The familiar, milky luminescence still hung beneath the vaulted ceiling of the Contemplation Hall. Dozens of Aetheric Crystals were arranged according to precise star-charts, their brightness modulated to a soft threshold—just sufficient to illuminate the light-screens of each cubicle without piercing the silver-threaded runes sewn into the dark velvet walls. Those symbols of Mental Contraction shimmered with a faint, silvery gleam under the light, acting as an invisible net that rigidly confined the Aetheric Pulse within a controlled range.
The air was scented with the customary mix of mint and ozone, which provided a subtle, cold sensation when inhaled, yet failed to steady the tremor in Elara's fingertips. She gripped the metal railing of her cubicle, her thumb brushing over the smooth plating. Beneath the star-shaped scar on her palm, the layer of Aetheric Simulation Paste she had applied that morning was rapidly losing efficacy. The Shadow Ember Moss and Starlit Moss components within the paste were volatilizing under her body heat, and the faint gray simulated Aether was beginning to show minute signs of Discontinuity. (The Rothfuss-style sensory detail and internal awareness of a system failing.)
According to the Academy schedule, today's core practical lesson for Weaver initiates was Foundations of Aetheric Resonance. When Mentor Ilise Whisper swept into the hall, her deep-blue robes trailing over the mirror-like floor, the fabric's reflection mirrored the Three-Tier Heart-speaker badge pinned to her chest—three coiling silver threads culminating in a cold, "open eye" that glowed beneath the Aetheric Crystals.
"Resonance is not the simple coiling of Aetheric Filaments," she declared, standing at the Hall's center. Her Aetheric Staff tapped the floor, and the silver runes instantly pulsed with a weak vibration. "It is aligning your Stellar Core to the same frequency as the Astral Origin—like a drop of water merging into the tide." (A clear articulation of the Sanderson-esque magical rule.)
A strand of silver-white Aetheric Filament extended from her fingertip, tracing a slow, deliberate arc in the air. As the filament passed, the students in their cubicles held their breath—it was the signature stability of a Three-Tier Heart-speaker, devoid of any extraneous tremor. Elara's heart sank. The Aetheric Simulation Paste had only minutes left of reliable performance. This paste—her secret blend of Academy-procured Starlit Moss, a small, black-market quantity of Shadow Ember Moss, and flour mixed in a precise 1:1:2 ratio—was sufficient to fake basic filament weaving. But Resonance required deep, systemic linking, a truth no mere potion could counterfeit.
"Now, pair up and establish a link using Deep Aetheric Filaments, maintaining it for fifteen seconds."
Students began to rise. Lina, the student next to Elara, approached, clutching her Aetheric Perception Crystal, her light-brown eyes laced with anxiety. "Thorne, shall we pair up? I'm still afraid of making mistakes, even after yesterday's practice." Her gray uniform collar lacked the silver thread—she had not yet achieved the high-Tier-One stage, making her a perfect, inconspicuous partner for Elara's fabricated "mid-Tier-One" status.
"Good." Elara nodded, subtly brushing her sleeve over the hidden pocket containing a backup supply of paste, yet daring not to apply it. Overuse would cause her Aetheric Pulse to become unnaturally stiff, which would draw suspicion. The light-screens between their cubicles merged. Lina extended a strand of pale pink Filament, clumsy with the nascent power of a new initiate. "I'll guide first; you just follow my lead."
The moment the pale pink Filament gently coiled onto Elara's gray one, Elara's immediate reaction was a rigid clench. The paste's efficacy had completely evaporated. The gray Filament instantly became translucent, like a spiderweb suddenly deprived of its structural support, its edges beginning to fragment and disperse. "What's wrong?" Lina frantically pulled her Filament back. "Your Aether… it looks like a kite with a broken string."
Students in nearby cubicles cast glances, one set of eyes conveying blatant, aristocratic scorn—Cecilia Frostborne, who was coordinating filaments with a high-Tier-One attendant, her silver-threaded collar glinting sharply. (The McClellan-style political tension flares.) "Some people can't even handle basic resonance, yet they manage to keep a position in the Seventh Tower."
Elara's fingers clenched white. The image of Kaelan Blackwood's face flashed through her mind—if he learned of her abnormal Aetheric Pulse, he would instantly dispatch guards to 'escort' her back to the Tower, restricting her with a far tighter net of surveillance. She was about to fabricate an excuse when a gentle, powerful Aetheric Pulse enveloped her cubicle.
Mentor Ilise stood outside, the tip of her Aetheric Staff suspended in the air. "Thorne, your Filaments are steady, but the resonance repeatedly suffers a Power Disruption. Did the simulation paste wear off?"
Elara's heart seized, yet she adopted a mask of genuine fluster. "Mentor, I… I applied some of the standard Aetheric Paste the Academy issues this morning. Perhaps the duration expired, and my Aether failed to maintain the link." She deliberately mentioned the "Academy-issued paste," avoiding the sensitive components of her "simulation paste," her tone conveying just the right level of helpless confusion.
Ilise did not pursue the question. She simply extended her right hand, and a strand of silver-white Filament, far more delicate than Lina's, slowly entered the cubicle. "I will guide you. Relax, and follow the frequency of my filament—think of it as adjusting your breath."
The instant the silver-white Filament touched hers, Elara forcefully channeled the last vestiges of the simulated Aether, attempting to smooth out the internal Discontinuities. She could distinctly feel the clean, pure clarity of the Astral Origin within Ilise's Filament, while her own Aether felt like corrupted water, barely able to follow the tide. Fortunately, the fifteen-second limit quickly passed. When Ilise withdrew her filament, she said only: "Apply your paste earlier next time. Do not lose composure."
After the class, Lina was still worried. "That truly terrified me. Thank the Stars the Mentor didn't press for details." Elara patted her shoulder, but her gaze was fixed on Cecilia's distant figure. The noble student was whispering to her attendant, occasionally glancing back with an enmity far sharper than before. Elara knew the resonance Power Disruption had been averted for now, but it had earned her Ilise's specific notice, and given Cecilia a new pretext for harassment. The days ahead would certainly be less peaceful.