08 Aether

Asterios walked slowly, his eyes were still unfocused. The pain had already subsided, but the memories still echoed in his mind. The agony and loss still tortured and tore at his heart, but he didn't cry. Caesar's sacrifices would be meaningless if he simply sat on the ground and cried for the rest of his life.

So, with renewed determination, he quickened his pace and descended the stairs until he reached the third floor, where he walked for a few more seconds until he reached a sealed door.

As he placed his hands on the door, he focused and tried to redirect the strange energy in his body towards his hands, attempting to recreate the sensation he had during the Awakening Ritual. Only after 30 seconds did a small spark of Aether appear on his finger and flowed towards the door, which glowed with a blue light before slowly opening before his eyes.

Although it was a simple thing, Asterios was ecstatic, an excited smile forming on his handsome face as he stared at his hands. That was the first time he had used Aether and the feeling was incredible. Clenching his fists, he entered his family's training room, which was restricted only to people with a formed Aether heart.

His curiosity was met with disappointment. It was a completely enclosed room with over 500 square meters of area, no weapons, books, or training dummies, only Erik sitting in a corner of the room, watching him with a strange look.

"I thought you wouldn't come here today...", Erik spoke coldly as he stood up. "How are you feeling? Ready to start lessons?"

"I'm fine and ready, sir Erik," Asterios replied with determination.

"Hahaha, that's the spirit, kid!" Erik exclaimed before walking towards a panel in the corner of the room as Asterios watched.

"How are we going to train? There's nothing here," Asterios asked curiously.

Erik didn't immediately answer him. Putting his hand on the panel, he said, "Just watch, kid." In the next second, a powerful flow of Aether burst from the walls of the room and the scene of the empty room slowly began to change. As trees grew and the wooden floor slowly transformed into earth and sand, it was an incredible sight. In less than 5 seconds, the empty and unremarkable room had been transformed into a vast green plain.

"What is this?" Asterios asked, shocked to see the plains that had appeared before him.

"This is called the Artificial Soul Realm. Everything you see here is fake, to a certain extent. Our real bodies are standing in the training room, while only our minds have entered this space," Erik replied with a smile.

"To be honest, I don't even know how your family managed to get something like this. It costs much more than a simple fortune. Even powerful Dukes have difficulty getting something like this," Erik added, snapping his fingers to make two chairs appear in front of them.

"Erik sat down in one of the chairs, gesturing for Asterios to sit in the other.

"What are you going to teach me?" asked Asterios, his voice trembling with curiosity and nervousness.

"Hm... how about we start with the basics?" proposed Erik.

...

"Aether is the primal energy in this world, it's in everything, from the oxygen and the walls of a castle, to the trunks of a tree and a running river. Every piece of our world, no matter how inhospitable, has Aether.

Humans are no different and begin to feel the first signs of this energy at 8 years old. At this time, their Aether heart, the core for all the energy contained and power in the body, starts to slowly form.

For a noble, the beginning of this formation means the beginning of their studies to understand and manipulate this energy, but for a commoner, who usually doesn't have access to a high enough level of education, it doesn't mean much. They will only see a true change in their bodies when the Aether heart is fully developed, increasing their strength, vitality, and disease resistance.

For animals, it's a little different, only a few are blessed with the ability to feel and use Aether. These are called Aether Beasts, creatures whose power can often only be imagined by ordinary humans.

There are also Ascended Beasts, which are on completely different levels. Animals that not only understood and evolved their bodies from Aether, but also did so with their minds, acquiring the ability to not only speak human language but also master our weapons, arts, and strategies.

Regarding classifications, humans and beasts share the same classification based on the existence of 8 kingdoms of Aether manipulators.

Each one is defined by a bottleneck that, when broken, brings not only a great increase in power but also in vitality and lifespan, which is fixed for humans and variable for Aether beasts.

The levels, in an ascending manner, are:

1: nascent

At this level, one learns to sense and use Aether at lower levels, being able to reinforce small twigs or a specific, small part of the body with a small estimated improvement of 10 years in the life expectancy of an average human being.

