Aether Beasts

To say that the air in the tent was awkward was an understatement. I'd come in here with the intention of clearing the air and speaking my mind to Misty, but knowing that it was actually happening I found myself oddly tongue-tied, which wasn't something that usually happened to me. It was often that I couldn't stop talking when I should and not an inability to talk.

Misty seemed equally unable to do anything or say anything. The blonde just looked down and to the side, not able to meet my eyes. It was clear she was waiting for me to say something.

I took a deep breath and pushed away any stray thoughts that didn't add to what I wanted to say, including the thoughts about her beauty. I was very aware of our closeness. I didn't need to scare her with that.

"Misty," I began. "I, err, just wanted to talk to you about a few things, nothing too bad."

I took another deep breath and before she could respond or I could back out, I let it all out.

"I liked you Misty, the old you. When you were bright and full of energy and sass, back when I thought we'd remain friends forever, and even after we split, there were times when I thought about trying to rekindle our relationship. I know it's odd that I'm telling you this now and it probably seems out of the blue, but it's clear you're struggling with things and that you need some help. You're not a monster, Misty, I might have been creeped out at first, and uncertain, but now, I'm not. In fact, I think the entire aether vampire thing is pretty damn cool, and honestly, it fits you, or at least it would fit the old you, the Misty you've buried beneath everything."

Misty face contorted into a mix of emotions and her eyes began to water but I didn't stop the flood of words coming from my mouth.

"I know you've lost your father and that things seem hopeless, but they don't have to be," I said. "You have me, Zirani, and hell even Sandra seems to be ok with you now. The fact that you are a vampire may come with problems and challenges, but the Misty I knew would have faced those head-on with a smile on her face and enough brashness to challenge an entire group of arcanists. This doesn't have to be the end, not if you don't want it to be. I'm not going to force you to do anything, that's not why I came here. I just wanted you to know how I feel."

It felt like I was out of breath by the time I was finished, and before she could say anything, I stood and left the tent. I'd done what Zirani had asked and now it was up to Misty to decide if she wanted to move on.

As I walked away from the tent I felt lighter, like a weight had been taken off my shoulders and I could feel that Zirani was pleased with my words.

"Let's hope that helps," I muttered as I walked towards my tent.

"I suspect it will," Zirani mused. "Though how much depends on the girl's feelings and just how badly she needed to hear that. At the end of the day, it's up to her."

Once I was at my tent, I headed inside and in only a few moments was fast asleep, thoughts of Misty and the upcoming war racing through my mind.

The next day began bright and early as usual. Zirani had a strict schedule and expected us to all be awake as the sun rose. She wanted us to get as much training in as possible.

I met Sandra on my way to get some breakfast, but there was no sign of Misty and for a second I considered going to her tent to see if she was ok, but Zirani's words calmed me.

"Let her be for now. She had a lot to think about yesterday. We can do training without her then check on her later if she's still yet to show herself."

Sandra gave me an inquisitive look, but I just shrugged. I didn't really want to talk about it, nor did I want to repeat what I had said to Misty.

Breakfast was a quick affair, mostly consisting of fruit, some porridge with sugar and honey, and an odd drink that was called a protein shake. Apparently, it was based on an old-world drink and was filled with a few unique herbs. I'd never tried it before, but it didn't taste half bad, though I still preferred coffee or tea.

"So… How did things go?" Sandra asked innocently as we made our way to our training spot.

"Alright, I guess," I replied as nonchalantly as I could. "I just spoke to her for a few minutes then left."

"I see," Sandra replied. "And did she say anything?"

"I don't know, I left immediately after I was done."

Sandra raised an eyebrow. "You just ran out of there?"

"I didn't run," I replied quickly. "I just didn't want to stay to see what happened, and she needed to think about things without me there. She needed some time alone."

"Well, I hope things work out." Sandra sighed. "I don't mind blondy anymore, especially not that I know she isn't a competition but more like a potential equal."

"Competition?" I turned and gave her an odd look. "What the hell does that mean?"

Sandra's face became beet red and she cursed under her breath. "Ermm, nothing, just pretend you never heard that."

I heard a mental chuckle from Zirani but chose to ignore it and Sandra's apparent mistake.

Zirani manifested once we'd arrived at the training area, and she and Sandra headed off together while I moved to my usual spot near the waterfall. The sound of the crashing water was oddly melodic to me and actually helped me concentrate at times. I moved through a set of martial art motions, moving my limbs in time with my aether. This was a form of practice Zirani had taught me that involved moving the body as perfectly as you could while also manipulating and moving your aether into patterns. The patterns themselves had no use apart from being complex and helping one to improve their aether manipulation. I wasn't able to do it all without making a few mistakes, but since I'd begun a few days ago, I was able to get through at least half of it without any major errors.

A few hours passed and my worries faded as training took over my mind completely. It wasn't until I heard a loud cough that I was snapped from my concentration. I'd been in the middle of trying to form four impact seeds, two on each hand, and barely managed to disperse them safely. One exploding and hitting me was bad enough, but four? I'd lose a limb for sure or at least end up with a dozen broken bones.

I turned around, about to angrily shout at whoever had disturbed me when I saw her.

I recognized Misty immediately, but this wasn't the same Misty as yesterday or the day before, or any of the days leading up to this. She was smiling, and unlike the forced look in her eyes that usually accompanied it, this smile seemed genuine, and her eyes glowed with happiness, and was that hope? Her body was straight, without any form of a slump like usual as though she'd been freed from a great weight that had been pressing down upon her. There was still some hesitation and some of the darkness still lingered, but nothing compared to how it had been.

"Misty?"

She rubbed one of her arms nervously. "Hi, Aiden. I, err, I've come to train."

"Good," I replied. "You, err, better?"

Why did I sound so damn nervous all of a sudden?"

Her smile grew wider and I was momentarily struck by the sheer beauty in front of me. "I am, I'm much better. I've chosen to keep going."

Even her voice had changed. She sounded more confident and like she had when we'd been friends.

I returned her smile with one of my own. "I'm glad to hear that, but you might want to head over to Zirani before she gets mad, you know how she is."

Misty laughed and my god, I'd never heard something so pure and beautiful. "Yeah, though I think you'll need her help soon, more than me."

"Don't get cocky, Miss vampire," I replied.

Her eyes became filled with sadness and her smile faltered at the mention of the word vampire and for a second I'd thought I'd gone too far, but then she tightened her fists, and a firm look appeared in her eyes.

"You two love birds done over there?" Sandra called out with a smirk.

Misty blushed and gave me one last smile and a mounted 'thank you' before she walked over two the two other women. As she walked she swayed her hips and whether it was intentional or not, I couldn't help but stare for a few seconds, before I shook my head and turned away.

It was going to be even harder to ignore her looks now that she'd gotten some of her confidence back.

I was happy she'd managed to get over it and while it seemed like it would take time for things to fully heal, I knew that she'd be able to get through it, and if she fell then she had us to pick her back up.