When they finally reached their dorm, Cael dropped onto his bed like a sack of stones. "I swear, if that instructor makes us run drills tomorrow before entering the Rift, I'll collapse on the spot."
Lucien laughed, pulling off his boots. "You'll survive. You're a warrior, remember? Endurance comes with the job."
Cael shot him a look, smirking. "And you're what? A summoner? You get to stand back and let your cute beast friend do all the work."
Lucien grinned. "Cute, huh? You haven't even seen her yet."
That caught Cael's attention. "Wait, you can summon her here?"
Lucien nodded slightly. He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and called to the system in his mind. "Summon: Lyra."
Light shimmered in front of him, a soft radiance filling the small dorm. Within moments, the familiar wisp appeared, her form hovering gracefully above the floor, a faint, blue luminescence that gently pulsed like a heartbeat.
Cael blinked, sitting up. "That's… your summon?"
"Yeah. Her name's Lyra."
Cael tilted his head, trying to gauge what he was seeing. "A Lesser wisp. I've read about them. Usually not much use outside illumination magic."
Lucien smirked, leaning back on his palms. "You'd be surprised."
"Maybe," Cael said, giving a half-shrug. "Still, she's kind of… peaceful-looking. Doesn't seem like something that could fight."
Lyra tilted her light slightly toward Cael, as if she understood and didn't appreciate the comment. A soft, quick pulse of blue light flared and dimmed again.
Lucien smiled faintly. "She's shy, but she'll prove herself soon. Tomorrow's our chance."
Cael grinned. "Alright, alright. I'll believe it when I see it. Just don't let her float off in the middle of a fight."
"Noted," Lucien said, chuckling.
They talked for a while longer, about their first class, their classmates, but more the boy from earlier who had tried to show off, and finally about what they thought awaited them inside the Rift. Slowly, the room quieted as the excitement gave way to actual preparation for the next day.
Cael began his evening exercises, performing light push-ups and then sword movements with a short wooden blade, honing his sword skills. His breathing soon fell into rhythm, with sharp inhales and long exhales that echoed faintly across the dorm.
Lucien watched quietly. He understood warriors built their strength differently, training their bodies as much as their Aether flow. And could almost feel the energy circulating around Cael, raw but focused.
After a few minutes, Lucien returned his attention to Lyra. She hovered near his desk, curiously circling a glowing Aether crystal placed there by the academy for cultivation practice.
"Tomorrow's a big day," Lucien said softly. "We'll finally see what we're capable of."
Lyra floated closer, the soft hum of her essence forming a faint resonance in the air. Lucien could feel her emotions through the bond, she was filled with anticipation, a spark of joy, but also a hint of nervousness.
"It's fine," he said gently. "I'm a little nervous too. But we'll face it together, alright?"
She pulsed faintly in response, her glow warming slightly before returning to its usual calm rhythm.
Lucien smiled. He had understood about soul resonance between a summoner and their creature. The closer they grew, the stronger their connection became, both emotionally and in combat. This trip to the Rift would be their first real test, and perhaps the moment that would define their bond.
He sat cross-legged on the floor again, forming the cultivation seal his instructors had shown him. Aether was faintly visible in the room, drawn toward him in small threads of light. It entered his body slowly, merging with his Aether core. His veins tingling as the energy circulated.
Lyra hovered beside him and, almost playfully, mimicked his position. Her light dimmed and brightened in rhythm with his breathing.
Lucien chuckled softly without breaking focus. "Trying to cultivate too, huh?"
The wisp gave a light flicker, which he took as a yes.
He didn't know if wisps could truly cultivate the way humans did, but the sight alone eased his mind. Maybe growth wasn't limited to what the books said. Maybe their connection would allow them to evolve in ways no one had seen before.
Across the room, Cael finished his exercises and collapsed onto his bed, panting. "If tomorrow's anything like today, I might just die of exhaustion before the monsters touch me."
Lucien smirked, eyes still closed. "You'll live. I'll make sure of it."
"That's comforting," Cael mumbled, already half asleep.
Soon the room fell quiet again. Only the faint hum of Aether crystals and Lyra's soft glow filled the silence. Lucien continued to meditate, his mind drifting between calm and focus. He could feel his Aether core stabilizing, pulsing faintly like a steady drumbeat.
He remembered his old town once again, the screams, the smell of burning wood, the faces of those who he didn't see after the last rift breakage. The image of Elara flashed briefly in his mind. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath.
Not again.
The academy, the system, Lyra, they were his second chance. Whatever tomorrow brought, he would face it head-on.
Eventually, he opened his eyes and lay back on the bed. Lyra floated above him, her light dimming to a soft glow.
"Get some rest too," he murmured. "Tomorrow, we'll make them remember our names."
The wisp lingered for a moment before fading into a faint shimmer, returning to the system space at his command.
Lucien's gaze lingered on the ceiling. His body was still humming with Aether, his mind refusing to settle completely. But sleep came eventually, slow and quiet.
Outside, the academy lights dimmed as the floating island drifted under the moon's pale glow. In the distance, faint cracks of light shimmered across the horizon, signs of the controlled rift fields that awaited them.
Tomorrow, the young awakeners of Aetherion would take their first true step into the unknown.
And for Lucien, it would mark the beginning of something much greater.