Zeph Malston: The Aether Mage

Bernard could see that his grandson was intrigued by the new topic of discussion. It was time for a break anyway. So he told Zeph that he only needed to worry about keeping the rain barrier active. When the old man was sure that the boy wasn't using the kitten to cheat, he began to tell him some basic information about familiars and about spirits.

"A familiar is a spirit that has bonded with a mage in some way, most often by forming a contract. Now, spirits are created in two different ways. The first way is for them to form naturally. The process is unknown as it seems to happen randomly. The second is for magic, spiritual energy, strong emotion, and d.e.s.i.r.e to mix and create a new spirit."

"Spiritual energy?" Zeph tilted his head, obviously curious.

"Energy from the ethereal plain. You still have some in your system from when I summoned you," Bernard explained."

"Oh, so I accidentally made a spirit with that energy, my magic, and my childhood dream of owning a cat," Zeph said with sudden realization. He had been wondering why there weren't more spirits around if they only need emotion and magic to be born. Luckily he still had some spirit energy in his system or he wouldn't have his furry friend. He moved the kitten into a hug and scratched its tummy. Then Zeph turned his attention back to Bernard.

Bernard continued talking about spirits since the boy still looked interested. "Newly formed spirits have no sense of self, and rarely act of their own accord. They exist as an immaterial mass of energy and look like fog or mist. Spirits are found in areas with a lot of magic, or in the ethereal plain. The ethereal plane is a separate dimension that exists relatively close to our own. Weak spirits have the ability to cross the barrier between our world and the ethereal and are drawn there by spirit energy. That energy is similar to magic and fills the ethereal plain. We call it spirit energy to keep things simple, and spirits can use it to help them survive and grow. If a spirit is provided enough time and energy, they can eventually develop a body and a sense of self. Naturally born spirits or ones with a positive disposition, eventually become beings like fairies, nymphs or angels. If they were born from negative emotions or d.e.s.i.r.es, they become creatures like goblins, wraiths, and demons. Now, because the ethereal plain is so close to our own, sometimes they overlap. This results in a dimensional tear. We call these events a convergence. All kinds of monsters and magical beasts enter our world through these tears. It's another reason I was so worried when I accidentally summoned your soul here.

It's not all bad though; mages can summon spirits and form contracts with them. After that, the familiar will constantly drain some magic from the mage to maintain itself and grow. Without spirit energy from the ethereal plain, they need magic to maintain their body and live. But you don't have to worry about that, because the kitten is using your aether as a body." He decided to explain more about the ethereal plain to Zeph later.

"What about the monsters, won't they die without spirit power?"

"That's why they go to places dense in mana. They use that as a substitute. It's also why they attack people, since they can use the magic in our bodies to grow stronger."

"What about my cat, will it grow if I feed it my magic?" Zeph wondered. 'It would be pretty cool if I could have an awesome battle kitten.' The thought of a small kitten beating giant monsters made him chuckle.

"If you manage to nurture it, it will start to develop other habits as its sense of self grows." Bernard explained, "It might even gain some interesting abilities."

"Awesome," the boy exclaimed," But wait, does that mean the kitten will become a creature of living Aetherite like me?"

"No, the aether is part of your body. If the kitten is strong enough, it will create a body of its own. You could also use your magic to create a spirit body, but they're not as strong and take quite a bit of magic to maintain." his grandpa answered.

"What about the spirit you used to make my tablet?"

"It could grow, but only if you consciously put effort into it. Right now it's combined with the technology in the tablet to make an artificial intelligence and won't grow because it isn't given enough power. All you would have to do is pour more into it every day. Some people do this to get more functionality out of their tablets, even going as far as making them their familiars. Other's find that having a living computer can be quite annoying. There are also mage families that specialize in using spirits. They use the bulk of their magic power to maintain their familiars, but it allows the familiars to use magic and act on their behalf. It's not a bad practice actually. All the mage has to do is maintain a link to the familiars while they handle all the spellcasting and fighting."

"Well, that sounds pretty convenient. Does everyone use familiars?" Zeph asked.

"No, only mages with an affinity for spirit magic do," Bernard said with a slightly regretful look on his face.

"Affinity?" Zeph quickly scanned his mental library. "Oh you mean the types of magic a mage is naturally gifted in. Does that mean that they can't do spirit magic because they don't have the affinity?"

"No, you can still use magic you have no affinity for. It's just much harder. When a mage has an affinity with a class of magic, it means that he has an easier time using magic power to cast spells that match. I have an affinity for energy type magic. So it's really easy for me to us spells that manipulate physical force, fire, electricity and so on. On the other hand, my affinity for water and spirit magic is weak. That's why I used water from the stream to make target dummies. I also have to use rituals to help me with spirit magic. It's just easier that way.

