The following day, Elina woke up covered in sweat, her hair matted to her skull. Sitting up with a groan, she got her bearings. She was lying on her bedroom floor, the bright morning sun shining on her face as it found a gap between her curtains. Bringing her hand up to shield her face from the light, she blinked the sleep from her eyes.

  “What happened?” she muttered, looking around. “I remember a surge of energy flooding through me. I’ve never drawn Aether before, but I’m sure that’s what it was. But why did it happen?”

  Using her hands and knees, she steadied herself and stood, blinking in surprise as she looked down at her body. She felt stronger than she had ever felt in her life.

  What’s happening to me? Am I dreaming? Am I stronger?

  Elina started jumping up and down, trying to determine if the strength she felt was real or all in her head. After jumping three times, she stopped—she had jumped higher than she had ever jumped before!

  I am stronger! I’m not dreaming!

  Taking a deep breath in wonder, she was struck by another surprise. As she breathed deeply, a faint stream of what she assumed was Aether flowed through her Crest and into her. She had drawn Aether!

  Heart racing, she hesitated for a moment, then tried again, focusing this time. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her Crest, her chest expanding as she breathed in. As air entered through her nose and into her lungs, so did the Aether, passing through her Crest and into her body.

  Gasping in wonder, she felt the Aether circulating wildly through her body, the energy chaotically moving everywhere before vanishing.

  “I can draw Aether!”

  Jumping around excitedly, she looked at her Crest. The little pinto horse that was on the back of her hand looked darker and more lifelike than before. If she moved her hand in front of her face, it almost looked as if it was prancing.

  Feeling excitement and joy, she started to run around her room, gleefully squealing.

  “I don’t know what’s happening, but this is amazing!”

  As she danced around the room, her eyes settled on the black bow that was still lying on the ground.

  Stopping, she remembered how the bow had soaked up her blood.

  “Are you the reason I can draw Aether?” she said, looking down at it. “What did you do to me? What are you?”

  Tentatively, she bent down and picked up the bow, studying it carefully. It hadn’t changed—it was still the same bow as before.

  Frowning, she reached for the string, her heart pounding in her chest as it moved with ease beneath her fingers.

  I think I can draw you!

  Bringing the bow up, she held it in front of her and pulled at the string. To her surprise, it offered no resistance—she drew it all the way to her ear. It was effortless.

  Ignoring the morning sun, which had not even fully risen, Elina dressed hurriedly, running out of her room, bow in hand. She had to try it!

  Knowing Anna would be upset at her sneaking out, she whispered a silent apology as she made her way to the practice field. She could always make it up to her later—with something sweet.

  The cool morning air danced against her face as she quickly ran, her heart beating from excitement. Reaching the practice field as the sun fully rose from behind the horizon, she went to the little shed near the back of the practice field.

  The interior of the shed was covered in cobwebs and filled to the brim with odds and ends. Wooden and straw targets of various shapes were haphazardly piled on one wall. On the opposite wall, an old wooden crate overflowing with dusty gambesons lay open. Placed between the crate and targets were boxes of unknown trinkets stacked nearly to the ceiling.

  “I wonder where the arrows are?” Elina wondered as she glanced around the shed. June was the one who always brought out the arrows, so she did not know where they were.

  “There they are.”

  Spotting the barrel of arrows in a corner, she reached out and grabbed a couple before pausing—she needed a quiver. Putting the arrows back, she started opening various boxes and chests until she found a chest filled with old quivers.

  This will do for now. I should ask Mr. Maliri for a proper one later. Or maybe June can make me one?

  Picking up a random quiver, she dusted it off before strapping it to her hip. Walking back to the barrel of arrows, she filled her quiver before rushing out of the shed.

  The round target that Elina stood across from was about seventy-five yards away, painted with alternating black and white rings and propped against a block of straw. It was the standard distance all guards were required to hit, but she wasn’t confident enough to hit a target at this distance yet.

  Walking to fifty-five yards, she gave a small nod—this was a good range.

  Drawing Aether into her body, she easily pulled back the bowstring, marveling at how effortless it felt—almost as if there was no draw weight.

