Zeph Malston: The Aether Mage

It was the next day. Zeph had recovered, both magically and mentally. His mental health was much improved, but he still felt sad once and a while. It would take time to fully adjust, but he no longer wanted to mope around in bed all day. The others were glad to see the boy in a better mood too. Pizza may or may not have had a hand in healing his mind. Everyone loved the new dish and planned to eat another tonight.

No one tried to pry and make Zeph talk. They decided that he would talk to them when he was ready. Instead, they acted as usual and had a hearty breakfast. Afterward, Bernard and Zeph headed out hunting again. The old man said that they would stay closer to the campground this time. Zeph was fine with that decision because wind weasels were in their designated hunting zone.

The fresh air was doing wonders for the boy, as his mood noticeably lifted. Bernard was happy that Zeph decided to come out today, and told him about the new spell that was created yesterday.

"I didn't expect to inspire you to create a new spell." The boy scratched his head, feeling a little disbelief.

"It was the delivery method that caught my attention. Using a magic arrow as a makeshift syringe was quite ingenious. The modifications I've made will make the spell much more comfortable to use." Bernard rubbed his beard, obviously proud of his accomplishment.

"What kind of changes did you make?"

"Well, I've created a stable spell formula to form a needle instead of an arrow. It's smaller and won't use up as much magic to cast. I've also decided to make the needle infuse mana instead of magic."

"I've been thinking about that, but aren't mana and magic the same thing. Why use mana instead?"

"Mana is wild, hard to control, and doesn't respond well to mages will. That's why we refine it turning it into magic in our body effectively 'taming' it. Since the goal of the spell is to disrupt magic control, then mana is the best option. It also helps negate some of the negative consequences to your improvised version."

"How?" Zeph's full attention was on Bernard now, and he almost tripped over a rock.

"Careful," his grandpa said after watching the boy stumble a bit. "You know how I said creatures with enough control might be able to use the magic you inject for themselves?"

"Yeah, I did think about that for a little bit."

"It's because they could refine your magic to suit their body since it isn't as unruly as raw mana. In fact, most people start training by refining magic instead of mana. It's usually given to them by parents or teachers. You're very lucky that ape had terrible magic control."

"Wait! Let me see if I have this right. Mana is the raw form. Magic is the refined form. What was the difference between magic and magic power again?" Zeph began to search his mind for the definition when he heard Bernard.

"Magic power is used to reference the strength and amount of magic you control or use."

Then can't I say magic instead of magic power most of the time?

"Yes, is that not clear?" Bernard tilted his head.

"No, why does this magic stuff have to be so...complicated. Hold on! why did you have me learn to absorb mana first then?"

"I thought you could handle it." Bernard shrugged.

"Okay, but if it's so easy to take control of someone's magic, why not take over any spell someone casts at you?"

"Simple, magic isn't the same as a spell. Taking magic from a spell is exponentially more complicated. That's because a spell is made of a caster's magic power that has been altered and given purpose. Here, try to absorb some magic from this." Bernard held out his hand and created a small ball of electricity.

Zeph reached out with his magic sense to feel the magic in the crackling ball. It didn't respond to him. He tried using the mana absorbing technique he learned. There was no sensation other than the ambient mana being absorbed. Bernard's spell was like a rock at the bottom of a river, refusing to flow towards Zeph. Finally, the boy gave up and looked at his grandpa waiting for the old man to talk again.

"See what I mean. The spell is under my control so it won't budge. The same thing would happen if I cast a spell into your body. Then the spell would become a curse, and there would hardly be anything you could do to stop it. This is one of the reasons why curses are so reviled. That's why I want you to keep your spell armor up as much as possible. The necklace I gave you before also defends against curses."

"Wait, does that mean the spell you made yesterday is a curse?" Zeph was trying to wrap his head around all this new information.

"No, it would be a curse if the arrow injected a paralyze spell or something similar into the target's body. However, that would be far too complicated to cast quickly in combat. Using raw mana is easier and will disrupt their magic control. And if hits when the target is casting a spell, it will conflict with its flowing magic power. The resulting backlash could cause a great deal of damage. If the target is as bad at magic control as the ape was, then it will tear it apart from the inside and might even explode."

"Wow!" Zeph stopped walking for a second, "That sounds really overpowered."

