Chapter 16. Magical Lemonade Stand

  Arriving at the cafeteria the others in tow, Raven turned his focus inward. He wasn’t entirely sure how to summon the construct, but after his experience claiming the ether sink, he had a vague idea.

  Taking a breath, he willed it to appear.

  Immediately, he felt something shift—an invisible connection linking his grimoire to the ether sink beneath the hospital. Ether surged, not from his body, but from the well itself, answering his intent.

  The air in front of them shimmered. Particles of dust lifted into the air, swirling in a slow spiral as an unseen force pulled them together. The very fabric of space seemed to distort, bending inward like ripples on the surface of a pond. The gathered ether took form, solidifying into something tangible.

  As the dust settled, a wooden market stand stood before them. It looked… unassuming. Simple, even. A sturdy wooden counter with a pitched canopy, the kind you’d see at any country fair. Sitting atop the counter was a single open book.

  As it appeared before them, a wave of exhaustion rolled over him. His core still hadn’t recovered from earlier, and now he was burning more energy again. He grimaced but kept his expression neutral. No way he was showing weakness in front of Wilkes.

  A few seconds of silence stretched between them.

  Wilkes squinted at the stand. “That’s it?”

  “Yeah,” Raven muttered, eyeing the wooden stand warily. “Somehow, I expected something a little more... magical.” This looked like something a farmer might use to sell produce.

  Liu crossed her arms. “So, we survived hell, and we got a magic lemonade stand?”

  Uri, of course, looked entirely unsurprised. “Looks can be deceiving.”

  Yeah, well, that’s what con artists say before they rob you blind. Raven shot her a sceptical look but kept his thoughts to himself. At this point, questioning everything was exhausting.

  Wilkes narrowed his eyes at the stand. “So... we just trust that this thing actually works?”

  Raven shrugged. “What, you’d rather fight over scraps the old-fashioned way?”

  Wilkes exhaled. “Fine. But if this thing is a waste of time, we shut it down.”

  Raven, feeling the connection to the construct, moved forward and placed a hand on the book. The moment he touched it; a wave of information and impressions flooded his mind.

  Raven’s mind was momentarily overwhelmed as knowledge flowed into him. He felt the connection between the shop and the ether sink again, an invisible tether linking them together. The stand wasn’t just a marketplace—it was a conduit for ether, a means of converting raw energy into tangible goods.

  Raven invited Wilkes to come and have a look, Wilkes hesitated, then placed his palm on the book. His eyes unfocused for a moment before his expression twisted into irritation. “Well, this is bullshit.”

  Raven smirked. “What’s wrong, Tin Man?”

  Wilkes frowned, tapping the book again. Nothing happened. His brow furrowed as he tried once more before scowling. “This damn thing’s broken.” “Nah,” Raven smirked, “You’re just broke.” Wilkes’ glare darkened. “Says I don’t have any refined ether.” Raven’s smirk faltered. “Oh.” Right. Ether.

  Wilkes was a tank, his ability reinforcing his body rather than manifesting in an outward, usable form. That meant he had ether in him, but he wasn’t actively cycling it or storing it in a usable way, like everyone else here he needed to form his seed core.

  Raven frowned. "Shit."' If it required refined ether to function, that meant the entire hospital’s population would be locked out of using it until they learned to cycle ether themselves.

  He cursed under his breath. "Fantastic. Homework for everyone."

  Raven groaned inwardly.

  That meant he had to explain how to gather ether, store it, and use it—or he’d be stuck playing errand boy for every single request.

  Unless…

  An idea struck him, and he reached out, touching the book on the market stand again. Willing it to search, he focused on finding a way for people to learn ether control. If this damn thing could sell food, maybe it could sell knowledge.

  A list formed in his mind, glowing lines of information flowing through his thoughts.

  Basic Ether Handling (English) – 20 Ether

  Jackpot, Raven considered the price—20 Ether. Was that a lot? Too late now. He willed the purchase and felt a noticeable tug in his core as a chunk of his stored ether drained away. Leaving a slightly empty feeling within.

  A second later, a thick tome materialized on the counter beside the market stand’s ledger.

  Raven flipped open the book, scanning the first page.

  Basic Ether Handling: A Beginner’s Guide to Gathering and Storing Ether. A book designed to help even challenged children form a core seed and develop it toward a stable ether core.

  He stared, blinked, read it again.

  “Okay, first of all, rude.”

  Uri, peeking over his shoulder, barely suppressed a chuckle. “Fitting.”

