Zeph Malston: The Aether Mage

Continuing their hunt, the magical duo ran across several more wind weasels and other small magical beasts. There was an armadillo with a metallic shell, a badger that attacked with fire, and a weird rabbit with a horn on its head. They all attacked when they noticed Zeph. Bernard said it was because they eat beings with magic power to strengthen themselves. Zeph's magic power looked particularly delicious. The boy wanted to learn to hide his magic power even more after learning that.

Trying not to make the same mistake again, Zeph attacked as soon as the gorilla looked at him. His grandpa backed far away from the fight, ready to record. He watched the frost ape get knocked back by the boy's lightning bolt. It was a good hit, but the beast protected itself with a layer of magic power. Seeing that lightning didn't quite do the trick, Zeph launched a burning blast of fire at the ape.

His second attack was much more effective. The magical flame clung to the creature's fur. Knowing that it couldn't put out the flames, the ape rushed forward. Zeph had prepared another spell but wasn't expecting the beast's charge. He tried to dodge out of the way. Unfortunately, the ape used magic power to suddenly boost its speed. It grabbed Zeph, pulling the boy into a crushing hug.

The boy's spell armor was weakening. Flames from the gorilla spread over to his body as well, and things weren't looking good. He focused his magic power into his armor and decided to change his defense into offense. Rage and pain had made the ape reckless. By the time it noticed Zeph's magic power spike, it was too late.

*BOOM!*

A bright explosion erupted, creating a pillar of silver light. As the light faded, a small crater could be seen where the boy and the ape were once standing. Bernard ran up to it and looked inside. He could feel Zeph's magic power, so he knew the boy was okay. However, that didn't stop him from being worried. Groaning could be heard from the bottom of the crater. Zeph was lying down, covered in dust. Using telekinesis, Bernard lifted his grandson from the pit. Laying him on a soft patch of grass, the old man examined him and checked him for wounds.

Covered in small cuts, Zeph lifted his hands to his face. "That didn't go as planned," he said painfully.

"Yes, I assume blowing yourself up alongside the beast wasn't what you had in mind." Bernard noticed that the cuts and bruises on Zeph's body started to heal quickly. Zeph seemed to possess some regenerative ability. The old man reminded himself to test that when they got back to the compound. It would be valuable to know how effective this healing factor was.

"No, I was trying to make my spell armor expand outward like a bubble, and knock the frost ape away." The boy explained. "But… I lost control of the spell."

"Well, at least you survived. That could have been a lot worse. Also, we seemed to have discovered a new trait of yours."

"What's that?"

Bernard lifted Zeph's arm showing him several cuts that were slowly closing. "You have a regenerative healing factor."

Zeph's eyes widened at the sight of his wounds closing. "That's so damn cool."

"Invaluable is the term I would use. The aether is making more adjustments, your body is changing more than I had initially suspected. I had thought that you would have to work on developing unique traits, but it seems your body is using magic power to improve itself."

"Great, so I'll have superpowers?"

"I don't know if I'd call it super. There are many monsters and beasts that can regenerate wounds faster than this. Some mages can as well, but they modify their bodies with spells. Body modification is a dangerous practice, but does bring about great benefits when done correctly."

"Then I'm doing the same thing, but I'm modifying my body unconsciously," Zeph rubbed his chin in thought. "What else do you think will happen?

"I'm not sure. From your physical appearance and muscle development, I can see that you are near peak physical fitness. It seems the aether is just making you a "better" version of you. We'll run more tests once we're home."

"Good, having a body that is changing in ways I can't imagine doesn't sit well with me."

"Well, it seems to be only beneficial for now. On a different note, want to see the video?" Bernard held his tablet up and wiggled it in front of Zeph.

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When Zeph started his fight with the frost ape, Bianca and Eli were watching Alex speaking towards his tablet. "Yes Mr. Phillips, I'll be sure to tell him your message." He tapped the screen ending the call.

"So, what'd he want?" Eli couldn't hold back his curiosity.

"Mr. Phillips would like to visit master Malston sometime after we return. He would like to meet young master Zeph. Also, he said he would bring his granddaughter so she could make a friend her own age.

