Chasing the Sun III
Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2024 8:18 pm
Chasing the Sun
Ash 2nd, 123rd Year, A.o.S.
"Well now, doesn't that look a bit more pure." His sentinel companion observed now that Lykos could relax his neck and upper shoulders. Having spent as much time as he had with keeping the Aetherite's aether intact, he considered himself lucky that the first few tests did not trigger the dragonshard. Voidrillium was exceptionally dangerous as well as rare, far more volatile than the imitation of Obtenebrum he thought to create earlier.
"It wasn't easy, and this was just a taste of what's to come." He realized as he carefully considered the Abjinurium's condition. This was also another dragonshard that proved to be rare, so he could not imagine there being a surplus of such high-grade products at the Arx Rubrum Petram. He'd already used a considerable amount for the Cold Room as it were... Therefore if he had to, he would have to create lodestones if he needed to. Scrivening them with tasks would be simple and easy, it was their durability he had to consider when it came to the operation. Come the moment of truth when the time finally came, he'd be prepared with whatever grade of Abjinurium they could provide.
"Best to keep at it." The lupine demigod came to admit as the veil of the sentinel slightly tilted in response. Perfection wasn't made until one could perform with precision, so Lykos would endeavor to hone his control over the cleansing process. Whether the Abjinurium dragonshard would reach a breaking point or not, the Lord of Frost would see to it his reach within aether was refined. Thus, Lykos positioned his hands close to the Aetherite once more, reluctant to tempt fate again but determined it for the better. The Void itself would not let go of Athalia so easily, and it was just as well that he make this next attempt something worth doing right.
At least he had a bit of knowledge on the art now, enough to know that he could not only siphon out aether, but relocate it into another foci instead of just himself in turn. What he really needed to learn though, was how to properly cleanse and restore aether within a subject. That meant trying out a bit more with the Abjinurium while it still had an effective charge, but also testing the limits of the dragonshard to see how much it could take before cracking apart entirely. When his chambers darkened once more the whispers grew closer to his ears, except Lykos ignored them as he cut off the aether he fed through his Nyx rune.
The Aetherite once more turned into Voidrillium, generating a sinister violet glow as small arcs of energy sparked from it. The lupine demigod quickly retracted his hands, ready to cast out his aura in the event a chain reaction were to spur. Thankfully though, neither he nor his sentinel companion were on the verge of being zapped by the shard today. "Are you certain this is still safe?" The watchman inquired as he continued to observe the dragonshard, while Lykos brought his own hands together to forge an anchor within his palms.
"Truthfully? I had thought this a sound concept before I started all this... But seeing as I've learned how to turn Aetherite into Voidrillium? I'm afraid safety isn't as guaranteed as I thought." He looked over from his hands as lights shone out from the cracks of his palms and fingers, the wolf determining little to no change in the sentinel's demeanor even with his honesty. He could've very well stopped Lykos if he wanted to, confiscated the Voidrillium and taken it somewhere within the citadel. But he didn't, instead his veil seemed to remain directed to the demigod.
"Rest assured, I don't intend on blowing either of us up by doing this. I've my own personal wards already instilled as you no doubt already can tell," Lykos expressed given the fact he always had a few Negation wards layered on his aura, "and while I did not expect the Voidrillium I have taken into account the aetheric composition nonetheless." Not without it doing a bit of damage beforehand if anything did happen, but Lykos believed he could certainly mitigate it if something did occur. Besides, the sentinel was observing with Semblance eyes all the same.
Probably another reason why the man had yet to make any other moves or remarks. With the anchor created though, Lykos allowed it to hover out next to him, the glistening orb of magic faintly humming in the presence of the Abjinurium. Aether remained layered on his hands though, and the lupine demigod coaxed that with the same ward he instilled into the anchor. Upon touching the Abjinurium dragonshard, the properties of the Magebane flared to life beneath his touch. Tethers of aether danced outward and around the surface of the crystal, as the wolf fixed his attention on the Voidrillium shard he created once more.
This time he wasn't just going to risk lacerating the crystal lattice with his aether, instead, he needed to find an effective way of coaxing it out to synchronize with his own. Already Lykos wondered just how much of this had been a good idea, or a bad one, now that he'd gotten thoroughly involved with the process of purifying the Aetherite. He knew it would take a lot of tries, and an intense fortitude with patience, just to get where it was he wanted to be with this experiment. Very gently did he move his hands near the Voidrillium, and pause with hesitance once he felt the forces within responding to his aether. Sparks of aether cackled within the air around the dragonshard, leading him to hold his breath for a moment, before he exhaled softly with another slow move of his hands.
