Chapter 5 - Opportunity

Thursday, May 8th, 2025

Dear Bianca,

A new Earthen arrived today. A week has passed since I arrived here, so they were expected to arrive any day now. I was hoping to meet them, see if I could gather any information about what's going on over there, but they turned out to be a fourteen-year-old kid. Alon told me that they wouldn’t stop crying about their parents and wanting to go home. He mentioned the kid was from Brazil, which got me curious as to how the people here could understand Portuguese. I wish I didn’t. Apparently, what they say and what I say sounds like their language to them, save for the words that don’t exist. When I listen and write, I perceive it as my own, but regardless of where they’re from, everyone who arrives here speaks the local language.

Even the words coming out of my mouth seem to not be mine. Just another way this place takes away what little parts of home I have left.

Anyways, for now the kid’s in a different program than mine since they’re so young. It seems I’ll have to wait another week or so for a chance to find out anything from back home.

I also found out they do have strawberries here. I mean, they’re a little smaller and called redberries for some reason, but they’re still pretty much the same. It’s nice. The person selling them gave me a few to try for free, so I’ll probably buy a bunch later. It’s a lot sweeter than the ones from home, so I think you would have liked them. I’d try to bring some back, but I don’t even know if I’ll be able to bring these letters back to you once I return.

Tetsuo paused as his hand hovered over the line.

Anyways, I’m working hard to figure this place out. I’ll be back in no time. I wish I had a way to tell you I’m doing alright. I’m scared to know what you’re thinking about me, but I hope it’ll all make sense once I’m back.

Tetsuo signed off the letter and tucked it into the drawer of his dresser. He laid down on his bed and clenched the pillow to his chest. He trembled as he breathed in deeply for four seconds, and shakily exhaled for eight, repeating this pattern until he began to feel drowsy, drifting off to sleep.

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In…. Out... In... Out…. Calm, like a lake. Don’t get carried away.

The axe vibrated in his hands as Tetsuo focused his Ars through it. He visualized the energy leaving his palms and traveling up the wooden handle and into the markings on its metallic head. The log in front of him stood upright and motionless. Slowly, he lifted the axe above his head and closed his eyes briefly as he exhaled. He swung the axe down, burying its edge into the ground, scattering chunks of dirt around him. The log had been shattered into an unrecognizable pile of splinters.

“You overdid it again.” Alon picked up one of the slivers of wood, palming its tip. When he moved his hand, the tip had a small flame gently flickering, slowly travelling down the wood. “I can teach you combat, and I can teach you manners, but this one’s the kind of thing you have to figure out on your own.” Alon palmed the piece of wood again, extinguishing its flame, before setting down a new log in front of Tetsuo. “Try to think of it like baking bread. Too much heat, and it’ll burn. Too little, and it'll end up as a nasty paste.”

“Like bread.”

Bread. Bread. Bread.

Tetsuo swung again, the markings on the axe flickering between states of visibility. The axe struck the edge of the log before bouncing back towards Tetsuo. The handle slipped out of his hands as he barely managed to dodge to the side, avoiding the kickback of the axe. Tetsuo sighed as he went to retrieve it from where it landed a few feet away. Alon followed and handed him a tin canteen to drink from.

“Don’t worry, that last one wasn’t your fault. I think you just burnt yourself out again.”

Tetsuo collapsed onto the ground and took a swig from the canteen. He wiped the sweat off his brow, and pressed the cold tin against his forehead. As the water travelled through him, he could feel that familiar energy begin to course through him again. He handed the canteen back to Alon. “Thanks.”

“It’s cool. As an Earthen you can’t control Ars the way we can, so it’s important for you to eat, drink, and breathe to stockpile some inside you.”

“You said your grandfather was like me, right? Why can you control it then?”

“I was born here, which seems to be the important part. Even if two Earthens had a child, the child would still be able to control Ars.”

“What a ripoff…”

“Hey, just be grateful you can even use it. If you couldn’t, Earthens would probably be as useful as a pet.” Tetsuo’s worried expression startled Alon into an explanation. “Err... not that we’d keep you as pets, just like, you wouldn’t be able to do work, or help out much. Although I guess a pet…” Alon began to trail off as his corrections and ramblings began to trip over themselves.

“Anyways.” Tetsuo interrupted as he stood up. “As I am now, do you think it’ll be enough?” He held out the axe, the markings on it faintly appearing as he focused his Ars on it.

“Normally, no. You’d have to train for at least another two weeks and be able to prove that you can consistently handle your Ars. Even then, you’d still need to finish the rehabilitation program, and enroll in the kingdom's defense legion with a knights recommendation. However…” Alon paused for dramatic effect as he reached into his pocket and handed Tetsuo an envelope. “I’m worth a lot more than the average knight's recommendation.”