[Chapter 1– Understanding Aether]
Levi read the title of the chapter.
'aether....'. he thought for some time before continuing.
[Chapter objectives:
1. Establish an aether structure.
What is Aether?
Aether is the most powerful energy source in the world. An aether particle is formed by the complete evolution of a mana particle, and it is responsible for controlling the very laws of the universe and as such it is very rare in it's ambient state.]
Levi read the definition of aether and stopped for some time to ponder it. After a while of thinking, he realized that he couldn't understand anything.
'oi, Grim, you mind explaining this?' Levi asked.
(AN; Grim is the shortened version of grimoire, a name Levi came up with for easier communication)
'continue reading. If you have any questions then, I will answer you'. Grim replied and Levi complied.
[Have you ever thought about what happens to ambient mana that isn't harnessed by living creatures. It's simple, they grow and eventually shed their impurities to become aether that powers the unexplainable concepts of the universe like space, time, gravity and even the newly discovered...shadow.
These concepts are refered to as 'Aspects' and are the fundamentals of the very universe. For a mage to learn to control these aspects, they must first learn to harness aether and the only way for an individual to harness aether is with the aid of an aether core.]
There was a diagram of the human body with an aether core at the centre of the chest, directly above the solar plexus.
*Flip*
Levi turned the next page and continued reading.
[An aether core is similar to a mana core in some ways, bit is very different from it. An aether core can only be created artificially whearas a mana core is the exact opposite.
There is also a difference in their functions. The mana core is only designed to store the mana that can be used, a person's mana pool is decided from birth while the aether core performs the function of not just storing but creating aether.]
At this juncture, Levi's face had morphed into a blatantly confused expression.
'um.... Grim, I don't quite get it'. Levi asked.
'alright I will explain'. Grim replied.
'the aether core is an artificially made only structure which is quite similar to the human heart as it pumps aether to the other parts of the aether structure, but it also stores and creates aether'. Grim added.
'that is where I don't understand. How does it....create aether?' Levi asked.
'by purifying mana through a very complex stream of processes. Those processes though are irrelevant.' Grim replied.
'ok'.
[Aether by itself can only be used by people who have been predestined to be able to harness it, so not just anyone can ever use it, but if you are reading this it means that you probably can.
To create an aether core, one would need to completely break down their mana core and rebuild it using aether. The steps to creating one are listed below, but you are probably wondering how it is even possible, but never fear as the grimoire's self will explain things to you and guide you every step of the way.]
Levi heaved a sigh of relief at this, because he couldn't even dream about achieving such a feat on his own, he was grateful that he had Grim.
'alright, let's get started. You'll help right, Grim".
'i would if what you are about to do was even possible'. Grim replied.
'eh? What do you mean?'. Levi asked with a puzzled look on his face.
'do you not remember when it was mentioned that aether itself is extremely rare and to form an aether core, you need to use the very same extremely rare aether?'.
'huh, wait. So you're saying that it's impossible to form a core?' Levi responded with a question of his own.
'No. Allow me to finish first. Aether is only available in small quantities and as such, expecting to find it in a location filled with humans who make use of mana frequently is plain idiotic'.
Levi immediately understood Grim's reasoning. It made sense since aether is formed when ambient mana exists for a long time undisturbed, humans absorb a lot of mana frequently to train themselves and a lot of magical appliances also absorb mana from the atmosphere to perform certain activities, he could even see his twin sister, Isabelle, and her hired teacher meditating and absorbing a lot of mana.
"I get your point....but that means that we can only practice..."
'that's right. We can only train in a place where human population and technology is at its minimum, in other words the forest'. Grim said.
Levi immediately got up from his chair and went to his wardrobe.
He changed his normal attire and wore a plain white shirt and brown trousers and then wore a black jacket over it and wore black boots. It was a simple outfit, suitable for a day in the woods.
He went down the stairs and to the family library.
Although he went out frequently, he had never explored the city's forest before. He needed to find a map of the forest so that he didn't get lost somehow, his parents wouldn't care but he wasn't very enthusiastic about getting lost and starving to death in the wild.
He walked for some time, holding Grim in his hands while walking, until he reached the library's entrance. He reached the library door and met two servants guarding it.
"Open the door". He commanded and they obeyed. The two men opened up the large door and Levi walked in.
The library of the Swordhearth family was extremely large as count Raymond was a learned man, he valued books and their knowledge so much hat he created his own personal library which was different from the family library. In it were his own personal books which he handpicked himself, it was an extremely large and extensive collection of knowledgeable books.
