Ancient Pasts - Tbate

Relic Solved

Cathan Leywin Pov

Since Rahdeas got imprisoned, I've been torturing Uto and him every day for information regarding the Alacryan troops and how Rahdeas communicated with the dwarves.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at the relic in my hand. I could see the amount of aether hidden beneath the plain surface. It was now the second month since I started studying the Djinn relic, and so far, I've made no progress.

I studied the flow of mana within my body. The mana spread evenly throughout my body, allowing my body to survive. My draconic body relied on my mana core to survive rather than the other way around.

The cuboid relic in my hand was heavier than it looked. Anyone would think it's just a rock, but it felt like there was something yelling in my mind, telling me it wasn't.

Taking in a deep breath, I imbued mana into the relic. Darkness. Complete and utter darkness. That was all I could see. It reminded me of when I reincarnated, but I knew it wasn't even close to that.

I could sense something change within this black void. Looking around, I spotted what seemed like a pillar of pure light. No, it resembled a human. The figure shifted slightly, and for a moment, I saw dozens of silhouettes move in every direction.

"Ge-N-l." The figure spoke, its voice distorted.

It was only a moment, and I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating or what, but the figure said more than one thing at the same time. It called my name, announced its respect, and even asked me to head to the training grounds.

What did this mean? The word that I understood the most was General. The others were becoming blurrier and blurrier with each passing sentence, but they always continued repeating with a different variation.

What was this relic trying to guide me towards doing? These relics don't contain the knowledge. They are mere compasses that lead to what we are trying to achieve.

What was this knowledge? What was its goal? Why is it that knowledge bestowing upon me this power? What edict of aether is this? Vivum? Aevum? Spatium? Why is it helping me? Why is it obeying-

It's not obeying me! Aether and mana are nothing alike. Mana fills the world with life, it is forever changing, but aether creates the world around us. It never changes. Aether will always remain the same after each change, no matter how big.

Aether is sentient. It is a living being, a curious and sentient being. Comparing it to mana would be an insult. We cannot manipulate aether, but let it guide us using our intent and will.

Taking a deep breath, I stopped trying to manipulate aether. I let aether respond to my intent and let it guide me. The purple particles of aether that were invisible a few moments ago were now visible and moving around this black void, filling it with another color.

"General." The figure spoke again. This time its voice was that of a young girl, maybe a maid in the castle?

'Remain vigilant. Do not focus on the future, present, or the past.' A calm, wise, old, and at the same time young voice stated.

Suddenly, something pulled my consciousness from the relic dimension. I toppled over, kneeling on the ground. My breathing was hitched and erratic, with sweat covering my entire body. Standing in front of me was a young maid.

"G-General, a-are you okay?" The confused maid asked.

I could only reply with a pained scream as an unbearable pain enveloped my hand. I looked down at my hands to see spellforms forming on the palm of my hands. They lingered for less than a second before the runes disappeared from view. I could feel the runes slithering like a melting snake of iron before trailing up my back and pressing against the sides of my neck.