The Author Reincarnated As An Extra-Chapter 36: • The Way of Aether

"Aether isn’t only used to conjure Techniques, whether long range or short range. They are also used to amplify attacks, augment strength, movements and defense."

Listening closely, Deremiah nodded once. "I saw you leap almost a hundred feet in the air when you were fighting the NeonSquid. Did you use Aether then?"

Wondering at the back of her mind how long Deremiah had been watching, Elora answered, "Yes. Tapping into your Aether reserves and channeling the energy into different parts of your body thoroughly increases the function of that body part."

She lifted her right leg slowly and unassumingly. Then, as Deremiah curiously watched, she spun around in a mini second and struck a giant glowing mushroom that was seemingly out of her reach.

The mushroom tore from its roots with force and flew so far away that it turned to a star in the black sky above.

Deremiah looked at her, impressed. "My educated guess would be that you channelled Aether into your legs like you did when you made that jump."

"Correct." Raising her fists, she threw a series of rapid punches, each strike stirring the air into visible puffs of smoke.

She had swift movements. When she ducked, punched or kicked. They were all deliberate and almost hypnotic as Deremiah watched them. When she withdrew her sword from her swordhold, it joined her attack pattern with harmony.

Deremiah could clearly see that those attacks were stronger and more dangerous than they usually would be.

"The mind and body must be in synchrony," she said as she continued slicing the air. "As Mancers, our brains are given a seventh function. Just as we instinctively breathe, squint, or perform other subconscious actions due to inherent brain wiring, our brains should be inherently capable of subconsciously channeling Aether into specific body parts prior to utilizing those parts for an attack, particularly in the heat of battle."

"That would require an intense amount of mastery, wouldn’t it?" Deremiah asked. "Do you think a One-Marked like me could even achieve that?"

"Your mastery will always be constrained by the number of Marks you possess," she replied. "You can certainly achieve a high level of mastery, perhaps even the pinnacle for a Mancer with your Mark count. However, that mastery, even at its peak, would inevitably be surpassed by a Five-Marked Mancer, regardless of their own level of mastery."

Deremiah downturned his lips. "So what you are saying is that I stand no chance?"

Elora looked at him for a while, with an expression that somewhat bordered on pity. Then she replied, "It is unfortunate. But the Gate Trials do not care about fairness."

They stared at each other for a while after that.

"Anyway, back to what I was saying."

"Channeling Aether subconsciously," Deremiah tried to remind her.

"Yes." she cleared her throat to continue.

"You see, we Mancers can consciously channel Aether, of course. It doesn’t have to be always used subconsciously. It’s a fundamental skill we learn from the moment we begin our training. We focus our will, direct the flow... it’s like... like sculpting a piece of clay. We can mold the Aether to our needs, enhance our strikes, bolster our defenses."

She paused, a thoughtful frown creasing her brow. "But in the heat of battle, conscious control becomes a hindrance. When dodging a flurry of blows, when reacting to an unpredictable opponent, there’s simply not enough time for deliberate thought. You need to react instinctively, your body moving with the fluidity of a dancer, Deremiah, your mind free to assess the situation, to anticipate the enemy’s next move."

"That’s where the subconscious channeling comes in. Imagine," she gestured with a graceful hand, "your body as an instrument, and Aether as the music. Conscious control is like playing a carefully composed piece, every note deliberate and planned. But in the heat of battle, you need to improvise, to let the music flow freely, to let your body move in harmony with the Aether, without conscious interference."

"The goal," she continued, "is to achieve a state of effortless flow, where the mind is free to strategize, to react, while the body, guided by the subconscious, moves with grace. Aether amplifies every movement, every strike, every block, seamlessly integrating with your actions. It’s a delicate balance, a dance between conscious control and subconscious flow."

When she finished explaining, she paused, stood straight, and looked at him. "Do you understand?"

Deremiah gave her a quick answer, "I do."

"Good," she said, stepping back. "Because it’s your turn to try it. Since the energy is within you, there’s nothing I can do to get you to channel it. You have to do it on your own. You have to let the energy know that you’re in charge."

Deremiah nodded, watching her move backwards slowly. In truth, he understood what she was teaching better than anyone. At least on a theoretical level as he was the one who wrote the foundations of Aether manipulation.

What he didn’t know was how it would be on a practical level.

It should be difficult enough, even for controlling Aether. But Void?

Void was a storm. It was chaos, disruption, corruption and decay. Where Aether sought balance, Void reveled in imbalance.

Controlling the energy was not about finding peace within; it was about embracing the conflict, walking the razor’s edge between control and destruction.

This was why most Voidmancers were extremely powerful and resilient. Not many would have the fortitude to withhold such madness within them without breaking down.

"Begin," Elora said, seeing that Deremiah was still standing motionless.

Regaining himself, he closed his eyes to focus, trying to capture the pulsing sense of his Soul Core, and the little Void energy within it.

Like he expected, it wasn’t calm or soothing. Even though it was only a sparse amount, it was a roaring abyss, and the power was very present.

He could particularly feel it in that moment, threatening to pull him under and take control if he didn’t learn to himself. And this was just a tiny amount, what would happen if he increased his Soul Core to amass more?

His first attempt to channel it failed spectacularly.

Once he pulled the corruptive energy out of his Core, it surged through him, uncontrolled, his body stiffening as he felt it claw at the edges of his mind.

His vision blurred for a moment, and his mind stiffened.

"Relax," Elora said, misinterpreting his tension. "You’re overthinking it. Let the energy flow naturally, like water through a stream."

Deremiah looked at her. ’It’s frustrating that she doesn’t really know exactly what I’m going through right now.’

It really wasn’t that simple. Because Void didn’t flow like water; it was more like a tidal wave, moving with an uncontrollable current and rushing through everything in its path. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Still, he nodded, pretending to follow her guidance. He needed to figure this out, and fast.

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