Chapter Three
The students were gathering.
Sunlight cut through the Academy's training field, flashing against steel blades and the manifestations of thirty newly bonded Supports.
Aiden stood near the center of the courtyard with Brittany sheathed across his back.
He was still pretending the incident with Booger Picker hadn't happened.
Brittany was still pretending it had been entirely justified.
Then the instructor walked onto the field.
Brittany went silent.
Aiden noticed immediately.
That was never good.
The man crossing the courtyard was tall. Easily six feet. Dark hair. Sharpened cheekbones. Straight-backed posture that suggested he'd never slouched a day in his life.
His uniform was simple. Black trousers. Dark fitted shirt. Sleeves pushed to his forearms.
Golden eyes swept across the students.
Cold.
Assessing.
Unimpressed.
Brittany stared through Aiden.
Oh.
Oh, hello.
"Mama likey."
Aiden's eyes widened.
"No."
"What?"
"No."
"I didn't say anything."
"You said mama likey."
"Because mama likey."
"Stop."
The instructor was getting closer.
Brittany continued watching.
"You know, reincarnation is really turning this Thursday around."
Aiden's face tightened.
"Please don't talk."
"Look at him."
"I'm looking at him."
"No. Appreciate him."
"I'm fourteen!"
Brittany paused.
"Excellent point. You absolutely should not. I'll handle that for both of us."
"Please don't."
The man stopped in front of them.
His gaze settled on Aiden.
"You're Aiden?"
Aiden immediately stood straighter.
"Yes, sir."
"I am Instructor Neil."
Silence.
Then Brittany made a noise like a balloon slowly losing air.
Aiden closed his eyes.
Don't.
"Neil?"
Brittany.
"That man is not a Neil."
His name is literally Neil.
"Absolutely not. That's Instructor Ruin-Me."
Aiden's jaw clenched.
Be respectful.
"I am being incredibly respectful."
You're calling him Instructor Ruin-Me.
"In my defense, look at him."
Neil's eyebrow moved.
Barely.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, sir."
"Yes. His name is Neil."
Aiden smiled through his suffering.
"No problem at all."
Neil's gaze dropped toward Brittany's hilt.
"Draw your manifestation."
Brittany gasped.
Aiden went pale.
"Oh, he wants to see me."
Don't.
"I'm ready."
Brittany.
"Present me."
Aiden reached over his shoulder.
"Gently."
He ripped her from the scabbard.
"WHEEEEEEEEE!"
Thirty students turned.
Neil blinked.
Once.
Aiden stared straight ahead.
"I hate my life."
Brittany's blade gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
"I love mine."
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Neil stepped closer.
"Let me see the blade."
Aiden hesitated.
"She, uh..."
Neil extended his hand.
Aiden looked down at Brittany.
Brittany looked back as effectively as she could.
"Give me to him."
Aiden frowned.
"Immediately."
"You're weird."
"Aiden."
He surrendered her.
Neil's hand closed around her hilt.
And—
Nothing.
Brittany froze.
No heartbeat.
No breath.
No heat.
No Aiden.
The world simply disappeared.
Neil turned the katana over in his hands.
Aiden watched him inspect the glowing runes.
"Interesting."
He ran one thumb near the markings along the blade.
Nothing happened.
No screaming.
No insults.
No commentary whatsoever.
Aiden frowned.
Neil did too.
"Your Support isn't responding."
"She usually doesn't shut up."
Neil glanced at him.
Aiden cleared his throat.
"Sir."
Neil examined the weapon again.
"Can she communicate independently?"
"I..."
Aiden realized he had absolutely no idea.
"I thought so."
Neil held Brittany another moment.
Nothing.
Then he handed her back.
The instant Aiden's fingers closed around the hilt—
The bond slammed open.
"FUCK!"
Aiden flinched.
"Ow!"
"I DISAPPEARED."
"What?"
"He touched me and everything disappeared!"
Aiden stared.
Brittany's panic came through their bond sharp enough that his amusement vanished.
"You couldn't see?"
"Couldn't see. Couldn't hear. Couldn't feel anything. There was just—nothing."
Aiden looked toward Neil.
Neil was already watching them.
"She returned?"
Aiden nodded.
"The second I touched her."
Neil's expression changed.
Not much.
But enough.
"Interesting."
Brittany recovered enough to notice what had just happened.
Then noticed something considerably more important.
"...Wait."
Aiden knew that tone.
"No."
"Give me back."
