Chapter 24: What happens next
The unnamed teacher talked extremely quickly and with a lot of passion in her voice, sometimes shaking with the fervour she felt in her heart. Although she kept on repeatedly telling Nero that the focus of the class was just to allow him to create one single card, without the need for understanding the complexities that accompanied card making on a wider scale, she could not help but drop bits of random information here and there.
But Nero never stopped her, and maintained his focus throughout the lesson. Learning card making was extremely important for Nero, as he planned on continuing with the class even after he completed the basics. So anything he could learn now would make the lessons that eventually followed much easier.
"Child, you have too many questions," the teacher said, despite the fact that Nero had not asked a single question the entire class. She was the one who asked the questions, and she was also the one who answered them.
"Despite your curiosity, you need to take things one step at a time. Let's focus, for now, on making an Eldrim card based on your innate ability. Understand the steps involved, and its various necessities, and then we can begin to explore more complex matters in the field.
"Let's begin with the base. Let's say you are out in the wilderness, and have no cards and no resources. For your own survival, you need to make cards. So how will you make it? The answer is very simple. The resources to make most cards, especially 0 star or 1 star cards, can easily be found in the wild. Learning to harvest the materials will be one of the following classes.
"When making a card, there are a few things you need to take into consideration. First of all, what type of card do you want to make? For example, is the card a Neutral Magic card, an Elemental card, an Illusion card, an Augmentation card, a Cultivation card, a Healing card, and so on. There are endless categories, and the materials you use to make a card will actually depend on the kind of card you are making.
"For example, if you use the bark of a cedar tree as the base of a card, then from the very getgo, the card will have an elemental affinity. But if you strip away the bark, and use a thin film of the wood within as the base of the card, then it gains an illusion affinity. So you see, the recipe for each and every card is carefully designed long before the spell model even comes close to it.
"Now keep in mind, despite how thin a card is, it is actually made up of many layers, so each layer needs to be extremely thin. That means the process is very delicate, and very precise. The base of the card is the most important factor to determine its durability, but there are other factors that need consideration as well. Subsequent layers are needed, and you will now need a layer that conducts aether very well. It also has to match the affinity of the base layer, and cannot clash with it.
"The exact number of layers vary from recipe to recipe, but the cards also usually need to go through various chemical and aetheric treatments long before the spell model is even applied. Traditionally, crafting the spell model is an extremely difficult task, but in the case of innate cards, you only need to use the innate ability at the correct time, without destabilising the as of yet unformed card, and bind the card together.
"I'm sure, at this point you're wondering, why do cards require pictures, names, and even flavour texts. If you think they are meaningless then you are sorely mistaken, child. The flavour text and image are extremely important for defining the intent of the card!
"Let me give you a quick example. There are two cards, and both create fire. But one is used to burn enemies, and one is used to cauterise wounds during emergency treatment. The intent of one card is clearly malicious and hostile, while the other is clearly trying to provide aid. Although how a card's effects manifest are based on the user, establishing the intent of the card is absolutely essential when creating its recipe. I know what you're thinking, child..."
The class went on for a very long time, during which Nero actually learned a lot of general information, and yet somehow was nowhere near even beginning to make his own card. It was to the point where he did not even know what material to use as a base.
Still, Nero had taken a glimpse into the complex world of card crafting and artisans, and he felt extremely satisfied with it. When the class finally ended, the unnamed teacher gave him a lot of homework, which was basically to read through the entire introductory book she had given him.
Before leaving, Nero asked her if he could have an aether shard as well. Technically speaking, Nero was now eligible to receive 10 aether shards every month until his school finished, so he was not asking for anything outlandish. It was just not common to get them until he officially started the aether cultivation class.
When asked why he wanted it, he simply said he wanted to begin studying various materials used in card manufacturing. Aether dust, made from crushing aether shards, was a common ingredient so it was a believable excuse.
The teacher gave it to him without much hassle, just glad to be rid of him so she could return to her work. If he hadn't managed to get his hands on it he could just borrow one from Gabriel, but it was better to use one of his own if he could.
Feeling mentally drained, Nero finally left the class. The unnamed teacher paused when he left, and could not help but think back.
Originally she was not supposed to teach a mandatory class. She was much too qualified for that. But good old Footer had told her that he discovered a good student, so she gave it a chance.
During the entire lecture, she had barely paused to breathe. She had launched a relentless barrage of information at the unexpecting child, but she did not do it without method.
The entire time, her focus was solely on his eyes. She could read his thoughts easily through them. When some of her teachings confused him, or caused him to reflect on it slightly to absorb the information, she would slow down, almost imperceptibly. When his eyes would clear, she would once again resume her regular pace.
