms and collapsed into bed.
A little over two months passed in a whirl of motion to Gregory. Between classes and training with Gin on their days off, every waking hour of every day was filled with something to be done.
Even with everything going on, Gregory was starting to realize that he cared for Yukiko as more than just a friend. The last few nights, his dreams had a decidedly lustful tone centering on her, making waking up and leaving right away a bit problematic.
Nick and his group invited them out every week. They declined the invitations every time, which was starting to strain the friendly relationship between them. The sparring in conditioning class had started to take on a darker tone as the tournament drew near. Accidents happened occasionally, where a novice would go too far and injure another student enough that the healers were needed. Next week would be the last week before the tournament, and Gregory had a feeling that change was coming.
Bedding down for the night, he was looking forward to training with Gin tomorrow. The armsmaster had promised to start them on a single weapon when they had seen him last week. Need to progress faster… Yuki has had magic training and has really advanced in shadow camouflage and that shadow bind thing she’s learning. Aether, why do I have to wait to learn what my magic even is? I’m sure it has to do with seeing the strands of aether when people are using theirs… I guess I’ll find out soon. I mean, I’ve gone this long without knowing.
~*~*~
The ornate room surrounded him again when he opened his eyes, the darkness on the far side of the room shifting slowly. “Guess I unlocked the next circle?”
“You have indeed, dear one,” the honeyed voice from the darkness said happily. “Six circles and not yet to the tournament? You’ve caught up with the others in your class. Yuki has also unlocked her sixth circle. She is such a good match for you— you’ve done well to nurture her.”
Gregory’s jaw set, “I haven’t nurtured her, we are partners.”
“Partners,” the voice said, clearly implying the things that Gregory had started to want. “Yes, partners would be good. Do you think she’ll be like Ria, or more like Jess?”
Memories from both his past lovers flitted through his mind, causing rising problems. Coughing as he looked away, he blinked when the room suddenly had a sleeping mat in it. Yukiko lay on it, a simple sheet pulled up to her shoulders as she looked at him with trepidation and desire. “Yuki?” Gregory asked in shock.
“Greg, we shouldn’t,” Yukiko said, looking around the room. “Oh, it’s a dream…?” A happy smile came to her, “I can have what I want in my dreams, at least.” Looking up at him, she let the sheet fall away from her chest. “Will you come lay with me, dear one?”
The rising problem was now a hard thing to ignore, and Gregory realized he was naked as he stood there. “I want to,” Gregory said, taking a step toward her, then stopping. “This is too much. Stop it.”
Puzzlement filled Yukiko’s face before she vanished, along with the sleeping mat. “If you wish it, though you are only denying what you both want. You might need her shoulder, at least, today. We’ll talk again after the tournament. I hope you’ll be prepared for the change that is coming.”
“Not going to give me a hint?”
“Do you think you can make me, dear one?”
Gregory gathered the flame inside of him, which had grown over the last two months, and wrapped it around him as he stepped toward the darkness. “Yes.”
A happy laugh and clap came from the darkness he advanced toward. “Good, good! Keep that spirit. You’ll need it in the years ahead… however…” the words trailed off as the darkness surged at him, enveloping him.
Gregory struggled, but it felt like the weight of the entire world was crushing him. His aether spluttered, then vanished completely as the darkness crashed down on him.
~*~*~
Third bell brought him awake, springing from bed and getting dressed almost immediately. His moment with the darkness was nearly forgotten in his excitement to begin learning a weapon from Gin. He slowed a little as he realized his clothing— which had been loose on him four months ago— was starting to feel snug. Looking at himself, he could not help but smile. Would Ria and the others even recognize me as the same person now?
A soft tap on his door got him moving again. “Be right down, Yuki,” he said loud enough to be heard, but keeping his voice down so as not to wake any of the others.
Once he had his things together, Gregory hurried down to find Yukiko and Dia talking together softly. The moment he stepped out the door, they stopped and looked at him. Yukiko had a light blush and quickly looked away while Dia had an amused smile on her lips.
“Sorry for the delay,” he said, wondering what he had missed.
“You two have a good time,” Dia said, taking a seat, her lit pipe held in one hand. “And, Yuki, most times dreams are just that: only dreams.”
“We should get going,” Yukiko said as she stepped away from the dormitory.
“Good morning, Dia,” Gregory called to the keeper as he hurried after Yukiko. “What was that about, Yuki?” Gregory asked after they had been walking for a bit.
