Aether Beasts

[Short time skip after this chapter.]

The wave of information Zirani sent over regarding the patterns sets for freeform wood manipulation was small in comparison to the flood that had occurred with the solar absorption technique, and I was able to remain standing on my feet, and this time only experienced a minor amount of mental pain and a short headache which quickly receded, leaving me with the knowledge.

"There are other pattern sets, but as I said earlier I'm going to be leaving training up to you there for a while," Zirani said. "Many discoveries are made by those who are testing things and figuring out new ways. Who knows what one of you might discover and gaining some proper experience is always a good thing. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean I won't ever train you again, just that I want you three to have some independence instead of completely relying on me."

"You're still going to teach me the spatial techniques, right?"

She chuckled. "Yes, yes. It shouldn't take too long, although let me explain things first."

She used a small amount of aether to form a chair which she took a seat in. "When I first explained the warp seed, I told you that it mutated our core, and added a spatial aspect to our core, but wasn't like a normal space affinity. It was linked to the nature affinity, an aspect of it, meaning we could only use it via nature, with the green. It's not actually that difficult to use."

She raised a hand, and let some aether seep from it. The nature aether, normally a vibrant green, was now a cyan and felt far different than the normal nature aether. It moved oddly and seemed to ripple. "To pull this sort of aether you must only focus on the spatial aspect of our core while you pull nature aether from it. Then like any other form of aether you form it into patterns to create techniques or augment techniques with it. This type of aether combines with normal nature aether very easily since they are parts of the same whole. I'm going to teach you a few basic techniques and send over a few patterns sets I've created for it. After that, it will be up to you to explore."

I was practically vibrating with excitement as I focused on the aether in her hand. With the solar power, improved wood manipulation, and this, I would have far more at my disposal, not to mention that Zirani had essentially told me that it would be up to me to discover new things. I was glad that she was taking my worry about becoming too dependent on her, seriously. It was clear that this was the last time, for a while at least, that we'd be doing this sort of training lesson. I needed freedom and she was obliging. I really was lucky to have run into some so intelligent and understanding.

I would prove to her that I was worthy of everything she had taught and more.

"You already have," She said with a sigh."But I won't argue, now I want you to try and pul some of the mutated aether from your core and just get a feel for it. Once that's done, try and follow my actions."

I did as she said, and slowly pulled a small amount of aether from my core normally while focusing on the spatial aspect which I knew was there. It had always been there since the warp seed, I'd just been ignoring it up until now. The aether that was pulled from our core was not vibrant green but a bright cyan, and slowly I moved it up to my hand.

I looked to Zirani who smiled and then began to form a simple pattern.

It was easy enough to follow and once it was done, I released it out of curiosity, and for a moment thought I had messed up, but Zirani looked unbothered. The effect the pattern produced was odd. There was a ripple in the air like an invisible drop of water onto an invisible lake, and bluish shapes appeared for a second before vanishing.

"I'm guessing that was just a test and not a proper technique?"

"Correct." She nodded. "How did it feel?"

I frowned. "Odd. I never noticed before, but normal nature aether has a weight and sort of feeling of freshness to it while this felt weightless and like it was moving but not moving if that makes sense."

"It does," she replied. "Space is a complex thing, and heavily intertwined with time. In truth, I was going to try and have you absorb the essence from a time core for our second core before her. Space and time, or space-time, are linked in a very deep way. Almost anyone who gets a time or space core eventually tries to go for the other as well."

Her words made me feel sour as I thought of what I could have done with such a core. Instead, I was stuck with some unknown being who was unwilling to cooperate and would most likely try and kill me the first chance she got. Then there was my divine bloodline which was, for some reason, also unwilling to work with me. Two amazing powers that I couldn't use. The damn irony was not lost on me.

Zirani must have been reading my thoughts as she smirked.

"It's not funny.'

"I never said it was," she replied. "Now, let's move on."

The next few hours passed by quickly as she sent over the patterns sets and taught me basic techniques and augments for my other abilities.

The first was something I'd hoped for. It was a teleport using nature and worked just like she had said all those months ago. By focusing on a large enough piece of the green like a tree or large bush, I could enter it as though it was a portal and exit nearby. It had a very good range and I could enter a tree and appear half a mile if not more away, depending on how much aether I used. Zirani did inform me that using the mutated aether drained the overall aether in our core faster, but it was well worth it in my opinion. There was also the fact that I could make some changes, and I knew it. I would develop different ways to use it. thoughts of seeds that sprouted into trees mid-fight on a large battlefield then teleporting from each, allowing for great movement. Who knew what I could do if I learned to teleport from smaller plants.

Next was an augment which was essentially bending space. She demonstrated it with a vine whip and at first, showed how a vine of a few minters couldn't reach a nearby tree. Of course, she could extend it, but with spatial aether, she could bend or shorten the space between the vine and the target. In a fight, it would be immensely helpful as an attack, and an enemy who thought they had dodged an attack would suddenly find themselves struck.

Finally was the last technique which I hadn't been expecting. She taught me how to bend and compress space in a very simple way.

She stood a few meters away from a tree and raised a hand. I saw her form a simple pattern for an impact seed but then the nature aether entered the picture and changed the technique. At first, when she released it, it looked like it was just a simple impact seed until it hit the tree, and a thunderclap broke the relative silence of the forest

The tree burst into splinters and the nearby ground cracked and shook.

"What did you do?"

"I kept adding more and more force while compressing the space whiting the seed so I didn't need to change the outside shell to be bigger. What results is… That."

She pointed at the now-destroyed tree.

I paid close attention as she taught it to me, and just like the others, my mind whirled with possibilities. In a single day, I'd been given a very powerful set of abilities and more knowledge to add to everything she had already taught me.

As she was teaching the last of the spatial techniques, I came to understand why had been putting this off for so long. Without the knowledge she had taught me about aether and all the experiences since leaving West Vale, I would not have been able to form even one of the spatial patterns since they were very different from the normal nature patterns and even the solar patterns.

"Remember, Aiden, do not try and create basic spatial techniques that do not link to the green." She shook her head. "It will not work. Every spatial technique you create must in some way link to the green. It doesn't have to be an integral part of it, take the bending of space for example. An arcanist with a space affinity could do that to anything, but we are limited to the green."

"Limited?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

When night fell and the others returned, I cooked up another dish from my aunt's recipe book before Zirani headed off with Misty and Sandra to train. They didn't need sleep and I waved them away when they asked if I wanted to watch.

I formed a sunlight orb and sat by it as I thought about the future. It was time to focus on my independence and try to learn as much as I could. I would continue to push myself using the weights, baths, and any other resources she provided all while experimenting and testing out my new abilities. By the time i reached the border I wanted to be ready, I wanted to be one step ahead of the curve.

I would not be content with being average or second best. The lands beyond the great scar would be a challenge, and not one I wanted to get passed with luck and chance as I had so many other encounters. I wanted my own strength, skill, and power to determine my fate.