Morning came slowly.
A pale light slipped through the reinforced window, cutting across the wooden floor in long, quiet lines. The air still carried the faint scent of herbs and metal, but something about the place felt different now.
Less like a hiding spot.
More like the beginning of something.
Kael was already awake.
He sat at the edge of the bed, his injured shoulder wrapped in clean bandages. His eyes were calm, but his mind was moving, turning over every word Elias had spoken the night before.
Black market.
Crew.
Training.
Aether's origin.
None of it felt like coincidence.
Lucien, on the other hand, was still lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.
"…So we're really doing this, huh?" he muttered.
Kael didn't look at him.
"Yes."
Lucien let out a slow breath.
"Join some shady guy with a secret base and become stronger outside the academy system."
He paused.
"…Honestly, I expected my life to go differently."
Kael stood up.
"You expected your family to survive as well."
That shut Lucien up.
Silence lingered.
Then a door creaked open.
"Good. You're both awake."
Elias stepped into the room, fully dressed now, his expression sharper than before. He looked less like a man resting… and more like someone back in control of his environment.
"Come," he said. "If you're serious about this… it's time you meet the others."
The Crew
Elias led them through a narrow hallway that opened into a larger underground chamber.
Kael's eyes moved instantly.
Exits.
Positions.
People.
Three figures were already waiting.
The first was a tall man leaning lazily against a pillar, his arms crossed. His hair was messy, his expression bored—but his eyes were sharp, constantly moving.
"Tracker," Kael noted internally.
The second was sitting at a table, surrounded by tools and glowing fragments of Aether-infused stone. A woman, older than the others, her hands moving with careful precision as she adjusted a small metallic device.
"Crafter. Possibly the forger Elias mentioned."
The third…
Kael paused slightly.
She stood near the far wall, partially hidden in shadow.
At first glance, she seemed unremarkable.
Slim build. Dark hair. Quiet posture.
But something about her felt… off.
Not weak.
Not normal.
Her presence didn't fill the room like the others.
It disappeared into it.
Lucien frowned slightly.
"…Why does it feel like she's not even there?"
Elias smirked faintly.
"Because you're noticing it."
He stepped forward.
"This is my crew."
He gestured to the man leaning against the pillar.
"Riven. Tracker. If someone uses Aether within a hundred kilometers, he can follow it."
Riven gave a lazy wave.
"Try not to die. Makes my job easier."
Lucien snorted. "I like him already."
Elias ignored that and turned to the woman at the table.
"Serah. She handles Aether constructs and artificial cores."
Serah didn't look up.
"Don't touch anything," she said flatly. "Unless you want to lose a hand."
Lucien slowly pulled his hand away from the table.
"…Noted."
Finally, Elias turned toward the girl in the shadows.
"And her… is Nyx."
The girl stepped forward slightly.
For a brief moment, the light touched her face.
Her eyes were dark.
Too dark.
And the shadows around her seemed to… respond.
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"Aether… is reacting to her presence."
Elias nodded.
"She uses shadow-type Aether."
Lucien blinked.
"…That's a thing?"
Shadow Aether
Nyx spoke for the first time, her voice quiet but steady.
"It's rare."
Kael studied her carefully.
Her Aether didn't flare like fire or move like wind.
It absorbed.
It swallowed light.
Elias crossed his arms.
"Most Aether types are elemental. Fire, wind, water, earth. Some are more refined—ice, lightning, metal."
He glanced at Nyx.
"And then there are the rare ones."
"Shadow. Light. Void. Things that don't behave the way normal Aether does."
Lucien let out a low whistle.
"…So she's basically broken."
Nyx didn't react.
Elias smirked slightly.
"She's dangerous."
Elias turned back to Kael and Lucien.
"Now," he said, "let's talk about how you get stronger."
Kael's attention sharpened immediately.
Lucien straightened slightly.
Elias walked toward the center of the room.
"Aether grows naturally over time," he began. "Training improves control. Combat improves instinct."