“Just asking her some things. Nothing of import,” Yukiko said, looking away from him.
“Sounds like a dream. Had an odd one myself last night,” Gregory said, deciding to chance things a bit. “Never seen a room so richly furnished in my life, but that wasn’t what caught my eye the most.” He paused there, letting out a wistful sigh.
Yukiko’s steps faltered for a second before she matched his pace again. “Oh? What caught your eye?”
Gregory looked away from her, “Beauty that I couldn’t begin to even wish for. Perfection given form, at least in my eyes.”
Yukiko stopped walking for a moment. “I saw something similar. It’s been dominating my dreams for the last few nights. Last night, for a few moments, it felt different… it felt real.”
“What if it had been?” Gregory asked.
“I would have felt horrible, since I’m still betrothed,” Yukiko said sadly. “If I wasn’t…” Shaking her head, she looked away. “If wishes were horses, I’d own a stable.”
Gregory’s heart twisted and he did his best to keep a smile on his face. “Yeah, so would I.” Clearing his throat, he changed the subject. “I’m going to need new clothes soon. I’ve grown bigger, and these are getting too snug.”
Yukiko’s face flushed deep red before she shook her head. “Oh, yes, of course. You even got them a little loose, but you’ve been putting on muscle over the last few months. The difference is there to be seen. I wonder if your friends back in Alturis would even recognize you?”
Gregory chuckled, “Had that same thought this morning. Need to see if Gin will let us out a little earlier so I can arrange for new clothes.”
“We’ll ask him,” Yukiko nodded. “If not, I can probably arrange something. You liked the colors you picked last time?”
“Yeah, thought they went pretty well with yours,” Gregory replied. “Made me feel like we were a coup… a team.”
Yukiko pretended not to hear the slip, “I’ll take care of it if we can’t leave early, but I doubt we’ll be able to today, with weapon training starting. Gin has been impressed with how fast you’re coming along. Inda told me last week that he’s been smiling more over the last few months than in all the years she’s known him.”
“Huh,” Gregory said as they reached the mess hall. “Let’s eat and head to the archive. We need to get our studying in early.”
~*~*~
Rafiq greeted them when they entered, “Morning to you both.”
“Someone sick again?” Gregory asked.
“Indeed, like I was three days ago. They covered for me, so now, I do the same for them. How goes your studying?”
“Well,” Yukiko smiled, “we finished the scrolls yesterday. Do you know—”
“New ones already await you,” Rafiq cut in. “One of them is a surprise for you,” he nodded to Gregory, “from Chief Sarinia. Treat it with reverence, Novice.”
Gregory bowed by reflex as Rafiq exuded power for a moment. “I have always treated the books and scrolls with care.”
“Which is why this exception is being made,” Rafiq replied. “Do not mention it to anyone else, either.”
Curiosity and excitement surged in Gregory and he bowed before hurrying toward the back of the archive. Yukiko blinked and went after him, while Rafiq watched them go with a smile.
I hope you know what you are doing, Sarinia. This treads very close to breaking the rules, Rafiq thought as he watched the two novices hurry away.
Sitting down at the table, Gregory slowly reached for the scroll that had been left for him. Yukiko took her seat, watching Gregory intently, not bothering to reach for the scroll in front of her. Gently unrolling the scroll, Gregory noted the aged look to the vellum and made sure he was exceedingly careful with it.
If you are reading this, then you’ve managed to combine two paths. I don’t need to tell you how rare this is: only a handful of my peers have managed it, and none in the last hundred years. It always seems to be spirit, with either body or mind. Seeing the cavern and being able to see the growth of the other path makes it easier, or used to. Those who have come close recently say the cavern vanished for them, which isn’t surprising when their clans force them to focus on the other path and abandon spirit entirely. Walking two paths isn’t possible if you aren’t training them equally; that makes it difficult, as it takes immense dedication to walk even a single path. To walk more than one, you need to believe and be dedicated to working on both of them, equally. On top of that already steep challenge, it feels as if the empire is actively trying to stop others from walking more than a single path, as well. I’ll be surprised if this scroll is ever read after I hand it to the Chief Keeper of the academy archive.
Gregory looked up from the scroll and saw Yukiko watching him. “This scroll came from someone who managed to combine two paths.”
Yukiko leaned forward, “Does it tell you how?”
“I’ll find out.”
Yukiko shifted around the table to sit beside him. “I’ll read with you.”
Gregory nodded. His desire to know more overrode the warmth of her leaning against him to read the scroll with him.
