Opening his eyes, Redd looked at Lodra with a smile.
"I can feel it even better now, Lodra. It's as if Aether is in every part of my body." He said as he looked at his bandaged hands.
"It's a great feeling, isn't it? Most Hunters live and die by that feeling. The feeling of power running through their veins. The feeling of the Hunter's Dream bestowing upon them the means to become invincible."
"Yeah, I feel like I can become invincible!" Redd said with a brimming excitement.
However, Lodra shook his head. "Those same people are the easiest to manipulate and kill. The Hunter's Dream is almost more sentient than you might expect. It enjoys toying with those that take its bait and that bait is the pleasure of power. The more you drown yourself in it, the more it drags you in, ever so slowly. By the time you realize that you have gone too far, it is already over."
"..." Redd blinked in confusion. "Is seeking power that horrible?"
"There is a difference between seeking power and dedicating your life to power. Power is but a way to protect what matters the most to us. People can enter the Hunter's Dream with that idea and then end up shifting and changing, getting tainted by the Hunter's Dream. They all forget why they even went there in the first place. So, listen to me carefully, Redd. No matter what happens, now or in the future, never allow this power to control you. You are its owner so you control it."
Redd's eyes flashed with a complicated feeling. For some reason, those words resonated with him far deeper than he expected.
'Never allow for it to control me, huh? Is that even possible? For power to control someone? Isn't power all about taking control of things you would've not been able to control otherwise?' He thought to himself as he clenched his fists.
"I will keep that in mind." He replied with a serious tone.
Redd wanted nothing more than freedom, to do whatever he wanted, to go wherever he wanted. That was something he was ready to dedicate his life to at all costs. Getting controlled by something is the direct opposite of what he wanted so he was confident he would never allow for that to happen.
"Now, since we know that you're an Augmenter, I will teach you the basics of Augmenting your body."
"Wait, you're also an augmenter, Lodra?" Redd asked.
"Yes."
"Woah! That's very cool."
"What's so cool about it, idiot? We're the same here. I wasn't even talented or anything." Lodra said with a grin as he roughled Redd's hair.
"No, I'm sure of it. You're very strong, Lodra. I can feel it."
"... Strong, huh?" Lodra's smile became weaker for a moment before he shook his head. "Of course I am. Talent isn't everything. You don't know how many cocky bastards with better talents tried to annoy me so I made them beg for forgiveness."
"Yeah, I bet!"
"Now, enough chit-chat and listen carefully, boy. Augmenting is a very easy thing to learn, but extremely hard to master. But, since we only have so much time, I can only teach you the very basics. Everything else you will learn when you fight. That's the most efficient way to get stronger. When your life is being threatened, that's when your mind is the most ready to learn things. Got it?"
"Mhm… So that means I should go around fighting anything and everything?" Redd asked.
"No, you moron! Don't fight everything that you find! Know how to choose your enemies more carefully than choosing your allies."
"Sure, sure. Hahahahaha!" Redd laughed proudly.
'I feel like my words just got completely ignored.' Lodra thought to himself as he sighed before continuing.
"Anyway, while the only way you can increase your Aether is through leveling up and killing creatures, you can however make the difference by learning to control it to utmost perfection. In fact, that is your sole goal as of now. I want you to try and absorb Aether again. However, this time, don't just let it freely flow around you. I want you to control it and spread it throughout your body."*ml
"Hmmm, that sounds hard." Redd thought as he rubbed his chin.
"Don't overthink it and just do it. This is barely the beginning. You will find yourself facing bigger walls to break through in the future."
"I understand! Watch me master it in 5 seconds! Oh, right, what's the world record for that?"
*BONK*
"Focus, you dumbass!"
"Ouch! Ugh, fine… Sorry." Rubbing his poor head, Redd took a deep breath before he closed his eyes.
His face calmed down and a serene expression covered his features. Aether started getting absorbed from around him, entering his body. It seemed that Redd had easily learned how to do that part from the first try and now he was doing it even faster than before.
The blue Aether particles approached his body and entered it. A small frown appeared on Redd's face as he continued channeling the Aether, only to end up failing miserably.
The particles of Aether instantly exited his body.
So, without saying a word, Redd tried again but failed.
"You're trying too hard to control the Aether. Just let it flow inside of you swiftly."
"That's harder said than done," Redd replied as he started trying again.
Attempt after attempt, Redd would fail miserably in each one without any palpable improvement. His face eventually started trickling with sweat. His concentration was still solid but he was feeling exhausted, coupled with his injuries, it was an unpleasant process.
"What should I do, Lodra? I tried almost 200 times with no result. Is there any tip you could help me with?"
"No, kid. I told you everything I could to help. All now relies on you and how you accept Aether. Remember how I told you that I can't help you in developing how you manipulate Aether? Well, this is a part of that."
"OK, fine. I will learn it no matter what!"
***
Two more days passed.
During this time, Redd continued his training like a maniac. If he wasn't sleeping or eating, he was battling it out with Aether, trying to make it submit and bend under his control. Granted, he knew that Lodra told him to allow Aether to control his flow rather than for him to control it.
But, Redd was never going to allow that to happen. His pride screamed for him to never even entertain that thought.
That was why he couldn't do much during this time. Thousands upon thousands of attempts all failed. But, Redd never even entertained the thought of giving up. Either my way or the Highway!
During this time, Lodra tried to convince him to stop his childish stubbornness and to change his approach. However, Redd didn't listen. Every part of him told him that if he did, it would be the biggest mistake he would ever make.
On the morning of the 5th day, two days before the ship that will carry Redd to the Hunter's Dream arrived, Redd discovered something. Something that he didn't expect would actually work.