Mark walked home under the glow of the artificial skyline, the floating platforms of the Sephir humming overhead. A dull hum vibrated through the pavement, the ether-fueled cargo lifts creating a low, mechanical chorus. Workers, uniforms emblazoned with guild insignias, streamed out of the nearest hub, looking as though they had no concept of “night shift.”

  Unlike food, which could be grown in sterile labs, raw materials still had to be mined from the Expanse below. Guilds funded expeditions and hired Vanguards to protect against the monsters lurking in those depths. Anyone with a particularly useful ability could earn good money—an enticing supplement to the universal stipend everyone received.

  A part of Mark respected those workers—at least they had a clear job in this society. With classes, sparring, and a million half-formed plans and projects, he still wasn’t sure where he fit.

  Mark entered his student apartment—a small, government-subsidized unit meant for student trainees from abroad like him, those with potential but no guarantees. He tossed his bag onto the floor and exhaled as he dropped into the bed. After a few seconds of recovery, he turned on his digital graphene bracelet, which stretched over most of his forearm, and made a call.

  “Mark! You finally called.”

  “Yes, how are you, Mom?”

  “I am just finishing some stuff on a new building here in Barca“

  “I see, don’t stay up too late”

  “It’s fine your siblings are already sleeping, but what about you, how are your classes going?”

  “We are just starting, so there isn’t much going on right now, I went sparring afterward with my friends, but as always they are just better than me”

  “Don’t beat yourself for it, they have been doing it for a longer time than you have, use that head of yours to think and try solutions instead of getting frustrated“

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “I know, I know, I just can’t avoid it. You know it’s kind of hard when I have so many things on my brain”

  “Then write them down, you were the one who taught me how to organize myself, so why don’t you apply that advice to yourself? Have you figured out what you want to do after university?”

  “I haven’t yet, I wanna go work and build something to improve the world, but I don’t know what that is, and I am struggling to find job openings, since companies tend to prefer people without visas, due to the resources they have to spend to get me.”

  “Don’t get too bogged down, just do what you must and I am sure you will find a path forward, have you applied to the masters degree?”

  “I am doing the application“

  “You always say the same thing”

  “Because I would rather go into industry or build on my own.”

  “Yeah, but it is good to have it as a second option.”

  ”I know, anyways I want to go to bed since I am exhausted.“

  “Mark, I just want you to know that I love and want the best for you.“

  “I know, don’t sleep too late“, said Mark as he sighed.

  “Good night Mark.”

  Mark closed the call and started pondering, his thoughts came back to the group conversation they had over dinner

  He typed “mana-ether connection” into the search bar, remembering Chris’s offhand comment at dinner. Most results looked like the usual conspiracy fluff, but one half-baked article intrigued him enough to click, this led him to a report link that stood out. Not because of what it said, but because of what it didn’t.

  "[REDACTED] and the Theoretical Overlap Between Etheric Currents and Biological Conduits."

  Mark frowned, clicking the link.

  Many pages of the report were completely redacted and were full of diagrams that didn’t make sense without the text. He glanced at the publisher and it showed the report was from the year 2111.

  Mark’s eyes lingered on the publisher. Intelligence Development Agency (IDA).

  He had heard of them—everyone had. They were the ones working with the government to make all the major technological leaps when it came to Sephir's progress. The fact that they, of all groups, had researched the mana-ether connection made this feel… different.

  If this was real, why was it buried?

  He clicked around a bit more, but there was nothing else. Just references to studies that no longer exist. No keywords, no authors, nothing.

  Mark sighed, shutting off the display. It wasn’t like he could do anything about it now. Tomorrow was another day.