Chương 6: Chapter 05: Forgive me, I'm Late

The sun sank low on the horizon, signalling the end of playtime, but I did not even notice, completely absorbed in solving the die once and for all. I was on Layer IX now, after solving all the runes, geometric, and maths puzzles that had come before. The final problem involved the runes, and solving them would hint at whether I'd be any good at rune magic. It took almost two whole seasons finally reach here.

Regrettably, those seasons were not Fall or winter, when I would have to spend long days within the confines of our house, assailed by the ashen dust or snowstorms. I would have been twice as fast then. The brat had called it an excuse the last time we went on a picnic together. It was untrue... The reason was that I simply did not want to spend all day solving a puzzle. Only the blighted tempests could force me to it.

However, after receiving a letter from my aunt a couple of weeks ago, I became desperate to solve it. Supposedly, the brat had solved hers, and I was still unable to, when mine was the dumb variation of her Arcane weaves in her opinion. I implored Mum to push the date forward, before she sent the reply, hoping to solve the puzzle by then. I could not let the little goblin gloat for too long...

There were sixty-four fragmented runes engraved on all eight surfaces of the die, while double that number could be revealed by spinning the its gear. I rolled it swiftly, cross-checking if the chains of runic letters were in the right order every once in a while. I was on the right track. Almost... Almost! I clenched my jaw, gingerly manoeuvring one side to avoid any mistake that might undo all my progress.

Each of the runic fragments was like a clockwork cog—any of them could fit with another, even when they made little sense.

"Here, here we go!" I muttered, pressing my lips together. The runes seemed to line up correctly... but then... I narrowed my eyes, examining all sides of the die, when the engravings beamed with a golden radiance.

"Yes!" I jumped to my feet, punching the air. My eyes returned to the die and found thin strands of smoke wafting out of it, accompanied by a mechanical hum. Its shape readjusted on its own; the metal of its surface shifted, shrinking to match Rosalyn's Arcane Die. The letters compressed, altering into something different once more. Under my blazing gaze, new layers appeared on the die. There were as many spiralling weaves as there were runes.

My eyes widened like saucers when the familiar voice of the Spell chimed in my mind. [+1 Focus] Woooh! Thanks! This was one of the few instances I had received a reward for accomplishments outside of the Ways. Mum once mentioned that the Spell did not create the rewards, but merely distributed them. Obviously, she was not telling me all of it, fearing I would not understand. As far as she was concerned, the Spell was like the Custodian of Rewards.

"Hey, Spell," I called to the air, peering at the mark on my left palm.

"Please show me my full [Profile]." A second passed, and the familiar green script manifested in my mind's eye, looking fuller than ever.

[Profile] Arilyn Arcis O'Ryon Path: U/A Honours: U/A Attributes [6/8]: (Unallocated Points: 2) Arcane Acuity (Advanced): +6 Cognition (Elementary): +18 Focus (Elementary): +29 Alacrity (Elementary): +18 Body Coordination (Elementary): +8 Agility (Elementary): +6 Gift: Fractal Soul Ways: In progress: Meditation V (2456/2500) | Essence Sense III (389/500) | Balance IV (839/1000) | Running V (1678/2500) | Swimming I (37/100) | Perseverance II (21/25) | Education VI (4715/5000) | Sneak I (85/100) | Evasion V (1958/2500) | Music I (11/100) | Painting I (78/100) | Self Mastery (1/10) | Fractal Sight I (1/10) Completed: Meditation IV | Essence Sense II | Education V | Evasion IV | Balance III | Mobility | Motor Skills |...

Two whole seasons had passed, and I had not been wasting much of it. I still might not be as tough as an Awakened, but I had eliminated many of the weaknesses of my early days. As my active hours rose along with my agency, I divided my time between all the activities depicted in the Ways. There wasn't a definitive schedule per se, but a few of them had become permanent habits. I used to meditate for three hours easily when I was younger, but gradually, I reduced it to an hour to devote more time to studying.

The result spoke for itself. Meditation was crucial for all vocations. Despite Mum completing the entire Way, she still meditated regularly for half an hour or more. I deemed an hour was more than enough to make gradual progress in the Way. I fit in two two-hour study sessions in the morning and evening. Then there was my playing time, which lasted between two to three hours. Some days I played alone with the die, other puzzles, or simply ran around to complete a Way.

On other days, my friends pulled me into their games and usual mischief. Way of Education was where I had made the most progress, and I was rewarded with ten points each into Cognition and Focus. I was glad to know that any kind of learning was sufficient to make progress in Education.

"Did you finally finish playing with that thing?" Eran's voice interrupted my thoughts as my Profile vanished.

