23 – The Vacu Paradox

Ari woke up on time the next day, but when she got out of bed, Lyra wasn’t in the room. She wasn’t in the privy, either. Strange. Maybe she’d awoken earlier and gone for a walk to clear her head.

Ari had wanted to talk to her about her essence problem, but on second thought, maybe it was better she didn’t. According to Elric, that could potentially come off as judgment, and she was trying not to portray that.

Maybe it was best to let Lyra reach out when she was ready. At least, that was probably what Celie would say, although she herself was terrible at taking that advice.

Once Ari was ready for her first class, which was leyline studies, she checked her messaging scroll. Still no response from Elric. Her worry strengthened, and she sighed, sealing the scroll before leaving the room.

Lyra and the twins weren’t at breakfast either, so Ari decided to sit alone for today. She’d had a ton of interaction the day before, which should tide her over for some time till she desired companionship again.

The food was different, much to her annoyance. She’d liked the duck yesterday, and had been looking forward to making it her daily breakfast option. Why were they now serving an assortment of berries and oats, with fat sausages on the side?

“Excuse me.” After two minutes of internal deliberation and preparation, she approached the same man from yesterday and asked, “Do you happen to have any duck?”

He shook his head. “Not today.”

Ask follow-up. “Well, do you have bean porridge, or quail eggs, or rye?”

“No. The menu looks different every day, but we never have any of that.”

“Different every day?” That was terrible, the most worrisome news she’d heard since being here. How was she going to cope?

She swallowed her horror and said carefully, “Would it be possible for me to get the same standard meal each day instead?”

“You want the same thing every day?”

“Yes, please. If you can.”

He stared at her for a few seconds, then asked her, “What would you like?”

“I enjoyed the duck,” she said.

“You can’t have just the duck. It’s not a balanced meal.”

That was correct. She needed a grain to counteract the duck.

She glanced at the selection on the table and told him, “I will let you know how I feel about the oats and berries today.”

His moustache twitched for some reason as he said, “Please do.”

Ari found the oats and berries adequately suited to her taste buds, and she hummed while she ate. She also read the new book that Elric had gotten her, pausing on the passage about fostering appeal with absence:

When seeking to win another’s favor, one must cultivate a careful sense of timing, particularly in knowing when to withdraw. While it might sound counterintuitive, distance can strengthen rather than weaken one’s position.

To court a king is an exercise in both restraint and presence. Just like a courtesan, the jester must toe the line, remaining reliably available when called upon, yet avoiding becoming so ever-present that their company loses distinction.

Ari nodded. She had thought so too, which was why she had given Lyra her ‘space’ today. However, the book didn’t tell her when that space-giving was supposed to end.

It simply told her to ‘check the temperature of the relationship routinely’, and ‘offer your presence when suitable.’

She would need further clarification about that.

Ari also mentally highlighted a passage about compliments.

Commendations must be as close to honesty as you can get. Kings often know when they’re being lied to, and they despise it.

Keeping compliments grounded in reality sounded like a great idea. Ari would also despise such deceit.

This was a very good book.

The next chapter was called “The Art of a Good Joke,” and she was looking forward to delving into it after she was done studying today.

Ari’s first class was Leyline studies.

Lyra was there, but Ari pointedly took the seat furthest away from her to create that necessary distance required to win favor. Lyra didn’t seem to notice, but that might be because the professor walked in and the lesson promptly began.

This was the first class in which Ari had not been asked to introduce herself. Professor Flintwick barely acknowledged the students at all, not calling any names or asking any questions as he droned about leyline angles and harmonic convergence.

Ari could already tell this was not going to be her favorite class, simply because all of it was theoretical, with no practical, and it was not a topic she was particularly interested in.

However, she appreciated how technical it was and wrote down all the things she would have to study on her own time.

The class after that was core stabilization. It was a guided meditation session with Professor Llywyd, who revealed she was a Vitae-dominant, capable of reading auras and sensing how much essence each person’s cores were consuming through that.

Ari made sure not to ingest too much, keeping it within her reported levels. Still, Professor Llywyd stopped in front of her for some time without moving.

“Interesting,” she heard the professor murmur.

When Ari opened her eyes, she found the short woman staring at her through her round glasses.

“Your name is Arielle Blacksoil, correct?”

“Yes?”

The professor had a small smile. “Are you unsure of that, dear?”

“I’m sure of my name. I’m unsure why you’re asking.”

The professor simply shook her head. “No reason.” Then she continued her stroll.

After class, Ari skipped lunch and headed back to her room. When she got there, Lyra was watering her plants.

Ari decided to check the temperature by telling her, “You’re doing a very good job, tending to them.”

It was a compliment grounded in reality. The plants looked more vibrant and healthy than any of the ones her mother had tended to.

“Thank you,” Lyra said without looking up.

Ari was satisfied, and she headed to her desk, opening her messaging scroll.

There was a message there for her, but it wasn’t from Elric.

Ari! This is Celie. We just received this messaging scroll from Archmage Elric, and he said we could talk to you like this!

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Ari responded simply, even as her insides jumped with elation.

Yes.

Her sister’s response was even quicker.

Wow! I can’t believe it worked! This is my first time using one of these! Brom’s here too!

This is Brom. Are you the real Ari, or has that wizard replaced my sister with a cheap clone?

They’re not called wizards, Brom; they are ascended. And clones, by and large, are not cheap. They require expensive magical tools and expert craft. Also, Celie, you do not have to end each sentence with an exclamation point. It gives the impression that you’re screaming at me.

Two sentences were scribbled at nearly the same time.

Heavens forbid I show excitement because I miss my sister.

I’m convinced. You’re definitely Ari.

Ari wrote back:

I miss you too.