Kiah was patched up quickly by the doctor — a Warden she'd grown familiar with over the past weeks after becoming a regular visitor since her test.
At this point, she probably held the record for "most injured Initiate" in the base. It wasn't a title to be proud of, but she'd take it.
Once her nose was set and a piece of cotton was stuffed into her nostrils, Kiah didn't bother returning to the training room. Her spar was over anyway, and she wasn't interested in watching other matches. Most especially because her dignity had been crushed to bits.
She wandered the quiet hallway, her mind spiralling.
Why had she hesitated? She could have taken him down. Was it because she wasn't used to violence?
Throughout high school, she'd kept her head down, trying to maintain her spotless record. She avoided fights like a plague, and she succeeded in restraining herself even though it meant letting the bullies run their mouths unguardedly behind her.
And now, here she was in a world where holding back meant death.
In fact, if not for Eden, she wouldn't have known how to throw a proper punch before now. So, it wasn't surprising that she hesitated to hit someone in the face even if that person had every intention of hurting her.
She scoffed.
It was pathetic. She couldn't even defend herself, held by the boundaries of her own morals.
She halted.
Morals? No.
She clenched her fists tightly.
It was just incompetence. And at this rate, she wouldn't survive long.
Soon, Kiah found herself in Killan's garage. She planned to study a bit before dinnertime.
Inside, Killan had a visor over his face as he welded a broken part of a pod. Sparks flew as the iron melted into each other.
"Hey, Sir Killan."
She started addressing him with a title after discovering his rank. He had persuaded her to drop the formalities several times, but she refused. She was going to give respect to whom respect was due. And that was that.
Killan paused his work and turned, raising his metal visor. A smile bloomed on his face. But it faltered slightly on seeing her slightly swollen nose stuffed with cotton buds.
"What happened, kid?"
She shrugged, going to her desk in the corner.
"I was in a sparring match. Got knocked down."
"That looks painful."
"It is."
It hurt like hell despite the fact that her nose was healing quite well… and fast.
"Do you have any new books for me? I'm almost done with the previous one you gave me."
Killan shook his head.
"Sorry, kid. They came empty-handed from the last mission." He said, and her shoulders slumped. Then he added, "But I can use this time to teach you a thing or two about mechanics. I can even teach you about weapon bonding. Weren't you curious about that?"
Kiah's eyes lit up.
She hadn't had the opportunity to learn anything from Killan since her test. Warden Gregory had barely given them time to breathe. They were always running from one danger zone to another.
She was confident that combat training wouldn't be as strenuous or time-consuming as the physical exercises, so this was her chance to learn.
"How does the bond work exactly? During my test, my labrys fell, but it managed to fly back to me when I stretched out my hands. Is it some kind of electromagnetic response? How does my blood make it connected to me?"
Killan dropped the tools in his hand and wheeled closer to her, eyes gleaming like a kid finally granted permission to eat dessert. Kiah could practically see the excitement bubbling behind his grin. He was probably squealing internally.
He shuffled over to his desk and pulled out a large box, lugging it back with theatrical care.
"This contains all my journals from over the years," he said proudly. He popped the lid open, revealing a thick, worn notebook, a button-like device, and a few old recording chips. He pressed the button, and a projection flickered to life. It was a video of a younger Killan explaining how to fix a device with grease on his cheeks.
"There is a lot in there — diagrams, theories, field notes, and even voice memos. I'll let you borrow the journal whenever you drop by. It'll help you learn the basics of mechanical revolution."
"Really? Thanks."
Kiah took the journal with both hands like a sacred relic. Her lips twitched with a rare smile.
Killan chuckled and returned the box to its place. Then, he turned serious.
"As for the bond, it isn't just electromagnetic; it's biometric-symbiotic in nature."
Kiah tilted her head, focusing.
"When you bleed on your weapon, a nanoscopic network within the weapon's alloy activates. It reads your DNA and bioelectrical signature, creating what's called a neural tether."
"A tether?" she echoed.
Killan nodded, his eyes sharp.
"Think of it like a two-way handshake between your nervous system and the weapon's micro-core. Your thoughts, especially reflexive intent — like reaching out or needing the weapon — trigger a signal through your biofield, which your weapon responds to, almost like a personalized magnet, but way more precise.
The 'flying back' part? That's a controlled gravitic pulse assisted by directional micro-thrusters embedded in the haft. But it only activates when it recognizes your intent. No one else can summon it unless their DNA matches yours exactly. So, in short, your blood seals the connection, your thoughts guide it, and the tech inside does the rest."
Kiah nodded. She finally understood how the bond works.
"Does that mean identical twins could bond to the same weapon since their DNA is exact?" She asked.
"They can." Killan let out a pleased hum. "But twins are quite rare nowadays. I haven't seen one in ages. I don't even think they exist in Duskworn."
Kiah perked up. That was new information.
"Why do you say that?"
Killan shrugged slightly.
"Don't you know? Twins are terrifying."
That caught her off guard. "Terrifying?"
"Their connection to each other is something else, making them terrible adversaries. One mind is already hard to fight. But two? Two perfectly synchronized minds with a shared bond? It's a nightmare scenario. The few twins in existence followed the Overseer to Veloria. Everyone knows that."
Kiah let out a nervous laugh.
'Twins are terrifying. Noted.'
"My amnesia." She pointed at her head, feigning a sad exhale. "I think I will start with your journal for now."
She flipped open the journal, curiosity lighting up her eyes. The first thing she noticed was Killan's handwriting. It was impossibly neat, as if a robot had written it. Every diagram, annotation, and explanation was meticulously aligned. She couldn't help but gape in admiration.
Her own handwriting back in school had been a disaster. Her teachers often had to squint just to decipher her notes. Since arriving in Novaris, she hadn't written anything by hand, so she had no idea if her handwriting had changed.
'Would it look like Killan's now?' she wondered. 'Maybe this version of humanity comes with upgraded penmanship, too.'
She made a mental note to test that later.
Skimming the first few pages, Kiah saw that Killan hadn't been exaggerating when he said he started with the basics. The opening chapters covered nothing but standard tools in a mechanic's garage and safety hazards. Some of the information was new to her, especially the tech terms, but most of it was straightforward. Still, she kept reading.
Well, until a third party entered the room.
"Well, well, well. Look who skipped class and came to hide."