Chapter 1: The Unbonded

AETHER — Vol.1
SCENE 1 — The Hall of Attunement (Kael)The crystal was supposed to feel warm when you touched it.Mine felt like stone buried in winter.The Hall of Attunement stretched above us in pale vaults of polished marble, its ceiling webbed withthreads of silver conduit meant to carry resonant aether. Hundreds of students stood in ordered rows,palms hovering above suspended prisms that pulsed like sleeping stars.Far down the hall, a bell rang. Light, clean.Someone had succeeded.— Do not reach outward, the proctor said. The spirit is not something you summon. It hears you whenyou are honest.Honest.I breathed in. Out.My prism flickered.Then returned to stillness.Around me, spirits manifested: a fox of pale flame, a hummingbird of crystal wings, a shape likestarlight caught in water. Joyful gasps, relieved laughter.Beginnings.I was cold.— Candidate Ardent, the proctor murmured. You are holding back.— I didn’t think there was anything to hold.He did not argue. He stepped away.Stillness.Breath.Silence.The crystal listened.And did not sing.SCENE 2 — The Girl Who Would Not Bond (Lira)Most people breathe too loudly when they’re afraid.The hall was full of those breaths. But his silence was different.Not empty.A door.I stood at the far end, my prism swaying gently. Aether gathered at my fingertips, eager to becomeshape.The instructors had already decided my story long before today:Unbondable.Over-attuned.Dangerous.I lowered my lashes. Listened.Resonance shimmered across the hall — hundreds of emotional signatures, each calling spirits intobeing.Except one.His.Closed. Contained. A wound sealed too tightly to bleed.The proctor nodded for me to begin.I touched the prism.Light gathered — moonwater pale.Spirits turned to look.Students stilled.I stopped just before calling.Let the light return.A soft chime rang anyway.Silence fell.Someone’s breath caught.His.SCENE 3 — Outside the Hall (Kael)The academy courtyard smelled of slate and new grass. Students drifted outward, clutching spirits andfutures.I walked alone.There was a bench beneath a willow. I sat.The wind shifted.She was standing there.Her voice was soft:— You’re still holding your breath.I released it.— That’s better.We were quiet.— I didn’t bond, I said.— I didn’t either.No pity.Just truth.— What’s your name?— Lira.— Kael.A nod.— You weren’t empty, she said. You were afraid.— You weren’t unbondable. You were protecting yourself.Our eyes held.Warmth flickered.Resonance.SCENE 4 — The Notice Board (Kael)Training pair assignments had been posted.PRACTICUM — SECTION 3Ardent, Kael — UnbondedLira — UnbondedWhispers bloomed.— They’re pairing the failures.— Cruel.Lira simply said:— We’ll do it together.Not hope.Agreement.SCENE 5 — First Contact Drill (Lira)The resonance hall was open stone and light. The instructor held a staff of blackwood, aethersimmering around her like heat over sand.— Take his hand.Kael stepped forward. I did too.Our fingers touched.Aether stirred.Not in light.In ache.The ache of:I have been alone a long time.So have I.The instructor’s breath caught.— That was resonance without initiation. Impossible.We let go.My fingers trembled.His breath shook.We said nothing.SCENE 6 — The Walk (Kael)We walked beneath lantern arches.— You didn’t run, she said.— It didn’t feel wrong.— It didn’t for me either.Something shifted inside me.Where love begins.SCENE 7 — First Spar (Lira)The practice ring was unadorned stone. The instructor set wooden blades in our hands.— Move with each other.Kael stepped.I mirrored.Four beats in.Six beats out.Breath matched breath.Our blades crossed lightly — a question.His knuckles brushed mine.Warmth flickered.Resonance fluttered awake.The instructor stared.— You two will train privately.SCENE 8 — Lantern Light (Kael)Evening settled over Valencrest. Lanterns glowed in soft golden arcs.We stopped overlooking the city.— You moved when I moved, I said.— You breathed when I breathed.Silence.Gentle.— I didn’t think I could do that with anyone.— I didn’t think anyone would try.A lantern flickered.Warmth.Not love.Not yet.But the shape where love grows.

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