The Aether's Origin and Finality

Return to Faustland

When I woke up, I was back in Faustland. I was in the center of Faustland's capital for some reason. I felt a sense of discomfort that was something beyond physical discomfort. I understood that this discomfort came from me being a spiritual being in the normal world.

I tried to activate my flight power, and I did it. I flew to my apartment building and called the concierge using the intercom. I explained who I was and said that I forgot my keys last time I left the apartment building. So, she opened the door for me, and I went inside.

Upon seeing me, she was shocked. She said: "Huh? Konrad, what happened to you?" I tried to say that I simply changed my appearance and that there was nothing to worry about, but, she said: "I was watching TV today, and the journalist mentioned that witches can transfer souls between bodies. Is that what happened to you?" I said that technically, it was, and that I lied at first not to concern her. She said: "Oh, I see. Why did the transfer happen?" I explained what happened and why my consciousness had to be transferred. She understood my situation, and helped me get into my apartment.

After that, I decided to change my clothes. I tried putting on some of my old clothes, and they were too big for me. This was unsurprising, as my new body was much slimmer than my previous one. For example, one of my shirts which was previously form-fitting was now baggy. What an inconvenience.

Although, I decided to bear with the inconvenience and put on some clothes. I then went outside and decided to go to a nearby park.

In the park, Makar was sitting on one of the benches. He said to me: "Konrad! Nice to see you again! One question: why do you look almost nothing like yourself?" I tried my best to explain the situation to him. He understood me, and we decided to chat for a while.

After we finished chatting, I decided to take a walk around the park. I came across Olya, Masha, and Natasha, who were talking about something. I approached them, and Olya said: "Huh? Uncle Konrad, is that you?" I said that I was, but that I decided to change my appearance. I didn't want to tell them the true story, as they were too young to understand it. Olya replied: "Don't worry, Uncle Konrad! No matter what, you're still our beloved Uncle Konrad!" These girls were so sweet and kind, especially Olya.

Masha said: "Olya, Natasha, I saw something the other day. I saw it in this park. It was a real-life Cool Veggie! And, no, it wasn't a toy or a person in a costume. It was a real Cool Veggie, for sure! It was hiding in a bush. It hid upon seeing me. It must be a very shy Cool Veggie." Olya replied: "Woah! So Cool Veggies are real!?" Natasha was skeptical. She chimed in: "Girls, calm down. It was probably a toy that someone lost or abandoned. The reason why it looked like it hid upon seeing you is probably because someone grabbed it or the wind forced it deeper into the bush." The other girls were disappointed.

Natasha said to me: "Uncle Konrad, can we go and find that toy and show it to the other girls to prove that it's just a toy?" I agreed to help her find the 'toy'. So, we went around the park, searching in the bushes. We didn't find anything of note. This is until Olya screamed out: "Fire! There's a fire!" and pointed her finger at a nearby location.

I ran towards the location of the fire and found a flame spirit, similar to the one that had guided me through the Aether Realm. Upon seeing me, the flame spirit said:

"I remember you. You are the mortal who was brought to the Aether Realm. I was one of the flame spirits within Lord Atvur's celestial palace. There is something that I'm searching for: Fatara. Fatara have greatly increased in number recently. Have you seen any Fatara here?"

I said that I hadn't seen any Fatara myself, but that some people who I know have. The spirit said:

"So, there are Fatara here. I need to find them and bring them to Lord Atvur. He asked me to bring a large number of Fatara to his palace in the Aether Realm so that he can infuse them into a weapon. After all, Fatara hold great power, and a weapon with a large number of Fatara infused in it will be extremely powerful."