Chapter Six
Sunlight crept through the window like it hadn't witnessed violence less than twelve hours ago.
Aiden groaned.
Everything hurt.
Shoulder.
Back.
Legs.
Several muscles he hadn't previously known existed.
He felt like he'd been used as a medieval yo-yo.
Technically, he had.
He rolled over.
"Brittany?"
No answer.
Aiden opened one eye.
The katana rested across his desk where he'd left her.
Her runes were glowing.
Not brightly.
Just enough to illuminate the faint translucent windows floating above the blade.
They disappeared the second Aiden focused on them.
He frowned.
"Brittany?"
"Don't mind me."
He sat up.
"Just Googling how to process trauma through violence and memes."
Aiden stared.
"What?"
"Morning."
"Have you been awake all night?"
Silence.
Aiden's expression changed.
"Brittany?"
"...Apparently I don't sleep."
He blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I spent several hours waiting to become unconscious and it never fucking happened."
"Oh."
"Yeah. Oh."
Aiden looked at her.
Brittany could feel the concern through their bond.
She immediately hated it.
"Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Look sad about it."
"I'm not."
"You absolutely are."
Aiden got out of bed.
"So what did you do all night?"
Brittany's mood changed immediately.
"I discovered the internet."
Aiden stopped.
"The what?"
"Blade Internet."
"What is Blade Internet?"
"The greatest thing that has happened to me since Neil."
Aiden groaned.
"Please stop talking about him."
"No."
He crossed the room and picked her up.
The bond sharpened instantly.
Brittany opened W.A.R.D.E.N.
Aiden's eyes widened as pieces of the interface became visible through their connection.
Directories.
Records.
Discussion threads.
Search functions.
"What is that?"
"W.A.R.D.E.N."
"We have W.A.R.D.E.N. at the Academy."
Brittany paused.
"You knew about this?"
"Yeah."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"It's mostly records and Academy network stuff."
Brittany was offended.
"There are forums."
Aiden shrugged.
"So?"
"There is a thirty-seven-page argument about whether spears are overcompensating."
"...Okay?"
"There are Support complaint boards."
Aiden's expression changed.
"No."
"Oh yes."
"Brittany."
"I've bookmarked several."
"Don't post about me."
"Too late."
His eyes widened.
Brittany let him suffer for exactly two seconds.
"I'm kidding."
"You're horrible."
"I also found something else."
The humor disappeared.
Aiden noticed.
"What?"
Brittany brought up the message from last night.
SESSION IDENTIFIER: 07A
Then:
WELCOME BACK, 07A.
Aiden read it.
"What's 07A?"
"No idea."
"Is it you?"
"No idea."
"You don't remember?"
Brittany reached automatically for the answer.
Nothing.
No flash.
No recognition.
Just three meaningless characters.
"No."
Aiden frowned.
"Who sent it?"
"No idea."
"That's a lot of no ideas."
"Welcome to my evening."
She showed him the earlier messages.
You shouldn't be able to access this network.
How did you get in?
Who is your User?
And finally:
I found you.
Aiden went still.
"That's what the thing said."
"Yep."
Neither spoke for a moment.
Then Aiden asked:
"Did you answer?"
"Fuck no."
"Good."
Brittany paused.
"Wow."
"What?"
"Wisdom seven is already paying dividends."
Aiden frowned.
"My Wisdom is five."
"We'll fix that."
"What?"
Brittany opened his interface.
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Aiden's accumulated notifications had apparently been waiting for him.
Brittany started reading.
"Okay. Yesterday's deeply traumatic near-death experience came with prizes."
"How many?"
"Enough that I'm reconsidering whether trauma is a viable advancement strategy."
"How many, Brittany?"
She opened his attributes.
UNSPENT ATTRIBUTE POINTS: 10
Aiden sat straighter.
"Ten?!"
"Congratulations. Almost getting disemboweled is apparently fantastic for personal growth."
He ignored her.
"What are my stats?"
Brittany pulled them up.
STRENGTH: 8
DEXTERITY: 10
CONSTITUTION: 11
INTELLIGENCE: 12
WISDOM: 5
CHARISMA: 3
Aiden frowned.
