102 Catching Up

Aiden went through the many reports that stacked the desk in front of him. At first, he didn't know what he was looking for, just that Leo had set a huge pile of documents in front of him and told him to study up. "They're just quarterly reports on expenditures for building costs as well as the weekly pay to the troops." Leo had said as he was closing the door. "If you are going to take over Will's job as prince of this world, you'll have to take over the financial aspects too. After you are done with those, I'd take them to Michael if I were you." His weary face disappeared behind the door, leaving the fifteen year old looking in shock at the covered desk in front of him.

Though it took some time to sift through, Aiden was able to make out some of the highlights of the documents. He was able to see the different ranks of the wielders that Will had employed as well as the pay they received either bi monthly or after completing a mission outside of their normal hours. He remembered seeing a large board at the entry to the Embassy, outlining various missions which would get the wielders out of their patrol and earn them extra coin.

He also saw the gold to US dollar exchange rate and almost fainted. For just ten gold of Crystallian currency, one would get a hundred dollars in the states. As he read through the financial reports, he saw that the lowest paying job on the board was worth fifty gold. As he looked it over, he was surprised to see that the jobs weren't even on earth, but in Crystallia. As he read through, he saw guard reports from missions being completed. Some wielders were used to ensure the wildlife stayed away from livestock, others were used to patrol the border between Ravencrest and Ebonhart. The patrols were slowly making their way out to the other kingdoms as well, trying to establish relations with them.

The more he read, the more he regretted the way he had treated Will and his people when he first came to this world. Though he had been sent to earth by Ragnos of his world, he didn't expect that it may have been to help the William Ragnos from this timeline. He knew that Leo had sent most of the paperwork which lay on his desk in order to keep him busy, until he knew that he could be trusted. Aiden could tell that such a conclusion must have been pushed back slightly since his fight with Jake.

Aiden shrugged the shoulder that had been blown apart only days ago. When he came to in the cell, he didn't have a single scratch on him. It was like waking from a bad dream. When he inspected both his arm and leg in the mirror they provided in the detention room, he could tell just how big the wounds were by the paleness of the area within his otherwise tanned body.

Just as he had unlocked the water aura when coming through the tear in the world, he could tell that he was healed by a different elemental affinity. Since coming to the new world, he had discovered that his prince Ragnos had been settled just having the flame aura of a king, whereas this new Will seemed bent on exploring the abilities that a god had bestowed on him.

Through his fight with Jake, Aiden had been able to see a cross much like the one he had seen on the Will from his world turn not just into a sword, but two and a set of armor as well as throwing daggers.

Going through the stacks of papers, Aiden had also found that the name of the metal the cross was made from was celestial steel. His eyes widened as he read the common sightings of the precious material all around Crystallia. If that wasn't enough of a blow, it seemed that the unlocking of the earth element aura within the alternate Crystallia gave them the ability to mine in Crystal Cove, something that Will from his world had tried for years to do. It seemed that the crystals were able to retain the elemental magic that a wielder wished to store.

The more that Aiden read, the more he felt foolish for the way he had confronted Will. With all of these leaps and bounds in not only technology, but in the elemental affinities themselves, he had not become greedy at all. There were also plans to disperse the affinity to all of the countries of this world as well, but there were warnings that he had put in the reports. A General Reisben that coveted the aura, just giving them to a single company of soldiers, yet Aiden was able to see the clear implications of giving some the gift, yet ignoring others. More importantly,he saw what might happen if it were dispersed to everyone in the world.

Aiden let out a breath that he hadn't known he was holding. The reports were taken in such detail, they left nothing out to ponder on. It was as if everything was recorded in the moment of the event. He felt as if he were reading Will's journals instead of reports.

"With everything that he has unlocked, he has horded nothing." He said in silent astonishment. If the Will from my world unlocked even a portion of this knowledge," he thought of such implications with a slack jaw. "He would probably mass produce the crystals to take everyone's aura to add to his own overtime instead of keeping everyone alive." His eyes went wide as he imagined such a slaughter in Crystallia.

Glancing something in the corner of his eye, he picked up a picture on the desk which was covered by all of the reports. Picking it up, he recognized a much younger Will who wore a white shirt and blue jeans. He didn't have his lineage cross, but he did see those metal tags he wore when he saw him last. With him was an older man ruffling his hair. This man had brownish blonde hair which was cropped up as if he just woke up. The hair on the sides of his head was cut, giving him a strange professional appearance. The strangest part was that he recognized the man. If he had a slight ponytail now, with a brown duster and a strange hat which curved up on the left and right, the man would be Jonathan, one of the wielders which was at his take over brief. "They could be family." He said in wonder as he noticed the affection that was so clear in the picture.

"Do you understand the difference now?" A low voice sounded from within Aiden's head. "He is nothing like the one you escaped from. He might be the only hope to defeat him in the days to come." The voice faded away just as quickly as it had come, yet the accent was unmistakable. He had just heard from the nearly broken Ragnos. Aiden paled as he realized what that might mean.