A summary of the differences between aether and the Ether based on an excerpt of "A Beginner's Guide to the Ether" by Archmage Aretha:

> Aether represents unrefined magical energy, which can be refined into various forms like mana, aura and qi. The colours of aether, also known as "elements" will maintain their properties even after being refined and may combine or resist each other. Ambient aether, a byproduct of these energies, floats in the atmosphere. In contrast, the Ether is the ethereal plane formed of aether or the absence of it and even encompas parts of the soul and the elusive currents of karma. While challenging to grasp, it's essential to recognize that aether and the Ether are not interchangeable—they are distinct but interconnected components that shape the intricate tapestry of magic.

A pervasive misconception often clouds the understanding of novices and seasoned practitioners alike—an ambiguity born from the conflation of aether and the Ether. Allow me, Archmage Aretha, to elucidate this fundamental disparity for those embarking on the intricate journey of magical exploration.

Aether, in its purest form, is the unrefined source of the magical energies that permeates the very fabric of our existence. It is the raw essence that can be harnessed and refined into various manifestations such as mana, aura, qi, and an array of other things. Picture it as the primal, unshaped potential from which all magical energies derive.

Moreover, aether is not a singular entity; rather, there are many different colours of aether each also known as a distinct element. These colours of aether can intertwine, combine, or resist one another, creating a spectrum of colours that mirrors the complexity of the magical world.

These colours of aether maintain their "elemental" properties even after being refined into aether's various manifestations.

Correspondingly, ambient aether is the result of these refined energies intermingling and decomposing into their original form aether. It is the residual energy that lingers in the atmosphere, a subtle echo of magical processes.

Just as the colours of aether maintain their "elemental" properties when refined they also maintain these properties while decomposing. So, the ambient aether carries the imprints of its colours, forming a delicate dance of harmonies and dissonances.

[...]

Meanwhile, there is the Ether—a plane that somehow simultaneously transcends mere magical energies and is comprised of them.

[...]

If aether is the oil flowing through the Ether, envision the ethereal plane as the water, where currents of the soul and elusive streams of karma converge.

However, unlike this analogy would suggest the Ether is not an entity separate from aether; rather, it is a manifestation shaped by the absence or excess of aether. It serves as a conduit for magical forces and a canvas upon which the soul and karma intertwine.

[...]

While the analogy may seem perplexing, it is crucial to recognize that the Ether and aether are not interchangeable. The Ether encompasses aether but extends beyond it, encompassing the very essence of one's soul and the intricate currents of karma. As you delve into the magic arts, keep in mind this delineation, for understanding it is paramount to unravelling the mysteries that lie within the boundless realms of magic.

— Excerpt from "A Beginner's Guide to the Ether" by Archmage Aretha.

== = ==

Location: < A pit cell within 'Uggrock's Den' > - One of many caverns found throughout the upper stratums of the netherworld.

POV.: Nameless silver-haired demon larva.

This time, no resistance met me as I gently shifted Amethyst's droplet of Id-Qi away from its heart, guiding the droplet toward the scarcely visible, chain-like strand of mana intricately connected to Amethyst.

With determination, I initiated the arduous task of carefully severing certain links within the chain. Despite the visible anguish on Amethyst's face, Amethyst displayed unwavering trust in me, gritting its teeth and bravely enduring the pain.

Soon I realized just how inefficient my current approach was. Trying to sever the chain-like strand of mana, in the way I was would take hours if not longer.

So I strained my will and with deliberate focus, I slowly transformed the droplet of Id-Qi into a more dynamic, mostly flat, circular shape. Pushing my willpower to the limits I made the Id-Qi start spinning. It started slowly but continued spinning faster and faster until it had become a spinning blade.

Using this spinning blade of Id-Qi, I deftly sliced through the chain, certainly speeding up the process and hopefully reducing the pain that Amethyst had to endure.

Moments later, with an inaudible snap, I had successfully cracked one of the ethereal chain's links. Satisfied, I silently acknowledged the accomplishment, a smile gradually spreading across my face to reveal my bone-white teeth.

A sense of relief washed over Amethyst's face as I halted the process of sawing through the chain. Similar to the one tethered to me, it remained connected, albeit tenuously—just sufficient enough to deceive Uggrock into believing that his skill still controlled us.

Then together we returned the Id-Qi to Amethyst's heart, so Amethyst could follow the instructions of the Plutonic Id-Vesture Technique and complete the saturation of it's heart, aligning with the prescribed instructions.

Observing Amethyst's evident relief now that the pain had ceased, I chose to acknowledge its trust in me by offering another demon core for further practice of the technique.

