In this world, humans are not as efficient at manipulating aether as beasts are, so to compensate they rely on the "Nexus." A mysterious, omnipresent god-made creation that allowed Weavers — people capable of wielding aether at will — to be born.
The Nexus granted to all living beings born in the world a "Seed" in their souls. If they managed to make it sprout, the previous unfathomable concept of wielding aether at will could become a reality.
In order for this to happen, they first had to feel and trigger a connection with the Divine Nexus through its ethereal threads, which were responsible to establish the connection between their souls and the Nexus.
By doing so, they would become Sprouted; the previous stage before becoming a Weaver.
To perceive these ethereal threads, people had to achieve insight by training their aether perception, or in other words: meditation. Though this link could — rarely — be created randomly on people with zero insight.
There are also gifted individuals who, whether they were born of powerful Weavers or by just mere luck, could easily awaken at a very young age, harvesting abnormal powers.
However, just as there are gifted people, there are also… not so gifted.
And Reygar seems to be one of these unlucky ones.
"What the…? Where did that voice come from?... I'm hallucinating already?"
He shook his head.
'It doesn't matter. That thing… had a point. I have to keep up.'
Rey paused and inhaled deeply. "I won't give the Nexus, the gods, or whatever they are, the pleasure of victory."
The next morning, Reygar stood in front of a simple yet well-maintained white stone building. He grabbed the doorknob, stepping inside. The floor was made of uneven rock, as well as the rough walls. The lighting, however, was not.. suitable for what a place like this should have.
As Rey walked forward he passed by the half-filled bookshelves, which were scattered around the room. He headed towards a corner where a gray-haired woman was busy arranging books on her desk. She looked quite healthy and energetic for her actual age.
The librarian turned as she heard the approaching steps, her face lighted up when she saw who entered. "Well, well… Have you finally decided to put some work into your studies, boy?"
Alena, the local librarian, was in charge of teaching the kids and teens of Luria. Almost all other small towns and villages in the region shared this same rudimentary education system due to lack of resources to maintain proper schools.
Reygar swallowed his retort. "Good morning, Miss Alena. I came to ask if you have any material about soul diseases… related to the Nexus Seed, if possible."
The librarian raised an eyebrow.
"...That's a pretty specific and unusual request… is everything alright at home, Rey?"
He sighed and shook his head in denial.
"You know this priest who came yesterday? We went to the church for a free check-up and… found out why I'd never made progress with my aether perception… It was because of my Seed… It has a strange anomaly according to the priest. Meaning I will never sprout it in this condition. So I was wondering if you have any information about seed-related diseases, anomalies or anything."
Alena's eyes widened. "That… explains a lot. It's not normal to gain zero insight after all that training." She frowned, deep in thought.
"I have something, albeit it's not much, but don't worry; I'll contact a friend from the capital who might be able to shed some light on this matter. Just wait for a few days, okay?"
A sincere smile tugged Rey's lips. "Thank you a lot, Alena… Really, It-"
She gently interrupted him with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, boy. That is the least I could do. Besides, I felt bad seeing you depressed when you were trying so hard to establish a connection with the Nexus… It's unfair for hard work not to be properly rewarded."
Rey nodded happily. Then, he asked again:
"By the way, Alena, I'll take the history book again; I've been owing you some pending homework for a while now."
The corners of her lips lifted into a smirk. "Good, don't abandon your studies, Rey."
At midday, following his usual laps around Luria's outskirts — the first cardio he had done in ages — Rey felt utterly exhausted. Still, that didn't stop from pushing himself, so he sat at his desk to study after a well-deserved bath.
He picked up a book and looked at its cover, which read: "History of Astannor."
Flipping through some pages, Rey began to review some basic knowledge:
Astannor is the most populated and diverse continent in the known world. It is also the westernmost of all. Due to its large size and cultural diversity, Astannor is divided into three subcontinents and a peculiar central region.
The largest and most outstanding region of this continent is Western Astannor,homeland of the Illustrious Calanor Empire, built around its mythical and prestigious capital city, Calan. The heart of civilization.
Lying to the east, Dastannor is famous for the ruins of its ancient civilizations and for being the cradle of democracy. Its architecture is defined by its sun-drenched coasts, marble, smooth ashlar stone, and clay-tiled roofs. Dastannor borders all other regions, holding the only land connection with another continent.
Located at the far north of the continent, Vaskamor is isolated by its extensive mountain range, plateaus and seas. This caused the region to be the last to be colonized. However, it has experienced a population boom thanks to the hard work of the Vaskamorian people who managed to flourish in this cold land.
Lastly, amidst these three subcontinents, lies unperturbed the region known as Elowen; a mysterious, perilous and boundless woodland mass teeming with beasts and savages.
Flips
All these regions are delimited from each other by mountain ranges, rifts and seas. And these last ones are the main actors in this part of the world; The Central Seas. They are the veins of civilization, thriving with commerce, transport, and illicit activities as well, serving as one of the principal hubs of civilization around the world – if not the most important one in all Loran.
The Central Seas also separate Astannor from its neighboring continents of R'kassia to its south, and Askara to the east.
'Yep, knew this already.'
Pondering, Reygar's gaze snapped to a shelf in the corner. He got up, walked over, and pulled away the cloth covering an eye-catching hardcover book. 'There you were — The Principles of Aether — the book I thought I'd already returned to Alena.'
He sighed. "Hopefully she won't get that mad when I return it to her… Anyways, I should review it while I have it. It's been a while since I studied magic theory."
