I woke up drenched in sweat, my heartbeat still pounding from the nightmare. Memories from before my escape haunted me again, twisting through the quiet morning. I took a deep breath, trying to shake them off. 'Enough,' I whispered.

“I can't let Eline worry.”

It has been three months since I arrived here, and slowly but surely I adapted to this new environment.

Eline was a somewhat reserved and mysterious person that did not share much about her past, but in her actions and care for me, I felt her warmth each passing day a little more.

After breakfast, I spent the morning dusting and tidying the house, empty without Eline. She’d left for business yesterday, as she sometimes did, and hadn’t yet returned. I still wasn’t ready to visit the village, though Eline kept asking me to go.

I got out and walked into the beautiful garden with many blooming flowers. The sun was shining and a somewhat strong wind was blowing. As the air appeared more humid than usual, it could be raining in the afternoon.

I pushed myself through thirty laps around the garden—a far cry from the days when ten left me breathless. Each lap, each lift of the weighted bucket, felt like another small triumph. It was proof I wasn’t helpless anymore

Next, I moved on to my bodyweight exercises, pushing my limits with push-ups, pull-ups, and squats until my muscles screamed for relief

After doing that a few times, I was tired and laid on the soft grass.

As I crawled toward the well to freshen up, Eline’s voice cut through the air, her tone both tired and commanding

“I told you not to overdo it and look at you, even laying in grass with your new training clothes on... It seems my words are not taken seriously.”

I panicked and got up with newfound vigor that could only be attained when Eline caught me doing something she disapproves of.

Dusting off my simple yet sturdy dark blue shirt and pants, I hoped no punishment would be given.

I learned how to read last month and started devouring the books she had, especially those about the first king, albeit some parts were strange. One of his famous quotes was:

"I fear no shouting man with his sword pointed at me, but a woman's furry-filled stare... terrifies me."”

I couldn't agree more...

I found out that diverting her attention and talking about something urgent or recent worked most of the time.

"Oh, Eline, welcome back. How was your trip? Were there any unexpected occurrences?”

“Hmm, I will let this one pass, since I can see that you take your studying and training seriously.

There seems to be a small outbreak of an unknown sickness that causes stomach problems and high fever in the village, but nothing that should be of concern.

Go and wash yourself; I bought some, and we will have your favorite dish for lunch.”

Fast forward: after an amazing meal followed by an afternoon lesson about history and what Eline called common sense for little Leos, I sat on the ground with my eyes closed in the garden under the huge signature tree in a lotus position, training my focus and doing my best to feel and attract the surrounding Ether.

But it did not go very well; I could not make it work properly no matter what I did, but giving up was not an option.

Four months later:

I was sitting on the grass outside again while Eline had her hands on my back and examined my progress.

The heat from an orange Ether coin surged through my veins, like molten metal. Eline placed a hand on my back, guiding its path. ‘Stay focused,’ she said. ‘Too much, too fast, and it’ll damage your veins.

I pushed its middle with my thumb and concentrated on it while channeling Ether into my body, and after a while, one of the twelve parts it was divided into stopped shining and turned white, indicating the absence of Ether.

If all its Ether is used up, it will turn sully white, and unless some charge is transferred from another coin, it is worthless.

This method was costly, draining Eline’s limited resources, but she insisted on supporting my progress.

There was also a technique where someone shares his Ether with someone and helps him that way, but for some reason Elines Ether caused me great pain as she described it as trying to force honey through a clogged pipe with only a small opening.

Her Ether was too strong, and my Ether veins were still mostly closed. That is where the Ether coin came in the picture; it provided a source of weaker Ether as Elines purple stage was far too concentrated for someone with my special condition and the surrounding Ether was too little for my current purposes.

Eline did her utmost to guide the Ether inside me and open more Ether veins, but it was a slow process.

"AAAH, curses, still little progress. It feels like my core is full, but I can only access small drops of its content. Damn it, why does this island have such a small concentration of Ether?”

