A System

"Yo. Estelle. Stellie. Stell. Lady Estelle Atans."

Standing beside me was a student with bright blue eyes and a crooked grin. A little disheveled, his first few shirt buttons were opened and his black hair fell choppily over his forehead. He leaned down, putting his face only inches from mine. If there was a wall behind me, I was sure he'd be leaning on it, towering over me. I stumbled back.

He cocked his head.

"Why are you staring at me like that? I thought my first-day bad boy look was perfect- although, I had to get it ready in the carriage. Mom would've killed me if she'd seen it." He chuckled, smile widening.

'Angel. Angel help. Who is this playboy.'

[Why would I know?]

'What should I do, then?!'

[Why would I know that either?!]

I clenched my teeth. I wanted to scream. Running wasn't an option, but neither was throwing a punch and hoping he passed out. My mind scrambled for a moment, and I decided to face this head-on.

"You look very dangerous," I nodded, my smile the picture of innocence, "I almost didn't recognize you."

He turned his chin up, arms crossed and looking pleased with himself. He reminded me of Charlie, who was still sitting on my head. It seemed the raven was so at peace in my ringlets that the boy had yet to notice him.

"Did you get a bird?" He questioned, glancing around for a sign of a feathery companion. I pointed to my head.

He squinted, and then his eyes widened.

"Can't believe your family let you. I didn't get one as punishment for the venus flytrap incident this past winter... but that looks like a crow? How is it fitting on your head?" He mused, staring at Charlie, "What a tiny bird-"

I felt Charlie lift from my head as he flew towards the boy and began pecking him, squawking indignantly. He yelled, surprised, and put his hands up to protect his face.

"Ah! Why is it attacking me?" He cried, drawing the confused and humored stares of a large section of the student body. Even Dr. Blighten, who was still rambling on, gave the poor kid a quick glance.

I didn't really care what Charlie did, but the noise was drawing too much attention, so I stepped forward, standing in between the divebombing raven and the sulking boy.

"Charlie. That's enough." I called, causing the bird to slow before making it's way to the ground. I kneeled down. "He's only jealous of how slim and handsome you are. Besides, isn't a smaller bird better to stay by my side and protect me?" I asked, reaching forward to rub his head.

Charlie paused, deep in thought, before cooing and beginning to bounce around, satisfied with my logic. I wasn't sure if my 'Charlie thinks he is big and important' theory was correct, but his reaction erased any doubt. My heart clenched. Conclusion: This bird was adorable.

I stood back up, dusting my pants off. I heard a flap and a chirp as Charlie landed back in my hair.

[...I have an idea.] Angel suggested, somewhat unsure.

'What?'

[Ask to see if he has uploaded his System to the IED yet.]

I had no idea what that sentence meant, but I put my faith in Angel. The boy was fixing his hair and adjusting his clothes, which had all gotten messed up by Charlie's ruthless attacks. His face was red, presumably from embarrassment. Before he could start talking about things I didn't understand again, I asked him.

"Have you uploaded your System to the IED yet? Can I see?"

Upon hearing my question he gazed down at his bracelet, then back up at me.

"Uh, sure," He mumbled, beginning to tap around with the IED interface. "But only if you promise to keep that bird away from me." He added, glaring fiercely at the top of my head.

"Of course," I assured him. It was a lie.

I could feel Angel's impatience as he stepped closer to me, angling the hologram in my direction. It was similar in appearance to the other IED pages but seemed personalized to him.

< Flora Elemental >

< Abilities (3 available):

Plant Growth: Increases the growth of nearby plants by up to 30%.

Vine Manipulation: Elongated and flexible plants can be solidified and controlled.

Jack of All Plants: General knowledge of plants and their uses. Can better cooking, and ease relations with herbivorous monsters. >

I read through the information, and couldn't help but be fascinated. He was like some kind of OP Gardner. The final greenhouse boss. Angel, however, had focused on something different.

[Up in the right corner. His name.]

I checked the top right corner. It read, .

"Li…" I mumbled aloud, drawing his attention.

"Ya?"

"Oh, nothing," I stammered, pulling away from the screen, "You've just gotten better since the last time I saw you."

[Don't say that. You could have seen him yesterday for all you-]

"I know, right?" He winked, hands on his hips, "Of course, it's all basically useless in battle unless the battlefield is a jungle…" He trailed off, dispirited.

'Nailed it.'

[…]

Before I could reply, Dr. Brighten's voice got louder, causing many of the chatting students to look back up at him.

"…And that concludes my long-winded speech," He promised, his spectacles trying to escape from his nose, "I'm positive you all listened to every word and will have no trouble following instructions and procedures. If there is something you missed, surely headmistress Grey will understand your reasons." At his conclusion, a few people paled, including Li.

"Dismissed!" He cried, scattering the student body. The horde of first years began making their way towards two large buildings in the distance that each resembled a stone fortress, with tall spires, metal statues, and decorated ramparts up top. Unlike fortresses, however, they had hundreds of large windows dotting the sides, and several outdoor patios and sitting areas. I assumed these were the dorms.

