The words I feared and wanted to avoid were spoken, bringing a sudden, heavy pressure to my chest. A chill ran down my spine as my mind scrambled for a response. Wasn’t it too soon to think about my future? What future even exists for me now, anyway?
“My future?" I echoed, tension tightening my voice.
“Yes, now that you have recovered enough, I want to ask you if there is a place you want to go. A place where your relatives or people that you are close to live.” She replied.
My expression darkened, remembering the only place I knew well in this world. Returning there was a fate I want to avoid at any cost. Without any other option, I told the truth. My stomach rcamped while I forced out my reply, knowing full well that her reaction might seal my fate.
Danger was lurking everywhere; one mistake and I will lose my life. Those truths were beaten into me, scar by scar, since I can remember.
“There’s nowhere. I... I’m all alone,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Silence stretched between us as she watched me. Just as my anxiety grew, she smiled, a reassuring warmth in her gaze.
“I live alone here; therefore, I am in dire need of help around the house and some company.”
I looked at her while my gloomy expression slowly morphed into that of surprise with a hint of happiness.
“You mean that I can stay here?”
“Yes, silly. That’s exactly what I was implying.” She chuckled, crossing her arms. “Looks like you have a few things to learn, especially about women, Leo.”
Is this what Aster was talking about when she told me about reading between some lines? ...
Eline crossed both her arms and placed them on her chest while bowing slightly.
“My full name is Chaneline Greenwood, and I welcome you.”
I mimicked her posture and, while maintaining eye contact, replied.
“Likewise, thank you for having me; I will repay you this favor with utmost effort.”
Looking out the window, I noticed the colors outside seemed brighter—the greens of the grass, the blue sky—almost as if the world itself had come alive again, bit by bit.
“GRRRMMM”
Then my stomach growled loudly. Eline smirked and quietly bought me more of her signature soup; my hunger was soon gone. Then she took a basket filled with some oval purple fruits and told me to follow her outside into the now dark environment.
Shortly after, we sat in the garden on a bench under a large tree with two strange yellowish-shining rocks on its sides that provided light for us to see. As I bit into the fruit, its sweetness filled my mouth, a taste so vibrant it felt otherworldly. Around us, the garden was alive, small animals chirping softly while a gentle breeze rustled the leaves. For the first time, I felt... safe.
“Once you fully recover your strength and get used to the new environment, I will assign to you some duties; you will help me out around the house and garden.
While your Ether seed is properly rooted and has formed a core, there seems to be some problem, as your Ether veins aren't opened properly.” She said.
“What does that mean?”
"Well, unless they are fully open, your ability to use Ether will be hindered or severely limited, and its recovery will be slow.”
“No…! “
I clenched my fists, my whole body tensed, and sweat formed on my forehead. I needed this strength, the overwhelming might I saw my captors use. With ghostly orange and red shining eyes, their strength was unrivaled.
Asters voice sounded in my mind.
‘Never surrender; always win and survive, Leo.’
Heat pooled in my chest, faint at first, like a warm ember nestled within. But then it spread, growing hotter, more intense—until it felt as if my whole body was alight with energy. The warmth quickly turned to fire, each breath searing with each pulse of my heartbeat.
Then a sharp pain came, unrelenting, like thousands of blades piercing from within. I doubled over, barely able to breathe as I gripped my chest, desperate for relief.
“Leo! Stop!“
Eline’s hand found my back, and a soothing energy pulsed into me, quelling the searing ache. I sank onto the bench, each breath ragged. A few moments passed as I steadied myself, heart still pounding from the ordeal.
“Huff huff, thank you.”
“That was reckless!” She was fuming.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Sorry, I was just... well, I don't know exactly what I did.”
“It seems you subconsciously tried to channel your Ether; our conversation must have brought you discomfort, and your body reacted. But it looks like the strain is too great for you right now. ”
“How can I use it then?”
“It is too soon to say for certain; we need to make your body stronger, and then it should come naturally.
Patience Leo and remember, as soon as you feel it being channeled again, try to calm down.”
“Fine, I am not a big enjoyer of this immense pain either. But I need to know more about it; can you teach me more, Eline?”
“Of course Leo, how much do you know about Ether?”
“I know that it is something that is in all living beings, and you can use it to fight or heal.”
“That is mostly correct, albeit very rudimentary, First of all, it is contained in all things around us; therefore, I would classify it into the following categories:”
SCREEE
A strange animalistic noise sounded near us; the source came from above a nearby tree. Two animals that must have been big birds were fighting there. One was green with some blue feathers and mostly defended against the attacks of its bit larger opponent with dark and silver feathers. The dark one managed to stab its large beak into his opponent's eye, making it scream. Both then held each other with their legs even while falling from quite a height.
