"So who are you guys exactly?" I ask.
We're walking now—well, I'm limping more than walking—but the night air is cool against my skin, and I'm just barely starting to come down from the adrenaline. Zach and Will lead the way, flanking me like bodyguards who also happen to be high schoolers.
Will sighs. "Took you long enough to ask."
Zach shoots him a look, then turns to me. "We're incoming first-years at Velmara. Think of it like... a school for people who have the potential to be awakened."
"Which is what I am?" I ask. "Aetherkind?"
Zach nods. "Yeah. Not common, especially your type."
I frown. "So, how did you know to come? Like, right then? Did you know I was going to be attacked?"
Will shrugs. "Not exactly. We didn't know the demon would show up tonight. But we were watching. Waiting."
"For what?"
"For you to awaken," Zach says. "Your power's been dormant until now—like an ember waiting for the right spark. But someone at Velmara's been watching you for years."
I slow my step. "Watching me?"
Zach nods. "Evans Griemore. He's a professor at Velmara—one of the best. He's a wizard, but also a seer. Not like crystal balls or fake fortune-telling stuff. He has real visions, even though usually fragmented, but always right."
There's something in the way he says the name—like it holds weight, like just saying it pulls the air a little tighter.
"He saw you," Will adds. "Saw the way your Aether works—drawing, summoning, creating. Said it was unique. Said if you ever unlocked it, things would... shift."
Griemore is completely wrong unless I'm missing something. If that's the way it works, then I would've been dead hundreds of times by now. I used my summoning abilities many times in the past, and this demon only came after years. Today is not the day that I awakened, either.
"Shift?" I echo, uneasy.
"Yeah," Will says grimly. "Balance-type-of-shift. Power attracts power. And attention."
Zach continues, "Professor Griemore didn't know when you'd awaken, just that you would. That your gift would draw things to you. Not all of them are friendly."
I pause, letting that sink in. "So the demon…"
Zach nods. "It sensed the energy the moment your Aether flared. They can smell it—like blood in the water."
"And you two were... what, assigned to babysit me?"
Will gives a humorless chuckle. "More like guard duty. We volunteered."
"Why?"
They don't answer right away. Zach glances toward the night sky, then says, "Because we know what it's like. Being hunted. Being found too late."
Will's jaw tightens, and for once, he doesn't have a smart remark.
"And now?" I ask quietly. "Now that it's started?"
Zach looks at me, gaze steady. "Now we bring you to Velmara. We train you. Before something worse finds you."
There's a moment of silence. I can see something in both of their eyes—shadows of whatever pasts they've lived through. I could ask. Part of me wants to. But the truth is... I'm not ready to carry their stories on top of mine. Not yet.
So instead, I shift the subject, trying to ground myself in something normal, something less heavy.
"So... did the semester already start?" I ask.
"No, but it will in a few days," Will says.
Zach glances at him, then back at me. "And before that happens, there's someone you need to meet."
I raise an eyebrow. "Another student?"
Will shakes his head. "Professor Evans Griemore."
We walk in silence for a moment, the kind that stretches but doesn't snap. The kind filled with meaning neither of them needs to explain—and I'm not sure I want to hear yet.
"So, where is he? Griemore?" I ask eventually.
"He doesn't live on campus," Zach says. "Not anymore. Too many rules, and he's... not exactly a rules guy."
Will smirks. "He's got a cottage a few miles out from Velmara. Hidden with wards, glamours, and probably a few traps just for fun."
I glance between them. "And we're just going to knock on his door?"
"He already knows we're coming," Zach says. "Probably knew before the fight even started."
"Probably made tea," Will mutters.
Zach snorts. "Or poison. Depends on his mood."
Still, something settles inside me. The path forward, strange as it is, finally feels real. Defined. I'm no longer stumbling blindly through whatever this is. There's a destination. A guide.
Professor Evans Griemore.
And I'm sure I can get some answers from this man.
Will gestures ahead as we round a quieter stretch of sidewalk, his voice low. "We're not walking the whole way. That'd be suicide."
I blink. "Then how are we getting there?"
Zach pulls something from his jacket—a small, flat disc etched with delicate runes that glow faintly as his fingers brush it. It hums softly in the night air, like it knows something I don't.
"This is a Transit Sigil," he says. "Made by a forger. It's keyed to Velmara's protective boundary. It'll open a passage to the school grounds' edge."
"A portal," I say, mostly to myself. "So we're teleporting?"
"Julius, there's something you need to understand," Zach says, his voice calm but carrying a weight that silences the room.
"There isn't just one world," he steps forward, eyes meeting mine.
"There are two. The one we're standing in now—the one you've always known—is called the Overworld. It's where ordinary humans live, unaware of what's really out there. But parallel to this... is another realm entirely. A place shaped by raw mana, ancient creatures, and unstable magic. We call it the Aetherworld."
I don't speak. I don't need to—because everything about what just happened tells me it's real.
"The Aetherworld is where most of the monsters come from," Zach continues. "It's chaotic, untamed. A land teeming with magical beasts, corrupted creatures, and... others like us. Humans live there too—those who were either born with abilities or forced to adapt. But they only control about eleven percent of the land."
Will jumps in, crossing his arms.
"And that eleven percent? It's hard-won. Constantly under siege. The rest of the Aetherworld belongs to things that would tear this world apart if given the chance."
"But how do they even get here?" I finally ask, needing to hear it out loud.
Zach's expression darkens.
"Some of the more powerful monsters—called Riftcallers—have the ability to open portals. Think of them as living gateways between the Aetherworld and the Overworld."
He lets the silence settle before finishing:
"Most people live their lives never knowing. Never seeing. But you—"
He glances at the fading edges of my destroyed paintings.
"You were never meant to stay in the Overworld forever. Your power connects to the Aether deeper than you realize."
Zach's gaze shifts slightly, more serious now. "But the thing you really need to understand… is Altinium."
"Altinium's a magical stone," Will adds, his voice low but steady. "Rare, insanely powerful. But it's not just some shiny rock with a fancy glow. Think of it like the heart of our world's defense."
Zach nods. "Altinium doesn't work on its own. It's inert unless awakened and maintained by Channelers and Wizards—people with the right kind of mana resonance. Once activated, it keeps the more dangerous creatures from tearing straight into the Overworld."
Will crosses his arms, "Altinium keeps the balance. Without it, the borders between the Aetherworld and the Overworld would collapse fast. And monsters wouldn't just be sneaking through anymore—they'd pour in."
Zach nods. "Velmara sits right on one of the most stable Altinium networks in the world. Not just because of the stone, but because of the people there. The school draws in powerful Aetherkinds. Together, they hold the line."
I glance around at the quiet houses, the dim streetlights. It suddenly feels so fragile. "So this world... the one I've always lived in... it's basically bait."
"If you use your Aether, yeah," Zach says. "The normal world isn't warded. No Altinium. No defense. When you draw on your power, it's like bleeding mana into the air. They smell it. And they come."
"And that's why we have to go now," Will says. "Before anything else shows up."
Zach raises the Sigil again. This time, the runes flash, and the air in front of us distorts—folds inward like it's being pinched by invisible fingers. Then, with a low hum, a shimmering slit opens, just wide enough for us to step through.
"It'll drop us near Professor Griemore's home. He lives on Velmara's property, a few minutes from the main campus. Safer that way. He prefers to stay close to the wards."
The rift pulses, and I catch a glimpse of something on the other side: dense forest under a pale silver sky, strange stars glinting above it.
Zach steps up to the edge and glances back at me. "You ready?"
No, not really. But I nod anyway.
Because whatever's ahead, at least I won't be alone.
I take a breath and step forward.