The Sky is Endless

by Alexander W Meurant

  "Dowell gave me some money today for all the help I’ve been giving him lately".

  Instantly the mood at the table seemed to lighten as Sain spoke and the others started helping themselves to food as well. Niall even smiled slightly as he dunked a chunk of bread into the soup.

  "That's good to hear son, Dowell's never been one to take advantage of anyone. I’ll get you to use it for the next grocery run, any leftover can be yours to do with as you wish" Regas stated, his voice rough and deep. It was a voice that was used for shouting at work, and it seemed to wear on his vocals, creating times where Regas lost his voice.

  "He gave me two hundred dinars", Sain stated and then blinked in surprise, a guilty expression on his face as his old man choked on a chunk of meat in surprise to the comment.

  Leaning over, Niall gave Regas a thump on the back to dislodge the food and then handed their father a glass of water.

  "Well that was rather generous of the man. As it happens, I’ve given da some money as well from my job back in Gestonia, so you will be well off for a little while I think" Niall commented completely devoid of emotion. Leaving Regas to recover, the boys continued their conversation.

  "Speaking of Gestonia, why are you here at the moment? Shouldn't you be preparing for your Graduation from the academy?" Asked Sain as he dunked his bread in his soup and then started chowing down.

  "That's the reason I’m here actually. All the students have leave until next week, the ceremony is a few days later. But once the graduation is over, we will all be assigned our military positions. There is no telling where we might go. It’s entirely possible that some of us will end up on the F.K.E front, so we are taking the opportunity to visit families while we still can. I was just lucky that one of my friends lives in Rindai as well and I was able to travel with him on his private airship. I'll be here for another two days taking care of some other business before we head back" explained Niall, a non-committal look on his face, as if he expected his ride to leave earlier at a moment’s notice.

  "I guess that makes sense. Well if you're not doing anything tomorrow, you can join me at the factory. My master is going to do another experiment tomorrow and if nothing else, it could be interesting" Sain said, his words coming out rather fast in an excited manner. He always liked showing off his magical traits that were not shared by his brother. He was about to say more when Regas snorted into his food at Sain's comment. Sain whipped his gaze to look at him with a 'Don’t you dare' expression painted all over his face. Regas just grinned and gestured to his youngest with a spoon.

  "Interesting my ass. Niall, the last experiment his master did had Sain back here with half a shirt and no eyebrows. I can distinctly remember pissing myself laughing. I can safely say that it made my day" came the declaration from Regas, the man smiling at the memory. Sain softened his expression, knowing his father didn’t have much light in his life, so small humors were a good thing.

  Sain shot a dirty look at Niall though who had a hand cupped over his mouth and was quite obviously struggling not to laugh at the thought of Sain without eyebrows. Niall got himself under control though, with bad grace and just smirked at his younger brother.

  "Well if it’s that interesting, I may drop by if I finish my business early tomorrow. Won’t make any promises though. My business has a nice rack and demands a lot of my time whenever I come home" he stated with a self-satisfied little smirk. Sain just shot Niall a quizzical look as Regas roared with laughter and slapped Niall on the back. The two obviously shared some sort of inside joke that Sain didn’t understand. He just sank into a sullen mood and picked up his soup bowl. He lifted it to his lips and drank down the remaining liquid quickly before standing up.

  "If you two are done talking about racks, give me your empties. I'll wash up" he said as he stared at them indignantly. When they roared with laughter again, Sain scowled and started gathering up their empty bowls and dirty spoons. He took them over to the sink and dumped them in before running the water. He listened to the last of the conversation behind him as Regas began asking for a name but Niall just palmed off the questions before standing and joining Sain in the kitchen.

  He picked up a towel and leant against the kitchen bench, a small smile on his lips. The sound of the television started up as Regas made himself comfortable in the lounge room, the gentle thrum of sound hinting at a game show. Probably one of those get rich quick shows. Sain finished running the sink and started on cleaning the dishes in quick practiced moves. It was one of his chores after all. For a minute or two Niall stood by, just picking up the occasional piece and drying it off with his towel before he finally spoke up and asked a question.

