Web of Knowledge - Chapter 10 Part 2: Soulshine or Death

The following morning, Relia pulled her blue Ethereal into a free parking spot by the pier. She unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her Jumpstart cup, and stepped outside into the salty morning breeze.

Relia had never been a morning person. Sure, she could wake up early if she had to, but she’d never choose morning workouts like her friends. Koreldon mornings were always so cold, and no amount of clothing or coffee would make that go away.

But she had to admit, it was cool to see the sunrise over the gray waters. Even if her eyes were blurry from yawning. Relia took another long drink from her Jumpstart mug and walked down the long wooden pier. She found Kalden sitting on a bench a few minutes later. Unlike Relia, who’d bundled up in three layers of clothing, Kalden just wore his shorts and t-shirt. She’d probably feel warmer too if she’d jogged five miles, but training was for the afternoons.

“Hey.” Kalden removed his earbuds when he saw her. “Didn’t know you came this way in the morning.”

Relia shrugged and raised her coffee cup. “Jumpstart sounded good.”

He nodded to the empty spot beside him. “Wanna sit?”

Relia sat down, and they watched the sun pop up on the horizon.

“It feels weird,” Kalden said. “Seeing the ocean without a mana wall between us.”

Relia nodded as she took another sip of her coffee. “I was surprised the first time too. You never really get used to it.”

And that was the extent of their small talk. Another gust of wind blew over the sea, and Relia tightened her scarf. Well, she’d come here for a reason, and there was no turning back now.

She took a deep breath and turned to face Kalden. “Do you still like Akari, or not?”

Kalden raised an eyebrow. “That’s a personal question. Did she say to you something last night?”

“No, she said everything’s fine. She said you need your space, and she’s cool with that.”

“Okay,” Kalden said warily. “And that a problem because … ?

“Because she’s lying.”

Kalden winced. “I was afraid of that. I know we’ve had misunderstandings before, so I tried to be as clear as I could.”

Relia clutched her cup tighter. “I know you two were almost a couple before. What happened?”

Kalden sighed. “You really woke up early and drove five miles just to ask me that?”

“Come on …” Relia trailed off, then glanced left and right as if she’d see some clever lie written in the gray waves. Nothing came.

“Yeah,” she said as she blew out a breath of air. “Pretty much.”

“Why?” Kalden asked

“You two are my best friends. I want to help.”

“But we already talked about this last night. I don’t need any help.”

“I get it,” Relia said. “But are you actually working through your problems, or are you pushing them under the rug?”

“I’ve already got a therapist,” Kalden said.

“Yeah, Akari said that too.

The Darklights had sent both her friends to therapy once they’d returned from Creta. That was partially to help them process trauma, but also to clear them for entry into the Artegium. After all, the world’s top civilian combat program didn’t want to train a bunch of bloodthirsty psychopaths.

She knew Akari and Kalden had both passed, but she’d heard little beyond that.

“Anyway,” Relia said. “Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Pushing your problems under the rug.”

“Of course not.” Kalden held up his prosthetic mana hand. “I got injured, that set me back, and I’m not the Mana Artist I was before. I’ll admit all of that.”

“But are you living with it?”

He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She shrugged. “Sometimes, it seems like you only live for the future. Someday, when your hands are healed, and you’re at the top of the class again. But someday—”

“—never comes,” Kalden finished for her. “I know. You’ve said that before. So has Elend.”

“Well?” Relia pressed.

Kalden glanced back at the water. Clearly, he regretted asking her to sit down. Still, she pressed on. Someone had to. Otherwise, they could easily go another month like this. “You think Akari likes you less because you lost your hand in battle? Knowing her, she probably—”

“No,” Kalden interrupted. “I’m not saying it’s rational.”

“I get it. You want to spend all your time brooding alone. But Akari’s the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“Remember how she always cuddled up to you after a fight?”

Kalden nodded. “She needs to feel like she’s not a monster.”

“Right, and she’s still dealing with that Last Haven stuff.”

“I told her I don’t blame her for that.”

Relia shrugged. “Like you said, it’s not rational. But the feelings are still real. You’re a perfectionist. You think everything needs to be perfect before you can be with her.”

“Guilty as charged,” Kalden said without a hint of shame.

“But Akari loves you now. You guys are both just too cool to talk about it.”

Kalden stiffened. “Let’s not make this more dramatic than it needs to be. We’ve only known each other for a year.”

Relia tried to hold up a single finger, but her mittens ruined the effect. “First of all, that’s not true. You’ve known each other since you were kids, even if the memories are fuzzy.”

For once, Kalden didn’t have a retort.

“And so what? It’s not so weird to love someone after a year. If anything, it’s weird that you think it’s weird.”

Kalden gave an irritated sigh. “Am I allowed to have space or not? Because it seems like everyone’s feelings are valid but mine.”

“Can’t you compromise somehow? Can’t you at least talk to her for more than two minutes? We’re supposed to be a team, but you’re not acting like a team player.”

His eyes shifted, growing more focused than before. Darn it. She’d definitely said the wrong thing there. Kalden never let himself lose arguments. Escalating things was the worst move she could have made.

“What about you?” Kalden finally asked. “Are you acting like a team player right now We all promised each other we’d advance together. You can’t reach Artisan this year if you don’t take soulshine.”

Relia’s blood grew cold, and it had nothing to do with the ocean wind.

“But you’re too stubborn to take it. Aren’t you putting your needs above the team there?”

“We’ve been over this,” she said. “I’ll support the soulshine industry if I take it. How many more babies will be born with krustoplegia because of me?”

“Zero,” Kalden said. “Not directly. You’ll only save yourself. Then you can use your life to make the world a better place.”

“Everyone says that,” she muttered. “Every soulshiner has an excuse. But krustoplegia would go away if we all stopped taking it.”

“I’ve seen the numbers,” Kalden said. “You can’t escape basic math. Either you take soulshine this semester, or you’ll die.”

“I’d rather die for this cause than back down,” Relia said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up. I’ve been looking for alternatives. I’ve been looking all summer.”

“Irina’s a Grandmaster Knowledge Artist with forty years of experience in this field. You honestly think you’ll find something she didn’t?”

Relia hugged herself and leaned back on the bench. “I guess we’re all a mess, huh?”

“No argument there,” Kalden said. “But you know that expression about glass towers and Missiles?”

Relia nodded, and they watched the rest of the sunrise together.

Soulshine or death.

Those were her options, and she couldn’t escape them. But if she’d learned one thing in Creta, it was that she’d rather struggle with friends than succeed alone.

Despite everything, this was shaping up to be the best school year she’d ever had. Even if it might be her last.