He paused.
"But that's slow."
Kael spoke.
"There's a faster method."
Elias nodded.
"Yes."
He looked directly at them.
"Aether cores."
Absorbing Aether Cores
Serah finally looked up from her work.
"Every Weaver has a core," she said. "When they die… it can be extracted."
Lucien frowned.
"…That sounds messed up."
Riven shrugged.
"Welcome to reality."
Elias continued.
"If you absorb a core that matches your Aether type… your own core strengthens."
Kael processed it instantly.
"Compatibility determines efficiency."
"Exactly," Elias said.
"If a fire user absorbs a fire core, their power grows faster. Their control improves. Their capacity expands and if you are lucky you can awaken a advanced version."
Lucien crossed his arms.
"And if it doesn't match?"
Elias's expression became slightly more serious.
"It becomes unstable."
Serah added, "Best case, you gain almost nothing."
Riven smirked.
"Worst case… your core fractures."
Lucien blinked.
"…Yeah, I'll stick to matching types."
Kael spoke again.
"This is how rogue Weavers grow stronger."
Elias nodded.
"Yes."
"And this," he added, "is why your village was attacked."
Silence fell.
Lucien frowned slightly.
"Wait… you said something yesterday about a second element."
Elias smiled faintly.
"Now we get to the interesting part."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
Elias continued.
"In rare cases… a Weaver can awaken a second Aether type."
Lucien blinked.
"…So like having two abilities?"
"Yes," Elias said. "But there's a catch."
He looked directly at them.
"It will never be as strong as your original element."
Kael spoke immediately.
"Because the core is already formed."
Elias nodded.
"Exactly. Your first awakening defines your foundation. A second awakening is an addition. Not a replacement."
Lucien scratched his head.
"Still sounds useful."
"It is," Elias said. "If you survive the process."
How to Awaken a Second Element
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"How is it done?"
Elias was quiet for a moment.
Then he said:
"That's what I've been researching."
The room grew still.
Even Serah stopped working.
Elias walked toward the table, picking up a small, unstable-looking Aether core.
"A second awakening doesn't happen naturally for most people," he said. "It requires forcing your core to adapt."
Lucien frowned.
"…That sounds dangerous."
"It is," Elias replied calmly.
He held up the core.
"You need three things."
Kael listened carefully.
"A compatible secondary Aether source."
"A stable primary core."
"And enough control… to survive the integration."
Serah added quietly, "Most people fail at the third part."
Riven smirked.
"By fail, she means explode."
Lucien looked between them.
"…Yeah, I'm starting to see a pattern here."
Elias ignored him.
"If done correctly, your core evolves. It adapts. It accepts a second element."
Kael asked the obvious question.
"And if done incorrectly?"
Elias met his gaze.
"You die."
Nyx's Case
Lucien glanced at Nyx.
"So… did she go through that?"
Nyx shook her head slightly.
"No."
Elias answered instead.
"I found her already awakened."
Kael's interest deepened.
"Rare from birth."
Elias nodded.
"Shadow Aether users are almost never created. They're born."
Nyx spoke quietly.
"…And most don't survive long."
The room went silent again.
The Offer Reaffirmed
Elias turned back to Kael and Lucien.
"You now understand the rules of this world."
"Power is taken."
"Control is earned."
"And survival… is never guaranteed."
He stepped closer.
"I can teach you how to fight properly."
"How to use your Aether beyond what the academy could ever show you."
"How to grow stronger… faster."
Lucien looked at Kael.
Kael didn't hesitate this time.
"We accept."
Lucien smirked.
"Yeah… we're already in too deep anyway."
Elias nodded once.
"Good."
He turned toward the training area at the far end of the chamber.
"Then we start now."
Kael stepped forward.
Lucien followed.
Nyx watched silently from the shadows.
Riven stretched lazily.
Serah returned to her work.
And Elias…
Elias smiled slightly.
Because for the first time in a long time
He had found something valuable.