Shortly thereafter, Amethyst resumed its focused gaze upon the demon core, its face scrunching in concentration as it endeavoured to control the ambient aether surrounding the core.

Witnessing Amethyst's efforts, I felt a temptation to explain the reason behind the painful ordeal it had just endured. However, gauging the envious gazes fixated on us by the other demon larvae, I opted to remain silent. Since they would probably overhear what I said. And while I was skeptical about their intelligence to report anything to Uggrock, there remained a non-negligible risk of them accidentally or intentionally letting something slip to one of the adult demons.

Hence deciding that I should strengthen myself as to be prepared for whatever was going to come next, I resolved to follow Amethyst's example.

But before delving into the task at hand, I retrieved the mostly depleted demon core acquired from the first demon larvae I had killed in this pit. Subsequently, I retrieved the demon core that Amethyst had offered me a few hours earlier.

Then with both those cores in front of me, I also began to extend my will in an attempt to take control of the ambient aether.

Yet, as seconds stretched into minutes, my frustration mounted at the sluggish and inefficient nature of the process. The scrolls I had acquired barely grazed the intricacies of controlling ambient aether, as if it was assuming I had been taught about it beforehand.

While at least it had talked about it somewhat, otherwise I would have been truly lost on what to do.

Just as I had sped up the process of cutting the mana-chain by shaping Amethyst's Id-Qi, I pondered the possibility of finding a more efficient method of approaching the control of ambient aether.

First, I contemplated my current approach to manipulating ambient aether—essentially employing my willpower as if it were a limb to forcefully coerce the aether into motion.

While at the time I didn't know of these things to compare it to, my method resembled attempting to guide a leaf through water by using a claw to create small currents, hoping they would tug or propel the leaf toward my desired destination. However, much like a leaf in a current, the aether didn't always, or even normally if I was being honest, follow the path I had intended, often veering off at some unexpected angle, riding unforeseen or unintentionally created currents.

Somehow I intuitively knew that that this approach was not only inefficient, but it was also somewhat barbaric. Fortunately, my gut hinted at a subtle clue for improving the process—specifically, the realization that the fact that I could even affect the ambient aether with my willpower was key.

So as per my usual routine, I began to experiment and gather data.

By trying to influence aether that was further and further away from me I concluded that I could only extend my will by about 11 centimetres (4.5") from my body in any direction until it became increasingly difficult. Then after less than 4 centimetres, it became so difficult it was impossible to move any aether. Since this distance was a distance from any living part of my body, I found that I could use my tail to increase this range in a fashion.

However, most of the time I was experimenting was spent trying out different methods of influencing the ambient aether around me.

Eventually, I found that if I treated the ambient aether as if it were floating through some omnipresent liquid or gas thing, I could use my willpower to clump up the ambient aether into bubble-like pockets which I could then slowly drag through the omnipresent liquid/gas. If I tried to drag the pockets too fast they would stretch before breaking off leaving me with a smaller pocket of aether.

While I was experimenting, my eyes noticed something interesting, these pockets of aether seemed to dimly glow in a way reminiscent of the glow that demon cores gave off. The more I strained my will to make the pockets of aether denser the brighter they glowed.

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Additionally, while my aether sight couldn't yet make out the different colours of the ambient aether, pockets of it glowed in different colours to my non-aether sight. Although, the vast majority glowed in the dark reddish brown I had come to associate with the netherworld.

Eventually, I was satisfied with what I had accomplished. While my gut told me that my control and speed were both a long way off from what they could be, I knew that it was important I also spent time actually implementing the results of my experiments.

Moreover, while it was easy enough to create a single pocket of ambient aether at a time I decided that this was not efficient enough. I should try to create multiple smaller pockets at a time before merging them and then sending them into the signal I had drawn on my chest.

However, doing so would take practice, and lots of it so all the more reason to continue with the Plutonic Id-Vesture Technique.

POV.: Third person limited—one of the nameless demon larvae with ebony colour hair.

In the dimly lit abyss, a demon larva, along with two of its spawn mates, observed the demon larva with hair resembling a gleaming silver. It stood out from the rest, exuding an unsettling yet captivating aura that left them perplexed.

The silver-haired demon larva, despite sitting on the red stone ground, had a scary presence, as if it were larger than the rest of the demon larvae in the pit. Its height was the same as theirs, only a meter above the ground when standing, yet it was still super duper-scary and strong.

Unable to look away, a mix of wonder and fear filled it.

The silver-maned demon larva had swiftly showed its dominance by killing a rogue demon larva that had broken the rules. It had done so, so easily that the demon larva could never forget it.

