Chapter 4

My body was filled with new strength and I quickly tore off my bandages. The wounds were gone, and left in their place was unblemished skin. When you reached a new level of infusion, your body was reborn in a way, and old wounds would fade. Hearing about it was one thing but seeing was another. The pain was completely gone, along with the aches and tiredness I'd felt.

"Why," I muttered to myself, focusing on my inner self, and the nature core that was now there.

Of all the things I had expected an aether beast to do, never once had it crossed my mind, that one would willingly turn into essence to be absorbed after helping a human form their core. A wave of confusion mixed with sadness washed over me. Even knowing that it was an aether beast, I still felt sad. Its eyes had been filled with an intelligence easily comparable to a human's and it had spoken with a smile.

Before I could think on anything else, I felt a pulse from my core and a second later a string of smokey essence left my core, moving out of my body, through my skin, and appearing in the real world. It slowly expanded until it took the shape of the green humanoid, except there were some changes this time. She only had one set of arms and she looked smaller, less regal than before, more like a princess rather than a queen, even so, her body and face were still quite the sight.

She smiled and bowled me over in a hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," She repeated with obvious joy in her tone. "I thought I was dead, but I never expected to meet one of your kind here and one with such a noble heart as well."

I hesitantly returned the hug. "Ermm, hello."

It was the best thing I could think of. I had no idea what was going on, at all.

"What are you?" I asked. Maybe she wasn't an aether beast, but then how had she turned into essence. How was she even alive?

I felt an odd tingling sensation at the back of my head.

She broke the hug and leaned back. "I'm Zirani. I'm an aether beast as you can see and I'm now attached to your first core."

"Attached?"

"Yes, attached."

She frowned and a moment later I felt the same odd tingling sensation in the back of my head.

A look of surprise came over her face. "Oh, that makes a lot more sense."

She rose to her feet and offered me a hand which I took. "Come on, we can walk and talk. There's a room with some comfy chairs nearby."

I followed her, still trying and failing to figure out what had happened and what was happening.

She led me to a tastefully decorated room with a few cupboards and two large couches. I took a seat and rather than sit opposite me, she sat right next to me.

"So, Attached?" I said, to break the silence.

"Oh right," Zirani said. "Well, erm since your familiar with aether it won't be too hard to explain. I am Zirani, and I am attached to you due to your bloodline. You took my essence into your core, but your bloodline allowed you to keep my soul as you would call it, my mind, thoughts, everything I am is within your core. Attached.'

"So you're like a normal aether beast, but you can speak to me."

She nodded. "Yes, I can also manifest, although not at my previous strength until you reach the stage I was at."

A sudden thought occurred to me. "What sort of aether beast are you and how powerful were you?"

"I am, or was, a Zigan. Now im just a pseudo-Zigan."

I stared at her for a long moment, blinking rapidly. Honesty I was gonna have a heart attack with all of these shocking revelations hitting me.

"A jungle queen? You were a jungle queen."

A thoughtful look appeared on her face. "Jungle queen? Yes, I suppose that is a fitting name for what I was, though now I'm more a jungle princess than a queen. I won't be back at my full power until you reach, what is it you humans call it, the seventh level of infusion?"

"What!"

There was no way. "You were at the seventh level?"

"Mhm," She replied with a smile. "I'm not sad though. This will actually mean I'll be stronger when I get back to my previous level as my essence, or our essence, now, will be even more potent."

I leaned back. Jungle queens, or Zigans, were aether beasts of incredible power, found only in the southern wilds, below the great scar. The only reason I even knew about them was because of my aunt's collection of books, and scrolls. They were rulers that ruled over the jungles and had hordes of other beasts under their control.

"You said something about my bloodline? What did you mean?"

"Oh well, not every arcanist can absorb the soul of a beast along with the essence, only a few with the arch-vein bloodline. I don't know much about it, but it's not a… what do you call it… not a family tied bloodline? It's randomly occurring, and from what I know, it's actually some form of mutation."

"You sure know a lot," I said. A mutant? Was that what I was?

"Think of it like this," She said, grabbing my face and turning it towards her. "I'm a four-hundred-year-old aether beast who has lived through a lot and has a lot of experience. I know from your thoughts that you wanted a wind affinity beast, yes?"

I nodded, feeling guilty for some reason. "Yes, or metal."

She smiled kindly. "Let me tell you this, Aiden. Your idea of nature is very wrong and incomplete. I will show what I can grant you."

"So you're ok with this?" I asked. She was too human and it sort of felt like I'd trapped her.

Almost as if she could hear my thoughts, she chuckled.

"I allowed this, I chose this. I'm alive because of you, so don't feel bad. I saw the type of person you are."

"And?"

She smiled. "And I'm happy with you. Now, what do you say we find you some food before we begin in on what I can teach you?"

I nodded, feeling relieved. My stomach was feeling pretty empty and after the continuous shocks and surprises of today, I could really use something to eat and a break, although her words about teaching me did get me excited. She had been at the seventh level of infusion and a jungle queen. She was an expert at her affinity and who knew the sorts of things she could teach me.

And besides, I could always go for wind for my second core.