The air in the chamber was cool and heavy, scented faintly with burning incense.The young master stepped forward through the open doorway, his small feet echoing against the marble tiles.
The room was vast — circular, domed — a miniature sanctum built deep within the manor, used only for rites of Ether. In the center stood a great black stone resting upon an elevated pedestal, its surface smooth and veined with faint silver lines that shimmered faintly in the light.
By the entrance stood his mother, calm and regal as ever. Her gaze locked onto him the moment he entered.He froze.
For a heartbeat, every trace of anxiety and curiosity bled from him. Her eyes had a way of doing that — grounding him, stripping him of every restless thought.
The Guidance
"Come closer," said the old lady, seated opposite the pedestal, her serpent coiled lazily behind her.
Levan, standing near the far wall, folded his arms.
"Do exactly as she says," he told his son evenly. "Nothing more. Nothing less."
The boy looked at him — steady, serious — and nodded.
"Yes, sir."
He walked forward.At the pedestal, he bowed slightly.
"Good afternoon, Grandmother."
Agaria smiled faintly, her voice a whisper of age and grace.
"Good afternoon, grandson."
Sarah's golden eyes flicked open as her body uncoiled, now a far smaller form that could fit within the chamber's bounds. Her voice echoed faintly from the air around them.
"Greetings, young master."
He nodded politely.
"Now," said the old lady, "step forward and place your hand on the crystal. Do not force your Ether into it. Listen. Let it speak. You must not act — only react."
The boy hesitated.
Don't use Ether?
The idea felt wrong. His Ether had always been his sense of balance, his silent rhythm. Living without it felt like trying to walk without legs.
He swallowed, uncertain.
The old lady placed a wrinkled hand on his shoulder.
"Do not think too much, child. The more you try to control it, the less it listens."
He took a deep breath, nodded once, and placed his right hand upon the stone.
The Contact
Cold.A depthless cold.
It wasn't the chill of air or stone — it was a silence that seemed to pull at his heartbeat.He shut his eyes.
It is not Ether.It is not Ether.It is different.I must listen.I must not speak.I must not act.
He recited the lines from the book Lady Rhea had made him read — "The Balance of All Things."The same passage that taught him stillness through contradiction.
I must listen, not lead.I must follow, not command.
And then — it came again.
[Mind's Eye]
The words flashed somewhere deep inside his head, faint but familiar — like a memory waking from sleep.His fingers twitched.
I see it…Mind's Eye…
He whispered the words aloud without realizing it.
And the chamber answered.
The Awakening
The black crystal flared — veins of violet light ripping across its surface like cracks in glass.Lightning-like tendrils of purple energy streaked outward, wrapping around his arm.The entire pedestal began to hum.
Levan stepped forward instinctively, his voice tense.
"Hold steady—!"
The young master's eyes opened.
For a single breath, everything was colorless. Then his right pupil flared — the bright blue of his eyes vanishing into black, with a burning violet hue at the center, pulsing like a storm.
Purple Ether spiraled up from his arm, coiling in arcs of energy that snapped against the air.
Elara's hand flew to her mouth.
"Levan… his eyes…"
The boy stood there motionless, still touching the crystal, the aura of the storm fading slowly back into stillness.
"Magnificent," whispered Sarah, her golden pupils slitting with delight.
The serpent's coils shimmered faintly, the reflection of violet light dancing in her scales.
"So this… is what it means to see."
[End of Chapter 16 — The Eye of the Crystal]