Somehow I knew that sitting and staring at the etherea egg wouldn’t make it hatch faster, but I couldn’t help it. I sat in the chair in front of the desk in my dorm room, elbows planted on my knees and chin resting in my hands. The flat, oval disc that was supposedly an egg mesmerized me–especially now that I vaguely knew what it was.

  I needed to do some more research on the etherea creature at some point, but my group mates had explained an etherea as a desirable companion in battle. But first, I had to wait for it to hatch and then wait for it to… evolve. I didn’t know how it worked or even how some sort of animal that came from a paperweight could help me in a fight. Sarah had also said something about the incredible bond one can forge between master and etherea pet.

  I had to admit I was intrigued by the idea of a bonded companion. Especially if it could prove useful in battle. I wanted it to hatch now–however that worked.

  Maybe Nic knows something about ethereas.

  I bet Codex would’ve known something about the creatures. He had done a scan on the entire city before… turning off… and said he’d continue to scan and learn as much about this new planet as possible.

  But I didn’t have Codex anymore. And the exhaustion making my eyelids grow heavy suggested it was too late to conduct my own research on ethereas. No matter how intrigued I might be about what the etherea could offer me, I guessed I would just have to be patient.

  After about half an hour of the egg doing nothing interesting, remaining in its state of swirling silver veins and occasional streaks of mini-lightning, I finally tore my eyes away from the prize.

  I had successfully gotten through a very long day and earned 1,000 credits for joining the experimental Elite Group #1. I had nothing on my itinerary for tomorrow, so I decided it would be a good time to finish my much-needed shopping. I couldn’t help but feel excited about the prospect of new equipment. I bet I could buy some high-end stuff, too. That one merchant I’d sold my landwalker core to had said the cheapest I could buy a new set of armor was 120 credits. I had substantially more than 120 credits–thank the gods. I was definitely due for some good fortune.

  With the happy knowledge that I would soon acquire the armor and weapons I needed as a Tier 4, I jumped onto my bed and fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

  ***

  I jerked awake, a loud buzzing interrupting my peaceful sleep.

  “What is it, Dex?” I called to my absent AI friend without thinking.

  I blinked away the sleep from my eyes and palmed my forehead.

  Dex is gone, Rayden, I reminded myself.

  Still feeling groggy, I almost forgot what and why something had woken me up. Shrugging, I dug my head back into my welcoming pillow and shut my eyes.

  Buzz!

  Grumbling, I threw off my covers and sat up straight, glancing around the dark dormitory, hoping to find where that strange sound came from.

  Buzz!

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  The buzzing had grown even louder, and I was able to find its source. I slid off the bed and tiptoed over to my empty desk, empty except for the dimly glowing etherea egg I’d left there.

  I cautiously leaned over, my eyes mere inches away from the oval disc. “Hello?”

  Don’t ask me why I said, “Hello”–-it was the only thing that would come out of my mouth at that moment. And to be fair, it seemed the egg responded to my voice. Or at least, the thing inside of the egg responded.

  Two little eyes with translucent eyelids blinked open. I jumped back, shocked by the sight, but then quickly returned to study the new creature in awe.

  As I said, its eyes were tiny–each about half the size of the nail on my pinky finger. But I couldn’t stop staring into them. They lit up in a sparkling silver with hints of blue, and its milky-white pupils widened as the creature stared back at me.

  The rest of the animal looked… undeveloped. It had little, flesh-colored antennas at the top of its round head and a semi-transparent body with stubby limbs protruding from its blob-like form. The creature floated among the lines of glowing silver swirling within the egg.

  Is this what an etherea looks like when hatched, or does it need to grow more?

  A line right underneath the etherea’s eyes split open as if it was trying to smile at me.

  I couldn’t help but smile back. “Hello,” I whispered, saying the word purposefully this time.

  I slowly placed a finger atop the disc near the creature’s stomach area. As soon as my skin met with the egg, the etherea did a little flip, making the silver light surrounding it dance chaotically.

  I laughed. “Did you like that?”

  I pressed near its belly again, and the creature’s mouth widened in what I hoped was excitement as it did another flip.

  “What do I do with you now?” I whispered more to myself.

  The etherea only stared back at me while maintaining its unworldly yet cute smile.

  “We’ll figure it out in the morning. How does that sound?”

  It didn’t respond, so I shrugged and retreated back to bed.

  “Don’t wake me up again, all right?”

  I didn’t expect a reply from the baby etherea, but the desk vibrated behind me as the egg emitted another soft buzz. I bit my lip and continued to bed, hoping that that particular buzzing sound meant that the etherea agreed to let me sleep.

  But I hadn’t realized how late into the morning it already was. Just as soon as I laid myself back down, my eyes shot open again as my internal clock informed me that I should be getting back up. I glanced at the digital clock hanging above the desk.

  8:00… I want to get to the merchant square early.

  Groaning, I once again left the warm covers and trudged to the wardrobe to retrieve a fresh jumpsuit.

  “Guess I’m not sleeping more,” I said aloud.

  As far as I knew, the etherea couldn’t speak back to me. Still, it felt nice to have a companion to talk with after Dex’s disappearance–even if said companion couldn’t contribute to the conversation.

  After dressing, I returned to the bed and pulled all my supplies out from underneath the bed frame. First, I strapped on my back sheath and slid my Tier 2 spear into it. Then, I shoved as much of my Tier 2 armor as possible into my new bag, then balanced the rest in my left arm and wrapped my bag’s strap around my shoulders.

  I was about to leave, then stopped in my tracks, peering over my shoulder at the etherea egg. The excitement from my group mates last night about receiving their own ethereas suggested that the egg was an enviable item. If someone knew I had one, would they try to steal it?

  Decidedly, I marched over to the egg and snatched it off the desk. The etherea inside jostled about as I lifted it into my grip, and then I found a safe pocket on the inside of my bag to tuck it away. Even though I could lock the room, I felt safer knowing the etherea was at my side. Besides, if someone I came across knew what I needed to do to take care of it, perhaps they could show me how to do it with the actual etherea instead of just explaining it to me.

  I patted the side of the bag where the egg now resided. “We’re gonna go on a quick trip.”

  Of course, I received no response from the etherea, but a comforting warmth kindled in my chest as I walked out of the room with my new pet.

  “I should probably figure out what to call you,” I whispered as I left the room. “I don’t think just calling you ‘etherea’ works…. A pet should have a name, right?”

  I’d never had a pet before, except for the occasional lizard I’d caught when I was little outside Drayek’s and my hovel in Edrona. But those companionships had been short-lived once Drayek found the lizards I’d secretly tucked underneath my tunic and threw them back outside immediately–I’d never had the chance to name any of them. I didn’t even know what would constitute a good name for a pet. And was my etherea a boy or a girl?

  Just one thing at a time, I scolded myself.

  First, I had some shopping to do.