“Sigh, patience; it can't be helped. We are on one of the furthest situated islands from the eye of our Great Spiral and is actually near its end, although the Ether concentration has been slowly increasing for many years for some reason.

The Ether here is also weakest and hinders the progress of all Ether users, even straining the more advanced users. Most people that live here won't awaken even with ether seed in them, and from those that do, the dark orange to light red stage is most they can hope for during their lifetime.

You can partially compensate for it with the help of an experienced Ether user, together with the use of Ether coins to some degree and also other ancient machines, but only the wealthy have this option; therefore, to progress, one needs to go inside the dungeons and take great risks.”

"It seems like you can buy your way to success and power.”

“Yes and no, even with all the help, only some can make it to the red stage while not diving into the dungeon where the Ether has higher concentration.

The bottleneck between major Ether stages is not easily breached, and even I was stuck on the peak dark red stage for years before breaking through in the dungeon.

It is a shame your veins remained stubbornly partially closed; otherwise, I could share my Ether to expedite your progress.

Only those with precise control can attempt this without risking backlash

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Right now we need to use the more expensive method in the form of Ethereum coins. It has only been a month since we started, as you needed to have minimum fitness and strength to endure the increased concentration of Ether in your body.”

Beads of sweat stung my eyes as I concentrated, channeling the searing heat of the ether coin through my body. I pushed through the fatigue, determined to open my Ether veins under Eline’s watchful guidance.

“That is enough for today. I can sense that you are closer. You probably only need a few more sessions, and you will be there, so let us go inside.”

“Huff huff, that is great; it has been a month after all; I was worried about how long it will take me.”

“Most boys can form a core between the ages of 11 and 15 with some exceptions, while girls do it a year or two earlier on average. And that is after years of accumulating Ether in their body with deliberate exercises; one month is unbelievably fast.”

Elines words were interrupted by a session of coughing. It started a few weeks ago and is getting worse, particularly after our training sessions or her trips. Even when I asked, she told me not to worry about it and that it is just from an old battle injury.

“Are you alright? Ouch!”

She flickered my forehead, and from the pain, I swear she used ether to do so.

“You are too young to worry about me; it is nothing of concern.”

Her eyes wandered over the hanging calendar and focused on today's date.

“Today is the day... freshen up and put on nice clothes; we are going to visit someone.”

I instantly got alerted; the prospect of meeting someone new was still making me feel uneasy.

Eline saw this and put her hand on my head and gently stroked it. I did not flinch and accepted her gentle touch.

“Do not worry, it will be alright. There are two people that I want to introduce you to, since you are already like a son to me.”

Those words made my heart tremble and be filled with warmth, but I swore never to cry in front of her again, so I held those feelings in and only nodded.

Contrary to my expectation, we did not go to the nearby village but deep in the forest. Who could live so deep here? Our house was already isolated as is, and someone who lives in total wilderness must not be ordinary.

Then the forest opened into an open field covered with white flowers in full bloom, their beauty cold and eerie

“Those are manchineel flowers; be careful. They are beautiful but quite poisonous; if you step on them, they will release a white substance into the surroundings that can kill an adult male within a few moments if inhaled. Follow closely behind me.”

Then she took off her shoes; her eyes were shining in beautiful light purple when she put her bare foot in the middle of those poisonous flowers, and just as I was about to voice my concern, her foot that was supposed to step on one of those flowers reached the ground with no plant present.

Upon looking, it is as if the flowers made way for her. I hurriedly followed her, not knowing for how long the safe passage would remain.

Finally, we reached a large, leafless tree adorned with the same eerie white flowers, the air thick with anticipation.

There was an opening the size of a person in the tree and a spiral staircase leading us underground.

Eline took my hand, guiding me through a winding path I'd never seen before.

When we stopped, it was in front of two stones marked by intricate symbols, too worn for me to read. Eline looked away, a rare glimmer of sadness in her eyes. ‘Leo, I want you to meet my family,’ she said softly.

