She laughs and marvels at the new finger on her hand, flexing it.
“I’m glad you got that out of the way,” I mutter.
“This is incredible!” she remarks, withdrawing her dagger now and testing her grip. With the pinky finger, she has much more control of it now. Though, she can’t fully flex the finger in and out. “How’d you manage to do it? How does it move? How long will it last? How–”
I hold up my left hand, rub my stinging face with my right, and take a seat on one of the logs. Umbrahorn also elects to pop out of the ground now, staring between the two of us in confusion. Well, I’m glad he missed last night. I don’t want him seeing me that weak either.
Sorina spins the dagger playfully before taking a seat across from me, her eyes solely transfixed on the steel.
“It's Aether,” I begin. “And as for how it moves, I grant you control of the construct. It's contract-based magicks and right now, your movement with it will probably be limited. When I get to the 2nd stage, I should be able to give you more mobility, along with other constructs for your hand. Plus side is, you won’t feel the sensation of the finger. Downside is….well, you won’t feel the sensation of the finger.”
She nods her understanding of that. Hypna told me that movement without feeling often trips people with Aether prosthetics up.
“And… my mana is limited right now,” I add. “The construct will only last for a little while. That’s also another issue which will hopefully be diminished by my ascension to the 2nd stage.”
“I didn’t even know you had an affinity for Aether in the first place. Or… did you immerse yourself in it?”
“Neither.”
Her eyes go wide and she finally looks up, returning my gaze fully. It's strange, seeing her so open now. As if we’re just forgetting the past few days. I think she feels it too. Maybe she’s trying to make up for it? I don’t know. She shouldn’t have to—our… problems are not her fault. They’re mine.
Still, this sudden shift—this ability for her to look me directly in the eye after avoiding my gaze for so long—makes me oddly uncomfortable. She doesn’t know what I’ve been through. Doesn’t know the shit I’ve pulled.
My own gaze turns down now, in shame.
“What happened to you, Raiten?”
“A lot happened, Sorina. Too much.”
From the corner of my field of vision, I see her face scrunch up, as if reassessing all that I am. All that I’ve become. Then, she nods in understanding and stands up. I hear her boots shuffling toward me, sifting through the muddied snow. Every step is like another tick of a clock—a countdown to something indescribably horrible. Something that twists my stomach into rotten knots, like the blackened trees of the bogs.
She takes a seat next to me. Her beautiful, dark green eyes search mine. Then, very carefully, she reaches her hand out and grabs my shoulder.
“Tell me. All of it.”
I nod. Then, I begin from right when I left the fortress, telling her of how I regretted my actions…
And how I quickly grew annoyed of one particular mancer.
Before he became my friend.
And then, my brother.
…
It takes over an hour to recount everything. Well, almost everything. I leave out many details of my own suffering. Especially my suicide attempt. She can’t know that. No one can know that.
She asks questions throughout—especially during the dreams. I try to gloss over some of the things that happened between Thraevirula and I during those, but her eyebrows narrow in a way that tells me she’s not buying my bullshit. Sorina takes particular interest in Zyla for some reason. Prods me about her powers and spirit slaving abilities. Surprisingly, she doesn't have many questions about Saegor—yet her eyes also darken at my description of his past.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
And when I talk about Masaru…
Well, I’m glad someone else hates him almost as much as me.
When it’s all said and done, my mouth is dry. Thankfully, so are my eyes. It feels good, talking about it actually. A lot better than I thought it would be. And moreover, I’m glad I told her of Kiren. Of how good he was to me. Of how, when he could’ve left me to die like the others, when he should’ve done that, he came back to save me instead.
Because that’s just who he was.
Sorina’s eyes wander over the snowfall. More white flakes rain down from the sky, shrouding both of us in cold white curtains.
“You’re an idiot, you know?” she says after a while.
I chuckle. “You only figured that out now?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about the dreams? About what she was putting you through at night?”
That’s an unfair question. She knows why. Yet, there’s more to it as well.
“I didn’t want to bother you. I can tell—you’ve also been through a lot.”
