The Basement

He thought for a moment, then added:

"This isn't an invitation to go on an adventure. I'll reinforce the seal myself; you can just watch from the side."

"The reason I brought it up..." He tucked his pocket watch back into his pocket. "Was mainly to remind you not to stay late at school for the time being."

"What does that have to do with this?"

"Your situation is rather unusual." The old gentleman folded his hands in his lap.

"When ordinary people encounter Vox Mortis, at most they'll have headaches for a few days after they get home and suffer a few nightmares.

Perkins was frightened, but after resting for two weeks, he was fine.

To them, interference from Vox Mortis is like a mosquito bite: irritating, but not fatal, and it goes away on its own after a while."

"But you're different."

He looked Richard straight in the eyes, his expression grave.

"You've already developed a certain degree of Aether affinity and spiritual perception.

Your Breathing Technique practice has established the rudiments of an Aether Micro-circulation in your body. It's still extremely weak, but it means Aether can affect you far more strongly than it can an ordinary person."

"To put it another way, an ordinary person is a rock in the presence of Vox Mortis. Vox Mortis can't see rocks, and can't be bothered with them. But you..."

Mr. Hutton's expression darkened.

"You're a candle in the darkness. The flame is tiny, but in a pitch-black place, even the faintest light stands out."

"Vox Mortis is anchored to the place of death and can't move.

But if a living person with Aether affinity enters its range of perception, Vox Mortis will use the faint Aether in that person to sustain itself."

"You can think of it as a leech. A leech can't produce blood of its own; it has to suck your blood to survive."

"Can it be removed once it attaches itself?"

"Yes, but it's a lot of trouble." Mr. Hutton shook his head.

"Once it attaches itself, you definitely won't be able to deal with it on your own. You'll have to get a professional to remove it."

"So are you telling me not to come, or to come?"

The old gentleman chuckled, deep lines crinkling around his eyes.

"I was trying to scare you."

"Last time, I tried the same thing on Lillian. She shook her head like a rattle and said 'no' eight times."

"Well, I'm not like her. I want to take a look."

Mr. Hutton's smile froze.

"You're serious?"

"I am."

"...Why?"

"Two reasons." Richard took the strap of his backpack off his shoulder and set it on the desk, relaxing a little.

"First, it's only a matter of time before I run into something like this again.

If I don't even dare to take a look with you there to protect me, I'll be even more helpless when I run into something like this alone."

Mr. Hutton didn't respond. He waited for Richard to give his second reason.

"Second..."

He hesitated, but then said it anyway.

"I want to take a close look at the structure of the seal and whatever's sealed inside. Reading about it in a book isn't the same as seeing it with my own eyes."

"You remind me of someone." The old gentleman sighed.

"It was many years ago. That person was fearless, too, and wanted to see everything with their own eyes."

He put his pipe in his coat pocket.

"They became a very capable person. And later... they died in the New Continent."

Richard didn't reply.

Mr. Hutton straightened up and picked up his folder. His expression returned to its usual, casual air.

"Ten on Friday night, at the school's back gate. Wear dark clothes."

He took two steps, then turned back to add:

"Don't bring any copper ornaments. Copper interferes with the Aether Field.

The interference is negligible, but it's still best not to bring any. If your belt buckle is copper, wear sweatpants instead."

"Understood."

"And remember to eat before you come. Doing this on an empty stomach can lead to problems."

He opened the door and left.

At half past nine on Friday night, Richard slipped out through the back door of his house.

He wore an old, dark-gray coat, one his father had outgrown and had altered to fit him. It wouldn't stand out in the night.

He checked himself twice more, making sure he had no copper coins or copper items on him.

His parents had already gone to bed before he left. There was no light beneath his younger sister's door, so she was probably asleep too.

There were few people on the street. In the distance, the factory chimneys stood in a row against the night sky like black teeth, and now and then a column of smoke spat out sparks.

The air in Briston was cleaner at night than during the day. Fewer factories ran night shifts, so coal emissions were greatly reduced.

It took about twenty minutes to walk from his home to the school.

He kept an even pace and breathed in the rhythm of his practice.

When he reached the school's back gate, Mr. Hutton was already waiting there.

"You came?"

"I did."

The old man took a key from his briefcase and unlocked the back gate.

The two of them entered the school grounds.

The classroom building's windows were all dark. The old man in the guardhouse had also finished his shift after nine.

Mr. Hutton didn't head toward the classroom building. He led Richard east along the path inside the perimeter wall.

"The seal isn't in the basement," he explained as they walked.

"The basement was only affected by it. The actual seal is deep in the foundation on the east side of the gymnasium. That's where the Textile Mill's boiler room used to be."

"The entrance is inside the electrical shed next to the gymnasium."

The electrical shed was a small brick building with a metal sign on the door that read, "Danger: Electricity. No Unauthorized Entry."

The lock was opened. Mr. Hutton went to the electrical panel at the back, crouched down, and lifted the metal plate at the bottom of the cabinet.

They'd hidden it deep, Richard thought to himself.

Beneath the plate was a flight of brick steps that descended into darkness.

The steps were just wide enough for one person to pass through, and a layer of salt crystals coated the walls.

A chill wafted up from the opening.

Richard felt his chest tighten slightly. The trace of warmth stored in the Seat of the Sun was gently stirred.

He reflexively glanced at the panel.

[Available Points: 0.15]

It hadn't changed at all.

The air was clearly permeated with something that didn't belong to the ordinary world. His Inspiration was already reacting, which meant the Aether concentration was far higher than it was aboveground. Yet his available points hadn't increased at all.

"Can you feel it?" Mr. Hutton looked back at him.

"Yeah." Richard nodded, keeping his other thoughts to himself.

"Good." The old gentleman adjusted his grip on the briefcase.

"You'll get more and more familiar with this in time. Come on, stay close to me, and don't touch the walls."

He took a lantern from his briefcase. Its light flickered in the narrow passage.

The farther they went, the colder and damper it became.

The tightness in Richard's chest grew, but the available points on the panel still hadn't budged.

What did that mean?

No matter how high the concentration of Aether dispersed through the air, it couldn't be converted into points.

His cheat didn't absorb "loose" Aether.

At the bottom, they reached a horizontal passage. A round silver plate was set into each wall about every ten paces.

"These are markers," Mr. Hutton said without turning around.

"The seal is a system. The more complete the network, the more stable the seal.

If one of the silver plates is damaged, the warding in the corresponding area will weaken.

The equipment in the storeroom was moved, and Perkins sensed something strange in the passage. Both were caused by weak points forming in the outer nodes."

At the end of the passage was an iron door.

Mr. Hutton hung the lantern on an iron hook on the nearby wall, crouched down, and opened his briefcase.

There were several items inside:

A sealed glass bottle filled with clear liquid. Richard guessed it was holy water.

A small silver ingot, a very fine Graving Chisel, a jar of grayish-white wax, and several Silver Coins.

"From here on, don't speak," Mr. Hutton warned him. "Blink once if you understand."

Richard blinked once.

Mr. Hutton nodded and snapped his fingers. The iron door slid open by itself.