Zenaida
The scent of jasmine and warm stone grounded me in the professionalism I needed for this surreal moment. I still couldn't believe my luck in coming across her and her maid in need of help while I was walking to help settle my nerves before our lesson. It felt surreal, like déjà vécu, helping her calm down just like I used to. The icing on the cake was the fact I was even more nervous now, but I think I was faking my cool, calm attitude well.
Why the fuck did I agree to do this again? The sight of my crest house ring reminded me. Oh—right. Becoming part of Lady Nyxara's circle again would please my family greatly. The fact that she is looking at me like she isn't sure whether to trust that I'm real is making me wonder if my sisters pranked me again and I look like a horse.
If they did polymorph me, please don't let me be a horse again. I do not like looking like a My Little Pony reject.
My smile was beginning to crack when she finally blinked and responded to my question, "Sure, I think I'll breathe easier out here anyway." Her voice is getting its musical lilt back. It had basically disappeared as Minette became more and more jealous of Nyxara as we grew older. Everything about Nyxara had become muted by Koba and Minette over the years. I'm honestly happy to see glimpses of the Nyxara I once knew coming back.
I kept smiling because I didn't know what else to do. My hands were trembling slightly as I reached into my satchel, hoping she didn't notice. "Then let's get this party… I mean lesson started." I couldn't help blushing when Nyxara giggled at my slip.
"Today's lesson will be a mix of history and general information. I was made aware you would be needing refreshers, so I hope you still like learning by way of stories. Telling you this information as a story will help it stick better in your mind. Then you can ask questions once I'm done info dumping on you."
The words slipped out before I could stop them. Did I just say info dumping? Stupid. I'm going to lose this position if I don't get my act together.
She only gave a nod of the head with a mirthful glint in her eyes in response. I will admit to myself, a small part of my chest loosened at that nod. The maid pulled a lap desk out from under her skirt, then handed over a notebook and pen to her mistress. Before sitting on a bench across the path from us, the maid whispered something to Nyxara. Nyxara gave her a thumbs up before turning her full focus on me.
Inhale in and exhale out. You got this, Zen. On the second inhale though I froze. Her scent has changed. The sandalwood aspect has changed and the black tea is like a different blend. This new scent seems timelessly familiar like a lullaby I remember before birth. My heart clenched. I didn't know what that meant, but I had a feeling she didn't either. I will speak with Master Aspen about this.
Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I activated the holo-projector I had set up while Nyxara was getting settled, and a spiral of stars bloomed between us, turning the air silver-blue. "We'll start with the Creators—the first 11 beings to walk Asari. We do not know where they came from or why they ended up settling here, but the records that survived the 3rd Era wars do tell us they were Gods beyond our imagination.
When they chose to settle here, they had to make themselves fit our reality, but where would they put the excess of their beings? They wove it into the planet, and thus the leylines were created, and Asari was awakened. The Creators, now able to exist in this reality, shaped the world to their liking for the next few centuries."
I paused to drink from my water bottle. "This was the 1st Era, The Origin Era. At some point, the 2nd era, The Expansion Era, began when from the Creators, the six races of Demons, Blood-forged, Vampires, Psychics, Witches, and Shifters were born. From there, a population boom occurred. Everyone and everything seemed to be in harmony, but soon, omega demons began to die, and large-scale battles were occurring across the globe. This was the 3rd Era, The Tragic Era."
Nyx's rapt attention did not stray from the images projected as I talked. She didn't even look down at what she wrote. She's not quite how I remember her, yet some gestures, some behaviors—those are still unmistakably Nyxara. I smiled warmly as I picked up where I left off.
"Public records do not tell us why the fight stopped or why all the omega demons had died. The general knowledge is that peace had to be established, and life would have to go on. So we moved forward—and thus began the Era of Change. So much changed that we had no choice but to rebuild. And that—well, that is the quick and dirty version of our world history." I put the projector into standby, then turned to Nyxara. "Did that short notes version jog any memories?"
She shook her head no, and I took that as confirmation that I will be needing the memory circlet to make specialized lesson plans for her. "That was expected. I just wanted to confirm how we should proceed. For now we will pause here and expand on world history during our week's lessons."
She smiled faintly, and something in me steadied. Maybe we could still find common rhythm, even if everything else had changed.
I activated the projection with a swipe, the silver-blue constellation faded, replaced by a crystalline ladder of light. Each tier hummed with resonance, like a chord being plucked from a harp in reverse. "Next, let's talk about one of, if not the most important thing for our way of life, the Essence Tier System. It's how we measure resonance alignment. Everyone begins at Mist, then ascends through 3 levels of Seed tier and 5 levels of Ember tier.
When a person reaches Veil 2, they must choose whether they will follow a path of body cultivation or spirit cultivation. Veil tier has 3 levels. This foundational tier is considered the hardest tier to ascend through. A lot of people never ascend past it into Obsidian tier. Obsidian is the highest currently recorded tier anyone has ever reached.
Obsidian tier has 5 levels. Side note, we as future Sentinels are pushed to at least reach Obsidian 1. The final known tier is one that hasn't been recorded as reached since the 3rd Era, Mythos. Mythos has 3 levels. Now you have the general overview of our Essence Ascension Tiers."
I let the quiet settle as her thoughtful gaze observed each tier as it flickered into light. "So each tier changes what you can do?"
"No, the true purpose of ascension is to increase what you can become," I answered softly. "Tier ascension isn't about strength—it's about resonance. You will be able to feel this as you push to ascend once again. You don't really start feeling it continuously until Ember 4, and then at Ember 5, you will start feeling the urge to solidify your path."
I didn't let my voice waver, but my chest ached thinking about how her accident almost took away this opportunity to ascend from her. No one had told me exactly what happened to her, only that she'd been hurt and forgotten things. I hadn't asked for details. I was afraid of what I might hear.
Reaching into my satchel again, I pulled out a small silver circlet attached to a crystalline disk. The runes inside pulsed faintly, catching the afternoon light. "This is our new prototype," I said, focusing on the explanation so I didn't get lost in what I was feeling. "Developed by my family in conjunction with Ajei Sanctum. It helps assess cognitive and memory gaps."
Nyx's brows rose slightly. "So it can just tell you what I've forgotten?"