  "So Sain, what happened to your face? It looks like someone hit you with a giant fish stick or something" he asked, his tone lighthearted, but his gaze betraying a need to know.

  Sain just shrugged and kept washing up until he was almost done and then turned his gaze to latch it onto Niall, seeing that concern in his eyes.

  "Well, not much really. I sort of just pissed off some random thug. Did it by accident. And well, the bastard hit me with giant fish stick" he lied and shrugged, his own voice lighthearted.

  Niall just stared at Sain for a bit and then sighed. He dried up the last piece and hung up the towel before starting to put all the stuff away.

  "Yeah yeah, whatever you say. I am not going to pry, mainly because you are still walking. Just try not to piss off too many gangsters ok. It’s bad for your health" he stated and put the last of the thing's away. He patted Sain on the shoulder before heading out into the lounge and planting his ass down next to their father. Sain pulled the plug on the sink, watching the water get sucked down for a bit before following his brother inside. He furrowed his brow as Niall lifted a hand and pointed at the television.

  "Now that’s a nice rack" Niall stated right before looking at Sain with a grin. Regas laughed again and Sain just shook his head before storming off.

  "I don’t know what you are saying" he shouted before stepping into his room and slamming the door shut eliciting another round of raucous laughter.

  Sain stripped off and just flopped down onto his bed, closing his eyes and practically hugging his pillow as he got comfy and settled in. Once he did, his mind started to wander, and inevitably centered on thoughts about what the future may hold for Niall. It was entirely possible that Niall would get sent to the war front in the F.K.E, the Former Kratsch Empire, and it worried Sain immeasurably.

  The war had been going on for nearly six years now, and the Gestonian Empire looked to be winning the war very soon. But it was still a brutal conflict, with horror stories surfacing in the news every week. The war had started when Kratsch spies had been caught attempting to assassinate Emperor Alden, trying to set off another civil war, which had they succeeded, would have crippled the Empire.

  In the early days of the war, an offensive on the F.K.E had been led by the emperor’s eldest son Prince Louis and Lady Ilene, the Emperors third wife. The blitz campaign had ended abruptly when the Army of Kratsch defeated and killed Lady Ilene in a decisive battle. Ever since that initial loss, the G.E forces had been slowly creeping west, conquering more and more territory every day.

  But recently there had been rumors that the remnants of the F.K.E were seeking admittance into the United Federation of Nations, the great alliance of nations that had formed in the west to combat the G.E expansion. If that did happen it would no doubt set off the second U.F.N - G.E war. Regardless of what did or did not happen, it would affect the entire world with a complete shift of power within the great nations.

  Sain just sighed and buried his face into his pillows, wincing slightly as his bruises rubbed into the fabric. After a few minutes though, Sain rolled over and reached for his bag that had been dumped on the floor near his bedside table. Pulling it closer, he opened it and pulled out the book he had been given to read. He rolled onto his stomach and looked at the book for a heartbeat before letting out a sigh and cracking it ope
n to read his homework.

  Chapter 4

  * * *

  He had slept in again. Blaming it on his alarm for not being loud enough Sain ran down the still dark street trying to make up for lost time. He could still make it to the factory before Clyde noticed if he ran fast enough. Turning the corner he sprinted up the main street of the local shopping district. Even as he puffed for breath, he could hear in the distance the low rumblings of cars on the highway, the workers of Rindai heading into the city for their day jobs. It was not long before Sain saw the factory gates and he slowed to a walk as he approached, puffing and spluttering because of the climb up the hill. He wasn’t exactly a long distance runner. Entering the complex, he saw the night workers coming back to the entrance office and signing out. Where security was supposed to be. He nodded to the few workers he recognized, and to the on duty security. Seemed that one did his job at least.

