NOVEL WEB Chapter-31 Water Jay
[Ewan]
She evoked too many emotions in him and amplified his impulses, he didn’t like it. They once remained glued to each other day and night, engaged, written to be a family one day, but not anymore. All his familial relationships had scarred him, they burnt him too much to restore any old sentiments. Still, he owed Aunt Ella and Uncle Keith this much, he owed Nana this much, and he owed his past self this much…
But before taking any action, he had to confirm a few things. Emotions and attachments aside, he couldn’t be careless even if it was Nana, especially when his ‘relatives’ still targeted him to this day.
…
…
…
Yet another cloudy night. Wind howled; dogs barked; some drunk men hollered an old classic song, ‘Drink along’, in the alley together, butchered the song really. Ewan darted on his rooftop—one end to the other—and leaped off the edge; leveraging his fences, he landed in Nana’s courtyard. Another quiet descent. Her balcony was lower than his, but still too high for him to reach in one jump. There were a couple windowsills on the way though. He latched onto them and after several gravity defying hops and flips, her balcony lay beneath his feet.
Thank you, Toast…
He patted his hands together and dusted them off silently. The latch of the sliding door barely hung by its lock, and the room was dark—this was Nana’s bedroom. She lay on her bed, her back facing Ewan. The light from her phone shone on her face as she stared at its screen.
Ewan hid in a dark corner of the room and crouched down, careful not to step on the empty cans and the bottles strewn around. He waited for seconds, minutes, to confirm whether she had come to him of her own will. Half an hour of staying still numbed his limbs, but he didn’t move. Another half an hour, when Nana finally put the phone away and closed her eyes, he moved. He inched closer, and in one swift step, covered her mouth.
“Shh.” He gestured with the claw-ringed finger on his lips, his irises glowing green.
She clutched the bed sheet, her eyes widened, her shoulders trembled, her chest heaved.
“I’ll ask you some questions. Don’t scream and just answer me. Okay?”
She nodded and made a muffled noise; the pressure bled her lips again.
“Did someone tell you to come to me?” He let go of her mouth and licked the warm blood on his palm—it was bitter, like liquor.
She shook her head, her breaths easing down.
“How did you get so many crystals?”
“D-Dad left them.” Her voice quivered.
“Why did you wait till now?”
“I-I…I couldn’t...”
“Forget it.” He knew why. “What will you do after you get the Astylind?” he asked.
“D-Defense force, medical unit.”
Ewan frowned. “You won't be able to explain the source of your Astylind, forget about it.”
She nodded.
“Nana, I’m not joking. If you’re adamant on that, I won't get you any Astylind.”
She nodded again; a bit strained this time.
“Your phone,” he said. “Unlock it.”
He went through her messages, logs, even her account details. There were no signs of anyone contacting her or paying her in the last few weeks, the last record was from months ago. This was weird in its own way, but Ewan also lived a similar life, so he could relate.
“Crystals.” He beckoned, and she took the pouch out from the bedside table drawer and gave it to him.
“Come see me tomorrow morning, I’ll give you your Astylind. If this much is not enough, I’ll pay the rest.”
He jumped off her balcony when his words ended, when she tried to reply. His fences became his leverage again, and he landed in his own courtyard. Rubbing his face with trembling hands, he took a deep breath and walked into the house, his stomach churning, and nausea assaulting him—he felt sick to his core, and the thorns of regret mauled his heart. What had he done…
She looked horrified right now, she dreaded him. Even when she calmed down, she was still shaking. And when he left, she must’ve cried. This confirmation was necessary, for his safety’s sake and to err on the side of caution. But at what price? She wasn’t any stranger, she was Nana, and he hurt her…
…..
Airadian Hub Stratum.
Water Jay, the books described a small bird with blending white, blue, and black feathers proficient in controlling Water-Anima—their average affinity stood at ‘Recipient’ level. After a back and forth with the shop owner, Ewan bought its suspended egg for ninety Novas. Another Novas went to the blood needed to resuscitate it, and ten more bought a hub-connector. The remaining five Novas he took out in the coin form of water element and put back in the pouch Nana gave him.
Next morning, Ewan welcomed her into the hall and informed her of the Astylind he bought. The unspoken last night burdened the atmosphere, it thickened the awkwardness between them and pulled them further apart.
“If you’re happy with this, contract it. Do it here,” he said, steeling his mind. Even though his actions made him sick, he wouldn’t apologize, because it was necessary for his sake. Yes, it was necessary…
She nodded and stared at the egg bathing in the blood. It radiated a white and blue tint that intensified as time passed. Soon it was ready for the contract.
“Go ahead,” Ewan said.
She took a deep breath and placed the egg on the kitchen countertop with trembling hands. Her gaze never left the egg as she asked for a knife, anything sharp. Ewan lifted his brows, the public spell circuit for <Contract> didn’t require any blood, it would’ve stirred up the community if it did.
The kitchen knife ran across her palm and drew blood, which she used to paint the spell circuit on the back of her hand, grimacing with the pain.
Ewan squinted at the spell circuit—it indeed wasn’t the public version; she had her own inheritance. He looked at her, was that why uncle and aunt died? The blood strokes squirmed and clung to the egg after leaving her hand. They fashioned a similar cocoon that Ewan’s spell made but more compact and thinner.
Nana had her eyes closed, Ewan stared at the cocoon, their breaths synced and rang loud in the silent hall. The cocoon dissolved into the egg with each passing second, and Nana’s smile grew wider. The contract finally succeeded when the last thread melted away, and she beamed.
The eggshell cracked and an ugly bald bird chirped. The harsh echo buzzed in Ewan’s ears. But Nana cradled it, and her eyes misted. She mirrored her old self right now; she smiled a lot back then….
“Here.” Ewan shoved the hub-connector and the pouch in her hands and shooed her away after giving a brief explanation. He wouldn’t know what to do if she cried.
“Wait!” She stopped him when he was about to shut the door. “A-Are you free on your birthday?” she asked.
“I’m going out, Frosthelm festival probably. Why?”
“Oh,” she said, her voice dimming down. “N-Nothing, I was just making a gift for you, b-but it won't be ready on your birthday anyway, so…”
“Its fine, give it to me whenever it’s ready, birthday or not.” Ewan strained a smile; her words weighed on his heart and sharpened his guilt. Even after what he did, she was still asking about his birthday and was making him a gift…. A part of him was grateful to her, that she was willing to let it go and that she didn’t hate him for it, but this only worsened his inner conflict.
“Anything else,” he said.
“N-No,” she stammered.
“Bye then.” Ewan closed the door and heaved a breath of relief a second later, leaning on the wall.