As Aric and Elara continued down the forest road, having left their campsite behind following their farewells with the rescued family, Aric turned his focus inwards. Brow furrowed in concentration, he carefully drew out wispy tendrils of his aether, attempting to manifest them into a swirling orb that hovered above his palm as he walked.

At first, maintaining control of the energy while moving proved nearly too difficult. Even forming the shape was difficult, often only appearing as thin streamers. When he managed to actually to form the rough shape, the orb would flicker erratically as if caught in a strong wind. More than once it destabilized completely, winking out of existence to leave only scattered motes of light drifting down before Aric could summon it back.

Refusing to back down from yet another aspect of practice, he kept at it. Even as his head began to ache from the strain, Aric pushed on. Mental strain he could deal with, though. After all, surviving alone in the wilderness was never a peaceful experience. Fortunately, Elara seemed to understand what he was attempting and focused on watching their surroundings for any signs of an attack.

As the day wore on, his efforts slowly started to bare fruit. The wisps of energy gradually shifted to being a stable shape bobbing gently above his hand. As he focused on the thread of power flowing into the orb, he began experimenting with trying to modulate the power going into it. It was fascinating to watch the aura around the energy shifting from a neutral tone into the same black aura that he witnessed during his testing.

"Working hard, aren't you? Inspired by our little visit?" a feminine voice purred within the confines of his mind, momentarily shattering his concentration.

Aric stumbled in surprise before hastily righting himself before his boots could slide on the leaf-strewn path. His summoned aether, on the other hand, didn't fare so well, disappearing in a flash of light that left only lingering wisps of light fading into nothingness.

Amy's melodic laugh echoed through his thoughts as if in response. "Apologies, dear one. I didn't mean to interrupt your practice," though the demoness sounded more playfully amused than genuinely remorseful.

Letting out a resigned sigh, Aric rubbed at his temples where he could already feel the hints of an entirely different kind of headache starting. Her frequent unannounced intrusions into his mind would definitely take some getting used to.

"Did you actually need something this time?" Aric thought back, unable to fully keep a trace of weary irritation from seeping into his mental tone.

"I just wanted to compliment you on that wonderfully clever little contraption of yours," Amy replied, either oblivious to or pointedly ignoring his thinly veiled annoyance at the disruption.

Aric sensed the demoness' focus shift to scrutinize the rifle currently slung across his back. "It provides some... intriguing possibilities," she remarked. Was that a hint of covetousness he detected in her voice?

Still, her earlier magical prowess seemed to be second to none, if his experience during their initial bonding was anything to go on. Let alone if her promises of powers held true in the future.

"You believe I could channel my magic directly through the rifle then?" he asked, his earlier vexation quickly forgotten as his natural curiosity got the better of him.

"But of course, my champion," Amy replied enthusiastically, clearly pleased he had caught on so swiftly. "With sufficient practice, you may even be able to infuse those metal projectiles of yours with a variety of elemental effects. Using them to strike your foes down from afar in blasts of lightning or flame...oh, the possibilities are simply thrilling!"

Aric had to admit, now that she described it, the prospect did seem incredibly tempting. His fingers reflexively tightened on the rifle's strap as he imagined raining down destruction on the shadowbeasts - or better yet, those abominations - from a safe distance. But then the vivid memory of his uncontrolled, savage fury during the fight with the troll flickered through his mind, serving as a sobering reminder that he still had a long way to go in mastering these abilities.

"That does sound... useful," Aric conceded slowly, choosing his words with care. "But given my current lack of finesse, I think it's probably wise to take things slow for now. Wouldn't want to accidentally blow my own hand off in a mishap."

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Amy let out an annoyed huff that reverberated through his skull, clearly thinking he was being overly-cautious. But after a brief pause, she seemed to relent. "Oh, very well then, my dear. I suppose we shall have to build up to the really fun parts once you've gotten the basics thoroughly down."

The demoness' presence swiftly withdrew from his mind like a receding tide. Aric had to repress a sigh of relief at having his mental space to himself again, at least for the moment. Then a thought suddenly struck him, he had no idea how much the demoness could sense from the outside world. She'd clearly understood what his rifle was capable of, she was also clearly aware of Elara's presence and their growing relationship. He felt Amy's presence flood back into his mind with a giggle, "Oh, dear. Did I not tell you? I experience everything you do and then some." And just like that she was gone again.