  Concentrating fully on the center of the target, she took a slow, steadying breath.

  Holding herself perfectly still, she exhaled slowly, releasing her arrow when her breath came to a stop.

  Elina followed the arrow as it flew, the arrow instantly flying past the target and vanishing into the forest. A fraction of a second later, a loud thud came echoing back at her as her arrow struck a tree. The sound was louder than it should have been!

  Startled by the sound, she blinked wide-eyed before quickly running to where the arrow had gone.

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  She found her arrow buried halfway into the trunk of a large tree, a crack running along its length. From the looks of it, it cracked when it hit the tree.

  How did it go so deep into the tree? she thought, her mind going blank. How am I supposed to pull it out?

  Shaking her head, she decided to leave the arrow there. There is no way that I can pull that out. And even if I could, the arrow’s cracked and I won’t be able to shoot it.

  Running back to the shooting range, she grabbed another arrow. She had to try again!

  Taking a calming breath, she focused on the target.

  This time, I’m going to hit you.

  True to her word, this time her arrow struck the target, piercing clean through the painted rings, tearing through the straw block, and disappearing into the distance. She had not expected her arrow to do that!

  Staring open-mouthed at what her arrow had done, Elina reached for another arrow and another arrow and another arrow.

  As the fifth arrow left her bow, she felt the world spin as she collapsed on her butt.

  A wave of exhaustion, unlike anything she had felt before, washed over her like a giant wave. Panting but unable to stop smiling, she looked at what remained of the target. Each arrow had torn through it and flown into the trees behind, leaving a pile of scattered straw.

  Sitting there in happiness, she tried to stand before realizing she could not—her body was still too tired.

  Groaning loudly, she realized that each arrow she had shot took a considerable amount of energy. Closing her eyes, she lay on the grass, feeling the cool morning breeze on her sweaty face.

  “Five, I can shoot five,” she muttered, bringing her arms over her head.

  “No, six. I can shoot six,” she corrected herself, realizing she had not counted the first arrow she had shot.

  Lying there, she opened her eyes, looking up at the brightening sky, her mood growing better and better. She had to tell someone about what had happened! But who?

  After a couple of minutes, she settled on June, he would appreciate what she was able to do.

  Clumsily, she stood up, her bow still clutched tightly in her hands.

  Slowly making her way back to the manor, she stopped, remembering that although he slept at the manor, he would wake up early and go help Veston with his morning chores. He would be at the blacksmith's at this hour.

  Taking a deep breath, she changed her destination, walking towards town.

  Reaching the blacksmith, Elina loudly called out before stepping past the open door and into the shop.

  “June! Are you there? I have to show you something.”

  Inside, the shop was tidy as ever, the neatly arranged tools lining the walls, the morning rays cutting through the dark room.

  “My Lady! What a surprise.”

  Veston’s cheerful voice came from behind her, causing her to jump— a small yelp escaping her lips.

  “Grandpa Veston, I didn't hear you at all,” she gasped, holding her chest with her hand.

  Chuckling proudly to himself, Veston opened his mouth. “June’s not here at the moment, he went to get eggs for breakfast. He should be getting back soon.”

  “Oh, I see,” Elina replied, smiling as she regained her composure. “Oh, Grandpa Veston,” she said, remembering he was the one who had given the bow to her.

  “Look, I figured out the secret to this bow! It was blood! I don't know what it had to do with Pegasus, but once my blood touched the bow, I was able to draw it! Watch!”

  Lifting her bow for Veston to see, she demonstrated by drawing it halfway. “I have to use Aether to draw it, but it’s fine, because I can draw Aether now!”

  “What!” uttered Veston, his mouth open by the news. It was the first time she had seen him look so startled.

  Stepping closer to her, he looked at her hand, examining the Crest on it. “This is unbelievable,” he whispered, releasing her hand. “It took June months to learn to draw in Aether. But you were able to break that wall so easily! You bring pride to your ancestors!”

  Spinning around unexpectedly, he walked to the back of his shop, yelling happily as he did. “For being able to draw Aether in such a short time, and for solving the secret of the bow, I will give you a gift. It's something that has been passed down through my family for generations—but now, you can have it.”