“You only figured that out now?” she says with a wry, sad smile. Then, she pushes my shoulder. “No more of that. Understand me? You’re my student. You tell me everything.”
“Yes, Master Sorina.”
“So, how do we stop them? Your dreams? I’d rather not wake up to your screams at night and have to cuddle up behind you.” She says that last bit with her infuriatingly teasing tone that I’d missed so much. Well, that I thought I missed. Now it just makes me blush like an idiot.
“I don’t think I can.”
Sorina shakes her head, face going dark now: “Raiten, there has to be a way. You can’t survive this for much longer. Nobody can. She’s going to break you.”
“I know. The only thing we can do is get out of her range, according to Hypna.”
Sorina also bristles slightly at that name, but nods eventually. “Alright then: what are we waiting for? We have to move. Let’s get back to Takemeadow as quickly as we can.”
She stands up and offers me her hand. I grasp it, and she tries pulling me up—only for her Aether finger to fizzle out at that exact moment. The missing grip makes her momentum slip forward, and she falls over, feet skidding from under her.
I cradle Sorina’s waist to catch her. Her face comes eerily close, both our breaths frosting in the wind. Time slows in that moment, the cold providing a stillness to all. Her hair tickles my face.
“I’ll…figure that out soon as well. Ascend to the second stage, figure out that time limit—get you more fingers.”
She nods very slowly. “Thank you.”
I stand up and withdraw my hands from her waist. Then, while she stares at me in a very strange way, I turn around to pack my things.
“Raiten!”
I turn to face her once again.
“I’m still angry at you.”
“Sorry—”
“So you better make it up to me, alright?” A sly smile spreads across her face. Another glimpse at her old self.
I return that smile. “Wouldn’t expect anything else.”
Sorina also gets to storing her stuff. She spots some herbs and raspberry bushes, moving to collect them with her dagger. Once she’s far enough from camp, Umbrahorn swims over to me, head half hidden in the ground.
“Why didn’t you tell her about me? About… what I did?”
I don’t respond, mostly because I can’t. I should’ve told her. Should’ve shamed this idiotic spirit for his cowardice. Yet…I didn’t. And I don’t know why.
He looks at me pleadingly though his black eyes. “Thank you for that, Raiten.”
“Don’t talk to me.”
I continue packing my things, ignoring him. Finally, the shark emerges from the ground fully.
Anger tightens his voice. “How long is this going to last, huh? How long will you keep treating me like this?”
I think of the worst thing I can say. And I say it.
“Until Kiren comes back.”
I feel bad as soon as I speak those haunting words. That’s too far—too much, even for the damn hammerhead. Before I can say anything else, however, Umbrahorn is back in the ground, eyes only peaking out to watch us.
Sorina comes back, glancing between the two of us in confusion, before settling her gaze on the road ahead.
“Let’s move—and let’s hope that I even have a village to return to.”
Invictus Shakes: A Gladiator Slice of Life
by Mila Anemoia
To taste glory, gladiators must bring a whole new flavor to the arena or die trying.
Salve! Welcome to the Imperium Aeterna, where the gods decided to cut out a piece of ancient Rome and keep it to themselves. I'm Maximilia, owner of Invictus Shakes. You'll find my smoothie bar across from the realm's best gladiator school—the one started by the champion, who, funny story, also adopted me.
Whatever the occasion, I've got the drink for you. Training hard? Fuel with the Fortis Aqua. Partying harder? Recharge and recover with the Raucous Bacchus! Won big betting on who died? Well, you can live it up like a god with real gold flakes. And I've also got the latest rumors to go with it.
So, get this. People think the mysterious territories appearing are from the world we left behind. But what I want to know is what kind of warriors they'll have fighting in the next games. Because I'm already praying to the gods I don't end up handing them their last drink. There's a lot more to these gladiators than guts, glory, and good looks.
Alright, stop staring at their muscles and...hey, eyes up here! So, what can I get you?
Ingredients to expect:
- Slice of Life, drama & action
- Found family
- Gladiators vs other cultures
- Complex characters & relationships
- Flirting & romance/slow-burn
- Humor & tragedy