The inside of the house is warm. Not just in temperature—but in feeling. There's a subtle glow to everything. The walls hum faintly, and the air smells like cedar, ink, and something sweet I can't name. A few books float lazily across the room, rearranging themselves on shelves that shift to make room for them. This place feels very much so alive, but relaxing. In fact, probably the most relaxing place I've been in since this morning.
Professor Griemore gestures to a couch near a wide table that's filled with crystals, maps, and scrolls. I try not to look at that one too long.
"Please feel at home, Julius," he says gently. "I know it's been a long day."
I sit, slowly, still processing the idea that this man, the person who's been spectating me for years, has been waiting for me.
"I have questions," I finally say. "Too many, honestly. But… there's something I need first."
He raises his eyebrows, silently encouraging me to go on.
"My dad and my brother, I need to know where they're at, and if they are safe. The creature that took me—it used my father's face. And Wells just vanished. I need to know if they're alive. Can you help me see where they're at?
Griemore doesn't reply right away. He studies me for a second, his face unreadable, then gets up and moves over to the far side of the room. He pulls open a thin drawer and produces a flat, dark-colored bowl and places it gently on the table. He scoops in a handful of what seems to be silver powder and mutters to himself in some language I don't know.
A soft rhythm vibrates across the floor.
The dust stirs on its own, creating patterns, shadows, streams of colour that extend and pulse like pictures in rippled water.
"I'll try," Griemore replies. "Tracking someone from another dimension isn't something that is as easy as using a phone. Certainly not in Aetherworld."
The smoke curls and extends—and breaks. Once, and then twice. There is a vision that is fuzzy and indistinct. A very tall individual strolls down a strange wood. I can't really see the face, but there's something. A sensation of something warm. A curious sense of familiarity.
"Is this my father?" I ask, leaning closer.
Griemore nods slowly. "I believe so. He's very much so alive, but veiled in something ancient. I barely sense him at all, as though he's hidden behind some sort of power that resists my sensing. He's in Aetherworld, but out of my reach at the moment."
The picture fades to black. The silence returns.
A different version emerges. Smaller and more chaotic.
"Wells," I whisper.
This one is far clearer. My big brother, a man in his early 20s, is running across a devastated city built on floating cliffs, lightning penetrating the air above. He's not hurt or damaged, and he's alive. I know it in my stomach. He's in a treacherous region that is wild and hazardous. This is somewhere no one ever wants to go to.
"He's outside of Altinium grounds," Griemore says with a concerned look on his face.
My fists tighten.
"The other 89% of land that is ruled by the monsters?" I ask.
"Yes, no one would ever want to be there by themselves, not even the elite aetherkinds."
"But he's alive?"
Griemore nods. "Yes, and still moving. That's better than most."
"Listen, Julius, I can sense a strong wave of mana inside him, he is for certain a powerful aetherkind."
My chest loosens slightly. A sliver of relief, even if nothing feels safe yet.
I look at the professor. "Why do you think he's there?"
Griemore sighs and folds his hands. "That, Julius, will take more than just a vision. You need to find out about this yourself."
Rising, he walks over to a hot, boiling kettle with a weary smile.
I let out a shaky sigh.
At least now… I know they're not dead.
I thought I would be getting more answers from Griemore, but it seems that this trip just raises more questions.
But one thing is for sure, I need to get stronger, and I need to bring my father and brother back to where it's safe.
Every tragedy in this world stems from the inability of those who live it.
I need to find them before anything bad happens to them, and I need to repay Zach and Will for what they've done for me, but this cannot be done without enough strength and power. I want to be so strong that not even endless tribulations can bring me down.
I can't leave the salvation of the individuals I love in someone else's hands. If the world is as cruel as it seems, I'll carve my way through it. I'll master this aetherkind gift or whatever it is. I'll train and I'll fight. I'll be the one who doesn't flinch when the darkness closes in.
"Thank you all for everything you've done for me," I look at all three of them, Will, Zach, and Griemore.
"Can you please explain how Velmara Academy works? Do I need to pay for anything to enroll?"
Griemore chuckles softly, "No, Julius. You don't need to pay a single coin. Velmara was created to nurture and prepare individuals, not to profit off them."
I blink. That's… unexpected, definitely the opposite of overworld universities.
He continues, "The Academy provides all the essentials for free—your room, your food, your training gear. Even your initial supplies for magic or combat. But there's a reason for that generosity."
