Chương 27: Chapter 26

That night we sat around the table eating a dinner of roasted lamb and vegetables. Mother had invited the Millers to eat with us but Kaylee had declined, assuring us that they wanted to enjoy their first meal in their new home. As good as the food was, I couldn't shake the questions rattling around in my brain.

"Why are you giving Etta lessons?" I blurted out around a mouthful of potato.

"Chew with your mouth closed, sweetheart," admonished my mother. I closed my mouth and kept chewing, eyes intent on the old codger. Eventually he cracked, and by eventually, I mean after he had finished his own mouthful.

"Because they are paying me to," Cornelius stated succinctly before spearing a piece of meat with his fork.

"Yeah, but why are they paying you? And with what? We don't need more furs!" I could admit I was being a little contrary about the whole situation because I would no longer have the old man to myself during my lessons. Would less attention result in less progress? Was I worried about that? Absolutely. While I may have come to terms with the fact that for now I was below average at best when it came to magic, that is definitely not where I wanted to stay.

Every minute spent working on my Path of Aethersensing was valuable and having a distractible four year old sharing my space during the time set aside for developing that Path seemed like the worst possible outcome.

"With aether coins and some lessons for you," Cornelius answered after finishing off the piece of meat. His bright blue eyes lifted as if to gauge my reaction and smiled at what he saw painted across my face.

"What do you mean aether coins? I thought you need a Greater Aether Core to even make them! And what lessons? I don't want to learn how to…whatever it is you do with fur." Cornelius set down his utensils, shifting back in his seat as he regarded me.

"You're right, mostly. To produce an aether coin you normally need a Greater Aether Core, or at the very least a Lesser Aether Core with specific Skills or Advanced Attributes. Most people can't make them. So, the fact that George Miller can is to be kept a secret. Do you understand?" The serious tone he used on me left no room for question and I nodded obediently. Playing tricks and pranks was one thing. Outing Etta's dad for his capability was quite another.

I, better than most, understood the importance of keeping some things a secret.

"Good," Cornelius acknowledged with a smile.

"And he won't be teaching you anything about skinning animals or the like. He agreed to teach you a little swordwork. Etta too." I smiled at the mention of swordwork only to frown once again at Henrietta intruding on my lessons. My frown vanished as quickly as it appeared because it wasn't like I was ever going to be able to convince Mister Miller not to teach his own daughter. That did beg a question though.

"Why is he paying us and giving me lessons?" I asked.

"Hmm?" Cornelius mused, eyes drifting back to me as though he'd been lost in thought for a second.

"Oh, that's because Aethersensing is a more valuable Path. Or at least, seen as being less acc…easy to learn. And also because I have a Teaching Skill related to Aether and George does not have any Teaching Skills related to swordsmanship." New information! I crowed mentally. Gimme the answers, old man!

"Why does Teaching Skill matter?" I pressed, standing up on my chair and leaning forward.

"Careful, Bastian. You're going to get gravy on your shirt," warned my mother. I carefully moved my plate with one hand though the damage may have already been done.

"Because Teaching Skills make Paths progress faster," explained my grandpa. I tilted my head as though begging for more information and with a sigh the old codger continued.

"If someone has a Teaching Skill, they can keep it running with a small amount of aether while they teach the subject. Anyone nearby will find their related Paths progressing faster, though it's not as simple as that. The amount it improves will be based on a bunch of facts… things. Like, how far along their Path are they? How high is the teacher's Skill? What is their natural aptitude? Do they have an affinity for the Path? Basically, it's complicated. But, it's also a highly covet… desired job.

And in the cities, it pays quite well. Which means it also costs quite a lot, which is something we should discuss." I was still processing the information that I was learning aethersensing faster because the old man was teaching me when he dropped the final comment on us. Why did we need to discuss it? Mother, for once, beat me to the punch.

"Do we need to discuss it, dad?" she asked.

"It may be years away yet, but it's worth bringing up. Especially to plan for the future and how much we might need to save. As well as whether we should attempt to get him into Clawcrest Academy in Ajinport or Songleaf Academy in Helenica." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Huh?" I asked. My mother clammed up, focusing on her food. Though, it looked to me like she was playing with it rather than eating it.

"Your mum said you were asking about Class Paths today. Well, as you know, you will be offered a Class Path at the age of twelve. In the cities of Ajinar and Meravia, at the age of ten, most children will start attending an academy or school to help them develop to the best of their potential… based in part on how much they can afford. Better schools cost more money." I nodded slowly, starting to see why Mum was not happy with the discussion.

