Aether Cores

If I had known that this would happen, I would've brought the entire house. I sigh as I look at the contents of my bag.

We should be thankful though, as we have extra reserves. We just have to figure out how we'll lug them around. I attempt to re-pack my bag, cushioning my electronics. Food is important but there's no second show for our electronics once they're wrecked.

"Ri, what do you have on there?" I pointed at her tablet.

"Just the usual…" Oh, she wants me to drop it. She's craning her neck.

"Ah, I see." I absolve her from having to explain. At least now I'm positive she's got medical books. Such a hard-working friend.

She's been swamped with standard cadet training but that hasn't stopped her from minoring in Pharmacy. All so that she could understand him better.

I look towards Idris, contemplating the irony of all this. Seems like her hard work wasn't done in vain, given all this, we'd need her skills.

Looking around the empty room littered with bags and supplies, I couldn't help but laugh at my state.

So much for preparing for possible gunshots or bombing. I should've prepared for bells dammit. It's better than being dead but it feels like I wasn't able to do much.

I'm not sure if it's anger or regret, if anything I'm sure I'm angry at those girls. Not because they cursed us like that but because had they used those on the enemies, we could've probably ended the war! I guess this is what's like to have lived an unfulfilling life.

Rina's looking at me with concern, she's probably wondering if I'd lost it. I probably have though.

"I'm fine, just couldn't help it, if I had a gravestone it would say, "Cursed to Death by Scorned Lovers", How's that for an honorable death?"

She tries to pat me on the back and I instinctively shift to the side. "I love you, and know that you want to comfort me but please not with those iron hands, then I might really meet our maker." She pouts and nudges me with her shoulders, finally laughing it off.

Don't mistake her pretty face and slender build, she's got a sledgehammer for hands. She can control it when necessary, but when she's relaxed she can slap you into the next day.

Idris seems to want to say something but I stop him, "If you're planning on apologizing, you can save it. None of this was your fault." I wave my hands at him.

Beside him, Lucian was clenching his jaw. Seems like he didn't appreciate that. I shrug my shoulders. "Too bad they didn't use it for war, could've been an easy win." His eyebrows furrow but I can see that he's unclenched his jaw.

"Anyhow, we should focus on getting due compensation." I smile sweetly and Rai trembles at that. "Scary…" I hear him muttering.

"Let's talk about essentials. I figured something from Rai earlier. We're practically transmigrating, sure, we were exiled- semantics. Regardless of where we're sent, we'd need a few things." 

Reading was one of the hobbies I managed to keep despite the threat of war. I've already vanished unceremoniously, so if I still don't get to use my book learnings, then to hell with my pride. 

"We'll probably encounter problems with language, storage, and necessities, then information." Rai started nodding and he's probably got some ideas.

"Captain, I may not be the best cadet, but I am confident about this!" If he could be inflated by how proud he is, he'd probably be flying now.

"Vice-captain is right! If we are thrown in the middle of palace conspiracies, how are we supposed to fight back if we can't even speak the language." Now my right eye is twitching.

"Hey! You saw the available realms right? Fuck palace conspiracies, they're serving us to aliens." I wheeze out.

I feel a headache coming and I clutch my head. "If possible, let's ask for spatial abilities. If all the realms are that brutal, we won't survive without provisions or if we can't protect our meager belongings." I stare at my hands and quietly murmur, "If they'd give us seeds, I'd take that any day too."

Arms crossed, looking at my hands, "You're able to grow food, if they cannot give us seeds, ask for the ability to classify local flora and fauna." I can be reasonable so I nod at Lucian.

"Ideally our advantage should be modern technology. But that will also be the root of our problem if the three realms were any indication." I muse hard. 

"We have survival skills, but even those were founded on using manufactured items. We don't know how to traditionally make things like salt. By the time we were born, humans have had to reverse engineer most resources. We've already exhausted much of the natural resources after all." I let out a long sigh.

"Oh yeah, normally the protagonist just identifies something from the modern world and then makes it work in the other world. Even I built and tinkered with existing parts, nothing from solid scratch." Rai held his chin and thought about it.

"Maybe we can ask for access to the Star Net? If that's not possible, maybe we can ask for a library or more books." Rina cushioned her head on her knees. "We'll also eventually encounter a shortage of medical supplies. Idris can heal with his abilities but there's still a limit to what can be healed. Infections would not be great and our tools are limited."

"I'm just hoping we don't have to ask for oxygen." I blew out.

"No worries, there's oxygen in this other realm." I almost jumped up, how long has he been there? Even Lucian seems surprised.

"Sorry I didn't mean to startle you, I forgot that you wouldn't be used to this."

