The Margin Hunt

The field outside Heavenreach didn't even have a name.

Just a stretch of wild goldgrass, bent from the wind, rustling softly toward a treeline where the forest began. The outer woodland loomed ahead, and beyond that — the shimmer of the Vein.

Here, the ground was untamed. Not quite part of Heavenreach, not quite part of the wilds.

So the Academy gave it a name.

They called it The Margin.

Not quite forest. Not quite safe. And today, crawling with warrenhops.

Small rabbit-like æstherbeasts — absurdly cute, tiny unicorn horn, devastatingly quick. Some are barely larger than a pillow. Others are as long as a forearm. Their long ears twitched at the slightest wind, and their footwork was sharper than any footsoldier's parade drill.

Their Agility scores ranged from 2 to 20. A terrifying curve, considering most first-years barely hit ten.

Which made this the perfect trial to measure æsther control.

[ Mrs. Maiven ]

"Today is all about æsther control."

"And to measure this..."

"You will hunt in pairs."

"Neutralize as many warrenhops as possible."

"Bring back their horns as proof."

Mrs. Maiven's tone was gentle, as always, even as she held her parasol against the noon sun. Her æsther tablet hovered beside her like a silent bird, glowing with student names and pulsing æsther signatures.

"The horns won't shed if the warrenhop dies."

"So don't kill them — startle them."

"Let them know you had them."

"That's what æsther control is."

Peggy raised a hand.

[ Peggy ]

"Wait — what?"

"We don't get to kill the fluffballs?"

[ Mrs. Maiven ]

"No, Ms. Orlson."

"You don't."

"Just bring back the horns..."

"Not their carcasses."

She paused long enough to ensure even the least attentive understood.

"The average Agility score among your class is around ten, according to the HEART."

"Some warrenhops today may reach twenty."

"So you will not win by chasing."

"You will win by..."

"Adapting."

"By feeling your æsther flow."

"And controlling it."

Another pause. One breath longer.

"You know your assigned pairs."

"When the horn sounds…"

"You hunt."

"Good luck, children."

[ Class of '51 ]

"Yes, Mrs. Maiven."

◈◈◈

Some students already looked eager. Others nervous. But Kaiden Stagin…

He was watching.

Standing slightly apart, eyes narrowed, jaw set. The golden grass bent at odd angles downwind. To most, it was just the wind. But Kaiden saw movement. He always did.

His Awareness Skill flared gently at the edge of his senses.

So did Tracking, Survival, Silent Step, Identify, and the rest.

Thirteen skills in total. Acknowledged by the HEART System on Ascension Day. Far more than any other first-grader.

He whispered under his breath.

[ Kaiden ]

"Six warrenhops near the ridge."

"One's fast..."

"Really fast."

"It'll bolt first."

Dessie, his partner for the exercise, leaned in beside him, stretching her bow across her shoulders with practiced elegance.

[ Dessie ]

"Kaiden…"

"Have you ever hunted anything cuter than me?"

Kaiden blinked.

[ Kaiden ]

"Uh…"

"What?"

She winked.

[ Dessie ]

"Warrenhops!"

"I meant the warrenhops."

[ Kaiden ]

"...Yes."

"Hunted them before with my Pops."

"They zig-zag. Fast reaction."

"We need to hit them when they commit."

"That's the secret."

Dessie's arm brushed his as she stepped into position beside him.

[ Dessie ]

"Then you take point, Tracker-boy."

"I'll just look pretty for the finish."

[ Kaiden (half-smile) ]

"Let's just stick to the plan."

He didn't rise to the bait, not because he didn't notice. But because something else was pulling at him.

Across the grass, Irna's expression barely changed, peeked at the two. Still cannot believe how they ended up being paired together.

But her guzheng — slung over one shoulder — shifted with a twitch of her wrist.

[ Irna (murmur) ]

"She's doing it on purpose."

"...And he's not even noticing."

Beside her, Rell rolled his shoulders.

[ Rell ]

"I'm really glad to be your partner, Irna."

"And..."

"If you need someone who actually listens to you…"

"I'm right here."

Irna didn't answer.

Her mind was obviously somewhere else.

◈◈◈

" THOOOOOM "

A long, low horn echoed over the field.

The hunt began.

Pairs scattered in all directions, blades and æsther tools at the ready. The tall grass swallowed them like waves.

Rio and Nari moved left, Nari's grimoire flapping erratically as runes burst into midair with each scan.

[ Nari ]

"Burrows detected!"

"Three — wait, four!"

[ Rio ]

"Cover angles."

"You go high."

"We are going to win this!"

Peggy and Vonn drifted right. Peggy was already laughing.

[ Peggy ]

"Snare net or boom-slam?"

[ Vonn (quietly) ]

"Snare."

He didn't yell. Didn't flirt. Just moved. Not his usual self when he was around Peggy. A gust of æsther wind wrapped low along the soil, catching a trio of warrenhops before they even cleared the brush.

Peggy raised an eyebrow.