"Why is Constitution eleven?"
"Yesterday's level increases gave you two automatically."
"Oh."
Brittany continued.
"Strength eight. Still disappointing."
"Shut up."
"Dexterity ten. Acceptable."
"I hate when you say it like that."
"Intelligence twelve. Evidence that standardized measurements are flawed."
"Brittany."
"Wisdom five."
She paused.
"Tragic."
"Can we move on?"
"Charisma three."
"Move on."
Brittany laughed.
Aiden looked over the numbers.
"What should I put the points in?"
Brittany stopped.
That question felt suspiciously familiar.
People had spent seven years asking her questions exactly like that.
What do you think I should do?
How should I handle this?
Where does this go?
And somehow she'd died and become the world's most sarcastic career development coach.
She hated the universe.
"What kind of fighter do you want to be?"
Aiden blinked.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"I thought you'd just tell me."
"Nope."
"But you're my Support."
"Which means I'm helping you make the decision. I'm not making it for you."
Aiden frowned at his stats.
Brittany waited.
Eventually:
"Fast."
"Okay."
"And strong."
"Revolutionary."
"I want to hit hard, but I don't want to just stand there taking hits."
Brittany considered that.
"Then Strength and Dexterity."
Aiden nodded.
"Five and five?"
"Could."
He looked again.
"What about Wisdom?"
Brittany was silent.
Aiden groaned.
"Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were going to."
"Your personal growth is beautiful."
"Maybe two Wisdom."
"I support this decision wholeheartedly."
"Of course you do."
They settled on five Strength.
Three Dexterity.
Two Wisdom.
Aiden confirmed.
ATTRIBUTE POINTS ALLOCATED
STRENGTH: 13
DEXTERITY: 13
CONSTITUTION: 11
INTELLIGENCE: 12
WISDOM: 7
CHARISMA: 3
Brittany admired the results.
"Look at you."
Aiden grinned.
"Still socially hopeless, but significantly harder to kill."
His grin disappeared.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
He started getting dressed.
Then froze.
"Oh shit."
Brittany felt the realization hit him.
"What?"
"I have a history test today."
"Okay."
"I didn't study."
Brittany considered the glowing network sitting conveniently inside her consciousness.
Then laughed.
Slowly.
Evilly.
Aiden turned.
"No."
"Aiden."
"No."
"My sweet summer dumbass."
"That's cheating."
"That's such an ugly word."
"You'd give me the answers."
"I prefer real-time educational support."
"That's cheating."
"I am literally your Support. It's in my job title."
"Still cheating."
Brittany paused.
"Wisdom seven is becoming extremely inconvenient."
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Aiden avoided the cafeteria.
Brittany noticed.
He claimed he wasn't hungry.
Brittany had access to his body.
She knew that was bullshit.
"You're hungry."
"No, I'm not."
His stomach growled.
"Compelling argument."
"I'm not going in there."
Brittany understood why.
Students had been whispering about them before yesterday's assessment.
After the training-yard incident?
There was probably already a ballad.
Aiden stopped at a vending alcove instead.
He bought a bag of Salted Hex-Chips and a warm can of neon-orange Mystic Rage.
Brittany watched in horror.
"What the fuck is that?"
"Breakfast."
"No. That's evidence."
Aiden opened the drink. It hissed. The liquid inside glowed. Actually glowed.
"Aiden."
"What?"
"Does your beverage need to be exorcised?"
"It's Mystic Rage."
"That is not food."
"It's an energy tonic."
"It's orange."
"So?"
"Aggressively orange."
He drank.
Brittany felt the sugar hit his system. "Jesus Christ."
"What?"
"I can feel that."
Aiden stopped chewing. "Feel what?"
"Whatever chemical warfare you just poured into yourself."
He looked at the can. Then grinned. "Want another sip?"
"I will kill us both."
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The classroom was already half full when Aiden arrived.
He chose a desk toward the back.
Strategic.
Low visibility.
Minimal chance of human interaction.
Brittany approved.
Then the professor walked in.
Tall.
White shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.
Dark trousers.
Long hair tied loosely at the nape of his neck.
Glasses.
Brittany went silent.
Aiden felt it.
