Chapter 2: Aestra

"Wow, what's with that weird mask?" Liam snickered looking at the gray and black mask Aidan was wearing.

The mask that covered his face was matte black with shiny gray symmetrical patterns forming the shape of a bird's face. The intricate patterns formed looked elegant yet simple as if it was carved with meticulous care by the most talented of craftsmen. The only gaps present on the mask only showed through his ice-blue eyes.

"Just don't mind it, I'm used to wearing this." Aidan's identity of Mockingbird was largely related to the mask he wore for all his battles. No one had yet seen his face in Aestra and he would prefer it stayed that way.

The arena had a square platform that was over 100 meters wide in each direction. The floor was covered in lush and soft grass that felt real to the touch. Stone pillars delineated the borders. These pillars looked like they had withstood decades of weathering. It was unbelievable that all these were virtually simulated. Beyond the arena, grassy plains stretched an unknown distance, with the fog looming over, it was unclear where this virtual world ended, or if there was an end.

On the spacious arena platform, Aidan found Liam swinging a silvery white staff in his hand, as a blue aura gathered around the staff. It was as if energy particles of blue light circled around flickering like fireflies. They floated around without any proper coordination and it was clear he didn't know how to use this magical mana to cast magic.

"This is soo cooool! I wish the 'Mana' we discovered for wormholes could do this." Liam exclaimed while his head filled with possibilities of what he wished could be. "How do I cast magic?"

Aidan felt a headache. "You feel the mana right? Use the staff to guide it and try to gather them in one spot. And then throw it towards me."

"Guide it?" He confusedly swirled his staff around in a circle. "Like this?"

Aidan watched as Liam attempted to cast the most basic magic of all, Magic Missile.

The mana moved around as they had finally found a direction and slowly gathered into a small ball on top of the staff.

"Woah!" He quickly swung his staff towards Aidan with all the force his fragile arms could muster.

The blue ball of magic flew towards Aidan at breakneck speeds. He quickly evaded what looked like a streak of light, and moved to the side to prevent himself from getting hit.

Boom. There was a small explosion where the magic missile landed on the grassy floor which lead to a small radius being charred black.

'This magic and mana is still ridiculous no matter how many times I see it. How would one even fight against this without using magic of their own... But I'm no longer going to be helpless against them.' Thoughts ran through Aidan's head looking at the incredulous sight before him. He dashed towards Liam leaving deep footprints on the grass, with his blue sword drawn in hand.

Panic could be seen on Liam's face as his eyes grew wide as Aidan approached him. He made the attempt to cast the only skill he knew to use in hopes of defending himself.

"Magic missile!"

A magic missile that seemed slightly larger than the initial one came flying toward Aidan again.

"You're not going to get me with just a magic missile." Aidan dodged to the side as it approached and avoided the attack entirely, leaving this mana that had lost its target to fly off until it came in contact with the arena floor.

"Then slow down and teach me first!" Liam freaked out trying to do anything at all to stop Aidan who ran towards him. The glaring sharp blade in his hand was not something Liam wanted anywhere near him.

"Come on Aidan! This isn't funny!" He screamed as he tried casting another missile toward Aidan in hopes of getting him to stop.

Aidan continued as if he didn't hear anything. His footsteps were light as the wind and with every step he moved a distance many would dream of crossing with two. The sharp look seen through the gaps in his mask went to show that he was serious.

As soon as Liam looked into the eyes of Aidan who had arrived in front of him, his primal instincts kicked off and he felt fear he had never known, from the bloodlust emitted from the icy blues that seemed to have frozen his soul.

"Stop Aidan! STOP!"

Liam screamed at the top of his lungs as Aidan began to swing his blade. He didn't need to think twice to know it was aiming for his throat. His face was one of terror and the usual sense of sarcasm and jokes was no longer visible.

Plop.

A muffled thud was heard as his staff fell on the floor while he raised his arms to cover his head and protect himself.

Aidan's eyes slowly gained clarity and he managed to stop his blade before it had reached what had seemed to be an inevitable target.

