TRISTIAN
Dear Jolt!
It's been a month, hasn't it? Yeah, I know. As your big brother, I've failed you. I've been distant, and I'm sure you've felt it. But wait—before you judge me too harshly, I need to explain. Not an excuse, but a real explanation, one that I hope will make sense in time.
I don't know how long it'll be until we see each other again. By now, you've probably grown into a cute girl, walking and running more independent than I remember. Time does that—it changes people in ways we don't always notice right away. But before life pulls us further apart, I need to share something important with you.
This world we live in, it's so much bigger than you and I ever realized. I don't mean in size since I too haven't traveled but I mean about Aether. You always seem intelligent so you will come to sense it even before others. But it is really a nutcase, a lot to take in but fun.
Aaaaah!!!
Since that day, my life changed.
I encountered a group of people who tried to attack our carriage, they killed our fleet and I might have barely survived but I met someone. Somebody who has changed my life completely.
A master?
Not really, he refused to let me call him that. Instead, I call him Rhazmir. I know what you're probably imagining—some old man in white martial arts clothes, wise and calm, right? But honestly, he's nothing like that. He's different. In fact, I don't even think he's human. He doesn't fit into any of the races we know, and no matter how many times I've tried to ask, he never tells me what he is. It's like this big mystery hanging over him, and it's driving me insane. But one day, I'm going to figure it out, and when I do, I'll be sure to let you know.
What I can tell you is that he's strong. Not just strong like someone who's good in a fight, but unbelievably strong, like nothing I've ever seen before. It's almost supernatural, the way he moves, the way he carries himself. It's like the world bends to his will. But here's the frustrating part—he doesn't like to talk. I mean, he barely says a word. It's like pulling teeth to get anything out of him, and I'm just sitting here bored out of my mind half the time because, let's be honest, I'm used to the little trouble you put me through.
And, oh yeah—where I am right now? It's the weirdest place you can imagine. I'm on this island, and it changes form every single day. One day, it's a dense, dark forest, the next, it's jagged cliffs and rocky shores. However mostly it's the plants. They change in glow and type. I swear it feels like the island is alive like it's constantly shifting and reshaping itself, almost like it has its own personality. It's unsettling, but at the same time, there's something fascinating about it.
Aether manipulation.
I want to tell you something about my new journey. I've decided to train for it, to become strong, so that I can protect you the way you deserve. But honestly, it's so much harder than I imagined. Aether manipulation is incredibly tough—way more difficult than Aether sensing. With sensing, it felt natural, like something I could just tap into. But with manipulation? It's a whole different world.
I tried, really, just like I had done before. I wanted to converse with the Aether, to mold it into something powerful. I even tried to create lightning, I did make it before, but instead of the crackling energy I was aiming for, all I managed was a tiny flicker. A weak, fleeting flash that vanished before it even fully appeared. It's frustrating, and it feels like no matter how hard I try, I'm so far from where I need to be. But I won't give up. I have to figure this out—for both of us.
Haaaaa!!!
I know. I'm not a genius like you're bound to be, but I did manage to create that flicker. I worked on building a solid foundation, but it only helped to a limited extent. I still feel like I'm missing something crucial, something fundamental.
Rhazmir has only come around to address my immediate needs—mainly to help me replenish my resources. His visits don't provide much in the way of guidance or insight into what I might be overlooking. It's as if he's there just to ensure I don't completely falter, without shedding light on the deeper aspects of my training.
Ufff!
I tried seeking insight from him, but he told me that in Aether manipulation, it's preferable to discover such things on my own. So, I've decided to focus on building a solid foundation by enhancing my physical body to strengthen my innate realm. I realize it might seem unconventional, but I suspect it's akin to a premonition I once had—where the individual undergoes rigorous physical training before mastering more advanced skills.
500 push-ups
1,000-meter run.
500 seat ups.
To be honest, I haven't succeeded in any of that. I drop down after about ten or fifteen but I won't give up. No way!!!
Pant!!
I collapse to my knees, gulping down water with a ferocity that rivals the intensity of my training. Still, I manage to keep going. From ten push-ups to twenty, my body begins to feel lighter, more attuned. I'm now able to draw in Aether faster, and the orb within me starts to fill—albeit only a quarter full. It shimmers with a new brilliance, and I can now access my innate spirit with more ease, almost perfectly. The energy pulses through me, soothing yet powerful, but despite all of this, I still can't manifest that fierce bolt of lightning.
All I've been able to summon is a fleeting, insignificant spark.
I drop down for sit-ups.
"One! Two! Three! Four!"
What am I missing? What is it that keeps slipping through my fingers, making it impossible to recreate that surge of power?
"Twenty!"
Sensing Aether has never been the problem. It's the manipulation that's proving to be a stubborn challenge...
According to Rhazmir, his words are not as complicated as how the real problem is.