He walks over to the table again and picks up a folded map, tapping a large swath of unmarked, grayed terrain beyond a city boundary. "Beyond the protection of human-claimed territory lies the vast, wild frontier. That 89% of the world you mentioned earlier? That's where the real missions take place. Velmara prepares students to venture out there. To push back the unknown. To recover relics, rescue survivors, explore ruins, fight back against monsters… or worse."
Zach crosses his arms. "It's not easy, and every mission counts. You'll earn credits for them, and those credits can be used to access more advanced gears, study materials, better housing, custom training, even information."
Will adds, "It's how we get stronger. Not just from studying, but from surviving. The amount of aether in the unexplored areas is around 7 times higher than Altinium grounds. Being out exploring strengthens your aether quality and expands your mana limit much faster. It's high risk and high reward."
Griemore nods, then reaches into a locked drawer and pulls out a small, crystalline object, glowing faintly with a shimmer of color shifting inside. "Most people require one of these to awaken their Aetherkind abilities. It's called an Awakening Stone. They're not natural—you can't just find them lying around. They're crafted by specialized forgers with a deep understanding of mana and will. And not everyone awakens right away. For some, it takes days. Others, weeks."
I stare at the stone, eyes wide. "So this is what awakens everyone?"
Griemore holds it out, but doesn't hand it to me yet. "Yes. And no. The stone helps initiate the process, but awakening comes from within. People with higher potential can awaken without the stone, like you. You've awakened your summoning ability with just your emotions. Your will, your instinct, your connection to the world around you… They all play a role."
I glance over at Zach and Will. They exchange a look, both quiet, both unreadable.
"They've already awakened, haven't they?" I ask.
Griemore smiles. "Yes. I found them both shortly after their awakening and brought them here. I've raised them since they were children. And like you, they showed signs of something unusual early on."
Zach grins faintly. "It wasn't easy. But it was worth it."
Will scoffs, but it's not unfriendly. "Speak for yourself. I nearly blew up a barn trying to figure mine out."
I laugh. The tension lightens just a little.
Griemore shows me the stone. It's warm. Not in a physical way—but deeper. Resonant. Like it knows me.
"You won't be alone, Julius," Griemore says. "You'll be sorted into one of the six primary schools within Velmara Academy based on the nature of your abilities. Each one focuses on a different class of power. Once you finish the induction ceremony, the school will know where you belong."
"Lastly, all three of you have a small chance of awakening a second class, since all of you awakened without an awakening stone. It must mean that you awakened based on your will and emotions, which makes your abilities have higher limits than an average aetherkind."
I blink. "A second class?" I gaze at Zach and at Will, and they seem just as interested.
Griemore nods. "Most aetherkinds will have one focal ability, one source, but there are people who will pick up on the brush of another current in them from time to time. Perhaps not the first time. Perhaps not ever. But if it ever occurs. It reorganizes everything."
He pauses and lets his words sink in. "However, ahead of them isn't just a straight road to success. Because of their nature of possessing multiple abilities, they need more resources, more studying, and more training than anyone else to master these abilities. If they fail to practice and train their second ability, then the advantage of that second class is equal to nothing."
"Picture your current ability as the surface of a very deep lake," Griemore suggests. "The second class lies below it, dormant. You will never be able to wake it with technique—that is something that provokes purpose, and it's something that transforms your very essence."
Griemore watches the three of us, then gives a slow, approving nod. "That's enough for tonight," he says, his voice softening. "You've all taken in more than most could handle in a lifetime, please go rest."
He walks over to a nearby wall and waves his hand. The wood shifts, revealing a staircase curling upward with a faint glow pulsing along the steps.
"There are rooms upstairs prepared for each of you," he continues. "Rest, sleep is more than just recovery here—it helps settle your mana and prepare your spirit. You'll need both grounded before the induction ceremony."
Zach gives a lazy stretch and a yawn. "It's finally over, my ass is hurting from sitting there."
Will smirks. "Mine too, man."
I crack a smile but feel the weariness in my bones now that the adrenaline's drained from my system. Every inch of me aches with questions, but they'll have to wait.
Griemore looks at me one last time, his expression unreadable but warm. "You've done well, Julius. More than you know."
"And here, take this," he hands me a book covered with runes.
"Thank you for everything," I thank him again, genuinely.
And with that, I follow the others toward the stairs.