It was an exceptional feat to grasp and activate aether energy in an instant. Only a few in history have been able to do that. Ryuma has now become one of the few. All the trainees were blown away by the mere thought of a genius in their generation.

  Ryuma: (sweating)What is this weird sensation?

  Donius stands up and looks Ryuma in the eye with gaze of goosebumps.

  Donius: You activated it in an instant..! (His words crumbling)

  Ryuma: (smiling) It was just like he told me. I didn’t even struggle.

  Saber: (wide-eyed) Holy shit!

  Kenji: (in disbelief) Who is this guy?

  Shinjiro: (startled) He’s really amazing.

  Rose was standing aside from everyone. Her face looked pale. She was in complete shock. She remembered her older sister telling her about how she took 18 hours to activate it. Ryuma did it in a minute.

  Ryuma smiling , walked towards them. Every trainee had their eyes on him.

  Ryuma: (to himself) I did it. I broke father’s record. He would be proud.

  Ryuma was shocked too but his excitement took over him and his father training him from his childhood made sense now.

  Ryuma: (with a chuckle) Aren’t I just amazing?

  Saber: I thought you will be the first to activate it but that was freaking fast.

  Shinjiro wanted to say something but he kept quiet.

  Kenji: (to himself) I am lucky to be by his side.

  One by One everyone touched the crystal and memorized the flow. But no one was able to activate it. Saber was the closest one to grasp it. Kenji was the same as others. Rose was struggling, it looked as if she wanted to grasp it like she needed it.

  Saber: (raising an eyebrow) How did you do it that fast? Are you cheating bastard?

  Ryuma: (smirking)Maybe you are not cut out for it. Go back to polishing swords.

  Saber: (pissed off) I am gonna kill you.

  Ryuma: I am leaving. It’s time for my lunch.

  Kenji was meditating while Shinjiro was waiting for his turn to touch the crystal.

  Most of them failed to activate it in an instant. It was natural. Talents like Ryuma are extremely rare, One in a billion.

  The aether reacted differently to each one of the trainees. Sometimes it shines and sometimes it shows extreme force repelling the trainee. The last one was Shinjiro.

  Shinjiro walked towards the altar and looked at the crystal. It was beautiful, it was a transparent crystal within which aether flowed. It looked like a whole universe was within it.

  Shinjiro: (nervous) Here wo go.

  He proceeds to touch the crystal. His fingers make contact with the crystal. He feels a huge surge of energy within him. Slowly, his hand is in full contact with the crystal. His eyes went blank.

  Donius Marshall was watching from afar thinking what was happening. He was concluding that aether energy was too powerful for Shinjiro.

  Shinjiro’s head was being flooded with memories. It was the other worldly soul’s memory, his original memories.

  He opened his eyes.

  Nothing.

  A vast, endless void stretched before him—not darkness, not light, but something beyond both. A place that did not exist, yet was unmistakably real. There was no ground beneath his feet, yet he stood. No sky above, yet an unseen weight loomed over him. Time itself felt distant here, unraveling at the edges.

  And then, he saw it.

  A figure stood in the emptiness, neither near nor far, its form shifting as though reality itself struggled to contain it.

  At first glance, it looked human—but something was wrong. Its features flickered between familiarity and distortion, like an unfinished painting. The face was blurred, undefined, yet eerily recognizable. It was both a stranger and someone he had known his entire life.

  A chill ran through his spine. The void did not feel empty anymore. It was watching him.

  And so was the figure.

  Shinjiro’s hands trembled, fingers twitching at his sides.

  Shinjiro: (with a trembling voice) Who.. are ..you?...Wh-at..are..you?

  The person grew in size, and replied, “ How dare you took over me?”, He grew again and transformed into a monster attacking Shinjiro.

  The air around him got heavier causing him unable to breath. Something was crawling on his skin, a dark fluid. The monster devoured him.

  Shinjiro: (shouting) Nooo!!

  It all went dark.

  A crushing silence swallowed everything. The void, the figure, the weightless nothingness—it all collapsed in on itself, dragging Shinjiro down like a tide pulling him into the abyss.

  And then—

  Light.

  Blinding, searing, unforgiving light.

  Reality slammed back into him like a tidal wave. His lungs burned as if he had been holding his breath for hours. Every nerve in his body screamed, his vision swimming with afterimages of the void.

  Then came the force.