  He snapped the book shut and thrust it toward Dr. Carter, who raised an unimpressed brow.

  “What am I supposed to do with this?” Carter asked.

  Raven gestured vaguely. “Read it. Learn. Share. Whatever stops me from having to explain all this myself.”

  Carter sighed, taking the book and flipping through a few pages. His scowl deepened. “This is... detailed. But if this actually helps, we might have a way to start training people.”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “Good,” Raven said, rubbing his temples. “Because I really don’t want to play teacher.”

  Wilkes’ jaw tightened. “So you’re saying we have to teach every survivor how to use magic before we can get a damn sandwich?”

  Raven smirked. “Looks that way.”

  Wilkes exhaled sharply. “Great. Just what I needed. Homework.”

  Margaret Liu, who had been silent until now, gave an approving nod. “This could be what we need. If we can train people to store ether, maybe we can start unlocking more of these constructs.”

  Wilkes exhaled through his nose; his expression unreadable. “Alright, we’ll push this to whoever’s willing to learn. But we need more than just books. We need real supplies.”

  Raven smirked. “Then we’d better start feeding the market.”

  Uri, amused as ever, leaned against the counter. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a project.”

  Raven rolled his eyes, but there was a flicker of something inside him. Purpose, maybe.

  Raven had come here to save Darryl.

  That wasn’t an option anymore.

  He stared at the market stall. His hands curled into fists before relaxing again.

  This? Maybe, just maybe, he could help these people.

  “Guess I better get started.”

  Raven flipped open the ledger, focusing his will on the connection to the ether shop. As before, the pages shifted and filled with new information, categories of items listing themselves neatly in his mind.

  “We need food, water, and weapons,” Wilkes reminded him, crossing his arms. “Find out what we’re working with.”

  Raven nodded, scanning through the options. The first section detailed rations—dried meats, preserved fruits, grain, and nuts, the kind of long-lasting supplies that wouldn’t spoil quickly. The costs weren’t outrageous but considering the number of people they needed to feed, it was a steep price.

  “Food’s doable, but not for fifty-plus people. Not unless we want to drain the sink completely,” Raven muttered.

  Wilkes frowned. “How much can we get?”

  Raven considered for a moment. “Enough for a few days, if we’re careful. We could supplement it with scavenging.”

  Liu nodded in agreement. “That makes sense. We should focus on rationing what we have and collecting more from surrounding buildings.”

  “Water’s about the same,” Raven continued, shifting to the next category. “But there’s an option for an actual purification construct. Might be something to invest in long-term.”

  Wilkes grunted. “Long-term is a luxury. What about weapons?”

  Raven narrowed his eyes at the list. “No guns.”

  Wilkes stiffened. “What?”

  “No guns, no bullets,” Raven repeated, frustration creeping into his voice. “The only ranged options I’m seeing are bows, crossbows, and javelins.”

  Wilkes sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. “Figures. Damn thing’s only giving us medieval gear.”

  Raven scanned the options, weighing their costs. “Bows are twenty-five ether. Crossbows are the same. Quivers of arrows or bolts are five. Shields are twenty. Spears are cheap—fifteen.”

  Wilkes considered. “How much do we have left?”

  Raven checked. “Personally, I’ve got about sixty give or take, the book cost twenty and took just under a quarter. The sink has about four hundred after setting up the shop.”

  Wilkes let out a slow breath. “That’s not enough to arm a whole team.”

  “No, but we can start equipping people now and build from there,” Raven suggested. “A few shields, some ranged weapons, and a couple of spears to reinforce the front line.”

  Wilkes nodded reluctantly. “Alright. Do it.”

  Raven willed the purchases into existence, and one by one, the items materialized on the stalls counter. A new bow for himself and two crossbows with three quivers full of arrows and bolts. Ten spears and half as many shields. Five leather backpacks which set him back twenty ether a piece and the remaining ether he spent on ration packs which were surprisingly cheap at ten Ether for a weeks' worth for a single person. He felt his ether reserves drain away and the sink’s remaining supply dwindled.

  Wilkes ran a hand over the newly acquired weapons, lips pressing into a thin line. The whole thing felt unreal—too convenient. His gut told him there was always a catch.

  "And you swear there's no cost to using this thing? No hidden ‘soul tax’ or whatever?”

  Raven rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because I totally read the terms and conditions before I summoned it.”

  Wilkes exhaled sharply, glancing at Liu, then back at Raven.

  Liu grinned "Fair, but if this thing starts asking for blood sacrifices, I’m holding you personally responsible.”.

