Chapter 10 - Etherean Combat

It was late at night and Raven was exercising based on the routine Blaike made for him. Beads of sweat rolled down his tender naked body. 

'Ether…'

A thought echoed in Raven's mind as he felt a mysterious energy swirl around him. For four days, he endured the ominous sensations throughout his body, bringing him pain and body spasms. Blaike and Kase had revealed that his body was still getting accustomed to the source of innate mystic sorcerers called Ether.

'It's really strange…'

The alchemical sigil in his palm pulsed as if sensing his thoughts. Wisps of grey energy rose from the earth and soared to the sky. They weaved around Raven, shooting into his body once they got closer and the alchemical sigil pulsed once more. It brought a subtle spasm of pain that not-so-subtly assaulted him instantly.

Raven twinged in pain. 'It still hurts..'

According to Blaike, it would continue to feel this way until he became a true Initiate. There was no other way around it. This was the price for his preternatural awakening.

Ether was a strange energy, alright. It felt alive and sentient. Moreover, it exuded a sensation of evil, feeling deadly and earthly at the same time, which was simply impossible!

Shaking his head, Raven gazed at the arcane sigil. 'I still don't understand.' 

When the time was right, he would fully awaken his arcane sigil. It was a process of sublimation and time wasn't relevant. 

'But I seem to have awakened another ability. I…I don't think it is an arcane sigil. It doesn't fit any of the categorical characteristics. The ability is too mysterious. Ever since I awakened, I seemed to have changed tremendously.'

Raven frowned as he remembered something. Yesterday, Blaike had tried sneaking up on him, but he "sensed" her when she got close. He didn't know how he did it, but his body moved on instincts. 

Everything was happening too fast and he could barely keep up.

Raven shook his head. "Whatever, we will cross the bridges when they come."

He cleared his mind and continued practicing.

…..

The next day, bodies clashed as gusts of winds exploded everywhere!

All of a sudden, Raven found himself hurtling through the air and slammed into a steady pillar in a lackadaisical manner. He winced in pain and glared at his attacker.

"Haha, I'm having problems believing you killed Light Dorin with your chicken bones," laughed Blaike as she got into a fighting stance.

She anticipated a lunge from Raven and diverted the force of the attack, landing a devastating punch right in his guts. The air cracked as Raven fell to his knees and clutched his stomach.

The punch hurt like a bitch.

'Just how strong is she?' His eyes quivered as he vomited blood.

These past few days, he had trained with Blaike. One had to note that Raven had been growing tremendously every day. Heck, right now, he could punch a stone wall and break through it if he used maximum force. Yet, no matter how strong he became, he could never match Blaike!

'She's most likely a—'

Before he could think further, the mysterious sensation of his second ability overwhelmed him. Time seemed to slow down and he detected Blaike's flying leg attack him from behind. It was as if he had eyes at his back.

'Move! I need to move!'

With rapid thoughts, he dashed sideways, narrowly evading the attack. However, that wasn't enough. Raven wouldn't just naturally let it go!

Since he was already here, he had to at least counterattack! 

Smirking, he seized onto Blaike's leg and swiftly brought her crashing to the ground. This would serve as a warning for her to not underestimate him!

Suddenly, Blaike's aura flared in his face as ether surged within her. Raven frowned and what happened next shocked him. Blaike broke out of his grasp with lightning speed and appeared a few feet away from him.

"Good! Caught me by surprise, lil bro," Blaike smiled. "Finally, you are getting the grip of it."

Raven raised his brows. "What was that?"

"Oh? You saw it?" Blaike's eyes sparkled and she looked at Raven as if he was a gem. She thought inwardly, 'He is really like me. I believed he would have developed [Ether Sense] by now, but I never factored in the potential of [Ether Sight]. Fascinating. This makes it easier.'

Raven stared at her with a deadpan expression. "It was right in my face. What was it?"

His mysterious ability, which he now dubbed [Seventh Sense], provided insights into that special move from Blaike. It was definitely a complicated application of ether, dangerous enough to stir her aura. Aura was a direct expression of the soul. Hence, certain things could be perceived just by looking at one's aura.

Blaike ignored him with a sly smile and demanded Raven to enter a stance they had practised earlier. It was a stance that required his legs to be firmly planted on the ground, his spine straightened, and his hands extended forward. Most especially, it demanded his breathing to be rhythmic.

"Listen carefully. Proper composure denotes good breathing. Ether is sentient. It responds to the mind. The mind needs to be serene and lucid for perfect communication. This is why breathing is key. With composure and excellent breathing, you become an attractive force comparable to gravity."

Blaike spread her arms and her body released weird vibrations. Wisps of ether danced around her, coiling into her body as she willed it. She controlled every wisp to perfection and her body pulsed as she grew stronger.

"This concept is called [Ether Channeling]. It is used to prime your body to an optimal state." Blaike punched out lightly.

Immediately, an ethereal fist imprint streaked through the air and destroyed everything in its path until its ethereal form dissipated.

"Amazing!" Raven commented.

"It is indeed cool. As you get better at channelling, you evolve your physical limit and grant yourself a finer vessel of ether. I can effortlessly channel flurries of ether in an instant. In a battle, this advantage makes me the peak predator."

'So, that's how it works.' Raven's eyes reflected his rapid thoughts.

[Ether Channeling] was more complicated than he thought. It wasn't just the raw absorption of ether. There were other elements involved. The principal ones were:

The quantity of ether particles(measured in wisps/tendrils).

The speed of channeling(determined by the proficiency of 'breathing').

The ether capacity of the physical body(determined by talent and testament of the user's class).

And these were just the main elements!

'In a deadly fight that ends in one final exchange, victory theoretically favors the one with superior channeling speed and greater ether reservoirs, provided no other variable intervenes.'

Raven broke into a smile. Things just became really interesting. He couldn't wait to play around with ether channeling.

A hand swung towards the back of his head, but in a seamless motion, Raven caught the hand without even glancing. He was getting more efficient with [Seventh Sense], and something told him this was just its surface-level abilities.

"I understand ether channeling now. But that wasn't just what you did, right?"

"Hmph, you are getting better," Blaike scoffed. "Anyway, let's continue. After [Ether Channeling], there is a higher level technique called [Ether Channeling]."

"If channeling is about stimulation and optimization, [Ether Cycling] is an attribute grafting. It is pure augmentation. Some sorcerers call it innate wild magic."