Ada moved some wood to keep the fire alive, “Anyway, I never expected to meet a demigod who could control the aether. My mother always said that I am special because I can see it and ‘manipulate’ it through mana...” she thought about the masked goddess's smile, “I wonder if we were destined to meet.”

Shirei remained silent and thought. Rutia's daughter turned to look at him and couldn't help but be captivated by his violet eyes which, illuminated by the sparkling flame of the fireplace, shone with wonderful shades of purple.

“Did I happen to say something strange?”

Shirei shook his head slightly, then looked back at her and asked, “What is aether?”

“You don't…” Ada blinked, “Okay, follow me, I'll explain.”

Shirei stood up and stared at her.

Ada grabbed a notebook from her backpack that she used just in case, then she saw him and frowned, “What are you doing?”

“You told me to follow you.”

She stifled a laugh, “I mean with your head. Of course you're stupid.”

The demigod didn't reply and sat down next to her again.

“Aether and mana are two energies that permeate our world in very different quantities. All demigods possess the god particle, a nucleus to store mana, which is used to allow us to use our powers.”

“What happens if it ends?”

“Well... you faint or, in worse cases, die”, then she hastened to add, “This almost never happens because we are capable of absorbing it from the environment. Tiredness usually occurs before the particle is completely empty. Here you understand that you have to be careful, in fact you encounter an obstacle in the use of your powers.”

As she explained, Rutia's daughter began to make diagrams regarding the topic.

“I have another question,” the demigod interrupted.

“Nail.”

“How did mana and aether arise into existence?”

Ada remained silent, the question had taken her by surprise, “To tell the truth, there are no real certainties. According to the books of the Lilies Park, it all came from Thebribes during the dance of creation.”

Shirei didn't seem convinced, but didn't ask any further questions.

Rutia's daughter decided to continue with the original speech, “However, there is little mana in the Underworld, which is why the demigods who venture there end up dying,” she explained, “They struggle to absorb it and don't know how to dose it.”

“Cragar's children don’t.”

“Exactly,” she nodded, “This is because you and we, children of Rutia, are capable of converting small amounts of aether into mana. In class, Mardi's kids even explain to you how, an enzyme or something, I honestly don't remember.”

Shirei nodded, the question of medical classes seemed to intrigue him, “What does this have to do with me?”

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“From what I could see, I can see through the Interworld thanks to my powers,” she specified for the boy, “I believe that your core contains a mixture of aether and mana”, Ada made a vertical line on the oval drawing, “As if you had two particles instead of one. You are the first demigod in history with this peculiarity.”

“Why me?”

The girl raised her hands, «What do I know, you're a joke of nature. In my and Havel's opinion, there are things you do that you're not even aware of.”

“Like?”

“For starters, you are able to channel mana into your body to enhance your strength. Add to that your mana expenditure, which is pretty much perfect. You don't have an involuntary dispersion even by accident.”

Ada drummed her fingers on the notebook, “It took me two years to figure out how to channel mana to strengthen myself, just because Darryl told us about it. If it hadn't been for him, I doubt we would have ever discovered this ability.”

Shirei stroked his cheek with his index finger, but kept his apathetic expression. Finally, he asked, “Why did you watch me so much?”

“During the fight with Havel, Marina had me peer into the Interworld. There I saw how the aether was moving around you and your dark creatures. Since then, I have simply paid attention,” Rutia's daughter explained, before adding, “I believe that if you learned to manipulate the darkness like I do, you could also channel the aether and strengthen your body even more. Then… you would become unstoppable in a fight.”

Shirei made a mental note of the advice and decided that he would give it a try after returning to the Lilies Park.

“Is there anything else that can help me?”

Ada stood up and glanced outside. The night was silent, the starry sky above them seemed like an endless carpet of sparkling gems. In the apparent calm, Ada and Shirei remained sitting by the fire, the crackling of the flames was the only sound that broke the frightening tranquility.

With a gentle smile, she turned to Shirei.

“I think I should also tell you about the Imperiac apparatus,” she began, “It is fundamental to us demigods, a unique system that allows us to channel and utilize mana, the celestial essence.”

Shirei, his violet eyes reflecting the flames, listened intently. Ada continued, the tone of her voice becoming more didactic.

“This apparatus is composed of the divine core and the silver vessels. Imagine the divine core as a metaphysical heart. It doesn't pump blood, but mana. This allows us to exercise our powers. The divine core stores and distributes this energy throughout the body through the silver vessels, exactly as a heart distributes blood.”

Ada paused, looking at Shirei to make sure he was following.

“The nucleus is located in the center of our chest, approximately at this height,” she pointed to a part of the chest, exactly behind the upper part of the sternum, “It is protected by a capsule and supplied by ichor, the divine blood that flows through us and reaches the Tebrion via the Mardi system.”

“Silver vessels,” Ada continued, trying to remember as many notions as possible from Elaine's explanations, “They are called like this because of their color. They branch out like the roots of a tree, carrying mana to every corner of the body. On our skin there are cells that absorb mana from the environment and channel it towards the silver vessels. This process allows us to maintain a stable reserve of celestial energy and not get tired.”

Shirei nodded, impressed by the complexity and elegance of the system. He wanted to know more, to better understand how everything worked in every detail.

Ada smiled, noticing his expression.

“It's a wonderful system,” she said. “It sets us apart from humans. However, it requires a delicate balance. Mana must flow freely, and the divine core must be able to manage energy reserves without becoming overloaded.”

Shirei reflected on the last words and remembered the day of his arrival at Lake Avernus, when he was able to meet the Equinox Flowers for the first time.

“Yes, as happened to you,” the demigoddess confirmed before slowly standing up.

She stretched and spoke to the boy in a warning tone, “It's late. Another day full of battles awaits us tomorrow. If your dark creatures are going to protect us, then we better earn as much rest as possible, especially you.”

Ada smiled at him once again, “If you are interested, when we return to the park I can ask Lyceum to include you in the lessons taught by Mardi's children.”

Cragar's son nodded, “Thank you.”

“Then good night, Shirei... and let's hope these monsters end up coming all out soon” then ahe turned and headed towards the upper floors.

The demigod stood still for a few more moments, reflecting on all he had learned. Then, with a sigh, he looked up at the window, feeling the flow of mana in his body, aware of the responsibility that awaited him the following morning.