Levi didn't waste any time and jogged off to the geographical books section. He went through the shelves for some time before finding what he was looking for. It took him a relatively short time due to how the head butler, Edward, arranged the library in the most detailed order. He, like Raymond, also valued books quite alot.
Levi took a large sized book with a dark green coloured cover, the book showed the layouts of all the cities in the country of Elentia. He carried the book and walked towards the library's sitting area, he took a seat and slammed the book on the table with a loud 'thud'.
'oh well, no body's here anyway'. Levi thought while shrugging.
He could have taken the book to his room to read it there as it was a family library designed for use by any of the people in the estate. Which consisted of the Swordhearth's, servants and their families, but he didn't wantgo waste any time and so he decided to do his thing there.
There was a restriction placed on books about magic, but aside from that, they could access all other books. With permission from the head butler of course.
He kept the shadow grimoire by the side opened the large green book to read it, but before he could, a voice from behind startled him.
"Hmm~. Since when did you get interested in geography?" The voice asked.
Levi instinctively turned around and was greeted by the sight of his older sister, Aina. Aina had white hair and light blue eyes like their mother, she was only a fourteen years old girl but she was endowed with gifts some adult females could only ever dream of.
She had a slender frame and was slightly taller than Levi, she was the only member of the family who still treated Levi like a human.
"You startled me there Aina". Levi said, his shock had already disappeared from his face.
"Is that so? I'm sorry, I was just interested in what my dear little brother would be reading". Aina teased.
"And it seems your reading a book about maps? Since when did this start". Aina added.
She leaned forward to Levi's shoulder and touched his jacket. Levi didn't notice it then, but a slight fluctuation of mana ocurred at that exact moment.
Everyone in the family knew her as a book worm, she was very smart and learned, it was her only saving grace for having subpar talent in magic.
"It's nothing, actually. Just wanted to check something out". Levi replied, he was somewhat nice to Aina.
"Is that so? Ok then, I'll leave you to your business....." Aina turned to leave when she noticed the shadow grimoire at the side of Levi's table. The intricate carvings of the cover and eerie atmosphere drew her attention such that it was hard to miss.
"What's this?" She asked while picking up the shadow grimoire.
"Hey! Give that back!" Levi shouted as he reached out to retrieve the book from his sister, but he couldn't, his height was... insufficient.
'damn it! I can't let her see the bo-'. Levi thought but was cut off.
'don't worry. It'll be alright, you'll see'. Grim reassured. Levi was a bit skeptical for some time, but he decided to trust Grim and stopped trying to get the book.
Aina opened up the book and her face mutilated by what she saw.
"W-what the hell is this...."
At these words, Levi's heart had already started beating rapidly.
'oh no. Did Grim make some sort of mistake?' he queried himself.
"Uh..Levi what the heck? Why is the book empty?" Aina asked.
"Excuse me?" Levi asked subconsciously.
'what does she mean by empty?' he questioned himself again, but this time, he was replied.
'it's one of my features. Only the inheritor can view my contents, the book automatically created an illusion for any one else who tries to read it'. Grim responded.
'i-i see'. Levi was shocked for a little while but he quickly regained his composure so fast that Aina didn't notice.
"The book is empty, why is that?" Aina asked while flipping through the pages.
"Huh, oh yeah. I wanted to use it as a diary". Levi lied as naturally as breathing. There were no inconsistencies in his words or facial expression, none.
Aina fell for the lie hook, line and sinker. Who could blame her? Levi was just too good a liar as in his previous life, he had lied to save his life quite a few times.
Aina returned the book and bid Levi farewell before carrying her own book to another table to read.
Levi opened to the page showing the city's forests and wanted to take a sketch of the layout on a paper which he had brought in, but was stopped by Grim.
'there's no need for that, I already have the layout saved to my memory and i can share it with you telepathically'.
Levi was quite shocked by that statement and didn't believe it, but all his doubts washed away when all the information about the forest flooded his mind.
It appeared like a 3D map in his head.
'th-this could be useful in the future'. Levi thought and stood up to leave. He left the library to his chosen location.
He had chosen the forest in the east of the city. He walked in deeper to make sure that nobody could spy on him before stopping.
'here. This is the right spot'. He thought as he sat down on the grass, cross legged.
'are you ready? This is going to be a very painful process for you, are you sure that you are ready?' Grim asked.
'yeah'. Levi replied, the passion of learning burning on his eyes. Learning shadow magic was his only chance of escaping his powerlessness, he was determined to become a strong person whom everyone would respect. He was hell bent on proving his worth to all his doubters and also, that adrenaline feeling he got at the end of his first life.
'alright then. Let's begin'. Grim said.
A/N;
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