Chapter Text
When Jiyan arrived at the gym on the Friday, Calcharo was already waiting for Jiyan outside. The teal-haired medic spotted his friend almost instantly when he rounded the corner. He had taken an alley shortcut that promised to cut his journey time by three minutes. Possibly not a lot in the grand scheme of things… but enough that he’d be on-time rather than late.
Calcharo stood under the eave of the building. He gave the impression of a loafer- idly on his Terminal in his gym wear when he could have just as easily gone in- but Jiyan knew better. He saw the way Cal’s posture stiffened when he sensed his approach from the unconventional direction. He felt his sharp gaze and its instantaneous softening once he recognised him.
“You’re late,” Calcharo quipped the moment Jiyan was in earshot.
“On time, actually,” the Aero resonator retorted, meeting his friend’s smirk with equal mirth. “Miscalculated the time I needed to finish some documentation. You weren’t in to remind me.”
“Whatever time would you leave work if not for me?” Cal replied magnanimously, pushing off from the wall as Jiyan joined him under the overhang. He held out his usual snack.
“How was your day?” he asked, once they’d taken a seat on the bench against the side of the building.
“There have been worse…” Jiyan said, flashing Cal a knowing look. “But you’re here at least. I wasn’t sure if you’d come… I was certain you took a random day off.”
“I did. That was…” He broke off. “Something I’ll tell you about when we’re not here. Speaking of bad days… I haven’t seen her since that day. How… How is Changli?”
Jiyan hesitated at the question, his gaze dropping to his trainers as he tried to make his thoughts coherent. “She’s holding up,” he replied, though his voice betrayed a sliver of doubt. “You know Changli. She keeps a lot to herself.” Calcharo nodded, but the concern in his eyes lingered, mirrored by Jiyan’s own uncertainty.
“She’s been very upset about the ambulance,” he added.
Calcharo let out an awkward chuckle. “I’m not surprised. Did someone say anything? A certain consultant maybe?”
“Geshu Lin seemed to be understanding,” he replied, instantly recognising the insinuation. In his mind’s eye, he flashed back to that day. No, Dr Lin was the furthest thing from upset and if he dared to assume his senior’s thoughts… it would seem like an ambulance seemed like a small price to pay for everyone’s safety.
“Still. It’s like eight million shell credits? More? Changli’s the type to replay the event in her head to figure out what she could have done differently.”
“That’s… uncharacteristically observant of you.”
“Ha. Oddly enough, it’s one of my strengths. I rarely miss the mark.” He said the words with the air of someone who had come to consider this as a fact.
“Alright then. Tell me a fun fact about… me.”
“About you?”
“Why not? Put your skills of observation to the test… unless you only do it when the person in question can’t prove you wrong?”
Calcharo scoffed. “I don’t have anything to prove.” He met Jiyan’s almost pleading look, and the teal-haired medic saw the cracks appearing in his resolution. “FINE,” Cal half-groaned. “I’ll humour you. What kind of fun fact do you want?”
“I don’t know. Anything.”
He shot the teal-haired a particularly baffled look and for a moment looked like he was going to change his mind. But he simply shook his head. "Alright. Fine. Let me think.”
Jiyan let him muse for a few moments, acutely aware that even if their session did not start until Geshu Lin arrived, they should probably head inside to warm up. He was about to say something when Calcharo made a low sound at the back of his throat.
“Alright. I have something. But if I’m wrong, just know this is purely off isolated incidents. It’s literally just… a feeling.”
“Alright…?” He tried to keep the nervousness in his voice to a minimum. After all, they were just chatting… But there was something in his choice of words. And Calcharo was not one to deliberate for too long on his choice of words.
The Electro resonator dropped his voice. “Did you lose someone important to you?”
Did he lose someone important to him?
In hindsight, he was certain that he’d gone quite pale.