People with an affinity for spirit magic only need to use a fraction of the power to summon and maintain familiars than everyone else. Most people who have a familiar only use them as assistants, and not for combat. Providing magic for a familiar so that it can attack is virtually impossible for anyone who doesn't have an affinity for spirit magic." Bernard explained.

"I get it, so what kind of magic affinity do I have?" Zeph asked, eyes sparkling in excitement.

"Hmm, I'm not sure yet since you haven't cast anything too taxing. We'll find out once you've moved on to more advanced spells. But if I had to guess, I'd say you'd at least have a slight affinity to every magic because of the aether. You won't have to worry about being bad at any type of magic, but you're just gonna have to focus on what your best at. Just because you can use almost any magic, doesn't mean you should. Being a jack of all trades and master of none isn't that desirable when fighting high-level monsters and demons."

"Shouldn't I learn a lot of spells so I can have versatility?"

"Yes you should, but mastering a class of magic takes time. It's better to narrow your focus once you start learning sixth tier spells and above." Bernard was having fun teaching his grandson and decided to help him out a bit. Zeph suddenly felt his clothes dry after Bernard pointed at him and whispered a spell.

"Thanks," the boy said, "by the way, what are sixth tier spells? I don't seem to have any info on them."

"That's because you only have beginner books in your mental library. Mages start categorizing spells into tiers once they move on from casting cantrips. The energy ball attack borders between cantrips and a first tier spell. That's why you were only able to destroy the target dummy after it was modified. The scale goes from the first tier to the tenth tier, and they're determined by the danger and difficulty of the spell. Spells up to the fifth tier are taught in Valir academies. Anything beyond requires a license and an organization willing to teach you."

Bernard continued to explain that mages would need to register with the government once they entered a valir or artificer academy. The valir academies were combat oriented, while the artificer academy focused on creating magical devices and contraptions. There were some that taught both. In fact, Bernard was an alumnus of one such academy. He said that once Zeph graduated from middle school, he would be enrolled there as well. The two continued to talk until it was time for dinner. Bernard told Zeph that he had practiced enough for the evening, and shielded the boy with a barrier so that he could rest. Zeph felt a sudden wave of relief when he stopped focusing his magic on maintaining his own rain barrier. It was the first time that he had to provide a constant supply of magic to a spell for such a long time. After dinner, the boy went to his tent and fell asleep almost instantly.

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After Zeph went to sleep, Bernard and Alex were resting in the gazebo watching some CV. Bianca and Eli had also headed to bed, so the two old friends had the entire place to themselves. Bernard had managed to set up two recliners. No one knew where he got them or when he put them there. The two gray-haired men laid back and relaxed.

"Your grandson is very talented. Do we have his 'unique' constitution to thank?" Alex lazily asked.

"Yes, it seems to provide him with a myriad of benefits," Bernard answered.

"Does it make you want to try again? I'm sure the idea of creating more Aetherite has occurred to you on more than one occasion."

"I'm not going to lie. I would love to make another batch. I might even be able to use it on us. Imagine having a body like that, magic talent, youth, and potential. It's enough to make men go to war," Bernard sighed, "But, it's too dangerous. I was lucky once. I don't think that I would be as fortunate the next time. No, I don't plan to create any more. Instead, I'll just improve the medical gel and then make a non-organic equivalent. The next generation of inventors will just have to settle on using those to create the future."

"I'm proud of you Bern. I was worried for a while because your ambition had turned to obsession." Alex looked over to him and smiled. "I'm glad you're starting to act like your old self again." Before Zeph arrived, Bernard had been working frantically for years. He was a man with a mission. Bernard neglected food, rest, and even his own safety in his quest to create.

"I'm sorry I had you so worried."

"It's fine. Also, did you notice the change in the boy's demeanor?"

"Yes, it seems like he's started to take things more seriously. He's still oddly easygoing, but he's a lot more respectful of the magic he's using. I'm glad he doesn't view it as a toy anymore."

Alex yawned and stretched before asking, "How many people know about his origins?"

"Just you, him, and me. I have others I trust, but I think Zeph should decide who else to tell his secret to."

"He doesn't know that I know though," Alex said.

"That's because he doesn't know how hard it is to hide things from you," Bernard chuckled.

"You know, I was quite wary of him when I first saw him. But I noticed how you were treating him, so I decided to observe him in secret."

"Of course you did. What did you find out?"

"The child is surprising, to say the least. He's got memories of growing up in another world but still has a childish mentality. When we all talk, he sometimes sounds very wise and other times tragically clueless. There was nothing about him that hinted at anything malevolent. He wants to grow stronger, but it's not because he's power hungry. From what I've seen, he loves magic and only wants to explore all of its possibilities. Honestly, he reminds me of you when you were a child."

"It's good to know he has your seal of approval, and I'm sure the kitten didn't affect your judgment at all," Bernard said jokingly as he smiled at Alex. The old dwarf started to turn red from embarrassment.

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