The contact of his skin on the Voidrillium sent an intense wave of jolts through his hands, which led him to pull them back earnestly with a few shakes to reduce the sensations. Keep calm. There isn't any urgency with this, just keep trying to harmonize your aetheric signature with the aether in the stone. It was just like he practiced earlier, coaxing aether to a degree where he could siphon it elsewhere. Once more he tried to cautiously prod the Voidrillium, his fingers receiving another vibrant jolt as he only pulled them back halfway this time. Lykos refrained from letting himself feel frustrated by this reaction. He knew the volatility of Voidrillium shards, he knew that one wrong error would do more than just spur a catalytic reaction.
And so, he gradually reached a point where he grazed the surface once more, and allowed traces of his aether to linger over the Voidrillium shard. That's it, he encouraged himself mentally as his fingers started to finally touch the stone, harmonize the frequencies and then manipulate them both. Admittedly aether had become interesting to him in that regard, not just because of the fact it remained the source of everything, but that aether in general gave off different frequencies depending on how one observed it. Semblers and Kineticists could trace visual patterns with it, and Mesmers could hear the sounds that aether gave off.
But as a Negator, Lykos had learned not just how to reinforce the state of things with aether, but how to attune his aether to harmonize with other signatures. Lacing his aether over the Voidrillium gradually, Lykos guided the tethers of the Abijurium with his other hand, coaxing them to merge with his aether before channeling them into the wards on his hand. The Voidrillium continued to sizzle and spark but so far, no threatening signs of imminent explosions from the dragonshard yet. He hadn't channeled the aether within though, and while he feared the possibility of what might happen, he still knew the same risks would apply to Athalia when he did this to her. Gradually reach in. Find that boundary like before... and convert the aether back to its original state.
A far simpler act thought out than officially done, but Lykos had managed to achieve it earlier with just the Abjinurium stone. This time as the tethers laced into the stone from his fingertips, the jolts barreled through his hands and wrist in waves, causing the demigod to clench his jaw as he bore through the painful sensations. He kept a steady hand on the dragonshard as the tethers seeped into the lattice of the crystalline structure, willing them to pause when he felt the surges rise from the Voidrillium in his fingers. It was a lot more painful than he expected it to be. Lykos could only imagine how painful it might really get when he did this to Athalia, or any other living creature he wanted to purify in this manner.
It's going to take some extra scrivening work when I attempt this. He realized as the tethers finally laced their way to the center of the Voidrillium, the chaotic signatures within finally starting to harmonize with his own aetheric frequency. Slow and steady though, remember that the process of conversion has to happen naturally. Invasively taking control with his aether would've only spurred further violent reactions, and being divine aether at that, it would've likely been a heavy catalyst to set off the Voidrillium. Already the sparks sizzling off the crystal started to die down a little, the glimmer of the Voidrillium blinking a little as he began the process of extraction.
Siphon it out with ease, transfer the essence of the Void elsewhere. Almost self-consciously did his Anchor react to the thought, the shimmering orb levitating down toward his warded hand near the knuckles. As he felt the corrosion flow through the tethers and into his warded hand, the jolts from before turned into a wicked burning sensation that he nearly winced at. Already his fingertips blackened from the energy that coursed through them, before the anchor above started to siphon the rest of it into the core of its aetherial composition.
Gradually the light of the Voidrillium turned back into the brighter hues of Aetherite once again, and the pain in his right hand died down much after the energies were siphoned into his anchor. Lykos observed the physical damage done to his fingers as a result, determining them numb but still usable for the most part. The burns the aether created would heal over time as well, since his demigod powers enabled him to slowly regenerate also. As far as mitigating risks went, he felt that was about as good as he would be able to do. "An interesting set of experiments." The sentinel commended of him as he looked from the Aetherite to his anchor, likely wondering what Lykos would be doing with that now that the essence of the Void lingered there.
"Agreed," he admitted with a lift of his damaged fingers, "there's still quite a bit of practice to go..." As he expressed this Lykos channeled more aether through his anchor, instilling a ward that was tasked with completely nullifying the essence within, to see if he could restore the anchor just as well as he did the Aetherite.
Slowly but surely, the essence within began to dissipate from the anchor.