He became aware of Elara eying him sidelong with a knowing, sympathetic look. "Productive discussion with our friend?" she asked lightly, though there was a seriousness beneath her tone. As a fellow mage, she well understood the unpredictable dangers unchecked magic could pose.

"Amy's already eager for me to start experimenting with manipulating my rifle rounds," Aric said wryly, shaking his head. "Subtlety doesn't seem to be her strong suit."

Elara laughed at that, a musical sound that seemed to make the very forest brighter for a moment. "Well, she is a millennia-old demoness bound to a chaotic artifact. Patience and restraint generally aren't hallmark virtues among their kind. But your caution is wise - proficiency first, creative uses later."

Her mirth quickly faded though at seeing Aric's face remain somber, his thoughts clearly turned inward. There were ramifications to Amy's close psi-link he hadn't fully considered until now.

"Amy also offhandedly mentioned how she...experiences everything I do through our bond," he said slowly, his voice heavy. "My senses, thoughts...it seems like nothing is off limits to her." He could scarcely wrap his mind around the enormity of such constant exposure, let alone the lack of privacy.

Elara's expression became sympathetic, but unsurprised at this revelation. "That does often seem to be the case with powerful bonded implements, especially sentient ones. I imagine for a focus as extraordinary as your glove, the depth of that connection runs quite deep indeed..."

Aric swallowed hard past the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. That likely meant the sensuous dream he had recently shared with Amy had been no mere flight of fancy. Which also meant that any bonds that he formed with her may well be as real as any other. His mind raced ahead in rising panic - he would have to tell Elara about everything that happened the other night. Everything in his mind screamed that this was a betrayal of the beautiful elven woman he'd been spending so much time with lately. Before he could spiral further down that mental rabbit hole, Elara herself abruptly spoke, her own fair face now tinged pink with embarrassment.

"You should know... my fondness for you goes beyond friendly regard as well," she blurted out in a rush, as if afraid she would lose the nerve to speak up if she didn't push past her hesitation immediately. "And given how complicated your relationship with Amy will likely become, especially once you're powerful enough for her to manifest in this world... I just wanted to say that should anything happen between you two, it's perfectly fine with me." Elara quickly clarified, though her blush deepened even further until the tips of her elegantly tapered ears burned a fierce red.

Aric simply stared blankly, his mind momentarily going blank from shock at her sudden and rather vehement confession. Right, she had mentioned how exceedingly casual this world's views on intimate relationships tended to be. Especially among those with significant political influence or magical ability, of which he seemed to very likely be in the latter category of.

Clearly this was something they would need to actively discuss before too long. But for now, he carefully schooled his features to avoid causing Elara any further distress.

Unfortunately, the awkward tension still seemed to linger between the pair for the remainder of the day's travels. By the time they stopped to make camp for the night, Aric having spent the entire time racking his brain but failing to find the proper words to broach this cultural divide that had so unexpectedly manifested. While Elara was thoroughly convinced that she had severely messed things up between them.

As Aric lay awake long after Elara's breathing had shifted to the slow cadence of sleep, he continued to mull the issue over in his mind. He cared deeply for Elara, that much was increasingly certain. Her happiness and comfort were paramount to him, that simply wasn't a question anymore, even if he still doubted some of her initial motives.

Come morning, he resolved to gently ask her more about the customs surrounding courtship and intimacy here - what such arrangements usually entailed, what her own boundaries and desires were. His old world's conservative views on fidelity and monogamy were clearly not the sole possibility, however ingrained those norms still felt to him instinctively. This would likely require some difficult conversations and soul searching. But communication and keeping an open mind seemed to be the only way forward, however far outside his comfort zone treading this unmapped territory may take him.

With that tentative glimmer of hope for eventual understanding between them, exhaustion finally claimed him. He fell into a deep slumber beneath the gently swaying trees and the vibrant quilt of stars overhead, the night sounds of the wilderness fading away into soothing white noise.