When Prodigies Fall, the Failure Stands

Years ago, my master drank some bootleg liquor and insisted on dragging me back to the Order so he could brag that I was a once-in-a-generation genius. When the test revealed I was a worthless dud with a fivefold mixed affinity, he gritted his teeth and took me on as his personal apprentice anyway, just to save face. Luckily, my fellow apprentices were all dazzling prodigies, so I picked up a body-training manual that had been propping up a table leg in the archive hall and started training on my own, figuring it out as I went. When Cassian, our head apprentice, was chosen by a divine sword in the Valley of a Thousand Blades and became famous across the land, I was training my body. When Seraphine mastered the Worldbinder Ward and wiped out great demons with a wave of her hand, I was training my body. When Elowen's alchemy reached divine heights and called down a nine-colored lightning storm, I was still huffing and puffing, training my body. Every day, they looked at me with the same fed-up, disappointed expression. But in private, they stuffed my room with pills and magical treasures like they cost nothing. Until the day the demon army stormed the Order. Cassian's bonded sword shattered inch by inch as he shielded everyone. Seraphine's ward was broken, and she collapsed, coughing up blood. Solvar, the Ashwing King, strode toward us, laughing wildly. He pointed at Seraphine and Elowen, two breathtaking beauties, his face full of greed. "Such exquisite aether vessels. Taking them back to the demon clans to drain will help me break through!" Seeing my fellow apprentices in such a state, I steeled myself and rushed forward, hoping to buy them just a little more time. Solvar sneered and unleashed a full-strength beam of demonic light, powerful enough to tear through space, straight into my chest. A while later, I looked down at the slightly dirty hem of my robe and froze. "That's it? He didn't even break my skin?" Chapter 1 "Aurelia Vane! I've never seen anyone born with aptitude this pathetic!" Cassian Rook, head apprentice to our master, Aldric, jabbed a finger at my nose. His whole hand was shaking. I stood there, my face twisted in misery. "Cassian, I really can't feel even a trace of aether." Cassian was so furious he stomped around in three full circles. The bonded sword at his hip hummed right along with his temper. "You've been in the Order for five years, and you still can't manage the most basic step—drawing aether into your body! "What did I ever do to get stuck with a junior this hopeless?" A faint, cold scoff came from nearby. Seraphine Thorne, Aldric's second apprentice, sat in white robes, her head bowed as she etched intricate lines into the ward plate in her hands. "Watch your mouth." Cassian bristled and opened his mouth to fire back. Seraphine's tone stayed flat, but it carried a pressure that left no room for argument. "Master Aldric taught us that apprentices are supposed to help each other. "If she's such a burden to you, go up to the back ridge right now and tell him you're resigning as head apprentice." Cassian shot me a murderous glare. Then he yanked a white crystal vial from his robe and tossed it into my arms. "Eat them! One a day! And if they don't kill you, keep eating them like your life depends on it!" They were top-grade Clearblood Elixirs—priceless pills the novices would fight tooth and nail over without ever laying eyes on a single one. Cursing under his breath, he shot into the sky on his sword. Even his retreating back radiated pure, helpless exasperation. Seraphine put away her ward plate. As she walked past me, she slipped three top-tier defensive talismans into my pocket. "Don't listen to his yelling. Go train." Warmth filled my chest. Clutching the vial and the talismans, I headed for the back ridge. I'd just passed the novices' training yard when a few sharp, nasty voices drifted out from behind a cluster of boulders. "See her? That's the Order's most famous failure." "Fivefold mixed affinity. She's lower than dirt, and she still gets to hog a spot as Master Aldric's personal apprentice. Talk about lucky." I stopped, glanced down at my rough, callused hands, and said nothing. Just as I was about to take the long way around, a strange medicinal scent wafted past. At some point, Elowen Faye, Aldric's third apprentice, had appeared on top of the boulders. She wore a long pale-yellow dress today and was smiling sweetly down at the gossiping novices. A wisp of almost invisible powder floated down on the breeze. "You boys seem awfully worked up. I just finished a batch of throat-soothing pills. Why don't you try some?" The words had barely left her mouth when the novices clutched their throats, their faces turning purple. They opened their mouths wide to scream, but not a sound came out. Then they started clawing at their own skin like madmen, tearing their clothes to shreds as they rolled on the ground in agony. Elowen looked down at them, and her smile vanished in an instant. "Let me hear one more word against her. "By tomorrow, Cassian's sword will be at the throat of your elder on the main peak." She tossed off the threat lightly, hopped down from the boulders, took my hand, and led me away. "Come on, Aurelia. I made you a big pot of restorative stew." I looked back at the novices thrashing on the ground and swallowed hard. When it came to protecting her own, Elowen was even more ruthless than Cassian. Back at my little courtyard on the back ridge, I politely turned down Elowen's invitation to stay and opened my body-training manual again. The pages had yellowed with age, and they were covered in drawings of bizarrely contorted poses. I walked to the corner of the courtyard, heaved with everything I had, hoisted the boulder over my head, and started doing squats. Somehow, the boulder seemed to be getting lighter. By the time I finished a full set, night