"Not really. Remember, you still have to hit the target with it. That just makes it another spell to use instead of any other projectile. There are just some situations where it will be far more effective than the other projectile spells you know." Bernard explained. "Let me show you." He then launched the ball of electricity at a tree. It hit the trunk and scattered bark and wood ch.i.p.s into the air. When the dust cleared, there was a big chunk missing the bottom of the tree, and it started to creak before finally falling down. "That was a regular projectile attack. It does good damage to a small area, and can electrocute the target."

Then he formed a glowing needle the size of his palm. Zeph could feel the mana in the air get s.u.c.k.e.d into it. Bernard shot the needle toward another tree. It penetrated into the bark and left a small hole. After a moment a spray of mana escaped outward widening the hole. It wasn't as impressive as the first spell. "Since the tree wasn't circulating magic power, the mana didn't conflict with anything and the effect was small."

"That makes a lot more sense now, seeing it being cast and feeling how the spell works." Zeph nodded. "So are you going to teach me the spell?" The boy looked at his grandpa with big puppy dog eyes.

"Yes, but this spell is going to be a family secret. Most aristocratic families and clans have spells and abilities that only its members are allowed to know and use. This will be one of ours." Bernard smiled at Zeph.

"Do we have others?" the boy's eyes lit up.

"We do, but you'll have to wait until I think you're ready for them."

Zeph was disappointed, but only for a moment. "Alright, I get it. I still have room to grow and shouldn't rush things."

"Yes, you'll have plenty of time to do so as well. You are already ahead of your peers, so you should take the next year to increase your understanding of magic, master the fundamentals and make some friends. Now, let's go find us some wind weasels."

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After half an hour of searching, Zeph finally saw the wind weasel. Eager to test out the improved spell, he formed a glowing needle over his outstretched palm. Bernard named the spell 'Mana Needle.' Then, Using telekinesis, Zeph launched a rock at the little rodent.

The wind weasel was munching on some crunchy cricket's when *WAM,* a rock smacked it right on the a.s.s. It quickly built up its magic power, ready to attack. Spinning around, it saw a young boy and an old man. As it was about to let the air blast go, it felt a sharp sting on its side. Mana started pouring into its body, clashing with its magic power. Pain erupted as the weasel's body started to swell. Loud screeching squeaks escaped the suffering little pest, and then *POP* it burst in a tiny explosion.

"Well, that worked without any problems. It felt like I barely used any MP at all." Zeph had a satisfied look on his face.

"MP?" Bernard was confused.

"Magic power," Zeph held up a finger for each following word, "Short, simple, effective."

"I see. It's been a while since you decided to shorten words and terms. I was starting to miss that weird little quirk of yours." "Bernard gave Zeph a gentle look.

"Now that I know that works, it's time to test my skills." Zeph walked further into weasel territory, looking for more cat food.

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"What are you guys watching?" Bianca sat on the couch after she finished her morning chores. She was hugging the kitten. "Wait, is that Zeph?"

"Sure is, got old man Malston to live stream the training session." Eli heard a small cough from Alex sitting in the recliner. "I mean, I asked Mr. Malston to live stream Zeph's training so we could all watch it, and give the young man our opinion when he returns." The elf saw the dwarf nod in satisfaction from the corner of his eye.

"Really, that's exciting." Bianca wiggled a bit to get comfortable and held her hand out for Eli to pass the popcorn. Eli handed her the bowl. Then he leaned over the edge of the couch to get a bag of ch.i.p.s. When it heard the bag of ch.i.p.s ruffle, the kitten hopped out of Bianca's grasp and went to the elf.

"I think the fight is starting," Alex announced to bring their attention to the screen.

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Zeph formed a shield made of tiny clear hexagons. Floating in the air, the shield emitted a soft glow. He looked through it to see the wind weasel on the other side. With a squeak, the wind weasel shot a ball of compressed air at the boy. Silver energy ran across the shield as it intercepted the beast's attack. The wind weasel growled seeing its attack fail. After looking at the weasel with a smirk, Zeph's concentrated power into his hand and gestured upward. In response, an invisible force tossed the wind weasel into the air. Immediately after, Zeph shot a bolt of electricity at it.

