The Aether

I closed my eyes and concentrated onto the sensation of controlling the 'mana', the strange energy within my body, that I had just started to get used to from the simulations of last night. A cool feeling rushed out through my arm and onto the giant orb that my palm had been touching, contrasting from the warmth that my palm was feeling against the surface of the orb.

I slowly opened my eyes to be greeted by a blind white light.

No.

It wasn't quite white.

It was closer to the color of grey, it just looked white due to the light it was emitting out.

Slowly, but surely, grey stars started to form one after another.

Ten... Twenty... Thirty... And it continued to rise.

Soon almost 100 stars had filled up the orb as the rate of creation had slowed down.

"My god..." Mertho exclaimed out loud. "Such density and purity..."

"What element is grey? I know light is white and dark is black... Is it a hybrid element such as shadow?" I asked as I continued to pour my energy onto the orb.

"Good deduction, but no." Mertho's eyes were fixated upon the orb. "The shadow element is a strange color, a mixture of pure black and white that swirls within each other."

"What is it then?" I looked at Mertho.

Mertho turned and stared at me in the eyes. "This my boy. Is the aether. You have the control over nothing and everything."

"...So I have nothing? I see nothing here" With slight disappointment, I asked.

"No, not just nothing. Everything as well." Mertho continued. "The aether element as we call it, is more like the original element. It is the beginning and the end and a element that exists within the Origin Tree of which only 3 elements occupy."

"Beginning and the end... What are the properties then? What can this 'aether' do?"

I asked in doubt. "And what are the other two elements of the Origin tree of elements?"

"The other two elements are Space and Time, I do not know much about these three elements but I'll share what I know." Mertho sat down on a nearby chair. "Sit. It's going to be a while. You can take your hands off the orb now."

I took my hands off as the lights dimmed and dispersed, I sat on a chair beside Mertho and listened on.

"In the beginning, there was nothing. Or what seemed like nothing but was filled to the brim with a special energy. This is your element, the aether. But it was not alone. There was the space the aether occupied as well as the constant flow of time.

And Time, by far one of the most mysterious and terrifying elements of these three, never ceases to stop on its own.

The space element has a natural tendency to expand and condense from time to time. As its 'resident', the aether element, which of course of constantly increasing in size, could only succumb to the change of its 'room'.

But during one specific moment, the space had condensed past the point the aether element could condense on itself and they had simply collapsed on themselves." Mertho paused.

"What happened afterwards?" I asked in curiosity. This was in line with some of the knowledge he had.

"Then came the great explosion. I do not know much about this, it is only written in the archaic texts of the ancient archons, the first lords of the world." Mertho continued. "Within it they say, and from that aether came all and all shall return to the aether."

Mertho raised his hand and made a wisp of flame. "Deus, the aether element may exhibit the tendency to be nothing, but the potential it has is far beyond anything. Though it'll take a long time to deconstruct the specific parts of the aether."

Mertho raised his other hand and what seemed like a black hole appeared in the other.

"These two elements stem from your element. Though the Origin tree has three elements, only the Aether is the father to all and the goal of all. The Space and Time element do not have other elements nor can they be learned unless it is your natural element. Aether, however, can be created in small quantities once somebody masters all the major and pure elements."

"So I can also create fire and darkness?" I asked with clarification.

"Yes. And more. But one step at a time is the most important thing." Mertho started to ponder out loudly. "There is no magus who have Aether as their main element, at least not alive or known, so we need to find someone who is willing to take you in and has knowledge regarding the Aether... Hmm."

"You said that the Aether can be reached by others, are there people who have done so?" I asked in curiosity.

"Many but the majority of them are no longer. Time stops for no one. Well, except for Chronos." Mertho mumbled. "Don't worry about Chronos, he's just an ancient magus who happened to have his main element be Time and changed his name accordingly."

"Aha! I know!" Mertho clapped his hands as he stood up. "Come with me!"

Mertho hastily walked towards the 'elevator' symbol and I followed suit. "I, Mertho, hereby request access to the top of the tower."

A strange voice could be heard. "R E A S O N".

"The Aether." Mertho spoke out loudly.

"G R A N T E D".

Ssszzt

The entire world warped on itself again.

-----

"My mana density is only 9 stars... So close... I am envious of you James." A man on the first floor of the tower spoke out in dejection.

"Come on Tom, mine's only 13. Just barely enough to become an apprentice. I heard there are ways of increasing your mana density, maybe we could try to find one?" James responded.

"James, we've only been in this game for barely a month. We worked the entire month to barely earn 12 silvers between us. How are we ever going to afford such things? I'm going to try to pursue a different career. I hear the professions are making a few bucks these days." Tom spoke with a sigh.

"Maybe you could try to become an alchemist, 9 stars is enough density to perform basic alchemy I think. Try the Clouded village, I heard there were a branch of the alchemist's guild there." James responded whist filling up a paper form to hand over to the tower to apply to become an apprentice.

"Hmm, not a bad idea. You have my contact right? I'll head over there immediately, good luck on your training. I'll let you know if I succeed in becoming an alchemist." Tom, in a new light, brightened his expression as he started to head out the nearby gate.

"Alright Tom, catch ya later." James finished off his application and handed it to the clerk behind the desk.

"Please return in 3 days to confirm your application. If it is approved, you shall be granted an apprentice position under a master of your respective element... Lightning huh. The lightning magus usually live up north where they say is easier to 'conduct' their element. You will be assigned to a location once your master is chosen." The Clerk checked James's application as he spoke.

"Alright thank you!" James responded with a smile as he walked away.

"A whole month for a chance to become a Magus... This is indeed the least populated profession due to everyone's mana density starting at a single star..."

The sun was setting.