Jiyan’s breath caught somewhere between his lungs and his throat, and for a moment, he was painfully aware of the cold air and the distance between them. He couldn’t quite bring himself to answer, but the question lingered, a tenuous link between past and present. The memories threatened to surface, unwanted and raw, and Jiyan wondered how far Calcharo’s self-proclaimed perception extended.
Suddenly he was not standing outside the gym. He knew he was looking at Calcharo- of that much he was certain with his friend’s cool gaze and icy hair- and yet, he wasn’t really seeing him.
What was this feeling now in weighing in his chest?
He was all too familiar with grief, with anger. This recognised neither. The sensation delved deep into his core, reminding him of his emotional treachery.
Did you forget…?
Or are you too busy with your new life to remember?
It’s been less than six months.
Jiyan, I expected more…
And suddenly the feeling had a name: Guilt.
“Shit. If I knew for sure… From the look on your face… Are you okay?” There was a degree of panic there and Jiyan attempted to meet his friend’s gaze.
“It’s fine,” he wanted to say, but the words remained paralysed on his tongue. A look crossed his face, as though he recognised the emotion Jiyan has struggled to name. “How’d you guess?” Jiyan murmured instead, avoiding the question entirely.
“I… There was that incident with the chest drain. Your reluctance to embrace your Forte once it manifested… It can’t have been too long ago judging from…” He broke off awkwardly. “You learned pretty quickly once you started,” he tagged on instead.
“That doesn’t mean…”
“I know it doesn’t. It’s just… Mutant Resonators often manifest their abilities after some sort of extreme emotional state. The way you locked in that day in Qichi Village, the way you hold your nerve while at work… you’re exactly the kind of person I’d want at my side in a crisis…” He took a breath. “So whatever triggered it, must have been deeply personal… And I would know.”
And he would know?
“But you’re a Natural Resonator.”
Cal shook his head. “Not about my Forte. About my… Shadow.”
His knowledge about unstable Tacet Fields…
“Did… did you lose someone important to you too?”
The cool air from earlier was gone, replaced by a stillness as though the nature itself held its breath. Was that his fault? He recognised his signature frequencies, but in it trailed another’s- like a thunderous storm cloud on an otherwise calm day.
Calcharo’s silence stretched between them, the kind that carried the weight of memory. Jiyan caught the flicker of something old and unresolved in Cal’s eyes and almost wished he hadn’t said anything. But the moment felt precariously honest, and it was perhaps the most vulnerable they’d ever allowed themselves to be.
“I lost a lot of people important to me.” Cal tried to say it with indifference, but it seemed he lost the will halfway. “For all sorts of reasons,” he added with a grimace. “But the most unexpected, happened in an active Tacet Field. Everyone- gone. If not for Shadow, I might have joined them.”
“You don’t remember?”
“No. Pretty sure I Overclocked.”
“I’m sorry, Cal.”
His friend gave him a light push against his shoulder. “I told you about apologising for stupid things. The past lives right where we left it. But for better or for worse, it’s part of who we are.”
Jiyan nodded once before adding, “Beiwang… was his name. He was my childhood friend, we did everything together. Even when he joined the Midnight Rangers, he would still return home for special occasions. And then… Then he died in active service on the day of my graduation.”
Calcharo didn’t say anything for a moment.
“I know that’s nothing like what you went through but…”
“You idiot. Is this meant to be a game of who has the worse trauma?” Calcharo said, disbelief clear in his tone. “I was just thinking… that’s not that long ago at all. The timeline makes sense. Your Forte control…” he gave a low whistle, “Seems even more impressive now.”
“But your…”
“Mine was years ago. Maybe yes, slightly more gruesome. But that’s life in the New Federation. The city you think of,” he added before Jiyan could ask, “Is just one reality.”
“I see.”
Cal bit his lower lip before asking, “Do you feel better now?”
“It felt good to acknowledge it… to talk about him. I think with everything going on, I forgot to be sad.”
“You forgot… to be sad,” Cal repeated.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry for being an idiot.”
“No, I wasn’t going to say that.” Calcharo looked at him with a strange expression. “I know exactly what you mean.”