had fallen completely. Steward Bran Mosley, who oversaw the Order's chores, hurried past my gate with a lantern. When he saw me still out in the courtyard wiping off sweat, he stopped short and lowered his voice. "Miss Vane, the demon clans in the Wildspine Range have been stirring a lot lately. Word is, quite a few powerful demons have been prowling the border. "The Order's Head has already ordered more patrols. Whatever you do, don't leave the Order's grounds for the next few days!" My heart skipped a beat. I nodded. Chapter 2 Over the next few days, the mood across the Order grew unbearably heavy. I stayed in my courtyard, doing push-ups with the boulder on my back. Cassian had just flown back on his sword. When he saw me still doing those mortal workout drills, his brows knotted together. "Are you out of your mind? At a time like this, you're still messing around with that junk?" He strode over, ripped the storage pouch from his belt, and dumped out a whole pile of glowing treasures. Top-grade protective talismans, an adamant shield ward plate, earth-escape talismans, and even a suit of shimmering heavenweave armor. "Put it on! Keep every last one of these on you!" He was practically shouting, and his eyes were bloodshot. He startled me so badly that I waved my hands frantically. "Cassian, that armor is what keeps you alive. I can't take it." He grabbed my shoulder, his grip startlingly strong. "Quit talking nonsense! I'm a sword adept at the peak of the high adept tier. You think I need this junk? "You can't even draw aether into your body! If you run into a demon, one slap will turn you into a smear on the ground!" His eyes red-rimmed, he forced the armor onto me himself. Then he turned and hurried off again. Watching his slightly unsteady back as he left, I felt an ache I couldn't put into words. Before long, Seraphine came too. Her usually cool, composed face was sickly pale. She'd clearly been laying wards day and night and had pushed her aether far past its limits. She didn't say a word. She just quietly pressed three incredibly complex ward plates into my hand. "If you're in danger, crush one. "It can block a full-strength strike from a high-adept demon." That was all she said before rushing off toward the anchor point of the Grand Aetherfall Barrier. By evening, Elowen came barreling into my courtyard with a massive alchemy furnace slung over her shoulder. "Aurelia, quick! Look at all the goodies I brought you!" She slapped the furnace, and hundreds upon hundreds of fragrant pills came pouring out. "This bottle keeps you alive, this one's an antidote, and this one unleashes all your hidden strength in an instant." She crammed my room so full there was nowhere left to stand. "Elowen, what's going on with all of you?" I finally couldn't hold the question back any longer. Elowen froze, then forced an unnatural smile. "Nothing. It's just a precaution. "Be good and stay inside. Don't go anywhere." She patted my head, then turned and ran off into the night. I stared at the room full of life-saving treasures and pills, and my unease spread like wildfire. I went out to the courtyard and picked up the black boulder again. If I couldn't help, the least I could do was train even harder so I wouldn't drag them down. The night wind howled, and a sharp, rank stench hung in the air. I was practicing punches in the courtyard, and every swing of my fist set off a low, muffled crack of air. Suddenly, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky. BONG— The deep, heavy toll of the ancient bell rang out from the main peak. The sound pierced the clouds and shook the whole mountain range. I froze mid-punch and stared blankly toward the main peak. BONG—BONG— A second toll. The bell kept ringing, and every strike made my heart lurch. Nine. Nine full tolls. A chill swept through my whole body. My legs buckled, and I almost collapsed. The Order's ancient bell rang once to assemble, three times to warn, and six times to meet an enemy. But nine tolls in a row meant only one thing: the Order was facing total annihilation. Chapter 3 In the distance, towering flames stained the night sky blood red. Countless flashes of steel streaked upward, only to plummet just as fast. Frantic with worry, I turned and sprinted toward the main peak. I'd barely left the path on the back ridge when a figure in pale yellow burst out of the trees and planted herself in my way. It was Elowen. She was usually the neatest person I knew, but now she was covered in horrifying bloodstains, and even her hairpin had snapped in half. "What are you doing? Go back!" Her voice was sharp, and her eyes were filled with a panic I'd never seen in her before. My eyes stung as I clung to her sleeve. "Elowen, something's happened to the Order. I want to help you!" Elowen shook off my hand and shoved a heavy storage pouch into my arms. "Help with what? Your mortal flailing?" She was breathing hard, and her words came out in a rush. "The Order has already prepared a last escape route. "If Master Aldric and the elders can hold off Solvar, the Ashwing King, great. "If they can't, the weaker disciples have to get out through the secret tunnel immediately." I shook my head hard, and the tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over. "I'm not leaving! I'm not going anywhere!" Seeing my tear-streaked face, Elowen's eyes filled with a deep sorrow. She stepped forward and pulled me into a tight hug, her voice unusually gentle. "Be good, Aurelia. "Elder Hollis is in charge of the evacuation, and he owes me a huge debt from years back. "As long as you go with him, he'll protect you with his life." I bit down so hard on my lip that I tasted blood. "What about you? What about Cassian? And Seraphine?" Elowen let go of me and smoothed my messy hair. "We're Master Aldric's apprentices. The Order raised us, and now it's time to pay it back." She gazed at me for a long