“What you described as “experiencing the Ethereal Plane” is a state of being we call Ethereal Drift,” Mrs. Stirling stated, “It is difficult to achieve, even for powerful Attuned Pathwalkers, because there are marginal differences in the way that different people reach the state. If there was a true ‘one size fits all’ methodology for drifting, we would have far more Tier 3 Pathwalkers.”

After learning that Alex’s actual time was uncertain, Mrs. Stirling had declared that his mental resistance training would be better spent focusing on soul resistance. It seemed that the state he’d felt David experience during Guidance was well known to the Creation mage, as it was apparently a requirement for anyone wishing to ascend to Tier 3.

Several of the runes that covered the walls of Mrs. Stirling’s ritual room were glowing. While Alex couldn’t determine their precise effect, he assumed they were automating the mental resistance training Becca was undergoing. She was currently working through a series of exercises not unlike Alex’s training a few days earlier.

“Ethereal Drift?” Alex asked, “Why is it called that?”

“The Ethereal Plane does not operate in the same way as the physical,” She answered, “Concepts like location and distance don’t translate well, but they’re the nearest parallel I can use to describe things to someone who hasn’t experienced the plane. You do not truly go elsewhere, but it is impossible to stay in one place. Our souls are adrift.”

Alex didn’t quite know how to react to that contradictory statement. What did she mean that his soul was constantly moving while not going anywhere?

He didn’t doubt Mrs. Stirling’s description. She was one of the most knowledgeable people in the city to discuss this with, after all. If she couldn’t give him a better description, it probably didn’t exist.

“Why is the Ethereal Drift so important for my soul resistance?” He asked.

“The soul naturally grows more resistant over time and as you increase in tier. The high amounts of mana in that environment aren’t harmful, but they do affect the soul, slowly tempering it over time. It’s a large part of why the soul is so much stronger than the body. By the time you enter the path, your soul has already been growing for nearly two decades.” The mage paused after saying this, checking Alex’s face to make sure he was keeping up.

Alex understood this part without issue. It wasn’t exactly new information, as the sheer amount of mana his soul produced was enough to destroy his body in seconds even though his Connection was still far from the point where he would have access to all of it. Judging by Becca’s expression, she was also following along while she did crunches.

“When you enter an Ethereal Drift, you are able to exert conscious control of your soul. This is different from just drawing runes on the exterior, which can be accomplished using Soul Apertures.” She continued.

“Changing the form of your soul is incredibly dangerous, right?” Alex asked. He remembered David’s instinctive fear when the man’s form slipped monetarily, “Why would you want to do that?”

Mrs. Stirling nodded, “Yes, it’s a terrible idea until you’re much further along. But you eventually need to do it to continue progressing.”

Alex knew what she was referring to. She’d already basically told him, but he could’ve figured it out regardless.

Imprinting. Having experienced a mana type, he now better understood the difference between possessing insight into one and imprinting it. While both affected your soul, insight was a series of instructions that your soul followed with only part of your mana. It gave you power and efficiency, but the actual change to your soul was still limited. In Alex’s case it was still enough of an alteration to cause disaster, but he was dealing with a high quality mana type beyond his tier that actively worked to redefine him.

Imprinting, to his understanding, was attuning your soul to match the attunement of your body. It was like the difference between drawing a picture on your skin and a tattoo that spewed butterflies out of your chest. Both made a difference, but they were on completely different scales of impact and permanence.

Mrs. Stirling was staring at him expectantly, instead of continuing.

“You’re referring to Imprinting.” Alex stated, “But how do you enact the physical side of the process if you need to be in an Ethereal Drift?”

“That, I’m afraid, is a question for you to consider in the future,” Mrs. Stirling told him, “Try to apply this to what you’re currently dealing with.”

Alex frowned. His initial thought was that if he could consciously control his soul, he would just kick out the unwanted insight, but that felt too easy. The mana was ultimately of Legendary quality and created by a Tier 3 soul. If it was that easy to repel, he would at least have significantly more time to handle the issue.

“I’m not entirely certain,” he admitted, “is it just willing my soul to grow more resistant, faster?” The explanation felt like it had to be missing something.

“Yes,” his self-appointed teacher had a frown on her face, “What exactly did you learn from the Guidance? I’m not expecting you to know everything, but I find it odd that the Trialbringer would just introduce you to the concept and then leave you with no understanding of the mechanics.”

