Modified Aether Shell
Aksai's Mind Palace.
Using the guidance provided by the AetherTech shard, Aksai started shaping the sphere that levitated above him, absorbing all the water he offered via multiple streams.
This was the Aether Shell, the foundation of his future Aether Wisp.
Inside the Mind Palace, the water was the manifestation of the dormant Aether essence his soul had.
The traditional Aether Awakening Ritual would have required Aksai to imbue a part of his Soul Fragment inside the Aether Shell, which would then turn into an Aether Wisp.
Of course, the soul fragmentation process was quite different from what Aksai had received from the old ghost in Dadangar. However, the result was the same for the most part.