novelraw Chapter 155: A Call From Home
Chapter 155: A Call From Home
"Elementalization..."
It was the ability to break down the body into its most basic elemental form that the user had.
In Aren’s case, it’d either turn him into a droplet of water or a spark of electricity.
The trait itself might seem useless on paper. After all, what are the use cases where you’d need to turn into a droplet of water mid-fight? Almost none.
But Aren wasn’t considering it for combat purposes. No, he was thinking about needing it for recon.
If I can turn into a spark of electricity...it’d be possible to infiltrate any place that had wiring, completely ignoring any sensors or barriers that might be set up.
Turning into a water droplet might not be bad as well. It’d let me hide from any pursuers in unsuspecting sources of water.
The temptation to pick another combat-based Trait still lingered. Aren’s hands formed a fist as he remembered why he was even here in the first place.
How he’d stood there... too weak to do anything. How he watched the things he cared about be taken away.
But without Elementalization, it’d be impossible to rescue the drake, let alone know where it was.
There was no reason to hesitate anymore. Using his Internal Brush, he let it glide softly along the air, connecting the paths and letting ink form onto the metaphysical parchment.
Immediately, ’Elementalization’ glowed until it was in a clear black before settling down.
Now that that’s done, there’s still another problem to be addressed...my complete lack of information
Aren sighed softly, opening his eyes and exiting the Internal Canvas. But even as he exited the property, his mind was wandering.
In the past two years, he’d tried to infiltrate Aetherion facilities more than once. But each time he tried, it was always too risky.
With Mystic Law Enforcement in chaos, they’re free to do as they please. Most of their facilities were heavily guarded by high-level Mystics along with heavy artillery that somehow got into the city’s premises.
What to do, what to do...?
The phone inside his pocket started buzzing, snapping him out of his thoughts, and quite frankly...his never-ending predicament.
Aren stared at the contact number, only to find the person behind all his troubles...at least his surface ones, within the Western Dominion.
Professor Sterling.
Aren swiped the surface of his phone before lifting it to his ear.
"...Professor—?"
"—No, you’re cutting that too thick, give it here..."
"Dad! I know what I’m doing!"
"Do you? It seems like you’re trying to feed us duck-shaped bricks. It was supposed to be thin layers."
Aren blinked at the commotion from the other side before asking. "Uhm...hello? Professor? Where are you?"
"Your house."
"What?"
In the background, the noise hadn’t stopped.
"Anna, sit down!"
"I am sitting down!"
"Then stop moving!"
Aren’s jaw dropped as he realized what was happening. "What the hell are you doing in my house? And are you seriously having lunch with my family?!"
There was a pause before the professor answered, a small hint of amusement obvious in her voice. "Hey, you asked me to take care of them while you were gone? I think I’ve earned a meal or two, no?"
But before Aren could answer, a plate clinked faintly before his sister’s voice came through.
"...Aren?"
"Anna?"
"IT IS YOU!"
Something crashed in the background.
"Anna—!"
"Don’t run with—!"
She was now on the phone, clearly out of breath and way too loud.
"Where are you?! Why didn’t you tell me you could call?!"
Aren pulled the phone slightly away from his ear.
"...I can still hear you. But yeah, I’ve been busy with school things and you know...my other thing going on."
"REALLY?! HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS?!"
Aren’s hands immediately went to his volume button. His sister’s voice was so loud that it caught the attention of some students passing by.
"Okay, what’s going on?" he frowned. "Why does she sound like she’s on three coffees?"
A faint shuffling came through from the other side before his Professor answered. "She’s been like this all week. Even broke a chair yesterday."
"That wasn’t my fault! It was already weak!"
Aren paused upon hearing the news.
Wait...broke a chair? My sister whose pretty much the size of a pea...managed to break a chair?
The words left his mouth before he even realized it. "You’ve...awakened?"
There was a brief pause on the other end of the call before she exploded again. "Yeah! And guess what! Ms. Diana told me that I also got an evolution like you! She said it evolved on its own!"
Aren’s eyes widened as he took in the news, ignoring the fact that his sister was on a first-name basis with his professor. "Wait what?! Really! What Bloodline did you awaken?"