We relax a bit and wait for him to continue. "Sorry for the wait. I had to ask them if it was possible to send you to a particular realm." He lightly waved his fingers and a familiar projection showed up.

There are humans.

This time, it seems like there's more than just a handful. He let us watch the people running around while hunting.

"Primitive?" I look towards the man and he nods. I can't help it and my eyebrow raises. If you had such a realm, why offer it just now?! Definitely fishy to me.

"You're probably thinking why I didn't start with this earlier." He smiles at us like he'd read our minds. "In familiar terms, this realm is in the Beta stage. And it's been that way for over 900 years." We all look at him, yep, something is wrong with this realm.

"This is Eryndor. This was our most successful realm up until the disappearance of its Architect, Shen. This was the culmination of the learnings we've had from our initial attempts and we were hoping to stick with this realm." He looked wistful as he watched the projection. For someone blindfolded it's clear can see, and likely, I wouldn't want to know why he's covering his eyes.

"You want us to find him?" Lucian asks, ever straight to the point, this guy.

"I was planning on asking." Taking a long breath he explains, "We believe that he's alive as the realm continues to function. As fellow architects, we can't meddle with existing realms and at most could only watch."

"And I'm guessing that we can?" Lucian tilts his head to the side, his eyes glinting.

"Yes, as humans, you would be able to enter. But like you, this would be a first for us so we have no precedent. I apologize for overhearing your earlier conversation but it seems like literature back in your realm could be helpful."

I'm sure that Rai has been revitalized by this. "What are the risks? You wouldn't have withheld this realm if it was that easy." Idris asks. Just fuck negotiations, I guess, these two are just shooting as they wish.

"We don't know Shen's whereabouts. We're also unable to meddle once you leave this place. Then there's uncertainty as to how you'd react to Aether cores." Gems the size of a whole thumb, started circling his palm.

"These are Aether cores. Unlike your bloodline abilities, Dorians rely on Aether cores. Shen believed in opening up a way to progression so he created a way for humans to harness energy through these. Dorians are naturally able to develop these provided conditions are met, but since you have to enter in your current bodies, we can only hope to transplant these on you."

"Are you planning on operating on us?" I hear the fear in Rina's voice but who would want to be operated on, even if it were by a god?! "Oh no," He shook his hands at us, trying to dispel our fears.

"More like you'll absorb it. These are essentially blanks. You can think of these as seeds, locals would have these and would be able to proceed with cultivation by gathering energy." I look at the gems and wonder exactly where they'd go, but I'll probably just scare myself thinking about it so never mind.

"I am only familiar with the first 12 cultivation ranks as Shen disappeared long before he could tell me the rest. 1st rank would be comfortable, and at least three of you can easily reach 3rd rank. That should allow you to develop this blank as an actual center core." I can tell that we're all visibly surprised.

"You mean that with their strength, it's only 3 ranks out of 12?" Rai kept glancing at the three of us and even I was wondering.

Lucian may be a capital jerk but he's also a capital talent. He's the captain for a reason. And if he's only 3rd rank material, then how big is the gap from 3 to 12?

"I'm unsure if 12 is the maximum rank, there are probably higher ranks that I wasn't made aware of." Just the thought of this makes me shudder. I'm torn between fear and curiosity, it suddenly got interesting.

"I also understand that you'd like to settle a few other things. We could get to those after this. The realm might reject you if anything is done before fusion. With these, you should be recognized as locals."

Lucan suddenly straightens his back, "I'll go first. Test it on me first." "Captain…" Rai sounds like he's about to cry, "Observe well." Lucian tells us and then asks the man about what to do next.

He was told to lie down and at that, a rather large velvet mattress appeared. They had that all the while but let us sleep on the ground, I seethe inwardly.

Lucian, in a rare show of obedience, lied down without a fuss. All 190cm, curses, of him almost taking over the large bed. I've once thought of retorting to his height insults by pointing out how big he was, but I'd just shoot myself in the foot.

There's nothing to pick at regarding his body, and this asshole knows it. Considering how he's too aware, I wonder just how many times he eyeballs himself through the mirror daily.

"Vice Captain Selene, I suggest you stare at the core instead." He did not just call me that. Suddenly I wish that the man would poke him with that crystal.

"Captain Luci, as much as I am honored by your concern, I would rather you focus. You're exerting too much effort. I didn't even know that you've developed x-ray vision such that you could see me through him. I'm so touched." I smiled professionally even though the man was blocking Lucian's view.

Rai kept flinching at my side and I was starting to wonder if he needed to go to the bathroom. "Do you need to go to the bathroom or something?" I turned to ask Rai. "No, Vice Captain," he vehemently shakes his head "It's nothing, it's just that…" I wink at him to assure him that I won't die. It's precisely because he hates it. Beside me, Rina shakes her head in surrender.