Ash 2nd, 123rd Year, A.o.S.
"Well now, doesn't that look a bit more pure." His sentinel companion observed now that Lykos could relax his neck and upper shoulders. Having spent as much time as he had with keeping the Aetherite's aether intact, he considered himself lucky that the first few tests did not trigger the dragonshard. Voidrillium was exceptionally dangerous as well as rare, far more volatile than the imitation of Obtenebrum he thought to create earlier.
"It wasn't easy, and this was just a taste of what's to come." He realized as he carefully considered the Abjinurium's condition. This was also another dragonshard that proved to be rare, so he could not imagine there being a surplus of such high-grade products at the Arx Rubrum Petram. He'd already used a considerable amount for the Cold Room as it were... Therefore if he had to, he would have to create lodestones if he needed to. Scrivening them with tasks would be simple and easy, it was their durability he had to consider when it came to the operation. Come the moment of truth when the time finally came, he'd be prepared with whatever grade of Abjinurium they could provide.
"Best to keep at it." The lupine demigod came to admit as the veil of the sentinel slightly tilted in response. Perfection wasn't made until one could perform with precision, so Lykos would endeavor to hone his control over the cleansing process. Whether the Abjinurium dragonshard would reach a breaking point or not, the Lord of Frost would see to it his reach within aether was refined. Thus, Lykos positioned his hands close to the Aetherite once more, reluctant to tempt fate again but determined it for the better. The Void itself would not let go of Athalia so easily, and it was just as well that he make this next attempt something worth doing right.
At least he had a bit of knowledge on the art now, enough to know that he could not only siphon out aether, but relocate it into another foci instead of just himself in turn. What he really needed to learn though, was how to properly cleanse and restore aether within a subject. That meant trying out a bit more with the Abjinurium while it still had an effective charge, but also testing the limits of the dragonshard to see how much it could take before cracking apart entirely. When his chambers darkened once more the whispers grew closer to his ears, except Lykos ignored them as he cut off the aether he fed through his Nyx rune.
The Aetherite once more turned into Voidrillium, generating a sinister violet glow as small arcs of energy sparked from it. The lupine demigod quickly retracted his hands, ready to cast out his aura in the event a chain reaction were to spur. Thankfully though, neither he nor his sentinel companion were on the verge of being zapped by the shard today. "Are you certain this is still safe?" The watchman inquired as he continued to observe the dragonshard, while Lykos brought his own hands together to forge an anchor within his palms.
"Truthfully? I had thought this a sound concept before I started all this... But seeing as I've learned how to turn Aetherite into Voidrillium? I'm afraid safety isn't as guaranteed as I thought." He looked over from his hands as lights shone out from the cracks of his palms and fingers, the wolf determining little to no change in the sentinel's demeanor even with his honesty. He could've very well stopped Lykos if he wanted to, confiscated the Voidrillium and taken it somewhere within the citadel. But he didn't, instead his veil seemed to remain directed to the demigod.
"Rest assured, I don't intend on blowing either of us up by doing this. I've my own personal wards already instilled as you no doubt already can tell," Lykos expressed given the fact he always had a few Negation wards layered on his aura, "and while I did not expect the Voidrillium I have taken into account the aetheric composition nonetheless." Not without it doing a bit of damage beforehand if anything did happen, but Lykos believed he could certainly mitigate it if something did occur. Besides, the sentinel was observing with Semblance eyes all the same.
Probably another reason why the man had yet to make any other moves or remarks. With the anchor created though, Lykos allowed it to hover out next to him, the glistening orb of magic faintly humming in the presence of the Abjinurium. Aether remained layered on his hands though, and the lupine demigod coaxed that with the same ward he instilled into the anchor. Upon touching the Abjinurium dragonshard, the properties of the Magebane flared to life beneath his touch. Tethers of aether danced outward and around the surface of the crystal, as the wolf fixed his attention on the Voidrillium shard he created once more.
This time he wasn't just going to risk lacerating the crystal lattice with his aether, instead, he needed to find an effective way of coaxing it out to synchronize with his own. Already Lykos wondered just how much of this had been a good idea, or a bad one, now that he'd gotten thoroughly involved with the process of purifying the Aetherite. He knew it would take a lot of tries, and an intense fortitude with patience, just to get where it was he wanted to be with this experiment. Very gently did he move his hands near the Voidrillium, and pause with hesitance once he felt the forces within responding to his aether. Sparks of aether cackled within the air around the dragonshard, leading him to hold his breath for a moment, before he exhaled softly with another slow move of his hands.