Thud!

His hand shook and the blade slowly slipped out and landed on the grassy floor. His shaky gaze laid on Liam who was trembling. The confusion and terror in Liam's eyes along with his shallow short gasps of breath finally brought Aidan's muddled head clarity.

Aidan felt like he had been splashed awake with cold water. "...Sorry." It seemed to be the only word he could voice out. It was unsure if Liam heard.

He tried to reach out to grab Liam's shoulder however his actions were stopped in place as he noticed Liam slowly fade away and disappear. It was a safety mechanism designed to automatically log out when the Aestra notices the person was not in a proper mental state. It was meant to lessen accidents related to trauma and confusion, but Aidan felt that perhaps it was already too late.

Aidan quietly logged out himself and his vision turned dark. He opened his eyes hoping to wake himself up from a nightmare, back to find himself on the cushioned seat. Liam's quivering body showed that all that took place had already happened.

Holding his head up with both hands one could see that the dull look on his brown eyes still kept him captive in a singular moment. He looked shaken. Afraid. Terrified. Aidan wasn't sure what to do or feel, countless thoughts ran through his mind.

"Hey, Liam" Aidan voiced out. "Are you okay?" He asked with concern audible in his voice.

Liam didn't respond. He looked up at Aidan seemingly looking for the source of the voice. One could still see his eyes were lacking the clarity they should have. However, at least his reaction showed Aidan some light at the end of the tunnel.

Click!

"Aidan, are you home?" A higher-pitched voice was heard as the door to the house creaked open. Aidan looked to find a tall silver-haired woman making her way through the entrance with rushed steps.

His mom looked back to find him and Liam seated across and approached them. The way she was dressed in her iconic white lab coat, spoke volumes making it clear she had just come back from the research lab.

"Liam! It's been a while since you've been here, you should've let me kno-" Her footsteps halted dead in the tracks as she noticed something wasn't right. He was shaky and his eyes looked muddled and unresponsive.

She glanced at the band around his head and the one Aidan was still carrying in his hands. It wasn't hard for her to grasp the situation at hand especially as she knew what her son was like.

She quickly reached into her handbag and grabbed what looked like an Epipen and quickly gave Liam a shot, praying for it to work.

Not long after, color returned to his face as he gradually calmed down. He looked around as he tried to catch his breath. Confusion was vivid on his face. It was clear he was still attempting to process things that were going on.

"Are you okay Liam?" Ella asked Liam. "I'll drop you off at home okay? You should get some rest for now."

She didn't wait for him to respond and quickly lead the still-silent Liam to her car outside. It was clear his footsteps struggled to keep up with her pace. However, Ella knew it was best to have him go away from here as soon as possible till he calmed down. Liam seeing Aidan's face would only be an obstacle to having the situation improve.

She turned back to Aidan. The stern and serious look in her eyes conveyed to him everything she intended to. He could tell they were going to have a talk after she returned.

Aidan kept quiet as he wasn't sure what to say. He knew any attempt to say anything was just going to create unnecessary trouble now and wasn't going to help. He looked down at his hands as he recalled what happened.

'Is it because it's been a while?..' He knew he easily lost himself in the heat of battle and but he didn't think it would happen with Liam. It wasn't something that could even be considered a fight. He couldn't understand where that bloodlust came from.

Aidan understood the shock Liam must've felt. He was someone that wasn't experienced with combat in virtual reality and especially has never been on the receiving end of a life-ending attack like that. Even though it was almost virtual, there was practically no difference compared to reality.

'He must've felt like it was the end.' Aidan knew because he had experienced something similar at a young age.

As the sun was about to set he made his way up to the top floor of the house. It was his second haven and happy place. A place he visited regularly, and especially to find himself at times he felt lost.

The little star observatory had been a birthday gift by his parents and it was his favorite place on earth. He sat down on the edge gazing towards the setting sun alone.

The sunset painted the world with a tinge of red and as his hair fluttered in the wind, he felt the breeze was unusually chilly today as it gently rustled through his clothes.