Chronicles of Legends

Volume 2 Chapter 8 - Aether

|Gary|

Fascinated, I stared at the swirling amalgamation of purple particles before me. Aether, the energy that shaped the world, was a fascinating force, and mastering it could mean surpassing my previous life's peak.

I pondered over the woman's strange gift that allowed me to access this power, but only through my primary core. Was it because it was at the silver stage? And did my other skills also draw from aether, but subconsciously?

To experiment, I activated my Eyes of Chronos, but instead of slowing down time, I focused on manipulating the aether particles and the branch of aevum that governed time. The purple particles swirled around me before eventually entering my eyes, and the world around me seemed to move slower.

Sweat trickled down my neck as I deactivated the power. 'Not good enough,' I thought, realizing that I wasn't fully experiencing the power of aether and mana.

As a quadra-elemental with two cores, I wondered if activating both cores would make a difference. I summoned the four base elements, manipulating them as I bent aether to my will. The atmosphere around me cracked as the mana and aether warped to my command.

'Monarch's Indifference!' I thought as I activated my skill. My emotions were doused with cold water as I bent the entire world around me to my will.

'What am I missing?' I thought, 'Why isn't it working properly?'

Then it clicked on me. My physique. It was lacking.

Aether was guided by one's intent. It wasn't being manipulated like mana, but rather being influenced to move.

But it could be used through such influence. The ancient mages used spatium to create teleportation portals and spatial rings. For this, aether must have been guided by their intent, otherwise, it would have been impossible.

This meant that it could be influenced to an extreme degree.

As I struggled to cycle the aether inside my body, I realized that my two mana cores were not enough to sustain it. I tried to exert my will on the ambient aether using my quadra-elemental powers, but it was not sustainable.

I needed to create an aether core, but the question was where to fit it in with my existing mana cores. Should I sacrifice one of my mana cores to make room for the aether core? It was a possibility, but I hesitated to give up any of my power.

Just as I was contemplating my options, the purple blob injected into my cores by the mysterious woman began to spin and condense into a star-like mass. It was too much for my body to handle, and I felt like I was going to explode with the rampaging purple energy coursing through me.

In desperation, I guided the blob of aether towards my yellow secondary core, hoping to make room for the aetheric mass. But the blob swallowed the core and expelled it in pieces, causing excruciating pain and leaving me with a broken mana core.

With my primary silver core and the aetheric mass, I began the difficult task of rebuilding my mana core. Every slight movement or intent leak could cause the condensed orb of aetheric essence to break down my mana core, so I had to concentrate with all my might.

After what felt like an eternity, I succeeded in restoring my mana core and encasing the condensed aetheric mass within it. My world erupted into a sea of purple, and I passed out.

When I came to, I found that I had successfully forged a new core - a purplish-red aether core that revolved around my silver mana core. The new core hummed with power, and I knew I had to test it out.

Focusing on my new core and the ambient mana and aether surrounding me, I slowed my breathing and concentrated. With a deep breath, I released a bit of aether and directed it towards my hand. The aether flowed through my mana channels and encased my right hand, responding to my intent.