[ Peggy (grinning) ]

"Okay, he's got game."

Kaiden, on the other hand, melted into the golden grass like smoke. He didn't laugh. Didn't talk. Just made the most of what he has.

Skill: Silent Step.

Each breath was measured. Each footfall was deliberate.

[ Kaiden ]

"Two hops, ahead."

"One slow. One twitchy."

"Get the twitchy one, first."

[ Dessie (mock whisper) ]

"I love it when you talk dirty æsther…"

She loosed an arrow. It missed.

Kaiden didn't.

His wooden dagger sailed through the air, catching the warrenhop just behind its foot. It didn't pierce — but the jolt stunned it. A moment later, æsther bindings lashed upward from the grass, catching it mid-fall.

Horns twinkled faintly.

One down.

Meanwhile, Irna stood still.

Not because she was unsure, but because something inside her had begun to stir.

Rell was moving wildly, chasing every blur in the grass.

[ Rell ]

"We're falling behind, Irna!"

"C'mon, let's outscore him already..."

Irna wasn't listening.

She closed her eyes and plucked a single note.

The æsther around her shifted. The strings of her guzheng lit faintly.

She drew back her fingers and fired.

The arrow glowed faintly in the air — then vanished — only to reappear near the warrenhop's back leg.

Thunk.

A perfect hit.

The creature rolled harmlessly. Its horn blinked loose from its head in a glitter of æsther light.

Rell froze.

[ Rell ]

"What the…"

Kaiden turned at the shimmer. He knew that glow.

He'd seen it once, long ago, during his drills with Nik.

Nik had said:

"If you ever see a shot land where it wasn't aimed…"

"Don't chase it."

But this wasn't a ghost.

It was Irna.

Kaiden stared for just a second longer than he should've.

Dessie noticed.

[ Dessie (low) ]

"Ugh…"

"She really wants you to look, huh?"

Kaiden didn't answer.

But somewhere deep inside, he realized something was changing.

Irna's arrows didn't just strike.

They resonated.

And he wasn't the only one watching anymore.

◈◈◈

Kaiden's focus returned just in time to catch another twitch in the tall grass.

[ Kaiden ]

"South ridge."

"Triple hop cluster."

"Fastest one's about to bolt..."

[ Dessie ]

"Got it."

Her arrow whistled through the air — and this time, it hit. Not a killshot, of course. Just enough to disorient. She didn't stop there. With a fluid spin, she nocked another arrow, pivoted on one foot, and let the next one fly toward another blur zigzagging through the grass.

Missed.

But Kaiden was already moving.

His Survival Skill flared in his chest like instinct. He didn't waste breath. Didn't need to explain. The warrenhop thought it had dodged clean — then found itself leaping right into Kaiden's trap.

He tackled the creature midair.

His hand hit the horn. It blinked loose.

Another one down.

[ Dessie (smirking) ]

"You can tackle me like that any time..."

"Hehe."

Kaiden didn't reply. He was already tracking the next patch of movement. The skill synergy inside him churned like gears clicking into place.

Awareness. Tracking. Silent Step. Grappling.

He was built for this.

But he wasn't the only one.

Irna had never aimed an arrow before today.

Not a real one.

Not without fear — of string snapping, of missing, of everyone seeing she wasn't ready. Not without doubting whether she even had a place among fighters like these.

But her æsther had stopped trembling.

That first shot had done something to her.

And now the strings of her guzheng shimmered with æsther light — faint, almost translucent, like morning frost — while the body shifted, now resembling a mighty strongbow.

[ Irna (whisper) ]

"I can do this…"

She shifted her stance again, copying what she remembered of Dessie's posture. Feet slightly apart. Left hand steady. Bow like a cradle.

[ Rell ]

"Another one!"

"Left side!"

Irna plucked.

The arrow was released in silence.

It vanished mid-flight.

Reappeared in front of the warrenhop — right where its next step would land.

Thunk.

Another perfect hit.

Rell stopped mid-sprint.

[ Rell ]

"How..."

"What even..."

[ * Irna * ]

"They resonate."

"My arrows…"

"They're æsther-guided."

The next one she loosed traveled even faster. This time, she didn't even aim at the creature — she aimed where she knew it would be.

The arrow disappeared again.

The horn popped off like a bubble bursting in the wind.

Across the field, Peggy let out a low whistle.

[ Peggy ]

"Yoooo…"

"Did she just…"

[ Vonn ]

"Yeah."

"She did."

Even Rio paused.

[ Rio ]

"That's new."

[ Nari ]

"That's æstheral resonance."

"Improbable, unstable..."

"…Beautiful."

Irna stood still in the middle of the field.

Warrenhop horns blinked faintly at her feet.

The wind curled around her like quiet applause.

◈◈◈

Kaiden knelt beside a tall tuft of golden grass, catching his breath. Three horns in one hand, a scratch along his arm from a particularly nasty leap.

Dessie leaned over, hands on her knees, panting just slightly.

[ Dessie ]

"Ugh, I feel like I'm about to die."

