The days passed by - as it was nearing the end of the school year, Ashley continuously took the effort to spend more time with Rin and his other friends, all while trying to avoid basically everybody else. In the blink of an eye, school was over and the students could all spend the remainder of March doing their spring cleaning and partaking in the festivities that accompanied the dawn of a new period of seasonal life. Spring, naturally, was celebrated as the birth of a new year, of new life, and even in Chinese culture, spring was celebrated in a similar manner, though the Chinese New Year would have already taken place, normally happening in the middle of February.
Rin's suggestion of taking a break from all the hustle and bustle of the outside world, secluding oneself from the discrimination of the majority Evolved community had finally taken root inside Ashley's mind. He was tired of being in a disadvantageous position due to lack of an ether ability. On the evening before the spring vacation began, Ashley decided to talk to his parents over dinner about something that shocked everyone, including his older sister Yuri, who by now was managing her own flower and agriculture shop due to her ability to control plants.
"Dad, please tell me more about what you saw in that dark place." Ashley asked with almost reckless abandon, causing the now rather aged Heather to glare at him as if telling him - be more sensitive, please! Ken, however, did not seem to react badly. In fact, he seemed to flash smile towards his son, albeit rather weak. Yuri herself didn't seem to scold Ashley either, as it appeared that she was also quite curious.
The story of Ken exploring the secret facility in Nevada was basically a secret to the two kids. It was an incident that they only knew Ken experienced, but they had no clue about the pertinent details. Heather naturally knew everything that happened, but knew it was a terrible experience.
Ken stroked the stubble on his chin in pensive thought before nodding and taking a bite of dinner. "Don't mind mom's manners... You have to remember that it was a rather harsh, jarring experience for me. It was the first time someone had ever managed to ignore my ability, which could be treated by the common person as a 'cheat code,'" Ken chuckled. "We locked eyes on each other for a split second... I could sense it, his body was powerful, stronger than anything that I had ever experienced. His body was doing something incredibly strange, I could sense it... I couldn't comprehend it, but it was almost as if the ether in the air was gravitating towards him!"
Yuri and Ashley gasped. Ken continued his story. "I couldn't tell what was going on with the ether around him, other than it appeared to enter his body. I'm sure mom would have been able to understand it had she seen it... Yet, this man... His eyes were deep, like the endless abyss! His gaze pierced into my very being. I felt fear for the first time in my life! So I ran, and I ran. His guards tried to shoot me down, pegging me on occasion since that demonic being could simply point to where I was!"
Heather took the initiative to grab one of Ken's trembling hands, holding it as if to comfort him. Yuri and Ashley said nothing, staring at Ken in the most dumbfounded way. Their dad managed to escape such a crazy being. If that wasn't deserving of respect, what was?!
"As I was running away, the man started to talk, almost mocking me. He spoke about the power he received... It was from one of the tablets! You know, the tablet we keep in the attic? That man... He had the one representing the US. The Edict of Washington..."
Ashley blinked. The Edict of Washington? ...As a bed time story, Heather would always tell Ashley the story of her mother, Harriet Li, had excavated the alien vessel and become a hero of Humanity. The tale of the Seven Edicts, a collection of seven mysterious tablets that, until that fateful night Ken encountered that man, were of unknown purpose and origin.
Ashley and Yuri both knew they kept the Edict of the Yellow Emperor in the attic, as no matter what they did, they couldn't unlock its power. Ken sighed, reminiscing those times. "That man proclaimed that he possessed a grand, eldritch, mystic power drawn from the Edict of Washington. He said something about the 'power of Ether Resonance...' I guess it must have been that phenomenon where the ether was entering his body on its own. I didn't know what his body was doing, but it was definitely allowing him to become stronger, breaking through the limits of the human body. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn't have been able to see me."
Ken decided to deliberately omit the part where the man told him about the incoming Revolution, as it seemed painfully clear that if it was going to happen, it would have happened already. However, decades since that event, nothing earth-shattering occurred. Ashley had a serious, solemn expression on his face. Unlike Yuri, who didn't take the story about the Edict that seriously, Ashley was instead musing the prospect of going to the attic to do some spring cleaning during the break. The rest of dinner was spent in general quiet and silence.
This type of information was too much for the two kids to handle so easily. Even Heather felt rather depressed hearing Ken recount his story. Even though Ken didn't seem to mind sharing it with his kids, Heather knew that it was a blow to his self-confidence, as his invisibility skill was simply a massive cheat in the current world.
Ashley was now very curious about the phenomenon of 'ether resonance,' totally unaware of the fact his body was undergoing that process right now. In fact, it had been doing it ever since he was born. Obviously, it was not at a level detectable to the human eye, since it did not seem to have any tangible effect on Ashley.
After dinner, Yuri retired to her room to unwind and process the information. Ashley on the other hand helped mom Heather with the dishes and helped with the chores. He inwardly felt guilty towards his parents for not possessing any ether ability, even though he was never treated badly.
Heather and Ken still showered him with love and were rather protective of him, knowing that the world was a cruel place towards Old Ones who were a striking minority. Ken would occasionally get some sass from those who were jealous of his family's background, being mocked for siring an Old One as a child, despite the fact Yuri could be considered to be a fairly successful person, being able to run her store as well as she did.
Ashley then resolved to investigate the Edict of the Yellow Emperor over the spring vacation...