  A surge of energy erupted from the crystal, a raw, untamed wave that sent him hurtling backward. The air itself seemed to crack and ripple around him. The impact tore through his chest, ripping him away from the source as if it had rejected him.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  His body crashed against the ground, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. His fingers dug into the dirt, but his arms trembled, refusing to push himself up just yet.

  The crystal stood untouched, its glow fading.

  The void was gone.

  But its presence still lingered inside him.

  Rose was concerned but she watched from afar. Ryuma, Saber, Kenji ran towards him. “Shinjiro!”

  Shinjiro wasn’t injured. He was lying on the ground. He breathed heavily, his heart was pounding. His body covered in sweat. Donius Marshall quickly approached them.

  Donius: (concerned) Are you okay?

  Shinjiro: (gasping for breath) Yeah.

  Ryuma: Why did this happen?

  Donius: He took too much time memorising the flow. The crystal repelled his energy. It was too strong for him.

  Saber: Is he okay?

  Donius: I see no problems. You all can continue on activating aether energy.

  Kenji: How do you feel?

  Shinjiro: It was nothing. The instructor is probably right.

  Shinjiro made a decision to hide what he saw and felt from everyone. He was confused and scared.

  Shinjiro: If I told them, what would they say? Would they believe me?

  **

  The underground chamber was dark, with the flickering torches The air was thick—damp, heavy, carrying the scent of incense, blood, and something older. Something that had been there long before any of them.

  A group of robed figures stood in a tight circle around a stone altar, their whispers blending with the distant sound of dripping water. Their hoods concealed their faces, but the tension in the air made their unease clear.

  Cult Leader Eric: The seal is holding… for now.

  The words hung there, unanswered.

  One of the cultists shifted, stepping closer to the altar. His robes were embroidered with symbols long forgotten by the world above. His voice was steady, but underneath, there was something else. Doubt.

  Old Cultist: If he makes contact with the Aether Crystal… the seal could crack.

  The room fell silent.

  Another cultist scoffed, arms crossed beneath his cloak.

  Cultist 1: The seal was not completed. The boy doesn’t even know what’s inside him. He wouldn’t—

  Old Cultist: The Aether doesn’t care if he knows. It recognizes its own.

  The flickering torchlight barely reached the cult leader’s face, but his posture stiffened.

  Cult Leader Eric: The ritual failed. We knew this could happen. The soul transfer was incomplete. The other half of him still exists.

  He turned, his voice even, unreadable.

  Cult Leader Eric: If he touches the crystal, the energy inside will react. The Aether will wake it up. And if that happens…

  He didn’t need to finish. They all knew.

  A deep, slow breath.

  Cultist 2: We have to get to him first.

  Cultist 1: Isn’t it better to kill him?

  Old Cultist: We can’t do that. The Aetherblades are important tools for the king.

  Eric nodded once, sharp.

  Cult Leader Eric: We will. Before the seal cracks, before he remembers. We’ll reinforce it. Bind him completely.

  The flames flickered violently. Shadows stretched across the walls, swallowing the edges of the chamber.

  Old Cultist: And if we can’t?

  Silence. The weight of the question settled over them like a noose.

  Eric turned to the altar, placing his hand on the cold stone, his fingers pressing against the ancient carvings.

  Cult Leader Eric: Then we do what must be done.

  No one spoke.

  The fire dimmed. The shadows deepened.

  And the cultists began their preparations.

  A few hours later , Saber and Rose reached activation passing the first lesson. Meanwhile Shinjiro was trying to understand the manual given to him by Kenji. He was looking for a way to activate Aether energy. Shun and Ryuma left to eat something.

  He tried meditating but his thoughts kept piling up again and again with the same question “What was that?” An illusion? He was not able to comprehend what he witnessed. It made him lose focus. Kenji was sitting beside with him. His eyes were closed yet they were watching something. Shinjiro looked at him closely.

  Kenji breathes in and out. There was a pattern to it. He would inhale for 3 seconds , hold for 4 seconds and exhale for 5 seconds. Shinjiro started copying him. He would repeat the breathing pattern again and again. He was able to focus now. But it does not make any sense for him. What was he supposed to focus on. He tried to imagine aether energy inside him. He was kept on in for an hour only to realise he fell asleep. He opened his eyes again and found himself alone in the training ground. Kenji had activated it and left to get some rest. It was not necessary for trainees to use the training grounds. The trainees had to activate aether energy within 24 hours. They could even train in their quarters.