Its super fast speed and super strong strength were clear, telling the demon larva that making it angry would be a fast and easy way to die. Even the memory of how easy it had been sent shivers down the demon larva's spine, telling it of the danger of challenging the silver-haired even a little.

However, unlike the demon larva with dark purple hair, the sole other larva that didn't have the customary black hair, they lacked any offering to give to the silver-haired demon larva to get their safety, like the purple-haired demon larva had.

As the silver-haired demon larva started doing something similar to what it had taught the demon larva with long dark purple hair, a subtle luminescent pocket of reddish-brown light appeared close to it. The dim glow created a beautiful spectacle, casting a scary light and creating a scary feeling in the shadowy pit before going away.

Soon the bit of light came back but with more of the lights.

At some point, they even started moving into the silver-haired demon larva's chest. The scary sight was like a dance of blood-like embers, each pocket radiating a scary light that grabbed the attention of the other demon larve.

At one point the demon larva and its spawn mates made interested sounds when a pocket of light was black instead of reddish-brown. And they did the same when a pocket of light was dark green. And so on.

For a long while the rare different colour of light were the only interesting thing that happened in the pit.

-=== = ===-

"There is nothing quite like the funeral rights of an angel. It's short but powerful. It's something so melancholic but perfect that you will never be able to forget it. Nothing will ever quite be the same for you again. It just changes your perspective on some fundamental level.

No words of any mortal language could ever do it justice.

But even that pales in comparison to the voice of our God! Nothing could even begin to describe it."

— An excerpt from a speech by Truth an elven high priest who had long since forgotten its name.

== = ==

Location: < Ground floor of the 'Temple of Birth' > - One of a few such places scattered through the isolated corners of the lower heavens.

POV.: Nameless silver-haired fledgling angel.

After the sun-like burst of flame that I concluded must have been the handy work of Lady Berenices, it didn't take all that long for my coven to finish killing all the remaining holy aberrations.

At one point there had been a little bit of trouble when the last two adult-sized holy aberrations had attacked our coven's only surviving mage. They must have been using their limited intelligence to try and copy the previous success of the other adult-sized holy aberrations.

The mage had managed to dodge one but the other had landed an attack. However, the attack had only managed to scratch the mage's skin before the mage had pined the aberration in the air with a spell. Seconds later two other nearby coven members had stepped in, pulverizing the two adult-sized holy aberrations with a flurry of attacks.

Eventually the last of the holy aberrations had faded away leaving only its core to fall to the ground. The mountaintop and settlement were covered in the scars of combat.

All of the surviving coven members who had joined the combat had slowly flapped their wings lowering themselves to the ground covered in wounds.

Combat finished, their skills faded away leaving many of them to stumble as they walked towards the Temple of Birth, barely able to stay upright.

I wanted to help, to prove that I wasn't a bother.

So looking to Lyra who was dedicatedly tending to the baby fledgling in her arms I cleared my throat, "Ahem, Lyra?"

Looking up Lyra acknowledged me in a soft tone, "Hmm? Oh, what is it?"

Taking in a deep breath I asked, "It looks like the fighting's done and I would like to help, may I?"

After thinking about it with a seriousness atypical of her Lyra replied, "If you really wish to, I won't stop you but be careful." Then cradling the baby fledgling in one hand Lyra pointed at the melee combat angel I had been observing for a long part of the fight, "Ask Taurus, the short-haired redhead over there, for what you can do to help, got it?"

Nodding my head I hastily made my way to the Temple's entrance as the nearest of the angels stumbled their way into the Temple. Looking around I saw that Taurus who seemed to be in much better shape than anyone else was helping the more wounded angels make their way to the temple. So I decided to copy him.

While I wasn't as strong or as tall as Taurus, I could still act as a living cane of sorts, supporting them as they walked to the Temple.

Despite the fast pace that the majority of their cuts, burns and other wounds seemed to scab over and heal themselves, many had wounds that seemed to hinder their natural regeneration, probably some skill of the holy aberrations. Because of this by the time the last of the adult angels had made their way into the temple my white robes had been stained in blood, a reminder of the fact that my safety had been bought with the blood of others.

But I wasn't done helping. There was still much more left to do.

I followed Taurus' solemn trek across the mountaintop and through a small portion of the settlement until we made it to the corps of the fallen angel, still dressed in her mage robes.

Much like the dried blood that stained my white robe, the sight of her body with a large hole centred where her heart should have been and almost separated it into two pieces didn't make me sick as I had half expected it to.