A small impact echoed, resulting in the greenish one lying motionlessly there with its head turned in an unnatural direction while the attacks from his opponent continued.
“This is…..”
Eline looked bewildered and had a grim expression but did not lose composure.
“Look closely, Leo; it is a bit advanced, but it gives you a glimpse into the future.”
She stood up, and I followed her with my eyes attentively as she walked a few steps towards the still ongoing assault. The bird then looked at her, releasing a sort of war cry before flapping its wings and flying straight towards Eline.
“CAREFULLL!!!”
I ran towards her, but she only looked at me, and while slipping out of her shoes without minding the fast approaching bird standing barefoot, her eye shined with a light violet hue.
The earth trembled slightly as a spear-sized earth needle shot up, pinning the mad bird in place. Its orange-lit eyes glared defiantly even as its movements slowed and finally stilled. I stared, wide-eyed, still feeling the rumble beneath my feet. How could she... This level of power was more than I’d ever imagined.
“This earth needle,” she said, her voice calm, “is one of the common outer Ether arts...”.
“This earth needle is one of the common outer ether arts; depending on your affinity, you could awaken it after breaking into the purple stage.”
“Who cares! Are you all right, and what is this animal? Is it normal to meet it here???”
While her power was more than impressive, my biggest concern was her well-being.
“I am unharmed. It is rare and something that I need to investigate, Leo, but for now, no matter who you talk to in the future, keep it to yourself.
We will talk about it in detail later; now go inside the house. I need to take care of this and talk with someone; do not go outside till I return.”
“I am glad, but what you did was amazing, Eline; please teach me this!”
With her safety confirmed, I could not hold in my enthusiasm; my eyes almost sparkled from curiosity.
Seeing my childish behavior, she chuckled while she slowly walked towards me, letting the solid earth construction slowly crumble, making the bird's body fall down.
“Someone is eager to learn; this will be relevant only once you cultivate past red ether core, but for that you need to travel...
So focus on your recovery for the next few days, and then we will start your training, but be warned, I am a strict teacher.”
“Yes, I will do my best to recover quickly!”
She took a knee beside the bird's body and examined it with an outstretched hand and her palm above it without touching it.
“No need to rush; take your time, Leo. You are quite lucky; while generally speaking, living things have a higher concentration of Ether in them than the environment they grew up in; only one in 10 human folk has true aptitude for Ether.”
Lucky… I remembered my past, calling myself lucky; it was the last thing I would do...
She was finished and put the bird's body in her basket, which was so big it did not fully fit in and had its head hanging outside.
“And one more thing, Leo.”
Her light purple eyes darkened to a somber orange, her gaze hardening in a way I hadn’t seen before. This wasn’t the same gentle Eline who had offered me shelter; this was someone who knew far more about the dangers of this world than I did. Her gaze darkened, and I felt the weight of her words as she spoke.
“Do not reveal to anyone that you are an Ether user for now,” she said, her voice low. My breath caught in my throat, sensing the gravity of her warning. I’d never seen her look this serious before.
“Can you do this for me?” she asked, and I nodded, the reality of what I’d stepped into finally beginning to sink in.
“If you ever talk with someone about my core stage, tell them it is dark orange and that I cannot advance further.” She paused, her eyes holding mine.
“Otherwise, it could bring many troubles to us now...”
"Yes, of course.” I reassured her once more before another question arose.
“Wait, how did you do that? Can I learn this too?”
“Sorry Leo, this is not something easily learned; you must have a certain predisposition for it... I will go to the village now; be inside in the meantime.”
I could only follow her order; doing that served me well. Her tall, slender figure disappeared from my sight quickly. Inside the house, my body fell down on a sturdy stool.
‘Ugh, so much happened today; my head is spinning and I am thirsty.’
My wandering mind settled on the cup neatly placed in front of me, on top of a wooden table. It was simple yet so neat. One sip revealed to me an unfamiliar taste that only clear water has.
Eline, this was given to me by her. Like so many other things. My old habits were warning me not to trust easily; what if she is just preparing to backstab me? But why would she wait? She could find pleasure in it, like the guards so often did. I need to stay vigilant, especially because...
I stepped towards the only door in this house she did not open for me. She is hiding something here, something she does not want me to see. I need to know what is behind them!
With a slightly trembling hand, I gripped the doornhandle, prepared to step into the unknown.