" Seriously Twelve, what is the 'Aether'? " I ask him while trying to generate my Aether through my meditation.
< Aether Generated +1.000 >
< (!) ALARM (!) >
< Player is now under Aether's influence and probably will experience its effects. >
As I try to generate its power, Twelve comes to me and tells me the Aether is an ancient power, energy, and element that is so mysterious for no being rarely mastered it or to even has it.
" According to what I know, the 'Aether' is an Arcane power the Ancient Sorcerers or *Manahumans used to fight other races back in the Holy Wars. "
" It is a mysterious and unorthodox power, able to do things that everyone would consider unnatural, even for the likes of the Diviners and Deviants. "
" Wow so dangerous, is this power created by the Deviants (Demons)? "
" No..., but it is said that the 'Aether' can be harnessed if you delved into death before as this power is supernatural and had something to do with the power of death itself. " Twelve tells me which he suddenly stopped as I stared at him.
" What? why are you staring me like .... oh ... " Twelve quickly gets it as he remembers about the
Seeing me looking at him like that, Twelve then says that he is sorry and explains for since I know had experienced countless deaths, I may have the chance to use the Aether like the ones before me that he knew from the legends back in his Timeline.
" Most of its notable users are the Dragon Slayer, Siegfried who somehow obtained the 'Aether' and imbued it within one of his swords. " Twelve says while looking at the Dainsleif sword that I equipped for he told me to try to meditate in order to harness the 'Aether' inside it.
While looking at it, he also explains that Siegfried was known to have the Aether after he kills Fafnir and the other dragons for legends in each timeline that he witnessed believed that the dragons were the first users of the 'Aether' and then the mortals acquired it from them after Siegfried teach them how to use the magic that can kill them.
" In the legends, when Magic and the use of Mana is still not prohibited by the Diviners and Deviants. "
" Siegfried once creates a magic that has the ability to slay dragons, right after he defeated the dragon Fafnir. "
" From there, Siegfried not only acquired the Aether from it but also learn to apply one of the first Aether-based Magic... "
" The [Slayer Magic], the magic that later branched into millions of branches for this kind of magic is too powerful that even the Diviners and Deviants feared this magic could kill them. "
" That's why they banned the mortals and monsters to use magic in the first place, for the two mighty races feared they would end the same as the Dragons. " Twelve explains as he adds that the Aether power inside me will be more powerful once I unlock the ability to gather Mana from nature, the raw energy to do Magic.
Hearing that, as Twelve recounts the old tales and legends, I begin to ask him how I even unlock it for my Curse is known to constantly destroy anything that could empower me like KI and whatever power that tries to give me power.
Hearing my question, Twelve immediately answered that I need to use the Aether to shield my body from the Curse's intervention in order for me to successfully absorb Mana.
" I hope so... " I replied to him while trying to do the meditation thing as I tried to gather the Aether from the Dainsleif sword.
" Yes, Ragna, slowly and steady... don't rush it, let it flow naturally. " Twelve says while I calm myself as I can feel it.
"( It's coursing through my body... )"
"( I don't know why but somehow I can feel it, coursing through my veins, muscles, and every aspect of my body including ... )"
"( My Core... )" Ragna says while closing his eyes as the System suddenly shows up which made Twelve see his progress.
< The [Aether] is coursing through the Player's body by 45% >
< The [Divine Curse: Yakan's Heavenly Restriction] is being weakened by 24% thanks to the [Aether]. >
....
" Good... "
" It seems the Aether is indeed what those Diviners so afraid of. "
" No wonder they had to go their ways to prevent mortals from learning it, by preventing them from absorbing the Mana first. " Twelve says as he then remembers the 'Aether' is a sub-product of Mana energy.
" By Giving them a [Gift Core] that will act as their empowerment and as their chains. "
" For the very purpose of them giving a Gift Core is to disable the humans' ability to absorb Mana from Nature... "
" The very thing those 'gods' can't have and absorb with their might. " Twelve says while I can hear him blabbering those words as take note of it.
"( A power that the Diviners and Deviants can't have huh? interesting... )" I say to myself while pouring in the Aether through my body.
"( All I can see is black, a black space without any light which some people might think this scary but... )"
"( But in this place, I feel ... )" I said to myself as I somehow entered a state where I can't hear Twelve's blabbering anymore.
"( I feel ... different and yet,... )"
"( Where is Twelve? why can't I hear his voice anymore? )" I ask myself.
" Of course, you can't hear him anymore!!! you are inside this space right now!!! " A voice says which made me open my eyes as I see myself inside a place with a watery pond and with a black sky.
" Where am I? " I ask myself in the vast unknown.
As I ask that, the voice suddenly come again I can hear the voice coming from behind my very position as I turned back my head and see...
" You're an interesting one... "
" A human that had experienced death and rebirth thousands of times... " the voice says as I see the voice's owner, a tall woman with blonde hair and a black gown with blue eyes and red pupils which made me curious for the first time.
" Who are you? " I ask the mysterious woman.