Aleister nodded. "I was just thinking about some stuff." He looked at Aunt Lavinia. "Uh, would you happen to know anything more about the ethereal realm, especially within this room?"

She put her hand over her mouth and let out a yawn. "Do I look stupid to you?"

"No, its just, that—"

"Did the name ethereal reaver not tip you off?"

Aleister stared at her with a blank face.

She shrugged and shook her head. "I feel bad for your contractor."

"So you have said before."

"And so I say again."

"Will you tell me anymore about it?"

"No."

"Delightful conversation then." Aleister clenched his fist as a burning fury kindled inside of him. However, he rationalized that there was no point in getting angry over something so trivial, and pushed it down until it fizzled away. He cracked his knuckles and looked up. The Vitreus shrunk down to a tiny dot by this point. Barely visible. "How does a god, for the lack of a better word, choose, the chosen?"

"The god doesn't choose," the Empress said. "The crystal does."

"They're sentient?"

"No. They have a will."

"I don't think I quite understand."

"Not surprised. After all, the concept is complicated."

Aleister tilted his head and let out a sigh. "What isn't?" The crystal continued to just float in the sky while the eclipse happened in the background. He just noticed that his eyes no longer burned as he looked at it. Although some of the mystique to the sight also disappeared.

As he waited for the crystal to do something, he came up with a list of his plan of action. First was to become a Weaver. That was it. His entire plan of action...for now. Everything else would have to wait until later. His goal hadn't changed in so long, but at least he knew he could become a Weaver. And sooner rather than later, at that. If only Syn wasn't so vague about everything. Just because it's an abstract concept, she should still find a way to explain it. The fifty-fifty way she taught was a tad annoying. Either super helpful and direct, or a complete nightmare to process. That said, she did say to focus on how the world connected to him and everything else.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Wouldn't the Vitreus be a good example? After all, according to the Empress, the tainted world birthed it. A source of anima for the world itself. A source of anima that Weavers could not access. It would disappear soon, but would he not have been able to draw upon its power through through the usage of arcane techniques? Maybe he wouldn't have at first, but maybe eventually. Not like it mattered anymore. It would soon vanish. Would a new one take its place? Only time would tell.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He thought he heard Master say something, but tuned it out. He focused on his surroundings and created a static mental picture of his surroundings. He recreated the position he stood in. The eclipse in the sky. Where his father and mother stood. Where the Empress and Aunt Lavinia stood. Actually, he thought it was funny how that worked out. In reality, the Empress was his aunt, and Aunt Lavinia was his grandmother, but she thought it made her sound too old. With the Empress, he felt even more distant from her than everyone else. Distractions, distractions. He stopped himself from thinking about other things and refocused.

The hall entrance was empty. Huh, that's right. There were no other guards or servants. In fact, neither was Myra. She should have been training with Aunt Lavinia, so shouldn't she have been here too? Thinking about it, she probably sent Myra off to complete some busy work under the guise of training. Kyoko wasn't here because she still had her temple duties. Could she be the chosen? Or maybe her younger sister. Her name escaped him for now. He did vaguely recall Aunt Lavinia saying something about how the Empress encouraged heavy devotion to Lilith, even though they had their Crystal Bloodline. Having a second loop wasn't a bad idea, in fact maybe he should start praying to a god. Although, the chances one granted him a Soul Loop were slim enough to encourage him off for now.

The encased skeleton aberration to his left, the essence reaver and puke to the bottom right. The open, broken bag strapped around him. That's right, he needed to purchase a new one. What a shame. He liked the one he had now. Maybe he could get it repaired. Let's see, what else was in the room? The dead bodies of the guards. He still pushed the putrid sight away.

Mite sat on the Crystal Throne in the middle. Wait! How could he have forgotten about that distorted crack? He opened his eyes and jutted his head. It vanished? How peculiar. He closed his eyes again. What could have happened to it and all of that, Anima Caligo. The Throne didn't look any different. The Anima Caligo only existed due to the Vitreus, so did it disappear because of what's happening right now? And didn't the Vitreus itself spawn the Crystal Throne? Would anything happen to it? Dad said Mitre was the safest because of where he sat.

He returned his focus to concentrating on the visualization of the Vitreus' anima. One of the largest sources, and so heavily condensed at this moment, he had to hone into it. The mental picture he created was already blurry, but he could make out the general shape. He erased everything. Only the Vitreus remained. Focus. Take form. Nothing seemed to change.

Aleister inhaled a sharp breath through his nose and then exhaled at a slowed pace. He was too tense. He needed to relax. Breathe in—breathe out.