  Sain made his way to the building Clyde used as his office, and pushed inside before vaulting up the stairs to Clyde's room, each stair he stepped upon uttering a deep creaking noise and protesting his passage. Seeing light under the door he knocked and heard Clyde bid him to enter. Clyde acknowledged Sain with a gesture of his hand as the youth made his way inside, even as the old man continued wrapping something up in a long bundle of cloth.

  "Good morning Sain. If you can get that box for me and take it down to the unused gate house storage room" Clyde said pointing to a medium sized box in the corner next to his bed. The old man kept a bed in his office as he often stayed late into the night with his research and it was too much on the old man to travel back and forth from his residence in the city. Sain had only ever been there once before, not long after he had become Clyde's apprentice. He had been amazed by the property. As a Gestonian noble Clyde owned only what could be called a mansion, and yet he had no interest in the property. With no children of his own, Clyde allowed his sisters family to live in the property so as to maintain it and prevent unwelcome guests from entering.

  "Once you have taken the box down, I’ll need you to go and get some small un-bonded crystals and bring them back to the storage room. If I’m not there by the time you get back, just wait there as I shouldn't be much longer here" came the next lot of Clyde’s instructions. He wasted no time when it came to his business. He was all no nonsense.

  Nodding to Clyde, Sain picked up the box without a word and took it down the stairs and out of the building, and made his way back towards the main entrance. He saw the Security office on the right near the entrance, and on the left of the entrance was a row of storehouses where most of the outgoing goods were stored. One of the middle storerooms was the one he wanted, and he approached that one. Pushing open the door, he stepped inside and deposited his box before staggering around a bit, hands on walls to find the lights. He found the box eventually and pushed the light switch and then waited. They flickered into life and just continued to flicker. They were pretty shitty lights.

  Shrugging, Sain exited the building and went in search of some unused crystals. Not finding any in the nearby storerooms, he made a stop at the junk house, where all the broken or useless shards of crystal were thrown. Finding a box of small shards that he thought would be satisfactory for any mad experiment Clyde had thought up this time, he exited the building and made his way back to the empty store room. When he returned to the store room he found his master waiting patiently for him.

  When Clyde saw Sain enter the building, the old man did not waste any time and immediately asked a question.

  "Did you read the parts of the book I told you to" Clyde asked from his usual hunched over position, a small scowl on his face.

  "Uh, yes sir. I did. It was all about the discovery of Etherum Crystals and how they are used for energy storage, as well as different applications" Sain stated, as he placed down his box of shards on the floor.

  "Good. You read it. The book would have only mentioned how magic and science merged to transfer the energy of fire into a crystal. The book only touches on the basics. What it does not mention, is that fire is not the only energy source that can be used. There are five elements all up. You have fire, water, wind, earth and lightening. All have different applications. I will cover those another day" Clyde stated, his eyes locked on Sain like a predator stalking its prey. It made Sain a tad bit uncomfortable. He did perk up at the extra knowledge though.

  "Wow. I didn’t know that. So what are we doing today?" he asked, a lilt to his voice as it betrayed his excitement. He gestured to the box of crystals as well, wanting to know if they would do.

  "Yes, you have some crystals, it doesn't matter if they are broken" Clyde stated with a frown as he flicked his eyes down to the box.

  "Now, something else that is not mentioned in the book is the transferal of energy between Etherum crystals. What I want to do is to try and complete a way of transferring energy between a bonded crystal and an un-bonded crystal, which to my knowledge has not been completed successfully before. And to that end, I will first teach you how to draw energy from crystals and use them for spells".

  Sain perked a brow at Clyde’s words and looked at the crystals with a sense of confusion. This was one of the most elementary aspects of magic for any magi wishing to advance themselves. But the need to transfer energy. That was completely new, he had never heard of that being done. He smiled brightly and shivered somewhat in excitement before asking a question.

