Alcaeus Indrath

Tomb

Alcaeus Indrath

Did I faint?

I remember being in a room with Sis and Rinia.

Its as if I closed my eyes, and the scene changed.

Right now, I was staring at a lone platform surrounded by darkness. 

My feet were on a meter wide floating surface.

Instinctively, I willed Aether into my feet and tried to jump to the wider platform.

But to my surprise, my body didn't move an inch. My feet seemed to be stuck with the toughest of glues.

I retracted the Aether back to my core, and I could move.

Whoever designed this place is a creep.

The sensation I got when I couldn't jump despite using my full strength, was sickening.

But without jumping, how am I supposed to get over there?

I tried to take a step forward, and sure enough, almost fell into the night.

Then, I coated my feet in Aether again. Only this time, it wasn't to jump, but to walk on nothingness.

I felt my toe hit a hard surface, so I leaned forward. But the moment I did, I fell. 

Fortunately, I managed to cling onto the thin platform I was on and climb back up.

Fuck, that gave me a scare.

But I didn't hallucinate the part where my feet held on.

I tried again, and again, and again.

Eventually, I figured out that a very specific amount of Aether needed to be applied to create a footing. If I went slightly lower, or slightly above, I would fall.

Control and precision was the key here.

After numerous tries, I was able to take two steps.

Happy at my achievement, I looked up. The next platform was more than five feet away. The worst part about that was if I lost control and fell, there wouldn't be an edge for me to cling to.

And I wasn't too keen to know what awaited me at the bottom.

I considered retreating back and practicing more. But this is a chance.

I don't know why I am here, or how I got here. 

What I do know, is that just taking two steps has increased my control over Aether. Its better responding to my wishes. If I could get to the point where Aether felt like mana....

If I retreated now, I would lose a major motivation. 

I would lose fear.

So I pressed on.

A third step, a fourth, and a fifth. 

Never before have I had to focus this much. If I lost concentration, I was dead.

Eventually, I was just one step away. If I fell, or leaned forward, I could still hang on with my hands.

But I didn't gamble. 

As calmly as possible, I took that last step. 

I fell forward onto my hands and took a deep breath.

Once the relief vanished, I realized exactly how concentrated I was. Rather, I didn't even remember the last time I took a proper puff of air.

Purple spots, Aether, came together to form the next platform. This one was over twenty steps away.

I tested the first step, and sure enough, it required a different amount of Aether than the previous path.