"Swear you won't tell anyone I..."

"Sweat."

[ Kaiden ]

"You're sweating..."

"A lot."

[ Dessie (grinning) ]

"Then you're sworn to secrecy now."

She stood up straight again and stretched her arms, deliberately arching her back as she twisted just enough to catch Irna's direction in the corner of her eye.

Irna's arrows sparkled in the grass.

[ Dessie (low) ]

"Showoff."

Kaiden wasn't looking at her.

He'd already seen the last arrow Irna fired.

That disappearing bolt. That second vanish-shot that curved before it reappeared midair.

Nik had once called it ghost-striking.

Except this wasn't a fluke. Or a curse.

It was precision.

It was purpose.

It was Irna — rising.

◈◈◈

Eventually, the horn blew again.

" THOOOOOM "

The signal for return.

Pairs emerged slowly from the tall grass, laughing, nursing bruises, comparing horn counts. Mrs. Maiven stood beneath her parasol with a serene expression, marking names and scores into her floating tablet.

[ Mrs. Maiven ]

"Well done, Class of '51."

"Not because you caught many horns."

"But because you understand the exercise."

Rell looked half-defeated, half-in awe.

[ Rell ]

"You were amazing out there, Irna."

[ Irna ]

"I had a good partner."

She didn't say it with sarcasm.

Just enough to make Rell beam.

Peggy was leaning on Vonn, who had five horns in one hand. Peggy had four. One of hers was scorched black.

[ Peggy ]

"Okay, fireball net was not a great idea."

"But it did the job just fine!"

Vonn didn't say much.

Just gently passed her a water flask.

[ Peggy (softly) ]

"…Thanks."

Across the field, Kaiden and Dessie approached, their total horn count sitting at twelve.

[ Dessie ]

"Twelve horns and a good workout."

"Not bad for a half-day date."

Kaiden glanced at her.

[ Kaiden ]

"This was a training exercise."

[ Dessie ]

"Then I better train harder."

"Before Irna steals the spotlight."

Kaiden didn't answer.

◈◈◈

Later that evening, as the sun dipped low behind the trees, the students filtered back toward their dorms — tired, bruised, and proud in their own quiet ways.

The horns were already tallied via the System.

Rio and Nari came in first. His trait, Lucky Streak, may have something to do with it.

Irna and Rell were in close second. But she didn't seem pleased with the result. Maybe because she finished above someone.

Kaiden and Dessie came third, though only because Kaiden kept letting her take the finishing shots.

The other students teased and traded jabs all the way back to their dorm. Most didn't notice the sky darkening.

Irna walked slower than most.

Rell had peeled off to meet some of the other Dawnseekers, and she didn't mind the space. Her guzheng morphed back to its original form, slung across her back again. The æsther glow had faded. Her fingers still tingled from the rush.

She walked alone.

And with each step, one thought came back again and again:

[ * Irna * ]

"He didn't even notice."

"All of that, and he didn't look."

"He was too busy with..."

Then she stopped.

At the small stone bridge just before the dorm path, there was a tree. Broad, old, and gnarled at the base. Its roots curled up through the soil like folded hands.

And beneath it…

Kaiden.

Leaning against the trunk. Hands in his pockets.

Waiting.

[ Kaiden ]

"You…"

"Did really great out there."

Irna froze.

[ Kaiden ]

"I saw your arrows."

"They weren't just shots..."

"Were they?"

"They were intentions."

She looked away, unsure of what to say.

[ Irna ]

"You…"

"Saw?"

[ Kaiden ]

"Would've been blind not to."

A pause.

[ Kaiden ]

"Was proud of you."

Irna's heart squeezed. It wasn't the words alone — it was how he said them, like he meant them long before he found them.

[ Irna ]

"Uh..."

"…Thanks."

She started to walk past him.

But he didn't move.

[ Kaiden ]

"Mind if I walk with you?"

Irna hesitated — not because she didn't want to say yes, but because something inside her was still catching up.

[ Irna ]

"…You don't have to."

[ Kaiden ]

"I want to."

And so they walked back to the dorm, right after Kaiden pocketed the day's gain.

[ HEART ]

[ Warrenhop Horn ]

Durability: 15/15

Market Value: 2 copper

Grade: Common+

[ Passive ] +0.05 AGI

Resonance: Awaiting

No one else was around. The stars were beginning to peek through the sky.

Irna didn't ask why he stayed behind. She didn't want to ruin the moment.

And Kaiden didn't say what he really felt — that deep down, he'd sensed something in her æsther. A quiet pull. Shadow along the edges. Just like when he was trying to understand Voidspace.

An unlit direction he didn't want her to fall toward.

So he stayed close.

Not because he was falling for her.

But because someone had to look after her.

Just like Nik did for him.

And under the tree where he waited — neither forest nor safe, right on the Margin — something began to root itself quietly between them.

Not love.

Not yet.

But something even rarer.

Understanding.

The kind that takes root — not all at once, but slowly.

Like æsther, learning to adapt."