Alec had derailed the conversation at the start of dinner and ended up plunging them all into silence, so it wasn't until Basra's training began that he got to know why she was going to up the intensity just because he had awakened to Aether.
It was because mana, although not to the same degree as aura, improved the human body's general physical condition. It was a minuscule amount, especially given how little mana Alec had condensed so far.
But according to Basra, limits were imaginary. Even a little mana could make him run at least a few more laps.
Basra didn't feel the need to mention it to Alec, but exercising also helped the mana circulate around his body, which improved the rate of condensation. It was just that sitting still and meditating made it even faster, so mages usually didn't bother going to the same lengths as Alec did during his training.
Eventually, Alec once again collapsed face-first, his legs too weak to carry him anymore. But it was later than usual.
It might have been because of the mana. But it could also be that his effort was finally paying off, and he was getting more fit.
It was still painful pushing himself to the point of collapse every time. But he liked the feeling of improvement.
"You didn't puke today, either."
"Is that…your goal?" Alec asked between heavy breaths.
"Well, no, but it's usually a good way to measure how hard someone's pushed themself. I don't think I've seen anyone who could run this hard straight after eating without puking. Even more so, directly after awakening to Aether. Mana, aura, whatever, has a tendency to incite minor delusions of invincibility.
"You felt pretty great when you realized you had started condensing your mana, right?"
"Yeah…?"
"That feeling makes it easier to ignore or forget about the physical limits of your body. But only for a little while. It usually catches up to you when you're in the middle of something heavy, like a few dozen laps around the training ground.
"According to my predictions, you should have been heaving your guts out three or four laps ago."
"What can I say? I'm hungry enough as it is when I keep all my food. I don't think my stomach wants to let go of anything I put in it."
"Are you really that hungry all the time?" Basra asked with a frown.
"Not all the time, but…"
Basra picked up Alec and stood him on his feet so that she could get a good look at his body. She pinched his sides, arms, and thighs. She carried a deep frown on her brow.
"I didn't notice it because you're still scrawny, but your body is in better shape, Alec. Have you been doing any weight training?"
"When would I have had the time for that?"
"Makes sense. It's not much. It could just be that you're using your body properly and getting enough nutrients for the first time. But you don't have any excess fat or anything. No, you barely have any fat."
"Is that good?" Alec asked, a little worried. He hadn't been much for caring about body fat before. He looked like he looked, and that was that.
"Can be. Can also be a sign that you aren't getting enough food. But with how much you're eating, that doesn't make sense…"
"Unless…?" Alec could feel that Basra was thinking of something.
"Honestly, Alec?"
"Yeah?"
"You might have worms," Basra said bluntly, taking a step back.
"Worms?! Like a dog or something?!" He asked in shock and slight outrage.
"Or like someone who eats like they're considering monster meat for their next meal."
"..."
'I can't exactly argue against that.'
"But I haven't actually eaten anything like that. I just thought about it a little."
"Whatever. Go to the infirmary first thing in the morning and get yourself checked out. If you're lucky, it's worms. If you're unlucky…well, no use thinking about it."
Alec looked at Basra silently for several long moments.
'Did she have to say it like that?'
"Alright. See you tomorrow, I guess."
Alec, having recovered enough, dragged himself off to his dormitory and collapsed on his bed so that he could wake up in time enough to take a shower and visit the infirmary before breakfast.
"Sorry. They didn't give me a choice." Those were the last words Alec heard before he blacked out.
***
Taryeon scanned the classroom one more time as Reina entered, ready to start. Out of habit, she glanced at Alec's usual seat.
If it had just been empty, she wouldn't have thought much of it. But Alec's friend was looking around the classroom with a slightly distraught expression.
But Alec wasn't the only student who had missed class once or twice, especially after awakening to mana. So, she just made a mental note. If it had been another student, though, she would have made a physical note and added it to their record.
And when class ended, she asked Taryeon to stay behind.
She was curious about her research assistant, after all.
"Is Alec holed up in his dorm after finally awakening to Aether?"
"So he did awaken? I had a feeling that was the case when he took off yesterday. But to answer your question, Miss Woltz, no. He wasn't in his room. His roommate said Alec hadn't returned by the time he fell asleep."
Reina's eyes narrowed.
"Alright. Dismissed."
Reina knew Alec's daily routine. He finished every day with some training with Basra.
Naturally, she had to check if Basra had gone extra hard on him because of his awakening.
"I did, but he was fine. We even chatted a bit after we were done, and he recovered enough to walk back on his own."
"What did you talk about?" Reina was a little curious about how hard Basra had pushed him if she felt it noteworthy that he walked back on his own. But now wasn't the time to question her training methods.
"He's hungry a lot, so I wondered if he had worms." Basra went on to explain Alec's situation in a little more detail.
"You don't think his worms ate him before he got back to the dorm, do you?!"