Surrounding itself in magic power, the wind weasel created a whirl of wind, stopping itself in the air. It chattered triumphantly as wind magic kept it afloat. Then it noticed a needle suddenly fly towards it. Using wind magic, the weasel dodged by flying to the side. Seeing the attack miss, it did a few flips to taunt its enemy.

"C.o.c.ky little-" Before the boy could finish his sentence, a blade of wind cut into the ground next to him. Zeph realized he almost got hit. "Calm down, you got this," After whispering to himself, he took a deep breath and focused back on the weasel.

Seeing the blade of wind almost hit, the wind rodent shot several more. Zeph focused his magic sense to see the wind blades and blocked them with his spell shield. Translucent silver hexagons appeared in the air, buying the boy time to counterattack. Zeph held his hands out toward the floating nuisance. Then a line of crackling energy shot into the air. Seeing the lightning coming towards it, the wind weasel evaded once again.

"Guess I need something less obvious." Zeph cast telekinesis again, this time swinging his palm downward. An unseen force slammed onto the weasel again. It resisted so that it wouldn't be knocked to the ground. Gathering magic in its feet, the wind weasel launched itself forward. Escaping Zeph's attack, the little weasel noticed it had accidentally launched itself toward Zeph.

Seeing the weasel flying towards him, Zeph smirked.

Knowing that close combat wasn't a good idea, the wind weasel took evasive action. It flew to the side, but a shield appeared and blocked its escape route. Just as the weasel was about to change directions, Zeph waved his hand again. A force pushed the weasel forward against its will, increasing its speed. Unable to stop itself, the weasel crashed directly into Zeph's spell shield. After it struck the shield, the weasel fell to the floor dazed. Not missing this opportunity, Zeph made another adjustment to his spell shield. He reformed into a blade. Then, like an executioner with an axe, he swung his arms downward.

*Splat!*

A few moments passed, and then Zeph spoke. "Well that was gross, but it worked." Zeph quickly released the shield and held the wind weasels body with magic.

"You seem to have gotten fairly proficient in the telekinesis spell. It seems that you have quite the affinity for it." Bernard used a spell to drain the weasel of blood. Then he brought out a bag for Zeph to store its body.

"Yeah, I've been using TK to do a bunch of mundane stuff. Then I realized that I should probably use it for fights. There were stories in my old world of powerful people who used telekinesis as their main power." Zeph smiled as he recalled some of his favorite comic book characters.

"I'm assuming TK refers to telekinesis?"

"Yup."

"Well, you should keep at it. Telekinesis is one of the most versatile abilities that a mage can use. With your affinity, the power of the spell should grow with you.

"Isn't that the way it is for everyone?" Zeph started walking, ready to continue his hunt.

"Not really, most people have to focus a lot of their attention on the spell to use it properly. You seem to use it without much effort. With enough practice, you'll be able to use telekinesis like it was a part of your body." Bernard said as he followed his grandson.

"Do you think I'll be able to use it to fly?" Zeph had been thinking about using magic to fly for a while. He just didn't know if he needed wind magic or telekinesis.

"Certainly, but that would require releasing a stable flow of magic power to keep yourself afloat. You also don't have enough magic to sustain the spell that long."

"Sweet, so I just need to increase my magic reserves."

Bernard sighed. He started to remember when he learned flying magic. "Before you get ahead of yourself, wait until I prepare a big room with a soft floor. Then I'll help you practice flying."

"Can you fly?" Zeph climbed over a fallen log, as they continued to walk into the woods.

"Of course." Bernard floated over the same log and landed next to his grandson.

Zeph watched in awe, "Awesome, how come you don't fly all the time?"

"Silly boy, would you run everywhere you go?"

"No, that would take too much energy and effort."

"Exactly." The old man nodded, seeing the understanding appear Zeph's face.

"It won't be to tiring if my TK doesn't take up a lot of MP. All I gotta do is practice," he said with determination.

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"I wonder why he does that." She couldn't understand why Zeph made up weird nicknames and used initials.

"It's a way for him to feel in control since the way he talks is one of the few things he has complete power over."

Alex and Bianca turned their heads slowly toward him. They looked at him like he was a pigeon wearing a scuba mask and flippers.

"I mean he probably thinks it sounds cool," he shrugged and looked at Bianca, "It's a guy thing."

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