Chasing the Sun
Ash 2nd, 123rd Year, A.o.S.
What he observed had without a doubt stirred wonders in his mind, even with the conflict of his nature at the beginning of all this trial and error. Lykos had learned a lot when it came to this refinement of his purification powers, and while Negation had been at the heart of it, he couldn't help but notice the circumstance of his other runes. In one way or another, they were intricately involved in the process.
For starters, learning to purify poison and toxins took a lot of quick thinking, and identifying what they were at their source took effort. Semblance had been important in approaching this task, but it was also the sight of the Flux that allowed him to see and alter its course. Without these two, his powers wouldn't have been so effective in that part of the process.
But things were entering the realm of complication now. To cleanse Athalia of the Void entirely, Lykos had to be absolutely sure of what he was focusing on, and avoid warding out any other important aspect of Athalia that needed to remain. At the beginning of this, he thought it simple to distinguish, given how ingrained the scent was with her own natural pheromones. To a degree, it would've seemed easy just to consider his refined senses, but to ensure that Athalia would remain truly herself throughout the process?
That required him to fully grasp everything that made her the person she was, and no single person was ever that easy to simplify in general. What's more, when it finally came down to the process of purification, Lykos would have to deeply reach through her with his own aether. To make sure this wasn't invasive, that meant incorporating wards that would reinforce her physical as well as her spiritual presence in the world. All of this would have to be conducted at once, while he still reached into her spirit to find that boundary between her soul and the Void itself.
It would have to be thorough with some precision, which was why studying the effects the Void held on the aetherite shard became so crucial. "What do your eyes see?" The sentinel accompanying him inquired without his veil ever-shifting, though the unmistakable trace of aether still subtly lingered under that hood. Lykos could at least determine that much.
"No doubt the same thing yours see." And what an interestingly peculiar thing to observe, for the very nature of aether within dragonshard had taken on the corrosive qualities of the Void. The energy within the lattices of the crystal had visibly altered in response to the dark element's presence, which in turn generated a sinister aura within the residue of the shard itself. "It's almost beautiful as it is terrifying."
Admittedly, Lykos would've never contemplated the possibility of experimenting on a live subject in this manner. He'd already drawn the line at poisoning hares from the desert, effective as Hilana's trials were with him, so the fact he bore witness to a deep-rooted corruption unsettled him even more. The thought of others enduring this was something he wanted to avoid altogether. "There's not even a trace of the Aetherite's original signature, it's entire properties have converted to Voidrillium."
"Is that not what you were hoping to discover?" Lykos could not tell if that was appointed sarcasm or plain observation of his directive.
"Though I can determine the arcane properties of the shard, I'd hoped to see the conversion process a bit more thoroughly. There was no breakdown or invasive alteration of the composition, the nature of the aether just quickly adapted to the element and took on the corrosive properties." The lupine demigod ruminated from his observation, his gaze narrowing more intently on the shard as he reached for the Abjinurium next.
"So what does that mean, exactly?"
"I can't say with confidence just yet. But to cleanse a toxin from a subject, one must be able to identify important details. Such as what caused the toxicity. Where is it concentrated most? What are the apparent side effects of this toxin? But with this, there is no real trait of toxin within this Aetherite. Simply put, the Void itself is corrosive and affects the material world adversely, therefore, its presence has to be interconnected with the aether somehow." He inspected the Abjinurium with his silvery gaze, the witchmarks of his Negation rune rippling across his left bicep as they swirled across his skin. Of the many things he'd read about Negation from the father of the Vastiana sisters, there had been concepts he'd felt familiar with before...
And then new concepts he was entirely foreign to. Regardless, the research had only fed into his refinement of both his shields and especially his wards. He'd also noticed the few extra talents he possessed himself with the Rune, such as how his shields always possessed a rebound effect with collective energy, and the fact he could also somehow manipulate aetheric properties to an unusual degree. Siphoning aether hadn't been something he planned on doing, and though he could not discredit the idea by trying it on Athalia, that alone seemed far more invasive than what he would be doing already. No. What he wanted to do was cleanse her of it safely, with the guarantee nobody would be injured in the process.