Instead, the cry of the baby fledgling echoed through my mind, as I felt my resolution to become stronger and protect the coven like they had protected me only grow.

As I was standing there staring at the corps unsure what Taurus planned to do, Lady Berenices must have silently landed beside us. However, her aura had been weakened that I didn't even notice until she said in a tranquil but sad voice with a hint of guilt, "Ara died."

Taurus only nodded silently in response while I thought to myself, Ara, so that's her name, I'll make sure to remember it.

There standing on top of the mountain, near the edge of the settlement and the cliff face that I knew sounded it we must have made quite the sight. Overlooking the dead angel's body our silhouettes were outlined by the sea of clouds that washed over the cliff face a few meters below and extended out as far as I could see.

Our three figures each of a different height standing side by side. I stood to the left my blood-stained white robe slightly fluttering in the light breeze. Then to my right was the muscley winged figure of Taurus standing twice my height his bare chest covered in nothing but cuts and scars which were new and old alike. And to his right stood Lady Berenices, whose figure adorned with four wings stood an entire meter taller than Taurus, her golden robes which were cut, torn, and burned still fluttered gently in the light breeze.

Finally, after a few minutes of solemn silence, Lady Berenices spoke once more, her gentle voice breaking the silence, "I guess it's time I did my part."

Then Lady Berenices slowly lowered her posture, elegantly kneeling on the mountain's wet grass. Then extending a hand to Taurus she continued, "Considering you were waiting here for me, you have it right?"

Nodding his head Taurus reached into a fold of his baggy pants pulling out a clear elongated heptagonal bipyramid crystal before passing it to Lady Berenices. Gently taking the crystal from Taurus, Lady Berenices held it with both hands in front of her as she kneeled.

For a few seconds, as the breeze picked up, it felt like nothing was happening, until I could faintly feel Lady Berenices gathering holy aether from her surroundings toward the crystal.

The speed that Lady Berenices was gathering the holy aether picked up as the ambient aether started forming pockets of golden light which flew towards the clear crystal. More and more streaks started forming, slowly filling the crystal up with a golden light until finely it started to glow. At that point, Lady Berenices opened her hands and let the crystal slide out. Held up by some hidden force it floated above Ara's corpses.

It was a heavenly sight, there not far from the cliff face on the wet mountain grass, in front of the tranquil Lady Berenices, lay Ara's corpse and above it floated the crystal casting a heavenly golden glow over the entire scene. It was beautiful.

Then Lady Berenices began speaking in a soft, clear voice that seemed to echo across the entire mountaintop despite being barely a whisper,

Oh Ara, valiant soul so true,

In battles fierce, you courage drew.

With honor and sacrifice, you stood,

A mage so strong, for the greater good.

Phoebus, our deity of radiant light,

Guide her soul through the endless night.

Recognize her deeds, her service so bold,

In your divine embrace, may her story still unfold.

To the System, we raise our voice,

Ara's service, let us all rejoice.

May her power live on, a gift so grand,

Nurturing the next in the line, as they stand.

In battles of life, where courage is sought,

May Ara's spirit, lessons be taught.

Grant them strength, wisdom, and grace,

As they follow her footsteps, in life's boundless race.

Oh Phoebus, with your divine gaze,

Illuminate Ara's path in the cosmic maze.

A mage's soul, now free and unbound,

In your celestial realm, eternally crowned.

As Ara's journey departs this plane,

May her legacy forever remain.

Bless her spirit, forever free,

In the embrace of Phoebus, for all eternity.

As Lady Berenices' whispered orison finished echoing in its silent way across the mountain top I saw a single tear drop from her eyes, as Ara's body began to fade into a golden light that was slowly drawn into and absorbed by the crystal that floated above it.

The sight was somehow joyful, holy and sad all wrapped into one indescribably beautiful yet melancholic package. I stood there silently bathed in the golden light as a ring of golden runes spread out from the crystal before lowering down to Ara's fading body.

When the golden runes, much like Ara's body had finally faded completely all that was left was a golden-white something which flew off into the heavens.

For a few serene moments, nothing happened. No sounds were made for the minutes that followed. It was as if the entire world had stopped just or those moments, and maybe it had since even the breeze had stilled.

Then three clear rings of a bell cut through the silence like cold water. However, even that didn't prepare me for what was next. A voice like a thought spoke into through fabric of the universe with the same clarity as the bell's rings but with a power that couldn't be described by any words or even thoughts I knew. It was divine.

Fear not children, your orison has been heard.

Despite never having heard the voice before I knew to whom it belonged, our deity Phoebus, whose legacy I had inherited.