***

Your aether is akin to the very essence of your existence, an energy-based core of your very being in other words, and the Key shards, as divinely forged concentrations of aether given physical form, act as extensions of that. 

This was the first lesson Seika had taught me.

Trying to utilize one’s own aether as they would with their mana would be the same as willingly burning away their life force. The explosive burning phenomenon that occurs from this consumption is capable of permanently damaging the bodies of any who come in contact with it, this being the reason why my right arm remained in its current state.

Over time, the scarring would be able to heal, but the flow of mana through that arm would never be quite the same.

However, drawing on energy from a shard comes without lasting consequences if done properly. In this manner, shardbearers have a much greater capacity for power and growth as they come to learn the nuances of attuning to their shard.

Additionally, due to the higher dimension origin of the Keys, these shards cannot ‘run out’ of aether or mana to supply, gradually recharging both at varying rates after they have been completely consumed.

This was the second lesson Seika had taught me.

For a normal shardbearer who carries their shard on their person, the shard acts as an external tank of reserve fuel. In other words, their own aether and the shard’s aether were separate entities, much like how a bucket must scoop water from the depths of a well as the two containers remain distinctly individual.

In my case, my aether had merged with the shard’s own, meaning the collective aether became more or less a combination of the two. 

Seika described this as how the construction of a dam would begin gathering a massive reserve of water behind it.

Continuing with her metaphor, she explained how my current fighting state drew power from the usual trickling stream of water that flowed with the current, representing the amount of mana available to me before. Meanwhile, my full potential would remain untapped so long as I was unable to utilize the water accumulated by the dam.

Diverging from the metaphor, I needed to understand how to use my own aether and the shard’s in tandem, which would allow me to increase both my aether and mana reserves several times over.

The first step was to merely be able to identify which ‘section’ of my aether was derived from the shard. After doing so, I’d be able to grow accustomed to drawing mana from that section, then ultimately be able to utilize both aethers in tandem.

The more I learned about the nature of these shards, the more I began to wonder how my father had known to use it in our final moments back in Hanakawa. His conviction using it on- or rather, for me- seemed far too deliberate to be a last-ditch-effort thrown together in a rush of adrenaline.

These thoughts quickly faded from the surface of my mind as I began my ‘training’.

***

“Hah! Tough luck, kiddo. It says here that the Guildmaster’s made a last minute addition for you to join the transportation squad!”

So he was really that determined to place every conceivable obstacle in my way, huh?

At least, that’s what I interpreted the overseer’s tone as. With the way he said it, the ‘transportation squad’ seemed like it was a worse fate than death.

“Is that assignment really that bad?”

“I’ll take it that you’re new around here. See that group with the axes up on that hill over there?”

I followed his finger to confirm where he was pointing at.

“Basically, Synoria Outlook is in a state of ‘lockdown’ right now, seeing as Guildmaster Setsuya deemed the transportation of materials between settlements too dangerous with the unpredictable attacks. That group is in charge of obtaining lumber from the trees in that forest. You guys, the transportation squad, are in charge of lugging that lumber back to our construction squad down here”

So basically, I would have to try to show off my ‘character’ through plain labor as a carrier. 

Had Seika been here right now, I imagined she would’ve flashed an oblivious thumbs up along with that smile of hers to assure me it’d turn out alright. Yet, even something like that would’ve made me feel better now.

“For our usual volunteers, such a task would still be tiring, but overall not too bad. However, you, my friend, are on the… leaner and younger side- so I wish you the best of luck. Oh, and lunch break is in 2 hours. Now, ya got all that?”

“Yeah, thanks for the rundown”

Once I had left beyond his sight, I swiped my hand through the air before me in a vertical gesture.

[ Directive Status:

- There are no waves currently ongoing

- Time remaining until the next wave: 3:58:01 ]

Seika’s last words to me echoed in my mind.

***

“Your status as a shardbearer is… odd, to say the least, but you’re a shardbearer nonetheless. Does the name ‘Manaflow System’ ring a bell?”

“Yes, actually-”

“Good. I assume your system also provided information on your stats and abilities before suddenly vanishing sometime after obtaining it?”

“Yes. That exact situation happened to me before I entered Synoria Outlook”

“I see… so yours also disappeared before a major turning point in your life… that makes three- Regardless, the important thing is that World Zero runs on the World Zero System. I’m not too sure on the actual specifics of what the systems are, but we as shardbearers nonetheless have a greater connection to how those systems are designed compared to the regular folk”

“Meaning..?”

