"What's a calix?" Aiden asked the wisps.
"Oh, right!" Lucius said, hovering closer toward the boy. "We forgot to tell you."
"Riven, you're the nerd," Caelum said, flying to the side to give Riven the center stage. "Please do the honor."
Riven hovered at the top of the veranda, his light flickering as he struggled to recover everything he'd read a thousand years ago from his hazy memory. "A calix... is what we call a mortal who can wield the power of the gods."
"In ancient times," Riven began his story, "whenever an immortal perished in the mortal realm, we believed that a calix would be born of mortal descent. Its role was to act as a chalice for the gods, collecting and storing the power spilled from the immortal's essence so it doesn't cause instability in the mortal realm." He hovered closer to Aiden. "And you are a calix. You're a chalice of the gods."
"A chalice that collects and stores what's been spilled?" Aiden's eyebrows furrowed deeper. "So, I'm not allowed to use whatever power I get?"
Riven flickered. "Supposedly," he said.
"Supposedly," Aiden asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Calixes are spies sent by the gods to the mortal realm," Lucius said, recalling the spy-themed plays he'd seen in the mortal world. "Immortals aren't allowed to interfere with mortals. Likewise, calixes follow the same rule."
"So I'm about to get punished?" Aiden asked, his tone wry. "I mean, I busted a few lightbulbs and distracted my seatmate who was busy sharpening his shiv. Does that count as mortal interference?"
Riven shifted, his form flickering slightly. "When did you realize you're a calix?" he asked.
Aiden shot him a dry smile, the question almost laughable. "Uh… yesterday? Or maybe three days ago?"
"Then you're not truly a calix," Riven replied, studying him closely. "You're just... built like one."
Riven carefully explained that a calix serves as a vessel for the gods, a doer of their will. From birth, a true calix knows his purpose; his entire life is devoted to carrying out the tasks the gods assign him in the mortal realm. The gods communicate with a calix through dreams, guiding him with divine instruction—a process that, as Riven pointed out, Aiden clearly hadn't experienced.
"I'm so confused right now," Aiden blurted out, running a hand through his hair. "So… I'm not a calix? But I was built like one? Then… what am I supposed to do?"
Caelum sighed. "I'll dumb it down for you," he said. "It's like being a knight, deployed with a sword, and a mission. But you—you were only deployed with a sword and no mission. It basically means you can do whatever you want with that sword. Screw the mission."
Riven burned a bright red light, reprimanding Caelum for his words, his lights dimmed he almost merged into the background.
"That's the worst way to put it," Lucius said. "But quite accurate."
"Just think of it as a free pass for now," Riven said. "Your identity as a calix doesn't exactly benefit us, except now we understand why you absorb vital energy every time someone punches you."
Aiden leaned on the balustrade, rubbing his chin. "The witch said that a power used is a power spent. Does that mean I'll have to get punched a thousand times before I graduate?" he asked. "Every time I need to cast a spell for class, I have to get beaten to a pulp? Then, for the next class, I'm powerless again and have to get punched all over again?"
"Sounds fun," Caelum murmured.
"If your meridians hadn't been mysteriously severed, you wouldn't be dealing with all this," Riven said. "You can't cultivate until that's fixed—and fixing it is a long shot. But now that we know you're a calix, there are plenty of ways for you to absorb essence without needing a beating."
Aiden's eyes lit up, and so did Caelum and Lucius.
"Really?" They asked in unison. "Bastardsson/I won't have to get punched again?"
Riven flicked green. "I'm not sure if it'll work," he said. "But some mortals practice a martial art that lets them absorb the energy in their surroundings and develop their qi. It's commonly practiced in the East... something they refer to as Tai chi."
"Tai chi?" Aiden mumbled to himself. "I didn't know tai chi could work that way."
"It would never work as a method of cultivation if you were an ordinary mortal," Riven said. "But since you're a calix, and the current mortal realm is shrouded with thick celestial energy, it means you can gather energy from almost everywhere."
Aiden stared at his fingertips. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let himself feel the surrounding energy. Perhaps it was because he wasn't focusing too much, or the fact that he could hear Lucius and Caelum murmuring in the background, so he felt nothing. Not even a tickle on his nails.
"Nope," Riven said. "You can't do it alone. We'll find you a master."
Aiden slowly nodded his head. "Okay? But... with what?" He bit his lower lip. "We have nothing to offer, whoever that may be?"
He tugged the backpack off his shoulders, held it in his hand, and unzipped it open, showing the wisps their only possession: a half-eaten roasted chicken leg, some bread, and a box of a stinky handkerchief.
Lucius sighed, a part of his wispy form fanning sideways. "Right," he said. "You're a penniless boy who lives in a mansion."
"Money's not a problem!" Caelum said. "I saw some expensive-looking vases in the hallway--"
He was immediately shut off by Riven's reddish flare.
"We'll find you a master first," he said. "Then we'll ask for his demands."
Aiden's eyebrows furrowed deeper, wondering how these three worked around with others in their realm. He wanted to tell them the mortal world is not like their world, and that you have to have money to get somewhere, but he decided to forgo on the conversation.
"I guess we'll see then," Aiden said.