"Look what I found." Eran stood proudly with an old bow almost as tall as him. In place of an arrow, a common stick was nocked in, probably due to his parents forbidding him to play with sharp objects. A few more of those sticks were cobbled together in the quiver strapped to his back. Eran had grown as much as I had, but the bow and quiver remained comically oversized.

"Where did you get that?"

"My Da was cleaning the old attic, and we found this," Eran said.

"Let's go, we can take turns shooting arrows." Evidently, this had nothing to do with Priam showing off his archery the other day.

"Where to?"

"To the institution field," Eran said, picking up his pace.

"We can target practice there." I looked at the dulling orange sun creeping towards the horizon. It would be dark within an hour, and half of that would be wasted going back and forth. The institution was at the foot of the Candor mountains, while both of our houses were further south. I did not believe we had enough time to get any decent practice in, especially since the institution was only open to the Awakened. Still, I might get a chance to receive Way of Archery.

I knew for a fact that such a Way existed and was rather easy to obtain. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. With that in mind, I dashed after Eran. I kept up beside him, despite being three seasons younger. After a brisk fifteen minutes, both of us were red-faced, wheezing with our breath heavy and erratic. Through heavy breathing, I collected myself.

Even if I did not get Way of Archery, this run had worked Way of Running a bit closer to its progression. The institution was rather modest, with two separate buildings divided by a large field to serve the newly Awakened students of Karmel and the neighbouring villages. The district of Dimir was at the very fringe of the Alberan Empire. By the time education funds were divided among various districts, little of it remained for us.

The light continued to fade, but a bunch of Awakened boys and girls still remained on the field, either playing or training. Only a few stood gawking at others.

"Where are you two kids running off to at this hour?" a voice called as we entered the grounds with agitated hearts.

"Good evening, Aleya," Eran greeted first. I looked to find a familiar girl with sun-kissed hair. Boasting at least a couple of winters above us, Aleya Octavius cut a tall, lean figure, though her sweat-ridden face, unkempt braid, and clothes full of dirt and grime hardly matched her Equites upbringing.

"Pardon me," she said, narrowing her eyes at us, "I cannot remember your names. You two are Priam's friends, right?" Maybe infantile amnesia had her faster than me, because I clearly remembered us playing together sometimes. Before Priam, she had been the one bossing the kids around. Eran took the responsibility of introducing us, and Aleya nodded, repeating our names after us, in case she forgot again. Aleya was the elder sister of our friend Priam, and her father was the Lord Magistratus of Karmel.

With the firstborn son set to take over his father's position, she was likely putting her best effort into making it as a capable adventurer or a Knight. Her dishevelled appearance certainly suggested so.

"That's one hefty bow you have there." Only then did Eran become a little self-conscious, flushing.

"Would it be a problem if we target practice a little?" I asked. She cocked her head at my question.

"A little... won't be a problem." She led us to the archery course. Two boys, a year or two older than her, were already there, packing their stuff to call it a day.

"Hold on for a bit, boys," Aleya called, causing them to perk up.

"Let these two play around for a while."

"Forgive me, Aleya, I'm already late for home," said the taller one, a rough, lanky figure with a buzz-cut.

"What's urgent at home anyway?" the other boy said with a snicker.

"You left a young bride at home, Lys?" Lys glared at his friend before turning to Aleya.

"It will be dark in no time... I'll have to travel alone if I miss my mates from my village."

"It'll only take a while," Aleya paused.

"It's only a matter of storing the equipment and targets, right? I can do it in your place."

"We'll also help," Eran chimed in for both of us.

"Are you sure?" Lys examined her expression, probably wondering if he would get into trouble if we messed with the equipment.

"Yeah, it will only take a few minutes," Aleya said.

"You are free to leave with your friends." A couple of minutes later, Eran stood ten paces away from the target, the longbow set in his arms. He loaded an arrow and pulled the string tentatively.

"Your arms are shaky," Aleya said.

"Stand firmer, and raise your right shoulder a bit." I observed from the sidelines and nodded. Eran's body language was far from controlled, and the bow, being almost his height, only made it worse. Sadly, Aleya's advice barely did any good, so she moved to stand behind him and guided his posture. Even after all the teaching, when Eran finally shot the arrow, it missed the wooden target completely, albeit by only a few inches.

"That's not a bad first shot," Aleya said, patting his shoulder. Eran blushed. This was not his first shot. I turned to the other boy, who had been watching everything in silence since his friend left.

