AETHER BEASTS

After our talk, Zirani headed off to speak with Sandra and Misty about their cores since she wanted them to have tier second cores filled before we reached the border cities. Currently, we were a few weeks travel away from the border. West Vale, Orton, and even Bullrock were deep within the northern plains and lay past the long stretch of forest, more commonly known as the northern stretch, that cut through the plains Most people didn't travel through even though it was the fastest way to move from one side of the plains to another, mainly because of the high beast population.

We, however, didn't really have to worry about that since we could take on any of the beasts, and the only way we'd truly be at risk is if we came across a large group of two core or three core beasts which was unlikely since Zirani and I had green pulse and she was planning on teaching me a movement technique and a form a spatial travel which I was very much looking forward to. The one thing I was lacking in comparison to the others was speed. They were both faster than and while I had the most utility, if I wasnt fast rough to dodge a blow then I couldn't use it.

That brought me back to the topic of the lost queen. She was one aspect of my power I wasn't using just like my divine bloodline, though while my divine bloodline was mysterious and hard to figure out, the lost queen was just, well, evil and hated my guts.

I sighed. Even so, I would need to figure something out since for the foreseeable future we were stuck together, however before I started in on that problem I wanted to try and see if I could make some headway with my divine bloodline. It was sort of a long shot, but it wouldn't hurt to try, and well the benefits would surely be great. After all, it had held its own and even defeated whatever power the lost queen held and when all else had failed, it had broken through the mental manipulation of the hag.

I walked over to a nearby tree, and leaned up against it. I didn't really have much of a clue when it came to how to approach using my bloodline, and it's not like I had my parents for help, if this power came from them. Zirani didn't know what it was, and the only thing I'd learned from the hag was that it divine in nature. Did that mean my mother or father were divine?

My mother was related to my aunt, and as far as I knew Jenna had never displayed any sort of golden power or anything odd so that only left my father who I knew nothing about. Although, my aunt had never really been in a situation that might bring out the power. Whoever had placed the seals on me could have placed seals on her aswell.

My hand trailed up to the necklace I constantly wore, and I brushed a finger against it before shaking the thoughts away. Nothing good would come of me thinking of my parents, and stirring my emotions. The trip across the scar was a few months and after that, I would be presumably heading to the green court so it would be a while before I got the chance to seek them out.

I took a deep breath and then focused on the center of my being, where my core was. My two cores shone brightly one a mix of greens and the other a shell of gold containing an ocean of bright white power that undulated like waves on an ocean. I wondered if that meant anything, that Zirani's core swirled calmly and slowly while the lost queen seemed angry, and like it couldn't remain still. I checked and noted that she was still dormant so perhaps it was a reflection of their general mood or feelings. In that case, it made perfect sense since even if she'd stopped shouting and cursing at me, it didn't mean that her feelings had changed. She probably still hated me and despised me just as I did her, though not as much since she'd saved mine and Zirani's life.

With my eyes closed and focus on my inner being, I wondered how to go about conjuring the power since I couldn't really feel it all that well. I knew it was there like a sound or word that I knew but couldn't remember exactly. I tried to grasp at it, but it didn't budge.

I forward and tried again, pushing all my focus on that feeling. I imagined pulling it as I did aether from a core, but that just seemed to cause a negative reaction and I winced as a sudden burst of pain blossomed in my head. It faded quickly and my next attempt was more gentle as I tried to coax it out, but that didn't do anything and made me feel slightly stupid. It was my power wasnt it, so why wasn't it listening to me?

Suddenly, I felt the lost queen awaken and her attention turned to me, or more specifically what I was doing.

I waited for her to speak or do something but she remained silent so I continued. It was a bi9t distracting with her watching but I tried to ignore her as I attempted to command the power to come to me, and for a second it seemed like it would word but then it stopped and the small feeling of building power went with it.

I held back a sigh and jumped when I heard a snort in my head.

"Zirani?"

No, that hadn't been her, it had been the lost queen.

"You find something funny?" I asked, not really expecting a response.

"Apart from everything you are, yes," she replied much to my surprise. "In all my years I have never come across a being of divine descent who couldn't control their own power. That's like not being able to walk."

"Well I've never done it before," I said.

She chuckled. "Oh, that much is clear. At least there will be some form of amusement while I'm trapped here."

For a long moment, I was tempted to block her off but I'd promised I wouldn't, and I wasnt one to break a promise, not even with someone like her.

"Well… do you have any advice?" I asked. I didn't want to ask, but as Zirnai had said, I needed to try.

"None I shall give my jailer," She said coldly. "Perhaps if you set me free."

"I don't think so." I shook my head. "You are not getting out of there."

"You think this will hold me forever?"

I held back a laugh. "You know, you're not hiding your emotions, you haven't been since I trapped you in that core."

She was silent for but a second before I felt her slam her mental walls down with the equivalent of a mental growl.

There was no more talking after that, and I spent the next hour and a half trying and failing to get my divine power to do as I wanted. Multiple times I got close, but only for a split second, and then it would retreat. There was something I was missing, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

At one point I was tempted to see what I could do with the ki in my second core, but almost immediately Zirani sent me a stern warning, and a few mental images from her time beyond the great scar of injuries people had received by trying to wield ki. The problem with ki was not gaining access to it. Ki was just aether without the shell, it was the control that was the problem and safely containing the power. That's why my second core was impossible. Zirani had never heard of a ki core, and she suspected that the only reason I was ok was because of the golden shell that was containing it.

In the end, I made little progress and stopped when the others returned.

Misty looked pleased as did Sandra. At least they'd had productive training.

"What's wrong?" Misty asked, noticing my frown.

"I can't get my divine power to do what I want, or even anything for that matter, and well." I sighed. "She… is not being so cooperative."

"Time and patience," Zirani said. "Just keep trying."

"Yeah, I mean at least you got her to talk to you this time," Sandra added. "Better than shouting and curses."

Their words lifted my mood and I decided that I would prepare a proper meal. Zirani could make a simple fire enchantment and we had pots, pans, and other cooking utilities, not to mention a ton of food, and before I'd left my aunt, she handed me a book of her recipes that she'd created just for me. I was eager to try a few of them out.

I'd still have that talk with them but first some food. If I did it beforehand then during the meal their minds would be on other matters and not the delicious food I was planning on making.