-Chapter 40- Compass

The next few months passed as I continued teaching my class, I was making good progress with not only my earth element but also learning how to use the basics of sound and gravity.

Saya still kept tabs on me, she kept watching, making sure I wasn't doing something 'groundbreaking' as she calls it. I would be fine with it if she didn't raid my dorm every week for more licorice.

I used the training room that the director gave me rather often, since the space was so big and just to myself I was free to train however I wanted. So I began trying to experiment with aether.

While I couldn't manipulate it or influence it in any way. I did have a connection to it thanks to my rune. I lift up the sleeve on my arm and reveal the aether rune that allows me to use infinite step.

Since I can slightly sense aether I try to pay attention to the rune as I move mana into it and activate infinite step. I am flicked forward as if that was where I was standing all along. It was like the space in between me and where I would end up was deleted and placed back.

I felt the feeling of aether activate the rune due to the presence of mana in the rune. I wasn't sure how it worked but I was starting to make some progress.

Deciding to experiment with this more I continued to use infinite step repeatedly. I was lost in thought so I never noticed the sound of the door opening. What drew me out of my focus was someone speaking.

"You… have a rune…" the familiar voice of an adult man says.

I look over and see it is my Runic Language Professor, Professor Katz.

"I knew it! No one takes my class for no reason! I haven't figured out why the girl is in my class. But this is why you're in my class isn't it?" He breaks off into a tangent.

"What are you talking about?" I quickly hide my rune tattoo, trying to play dumb.

"I saw your rune, I have always wanted to see a working rune like that in action." He says.

I realize I could ask him to help me study this, I ask, "Ok, let's say I have a rune. How can you help me?"

"I can study it and see what it says," Professor Katz says.

"Can you read this?" I pull back my sleeve no longer hiding my rune. I lay my arm out so they can see the rune.

He looks closer and reads it, "There are a few things in here unknown to me, but to sum it up it looks like it folds space with activation of mana." he says.

"Could you help me replicate and make more of these with different abilities?" I ask.

"That is far outside my skill set, I barely understand the runes on the ancient mages stone tablets I got." He says.

"You have stone tablets written by the ancient mages?" I ask intrigued.

"You were the one who delivered them, here I'll show you." He brings me back to his classroom where he takes out several stacks of stone tablets with runic writing on them.

I pick it up and look at it, I am surprised to find something unique about it. 'There's aether in this…'

There was aether inside the stone tablets and not a small amount. I mean a lot of aether condensed down into the stone tablets. I begin to flow all four elements into the stone tablet and it begins to shake violently as the back of it shatters.

"What are you doing?!" Professor Katz asks worriedly.

Ignoring him I turned over the stone tablet to see that the broken off back revealed a small object within the stone tablet. A small coin-shaped object made of gold, it had a rune carved into it saying 'compass'.

I put mana into it and it doesn't respond. Intrigued, I go to the other stone tablets and do the same thing. This only works on about three of the stone tablets giving me three of the golden compass coins.

"How did you figure that out?" The teacher asks, confused.

"Luck, I guess." I look at the gold coins in my hands. 'Could these bring me to more Djinn cities? They say they are compasses.'

I put them into my dimension ring, "Thanks, I'll hold onto these since I have a few theories on how to make them activate." I tell Professor Katz.

"Fine, but if you discover more about runes, you need to tell me so I can research them." He says.

"Deal," I say while heading back to my training room. I withdraw my Djinn sword and begin the assimilation process again. Ever since I reached the silver core stage my connection to mana and aether skyrocketed.

As of now my muscles are just barely assimilated to the djinn mana and aether, so more work must be done. I flowed the mana through my muscles as normal until a new idea popped into my mind.

'What if I try to modify my core with this?' It's a dumb and weird idea, but I came up with the theory of instead of having my core be made of up pure mana and rather a mix of the djinn mana and aether.

It's a risky process but I'll try it… I begin slowly replacing the mana that makes up my mana core with the mana and aether from the sword. I only get so far before I hit a wall, the mana works fine but the aether is just getting in the way making the core weaker. If I wanted to mix the mana and aether I would need a lot more aether to match the ratio.

For now, I do the best I can do simply by replacing the mana of my core with a thin layer of aether surrounding it. It doesn't do anything but it's a starting point.

'What I could do is try and move the aether into the compass…'

Upon having that thought I quickly withdrew a compass coin from my dimension ring and held it in my right hand. I close my hand and focus, I move the mana that has aether attached to it that I took out of the sword, and focus it on the object in the palm of my hand.

When I think I moved enough for a reaction I stop focusing and open my hand. Suddenly the top of the coin begins to project a small little light show showing the map of Dicathen. On the projection of the map, it showed a small purple dot somewhere in the beast's glades. I used my knowledge of when I was an adventurer and figured out where that was.

It was near the Widows Crypt dungeon. That was where my Team Fighting Mechanics class was going for a field trip in a few days. Was this just dumb luck or coincidence… Either way, it worked out for me since I would be able to go there in just a few weeks.

***

Saya Asclepius P.O.V.

I roam the halls with a stick of licorice sticking out of my mouth as I slowly eat the candy. Most students have already gone to their dorms since classes had ended.

I never knew licorice could have so many flavors, the kind I originally got from Arthur was cherry flavor, but there was also watermelon, grape, and green apple. I wish Epheotus had this kind of food…

After getting more licorice, I had decided just to take a small walk, maybe I could find Arthur and mess with him since I was bored. I think back to the scene in the infirmary room once again, 'Dammit Saya, you're not supposed to like him. Remember the mission.'

I get a bunch of weird stares from the wandering students as I try to hide my face that was turning red from blushing. I run off to try and clear my head.

That's when I felt the mark written on my arm burn, 'Dammit they are contacting me.'

I run off and using mana to enhance myself I get on top of a small building for privacy. I hide up there as I pour mana into the mark on my arm. The burning feeling disappears as in front of me a scroll appears.

I open the scroll to see a man with white hair and purple eyes. Kezess Indrath.

"Saya Asclepius, your new orders are to prepare Arthur to be brought to Epheotus, I will send a member of my own clan to retrieve the boy and bring him here."

'Dammit,' I thought to myself, 'It's too soon, I haven't gotten Arthur ready yet!'

"Is something wrong?" He asks upon noticing my silence.

"No nothing is wrong, I will follow through with the orders," I respond.

"Good," after he says that the scroll begins to burn to a crisp in my hands.

'I will follow through with the orders, just not yours,' I jump off the small building and land on the ground safely.

Putting another stick of licorice into my mouth I go and search for Arthur.

'Be prepared, the vessel for the Lost Prince,'