  Shinjiro picked up the book again and began to read. He read about the ways to awaken aether. There were two ways. First was the simple way of trying to sense it and activate it, it was the most popular and efficient way. Second was different, it does not guarantee activation. It has only worked for a few. Trauma activates it.

  Shinjiro read more about it and put the book down. He closed his eyes and took a fighting stance, he imagined the guards who tortured him in prison. He tried fighting them. His expression was sharp. Slowly, his teeth gritted and he was on a fire. He was fighting them one by one .

  “That’s not how it’s done.”

  A voice.

  His eyes snapped open, turning towards the source. She stood at a distance, arms crossed, watching him. Rose.

  She walked toward him, her steps light but certain. There was something sharp in her gaze, something knowing.

  Rose: You are doing it wrong.

  Shinjiro: (puzzled) What am I doing wrong?

  She stopped a few steps away, looking at him like she had already figured him out.

  Rose: That way of activating Aether. It does not work for everyone, especially not you.

  Shinjiro frowned, shifting slightly.

  Shinjiro: What do you mean?

  Rose: You overcame it. Whatever happened to you, you have already accepted it.

  Her voice had softened, just slightly.

  Rose: (faintly) I wish I could.

  She has never said this to anyone. Why did she say it now? She felt he could understand her because they share similar traumas.

  Shinjiro didn’t speak. There was nothing to say. He had no idea what to say. The words sat at the edge of his tongue, but his mind was blank.

  She cleared her throat, pushing the moment aside like it hadn’t happened.

  Rose: If you want to reach activation, try to find a strong desire within you and channel it.

  Her voice was steady again, back to its usual rhythm.

  Shinjiro: (softly) Thanks for the advice.

  She didn’t respond. Just turned and walked away, leaving him standing in the empty field.

  Shinjiro watched her go, his thoughts weighing heavier than before. What did she mean? What happened to her?

  Shinjiro: You overcame it. I wish I could. What did she mean?

  He knew what it meant to lose something, to go through pain. Maybe—just maybe—he could have helped her.

  Now , Shinjiro was thinking about the strong desire. He sat down, folded his legs and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath first then repeated the breathing pattern he learned from Kenji.

  He thought of his friend Shun. He wanted to meet him. He wanted to talk to him. He knew Shun must be going through a hard time and he isn’t there to help him. He thought of his future, he aspired to be like Iris, an Aetherblade. He thought of his past when a strange memory appeared. It was a small kid crying for help, his mother lied on the ground. She was stabbed and bleeding. A c… passed by…... A current started flowing though his body. He could not open his eyes. His heart started beating fast, his body heating up. He started sweating.

  He was awake but he could not hear anything. He could not see anything. He could not speak. He was paralysed. The guards on duty came to check the training ground and found Shinjiro lying on the ground breathing heavily. They quickly grabbed his arms and legs and made a dash towards the infirmary.

  The infirmary was dimly lit, the soft glow of lanterns casting a pale, flickering light over the stone walls. The air was thick with the scent of herbs, dried blood, and the faint bitterness of medicine. It was quiet—too quiet.

  A lone physician, an older man with graying hair and a lined face, moved about the room, checking on the shelves stacked with rolled bandages and jars of herbs. He had seen enough injuries in his lifetime to know that the night always brought the worst of them.

  He didn’t hear them at first. Shadows slipping through shadows.

  A faint creak.

  The old physician stiffened, turning slowly.

  Physician: Who’s there?

  Silence.

  His breath slowing. He had been in this profession too long to ignore the feeling creeping up his spine.

  Then—a rush of movement.

  A hand clamped over his mouth before he could even turn fully, dragging him back. He struggled, feet kicking against the stone floor, but the grip around his throat tightened.

  A low voice, cold, whispered into his ear.

  Cultist: You are not needed tonight.

  His vision blurred. Then, darkness.

  His body slumped, caught before it could make a sound. The cultists moved fast, dragging him behind one of the cots, out of sight. A hooded figure knelt, checking his pulse.

  Cultist 1: He’ll live.

  Cultist 2: For now.

  The first cultist adjusted his hood, glancing toward the door. The infirmary was empty now, save for the dim glow of lanterns and the faint scent of medicinal herbs.

  The trap was set.

  Now, they waited. Shinjiro would come soon.