A few days later.
At an abandoned warehouse outside the City of Rogalia, Acarnis.
Aron stood in the dimly lit surroundings, facing a middle-aged man with a determined expression. The tension in the air was palpable as the two exchanged words.
“Aron, what do you have in mind? Why did you ask for a meeting?” asked Klain.
He was Aron’s handler and the only reachable contact in the New Dawn. Aron had contacted the man when the time was ripe.
“What happened to the last operation? Why did it fail, sir Klain?” Aron asked, doing his best to display a curious face.
Klain’s face became tense when Aron asked him that question. He then sighed before answering.
“Well… we don’t know anything yet for sure. But it seems like someone else from the otherworlders intervened in our plans. Even though we are working with some of them, it’s not like the otherworlders are one big happy family. They also have factions among them.
We can only assume that it was some rival of our ally who decided to spoil our plans to hurt our allies indirectly,” Klain said as he got up from the chair he was sitting on and started pacing around.
“I see,” Aron said, sighing internally. The Aksai part within him was glad no blame had been pinned on his name yet. The New Dawn members must have conducted their own research into the matter and found out a few things.
However, due to the lack of evidence, they could only find out that a certain someone had used Spirit spells to get rid of the enemies. And since it was the Spirit spells in question, the New Dawn could only link it with otherworlders who had invaded Acarnis long ago before Aksai did through his clones.
“Does the New Dawn plan to abduct the talented Aether practitioner seeds from Rogalia School again?” Aron asked next.
Klain shook his head and sighed. “No, we have no such plans in the near future. The repercussions of another operation like that are too great. The school’s defenses have been fortified, and the government is highly alert. It’s not worth the risk.”
Aron nodded, absorbing the information. He then took a deep breath and looked Klain straight in the eyes. “I want to be compensated for my aid and efforts in the earlier plan.”
Klain raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. Aron was usually aloof and distant, never one to seek attention or reward. “Compensated? What do you have in mind?”
Even though the operation had failed, Klain had to admit that Aron had done what he was supposed to do. The kid was not that bright and talented. At least not the original Aron anyway. However, Klain didn’t want to lose an ally in Aron just yet by acting frugal.
“I want to know about the newly developed Aether Wisp Awakening ritual that the New Dawn is working on with the help of the otherworlders. I’ve heard it’s different from the traditional routes,” Aron said, his tone unwavering.
Aksai had found out about the new Aether Wisp awakening ritual from the memories of the abductor when he was on the flying ship. This new ritual was why he had decided to possess Aron in the first place.
Klain’s surprise deepened, and he scrutinized Aron carefully. “How did you find out about the new ritual?”
“I overheard one of the abductors talking about it before we executed the operation at Rogalia School. They mentioned it in passing, but it caught my attention,” Aron replied smoothly. He had come up with that answer even before he arranged the meeting with Klain.
A wicked smile spread across Klain’s face as he laughed. “You have a keen ear, Aron. But if you want to learn about the new Aether Wisp Awakening ritual, you’ll need to prove yourself worthy.”
Aron cut to the chase, not wanting to waste time. “Alright. What do I need to do?”
Klain leaned in, his eyes gleaming with intrigue. “You need to clear your school with flying colors and infiltrate the ranks of the World Government. Show us that you have the potential and dedication to rise to power.”
Aron considered the task, knowing it wouldn’t be easy but also recognizing the opportunity it presented.
“Don’t give me that answer,” Aron shook his head before speaking in a serious tone, his eyes meeting Klain’s.
“The carrot-and-stick doesn’t work that very well when your carrot is sour and your stick is practically useless on the target. And it’s not like I’m asking for something too difficult.
Anyway, what would you gain by hiding that ritual to yourself? Don’t you want some guinea pigs to test the effects of the new ritual on a number of Aether practitioners? I’d happily become one of your test subjects.
I’ll start displaying my academic talent soon enough. Your goal is to have an insider man in the World Government as well, right? I’ll handle that role if you put enough trust in me.
But mere trust is not enough. It’s useless if you don’t back it up with sufficient resources. if you want me to succeed and infiltrate the World Government, the New Dawn needs to invest in me.”
Aron put forward his plan in front of his handler. He wanted to get the benefits from both sides of Acarnis’ complicated society. As such, he put forward his demands without there being any ounce of hesitation.
‘Hmm? Was this kid always this confident? Seems like his growth spurt is kicking in.’
Klain was taken aback by Aron’s determined stance. He hadn’t expected such a bold proposition.
After a moment of contemplation, he nodded. “Alright, Aron. As long as you become one of the top students in Rogalia School in the next few months, you’ll be given the method to conduct the newly developed Aether Wisp Awakening ritual.
This ritual works even if someone has already awakened their Aether Wisps. So you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues.”
Aron smiled and nodded in agreement. “Deal. I’ll prove myself.”