Drawstone

Just as Hunter had predicted, the weekend flew by in what felt like a matter of hours. He hadn't had time to immerse himself in his work after the competition. He had immersed himself in the work, his mind free to focus now that he didn't have any work pressures or a looming threat from Comics', arriving with a fatal ultimatum.

He'd learned something new, and had a lot of fun doing it. Shaped force fields were complex and difficult, but he was understanding the theory a bit more intimately. He was still far from being able to produce one himself, but he was optimistic that it was just a matter of time. His synergies would advance, his experience would grow, and he would continue to innovate in ways no one else could.

It was what he was good at and he'd be damned if he didn't juice that for every ounce it was worth, while he was at the academy. He could already feel himself on that ship, leaving the world and its dramas behind. It was just one degree of Excellence away.

Hunter soon forgot about the academy. He forgot about Aera, Trey, the competition, and the museum. He forgot about his dream of leaving the world and making a name for himself beyond it. All he knew from then on was the strange song that etherium sung and his passion to make the best use of its shifting desires.

It was Stewart who had pulled him out of his fugue. Hunter had barely slept over the last few days — caffeine, sheer passion, curiosity, and twice as much frustration kept his unwavering focus on his work. He hadn't heard the man knock, or enter the room, or walk across it to tap him on the shoulder.

If the man was at all disturbed by the pale, bloodshot eyes that met him, he showed no sign of it.

"You will leave for the Pacific Shield in just over an hour," Stewart said, glancing around the room. "Would you like some help with packing?"

Hunter shook his head, regretfully tearing his mind away from the complex matrix of networks he'd been so comfortably lost in for the last few hours.

"I should be fine," Hunter said. Stewart nodded, and informed him that Trey had requested to see both him and Aera just before they departed. Hunter agreed and spent the next few minutes gathering everything he would need.

As he packed, they informed him that his status as an Oberon warranted his own private accommodations at the Academy. He would have private laundry and space for his own stuff.

Hunter brought all of his new fancy clothes and some of the simple shirts and pants that Stewart had supplied him with after upgrading his wardrobe. Formal wear wouldn't be necessary all the time. He preferred casual wear for home, where he'd be spending most of his non-class time.

Hunter was nervous about having to leave, but he was also excited. If he'd proven anything to himself over the last month, it was that he could do anything he set his mind to. The academy would probably be nothing like the competition. Hunter didn't expect his life at Barnum to be dangerous. The weekly martial arts classes might be tough, but otherwise, he anticipated an easy life.

He met with Trey and Aera in the same room they'd received him in almost a month ago. Trey had some finger foods prepped, and Hunter attacked them with vigour. He hadn't realized how hungry he'd gotten. When was the last time he'd eaten?

"Aera and I had a chat last night. She's quite eager to get back to the tutoring sessions. We've also decided that it would be in both of your interest to amend a period of artisan tutoring as well."

Hunter paused mid-bite. Did he hear that right?

"You mean, you want me to tutor Aera?"

"To learn is to teach, to teach is to learn. I expect you'll find the experience to be quite enriching, both of you."

Aera seemed to share Hunter's utter lack of enthusiasm at the prospect.

"Are you sure?" Hunter asked, unable to help himself.

"Call it a hunch. It'll be great, trust me!" Trey said, his unconditional enthusiasm caused an involuntary smile to reach Hunter's lips.

"I suppose I'll just have to trust you then," Hunter said. He didn't believe a word that came out of his mouth, but what was he going to do about it? It sounded like Trey had already decided. Besides, maybe Hunter could show Aera that just because he wasn't as strong as her, that didn't mean he was useless.

Trey fished out a piece of paper from his pocket and read it out loud for them.

"Now, a few rules I'd like you both to consider before you leave. 1) You will each receive a very small monthly allowance for necessities the school does not provide. Beyond this allowance, the family's money will be out of reach for both of you unless it's an emergency.

2) You will both continue to attend the tutoring sessions, the only exception being immanent school projects or extra-curricular events which demand your evening's time.

3) Each of you will earn at least one Excellence degree, and we will reward any additional degrees in likewise proportion to our individual agreements.

Last but not least, rule 4) You will have each other's backs," Trey said, folding the piece of paper and putting it back in his pocket. Hunter didn't see Aera's reaction, but Trey gave her a look that suggested she was having big feelings about the rules.