  Wilkes's instincts screamed at him not to trust this new magic so easily.

  And yet... the kid had done everything he said he would.

  “Alright,” Wilkes said finally. “This’ll give us a start.”

  Margaret Liu stepped forward. “Thats one hell of a lemonade stand" she smiled "We should assign these to the people best suited for them. No sense in giving a bow to someone who’s never shot one before.”

  Wilkes turned to his officers. “Start organizing a scouting team. I want them out as soon as possible.”

  Raven expected more resistance. Wilkes didn’t strike him as the type to accept things at face value, but here he was, handing out weapons like a battlefield quartermaster. Maybe the sight of something tangible—actual weapons, actual food—was enough to make him buy into it. Or maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t as stubborn as he let on.

  Liu looked at the ration packs on the counter "Thats not going to be enough for everyone here, give them to the scouts, in case anything happens and they can’t make it back, we've still got enough food for a couple of days in the cafeteria".

  Raven took a deep breath, exhaustion beginning to creep back in. His core was nearly empty again. He needed to replenish his ether.

  His limbs felt heavier than they should. The dull ache in his core wasn’t just exhaustion—it was a hollowness, as if something vital had been siphoned away, leaving him brittle. He clenched his fists, rolling his shoulders, forcing himself upright.

  No time for weakness. Not yet.

  Stepping back from the discussion, he sank onto the cafeteria floor and closed his eyes, letting his focus sink inward. He could feel the emptiness in his core, the exhaustion sitting heavy in his chest.

  He pulled at the ether around him, slow at first, guiding it back into his core like coaxing embers into a flame. The warmth built steadily, a quiet hum in his bloodstream.

  This was becoming second nature now. If he pushed himself too hard, he could recover. If he ran low, he could refill. He had control. He wasn’t powerless.

  Not anymore.

  After a few minutes, he heard someone sit beside him.

  Dr. Carter.

  Raven cracked an eye open as Carter flipped through the ether-handling book he had given him earlier.

  “I’ve got questions,” Carter said simply.

  Raven exhaled, closing his eyes again. “Figures.”

  Carter glanced at him. “What’s it feel like?”

  “What?”

  “Ether. What’s it feel like when you take it in?”

  Raven considered. “Like… a slow warmth filling your chest. A little like holding your breath, but instead of air, it’s energy.”

  Carter frowned in thought. “Huh.”

  Raven closed his eyes again, refocusing. He had a feeling he’d be answering questions for a while.

  About an hour later, when he finally opened his eyes, he felt the familiar weight of ether settling in his core once more. Across from him, Carter was sitting cross-legged, brows furrowed in deep concentration.

  “You get it yet?” Raven asked.

  Carter exhaled sharply. “I can feel something, but it’s like… I don’t know, trying to grab mist with my fingers.”

  Raven nodded. “Yeah, it’s tricky at first. You’ve gotta guide it, not grab it. Let it flow where you want it.”

  Carter frowned, concentrating. “Feels unnatural.”

  “Yeah. It takes a while, try willing it into a ball with your mind.”

  Carter furrowed his brow, exhaling slowly. “I swear I feel something, but every time I try to focus on it, it slips away.”

  “Yeah, that happens,” Raven muttered. “You’re trying too hard.”

  “Trying too hard?” Carter scoffed. “You just said I need to will it into a ball.”

  “Yeah, but you don’t strangle a bird to make it sing.”

  Carter groaned. “Fantastic. Now I’m failing poetically."

  Frowning his fingers twitched as he tried again. “I swear, I can feel it just out of reach. Like I know it’s there, but I don’t know how to grab it.”

  “That’s the trick,” Raven said. “You don’t grab it. You let it settle, like breathing into a rhythm.”

  Carter let out a frustrated breath. “I’m a doctor, not a monk.”

  Raven smirked. “Then consider this your first practical lesson in Eastern medicine."

  Carter scowled, rubbing his temples. “This is ridiculous. I can name every artery in the human body, but I can’t grasp a damn puff of energy floating inside me?”

  Raven smirked. “Yeah, well, your arteries don’t vanish when you think about them too hard.”

  Carter muttered something under his breath, clearly unimpressed. “Fine.”

  As Raven stood, stretching, he glanced over at Wilkes, who was handing out weapons to the newly formed scouting team. Things were starting to move forward. They had weapons, a plan, and enough rations to scrape by.

  But outside these walls, the city was still crawling with monsters.

  And if they wanted to survive, they had to push back.