But throughout the entire process, despite her unreasonable teaching method, not only had the child not complained, but he had not dropped his attention either. She wouldn't be surprised if he actually managed to learn most of what she had just dumped on him.
She smiled for a moment before returning to her work. An interesting student indeed.
Although his mandatory class was over, school had not yet finished so he returned to his regular classes for another hour before school ended.
Normally, after school, Nero would begin his training routine. It would start with a run and some physical exercises before he began training with his spear. But, at least for now, he decided to postpone it. After all, he had an appointment with Silas.
Even from across the classroom, he could see how distracted and nervous he was. It was clear that he was dreading meeting Nero, but Nero himself did nothing to dissuade that anxiety.
"You're really mean to him, you know," said Wendy, as she saw Nero looking at Silas.
"Mean? No, there's no one who shows him more kindness than I do," replied Nero before stepping out of the class. He did not remind Silas about their meeting, or even make eye contact with him. He wouldn't forget, and he wouldn't try to hide - Nero was confident of that.
From another corner of class, Vanessa was watching everything, taking everything in. She had temporarily formed a group of friends who she was spending time with. She had taken the opportunity to ask about the relationship between Nero and Silas.
From what she heard, it still seemed like Nero was bullying him. Unfortunately, Silas suffered from extreme asthma, making it so that he was not really physically inclined. He had not undergone his own synchronisation yet either, so he really had nothing going for him yet. As a result, he was an easy target for bullying.
Private fights were harshly punished by schools, but that did not prevent students from targeting him during spars. For many months, he went home with a new bruise every time they had sparring classes, which wasn't unusual. But his bruises were always worse and more numerous than everyone else.
This continued, until one day he just gave up. He stopped fighting back. Instead of getting support from school, he was harshly criticised by the sparring instructor. That was the day Nero's relationship with him began.
Nero did not come forward or do anything himself. Instead, he just claimed that from that day onwards, Silas was his follower, and if anyone went overboard, Nero would take revenge.
At first, no one took him seriously. Silas still got beaten up. Then, as promised, Nero got his revenge in a very public, very bloody manner.
Of course the fight was still during a spar. But Nero had challenged the bully, and then beat him without giving him the chance to tap out. Then he did it again, and again, until the 'bully' changed schools!
That was a side of Nero no one had ever seen before. But it hardly bothered anyone. They were the children of soldiers. They had seen the darkness of humanity.
But Nero had not saved Silas from bullying, far from it. He just made it so that no one else would bully Silas.
Although the kid still got beat up in spars, it was only a regular amount. But for some reason, after that, Silas became extremely afraid of Nero. No one knew why. Publicly, at least, Nero had never hit him or berated him. But it was clear for everyone to see that Nero was pressuring him in some way.
Often Nero had Silas join him with his friends, but the more he included Silas in his circle, the more afraid he became.
Vanessa watched as Silas trudged out of class, his eyes fixed on the floor. He was sweating, even in this cold weather. Something was clearly up, but no one knew what. Besides, everyone had a good relationship with Nero, so no one wanted to confront him either.
But Vanessa had no qualms about picking a fight with Nero if need be. She made a mental note to judge the situation tomorrow. If she could develop a good relationship with Silas, then...
When Nero got home, he saw an unfamiliar kid sitting in his apartment, studying. He must be one of his roommates.
Nero introduced himself briefly, and let the kid, Anthony, know that he was having a friend over. Anthony, who had been awake all night due to classes, was too drained to hold much of a conversation.
Eventually, around 3:30, there was a knock on the door. The extremely light and hesitant knocks let him know that Silas had finally arrived. It was a pity that Gabriel wasn't here, but he was busy collecting information, so he would miss out.
He opened the door and looked at the pale youth standing in front of him, his eyes on the floor.
"Come on in," Nero said, and led Silas to his room before closing the door.
The boy stood very meekly in a corner, not daring to look up, which caused Nero to frown. For reasons he could not completely understand, whenever he looked at Silas like this, it would grate him in his very soul.
He was not usually quick to anger, but the sheer lack of will to fight in him always managed to tick him off somehow.
"I'll get to the point, Silas. I got one shard. One. This is your one chance. You can take it, or you can go back to the way things were before. How often did you have to get your teeth replanted? Was it weekly, or was it even more frequent than that? If that's what you prefer, then the choice is yours. But suffer no delusions, Silas. This is not life being unfair to you. This is not you getting stuck with asthma, or anything out of your control. This is your choice. So whether you climb out of hell, or dive back into it, it's completely up to you."
His speech did not have the rousing effect he hoped it would. The boy seemed even more afraid than before. Nero just could not understand him. It was like he was an alien race. When he already had nothing to lose anymore, why was he so afraid?
But he said nothing now. For better, or for worse, what happened next was up to Silas.