And then he stood suddenly and whatever Jiyan wanted to say in response dissipated.
“Anyways, shall we go inside?”
Jiyan made a face, “We were having a deep moment.”
“We’ll be having an even better moment of Geshu Lin were to come and find us here.”
Ah.
“Point taken.” But Cal’s words gave him momentary pause.
“One more thing before we head in… Did you tell Dr Lin about all this? The Tacet Field. The Overclocking. Shadow.”
He nodded slowly, looking strangely guilty. “We had a meeting. He saw you fighting beside him… and he had questions.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“No… he was just interested in my Rabelle’s Curve. That… test your friend Mortefi had mentioned. It’s all very under the table, I specifically asked because I don’t want to be some Huanglong lab experiment. So don’t tell him, okay?”
“Of course. Is that where you went today then?”
He nodded. “I met Baizhi at the Academy. Dr Lin assured me she could keep a secret.”
“And…?”
“I mean, it’s not too surprising, although Baizhi was pretty stunned. Mine resembles a Tacet Discord’s. Frequencies perfectly integrated. Shadow was very pleased.”
“Did she…?”
“She didn’t ask. And I didn’t offer.”
“And…”
“Jiyan,” Cal interjected, “I suppose it’s my own fault for forgetting to tell you. I just… wanted the right moment.” He gave him a knowing look. “We’ll talk later. Promise. But we’re on simulation today… You know Dr Lin would want to start as soon as.”
He extended his hand, and Jiyan took it automatically, joining the standing Calcharo.
“You’re forgiven, by the way,” the teal-haired man half-grumbled, shouldering his work bag.
“I didn’t doubt it for a second.”
A small waiting room was adjacent to the simulation room, equipped with a one-way mirror and speakers to facilitate communication between both rooms. It was also where the session lead could adjust the simulation parameters- number of waves, number of opponents, their abilities. For a small building rarely frequented by the general public, it was quite impressive technology.
It was good that Jiyan and Calcharo entered when they did. Ten minutes later, Geshu Lin burst into the room, armed with two large cases.
“I hope you both are warmed up,” he stated, meeting their gazes individually as though knowing their heart rate was elevated from sheer anxiety. Actually… it was probably Yhan. He’d said nothing when they entered, greeting them as warmly as he could manage… but it would be foolhardy to think that he wouldn’t say anything to Geshu Lin.
Stupid.
But their senior seemed keen to drop the issue, making his way to the back of the room where there was a table. Both young men did not need the invitation; they trailed after him automatically. Geshu Lin gently deposited the cases on the table, before looking up to address them.
“Good days?” he asked.
They both made vaguely positive sounds, and he nodded once in acknowledgement.
“Good. Because we’re going to have a great session this afternoon.” He ran his hand over the larger case, before jumping in.
“You both have a similar problem that looks very different… You,” he turned to face Jiyan in obvious appraisal, “Are very likely to exhaust yourself if you rely so heavily on your Forte. That lance of yours? Very useful, but useless if you have a repeat of that Saturday. So I propose… you learn to wield a weapon.”
“Dr Lin… I couldn’t possibly…”
But he carried on as if Jiyan hadn’t spoken. “Traditional training would advocate for use of the bō, but I’m certain I haven’t given you the impression that I was a traditional teacher. Besides, I much rather if you didn’t get into bad habits… So we’ll be using real weapons courtesy Huaxu Academy.”
“Dr Lin.” There was perhaps something in his tone that gave his senior pause. He looked at him now with blended surprise and curiosity. “I meant what I told you before,” Jiyan continued, apprehension bleaching his words of the resolution he wanted to communicate. “I really didn’t want to be a fighter. I thought this was basic self-defence.”
“Basic self-defence would have meant certain death in that cavern,” Geshu Lin said slowly, patiently. “You have the capability of using advanced techniques. So what sort of teacher would I be if I didn’t give you all the tools to defend yourself. And maybe even your loved ones?”
