Zeph Malston: The Aether Mage

Full of excitement due to his success, Zeph decided to kick things up a notch. He grabbed the pair of scissors from earlier and gave himself a haircut. A Few moments later, the small metal looking ball increased in size. Using what used to be his hair, Zeph managed to make the ball a little bigger than his fist. He was over the moon with joy. It finally felt like he was truly in a magical world. The smile never left his face as he continued to change the shape of the silvery substance. First, he changed the ball into a cube, then a pyramid, and then finally back to a sphere. This cycle continued as he tried to gain a firmer grasp on his ability to manipulate the Aetherite.

Bernard had finished his phone call and had been in the room for a few minutes. He was going to talk. But after seeing the fun Zeph was having, he decided to just quietly go to the monitoring equipment. The results were pretty good. It seemed that the boy was able to manipulate the matter with increasing prowess as he continued to practice. Once and a while, he would have to stop himself from laughing. Zeph's absurd new short haircut and childish behavior were very funny. He would move his hands as if trying to shape the substance from afar. It was like he had an invisible chunk of clay in his hand and he was trying to make shapes with it. All the while, a silly look of concentration was on Zeph's face.

Paying no mind to the occasional chuckle from the corner of the room, Zeph continued his practice. After an hour and a half, the Aetherite was changing between shapes near instantaneously. The focus needed to change its forms was almost negligible now. Satisfied with the results, Zeph decided to speak to Bernard.

"So, what do you think Bernie?"

"I think you're doing quite well. In fact, the monitor shows that the flow of magic in your body is becoming much smoother. It seems that this practice doesn't just improve your control of Aetherite, it also helps with your control of magic in general."

"This day just gets better and better, so do I keep going?"

"Yup, but let's take it up another level. I want you to imagine more complex shapes. Try animals, plants, or something more difficult than simple shapes. Oh, wait! Before you do that, come here. I have to fix that hair or I won't be able to take you seriously for the rest of the day," Bernard said as he picked up the scissors.

While getting his hair cut for the third time today, Zeph began to ask some more questions. "Is Aetherite a living metal, because it seems like it only takes on a silvery metal gloss whenever I change its form?

"Well, you can consider it a living metal I guess. It's able to take on the properties of just about any material you can think of. I think it's your perception of its metallic nature that's causing it to only turn into metal objects."

"If I focus on turning it soft and fluffy, would it become a pillow then?" Zeph asked with a hint of expectation.

"Hypothetically it could. In all honesty, you are made of the first batch of Aetherite that I've made, so the full functionality hasn't been explored yet. Wait, are you having trouble sleeping? If you need more pillows, all you have to do is ask. I have a bunch more in the hallway closet."

"No, the guestroom is fine; I was just thinking how cool it would be to have a pillow whenever I want. Then I would be able to take a nap wherever I want." Zeph smiled at the thought.

"That's kind of odd," Bernard said with a slightly puzzled look.

"Well, I was just imagining going on a picnic. You know how sometimes you get sleepy after eating too much? It would be great to just bring out a pillow, lie in the field, staring at the clouds, and take a nap."

"That does sound pretty good." Bernard had to admit. "Anyway, you should be able to turn your Aetherite into whatever you want...I think."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Zeph stated whimsically.

"Well, I can't guarantee anything. After all, it and you are still experimental. If you want my advice, you should use the magic-practicing methods you learned last night. Your control over your own magic extends to control over Aetherite.

"OH! I completely forgot about that. I still have all that information in my brain. That reminds me, why don't I know all the stuff I learned last night? I mean I 'know it', but it feels like I have to look for it. It's not there at my beck and call. Argh, it's hard to explain." Zeph was thinking of a proper way to express himself.

"Oh, I see what you're getting at. Well because you didn't 'learn' in the traditional sense, the information isn't integrated into your knowledge base. So you know them, but they don't act like they're part of your memory. If I had to compare it to anything, it would be like a library in your head. The information is there, but you have to actively look for it. From there you can slowly integrate the information over time. It will take some time for you to know it like the back of your hand. But at least you're not clueless. You just have to make a conscious decision to remember information. Oddly enough, the language Learning Gems seems to work just fine."

"That sounds complicated," Zeph said frowning.

"More than you know, but hey it's a shortcut. Now you don't have to go to elementary school to get the basic information of the world." Bernard stated while putting the finishing touches on Zeph's hair.

"True, I don't recall school being fun in my last life. I doubt much has changed from there to here."

"I don't know about that, at least I had a great time going to school," Bernard said while dusting off Zeph's shoulders. "That ought to do it." He stated satisfactorily while handing Zeph a mirror.

Zeph held it up to look at his reflection. His once long unkempt hair was now parted at the left side and cut short. It emphasized his youthful nature. He had to admit that it looked pretty good.

"It's not bad Bernie, not bad at all. So where did you learn to cut hair?" Zeph asked.

"I figured I'd cut my own hair instead of wasting time waiting for a barber. I've got to take care of myself, experiments to do and all that."

"Ah, I see." Zeph had to admit, the old guy was pretty well put together. He had a dignified appearance, clean-cut white hair, and a short well-groomed beard.

"Now that you don't look like a fool, let's get back to the testing. It will only take a couple more hours. Then we'll stop for lunch, and after that you can relax while I go over data." Bernard smiled.

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Zeph was now relaxing in the guest room. He decided that after lunch, it would be best to start his training. In the end, the most complex shape he was able to form was a dog. It started out roughly shaped but grew a little more detailed. There were the eyes, ears, and mouth, but fine details like fur were missing. It looked like a figurine from a board game. Zeph thought that he hit his limit because he lacked magic control.

Sitting in a meditative pose, Zeph started looking through the information on magic practice that was embedded in his brain. Step one was to feel the mana in the air. If he remembered correctly, Bernie said that the mana was unrefined magic. It took a few seconds, but he noticed it. The mana felt like a mist gently c.a.r.e.s.sing his body. Step two was to feel the magic within. That was easy; he'd been doing that all day. Step 3 was where it got difficult. He had to get the two energies to interact. That took an hour, but Zeph developed a new sense. The feeling, from when he was moving the Aetherite earlier, helped pave the way for his mind to create a magic sensing ability. Now he could move on to step four.

The air in the room started moving. It gently swirled around Zeph's body, as he began to fuse the magic in his body with the mana in the air. The next step required him to refine the mana until it was just like magic in his body. It was rough at first, but he could feel himself getting used to the process. After over ten minutes of practice, he was able to move into step six. Now he had to take the newly refined magic and circulate it through his body. That part was tough. He noticed that magic in his body usually flowed on its own without needing instruction, but the newly refined magic didn't want to follow suit. He took time to will it to go with the flow. He was amazed at what he was sensing in his body. The new magic flowed through his body invigorated his blood, muscles, and flesh finally becoming magic power. Every part of him was drinking this new influx of magic like a thirsty man in the desert. It felt almost euphoric. Zeph lost himself in the new sensations.

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