He placed a hand on the rock face, feeling its cold solidity. There were no cracks, no sign of a hidden door or secret mechanism. It was a simple rock wall.

Yet, Shirei was sure that there was something else behind it.

Behind?

There was something familiar about the place, he had already thought so. He could feel it resonating in the depths of his being, like the memories he so desperately wanted to bring to the surface.

Assuming that his old self had led him there with a specific intent, that meant that he had been through this place before. If what was before him was some particular test, he had already been able to overcome it.

I just have to understand how I did it.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the sensation he had felt not long ago, when his double had helped him. He let the mana particles in the air flow through him like a rushing river. And as he did so, he felt a second energy move within him, a power he knew he possessed, but ignored due to inexperience.

It must be the aether, now I should just be able to make it move.

He tried to imagine his body open, with all the channels and organs arranged in their position. He sought the silver vessels, where mana could flow freely in his body, and reached his sternum, the resting place of his core. Mana and ether were condensed within it, yet he had no idea of their geographic location. He remembered Ada's words and how she could channel the aether through mana. All he had to do was understand how the mechanism worked.

It would be much simpler if I knew how to control the aether. It would be easier if I had my memories back...

He shook his head, this was not the time to be distracted from his thoughts.

He wanted to find out his past desperately. He had assumed that he had a family waiting for him and people who were still looking for him. In his years spent in Cragar Palace he had received no news, but he knew that things would change once he arrived in the mortal world and the Otherworld.

If Aena wasn't there, I would already be with them by now… maybe.

He shook his head again, realizing he had let his thoughts distract him, and returned to the aether.

First, he attempted to push the aether out of the core with a deep breath. He wasn't even sure he had succeeded until small lights appeared against the black background of his still closed eyelids.

After doing this, he tried to reabsorb the same particles by inhaling. He stretched out his fingers and let the aether return the same way it came out.

He suspected that the mana had also moved with it, but he couldn't distinguish the difference between the two energies in the slightest. He felt sweat beading on his forehead, a particular and anomalous sensation given the place he was in.

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I am proceeding without any idea. It feels like we're stumbling around in the dark.

Suddenly, Shirei had a flash of genius.

I must remember that mana and aether can be converted into each other in my core, I don't know how yet but I believe I can control it with my will.

The demigod tried to convey the mana towards his eyes, concentrating on the energy he felt flowing within himself. He tried to guide it with his will, to channel it into a direct flow towards the visual apparatus, but nothing happened. The aether seemed to ignore his commands, rebelling against any attempt at control like a river that refuses to be diverted from its natural course. He felt a tingle of frustration rising in him, but he decided not to give up. Particles of mana flowed towards him, attracted by the call of his aura, filling the divine core until it was saturated. The buildup of energy began to take its toll, a growing weight pressing against the barriers of his own body, creating a surplus in his core that seemed on the verge of overflowing.

If I fill the core with mana, before it is converted, the aether must necessarily be expelled to make room for the particles that I absorb.

The demigod felt the energy reach his sternum, he felt he was on the right track. Without opening his eyes, he bent over and placed himself on the ground. He thought that by meditating he would make it easier to visualize the process he wanted to implement within his own body.

He took a deep breath and let the particles reach the divine core capsule. An uncomfortable sensation, like a pin inflating a balloon, rushed to the base of his neck, a sign that his core was becoming increasingly full.

Now, I have to push back the mana sent to the visual apparatus.

It was then that the accident occurred. In the return of the mana towards the nucleus, the aether should have taken its place and filled the channel that went towards the eyes, in fact pushing itself mechanically. What the demigod hadn't calculated was his total inability to control his body.

He felt the mana particles target the divine core, while it already emptied itself by reflex.

This hadn't happened before, I was able to keep the particles from overflowing without any problems. Why do I seem to have forgotten how to use my powers?

He wondered if it was all related to his lookalike's words, but there was no point in worrying about it right now.

He was back to point one, he had to: manage to send mana to the eyeballs; let the particles enter up to the core; call the mana into his eyes; push the aether to fill the only free space, given the occupied nucleus.

The process was easy that way, but he failed two more times before giving himself a break. He was tempted to give up, but his ambitious nature didn't allow it. He continued to try more and more casually, even losing attention on the operation.

He realized that he had been abandoned on the path, but that he did not suffer from that loneliness.

I would gladly do without this terrible pain in my head.

He wondered how others would react to the path and how they would behave within it.

#Marina would be unhappy. She is not uncomfortable in crowds, she knows how to hold the attention of a group and how to speak to multiple people. If you asked her, she would say she's lonely, but that's not the case. She doesn't even realize it.

A slight involuntary smile appeared on his face at the thought of Ien's daughter. The second person he worried about was Dalia, he suspected that the little girl would end up closing down and stopping where she started.

Although, being a goddess, she shouldn't have any divine path.

The half-sister was still unaware of her true identity and Shirei was worried about how she was doing. He had to hurry and get back to her, he wanted to be at her side to reveal his origins to her and help her accept them, before it happened by mistake.

Better to go back to focusing on the movement of the aether…