I was thinking about my next move, but Riya made the first move.
"Councilor Vortexus, Volkner has not even had the chance to reinforce his body with aether yet. Can we allow him approximately 10 minutes to understand the concept before we start the fight?"
"That is fine by me, the more he can showcase himself the better. This can lead to some significant benefits later."
"You hear that Volkner, lets head down the hall here. There should be a room just for this."
"Thank you, Riya, for the intercession. And thank you, Councilor Vortexus, for the opportunity. Ten minutes to align with the aether might not only change the course of this battle but could significantly expand my understanding of the energies that bind this world. I'll use this time wisely to ensure I can present my best capabilities in the arena. Let's proceed to the meditation room."
We made our way to the room. Once opening the door, I saw its representation. The stark blackness of the meditation room seemed to swallow me whole, accentuated only by the soft, pulsating glow of the blue aether stripes that lined the walls. I looked back at Riya.
"Once you sit, the ten minutes start. Your focus should be one reinforcing your body with aether. Feel the flow and merge with it."
As I settled onto the mat, legs crossed and hands open in a gesture of readiness, Sirena entered quietly, her presence imposing and her gaze sharp. "I sense the volatile Aether within you; let it rampage, and it might very well turn against you," she said, her voice a soft yet piercing echo in the sparse room. "A dead hero would be a sad event, especially if we lose you in particular. Be slow with that aether, and be commanding…"
Councilor Sirena Vortexus left the doorway and Riya looked like she had one more word for me before closing the door.
"Do not let the fear take over, aether will not obey a master that is incapable. This will be especially dangerous because you're a hero with a vast pool of it."
I kept those words with me. Feeling the aether sitting within me and drove it to flow throughout me. The flame ignited, surging my body like a raging current of flames. My thoughts ran rampant, as I couldn't breathe. These flames waved back and forth, bending the shape of the room at its will. Soon my body went into shock from the aether cooling the room to match the heat of the flames.
As the flames flickered within the aether, I could feel their scorching heat dancing against my skin. It was a delicate balance between mastering this power and succumbing to utter destruction. My senses seemed to liquefy, a sensation of melting without ever truly perishing. The room twisted and contorted under the influence of the flames, casting eerie shadows that resembled specters eagerly anticipating my failure. The air tasted of ozone and iron, a metallic tang that lingered in my mouth. A wave of exhaustion washed over me, tempting me to give up. Was enduring this pain even worth the potential advantage? This wasn't even my homeland, yet here I was, risking my life for them. I forcefully halted my thoughts, refusing to entertain the idea of surrender. Instead, I focused all my attention on the currents coursing through my body, reacting to each one with precision. My body strained to harness the loose waves, striving to control the furious heat that consumed me. Through this relentless effort, I sought to find a semblance of control amidst the unbearable flurry of pain.
Yet as I wrestled with the surging flames within, the decision to unleash the lightning aether loomed large, fraught with danger yet brimming with potential. Each heartbeat was a reminder of the precarious line between control and catastrophe.
Master the flame, or dare for more? The question echoed in the fiery chaos of my mind. The stakes were clear: mastery could mean survival and power; failure could mean oblivion. Yet, as I considered my homeland—its familiar landscapes and the faces of those I swore to protect—the choice clarified.
Elara's courage flashed before my eyes, her spirit indomitable even in this far off land. Her risks were calculated but bold, always with our home in her heart. If she could embrace such dangers, how could I shy away from this challenge? Our dreams of returning as heroes, as protectors, hinged on the power I now had at my fingertips.
Resolute, I tightened my grip on my pistol, the cold metal grounding my swirling thoughts. Biting down on the handle, drawing in a ragged breath, I channeled the nascent storm within. Lightning responded, a fierce torrent of energy that crackled through my veins, lighting up my vision with stark, blinding flashes. The room pulsed with electric fury, shadows dancing wildly as if alive.
The pain was intense. A thousand needles of fire and ice stabbing through me. Yet beneath it, a fierce joy took root—the exhilarating realization of tapping into something monumental, something transformative.
"I will not fall today," I whispered through gritted teeth, the metal of the pistol biting into my flesh. "For home, for Elara, for us all."
The lightning and flame intertwined, a storm of power swirling within me, threatening to overwhelm but also promising unmatched strength. As I steadied myself against the onslaught, my resolve hardened into unbreakable will. This power, this terrible and wonderful force, would be my weapon. It would carve my path back home, not just as a survivor, but as a champion forged in the crucible of this foreign world's fiercest trials.
The fury of the of the mixed maelstrom calmed down slowly as the world around me came back to normalcy. My body was numb from the overwhelming pain, but in my deepest recesses of my being I could feel the aether Sirena Vortexus was talking about. A terrifyingly dense aether. I did not want to access it now. I am sure my time is nearly up, and ruining myself before the fight would be a reckless move. Today I discovered that merging with aether is a whole unique experience different from simply expelling it at your foes. I could hear the click of the door. I quickly put my pistol back in my holster to avoid unnecessary questions.
"Hey Volkner, are you ready?"
I saw her shock coming from my horrid condition.
"There don't happen to be healers around, are there?"
"Certainly, I should have known your curiosity would get the best of you. But I can sense the improvements within your body already. Come on."
I was tired and just wanted to sleep, but my fight with Councilor Sirena Vortexus was yet to unfold. I leaned on Riya's shoulders and came up to a medical ward of some type. With this, I patiently waited for my recovery and then for the battle that awaits.