Zeph Malston: The Aether Mage

Saturday morning saw a brief break in the stormy weather. The clouds still covered the sky, and the ground was still wet. Zeph was sitting in an open area of the lab. Rin was a short distance away staring at him. With a wave of his hand, Zeph shot a small gust of wind at the kitten. She reacted quickly and blocked it with one of her own. Like this, a boy and his cat practiced wind magic.

Rin was getting better at controlling wind attributed magic, and watching Zeph use it as well helped her. She was starting to cast it faster and easier. Zeph thought it was a shame that familiars didn't use magic like a mage could. They couldn't use spell formulas and had to design spells from scratch, and had to move the magic in their bodies a different way.

Spell formulas were weird this way. To a person without enough magic, it would just look like a bunch of shapes and gibberish. But if the person had enough magic and talent, they could somehow understand what the spell formula was trying to say. Bernard said that it was a natural phenomenon and that the arcane gibberish communicated sensation and feeling directly to the mind. He told Zeph that he'll teach him to write out spell formulas later.

Zeph had spent the week training with Rin and practicing his transformation ability. Rin meowed happily when Zeph grew cat ears and a tail a few days ago. He started using this imitation shifter form to play with Rin, because she enjoyed it so much. At first, he had trouble shapeshifting because he used a constant supply of magic to do it. After three days of practicing with no results, Zeph finally asked Bernard for help with understanding his ability.

The old man agreed and took an in-depth look at the testing data. He made some interesting discoveries about the boy's shapeshifting ability. Bernard said that shapeshifting shouldn't be as difficult for Zeph as it had been. After all, his new aether clothes and his kitten didn't take any extra effort to transform and maintain. So, they ran some tests comparing Zeph's body with the other aether of the kitten and his clothes.

It turns out that the reason for the heavy burden to his magic and body was Zeph himself. Rin and his clothes were keeping their form without needing any maintenance or extra magic. Though he did give Rin magic to help her grow. He just willed them to change shape and they did. However, Zeph was controlling his body with refined magic to make it shapeshift. Bernard pointed out that he didn't do that when making Rin. The old man compared this type of control to moving his arm and fingers with magic instead of his own muscles. Zeph just needed to change his body the same way he did with the aether that wasn't connected to him.

He didn't like it at first, because his body felt alien to him when he shapeshifted using that method. His grandpa said it was because he was disconnecting his soul from the aether to give it commands, and then linking it back up to use it as his body. That also led Zeph to try and link his clothes with his soul. It was weird feeling having a sense of touch from his shirt. He also tried it with Rin and was able to see through her eyes. She had no idea when he did this either. So he could spy on the kitten and she would never know. After practicing all week, Zeph was able to shapeshift without using any mana at all.

He had been walking around with cat ears and a tail all morning to celebrate mastering his shapeshifting ability. As a result, Rin tried to get him to meow. When Bernard wasn't looking he scooted closer to the kitten and gave it a soft "Nyaa." Rin's laughter echoed in Zeph's mind. The two spent the rest of the morning having fun with magic.

A few hours later, Bernard finished at his workstation. The old man walked over to find Zeph and saw two 'cats' playing with wind magic. He waited for one of their little games to end before he caught Zeph's attention.

"Come here son, I've got the new prototype ready." Bernard held out a simple looking emerald pendant. They had been working together to invent this new gadget, and their relationship grew closer in the process. He had to stop himself from laughing as Zeph's ears twitch and his tail wag.

"Sure gramps, just a moment," Zeph told Rin they were done with their telepathic link, and she nodded with a small meow. Then she went to a cat bed that was prepared near Bernard's workstation.

"Here you go," Bernard handed the pendant to Zeph. "It should be capable of creating an interactive two-dimensional hologram, but the three-dimensional projection is proving to be a little tricky."

"That's still pretty impressive. You sure work fast." The boy put the necklace on and linked it with his tablet. After a minute of configuration, the floating image of a racing game was projected in front of Zeph. He held his hands out touching the image and was actually able to steer the vehicle. "This is so awesome."

"Extremely so, and this technology has a wide range of applications. I think you'll have a decent amount of spending money once we distribute this new technology." Bernard was observing the invention and taking notes on its performance.

"What do you mean?" Zeph continued to race, paying half attention to what his grandfather was saying.

"This was your idea, and you also helped me invent it. Therefore you own half the rights to the invention. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of companies that will pay for the rights to use this technology."

"Wait, so I'm going to be rich?!" The car on the floating screen spun out and crashed into a wall.

"You were already rich. Remember, you're my grandson and heir to the Malston estate. Now you're richer. I'll forward your shares of the profit into your bank account that we set up last month."

"Awesome, now I won't have to ask for money if I need anything."

"Since I'm providing for your living expenses, all of that money is yours to do with as you see fit. Have fun with it, but also be responsible."

"I'll definitely have fun with it. It's just going to be strange being rich so suddenly."

"As I said, you were already rich."

"I know, but it didn't really sink in. Come to think of it, my room is pretty sparse. I should probably buy some stuff. I wonder what I should get." The Image on the projection changed, and an online store appeared. Zeph started to browse through the entertainment section. "The latest gaming system looks cool."