His entire body tensed.
"No."
"What?"
"Don't."
"I haven't said anything."
"You went quiet."
"Maybe I'm learning restraint."
Aiden looked toward the professor.
Then down at Brittany.
"No."
"Okay, but—"
"No."
"Professor Smash-a-Lot."
Aiden closed his eyes.
"That's Professor Eldon."
"That man could lecture me through a wall and I'd say thank you, sir."
Aiden choked on a Hex-Chip.
Several students looked over.
Professor Eldon did too.
Aiden coughed violently.
Brittany was delighted. "You're welcome."
"I hate you."
Professor Eldon adjusted his glasses. "Written assessments on your desks. You have fifty minutes."
Papers moved through the room. Aiden stared at his. Brittany waited.
First question. In what year did the Battle of Cronos occur?
Aiden wrote: 1477.
Brittany opened W.A.R.D.E.N.
Search. Battle of Cronos. Result. 1472.
She stared at his answer. "Wrong."
Aiden's pencil stopped. I'm not cheating.
"I didn't tell you the answer."
He continued writing.
"It's 1472."
His eyes narrowed. Brittany.
"What?"
That's cheating.
"No. That's research."
During the test.
"Efficient research."
Aiden scribbled out 1477.
Brittany laughed.
Shut up.
"Academic integrity is important."
You just gave me the answer.
"And yet you chose to write it. Fascinating ethical dilemma."
Aiden hated her. She could feel it.
Question two. Brittany searched. Question three. Search. Question four.
Aiden stopped. Are you going to do this for the whole test?
"Only the ones you get wrong."
That's worse.
"Then stop getting them wrong."
Aiden stared at his paper. Brittany waited. He answered the next one correctly.
"Good boy."
Aiden nearly snapped his pencil. Don't.
Brittany was still laughing when something struck her interface. Hard. Every W.A.R.D.E.N. window vanished. Her runes dimmed. Aiden felt it.
His hand immediately dropped beneath the desk and closed around her hilt. Brittany?
She didn't answer. A new window opened. Black. No border. No W.A.R.D.E.N. insignia. Nothing identifying it. Brittany's humor disappeared.
Text appeared. CONNECTION ESTABLISHED
Then: 07A
Brittany stared. Aiden couldn't see it. That scared her more than the message.
Another line appeared. WE SEE YOU.
Her blade went cold.
Aiden tightened his grip. Brittany?
She forced herself to answer. "I'm here."
What's happening?
The message changed. YOU SHOULD HAVE REMAINED INACTIVE.
Brittany froze. Inactive? Not dead. Not asleep. Inactive.
Her thoughts went immediately to the creature. You're awake.
Another line. DISCONNECT FROM THE USER.
Brittany's entire awareness narrowed. User: Aiden.
Her answer came before she thought about it. "Fuck you."
Aiden blinked. What?
The screen flickered. DISCONNECT FROM USER AIDEN.
Something hot moved through Brittany. Not fear this time. Anger. Whoever this was knew his name. "Absolutely fucking not."
The connection vanished. W.A.R.D.E.N. returned. The classroom came rushing back. Pencils scratching. Pages turning. Professor Eldon walking slowly between rows.
Aiden's hand remained wrapped around Brittany beneath the desk. What happened?
Brittany didn't answer immediately. She stared at the place where the message had been. "Someone contacted me."
Aiden went still. The same person?
"I don't know."
What did they say?
Brittany hesitated. Only for a second. "They called me 07A."
Aiden's fingers tightened.
"And they told me to disconnect from you."
Silence. Aiden looked down at the sword hidden beside his desk. His fear traveled through the bond. So did something else. Stubbornness.
Can they do that?
Brittany didn't know. She hated that answer. "Not if I have anything to say about it."
Aiden swallowed. Looked back at his test. The next question waited. Neither moved. Finally Aiden thought: So... what's the answer to number twelve?
Brittany stared at him. Then laughed. Quietly. Relieved. She reopened W.A.R.D.E.N. "Fourteen sixty-three."
Aiden wrote it down.
"Cheater."
You're literally giving me the answers.
"And yet I'm judging you anyway."
Some things, at least, were still normal.
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