Hunter wanted to know what Trey had promised Aera for earning Excellence. Wasn't she already an heiress to one of the most powerful organizations in the world? What more could she ask for?

And how was Hunter supposed to have Aera's back?

Despite his doubt, he agreed to Trey's rules. Before they left, Trey gave Hunter a small box. Hunter opened it up and saw a black onyx signet ring, with the Oberon's family crest etched in gold. The ring also bore his name along the edge.

"Rings like these have been passing around the family for generations. They serve as both a gift and a reminder. You have the authority and privilege of an Oberon, but you also have the responsibility that comes with it," Trey said, his voice solemn, but his smile was still genuine.

Hunter tried to put it on his finger, but it wasn't thick enough to secure the ring in place. Trey asked an attendant to find a thin, chain-link necklace. He threaded it through the ring and told Hunter to wear it as a necklace instead.

"It's fine as long as you carry it with you. Who knows, maybe one day you'll grow into it?" Trey said. Then he wished them good luck and bid them farewell.

Hunter was surprised to find Barry waiting for them at the front of the house. And to his delight, the driver led them both to the Kellese. He said that their luggage was being sent ahead of them, and that if the timing worked out, they would find it waiting for them inside their new accommodations.

The thrill of his first airplane ride in the Kellese thrilled Hunter. He barely noticed the brooding figure next to him. Aera was her usual quiet self as Barry drove them down the mountain, through the city, and to the capital airport. Hunter was wondering if he should expect a sea of reporters to meet them there. Whenever he saw the Oberon family out in public, news would show them being trailed by a long line of flashing cameras and curious pedestrians.

He was almost disappointed to find the airport to be calm. People pooled all around them. Talking, reading, lining up for tickets. But it didn't take long for them to be recognized. And despite Hunters' tendency to shy away from attention, he felt mollified. Aera stood out — her signature hair and athletic build would be eye-catching enough to attract attention, but her face was more popular and recognizable than her fathers. However, news of the newest Oberon family member reached the public, so Hunter was receiving a lot of attention as well.

The son of the infamous Gideon Koar, now a part of the historic Oberon family, and third in line to inherit the role of monarch. It still didn't feel real to him. It made him something of a prince, but he hadn't really given that thought any weight over the last few weeks. He didn't know how to how to contextualize it, or what it meant for him. He lost very little sleep to worry. Hunter wasn't interested in world-shaping wealth. He didn't need it. His interests were simple, and he was happy about that. Significant influence brought out the worst in people.

Maybe he, of all people, needed to avoid that sort of ambition. He didn't know what it would do to him, down the line. It might turn him into the kind of person who could justify just about anything.

Someone led Hunter and Aera to a private hangar where a small plane waited. Hunter couldn't feel any charged etherium running through it, so his interest in the plane itself was minimal. The specifics of its aerodynamics, lift, and thrust were subjects that were lost on him. As far as he was concerned, the Kellese was a thousand times more interesting. He'd actually got his hand on some printouts of the networks schematics for the vehicle. He'd learned quite a bit from studying them, but neither Trey nor Barry were comfortable with Hunter taking the car apart to study it in person.

From the schematics, he'd found a lot to be impressed by. He'd also found quite a bit that he knew he could improve. He figured he could knock down the AR requirement by at least 15 points, and could probably improve its performance quite a bit as well.

But that was just a guess.

There was quite a bit about the vehicle he still didn't know. What the schematics didn't tell him was what the design philosophy behind the vehicle was. What their intention was. His alterations could negatively affect whatever ideal balance they'd achieved.

He wouldn't have considered it before being forced to study what he'd missed in school over the last few years. Hunter eagerly wanted to learn more, dreaming of a future where he could sit with the Kreig team and learn about their history and how they created that masterpiece.

Excitement blossomed in his chest. He was an Oberon now — not some nobody kid who fancied himself an industry pioneer. He would bet that it was this which kept people attached to wealth and status; the opportunities it offered were second to none. He'd pass on the head-honcho's seat, but Hunter could get used to this sort of life, where artisanal ambitions were as realistic as eating tomorrow's dinner.

A month ago, meeting the Kellese designers felt like a fantasy, a fleeting dream, a cruel lie designed to make him despair about his future. The sudden inversion in circumstance felt like a perversion of the natural order.

He almost laughed, but Aera was beside him. Even in his high spirits, he felt like he was always walking on eggshells around her. So he contained himself.