Alex would have pursued that information, but his Skill Guidance had already given him far more than normal. The Trialbringer had given him information on the experience itself, presumably knowing that he had a powerful mage happy to help him with the rest.

“I experienced it through David’s memory,” Alex explained, “It was a bit like the visions from my Emplacement, but far more manageable. I was able to experience his mindset as he made the transition and the time he spent, uh, drifting.”

Mrs. Stirling’s eyes widened just a bit, “From a standard Skill Guidance?”

“It combined with my Mana Guidance,” Alex explained, “I was already learning about the will that’s left within Inspire, and the Skill Guidance gave me a more in-depth look.”

“Fascinating.” Mrs. Stirling got a far off look in her eye as she considered this information. The look vanished after a second and was replaced by a worried expression, “Was that an… upsetting experience? It sounds like it was similar to your emplacement.”

Alex shook his head, “Not at all. There was some similarity, but I was in control the entire time.”

Mrs. Stirling nodded, adopting a thoughtful expression. There was silence for a few seconds as she took in the information, “That makes sense. Combining rewards can lead to interesting effects. You mentioned David’s mindset, can you elaborate?”

“It was somewhere in between focusing on accessing his soul and clearing his mind of thought.”

The Creation mage actually scowled at that, “Figures. I’m afraid you’ll have to discard that approach.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Why?” Alex was confused, wasn’t the whole point of the Guidance to show him how to manage it himself.

“Seeking a blank mind is a terrible approach. The more important part was the desire to access his soul, but I imagine that his strategy won’t work for you.”

“So I need to focus on accessing my soul?” That made some amount of sense, even though it didn’t perfectly line up with the vision.

“Focus is a misleading term, in this case,” she answered, “Ethereal Drift requires a specific mindset only in that you need to discard the mindset. If you are too focused or distracted, that won't be possible. If your mind is too empty, it is similarly difficult.”

“So I need to seek a middle ground? Why did it work for David if it’s a bad approach?”

“It is my experience that just about everything works for David. The man is a terrible metric to use for your own practice.” Mrs. Stirling sighed, a pained expression covering her face, “My team managed to reach Tier 3 thanks to trial rewards, more than his assistance. Matters related to control of the soul and mana come so easily to him that he struggles to teach them.”

“Isn’t teaching a part of Inspiring others?” Alex was distracted from their original topic by this aside. Information about David from a different perspective interested him. Teaching wasn’t explicitly part of the vision he’d experienced, but guiding others was a clear part of the mana type, and teaching tied into that.

“It is. He excels in helping others find their mana type. Many have reached Tier 2 thanks to his Inspiration, but Jing was the first he propelled to Tier 3.”

Alex was well acquainted with David’s talents in that field, and couldn’t hold back his grimace at the statement.

Mrs. Stirling matched the grimace with one of her own, “I apologize. That was tactless.”

“No,” Alex replied, “I asked, and I’m glad you answered. It’s just awkward, I guess.”

Mrs. Stirling didn't reply immediately, instead sitting there for a few seconds. Becca spoke for the first time, gasping for breath between words, “If Inspiring people to gain insight is David’s specialty, how do you know what he did to Alex was a mistake?”

“I have known David for far longer than you have been alive,” Mrs. Stirling replied shortly, “What he did to Alex was horrible, but I can assure you that he would never do such a thing intentionally.”

“It wasn’t intentional,” Alex agreed, “That was obvious during the Grand Guidance.” His explanation had heavily implied as much, but it seemed Becca hadn’t been convinced until he said it outright.

Mrs. Stirling didn't react to his statement beyond nodding, “My husband and I have avoided pushing you to discuss the topic, and will continue to do so. Your reaction during the trial made it obvious that the experience was traumatic, and we don’t wish to push you through that before you’re ready.”

“I appreciate that,” The topic had spiraled a bit out of control, and Alex was no longer interested in continuing, “Back to drifting.”

Mrs. Stirling held up a hand to stop him, “I will not push you, but I will remind you that we are both happy to talk if you ever wish to discuss it.”

Alex just nodded. When he did plan on talking through it, it would not be with two of the man’s most loyal allies.

“Regardless, your other question was if you need to seek a middle ground. That is a good way to think of it. Another thing to remember is that the soul is considerably more capable of emotion than rational thought. As a physical being, you are capable of both, but it is good to avoid rationalizing your attempts too much.”

