Perhaps as early as the chaotic era, the various races have had a misconception of the origins of their powers. Ether, Aether and nether have all been addressed via different terms all through the various ages, and with the routes and paths being as diversified as it was, studying it hasn't been the easiest task.
This poor sage took it upon myself to explore the mysteries. Now you have read some of the books that gave an explanation on ether and nether, but even then, I didn't have a full understanding of what they were, even now, I can't say that I do, I'm just a blind man trudging upon a wild path.
Now, if you're reading this, well done successor, you escaped, and my condolences, you truly have a hell of a luck if you found yourself here after leaving the fragment of the abyss. As for how I'm sure its you my successor, hahaha, only he who found my last book and has the mark of the core can read this, if anyone else was to see this, well, you wouldn't want to know what would happen.
Now to get back on track, my search of the truth led me across the world, visiting diverse locations and meeting different people and I can finally say that I have a better understanding of the origins, however so let's begin with aether.
There's nothing much to say about the aether at the level of the awakened as no secrets lie there, if you don't count being able to switch routes at the moment of ascension one, well theoretically, it is possible, my experiences at the home of a certain tribe of dwarves inspired to me to build a prototype, one where a soul awakener could alter his soul weapon and even his route to the divine route, however it was too dangerous to experiment so I left the reforging part for future generations while I kept the transitioning to the different system with me.
The crux of the ascendants lies in their use of aether after ascension. All awakened regardless of their class could only use the aether found in their surroundings in its crude and unrefined form, but when once ascends, they get access to their source, able to alter it and store the unrefined era and transform it into a stronger and more stable energy source
Those of the sage path, body and soul, draw in the aether into their source and transform it into aura. Not the type that all practitioners possess, but the unique energy source that drives the moves and attack of the ascendant. The source for these ascendants lies in an illusory position in their abdomen, just slightly above the navel, where it undergoes its expansion and condensation process until it forms a solid mass of refined aura, of course that at the height of ascendancy
As for the those of the divine path, after ascension, their source moves upwards to their thorax just around their heart, merging to become the magic heart, with a magic circle inscribed around it. The circle increases in number with growth and revolve around the magic heart, acting as the energy storage and the eye of the mages spells and abilities. The limits of growth for the circles is 9 which indicates the highest limit of a peak ascendant. And the refined energy that is stored in the magic heart is named by me as mana
These objects are ethereal, illusory, standing on the boundary of real and unreal, so despite existing in a person, it isn't something that could be found with a little probe or destroyed that easily. One would need to aim for it with the senses and use the aura or mana to probe it or destroy it, the sovereignty of aura and mana is why no awakened can threaten an ascendant and why ascendants are not so easy to kill.
My research into nether has shown that unlike aether it only has one form after refinement, so leaving that as nether is still correct. For nether users, there is no distinction between paths, it is just a matter of what their attunement and property would allow them to do and what it wouldn't, as for where their origin lies, it depends on the user and their art.
It wouldn't be strange for a nether user to use body path techniques at a given moment and switch to a mages technique at the second, however, since the bridge between worlds vanished, it is almost impossible for users of nether to exist in this world, and even if they did, methods of growth and techniques did not exist, it is most likely they die as a low level awakened. As for why nether users are able to survive in a world of aether? That brings me to ether.
Ether is a pure energy that is already of the level of the refined energies of the other origins. However, this means that no race could use the origin as an energy source until they are ascendant. Or that is how it's supposed to be. The exception to the rule as the chosen of the order of faith.
As for how this was possible, an acquaintance, a member of the order said
"All those chosen by the order are in a contract with a higher power, it bears all the cost and repercussions of using ether and strengthens our bodies accordingly, however, we have rules we must follow, to each his pledge that we can't break, this is the cost of such a power"
My first interaction with ether was when I was becoming a 7th circle mage, what, you think I was a warrior because I was called a sage? Of course, I was. It was but a trivial thing to train my body to the level of the those of the sage path
(A.N: No it wasn't, the sage is a narcissist)
Ether is an energy source that every ascendant regardless of their origin, would get access to when crossing over to the latter stages of ascendancy, that is from the 7th to the 9th. Although not many are aware of its existences or integrate it into their system, however, if one was successful, they would gain a new ability.
On the 8th stage of ascendancy, as an 8th circle mage, I finally merged ether into my circles and became able to wield space, but you already knew that.
To simplify it, ether is the good stuff, the proof of being a true ascendant and the only hope of breaking through the chains to Godhood. An ascendant that has access to ether is miles ahead of one without it, which why even those who know the truth about it are not willing to share it.
So that's that about the origins.
Oh yes, I almost forgot, perhaps one of the greatest mistakes I made in my earlier days was mistaking a dungeon core as the source of ether. It wasn't my fault okay successor, the dwarves on the mountain had worked on an artifact for one of my companions and had felt the flow of ether in it, and coincidentally we had just found a dungeon core that gave off the same flow.
Sadly, ages had passed before I would find out that a dungeon core is a mishmash of origins and energy, which was why they could find ether emanating from it.
Well successor cheer up, I might not be able to divine but I'm sure you'd be fine. You're my successor so you have to be, I don't have much but there's a space stone underneath the pedestal. If you break it, there should be a passage way out of the predicament you're in. as for how much help it would be? I can't tell how much time would have passed by the time you find it so it all depends on your luck.
Do not forget to keep this information to yourself.
- K.D QUINN