Did that mean that when the time came I would be separated from my family? In my heart, my desire for improving myself went to war with my love for my family. I winced as neither thought seemed to be able to gain a lead, the idea of being away from my mother tearing me apart while whispers of never gaining a better Aether Core demanded I do everything and anything to change my fate. My mother's arms around me were what brought me back to the present, allowing me to voice my worry.

"I'd have to go away?" I asked in a small voice. My mother shook her head vehemently and her fiery gaze landed on grandpa.

"I'm going wherever my boy goes, dad." Cornelius sighed in a put upon way.

"I know. Which is why we should start discussing this now. There are obvious… issues… with going back to Helenica. But… Songleaf Academy is the best academy on the continent. It's also the most expensive. But, if Bastian keeps up the hard work he's put in until now, then it's probably the best place for him." My mother looked away, her eyes staring into the darkness outside of the kitchen window.

"Would they take you back?" she asked. Cornelius nodded while I looked back and forth between them in confusion. Would who take the old codger back?

"They said I could return after ten years, if I wanted. That's still three away. It'll be almost thirteen by the time we need to move. Enough time for cooler heads to prevail, though I doubt they will have entirely forgotten. Which could cause issues themselves."

"And put my boy in danger," hissed my mother, pulling me tighter towards her.

"If he keeps it up, I think he'll be able to take care of himself at the Academy," Cornelius replied with a slight smirk.

"And if we move as well, we would get to see him on the weekends and during the holidays." When my mother didn't respond, grandpa added his final commentary as he stood up and took his plate to the sink.

"It's still years away. We just need to start thinking about it, Penny. Sleep on it for a night or two and we can talk some more." With dinner over and my mother in a bit of a mood, I stayed downstairs rather than go do exercises in my room. She told me a story about Varingia in the North. A city steeped in the ice and snow that was sitting atop a horrible dungeon that few adventurers wished to test their mettle against. Why the dungeon was horrible she refused to say, perhaps worried I would have nightmares.

The following day started as normal, with the best workout a three year old could manage, followed by breakfast. Then I was off to the old man's office. Only today there was a second chair placed in front of grandpa's desk. My bum had barely touched my usual seat when I heard the sound of the back door banging opening and some muffled words. Then Etta was rushing into the room and climbing into the chair next to mine.

"Morning, Bastian!" she chirped happily. Today her hair was done up in a woven crown rather than in pigtails and she was wearing rough woolen pants rather than the dresses she was normally in.

"Morning, Etta," I replied, doing my best not to let my dissatisfaction leak into my voice. It wasn't her fault after all and I didn't want to be an ass about it. Grandpa slipped into his own seat and gave a quick explanation to Etta about what he would be doing. Etta seemed to pick it up quickly enough and the lesson began shortly afterwards. The first time the old man asked us where the aether was, neither of us got it right. The same happened the second time.

The third time however, Etta pointed to right next to her right arm.

"Well done, Etta. You got it. What about you, Bastian?" I just shook my head. Wasn't he only creating one pocket of aether for us to sense? Or was there more than one now? Since, you know, there was more than one kid. Was I already being outperformed by Etta?!

"Don't worry about it. Just keep trying," Cornelius reassured us, returning to his writing. Over the course of the rest of the lesson I managed to detect the aether two more times. Not a personal best, but at least an average showing, which would have been fine if Etta hadn't managed to pinpoint the aether three times! Am I developing a complex about this? I wondered mentally as I left the room. Thankfully, in the reading, writing, and basic maths lessons, I managed to do better than Etta.

My thoughts on the matter highlighted something about myself that I hadn't really considered till now. I thought about that aspect of myself as I walked towards the backyard with Etta to meet her father. Previously, I had only really had one set of lessons with Etta. Sure, they covered multiple topics, but it was a couple of hours a day, a few days a week. The rest of the time, I was on my own, doing my own thing. My only competition had been myself.

But now, we were moving to a new norm where I would have multiple different lessons with Etta and they were going to happen at least five days a week. Am I that competitive? I wondered. The answer was an obvious yes. I had kept score in both of our lessons and was definitely measuring myself against Etta. Which on one hand was kind of ridiculous, since I'd had far more time than she did to work on my Paths, not to mention the fragmented memories of my past life.

On the other hand, she was older than me, so maybe it evened out. Either way, I didn't see that part of my personality changing any time soon. I would simply strive to be the best, which meant not only beating Etta, but also, beating myself. As our feet touched the stony ground of the backyard, with my mother in her garden so she could keep an eye on me, we found George Miller waiting against the obstacle course.

Etta's dad was clean shaven, as always, with his brown hair swept back and a pile of wooden practice weapons I recognised piled near his feet.

"Are you two ready to learn how to wield a sword?" he asked with a casual smile. Etta and I both rushed forward excitedly. We were ready, and I refused to lose!