"Estelle," Li called, walking beside me in the crowd, "I need to go find Anton. He had to use the bathroom when we got here but I am almost sure he got lost. Said I wanted to room with him, not babysit…" Li sighed, running a hand through his hair.

'Sounds like Anton is someone else I'm supposed to know.'

"Alright. Good luck." I replied, waving him off. He turned to leave but then wheeled right back around to look at me, an odd expression on his face.

"You are okay, right?" He asked, struggling to meet my gaze, "When I saw you at the Plateau you seemed super nervous about something. I know it's not my place to ask, but, was it cause of your mo- uh, Countess Atan?"

[Countess?]

'Countess? My mother? Was it that lady from this morning?'

"Why would you think that?" I asked, trying to pull more information from him.

He frowned, uncomfortable. "You know why. Cause of the whole thing with your families' duty, and the fact that you don't…have a system yet." He finished quietly, looking to see if I would react.

I stared, processing what he had said. He seemed to take that negatively because he began to laugh, covering his tracks.

"No, I just mean, well, everything could change after testing tomorrow. Often when people are exposed to that much Etheria they awaken so…"

"You're right, Li," I interrupted, putting on a soft smile and pitiful expression, "I should stay hopeful. Thanks for always being there for me."

He blinked. I noticed his ears had turned red. Was he still embarrassed about earlier? Charlie wasn't that bad.

"Yes! You're right, I'm great, and uh, what was I- oh yeah, I'm gonna go get Anton. Might be in the common area later so come by with your roommate if you can!" He called, weaving through the mass of uniforms.

I waved goodbye, even though he wasn't looking.

***

In between pushing past students and locating my building, floor, hall, and finally room (with the help of Charlie, of course), I had the chance to ask Angel a few questions.

'Why did you ask to see his System? What is that?'

[I did not want to see his abilities as much as I figured his name would be on his IED. It was a good excuse.]

I had to agree. If he had learned I didn't even know his name, I wasn't sure how I could've wiggled out of that one.

'And a System?'

[Etheria is a semi-conscious substance that forms the entirety of the universe. When a lot of it is gathered in one place, or directed at one thing, it naturally moves to organize itself. So, when a person has a high enough inclination towards a certain ability, the Etheria organizes and creates a system for them to use, which in turn helps to fuel and develop their abilities.]

'Li Chen has a high inclination for...gardening?'

[It is a possibility, however, it is more likely he gained his power from a bloodline. Etherial concentrations are more often passed this way than not, with slight variations. That is why certain kinds of abilities are rarer than others because for an entirely new System to be created requires a unique existence.]

'Etherial testing...Iona mentioned it on the ride over. Is that to awaken a system?'

[Yes. By safely increasing the Etherial concentration in the vicinity of a person, it can cause their Etheria to compact to create space, forcing any existing System within to awaken. Opposingly, by removing Etheria from an area, you can force a system to disperse slightly to fill the empty space. The more advanced and 'powerful' the system, the harder it is to disperse.]

'Does it hurt?'

[Probably not.]

'Wonderful. Can't wait for tomorrow.'

[I feel like there is something else I am forgetting to tell you.]

'It better not be that my System is useless memory loss.'

[I can't rule it out.]

I sighed, finally reaching the door to my room. I was on the third floor of the Girl's building, only a floor above and two rooms away from the common area, aka, the bridge between the girl's and boy's dorms where Li said he would be. All across the hall girls were either chatting, dismissing servants, or saying goodbye to their personal maids. Most everyone's stuff had been moved into their rooms, leaving only open doors and a chance to mingle.

On my door, carved within a magic circle were two names. One was mine, Estelle Atan, and the other was June Blighten.

[Dr. Blighten. It seems he has a daughter?]

As I reached for the handle, the door burst open, revealing a girl with dark brown hair and ink stains across her face, glaring at me with earthy green eyes. The inked fingerprints on her face must have come from her equally ink-stained hands, and it was hard to tell what was ink and what was just freckles that dotted her small button nose. She had an androgynous figure that stood proudly, shoulders back. Her pale skin made her seem like an angry freckled ghost, whose bob cut bounced as it searched me up and down.

[I've noticed that you pay a lot of attention to other people's appearances.]

'Does she look like she knows me?'

[I don't see any recognition in her eyes.]

"June?" I asked, reaching my hand out to shake hers, "It's a pleasure to meet you, I-"

June cut me off with a snort, eyeing my hand before laughing at my confused gaze.

"You are the useless child of the Atan family, right? You have a lot of guts to even bother showing up here. Disgrace." She snarled, turning to walk back into the room with a flick of her hair.

I stood in the doorframe, mouth agape. Charlie stirred on my head, before flapping off and hopping into the dorm room, surveying the area.

[Second time today. Is hating you a trend?]

'Is it too late to change rooms?'