"What?"
"To Neil."
"No."
"I need to investigate."
"You just said you couldn't feel anything."
"Science requires sacrifice."
"No."
"Aiden."
"No."
"He has very nice hands."
"There it is."
Neil raised an eyebrow.
"Is everything alright?"
Aiden forced a smile.
"Bond adjustment."
"I see."
"Ask him if he's single."
Aiden resheathed her.
Hard.
Darkness swallowed Brittany.
"TRAITOR."
"Quiet."
"YOU'VE RUINED SCIENCE."
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Neil directed the students toward a row of training dummies.
"Your task is simple. Demonstrate synchronization with your Support and execute a clean basic slash."
Aiden stepped into position.
"Finally."
"I'm not participating."
He stopped.
"What?"
"I'm upset."
"About what?"
"You know what you did."
"I wouldn't give you back to the instructor."
"Correct."
"Because you disappear when he touches you!"
"Details."
Aiden stared at the dummy.
"Can we please just do this?"
Brittany sighed.
"Fine."
He drew her.
No WHEE.
That was somehow worse.
Aiden set his feet.
Adjusted his grip.
Slashed.
The blade struck the dummy.
A shallow cut appeared across the surface.
Not terrible.
Not impressive.
Neil made a note.
"Adequate."
Brittany recoiled.
"Adequate?"
Aiden whispered, "You said you weren't helping."
"I don't do adequate."
"Then help."
"No. Now I'm offended and emotionally unavailable."
Neil moved to the next student.
A girl stepped forward with a pair of blue curved blades.
Her stance was excellent.
Even Brittany could tell.
She moved once.
Clean.
Fast.
The dummy split neatly across the center.
Neil nodded.
"Good girl."
Brittany went completely still.
Aiden felt it.
"Oh no."
Her blade pulsed.
Once.
"...Excuse me?"
"Brittany."
"What did he just say?"
"No."
"Aiden."
"Don't."
"He called her good girl."
"She did good!"
"I CAN DO GOOD."
"I know!"
"I CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER THAN ADEQUATE."
A notification flashed across Brittany's awareness.
COMBAT ASSISTANCE: AVAILABLE
She opened it.
A second notification appeared.
CURRENT SYNCHRONIZATION: 47%
Brittany stared.
Then mentally reached for it.
A warning appeared.
INCREASED ASSISTANCE MAY RESULT IN USER DISORIENTATION
Brittany considered that.
Acceptable.
Aiden's eyes widened.
"Brittany?"
"Draw me."
"No."
"Aiden."
"You're doing the scary voice."
"DRAW. ME."
Aiden sighed.
Then drew.
The bond exploded open.
Brittany felt everything.
His hands.
Wrists.
Elbows.
Shoulders.
Spine.
Hips.
Knees.
Feet against stone.
His balance became hers.
His movement became possibility.
Aiden sucked in a breath.
"What are you doing?"
Brittany pushed.
His foot moved.
Not against his will.
Not exactly.
More like his body received an instruction before his brain could finish deciding whether to follow it.
His stance corrected.
His grip changed.
Neil's head turned.
Brittany felt Aiden's heartbeat accelerate.
"Oh."
"What?"
"I think I figured something out."
"What?"
Brittany's blade began to glow.
"Try to keep up."
Then she moved.
Aiden went with her.
The first slash cut cleanly through the dummy.
The top half slid to the ground.
Aiden stared.
"Brittany—"
She redirected.
Second dummy.
Slash.
Gone.
Third.
Aiden stumbled.
Brittany compensated.
Their synchronization surged.
The runes along her blade ignited.
SYNCHRONIZATION INCREASING
"BRITTANY!"
"WE'RE DOING GOOD!"
"We're supposed to do ONE!"
"I'M AN OVERACHIEVER!"
Aiden spun.
Brittany corrected his balance halfway through.
The fourth dummy split.
The fifth lost its head.
Aiden made a noise somewhere between a battle cry and a terrified squeak.
Brittany was having the time of her life.
"HI-YA YA YA!"
"Brittany, STOP!"
A training post shattered.
Students scattered.
Neil didn't.
Of course he didn't.
He simply stood there watching with those cold golden eyes while Aiden and Brittany demolished half the practice line.
Brittany noticed.
That was a mistake.
"HE'S WATCHING."
"THAT IS LITERALLY HIS JOB!"
"DO SOMETHING COOL."
"I'M TRYING NOT TO DIE!"