2: Intermediate

Upon reaching the intermediate level, the Aether manipulator takes a huge leap in their abilities, being able, for example, to fully reinforce a sword, as well as experiencing a great increase in their overall strength and endurance. At this level, their average life expectancy can increase by 20 years.

3: Advanced

At this level, the Aether Manipulator already has an advanced understanding of this energy, being able to use it with speed, power, and precision, having the ability to use it almost instantaneously. Their strength increases by a large margin and their life expectancy is extended by an additional 30 years.

4: Warrior

Many say that this is the level at which an Aether manipulator discovers the truth about this energy. From this level, Aether begins to assume individualities, following elements such as ice, lightning, earth, nature, fire, or even unique elements for certain families with special lineages. Their life expectancy can increase up to 50 years.

5: Specialist

These are the gateway to true peak Aether manipulators, with the ability to not only reinforce the entire body but also extend the Aether outside of the body, forming an Aura around them and completely defending them. Their average life expectancy increases by around 100 years at this level.

6: Master

Top figures in this world, they have total control of their aura, being able to not only expand it much more than a Specialist but also change its shape and control it freely, using it for both defensive and offensive purposes. Their life expectancy can exceed 500 years.

7: Grandmaster

These are peak figures who possess a transcendental understanding of the use of Aether. Their bodies are as resistant as metal and their physical strength transcends anything a mortal human can even imagine. Their reserves of Aether are so colossal that they can fly freely through the skies. At this level, an Aether manipulator forms a domain, meaning that they have the ability to extend their aura over a large area, where they have total power and control. They can live for up to a thousand years.

8: Transcendent

This is the maximum level that a mortal has ever reached. Their power is enough to destroy entire cities with just a wave of their hand. Their control over their souls makes them transcend the physical level, forming the so-called "realms of the soul", a mental region where they are essentially gods. There is not much information about the capabilities or true power of these beings. The few who have reached this level do not talk much about themselves.

Some rumors speak of the existence of higher classifications, a level where a human can become a real god, but they are only rumors from a distant and long-forgotten past..."

Asterios listened with interest, his little hands trembling anxiously as he fantasized about the true powers of these beings and when he would be that powerful.

"Of course, Aether, although the most common, is not the only energy in this world. There is also mana, an even more unknown and mysterious power that only a few people, born with a special gift, can feel and use it, those who are called mages." Taking a small pause to breathe, Erik continued, "The little girl who was with you before seemed to have this gift."

"Anna?" Asterios exclaimed in surprise, but received no response from his teacher.

Erik stood up from his chair before gesturing for Asterios to stand up as well. In the next second, the place where they were changed again, returning to the previous room.

"Take off your shirt and sit on the floor, we'll start Aether manipulation classes," Erik ordered as he walked towards the boy's back.

Asterios didn't question and took off his shirt and sat on the floor. Soon he felt Erik's hand touching his back, followed by a small flow of energy entering his body.

"Try to move this energy to your Aether heart," Erik ordered, still maintaining a small but steady flow of energy to Asterios' body.

"Hm-hmm," Asterios made a nasal sound in agreement before focusing on the Aether slowly entering his body. The sensation was strange, different from the Awakening Ritual where Caesar guided the Aether into his body, he had to do it himself.

The Aether slowly flowed from his back, crossing his chest and lodging in his heart. It was like moving a limb, it required concentration, but it was, to a certain extent, natural. He hadn't been taught how to do it, he could simply do it, just as he could move his hands.

It didn't take long for Asterios to completely master that sensation. In less than 10 minutes, the Aether was already flowing through his body as if it were a perfect extension of himself. He could feel and manipulate it with little effort.

Erik smiled slightly and removed his hand from the boy's back, cutting off the constant flow of energy to his body. "Now try to feel the Aether around you, open your hands and try to suck it towards your body, as if you were opening a door with the energy in your hands."

The boy nodded before obeying Erik, and thus, a day passed. Asterios trained tirelessly, trying to understand and manipulate that mysterious energy that now flowed through his body.