Black Wings (1)

"So, what are you doing?" Erika's face filled Aether's vision. "And why are you asleep in under the largest magical tree in the academy?"

It had been about three days since the classes started.

"It's quiet, not many people come here, and it does wonders for my mana." He replied with a faint smile. "Why are you here?"

Erika chuckled. "I was told this place was good for a depleted mana pool." She grinned and tapped on her stats bracelet. "I wanted to test it out."

Aether pushed himself up and leaned his back on the trunk of the massive tree.

It was quite a beautiful plant. About as tall as a three story building, it had large, dark green leaves. The dark coloured trunk had a unique texture to it, with some silver streaks sprinkled about.

"You've got to meditate under it." Aether said absentmindedly as he peered through the leaves. "Let the magic flow through you."

Erika chuckled. "You do realise how cliché you sound right now, don't you?" She asked as she sat next to him and folded her legs. "So, how do I 'meditate', exactly?"

Aether rolled his eyes. "You sit under the tree and don't cast any spells." He stretched his arms. "That's about it – no need to do anything fancy."

Erika raised her eyebrows. "What about the meditation?"

Aether shrugged. "That's what Professor Cross told me, but I don't see how my mental state has anything to do with my mana." He raised his hand to catch a single, falling leaf. "A clear mind is good for being able to cast spells, but mana regeneration isn't relevant." He made a vague, meaningless gesture. "Just napping here for a bit worked, so no need to do much else I don't think."

Erika remained silent for a second, then burst out in laughter. "She said that?" Still smiling, Erika tapped on her stats bracelet. "So, just sitting here and chatting with you works?"

Aether shrugged. "I don't see why not." His gaze turned towards the grassy area to their left. Their next class was going to be held there. "Though, I don't know how much time you've got left." He added as he glanced at his watch. "Class starts in less than ten minutes."

Erika's shoulders dropped. "Aw, shoot. I don't have enough time." Her expression suddenly turned into one of panic. "Wait – hang on! How am I supposed to experiment with magic if I don't have enough mana?"

As Aether watched, her expression changed to one of panic. "Wait, no, seriously!" Erika exclaimed. "What am I going to do?"

Aether sighed. "How did you deplete your mana anyways? And why? You knew we had this class." His voice wasn't harsh, but his words were just enough so.

"I forgot!" Erika cried. "I was trying to do something and I almost succeeded, so I kind of just… forgot what time it was. I thought I had enough time to replenish my mana!"

Aether chuckled. She was quite a source of entertainment when she was panicking like this, though he did feel somewhat bad for having fun. He grabbed on to the tree trunk and pulled himself up on his feet. "Well," He mumbled as he narrowed his eyes and looked at the canopy of the tree. "I just might be able to help with that."

It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. As soon as he noticed the azure glimmer among the dark green leaves, he leapt up and caught the lowest branch.

"What are you doing?" Erika asked in shock as Aether pulled himself up and continued climbing.

"Have you heard of something called patience? There's even a saying. It goes something like 'patience is a virtue'." Aether's mocking voice did nothing but make Erika laugh. She was still curious, and she was still not patient.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Why are you climbing the tree?" She insisted. By now, Aether had climbed high enough that she couldn't see him among the thick layer of leaves anymore. "Aether?"

Something tapped her shoulder, startling her. She jumped up and away with a scream, only to see Aether, standing there with a grin on his face. "You scared the hell out of me!" She exclaimed as she placed her hand on her racing heart.

"I didn't mean to, but it was spectacular nonetheless." Aether steppe closer, then immediately ducked to avoid the fierce girl's punch. "That's rude, I even have a gift for you." He said with a fake resentment in his voice. He opened his palm and extended his hand to her.

A shining azure flower lay in his palm. It glimmered under the sunlight, and it's shimmer soon began to fade. "Don't let it remain under the sun for too long," Aether warned Erika. "Or it'll lose its magic."

The red haired girl quickly took the flower and retreated into the shadow of the large, magical tree. "It's beautiful!" She whispered as she inspected the flower.

"It's a Moon Catcher." Aether spoke in a low voice. "It only blooms during a full moon, and only at midnight. The next day, you can see a few remaining ones if you're lucky." He looked away, towards the lower branches of the tree. "They have very short lives, just like a butterfly."

Erika hesitated. "Thank you," She said with a soft voice. "I…

"You have no clue what I gave it to you for." Aether grinned. Whatever solemn, sad expression he had moments ago had disappeared.

Erika hesitated. "I, uh… Yeah…" She mumbled in a defeated voice. "I mean, it's pretty – beautiful, even, - but why did you give it to me?"

"Eat it." Aether said, like it was the most normal and ordinary thing he could say.

"Huh?"