  Burying his head in an old chest, he started throwing out everything inside of it, scattering it across the clean floor.

  “Ah! There it is!”

  Popping his head out, he pulled out an old book. Blowing dust off its cover, he brought it over to Elina, his eyes twinkling with pride.

  “This book is a manuscript on how to control the Aether within your body! It is very old.”

  Handing the book over to her, he laughed out loud.

  “It is my family’s pride!”

  Taking the book from the old man, Elina opened the cover, glanced at the contents.

  As she skimmed through the pages, her heart leaped. The book detailed a specific Aether pathway—one that could significantly increase the amount of Aether a person could hold.

  Throughout the world, many such pathways were known, but most were closely guarded secrets, passed down to family members only. Soldiers were typically taught only the basic pathways.

  “I… I can’t take such a valuable book,” she stammered, pushing the book back to the grinning old man. “This is much too valuable. I will learn House Salizia’s method once I return to the castle.”

  Ignoring Elina’s actions, Veston smiled. “You can learn both! Admittedly, once you learn one, the others will be harder to learn. But I have faith in you.”

  “You should give this book to June!” Elina argued, still holding the book outstretched. “He deserves it more than I do!”

  Shaking his head, Veston sighed. “When June was young, I tried to teach it to him, but this method did not fit him very well. He memorized it, but he can’t utilize it at all. The common one the soldiers use fits him better. I don’t have a Crest, so it is useless to me. It would make me content knowing that someone can use it.”

  Pushing the book back at her, he stared deep into her eyes. “My Lady, I know you will do great things when you grow up, let me and my family help you when we can.”

  Seeing the seriousness in his eyes, Elina gulped before giving in to her desire to study the book. Relenting, she brought the book to her chest, holding it tightly. “Thank you, Grandpa Veston, you can't imagine how much this means to me.”

  “Now! now! enough of that!” Veston shouted, soundlessly walking to the kitchen. “I’ll start to make us breakfast! Just sit at the table and wait, June should be back with the eggs soon.”

  Soon, the smell of cooking sausages filled the room, causing Elina to notice how hungry she was. Sitting at the table, she asked. “Grandpa Veston? How do you move so silently? I’ve been trying to sneak up on June for a while, but he always seems to know when I'm around.”

  Glancing back at her from the kitchen, he answered. “Controlling your body to move silently is only half the battle—you must anticipate how the person you are sneaking up on is paying attention.

  “When hunting deer, you must stay downwind of them. Humans are the same, you can't just sneak up on them from any direction, you must choose the correct one. Having said that, June and I have been hunting deer since he was little. His ability to sense his surroundings is at a high level. I don't think anyone besides Zenrom and Reges can sneak up on him.”

  Elina lifted her eyebrow in surprise. “Yesterday, we were tracking someone in town, and we lost him. Does that mean that man was extremely skilled?”

  “June lost someone he was trailing?” Veston said, pausing momentarily to flip a cooking sausage. “Interesting.”

  Feeling a slight change in the room’s atmosphere, Elina sat there, not knowing what to say. Before the silence had truly set in, June walked into the room, a basket of eggs in his arms.

  “Elina? What are you doing here?” he asked, bringing the eggs to Veston. “I don't see Anna… did you escape from the Manor? You know she’s going to be upset at you.”

  Feeling her stomach sink, Elina groaned. In her excitement, she had forgotten she had sneaked out of the manor. “Oh no! I need to apologize to her,” she lamely muttered, bringing her hand to her face.

  “Elina learned to draw Aether and the black bow!” Veston happily announced, bringing the plate of sausages and bread to the table.

  “WHAT!” June’s eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open before splitting into a large smile.

  “Congratulations!”

  Happiness radiated off his face as he stood up. “You're amazing! It took me almost a year to do that!”

  Feeling her face redden, Elina felt grateful for June's compliment. Strangely, Veston and June’s compliment was the first time she had received a true compliment from someone besides Milina.

  Thinking about it, she was sure that June was the first non-family member to compliment her skill and not her family’s blood. Even Veston had mentioned her family. It was a nice feeling.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.