Thus, he laced aether through his fingertips into the Abjinurium, the dragonshard itself nearly revolted before it synergized to his touch. The latent properties within hummed throughout his being then, as he felt the Rune of Negation dance across his skin like the northern lights. The Abjinurium responded. With the glimmer of a star, the dragonshard emitted a gentle pulse in front of him, Lykos' gaze fixed on the aetheric tethers which formed off the stone. The lupine demigod wove his aether through those tethers, urging them to gently lace their way into the aetherite stone before him. Their touch had to be subtle to not overwhelm the aether of the dragonshard, as he did not want to spur an unwanted reaction from the aetherite.
This led to him narrowing his gaze further, his eyes nearly scrunched as he peered deep into the lattice of the crystal. The dragonshard's composition looked to remain compromised, but, if the nature of the shard could be so easily influenced; then he could restore it to the original composition it once possessed. He paused to test the fact both energies of the crystal were close together, before he carefully tasked the ward sent through into the aetherite crystal. Yet the moment he felt the energy from the Abjinurium lapse into the Aetherite, Lykos quick eased the tethers to a near release from the crystal. The lattices were almost chipped from the attempt, had he not noticed the spike in aetherial power within the dragonshard.
The Void would prove resistant to the probing it would seem, making the intricacy of this operation that much more tedious. This is fine. This is good, actually. A sign of what to expect going into this. The wolf assured himself as he started to point his fingers again, giving the tethers a gentle direction once more as the Abjinurium's aether laced slowly into the Aetherite. Just have to keep at it. Find that boundary that separates the Void from the Aether. He knew there was nothing that bound the two, that the aether had taken on the composition after exposure to the element. And while Abjinurium was a bane to many spells, it was also what reinforced the state of aether in turn.
Another spike within the lattice, and he retracted the tethers with patience. No point in getting flustered with the attempts. He didn't doubt he'd have access to more shards if necessary, but Lykos did not wish to blatantly blow through resources for the sake of a risky experiment. If he treated this as though it were the actual operation, then he'd remain patient and careful throughout the entire ordeal. Go deeper toward the source, and find where we can restore that boundary. Another spike. Though this time after the retraction of the Abjinurium, Lykos slowly fed the tethers into the lattice of the Aetherite. He felt the tremors through his Rune of Negation after, and after a moment of a pause, noticed how they lessened in frequency in turn.
Now he was starting to understand. So long as his aura wasn't invasive he'd be able to immerse it with the aether, suffusing it to hone it with the aetheric composition of his subject. This allowed him to reach deep into the core of the Aetherite, and in turn, siphon the corruption out through the tethers. The fluctuation of his ward remained subtle to the dragonshard, and from within its core, the ghastly glow it once possessed gradually shone brighter once more. Where that corruption went though was the troubling part, as he channeled the excess aether through the tendrils and into the Abjinurium itself.
Upon completing this transition the aetheric tethers of his wards broke away, allowing both shards to dim once the presence of his aether faded from them entirely. But the residual energies were still there, the Aetherite's pure state of composition prior the corruption now restored. Meanwhile, the Abjinurium had suffered what appeared to be a crack, although, a glowing dark crack on one side of the shard. Given the quality of both the dragonshards present, he wasn't surprised to see that the outcome was a bit of damage to the Magebane stone itself. It was just like he contemplated before with his siphoning capabilities, the manipulated aether he pulled from had to be transferred somewhere.
If he'd just taken the essence of the Void into himself, then wouldn't he just be empowering his Rune of Nyx? He didn't dare ponder the theory, as he hadn't forgotten the corruption the darkness possessed. And to cleanse Athalia of her connection, that would only tether it to him in return. But with a medium such as the Abjinurium as the foci, and perhaps with some thorough boundaries instilled with his aura, there did exist a chance he might pull this off with succession. He did not wish to get excited over it so quickly, especially given how time-consuming it became, as well as the trial and error with synergizing aetheric energies.
