Chapter 34: Playing with fire
There were no more explosions after the first, but mild tremors continued to occur throughout the remainder of the night. But each tremor only fueled the energy and excitement that filled the students instead of making them wary.
Nero tried to call his father through Gabriels phone, but the old man didn't pick up, which was not normal at all. A part of Nero imagined that his old man was a super secret agent as a part of Whisper Guard. After all, which kid did not imagine their parents as a secret powerhouse when they found out they worked for a secret organisation? But, during his entire life, Nero did not recall his father displaying any signs of even being actively in the military any more.
He always had laid back work hours, never once disappeared in the dead of night, nor did he have a secret underground training lair where he also hid his weapons.
So for a very ordinary dad to miss a call right after a massive explosion rocked the city was definitely not normal. It just occurred to Nero that he hadn't talked to his father in a while, and he hadn't received that letter he had mentioned either.
After leaving a message to his father to call back on Gabriel's number, Nero decided to put the matter to rest for now. It wasn't as if he could do anything about it.
The students were eventually all evacuated from the building and a number of teachers arrived to organise them. Until the buildings were checked for structural damages, they would not be allowed back inside.
Makeshift tents were set up in the school grounds, while a lockdown was placed into effect in the city for the whole day. Unable to train since the school building was also sealed, or study since his books were still in his room, Nero decided to catch up on his sleep.
The entire day was wasted just sitting around, and it was late in the evening when they were allowed to return to their dorms. Gabriel, who had disappeared at some point, also finally reappeared, looking troubled.
"Did you find out anything?" Nero asked.
"I have no idea what's happening outside, but at least within the city, things are not going to ease off for a while. We're going to be in partial lockdown for a while more."
The lack of information was disappointing, but besides a wasted day, nothing really changed for Nero personally.
The next day school resumed as if nothing had happened, and the students began exchanging stories of where they were and what they were doing when the explosion happened. Most were asleep. Though the interesting parts of their stories came afterwards, when they began discussing their theories and speculations about the Sage. Even his, or her, identity had not been revealed yet.
Nero, however, was too distracted to care about any of that.
"We need to start training with my innate ability," Nero stated, as he looked at Footer.
Prior to yesterday, he was content being patient. His aether control was not to the level that Footer deemed necessary to move on, let alone Nero's own standards. Keeping that in mind, training his innate ability was extremely dangerous. Although Nero himself was immune to the effects of his ability, his surroundings weren't.
With his lacking control, practising his innate ability was liable to cause accidents, and possible even injury. But even so, he could not wait anymore.
"Nero, I told you, when you can pass my test, we can begin training your innate ability."
"Sir, with all due respect, if you do not start training me, then I will begin practising on my own at this point."
Nero did not feel like giving an inspirational speech would change Footer's mind anymore than the threat would, so he directly produced the reason for his decision.
He pulled out his dagger and showed it to his teacher. Its blade was chipped, and a small crack was running through its body.
"When the explosion happened, I used my innate ability on the knife by accident. The room's vent grate came flying off and I hit it with the knife. Both the knife and the grate suffered minor damage like this. I can't afford to keep buying new knives. In fact, it would be best if I can get weapons made that can tolerate my ability. But even besides that, I need to know how not to harm my own gear. The knife is still tolerable, but what if I end up damaging my cards?"
Footer took the knife from Nero and observed it closely. The fact that Nero's ability could cause a reinforced knife to become so vulnerable was incredible. Admittedly, the weapon was only made of ordinary materials, but even so it was not ordinary for a Neophyte's ability to be so potent.
Ultimately, Footer sighed as he squeezed the bridge of his nose, and made a decision.
"Okay, take the test one more time, just so we know the level of control you've achieved. After that, we can begin training your innate ability."
It was rare for Footer to take a step back. Ordinarily, he was quite strict with his rules. But it was impossible to prevent Nero from using his ability completely, and accidents like the one during the explosion were impossible to avoid completely. If the situation were different, Nero's unfamiliarity with his own ability would do more harm than good.
Footer once again used Fairy Lights on Nero, making the aether he used visible in the form of sparks. Nero had gained a basic control over aether, at least with his own body. That meant if he wanted to control aether in his hand, he wouldn't accidentally use it on his foot. If he wanted to cover his nose, he wouldn't accidentally cover his entire face.
This was enough to get him started in basic use of aether. But he still lacked fine control.
Footer placed a grey tile in front of him. The tile, while otherwise sturdy, became extremely vulnerable if aether were channelled through it.
The test involved using aether on his finger, and gently drawing a straight line across the tile. So long as Nero controlled the amount of aether leaving his body, it would not be an issue. While the goal was not to release any aether at all, the tile could still tolerate a mild release. The only difference was that the line would be messy instead of neat and uniform.
Unfortunately, the moment Nero touched the tile with his finger, the entire tile shattered.
"Perfect. So you still have zero control over aether emissions. Now let's start playing with fire. There's no way this can go wrong."