He raised an eyebrow, daring Jiyan to argue. The teal-haired medic knew when an argument was already lost.
He rounded onto Calcharo next. “And you. Your skillset is unique. I’ll give you that. But you seem to have a reliance on everything but yourself. A weapon in your hands. A TD guarding your blindspots. Take those away and what can you do?”
“My Forte…”
“You risk Overclocking every time you push yourself, don’t you?” Geshu Lin held Calcharo’s gaze. “Even in practice, you exert yourself, but only just enough to get the task done. In reality, I suppose you turn to your…”
“Shadow,” Calcharo completed for him, not bothering to hide it. “And… you’re right.”
Dr Lin nodded thoughtfully, lacking his usual self-satisfaction when he received confirmation on his accuracy.
“In your case, we’re going to focus on increasing your Forte strength and with it, your capacity. Like adding weights at the gym till 150 kilograms feels like nothing.”
He chuckled at their stupefied expressions and carried on.
“Overclocking and exhaustion both sit on the same side of the spectrum of Forte usage. Two options. How the body reacts seems related to the Rabelle’s Curve that the scientists like to go on about.” Geshu Lin sighed but Jiyan did not miss the brief glance he shot towards Cal.
“Regardless, it matters little either way. In an emergency, like the one in the cavern… it meant certain death if I were not there. And as much as I enjoyed the exercise… I much rather not be needed at all.” He met their gazes pointedly. “So we fix that.”
He unclipped one of the cases, revealing a glistening blue broadblade. There was a cold that radiated from it that was unlike anything that Jiyan had ever experienced- a winter in Mount Firmament perhaps. The icy colour was contrasted heavily by the blade’s dark hilt with golden accents.
“A prototype from Huaxu Acedemy… I was personally instructed to get your feedback, Jiyan.” He held it towards the Aero resonator, “It’s a bit too light for my liking, but it will suit your purpose well today.”
Jiyan took the blade.
This was light?
In all fairness, it was not as heavy as it looked. It couldn’t possibly be metal. Perhaps the detailing, he wondered, tracing the guard with his finger. The crystal glowed where it came close to his body.
Mortefi had mentioned… Tacetite. But that was dark stone, not a brilliant crystal. But the way the blade responded to him… and his Forte. It felt like a battery for frequency energy, and in his hands, he had completed the circuit.
“Lustrous Razer, they called it. It’s been dulled for today’s lessons, so need to worry about seriously harming anyone, Jiyan. Besides I trust that Calcharo and myself are fast enough.”
Why would they need to be fast enough?
Geshu Lin turned his attention to the second case, unclipping this one with practised ease to reveal a weapon much larger than Jiyan’s. To call it a broadblade would be an injustice. It stood tall, rising to Geshu Lin’d midsection. It was not quite as lustrous as the Razer, but it emitted a subtle energy reminiscent of the Fusion resonator before them. And while its hilt seemed worn, the blade gleamed. Dr Lin looked at it with genuine fondness.
An old weapon- was it his?
His senior secured the weapon against his back. He made it look easy, but with its sheer size… Anyone else would surely have struggled. The grip extended far above Dr Lin’s shoulder, and now, Jiyan noticed the double-tassel that swaying lightly with each movement. Geshu Lin did not seem like one for sentimentality and impracticality, so the trinket struck Jiyan as odd.
But he was still not brave enough to ask.
“Is that your weapon, Sir?” Calcharo clearly had no such reservations, but Jiyan was glad he’d said something to put a stop to his own ogling.
“With some modifications from Huaxu,” he confirmed. “They found a mineral- Tacetite, they said it was called. It’s able to store frequency energy. The redhead you met, he’s fashioned it into Huanglong’s weapons- not only able capable of storage, but also of release.”
“How does that work?” Cal sounded genuinely intrigued.
Geshu Lin gestured towards the blade in Jiyan’s hands. “It synchronises to your Forte patterns. In theory, we should be able to channel our abilities through it. But that’s what Huaxu wants us to test.”