"The Winged Serpent Bloodline! Ms. Diana said it’s just one teeny step below yours. Careful brother! I might surpass you in no time! Huehehe."
He didn’t answer immediately, but a small laugh broke out instead...along with a small tear.
In his past life...Anna never had that chance. She’d never survived long enough to make it to the Awakening age. A small realization settled within his chest.
Maybe...maybe I have changed things. Maybe in this life...I’ll finally see her grow up and live her life.
He must’ve gone silent for longer than he thought, because his sister’s voice came again, a bit softer this time.
"Hello? Aren, are you still there?"
"Yeah..." he replied after a while, before a hint of mischievousness rushed over him.
"If you surpass me, I can’t call myself your brother, can I?"
"..."
"But you’ve got talent."
"...Wait, really?"
"Yeah, more than most."
"...Of course I do," she said quickly, her tone trying and failing to sound casual. "I mean, I am your sister after all."
Aren huffed softly, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his expression. "...Don’t get ahead of yourself."
He lingered for a moment longer before nodding softly to himself. "Hey, can you hand the phone back to Professor Sterling?"
"Eh? Already?" Anna groaned. "You haven’t called for ages!"
"Actually, it was the Professor who called me," he teased. "But don’t worry, I’ll make sure to call often."
"Fine..."
There was a short pause before his professor’s voice picked up once more.
"I’m assuming you’re still chasing after it?"
Aren didn’t deny it. "...Yeah."
"...Then you’re looking in the wrong places," she continued. "If Aetherion’s hiding something that important, and frankly...controversial and heretical. It won’t be anywhere obvious."
Aren frowned slightly.
"...I figured."
"Then stop trying to brute force it. That’s not how they operate."
Aren exhaled quietly. "...Then what do you suggest?"
"I have someone," Sterling replied. "A contact in the Western Dominion. Not directly tied to Aetherion, but close enough to hear things."
Aren’s gaze sharpened. "...Trustworthy?"
"Trustworthy enough," she said. "I’ll send you the details. Set up a meeting when you’re ready."
"...There might be a problem, though."
"What kind of problem?" Aren tilted his head at the statement. "Surely it can’t be something—"
"She hates my guts..." Sterling cut him off.
"What?"
"Yeah...she hates me."
"What why? Give me some details so I can at least—"
"Anyway," Sterling continued smoothly, as if the question had never been asked, "you’re not completely blind right now."
Dodging the question technique...how can I forget about the Professor’s strongest move in her arsenal...
"...Right."
"The Urban Hunting Association has a Western Branch," Sterling went on. "It should be similar to the one you’ve visited in Imperial City. Works the same too."
"They handle requests that don’t go through official channels."
"...Which means less filtering."
"Which means things slip through," Sterling corrected. "Look at a few missions. Some of them might have weird patterns or things that don’t line up, start from there."
Aren’s gaze lowered slightly.
"...Got it."
But with this call, another thought surfaced in his mind, the only thing that kept him going.
"...Is she..." he started, the words catching slightly in his throat before he could finish.
There was a pause on the other end, hesitation.
"...No progress," Sterling said at last, her voice quieter now. "She’s stable. But that’s about it."
Aren’s grip tightened slightly around the phone.
"Mirel has tried everything she can think of," she continued. "Different methods and processes...none of it’s worked."
...
"She’s still being kept in an isolation chamber."
Aren lowered his gaze, his thoughts drifting despite himself. All this time, and still nothing...
"...Aren."
"...Yeah?"
"..."
"Are you sure you don’t want to return her?" Sterling asked. "To her father."
"He’s started asking questions," she added. "Nothing direct yet. But he knows something’s off."
"It might be better...before he starts digging deeper."
Silence followed as Aren considered the option. It’s already been two years, and he still hasn’t found anything.
But something within him, maybe it was his guilt for putting her in that place to begin with...or maybe he was afraid of how she’d react if she knew Aren was the reason she was behind a cage again...
That made him say—
"Not yet."
"I’ll find a way. Even if it takes everything I have."