“So, don’t overthink it?”

“Correct.

The more Alex learned, the more odd he found it that his soul was different from him in some ways. Fundamentally, his soul was a part of him, a part that he was poorly acquainted with. Much was shared, but the soul was more like a bundle of instinct defined by his wants and needs. Mrs. Stirling stating that the soul was emotional instead of rational helped to explain that, but it left him with an important question.

“How do I remain rational and pursue my plans after accessing my soul, if my soul is irrational?”

“It’s all about desire. An Ethereal Drift, at your level, is defined by the desires you hold as you begin. It’s another reason why emptying your mind is such a silly concept. If you successfully remove all thought, what will you pursue while drifting?”

That made a lot of sense, actually. David had succeeded in his desire to connect with and experience a new plane of existence in Alex’s vision. That had made his drift defined by the newness of the experience. He hadn’t attempted to change anything, but he’d instinctually fixed the problem that arose. He’d even made a few improvements along the way.

Interesting.

“One more question. In the vision I had of David’s first drift, he seemed incredibly excited by the idea of exploring an entirely new plane of existence. Is that really possible?”

Mrs. Stirling responded with a chuckle, “It makes sense that he would dream so high, even back then. Exploration of the Ethereal Plane remains beyond him to this day. It requires a Fulcrum, which you will not need to worry about for many years. Focus on the present, and you will get there sooner than if you dream of the future.”

Alex had no idea what a Fulcrum was, but the way she grinned at him made it clear that the leading statement would not be clarified.

“Now, that’s enough talk. You’ll never manage it if you’re busy chatting.”

Alex, as it turned out, did not have some incredible talent for starting a drift. After years of easily improving his swordsmanship and illusionary mana control, it was frustrating. Maybe he was making some nebulous progress, but it sure didn’t feel like it.

Having the situation explained more deeply had clarified his goal, but it hadn’t helped him figure out how to achieve such a state. He wasn’t naturally prone to wanting something but not thinking about it. The premise felt absurd, which only made it more frustrating.

Soon, it was dinner time. Dinner was a simple affair as both of the Stirlings had been busy, as Mr. Stirling had spent the afternoon working with Anthony on his control of his new mana type.

Healing Enhancements weren’t prone to healing other people, which made Anthony want to design an Ability that would let him fulfill healer duties. The problem was that he wouldn’t be making progress on a Legendary Body if he did things that way.

“Go for the Legendary Body,” Alex declared.

“What if one of you needs healing?” Anthony frowned.

“Then we’ll blitz through the trial,” Alex replied, “Our levels are only getting higher.”

“Building a Legendary Body will be hard enough,” Becca opined, “You have Skill Guidance to help, but you shouldn’t complicate the design with an Ability before you at least have the Achievement.”

Their arguments quickly convinced Anthony, who had clearly been wanting to pursue a Legendary Body but also worried that it would be the selfish choice. In Alex’s mind, it was very unlikely that they’d suffer an injury which demanded immediate attention before fighting a boss. At that point, Anthony’s father was only a kill away.

“I have a suggestion to make,” Mr. Stirling spoke up as that conversation ended. When it was clear that he had everyone’s attention, he continued, “We should consider having you delve two trials the day after tomorrow, if the first goes smoothly.”

“Isn’t that playing into the strength of the undead?” Becca asked.

“It is, which is why we would only consider it if things go well,” the healer responded.

“Because of the timer?” Alex asked, “That seems unnecessary.”

“Perhaps, but since the amount of time you have left is not completely certain, it is best to move quickly. Additionally, it will give you more time to prepare for the Hell Mode trial you have been wanting to attempt.”

“You’re willing to let us try?” Jess sounded surprised. Alex knew that she was hesitant about the idea.

“We don’t have a reference for how hard Tier 0 Hell Mode is,” Mrs. Stirling replied, “But we managed Tier 1 back in the day. It will push you, even with Alex’s aura, but you will not grow stronger if we coddle you.”

There was a sour look on her face, and Alex felt sure that she would prefer to prevent the attempt.

“However,” she continued, “Hell Mode trials have implications for the real world. If you do not all have sufficiently powerful Mana Bodies, you will not be allowed to enter to protect the world itself.”

Alex got the sense that her standards were going to be very high. She’d already lost one child to ambition, after all.