Ash 2nd, 123rd Year, A.o.S.
What he observed had without a doubt stirred wonders in his mind, even with the conflict of his nature at the beginning of all this trial and error. Lykos had learned a lot when it came to this refinement of his purification powers, and while Negation had been at the heart of it, he couldn't help but notice the circumstance of his other runes. In one way or another, they were intricately involved in the process.
For starters, learning to purify poison and toxins took a lot of quick thinking, and identifying what they were at their source took effort. Semblance had been important in approaching this task, but it was also the sight of the Flux that allowed him to see and alter its course. Without these two, his powers wouldn't have been so effective in that part of the process.
But things were entering the realm of complication now. To cleanse Athalia of the Void entirely, Lykos had to be absolutely sure of what he was focusing on, and avoid warding out any other important aspect of Athalia that needed to remain. At the beginning of this, he thought it simple to distinguish, given how ingrained the scent was with her own natural pheromones. To a degree, it would've seemed easy just to consider his refined senses, but to ensure that Athalia would remain truly herself throughout the process?
That required him to fully grasp everything that made her the person she was, and no single person was ever that easy to simplify in general. What's more, when it finally came down to the process of purification, Lykos would have to deeply reach through her with his own aether. To make sure this wasn't invasive, that meant incorporating wards that would reinforce her physical as well as her spiritual presence in the world. All of this would have to be conducted at once, while he still reached into her spirit to find that boundary between her soul and the Void itself.
It would have to be thorough with some precision, which was why studying the effects the Void held on the aetherite shard became so crucial. "What do your eyes see?" The sentinel accompanying him inquired without his veil ever-shifting, though the unmistakable trace of aether still subtly lingered under that hood. Lykos could at least determine that much.
"No doubt the same thing yours see." And what an interestingly peculiar thing to observe, for the very nature of aether within dragonshard had taken on the corrosive qualities of the Void. The energy within the lattices of the crystal had visibly altered in response to the dark element's presence, which in turn generated a sinister aura within the residue of the shard itself. "It's almost beautiful as it is terrifying."
Admittedly, Lykos would've never contemplated the possibility of experimenting on a live subject in this manner. He'd already drawn the line at poisoning hares from the desert, effective as Hilana's trials were with him, so the fact he bore witness to a deep-rooted corruption unsettled him even more. The thought of others enduring this was something he wanted to avoid altogether. "There's not even a trace of the Aetherite's original signature, it's entire properties have converted to Voidrillium."
"Is that not what you were hoping to discover?" Lykos could not tell if that was appointed sarcasm or plain observation of his directive.
"Though I can determine the arcane properties of the shard, I'd hoped to see the conversion process a bit more thoroughly. There was no breakdown or invasive alteration of the composition, the nature of the aether just quickly adapted to the element and took on the corrosive properties." The lupine demigod ruminated from his observation, his gaze narrowing more intently on the shard as he reached for the Abjinurium next.
"So what does that mean, exactly?"
"I can't say with confidence just yet. But to cleanse a toxin from a subject, one must be able to identify important details. Such as what caused the toxicity. Where is it concentrated most? What are the apparent side effects of this toxin? But with this, there is no real trait of toxin within this Aetherite. Simply put, the Void itself is corrosive and affects the material world adversely, therefore, its presence has to be interconnected with the aether somehow." He inspected the Abjinurium with his silvery gaze, the witchmarks of his Negation rune rippling across his left bicep as they swirled across his skin. Of the many things he'd read about Negation from the father of the Vastiana sisters, there had been concepts he'd felt familiar with before...
And then new concepts he was entirely foreign to. Regardless, the research had only fed into his refinement of both his shields and especially his wards. He'd also noticed the few extra talents he possessed himself with the Rune, such as how his shields always possessed a rebound effect with collective energy, and the fact he could also somehow manipulate aetheric properties to an unusual degree. Siphoning aether hadn't been something he planned on doing, and though he could not discredit the idea by trying it on Athalia, that alone seemed far more invasive than what he would be doing already. No. What he wanted to do was cleanse her of it safely, with the guarantee nobody would be injured in the process.