Bernard laughed, and let the boy enjoy himself. The old man went to his workstation to finalize the doc.u.ments he would submit to the patent office. Rin hopped up on his desk when he was writing wanting some attention, so he stroked her with his off hand while he worked.

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A beautiful blue luxury car was driving through the streets of Asperitus. It belonged to Ronan Phillips. He and his granddaughter were approaching the end of their long journey. They had been driving for a week to visit his old friend Bernard Malston. An airboat would have been faster, but he wanted to spend time with his granddaughter and take her sightseeing. She was having fun on their road trip so far.

"Are we almost there yet?" Liliana was looking out the windows, watching the people pass by.

"Soon, do you want to stop for lunch before we get there? If I remember correctly, there should be a wonderful burger place nearby." Ronan looked at his granddaughter to see her reaction.

Liliana's eyes lit up and she nodded. She loved fast food, but her parents never let her eat it. Evan and Genevieve Phillips were exemplary nobles. They loved helping people and didn't discriminate against commoners, and they believed that a noble had to act a certain way to act as an example to others.

"Why can't dad be cool like you, he never lets me eat junk food."

"Don't be too hard on your parents, they love you very much. Besides, coolness sometimes skips a generation." Ronan gave her a mischievous smile. Then he drove towards Manaburger, a fast food chain that used meat from cows raised on magical plants.

Fifteen minutes later, they were dining on the finest hamburgers Andronath had to offer. Ronan ate slowly, as eating at this particular establishment brought back fond memories. Liliana was basking in the wonderful taste. She had eaten a hamburger on rare occasion, but this was the first time she ate at Manaburger. After finishing her burger, she vowed to eat everything on the menu one day.

"See, I told you. The best burger in Andronath." Ronan leaned back in his chair.

"You're right grandpa, it was great. I'm definitely coming back here." She started to eat her fries and thought of a question. "Grandpa, did mom and dad really have to change my school because of me?" There was a gnawing feeling in the back of her mind that the situation was more complicated.

"I'm not going to lie to you. Beating up that Kravich brat didn't help."

"Danarian had it coming. He was acting like a little jerk and made fun of our family." Liliana crossed her arms in frustration, remembering the annoying idiot. "The Kravich family has a long history of trying to bully others. I just wanted to let him know how it felt.

"I know dear, I know. Other than that, there are some things going on behind the scenes. The political situation in the capital is complicated right now, and your mom and dad didn't want your studies to suffer because of it."

"So they're afraid some people might threaten me or something to make mom and dad follow along with their agenda." Liliana may be a child, but she was still raised as a noble. Political intrigue was par for the course.

Ronan could only sigh at his granddaughter's insight. "Yes, your right. There are organizations in the dark, making suspicious moves. Right now, there are a few noble families that are secretly in league with them. Unfortunately, there isn't any proof. So, we can't take any legal action."

"What kind of organization, I thought that we didn't have any enemy countries and Andronath is very prosperous right now. I can't think of a reason why a rebellious organization would be made"

"I don't know my dear, but I do know that it's best for us to stay away from the capital for now."

Liliana finished the rest of her lunch in silence, deep in thought. After they were done, the two got back into Ronan's car and drove to the Malston Estate. The driveway was surrounded by a well-maintained lawn, and patches of colorful flowers decorated the grounds. There was a beautiful fountain in front of the house. It was a nice looking home, nothing as lavish as the noble residences in the capital. She was also surprised by the lack of guards and security.

"Grandpa, why doesn't Mr. Malston have any guards? For that matter, there wasn't even a gate at the entrance to the grounds." She waited for an answer because her question caused her grandfather to chuckle for a bit.

"My dear, the Malston family is one of the oldest living families of mages around. Their members are powerful warriors, and their inventors are unparalleled geniuses. Just because you don't see any defenses, doesn't mean they don't exist. We passed by over twenty defensive barriers and magic formations, and those were just the ones I could sense."

Liliana's eyes opened wide in surprise. "No way, I couldn't feel anything. She looked around to see if she could try and discover the formations and barriers."

"Don't underestimate my friend. The Malston family may be thought to be near its end. But now that Bernard has revealed his grandson, the situation has changed. One Malston is worth dozens of those so-called 'nobles' that you'll find in the capital." Ronald remembered some of the crazy things Bernard was able to pull off when they were younger.

"I don't believe you, grandpa is one of the most powerful sorcerers alive." She didn't want anyone to disparage her family members, even if it was her grandfather."

"Don't be upset. Besides, being a sorcerer doesn't mean I'm automatically better than a wizard or summoner. It's just a category of mage, not a ranking." Ronald ruffled his granddaughter's hair. "And even though I've won a lot of fights in my time, I never managed to win one over that old rascal.

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Zeph's ears twitched and his tail stood on end. His new cat ears heard someone ring the doorbell. These new body parts were really coming in handy. The super hearing was really useful, and his sense of balance had never been better. Everybody should have a tail. He picked Rin up and looked for his grandfather. Bernard had already left the lab when Zeph wasn't paying attention. A beep alerted him to a new text message.

-Our guests have arrived. You better make yourself presentable.- The old man added a winking emoji.

-Sure thing. I'll be there in a moment.- Zeph's ears and tail melted back into aether and merged with his body. Zeph also changed his outfit from shorts and a t-shirt to the silk dress outfit he made a few days ago. "C'mon Rin. Let's go make a good first impression."

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