Rey lingered for a moment before sitting, then looked down. 'Is there any point in doing it? Considering I'll probably never sprout…'
'...Ugh.' He cut off his own thoughts with a shake of his head. His azure eyes were full of determination, prompting Reygar to speak aloud: "Be it the gods, the Nexus or fate itself; Screw you."
With a resolute expression, he opened the book and flipped through.
Aether is an omnipresent energy that permeates all life. This includes not just people, animals, and insects, but also elements like water, plants, earth, fire, wind — everything is brimming with aether.
'I need to find something that can give me a clue.'
Forty minutes passed as Reygar engrossed himself in his arduous study session. He leaned back on his chair, rubbed his forehead and began processing the fresh knowledge.
'To sum up, what mundanes do once they establish the link with the Nexus is nourish their Seeds with aether from this very same connection with the Nexus — The Nexus threads… But what about doing it with the surrounding aether that supposedly is everywhere? Why can't we do it that way?'
Grumbling, Rey stood up and put the book away. Then he sat cross-legged in a corner of his room.
He inhaled deeply as he closed his eyes in concentration. 'Here we go again.'
It had been a long time since Reygar's last attempt at inner training. He had developed a rejection for this practice due to all the wasted time and the frustration it had caused him.
But all that was in the past, and Reygar would not let this wall remain unclimbed. Not anymore.
After four long, exhausting hours of mental struggle, Rey achieved the incredible feat of… nothing.
His eyes snapped open, fury burning in his blood-burst veins as he screamed furiously, "Dammit! I knew this would be a waste of t-" He suddenly halted when he was about to punch the room's wall.
His eyes were no longer full of fury, but of surprise.
Deep inside him, he sensed a faint heat that suddenly surged, but only for a split second. It left him perplexed because it felt exactly like the sensation he remembered in that vivid, strange dream, when he fell into the void of the lone white mountain just before it ended.
'...?'
Rey blinked several times, his breath caught in his throat. "How?… It can't be like that nightmare." As wild theories ran frantically through his head, a loud bang exploded from his door, startling him into a jump.
There, grabbing the handle tightly, was a furious Eleanor dressed in a grey nightgown.
Realizing he had screwed up, Rey just put on a sheepish grin while scratching his neck.
Banned from doing an all-nighter, he was forced to sleep… though with some bruises.
The next morning, he woke up sore but managed to do his new morning-training routine. He even added a few push-ups to his laps around town. Slowly but surely, he began to recover some physical condition.
After a post training-bath at home, Reygar went to visit Alena at the library and told her about what he had experienced last night.
"Interesting… by what you described, that sensation you felt seems to be the same as what the sprouted feel when they channel aether into their bodies. But of course, you aren't a Sprouted, so this is… truly strange."
Alena bent down and picked something from her desk, then placed it on the nearest table. "What a coincidence that yesterday, while searching and cleaning through an old shelf, I found this. I thought it might be useful to you."
He saw a sturdy, dusty book, whose cover read: "Residual Aether Theory"
"I had almost forgotten about this theory, but seeing this book refreshed my memory; It explains how all mundane living forms have the tiny yet real possibility to interact with aether." Reygar's eyes widened at those last words.
"R-Really? Is that really possible?"
The librarian looked at him, and a few moments later said: "It could, or it could not. I can't assure you since there are no known or confirmed cases… that I'm aware of. But if you think about it, how else could those ancient stories and legends of mages and warriors take place, before the existence of the Nexus? Maybe they were capable of wielding aether naturally, just like beasts can."
Rey's eyes were wide open. Alena smiled and handed the book to him. "Don't get so excited, kid, or I'll feel bad if you end up finding nothing useful… which is the most probable thing to happen."
Her face suddenly changed as she started to ponder, rubbing her chin.
"You know, this theory could be probed if mundanes were in the presence of an abundant source of aether, such as Nexus node. But of course, those are so scarce and few that only those high up in the social hierarchy have access to them." Following another reflexive pause, she extended her hand forward. "What about this?"
A small shower of white sparks emerged from Alena's hand, materializing into a pristine crystal flask full of water.
Reygar's eyes at this point were so open that they could pop out at any moment.
Alena chuckled, "Stop that, or you'll hurt your eyes. Never seen a Weaver invoking an artifact before?"
"...Yes I did, my uncle is one and I often hunt with him. I'm just surprised because I never suspected you were a Weaver! Why did you never tell me?"
She shrugged.
"You never asked."
Frustrated, Rey rubbed his temple. "No! What I should be asking is… What is a Weaver doing here in a small town like this?"
Alena just looked at him, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "The same as your uncle: just wanted a quiet and pretty place to retire… although Duncan is not old enough to retire… Anyways, don't think too much about it."
"Take it." She handed the flask to him. "It won't disappear as long as we don't get too far from each other… I know, it's not very convenient but since you haven't sprouted, I can't bond it to you."
"This… this looks…unique? I guess, but… What am I supposed to do with it?"
"Practice – that is what you're supposed to do with it. Since we don't have access to a Nexus Node, this has to do it. You'll understand when you read the book."
Reygar fell silent for a few moments and then nodded firmly. "So… which elements can you manipulate, how many affinities do you have?"
She laughed. "Questions, questions… I'll only tell you that I'm good with water and the healing branch of it."
Reygar opened his mouth again but she cut him short with a weave of her hand. "Told you, no more questions. Now, go. I have to close this place and get to the Baron's manor for work."
He sighed, a bit disappointed.
"Okay. Thanks for your help."
Alena nodded, a smile spread across her face when her pupil left.