Aiden's foot caught.
Their synchronization compensated.
Too much.
They launched sideways.
"OH SHIT—"
Brittany struck the stone wall.
There was a tremendous crack.
Dust exploded across the courtyard.
When it cleared, Aiden was on one knee.
Brittany was embedded halfway through a training dummy on the opposite side.
A sword-shaped hole had appeared in the wall behind them.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
A notification appeared.
SWORD MASTERY +5
Then:
COMBAT SYNCHRONIZATION INCREASED
Then:
PROPERTY DAMAGE +1
Brittany stared at the last one.
"...Rude."
Aiden wheezed.
"My spine."
"You have excellent insurance now."
"I don't know what insurance is."
"Of course you don't."
Neil approached.
Aiden slowly pulled Brittany free of the dummy.
The instructor surveyed the destruction.
The dummies.
The wall.
Aiden.
Finally Brittany.
"...Impressive."
Brittany's entire blade lit up.
Aiden looked down.
"No."
"He said impressive."
"Be normal."
"I am being normal."
"You are glowing."
"Mind your business."
Then something shifted.
A pressure built inside Brittany.
Different from speaking through the bond.
Different from the private pathway between herself and Aiden.
She pushed against it.
Aiden's eyes widened.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't know."
The pressure broke.
And Brittany's voice rang across the entire courtyard.
"CALL ME GOOD GIRL, COWARD!"
Silence.
Thirty heads turned.
Aiden stopped breathing.
Brittany stopped metaphorically breathing.
Neil froze.
A new notification appeared.
EXTERNAL VOCALIZATION UNLOCKED
Brittany stared at it.
Aiden stared at it.
Then slowly looked at her.
"You can talk out loud."
Brittany considered this extraordinary new development.
Then:
"NEIL."
Aiden immediately shoved her into the scabbard.
"MMPH—HEY!"
Someone giggled.
Then another.
Booger Picker whispered loudly:
"Bro. His Support has a crush on Instructor Neil."
Aiden closed his eyes.
"Can I get a different one?"
"No refunds."
"I hate you."
"You'll live."
Neil rubbed two fingers against his temple.
"I don't get paid enough for this."
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The smoke had barely cleared when Neil turned back to the group.
"Class dismissed."
Nobody needed telling twice.
Students scattered across the courtyard, whispering and laughing.
Several looked back at Aiden.
Booger Picker gave him a thumbs-up.
Aiden considered murder.
Brittany hummed contentedly from her scabbard.
"That went well."
Aiden didn't answer.
"We increased synchronization."
Nothing.
"Unlocked external communication."
Still nothing.
"Neil called us impressive."
Aiden began walking.
"You're being very negative about our accomplishments."
"Stop talking."
"You should celebrate your wins."
"Stop."
"That's something Denise would've said."
Aiden stopped.
Brittany realized her mistake.
"...Okay, I heard it too."
Aiden resumed walking.
Then—
"Wait."
Footsteps approached behind him.
Aiden turned.
Neil.
Brittany went silent.
Neil stopped beside Aiden.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
His gaze dropped to the black scabbard.
Then back to Aiden.
"Your synchronization is unusual."
Aiden swallowed.
"Is that bad?"
"Not necessarily."
Neil looked at the weapon again.
Brittany remained suspiciously quiet.
"You'll need to learn control."
"Yes, sir."
"And so will she."
From inside the scabbard:
"I have excellent control."
Neil's mouth twitched.
Barely.
Aiden saw it.
Oh no.
Neil leaned slightly closer to the scabbard.
His voice remained perfectly level.
"Good girl."
Silence.
One second.
Two.
Then Brittany's blade lit up so violently the glow shone through the scabbard.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Aiden flinched.
Neil straightened.
Brittany vibrated against Aiden's back.
"HE SAID IT. AIDEN. HE SAID IT."
A notification appeared.
SYNCHRONIZATION +1
Then:
USER STRESS +3
Aiden stared at the second notification.
Brittany stared at it too.
Neil walked away.
Aiden slowly removed Brittany from his back.
Set her on the ground.
And continued walking.
"Aiden?"
He kept going.
"Aiden."
Nothing.
"You forgot your extremely powerful Support."
Still walking.
"AIDEN."
Without turning around, Aiden lifted one hand.
"I'm going to therapy."
Brittany lay in the middle of the training field.
She considered this.
Then shouted after him:
"ASK IF THEY HAVE FAMILY RATES!"
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