"Pshh! Vultures are already trying to get the boy." Bianca furrowed her eyebrows. When she was younger, many people tried to gain her favor because of her background. Although her family said she could decide who to marry, her father still put pressure on her to get closer to certain families. Things became intolerable, so she cut ties with her family and moved to another country. Bernard and the others were aware of her history and accepted her for who she was. She was always grateful for that.

A hand gently pats her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts. "It's okay. We won't let anything bad happen to Zeph. Things are different here." Eli gave her a warm smile.

"No need to worry my dear," Alex said. "Mr. Phillips is a good friend. He and master Malston went through much in their youth. I'm sure he wouldn't try to force any sort of relationship between the children."

The kitten lying in the corner let out a loud yell. Bianca quickly ran over and picked it up. It continued making noise as it fidgeted in its sleep. "Poor thing must be having a bad dream." She stroked its fur slowly while humming a soft lullaby.

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After watching the recording of his fight, Zeph looked very displeased. He saw an idiot who only knew how to shoot magic off and had no sense for combat whatsoever. "Man, I really suck at this."

"Of course you do, it's your first time hunting monsters."

"I should know better though. I let the power get to my head and forgot all about tactics." Zeph was recalling how spell-casters were supposed to fight. It was all information from his old world. In the various games, stories, and movies; spell users always kept at a distance and used magic to slow or entrap enemies.

Bernard saw the boy deep in thought. "Something wrong?"

"Yes, I need to fight smarter." Zeph tightened his fist, "I'm not gonna end up in the dirt again."

"Good to hear, because I think someone is ready for round two." Bernard pointed behind Zeph.

A short distance away, the injured frost ape was slamming its fists against an invisible wall. Zeph looked at it and saw that it was barely injured by his last attack. "No way!"

"When you lost control of the spell, I diverted most of the energy upward and away from you. It helped you avoid most of the damage. Unfortunately, it did the same for the frost ape. I'm keeping him away while you recover. Once you're ready, I'll let down the barrier and you can try again." Bernard waved his hand over the boy. He cast a spell cleaning Zeph, removing all the dust and debris.

"Thanks," Zeph nodded. He walked a few steps ahead and stared at the frost ape. It stared back. "Okay," he said softly.

Releasing the barrier, Bernard left the battleground. Roaring, the frost ape charged at Zeph again. Expecting this move, Zeph raised his hand up casting a spell. An invisible shield of magic formed in front of the ape's feet. It tripped and hit the ground hard. This gave Zeph time to create another magical blast, but he decided against it. Facing his palms towards the ground, Zeph started to create a thick fog. It surrounded the ape, hiding Zeph's presence. Running to the side, Zeph used his magic sense to tell where the ape was. When he got behind it, he held his hands up and began to concentrate as much magic power as he could safely control. Magical energy formed into a ball, and then started compressing until it took the shape of an arrow. He knew that he needed to pierce the ape's thick hide to do any damage, so he had come up with a new kind of attack.

Roaring in frustration, the ape released its magic power to create a gust of wind. Once the fog cleared, it couldn't see the boy in front. Looking to the sides revealed nothing, so it turned around. Zeph was behind it. It was about to charge at the child again but saw something that made it stop in its tracks. In the boy's outstretched hand, there was a glowing silver arrow. It pulsated with magic power, causing the air around it to distort. A sudden sense of fear overwhelmed the ape. Before it could turn and flee, the boy spoke.

"Smile you son of a bitch." Zeph couldn't help himself. He had to say a zippy one-liner. The arrow shot forth from his hand, the air trembled as it flew towards the ape. Before anyone could blink, it embedded itself into the ape. It had forced the beast to step backward. Roaring in pain, the frost ape clutched at its c.h.e.s.t where the arrow hit.

"Bernie, you might want to put up a shield," Zeph said creating a magic barrier in front of him.

Just as the old man was about to ask why rays of light could be seen escaping from the ape's fingers. The arrow started to shine brightly. Then the frost apes body started to shine as well. Bernard quickly raised a shield, when suddenly there was a sound of thunder. The ape's glowing body erupted into a ball of fire and silver light. The force from the explosion scattered rocks into the air. The wind whipped against the trees, stripping a nearby branch of its leaves. When the spell finally ended, and the light faded, the frost ape was no longer there.

"You manage to record that!" Zeph looked at Bernard and smirked.

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