  "Why would someone need to transfer energy between crystals? It doesn't seem important" He asked, genuinely intrigued and excited. Clyde frowned and seemed to think for a moment before sighing. He really hated answering questions.

  "Pretend the crystal is tank of gas boy. What happens when the tank springs a leak? Gets a hole in it. What disaster can happen if the hole is not plugged, or the gas transferred to another container" Clyde asked of Sain, an eyebrow perked.

  "Uh. I guess, it could explode" Sain stated, actually feeling a little stupid he even asked the question in the first place.

  "Congratulations. You are not an idiot" snapped Clyde, his irritation burning through his facade of nicety. Sain looked down rather uncomfortable with the words. His feelings soon dissipated as Clyde continued speaking however.

  "Now. If you have no more stupid questions. Let’s get on with it. I have a large source of energy, but we aren't going to be using that until I am satisfied that you can draw on smaller amounts of energy and control it. Because if you can't and you don't give the energy somewhere to go, it can get extremely dangerous. So until you can we will be using these" Clyde said as he shuffled over to a leather bag on a bench and produced a candle and tongs from its insides. Passing the tongs to Sain he put the candle on a nearby shelf and brought out a set of matches. The old man struck a match and gently guided the small flame to the wick of the candle, lighting it. He shook the match out and gestured for Sain to place a shard in the naked flame. Using the tongs, Sain did so as Clyde murmured the bonding spell. Within moments the small shard was filled with fire energy and glowing a dull orange.

  "Now, you are familiar with drawing energy from your own body for the bonding spell. Drawing the energy from a crystal follows the same principle, but it is far more important what you do with that energy, if you do not use the energy within a given time frame, it can do anything from scattering harmlessly into the surrounding environment, to blowing up in your face. As long as you are touching the crystal you will be able to draw out the energy, but if you think you cannot control it any longer, just drop the crystal. That will not get rid of the energy you have already drawn out but it will stop you instinctively reaching for more. Now try it" explained Clyde, the old man bent once more, in a position most comfortable for him. He was near expressionless, if but for a glint in his eyes that may have been mild irritation.

  Taking the proffered fire shard from Clyde, Sain took a deep breath and closed his eyes to help his concentration. From previous lessons with Clyde he remembered that the majority of magi used words or sounds
to control their magic, whilst a minority could manipulate magical energy with just their thoughts and intent. Focusing on his breath, he emptied his mind and centered his consciousness on himself. He located the repository of magic within his own body, a familiar bright light centered on his stomach, still depleted from yesterday’s exertions at the furnace.

  Moving his mind’s eye down his right arm to his hand, Sain reached the small ball of energy enclosed in his fist. He first probed it with his mind and tentatively drew the small amount of energy out of the shard. Seeking to surprise the old man before him, Sain tried his hardest with the task in front of him. As he felt the gathered energy start to become unstable in his grasp he lifted his left hand and held it straight out from his body even as he visualized a ball of flame above his hand and forced the energy to take shape. Opening his eyes he saw the flame above his hand right before it scattered in a dull orange flash and wave of heat. He blinked in surprise and then flicked his gaze to look at Clyde. Seeing an almost impish smile tugging at the corners of the old man’s mouth he also couldn’t help but smile somewhat nervously.

  "I hope you know what you just did son" Clyde asked of him in an amused tone. The old man’s wrinkles seemed to take on a life of their own and they showed the man's amusement in a hundred different ways.

  "I made a mistake and didn't use any magic to maintain the flame and as you would say, it blew up in my face" Sain answered, a rather sheepish look on his face.

  "Not that my boy, although you made that mistake you also managed to extract and control the energy with only your mind, a feat that only a handful of others your age can claim to do. Now, try again" ordered Clyde before handing Sain another crystal.

  After Sain had bonded another crystal he made another attempt repeating his previous actions, this time guiding some energy from his own repository to maintain the fireballs form.