Zeph Malston: The Aether Mage

Zeph was wiping his face with a napkin, "Jeez, I can't believe you didn't tell me that I had whipped cream on my nose," he said while watching Bernard set up some new monitoring equipment. After the shocking display during the end of breakfast, the old guy couldn't wait to get back to the lab. Bernard forced himself to calm down after he jumped from the chair in surprise. He thought he would be used to surprises by now but he still had to force himself to settle down and finish breakfast. As soon as the last spec of food left their plates, Bernard dragged the boy straight to the lab and started setting up for a new test.

"So what are we gonna do today Bernie?" Zeph was patiently waiting for the excited scientist, wait was he a scientist...oh well, whatever. It took a few minutes longer before his patience ran out. "Bernie!" he yelled.

That got the man's attention. "Huh? OH, yes. Sorry about that. Your earlier display showed that you still maintain the ability to stay connected to the Aetherite that composes your body. Unexpectedly, this connection can exist over a distance, and even allows you some control over it. So that's what we're gonna test today. I want to see the extent of your control over the material and the distance that you can maintain it."

"Cool, so how do we start?" Zeph asked finally getting a reply.

"You said earlier that you were able to feel the blood and hair that were separated from your body?" Bernard said with a questioning look. Zeph nodded. Bernard continued, "Was that sensation different than the awareness you have for your current self. For example, are you consciously aware of your limbs or any other body parts in the same way?"

"Not really, they're just there. It doesn't feel like the samples did." Zeph answered after thinking for a few seconds.

"Interesting, let's try something. I want you to focus on the hair on your head. See if you can recreate the feeling from earlier. If you can, try to force it to move." Bernard suggested while moving his way behind a monitor. It was showing Zeph's body on the screen along with a bunch of numbers and graphs.

"Sure, I'll give it a shot." Zeph decided to sit cross-legged on the ground and close his eyes, remembering that this was a pose used to meditate and focus the mind. He began to feel his arms, legs, and his whole body really. But, it wasn't any different than when a person stops to check if they feel any dirt or bugs on their body. Zeph then began to focus on his hair as Bernie said. You're not supposed to feel hair unless you touch it that is. That might be why the old guy suggested hair. It took close to twenty minutes before something in his consciousness changed. It was weird, quite similar to how he felt earlier. The first thing he noticed was the wind blowing across his hair. It was different to when a breeze ruffles through each strand of hair causing the scalp to tingle. No, he could feel the wind directly. It was a breeze created as the air conditioner turned on. The sensation was very odd at first, but he soon became accustomed to it. He noticed that the slight fluttering of his hair felt similar to when he put his hand outside the car window, while it was driving down the road. The scale was smaller of course, but that pressure of the wind and sensation of movement was just as pleasant. A few minutes later, he started to wiggle the hairs in the wind, just like how he used to wave his hand outside the car window to feel the wind moving. It brought back some fond memories.

Bernard was patiently watching the monitor glancing over to Zeph every few minutes. It had been over fifteen minutes since he began meditation. It was getting a bit stuffy in the lab so he decided to turn the air conditioner on and cool the room a bit. Soon after, he noticed that the wind was blowing Zeph's hair in an odd manner. The movement was far too exaggerated. The boy's hair went to his shoulders, so it was too heavy for the light airflow of the air conditioner to move it by much. But instead, strands started to move, as if dancing with the wind. It was fairly odd to watch, but Bernard kept quiet. He realized that the boy had finally managed to make some headway. Then he noticed the contented smile on Zeph's face and decided to just continue monitoring and let him take his time.

It had taken about twenty minutes for Zeph to stop playing with his hair and move on. "What's next Bern?"

"You shortened my name again," Bernie said with his eyes narrowed in an accusatory look.

"That just means I'm happy. I figured out how to move my hair if you hadn't noticed." As if to punctuate this statement, his shoulder-length hair stood up defying gravity and wriggling like he was getting electrocuted. Bernard couldn't help himself this time and laughed out loud.

A minute later, Bernard calmed. "Alright, next we're gonna try something I think you'll find interesting." He walked up to Zeph and cut a lock of his flailing hair with some scissors. "Okay, try to turn this into the silvery liquid that we saw on the table," he said while putting the hair in a dish and setting it on a nearby tray table. Zeph simply stared at the hair for a few seconds, and then boop, it was done. "Good," Bernard exclaimed. "As you know I designed this Aetherite to be multipurpose, able to shift between organic or inorganic material as needed by the user. One of the goals was to give the Valir a tool that could be used for attack, defense, and support. As such, it holds the ability to shape-shift into a form the user d.e.s.i.r.es. The next test is for you to change the shape of this little bit of liquid. Pick a simple object, and see if you can form that. No hurries, just take your time. I'll be in the next room making a few calls. The camera and sensors will record your data."

"No problem. If you don't mind me asking, who are you gonna call?" Zeph asked. The childlike sense of humor urged him to follow up with 'Ghost Busters,' but he decided against it because Bernie wouldn't get the joke.

"Well, I have a friend in the government that owes me a few favors. I actually have a bit of clout behind the scenes because of the prototypes of Aetherite I've developed. It's not as powerful and only functioned as an organic substance, but I had made a synthetic bio-gel. It can be used in the field in order to treat light to moderate injuries. And, in the right circ.u.mstances, it's even able to help soldiers with severe injuries buy enough time to be transported to proper medical facilities. Needless to say, there are quite a few people who owe me a favor. And it just so happens, that one of these people is in a position to help us with your lack of a background."

Zeph looked at him, mouth slightly agape. He was once again reminded how impressive the old guy was. "Okay, I'll let you get to it," he replied before focusing his attention on the little silver puddle in the tray.

"I'll see you soon," Bernard said as he walked out of the room.

The boy nodded, still focusing on the Aetherite goop. He could feel it, make it move, make it ripple, but he was having trouble shaping it. He decided he needed a concrete image in his mind. So, he decided on a ball. Reaching out with his new found senses, he willed the goop to turn round. To his surprise, it was actually working. It was sluggish at first, slowly rising up from the dish and curving. But as he got used to the feeling of control, the liquid in the dish started flowing upward and shaping a ball. Zeph smiled as he walked towards it in order to pick it up. He reached for it with his hand, but once he grasped it, the ball liquefied. Flowing through his fingers, the ball settled back into the dish forming a ball again. Zeph remembered that he had only willed for the Aetherite to form a shape. He completely neglected its solidity. He closed his eyes; it was much easier to connect to the floating silvery ball this time around. He started thinking in his mind 'solid ball, solid ball, solid ball' over and over. Then he reached out his finger and poked the Aetherite. It rolled across the dish. Ha, he did it. Zeph fist pumped in delight. "Oh, yeah whose the master!?" he was talking to the ball on the dish. Bernard heard the muffled shout while he was in the other room, shook his head and just smiled.

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