Test?
“Cal has more experience. Maybe he shou…”
“Calcharo needs to practise weapon-free combat.” Geshu Lin cut him across without so much as a second thought. “You on the other hand… It would be interesting to see what you can do armed with a blade like that.”
He did not say it like Doctor Geshu Lin. And even less as his scientist persona.
No, Jiyan heard the general.
“The plan is simple,” Dr Lin carried on, oblivious to Jiyan’s own thoughts, “Calcharo- you’d run the simulation without a weapon and your… companion. I’ll increase the difficulty to force you to push the limits of your Forte. We stop the second you show any signs of Overclocking.”
The white-haired Electro resonator nodded once resolutely. “Sounds good.”
“And Jiyan,” Geshu Lin said, turning to him. There was something in his eyes that should have provided ample warning to his next words- a golden shimmer of amusement.
“You’ll be sparring with me.”
Calcharo went first.
Logistically, it made sense- Geshu Lin, after all, needed to run the simulation- but it had the unfortunate side effect of giving Jiyan too much time with his thoughts.
He gave a reassuring pat to Cal’s shoulder, before the Electro resonator headed to the room next door and then headed to Geshu Lin’s location, hovering as he made some final adjustments to the program.
The enemies were usually Exiles, but now it seemed to include the Electro Predator from their previous encounter and the Fusion creature from the night shift. Geshu Lin seemed to set up for three waves with a different combination of enemies.
The Electro TD was a bit much, Jiyan thought, eyes scanning the screen. He looked up to see Geshu Lin regarding him.
“You think I should be kinder,” he remarked, hand suspended over the confirmation button.
“It’s not a matter of being kind, sir.”
“Then, you’re thinking I should give him an easy win.” When Jiyan neither confirmed nor denied, he continued. “Calcharo is strong. His Forte especially so, not to be overrun by those TD frequencies. There’s a saying- something about ‘growth being outside of your comfort zone’? That’s what I’m trying to do here.”
Jiyan wasn’t entirely sure why Dr Lin felt the need to explain himself, but he nodded in understanding,
“I say this for your benefit as well. I wouldn’t go easy on you. You wield a lance. A sword should come as second nature.”
Should it? That sounded a lot like “If you know how to ride a bike, you should be able to drive a motorcycle”. Probably related, but still very different.
He wanted to pay attention to Cal’s simulation run. He should pay attention. But he wanted to feel the weight of the broadblade again. He glanced at the weapon glistening on the table a few feet away.
Not to fight, but there was something about the thrum of power that came from the Tacetite.
“You can go ahead if you want,” Dr Lin said to him, “I’ll let you know when Calcharo reaches his third wave. Or if I need you help stopping a potential Overclock.”
He chuckled at Jiyan’s alarmed expression. “It wouldn’t come to that.”
Mildly satisfied by those reassurances, Jiyan headed to the table with the blade, ignoring the claymore propped against the wall entirely.
Lustrous Razer sounded like a strange combination of words for a weapon but was somehow fitting. Now that he expected the weight, it did feel manageable. Maybe even light, though he suspected that Geshu Lin’s normal may have skewed his entire perception.
He swapped the Razer between his hands, trying to imagine it was the lance. But in the times he manifested it, he rarely thought about what he was doing. Besides, the lance moved with him, as though it was an extension of his own arm. This…
He swung the blade in a short arc, relishing in the sound as it cut through the air. The blue crystal flashed turquoise, the surprise enough to let his concentration slip. But he held the blade steady, re-adjusting his grip until the hilt sat comfortably in his palm.
He was very aware of Geshu Lin’s gaze on him, and he wasn’t prepared to embarrass himself yet, so he forwent any attempt to establish an attack style. He’d borne witness to Dr Lin’s explosive Forte, his combat skills with a pipe… but armed with his own weapon in a one-on-one? There was no way he came out of this the victor.
