Training Aether Control Part 1 (Chapter 18)

Author's note:

I am trying out a different style for this chapter if you like it please let me know. If you don't please let me know.

Third pov:

After walking out of the house Itami made his way to a random cave in the middle of the badlands and decided it would be his new home for the next 5 months.

Itami chose this cave because it wasn't too far from the cabin, and it had a freshwater stream right next to it.

After building a makeshift shack, and renovating the cave for two days, Itami was finally ready to begin his training.

One week later

Itami's Pov:

Unsurprisingly, The old man's training was as complicated as he was. He split the training into 4 phases, visualization, cloaking, fusion, and Shell creation.

 Currently, I am in phase one, visualization. The goal is to visualize a stream entering my ether, but no matter what I do, I haven't achieved anything.

In the last 6 days, the only thing I've accomplished is learning more about Edward through his incessant yapping.

He never stops talking. Ever.

Even when I'm asleep, he's pulled me out of my dream cycle for rant sessions titled "extra training".

I hope today is different because I can't afford to waste any more time.

Edward said the first level was the easiest level of the training, and It multiplies at least thrice in difficulty each level.

If I don't master this level soon, it will be difficult for me to keep a good pace.

Later during the training

Still Itami's Pov:

"Brat, how are you struggling this much already? It would be different if this was phase 2 or 3, but the first phase. I thought you had more talent than that."

'I want to punch him in his throat. How am I supposed to focus if he keeps yelling at me?

" I heard that, and it wouldn't make a difference considering how you've failed for the last week."

'Okay, since you have good hearing, then hear this. Maybe, instead of yelling, you can make yourself useful and give me some tips. Seriously, aren't you supposed to be a magus or something? How can you suck so bad at teaching your pupil has to beg you for help?'

' Firstly, As much as You try to bruise my ego, it won't work. I've already gotten praise from kings and have the admiration of my peers. Secondly, I've already told you there's no shortcut to greatness. There are only those who are talented and untalented, and that is decided at birth. 

You're not born from a legendary family with aether sensitivity traits, so you fall into the untalented side of the spectrum. The only way you'll achieve anything is through hard work.'

'Damnit, if only I had that damned third eye maybe I'd….. wait why don't I use Gorgons' barrier. It allows me to sense changes in my dispersed ether, so I should be able to sense aether. Why didn't I think of this sooner?'

Then I started to disperse my ether through the atmosphere.

Thirty mins later

'I'm starting to feel it. It's like little white lines dancing all around me. They seem alive like they have their own will. Good, now all I've got to do is imagine it flowing into my ether ball.'

30 mins later

'It was a little difficult at first, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. It's like my ether ball has a loose yarn ball in it. It seems very controllable and accepting of my ether, as if it wants to be covered by it. I think I might finish phase two now if I push it.'

"Don't get overzealous, boy. It may seem like you have all the energy in the world, but your ether is almost drained from that technique. I'm impressed you're still moving now."

'What do you mean? I'm fine….."

Then I suddenly finally fell asleep.

The next step wasn't that hard. All that was required was that I cloak the strings in the blue sphere and create a tightly fitting mold. It took me 4 days with the help of Gorgon no shogeki. 

The third technique I've been struggling with.

The third technique was difficult because it involved taking the strings and fusing them with ether to create a core, but the problem was that it involved control.

Honestly, my control isn't my strong suit, and most of my techniques involve brute forcing my way through things.

This is why my astral arts consume much more aether than they should.

It's been a month since I started this section, and the most I've ever mixed together was a quarter of it. 

7 weeks after the training began

Seeing the concern on my face, the old man decided to say something.

"Stop. This isn't working. The third level is supposed to be about how quickly you can do it, not whether you can do it at all. With how you're currently doing, it won't be useful at all because it will take up too much concentration. If you want to complete this, you're going to have to do it unconventionally."

Thirty minutes later

"What should I do? He's right. The aether is too thin for my ether. If only it was thicker maybe I could … fit in. Wait, why can't I make it thicker. Old man, are you there"

"Yes, I'm here, and I know what you're going to ask. The reason one needs to thinly press ether through each individual strand of aether is that if you group them together, the core is more likely to fail and unravel. During a fight, attack failure before impact is deadly and leaves you wide open. For most chevalier, it is much more worth it to ensure the attack will be deadly than to be fast and quick. However, one can't be too slow. The goal of this exercise is to test how quickly and efficiently one can take over the strings within the core. However, it could work for you."

"Why me?"

" Because you have a lot of sensitivity towards your own ether. Although you can't control it, you should be able to tell if it has enough ether for the core to be constructed.

"Okay, then I have two questions. First, What do I do when core construction fails? Second, can I compact them together to change the shape?"

"To the first question, all you'd need to do is cancel the technique in question and repower it with ether midway. To the second question, you can, but why would you want to?"

"Because I feel like there's a shape more suited for this".

AUTHOR's note:

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to let me know what you thought of the style for this chapter here.