"All you need to do is find your own way and approach to Aether manipulation," he says casually, staring at my sweaty body, "clear your mind from all those second-rated books you have read and just do it your own style,"
"Second rated huh? So what do you suggest I do? Building my body foundation has little impact," I wine.
"I don't think so," he says back, "a well-owned body will generate a fluent flow of Aether into your lunaris, what you are looking for is something you haven't even started thinking about,"
I haven't start thinking about.
What did he men by that?"
Sigh!!
So far, I've managed to build a decent muscle structure. Being sixteen, my body is still small, but I'm growing at a steady pace. I cross my arms over my knees, gazing out at the shores beneath the shade of a beautiful pink canopy tree. It's around noon, and honestly, I miss home. I miss it more than I care to admit. I miss mother's porridge, especially that second serving she always insisted on. I miss the sound of my dad working with metal, the rhythmic clanging echoing through the house.
"I wonder, what are you both doing right now?"
"It's tough out here, mother. What would you have me do?"
I lie back on the grass, the exhaustion weighing down my eyelids as I drift off, surrendering to sleep after what feels like hours of struggle. I fall deeper and deeper, like I'm being pulled into a force I can't resist. When I finally manage to ground myself, I find I'm in the middle of what seems like a battle. One of the men I encountered in my deep slumber stands calmly in the center of fifty opponents. He doesn't look fazed at all—he's completely at ease, taking his time, studying each of them with a slow, deliberate gaze.
"Rhett, today you must die!" A man clad in heavy, glowing armor shouts, pointing his spear ahead, its tip enveloped in a fierce Aether aura.
"Kill me?" Rhett smirks at them, his tone dripping with mockery. "You've got a long way to go!" His body pulses with a dark blue aura, his Aether manifesting into a blazing blue flame. The fire erupts violently, shaping itself into a massive serpent, its fangs bared in a deafening roar. As if the scene itself was scripted in slow motion, the flame serpent lashes out—an inferno let loose to devour everything in its path. It consumes them all without hesitation.
But Rhett doesn't stop. Manifesting a blade of blue flame, he moves swiftly, cutting them down as the fire devours their bodies. A devilish grin twists his face as he relishes the slaughter, his every motion calculated and cruel. When the chaos subsides, his bloodied fingers rest smugly against his lips, as if savoring the carnage.
With a dark, roaring laugh, he bellows, "To end is to begin!"
His body glows, radiant with an intense, deadly beauty.
** ** **
Ever since that incident, a thought has lingered in my mind. I never fully understood how I could remain so calm afterward, but he gave me an idea. I saw how he channeled and controlled his Aether—so proficient, so advanced. Inspired, I sit cross-legged in a meditative posture, delving back into my innate energy, opening myself up as the Aether I've gathered flows through my lunaris, allowing it to stream in, bit by bit. But this time, I make a deliberate detour, guiding it into a single cycle around my heart. The first cycle is easy, and immediately, I feel the surge of energy and a new, profound clarity.
My body begins to emit a stronger Aether aura, the energy crackling and forming faint electric shocks. A blue, fluid-like essence begins to develop as I push into the second cycle. This one consumes far more energy, and my heartbeat quickens, the strain increasing as my entire innate realm starts to tremble, like fragile glass fracturing under pressure. With a deep focus, I push further, forming a third cycle. The blue fluid surges, crawling across my body, enveloping me in its powerful flow, each pulse echoing through me as my innate realm groans, breaking apart piece by piece.
Nggr!!!!
My body begins to radiate a thick, black, mucus-like fluid, and I can feel every muscle and bone inside me shifting and readjusting. The sensation is excruciating, the pain hitting all at once, like I'm about to collapse under its weight. But then, as if in defiance of that pain, a new cycle forms—a fourth one—brightly spinning around my chest, enclosing the other three. A sharp, piercing ring reverberates through my entire body, and I feel it: my very structure changing, evolving. My senses heighten to a level I've never experienced before. Suddenly, I can see everything with startling clarity, as if the world had opened itself up to me. Every movement, every breath of the air around me—it all becomes clear, as if I can predict what's coming next.
The fourth cycle glows with an intense, deep blue light, while the previous three maintain their paler, softer hue. The energy from this new cycle is overwhelming, surging through me so fiercely that it threatens to destabilize the first cycle entirely, but I hold it together. I focus, and with my mind sharp and clear, I open my eyes. Instantly, I can see far beyond what I ever thought possible. The sheer amount of power coursing through me is staggering. Slowly, I raise a single finger, my mind conjuring the image of lightning. In response, the Aether gathers at my fingertip, swirling and crackling with raw potential.
With a deep, thunderous roar, a ripple of pure lightning bursts from my finger, tearing through the air with devastating force. The tree in front of me is obliterated in an instant, engulfed by the explosive energy, the roar of the strike echoing in my ears. I watch with satisfaction as the blue flames begin to form along my right arm, their flickering light casting a haunting glow around me.
I smirk, feeling the full weight of my new strength, as the power of the four cycles courses through me. "Four cycles. Quadrant," I whisper to myself,
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