"Can you show me how it's done?" He met my gaze and peeked at Aleya before saying, "Well, I don't see why I can't show you a couple of tricks." Then, instead of mentoring me like Aleya, he took position twenty paces away—double the distance of where Eran had stood before—and raised his bow. It was two-thirds the length of Eran's, though not inferior by any means. A full-metal piece, which could be folded to make it easier to carry when not in use.

As the boy loaded an arrow, my attention shifted from the design of the bow to his body language. I watched him in complete concentration. The little sparkling light in his eyes did not go unnoticed, nor did the way his breathing slowed just before he released the string. The arrow cut through the air and landed at the very centre of the target chart.

"At least you did not mess up in front of them, Tehn," Aleya laughed.

"An unmoving target is hardly a challenge," Tehn boasted. He raised the bow again and shot a couple more arrows in quick succession. The second pierced a finger's width away from the first, while the third landed a few more inches off but still at a respectable spot on the chart.

"Ten points for you," Aleya clapped with a straight face. Completely missing the sarcasm, Tehn quickly spoke, "It's only a matter of time before I complete the final layer of Archery." He was probably not going to stop until someone acknowledged his mastery.

"Thank you for showing me," I said, then stared at the bow in his hand. A less self-obsessed person would have caught on and handed me their bow, but Tehn was obviously not that person.

"Give him the blighted bow, Tehn," Aleya said, being the observant one.

"Umm, right..."

"Don't forget to dislodge the arrows you so impressively fired." Tehn acquiesced, handing me the bow and an arrow first.

"Is it heavy for you?"

"A little," I admitted. The bow was easily over two kilograms, but at least, its length was more manageable. I held it up, aligning the arrow.

"Archery requires steady hands as much as good eyesight," Tehn instructed, freeing the three arrows from the target board.

"Hmm, you've got steady hands..." I set my target, slowed my breathing, and pulled the string. I held my aim for an extended moment, my eyes narrowing to a thin needle—and I released. [A new Way is accessible: Archery I (1/100).] Yes! I cheered inwardly, clasping a fist. The arrow lodged itself right at the centre of the target. My shot was in no way inferior to Tehn's, though I had shot from half the distance. My mental attribute points were likely too high for me to be bad at archery.

"Nice going," Aleya said.

"Have you tried archery before?" I shrugged like an adult. Taking another arrow, I braced myself again. It missed my aim by a fair margin but still found purchase on the chart. The third missed the board completely. I guessed I wasn't paying my full attention. Well, it helped to prove a point that false shots did not count towards Way of Archery. We fired a couple of dozens more arrows until it was sunset and our fingertips swelled.

Aleya told us we did not need to help with the cleanup, but we stayed to be of some use. Eran had promised. I'll be scolded, either way, I thought anxiously, glancing in the direction of home.

"It's getting dark," Aleya said.

"Come on, I'll drop you off." She did not listen to any of our protests, acting like a responsible adult. She only let us go when I could see my home in the distance, where Eran and I finally parted ways. I bid my goodbyes and danced my way back. Not only had I solved the die, but I had also received a new Way. The first layer could even be completed in a couple of days. Way of Archery only required true shots. I wondered what I'd receive out of it. It got to be Focus.

My thoughts were soon interrupted when I spotted a very dour man loitering around our home. Even with his shoulders hunched, his bulk pulled a great weight. A tattered kaftan draped over him, failing to conceal the longsword strapped inside. I faltered in my steps. The man turned around, his hawkish eyes narrowing at me. Scary eyes! I glanced back and saw Aleya's figure fading into the darkness. Should I call out to her? I hesitated, deciding to give the man the benefit of the doubt.

He could just be a guildsman, lost after spending many nights in the mountains. His wild appearance could support the theory.

"Uhm, mister?" The man stepped towards me, the fierceness in his eyes dimming as he realised I was no threat.

"You, ahhm," the man opened his mouth and cleared his throat.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"What are you doing sneaking around our home?" The bearded man, with a wild mane of hair, squinted. Then, before I could react in any way, he appeared right in front of me.

"What?!" Rough hands clamped onto my shoulders, preventing me from struggling.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"Are you—""A child abductor!"

"I'm not—" the man tried to silence me, but that only made me cry louder.

"Mum! Save me! I'm being abducted!" The snatcher tried his best to silence me until a figure flew over the green hedgerow fence, fiery golden strings of essence warping around her as she cast her sight on the man.

"Ashlyn," the bearded man froze, his grip on my shoulders finally loosening. Mum faltered mid-step, her eyes sharpening.

"Jinn?" They softened.

"Ashlyn, forgive me. I'm late." All the swirling threads of essence wilted away, as Mum lunged at him, her arms wrapping him into a violent embrace.