So after a few more practice swings to establish the Razer’s centre of gravity, he deemed it more than enough till it was his turn.
The sizzle of Cal’s electrifying Forte echoed on the speakers. His cursory glance through the glass revealed a Calcharo truly embracing combat in the truest sense of the word. Purple energy crackled around the room and around him, his every movement capable of dissipating each of the holograms.
He did not clock that Geshu Lin had left his original position to stand at the table’s edge until he turned around to clarify the wave number.
“Your grip was instinctive. And it’s not bad,” Dr Lin said. “Try a neutral wrist, you’re a bit too extended. You take a direct hit, and I’ll need to assess you for a scaphoid fracture.”
Jiyan relaxed his hold.
“Good. Let me see your double-handed hold?”
He seemed to observe Calcharo momentarily when he a swear came through. Jiyan looked towards his friend. He seemed to have been thrown back by a tall rock golem but seemed otherwise fine.
Jiyan found the handhold difficult now that he was actively thinking about it. Or partially it was the anxiety of being watched.
And of course, Geshu Lin decided to help.
“Dominant hand… near the guard. Support hand near the base… Good.” He was standing beside Jiyan now. With a gentle but firm touch, Geshu Lin repositioned Jiyan’s hands, his fingers lightly tapping at the knuckles to guide the correct posture, giving his hands a small gap between the other on the hilt.
“For balance,” he whispered at his side. “And this hand,” he added, lightly tapping his left now located near the pommel, “Keep it firm, it will help with the speed of your swing.”
Jiyan forced a slow breath, acutely aware of the scrutiny… and the proximity. But he nodded all the same.
Once content, his senior stepped back. “Holding the sword is only part of combat, of course. The stance, your footwork… is just as important. You have some of it down, if your performance in the cavern was any indication. But… as much as I appreciate raw talent, in a difficult battle, you need your brain engaged.”
Jiyan opened his mouth to say something, but Dr Lin cut him off. “Oh no you don’t. No excuses. I know a warrior running on pure adrenaline when I see them. Fastest way to exhaust your Forte as well, without any sense of what’s happening until it’s too late. You were lucky. Very very lucky. It will not happen again.”
Sometimes Geshu Lin made kindness sound like a threat.
Calcharo’s laughter from across the room broke the tension, and Jiyan managed a small grin when he saw Cal’s extend both arms into the air in celebration.
He did it.
“Don’t know why I let myself be swayed by you,” Dr Lin said as he returned to the controls to switch the simulation off and let Calcharo out of the room. “I knew I should have included some more of those Electro Predators.”
Jiyan was only partially listening when Geshu Lin gave Calcharo feedback on his performance. How he managed to pay attention while teaching Jiyan how to hold his sword- the teal haired medic had no idea.
Jiyan could say with absolute certainty that apart from the time when Cal was thrown back, he had little to no idea what happened during the final wave.
Cal was ecstatic, and there was no surprise as to why. Geshu Lin had been right. He did reply on everything but his own inherent power.
“I’ve never felt so useless in my life. Without a weapon, I couldn’t…”
But in truth…
“Jiyan,” Geshu Lin’s voice broke him out of his reverie. “Did you hear me?”
“Sorry sir, I was… sort of lost in thought.”
“That could cost you in about ten minutes time,” he said with an eyebrow raised. Cal nodded in agreement at his side, the traitor.
“Just a bit nervous, I think.”
The Fusion resonator seemed to appreciate that answer.
“We’re taking it outside. Pretty sure Yhan would have some very strong words if I were to damage any part of his precious simulation room.” He chuckled at his own joke though Jiyan didn’t find it particularly funny.
“But hey, it could be worse,” Dr Lin offered, “This could be the Norfall Barrens.”
There was nothing worse than the Norfall Barrens, right?
It was only when they were headed downstairs did Calcharo whisper at Jiyan’s side, “I know you painted a pretty bleak picture of the North. But somehow, I don’t think fighting Geshu Lin is any better.”