At the end of the staircase was a large oval room bathed in light resembling that of the moons shining that stemmed from a large crystal in the ceiling. Eline walked to the only two things in the room, and those were two white stones in front of us.

Upon getting closer, I saw words written on them in an unknown language. I could have sworn I saw such symbols somewhere but could not remember where.

Elines sad voice brought my attention back to her.

"Leo, let me introduce you to my husband Julius and daughter Lewisia; they died in an accident years ago; she would turn seventeen this year. Today is their tenth death anniversary. “

"I stared at the stones, feeling a quiet weight settle in my chest. Seeing Eline here, vulnerable and sharing this private grief—it stirred something familiar in me. I knew the hollow feeling of losing family, though the memories were clouded, locked behind bars in my mind.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Julius and Lewisia. I am currently living with Eline, and I am blessed to have met her in my time of need. She even calls me her son. I will do my utmost to make sure she will smile often, so rest in peace.”

I could see a tear roll down Elines face and hear a quiet thank you.

After that, we stood there without saying anything, and Eline seemed to recite a quiet prayer with her hands crossed on her chest and her eye closed. She spoke again.

Did you know that some races believe that in the eye of the Great Spiral exists a place where all our loved ones go after death? I hope to see them there one day.

I couldn't respond, On one hand, I wished for her to meet them but that would mean that I would lose her…

We returned to our home in the evening, and I finally gathered the courage to tell her a little more about my past.

I omitted most details, but she now knows I was imprisoned by Foxfolk for years.

She was upset, sad, and also furious, but eventually hugged me, telling me how sorry she is, but I knew nothing of it was her fault; I was just grateful to her for letting me feel her calming warmth.

My emotions were quite hectic for a while but eventually calmed down. I was exhausted, but all of this only made me feel truly loved.

The next day I felt like I had gained someone to cherish and protect again, so I started my training early with great motivation and a goal of fifty laps. The newfound realization reminded me just how important it is for me to become stronger as fast as possible.

I want to be able to protect my loved ones like the first king; never will I let anyone that I love sacrifice himself for me again!

Another month passed, and my core is still inaccessible; my patience was running low. I let out my frustration while training.

I clenched my fists, the image of Eline’s family stones vivid in my mind.

‘I’ll protect her,’

I muttered, every ounce of my body tense with frustration.

‘No matter what it takes—’ Something sparked inside me, a surge of heat, and the next moment, I was sprawled in the bushes, my limbs buzzing with unfamiliar strength.”

As I was running, I felt incredibly hot all of a sudden, and my fatigue disappeared while my body got lighter. Everything around me became a blur, and I found myself spectacularly embedded in nearby bushes.

“Ouch, what was that?"

“Leo, Leo, what happened? Are you hurt? Did you daydream again and forget to turn?”

“I am… and that happened once; no need to bring it up again.”

I said with a red face. I went out of the bushes and let Eline examine me while she suddenly showed an expression of bewilderment.

“What is it?”

Leo, you have fully awakened!

“Great, but why are you so shocked? It was supposed to happen according to you any day now.”

"No, Leo, that is not it; I don't know how, but somehow you skipped the initial substage.

I can see that now that your Ether is flowing through opened Ether veins, you are at the solidifying light orange stage.

Your eyes are still shining without flickering in a light orange hue. That is a clear sign of a light orange core establishing, and you must have used it subconsciously to augment your body while running right after forming your core.”

“So that was what it was; well, that was some insane speed.”

I said while smiling, feeling my body's newfound strength.

“You could have crashed into a tree... Wipe that smirk off your face and sit down in a meditative position. I will examine your core and Ether veins and find out how it is possible that you skipped one of the substages.

Do not channel your Ether again until I tell you! Hopefully there is no problem with your core; otherwise...

She went silent, and I did not like it one bit.

Only time when she went silent in the past like that was when she could not save a villager that was brought to her too late.

“Tell me no matter what it is!”

He glanced at me, her mouth a thin line.

“If there is a problem, it could mean...”