With a grimace, she told him the truth. “It’s not my favorite thing ever, so I might be a little bit afraid. Where I spent my life, there was no true darkness. The hospital was always lit up, so even if the lights were off in my room, light seeped beneath the doors or came from the machines keeping me alive. The street lamps also let in light from the window. It was never really truly dark for me, so it’s just a little unnerving. Maybe being able to control the darkness will help me with that.”
He nodded and said simply, “Maybe. Why don’t we get you to the library?” He ushered her out of the room, closing the door behind him. She smiled and accepted his offered arm once he was done. She could tell he’d wanted her to like his element, and he was trying to gauge if she’d stick with it. Still, her spidey senses were telling her that there was something more, but she couldn’t figure out what she was missing.
They stopped on the first floor by his office so he could drop off his figurine, which was next to what appeared to be a staff lounge. A few people had spotted them and called him over, so she was brought along.
“And who might this young lady be?” A white-haired older gentleman asked as he bent over her hand. His demeanor was stately, but he also seemed to be emanating a comforting aura of vitality. It was like a refreshing wave of warmth that seeped into her bones, and if comfort had a smell, she’d say that’s what he smelled like.
Stephen responded smoothly, “This is Lady Jade, a traveler. You’ll probably see her around a lot, as she’s been given the blood magic room for her workshop, and she’s in every single one of the magic classes for her level.” He figured if he let most of them know now, word would spread and no one would hassle her.
“A pleasure to meet a student with such aptitude, miss Jade. I’m Duke Whitby, the instructor for life magic. I’ll look forward to having you in my class.”
She subsequently met Count Leroy, the etiquette teacher, who was slightly miffed when he realized she wasn’t taking his class because it overlapped with the magic classes. “Etiquette will help in all aspects of your life; you should seriously reconsider.” She had nodded solemnly to mollify him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but knowing he wouldn’t let her go unless he thought she had come around to his point of view. His severely parted and flattened hair reminded her of a strict butler who would whack you with a ruler if you slumped.
However, her nod didn’t seem to be enough to get him off her case, so she smiled and responded, “Of course, manners are the basic building blocks of a civil society. However, I’ve already been signed up for my current schedule, so it would be considered bad manners to cancel on the teachers who are expecting me in their classes.”
Finally seeming appeased, he’d moved off and others had moved in. Most seemed to be in their 40’s to 50’s and of higher rank. She could see why Stephen, Eric, and Jarom were considered the youngest ones in their position. When she’d finally greeted all seventeen professors and assistants who’d been in the room, which included a few more who’d dropped by after hearing there was an unusual student to meet–courtesy of what was apparently a very active gossip mill–she and Stephen finally made their escape.
Jade frowned when she noticed the sun was setting. That had taken way more time than she’d hoped for, but it was going to be excellent for her growth tonight, so she supposed it was worth it. She’d taken meticulous note of what each of them taught, given that she wanted to take only the best from them.
Instead of going to the library since it was so late, Stephen walked her back to The Green Dragon. She didn’t even try to touch anyone, even though she hadn’t touched anyone on the streets all day. She didn’t need to. Four academy students, the royal family of eight, fourteen shopkeepers, including two knights, the three guards at the school gate, the three knights and a baronet who’d helped them move her things, and seventeen professors. No, she didn’t feel the need to try and touch anyone else today.
“Sleep well, Jade” Stephen gave her a small hug as he pushed her inside.
She glanced back at him as she entered, saying serenely. “Oh, I’ll sleep so well, I’ll feel like a whole new person tomorrow.” Changes were coming. Massive changes.
In anticipation of that, she cheerfully greeted Raphael, Jessica, and Kaylee. Instead of waiting for the hunger pains to hit her in the middle of the night, she just ate another gigantic meal then and there, still taking more to her room so she wouldn’t have to raid the kitchen. She bid them goodnight before going up to her room to get ready for bed.
Finally laying down in excitement, she went through all of her notifications, matching them to her mental notes of who she’d touched that day. She made her decisions, then clicked on them all at once mentally.
It was a pain unlike any other night. She’d believed she would pass out almost immediately, but the sheer agony wouldn’t even let her pass out peacefully. Her jaw was locked shut to stop herself from screaming bloody murder. It felt like she was being burned from the inside out. After around three minutes, her body could no longer take the pain, and she finally welcomed the blackness.
Her last thought was simple.
I think I finally overloaded the system...
Chapter Twenty-Six – Consequences
Day Four
Jade felt like she’d been hit by a truck again, only worse. Like maybe she’d been smashed by two trucks instead. Her whole body was still in pain when she woke up, and she barely had the energy to reach over and pull the bag she’d put next to her bed closer. Reaching in, she slowly began to eat the bread she pulled out. Each movement was excruciating, and she felt tears sliding down her face in protest. The salty water mixed with her bread because she didn’t have the energy to move it away from her face.
All she knew was that she was never going to do that again. Her body was protesting, and she didn’t even dare heal herself because of what Mike had told her. He could heal the pain, but it would probably come at the cost of stunting her growth. Plus, that would probably take more energy, which she wasn’t sure was a great idea right now either. So she slowly curled up around her pillow and cried, trying to muffle the soft sobs she could no longer hold in. Every sob only seemed to amplify the pain though, making her body spasm periodically.
She closed her eyes, wondering if she’d broken herself, and her body wasn’t going to get better anymore. Completely exhausted, she slowly drifted back off into a fitful sleep.
She woke a few more times, only able to eat a little bread before her energy gave out each time until she could no longer make herself reach for food. She no longer sobbed, having given it up as pointlessly aggravating her condition. Tears still silently streamed down, but she didn’t have the presence of mind to try and keep the water in. For the first time since she’d come to this world, she felt completely helpless, her body so overstressed that she couldn’t move a muscle.
When Kaylee knocked on her door a few hours later like she had yesterday, Jade couldn’t even bring herself to formulate a response. She just stared at the ceiling and mentally clicked on a box that was blinking red instead of the customary blue.
Warning: You have siphoned more than your body can currently accommodate. Time spent adapting has been doubled.