They sat on opposite ends of the private plane, which Hunter was fine with. Soon, the plane drove itself onto the runway, and Hunter got to experience his first liftoff. It was exhilarating and frightening.

The world seemed to expand beneath them. Soon they were higher than the mountains, sailing through clouds. He imagined that this might be what it was like to be on a ship headed outworld. What would it be like to keep going higher and higher? At the terminus of the sky, they would arrive at a strange place between worlds. The celestial paintings would end, and true space would begin. He'd heard between the world and the space beyond there was a zone of transition; like a cast cloud of iridescent mist, which seemed both real and virtual. The mist would pass through the ship, through the crew's body, yet it didn't cause any harm. The ship would then emerge into a vast blackness, with soft grey-white suns speckled throughout. Each sun would be another world, another contained realm which appeared to have a vast, yet unreachable cosmos beyond.

Hunter was glad he wasn't around when the first ships sailed beyond the virtual sky. He pitied those men and women, whose livelihood had been based on teaching about the galaxy they used to think that they lived in, and the universe of galaxies surrounding them. But it made him wonder:

Why?

What did it mean that the sky had an end?

Hunter shook his head. That wasn't a question he would ever find the answer to. It was more practical for him to stay focused on more practical matters. Just because the sky they'd known wasn't real, didn't mean that there wasn't a life to be lived beyond the world they called their home, beyond Sanctuary.

The plane levelled out, and Hunter marvelled at the view. The world still appeared to curve, with a horizon which constantly seemed to generate new details. More land, more sea, more trees, more buildings, more people. They flew past ships at varying altitudes, and Hunter took time to study each one that came close enough. They belonged to many companies. Some were Council Seats, some weren't. He even saw a few Oberon vessels as well, coming in from outworld destinations, either picking up cargo or dropping it off. Soon they would leave again, headed to a realm far from here. An entirely different, self contained world.

He sighed.

Eventually, the novelty of the view wore off. It was still beautiful, but there was only so much he could see before his mind naturally lost interest. It was what it was.

It took them 10 hours to reach the Pacific Shield. Hunter caught up on some sleep during the time and woke up to a world blanketed in night. A city was below them, lights and streets seemed to weave and cross like bioluminescent veins stretching across the land.

Over time, the city grew closer and closer. It was so odd, seeing the tops of skyscrapers beneath him.

A flight attendant informed him they would be landing in Costa Benne in about 20 minutes. Hunter stretched and ate a small snack someone had left for him while he'd been snoozing.

Costa Benne.

It was supposed to be a beautiful place, and he regretted they wouldn't be able to stay and admire it. He'd never been to another continent and had always imagined what it would be like to visit the more scenic parts of the Pacific Shield. Costa Benne would not be their final destination, however. After the plane landed, and once Hunter and Aera had disembarked, they met with their new driver. He told them they'd arrive at the Academy was to and a half hours away by caar. Hunter asked if they could grab some coffee and dinner along the way. To his surprise, Aera seconded his request.

Was this progress?

He glanced at her. She was staring out the window.

Probably not.

Wait a minute, Hunter thought, who cares?

But the thought felt empty. Like the surface lie of a delusion, meant to help him cope with something deeper. Something he didn't want to acknowledge.

She was probably just hungry. He decided that he wouldn't overthink it.

The driver, Alain, took them to a small family-run restaurant where they had a small meal the likes of which Hunter had never had before. A small, flat, bread-like disc which was topped with pork, pickled red onions, and pineapple. It was delicious, a blend of salty, spicey, sour, and sweet which had blown his mind. Aera seemed annoyed by his reaction, and Alain had laughed.

His father had always cooked food, which, compared to what he'd gotten used to at the Oberon estate, was simple and bland. Potatoes, meats, gravy, vegetables. That was his culinary world before the Council had come and taken it all away. From then on it was noodles, rice, potatoes, and even chicken if he was flush with cash. It turns out there was an entire world of flavour waiting for him, and he hadn't even known.

Alain rejoiced at the chance to introduce Hunter to authentic Pacific cuisine. Hunter swore he would never go back to eating bland foods again. Their visit to the restaurant was all he could think about for a while. They found some cheap coffee on the way, and by the time he drank it, he'd pulled his mind to more practical matters.

What did he want to teach Aera about constructs? And was he going to do it without feeling like he was trying to feed a starving lion who wanted nothing more than to bite his head off?