The contact of his skin on the Voidrillium sent an intense wave of jolts through his hands, which led him to pull them back earnestly with a few shakes to reduce the sensations. Keep calm. There isn't any urgency with this, just keep trying to harmonize your aetheric signature with the aether in the stone. It was just like he practiced earlier, coaxing aether to a degree where he could siphon it elsewhere. Once more he tried to cautiously prod the Voidrillium, his fingers receiving another vibrant jolt as he only pulled them back halfway this time. Lykos refrained from letting himself feel frustrated by this reaction. He knew the volatility of Voidrillium shards, he knew that one wrong error would do more than just spur a catalytic reaction.
And so, he gradually reached a point where he grazed the surface once more, and allowed traces of his aether to linger over the Voidrillium shard. That's it, he encouraged himself mentally as his fingers started to finally touch the stone, harmonize the frequencies and then manipulate them both. Admittedly aether had become interesting to him in that regard, not just because of the fact it remained the source of everything, but that aether in general gave off different frequencies depending on how one observed it. Semblers and Kineticists could trace visual patterns with it, and Mesmers could hear the sounds that aether gave off.
But as a Negator, Lykos had learned not just how to reinforce the state of things with aether, but how to attune his aether to harmonize with other signatures. Lacing his aether over the Voidrillium gradually, Lykos guided the tethers of the Abijurium with his other hand, coaxing them to merge with his aether before channeling them into the wards on his hand. The Voidrillium continued to sizzle and spark but so far, no threatening signs of imminent explosions from the dragonshard yet. He hadn't channeled the aether within though, and while he feared the possibility of what might happen, he still knew the same risks would apply to Athalia when he did this to her. Gradually reach in. Find that boundary like before... and convert the aether back to its original state.
A far simpler act thought out than officially done, but Lykos had managed to achieve it earlier with just the Abjinurium stone. This time as the tethers laced into the stone from his fingertips, the jolts barreled through his hands and wrist in waves, causing the demigod to clench his jaw as he bore through the painful sensations. He kept a steady hand on the dragonshard as the tethers seeped into the lattice of the crystalline structure, willing them to pause when he felt the surges rise from the Voidrillium in his fingers. It was a lot more painful than he expected it to be. Lykos could only imagine how painful it might really get when he did this to Athalia, or any other living creature he wanted to purify in this manner.
It's going to take some extra scrivening work when I attempt this. He realized as the tethers finally laced their way to the center of the Voidrillium, the chaotic signatures within finally starting to harmonize with his own aetheric frequency. Slow and steady though, remember that the process of conversion has to happen naturally. Invasively taking control with his aether would've only spurred further violent reactions, and being divine aether at that, it would've likely been a heavy catalyst to set off the Voidrillium. Already the sparks sizzling off the crystal started to die down a little, the glimmer of the Voidrillium blinking a little as he began the process of extraction.
Siphon it out with ease, transfer the essence of the Void elsewhere. Almost self-consciously did his Anchor react to the thought, the shimmering orb levitating down toward his warded hand near the knuckles. As he felt the corrosion flow through the tethers and into his warded hand, the jolts from before turned into a wicked burning sensation that he nearly winced at. Already his fingertips blackened from the energy that coursed through them, before the anchor above started to siphon the rest of it into the core of its aetherial composition.
Gradually the light of the Voidrillium turned back into the brighter hues of Aetherite once again, and the pain in his right hand died down much after the energies were siphoned into his anchor. Lykos observed the physical damage done to his fingers as a result, determining them numb but still usable for the most part. The burns the aether created would heal over time as well, since his demigod powers enabled him to slowly regenerate also. As far as mitigating risks went, he felt that was about as good as he would be able to do. "An interesting set of experiments." The sentinel commended of him as he looked from the Aetherite to his anchor, likely wondering what Lykos would be doing with that now that the essence of the Void lingered there.
"Agreed," he admitted with a lift of his damaged fingers, "there's still quite a bit of practice to go..." As he expressed this Lykos channeled more aether through his anchor, instilling a ward that was tasked with completely nullifying the essence within, to see if he could restore the anchor just as well as he did the Aetherite.
Slowly but surely, the essence within began to dissipate from the anchor.
"Dialogue" Monologue
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan" "Vastian"
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan" "Vastian"