“We can do things like this”

She swiped a finger through the air before her, causing a system window to appear.

“At least for us shardbearers, we’re able to check on the status of those ‘directives’ the system occasionally gives us. This includes-”

She motioned for me to try opening my system window.

“The time until the next wave-?!”

“Shh! We don’t want to let anyone else hear about this for now, especially Setsuya”

“You haven’t told him?”

“Not necessarily. Since your arrival in World Zero, the system has gradually begun revealing itself to more people, meaning he’s gonna know sooner or later. But, for now, we’re going to use this knowledge to frame you in a way Setsuya can’t possibly shun”

“But why go through all this for someone you just met? I doubt aiding me like this has any benefit for you”

“Hmmm… I guess you just… interest me. I’d like to see what kind of changes you’re capable of driving in World Zero as a whole”

“That’s a really high bar…”

“Hah! Now, here’s the plan”

***

There was just under 4 hours before the next attack, meaning I essentially had about two hours before and after lunchtime to leave an impression of my capabilities.

Following the wave’s arrival would likely be a hasty evacuation and shelter protocol to ensure the safety of volunteer workers and citizens. That’s when I would step up and demonstrate my combat abilities, but most importantly, that I could retain the drive to fight for, not against, the people even while marked. At the same time, showcasing my status as a shardbearer to Setsuya would also likely prove beneficial.

“Hey, new kid! You with the lumber team up there? Y’know you’re supposed to bring your axe over from town-”

“No, I’ve been assigned to the transportation squad”

Simultaneously, the various occupied workers stopped everything to look my way, scrutinizing my stature.

“That’s… well, glad to have ya, kiddo”

I sensed a masked tone of fading respect and growing concern through the way he half bit his lip to force out these words.

***

In my opinion, dull, repetitive work is the best for dissociating the mind. 

Over the next two hours, the pattern of picking up bundles of logs, carrying them down the hill into town, walking back up the hill, then repeating it all over again became so second nature to the point I no longer had to focus on mindfully regulating my physical motions. 

Rather, this form of labor would serve to enhance my connection to the shard’s aether. With each trip, I was to focus on internally grasping that feeling of the shard’s presence, just as I had been able to do before with the system’s help. 

For reasons even beyond Seika’s knowledge, the system would no longer aid my combat and mana related abilities, meaning autonomy with the shard’s power was key.

For the first 30 minutes, I couldn’t sense the shard’s presence within me at all.

Nearing the end of the first hour, I began feeling like I could graze the aether’s surface. It was a pond that I could skim my fingertips over but not yet reach down to its depths.

About 10 minutes before the lunch break, I once again reignited that invigorating spark of a feeling.

The shard’s aether wasn’t stagnant. It was vigorously moving; A rushing river into which I had dipped a cupped hand, pulling back to retrieve a small handful of water.

For now, this amount of progress was more than good enough. 

One more trip.

I reached the top of the hill and directed my attention to the pile of logs before me. The lumber team hadn’t yet chopped these ones into manageable bundles. Perfect.

“Hey! We haven’t finished preparing that one yet! Don’t push yourself and just head down to get your meal. They’ve already begun serving”

I ignored the man’s words.

Once more. I focused on the feeling of grasping the aether’s surface, drawing it out to overlap with my own aura. There was no instinctual dissonance as there was when I first drew upon my own aether.

Stage 0

With a grunt, I heaved the logs over my shoulder. My strength had at least doubled. 

“Holy shi-”

The man who had been watching me with an amused expression suddenly covered his mouth and turned away. 

The logs were far too lengthy to fully balance in my arms. I instead opted for lifting up the front end while allowing the back end to drag through the dirt behind me like some oversized sword.

Finally reaching the wall’s current construction site, I dropped the logs to the ground with a heavy thud. With that task completed, my aura’s connection to the shard’s aether almost instantly became unraveled.

Murmurs of onlooking passersby and volunteers alike rippled through the crowd.

I paid them no mind, walking away to receive one of the sandwiches the culinary team was handing out to the people. Putting on a show like this would never have been my first choice had it not been for Seika’s persuasion.

I had barely finished my first bite when a new system window appeared.

[ Directive Status:

- The current directive’s conditions have been altered by a higher authority

- Time remaining until the next wave: 5:00 ]

I continued chewing as the seconds began ticking down.

It seemed I’d have to play the hero again a lot sooner than any of us had planned.