Thus, he laced aether through his fingertips into the Abjinurium, the dragonshard itself nearly revolted before it synergized to his touch. The latent properties within hummed throughout his being then, as he felt the Rune of Negation dance across his skin like the northern lights. The Abjinurium responded. With the glimmer of a star, the dragonshard emitted a gentle pulse in front of him, Lykos' gaze fixed on the aetheric tethers which formed off the stone. The lupine demigod wove his aether through those tethers, urging them to gently lace their way into the aetherite stone before him. Their touch had to be subtle to not overwhelm the aether of the dragonshard, as he did not want to spur an unwanted reaction from the aetherite.
This led to him narrowing his gaze further, his eyes nearly scrunched as he peered deep into the lattice of the crystal. The dragonshard's composition looked to remain compromised, but, if the nature of the shard could be so easily influenced; then he could restore it to the original composition it once possessed. He paused to test the fact both energies of the crystal were close together, before he carefully tasked the ward sent through into the aetherite crystal. Yet the moment he felt the energy from the Abjinurium lapse into the Aetherite, Lykos quick eased the tethers to a near release from the crystal. The lattices were almost chipped from the attempt, had he not noticed the spike in aetherial power within the dragonshard.
The Void would prove resistant to the probing it would seem, making the intricacy of this operation that much more tedious. This is fine. This is good, actually. A sign of what to expect going into this. The wolf assured himself as he started to point his fingers again, giving the tethers a gentle direction once more as the Abjinurium's aether laced slowly into the Aetherite. Just have to keep at it. Find that boundary that separates the Void from the Aether. He knew there was nothing that bound the two, that the aether had taken on the composition after exposure to the element. And while Abjinurium was a bane to many spells, it was also what reinforced the state of aether in turn.
Another spike within the lattice, and he retracted the tethers with patience. No point in getting flustered with the attempts. He didn't doubt he'd have access to more shards if necessary, but Lykos did not wish to blatantly blow through resources for the sake of a risky experiment. If he treated this as though it were the actual operation, then he'd remain patient and careful throughout the entire ordeal. Go deeper toward the source, and find where we can restore that boundary. Another spike. Though this time after the retraction of the Abjinurium, Lykos slowly fed the tethers into the lattice of the Aetherite. He felt the tremors through his Rune of Negation after, and after a moment of a pause, noticed how they lessened in frequency in turn.
Now he was starting to understand. So long as his aura wasn't invasive he'd be able to immerse it with the aether, suffusing it to hone it with the aetheric composition of his subject. This allowed him to reach deep into the core of the Aetherite, and in turn, siphon the corruption out through the tethers. The fluctuation of his ward remained subtle to the dragonshard, and from within its core, the ghastly glow it once possessed gradually shone brighter once more. Where that corruption went though was the troubling part, as he channeled the excess aether through the tendrils and into the Abjinurium itself.
Upon completing this transition the aetheric tethers of his wards broke away, allowing both shards to dim once the presence of his aether faded from them entirely. But the residual energies were still there, the Aetherite's pure state of composition prior the corruption now restored. Meanwhile, the Abjinurium had suffered what appeared to be a crack, although, a glowing dark crack on one side of the shard. Given the quality of both the dragonshards present, he wasn't surprised to see that the outcome was a bit of damage to the Magebane stone itself. It was just like he contemplated before with his siphoning capabilities, the manipulated aether he pulled from had to be transferred somewhere.
If he'd just taken the essence of the Void into himself, then wouldn't he just be empowering his Rune of Nyx? He didn't dare ponder the theory, as he hadn't forgotten the corruption the darkness possessed. And to cleanse Athalia of her connection, that would only tether it to him in return. But with a medium such as the Abjinurium as the foci, and perhaps with some thorough boundaries instilled with his aura, there did exist a chance he might pull this off with succession. He did not wish to get excited over it so quickly, especially given how time-consuming it became, as well as the trial and error with synergizing aetheric energies.