moment. "Aurelia, I've seen how hard you've worked all these years. "You've done amazing. Really." She turned away, and her voice trembled with despair. "After you leave, find some remote village and live an ordinary life. "Solvar is a pure-blooded descendant of the ancient sun-birds of the Sunfire line. "He's not someone you could ever stand up to." With that, she became a streak of light and charged toward the blazing battlefield without a backward glance. I stood frozen, clutching the storage pouch. Without them, I'd be nothing more than a lost soul, wandering this world alone. I tucked the pouch into my robe, gritted my teeth, and quietly followed her, keeping to the shadows of the trees. The main square had become a living hell. Bodies lay everywhere, and blood ran in streams. Overhead, the legendary barrier was riddled with cracks. Outside its glowing shield stood a man in a dark-gold robe. He was simply standing there, yet the terrifying heat pouring off him made the very air around him twist and warp. He casually raised his hand and drove a punch into the Grand Aetherfall Barrier. The earth heaved, and the mountain shook. On the high platform in the middle of the square, Seraphine sat cross-legged. Her fingers flew as she poured aether into the ward plate, desperately trying to hold the collapsing barrier together. Solvar gave another scornful laugh, and his second punch came crashing down. This one carried terrifying power. CRACK— A sharp, shattering sound rang through the night. Up on the platform, Seraphine's face turned white as paper, and she coughed up a shocking mouthful of blood. Her Worldbinder Ward had been broken. Chapter 4 Solvar slowly descended into the center of the square, his dark-gold eyes full of mockery. "The Aetherfall Order? Nothing but vermin." Just then, a blinding flash of steel erupted from the forbidden grounds on the back ridge. Aldric, who'd sealed himself away in meditation for ten years, broke free. His hair and beard bristled. Carrying the terrifying might of the Ascendant tier, he drove his sword straight at Solvar's brow. "Vile beast! How dare you attack my Order!" The strike drained every trace of ambient aether for thirty miles around, and its force tore into the heavens. But Solvar didn't even try to dodge. He simply raised his right hand and, with two fingers, caught the sword that was supposed to finish him. "Early Ascendant tier? Too weak." Then he slammed a palm squarely into Aldric's chest. BOOM! Aldric didn't even have time to cry out before he was sent flying. He smashed through three great halls in a row and was finally buried deep in the rubble. No one could tell whether he was still alive. "Master!" Cassian's eyes went red. He looked like a man possessed. He burned his own lifeblood and poured himself into his sword until the two of them became a single blood-red streak that slashed wildly at Solvar. "Die!" Solvar sneered and casually flicked out an arc of dark-gold demonic light. "Pointless." The instant the demonic light met the blood-red streak, Cassian's bonded sword shattered inch by inch into worthless scraps of metal. He coughed up a huge mouthful of blood and crashed down beside Seraphine. The crack of breaking bones was clearly audible. Laughing wildly, Solvar strode forward and looked down at my two gravely wounded seniors. He licked his lips, his face full of undisguised greed. "Such exquisite aether vessels. It'd be a shame to just kill you. "I'll take you back to the demon clans and drain your power day and night. You'll be exactly what I need to break past my limits!" He reached out with a hand tipped in sharp claws to grab Seraphine's collar. "Stop!" I couldn't hold back anymore. I rushed out from the shadows of the ruins, threw my arms wide, and planted myself in front of my seniors. My legs were shaking violently, and my heart was pounding. When Cassian, who'd been on the verge of passing out, saw me, his eyes flew wide with horror. "Aurelia! What are you doing out here? Get out of here!" He struggled to get up, but Solvar's pressure pinned him to the ground. "Don't you dare hurt her!" Seraphine and Elowen panicked too. They threw themselves toward me without a thought for their own safety, trying to shield me with their bodies, their voices pure begging. "Ashwing King, I'll go with you willingly! "She's just a powerless nobody. She's no use to you at all. There's no reason to hurt her. Let her go!" Solvar paused, watching the scene with great interest. Then he burst into piercing laughter. "Hahahaha! Interesting. How very interesting! "The more you care about this useless girl, the more I want to crush her to a pulp right in front of you!" Before the words had even faded, Solvar raised his hand. A beam of dark-gold demonic light powerful enough to tear through space itself shot straight at my chest, carrying the force of total annihilation. I watched the terrifying attack close in and knew I couldn't dodge it. So I quietly closed my eyes and waited for the agony of being torn apart. A violent shockwave sent every paving stone around us flying, and a cloud of dust blotted out everyone's view. I stood there and waited for what felt like forever, but I didn't feel any pain. Confused, I opened my eyes—and froze. Solvar's full-strength attack hadn't even broken my skin. The dust slowly settled. The laughter froze on Solvar's face. He stared at me, completely unharmed, in disbelief. I slowly raised my head. My body, which had been trembling with fear a moment ago, was now strangely calm. A terrifying power I'd never noticed before was boiling wildly inside me. In that moment, everything became clear. I'd never been useless. My path was just different from everyone else's! I met Solvar's stunned stare and slowly clenched my fists. The grinding of my bones rang out clearly across the square. I looked at him and grinned. "Hey, mangy bird. "Think you can take one of my punches?"