Aleph lies slumped over a soft cushion, a perfect picture of lethargy under the gentle blue of her current living space. Rhythmic thuds echo the walls as Didi tosses a rubber ball against the ceiling, Goldy finding some form of distraction in watching the orb rise and fall. A dull calm fills the room, the very air feeling bored under the persistent nothing of their current state until a loud bang shatters the silence, light filtering through the open door and around the heavily built figure who shambles in and clutters into the soft carpet below, raising one arm towards the monkey. "You're up." The elf murmurs into the ground, arm falling limp to the ground as Goldy nods and stands to leave.
"How's your training going?" Aleph queries the weary elf, his face barely turning enough for a legible reply. "It's been days and I feel like I've made no progress. How can it be so hard to hold a single piece of paper in place?" "Oh! You're doing the paper test? I forgot that existed. Such a cute idea." Fluffy looks up at the dragon, a flash of curiosity in his eyes. "Have you done it before?" "I don't think so? I've never needed to, at least as far as I can remember." A hand slides down, pulling a wrinkled sheet of white from a pocket and tossing it in the air towards the dragon. "Try it now. Maybe it'll give me some inspiration."
"I just hold it in the air, right?" The page halts, all momentum arrested as if frozen in time, held still by the minute layer of Aether which passively surrounds her. "You don't even move..." "Why would I need to move?" "I don't know... Isn't it cooler if you move or something?" Huh... Good point. I should really start putting some flair into my Aether skills. Aleph raises her tail, swiping it in a wide arc above the paper as Aether pulls it straight, tugging away every crease and wrinkle to leave it flawlessly flat. "How was that?" "Hmm... Could maybe do with a bit more cause and effect." I guess this gives me something to do while we wait.
Through the eyes of a golden student
Gol Dhee surfs a violent torrent, surrounded by a deluge of fluid stone on all sides, his foe nowhere to be seen. Colour warps and blends into a homogeneous mass of surging patterns built from the chaotic turbulence of the storm, fists of white sinking in and pushing at the currents to keep him afloat. "What is Gol Dhee?" Nila quizzes, their tempest unrelenting. There must be an answer they seek. Something for me to realise. Yet each time we train I feel no closer. What meaning could my name hold? Have I misunderstood its intent? "Gol Dhee is a golden ape! A warrior! A former king!" "Incorrect. You search for meaning in the wrong direction." What do they mean?! His palm slips, white fading back to gold as he loses himself to the riptides around him. "That is enough for today."
Through the eyes of a scraggly pupil
Rip! "Again." Fluffy sighs, taking hold of his next sheet to inevitably be torn as he suspends it in the air and begins walking around it. Rip! "Again." "Is this really all there is to this training?" "Were you expecting different?" "I don't know... Maybe something more immediately useful?" "Training Aether is very unlike training Mana. The latter values perspective and understanding. The former demands precision and technical skill. This is the best method we have found for training ae'noo. The most basic of techniques. You wish to know its utility? Here..."
Nila raises a sheet of paper to the air, the film wavering under the grip. "Cut it." With a shrug, Fluffy lifts his blade from its sheath, throwing a swift yet relaxed blow to rend the sheet in twain, bursting it away with a force of wind and letting the pieces flutter listlessly to the ground. "That was held using your technique from the day you arrived. Now try again." Another sheet is lifted, and another swing peeling apart the air. This time, the edge is halted, stuck within the tight grip of a rigid plate of paper. "This is your technique as of current. Put simply, this improves your strength. And acts as the fundamental groundwork from which all other techniques should be built upon."
Through the eyes of a shiny learner
Snap! A blur is formed on a wide field, directed in a straight line towards a large opposing figure of dense, black scales and leaving behind a wake of upturned earth. Crystal legs are swung to the front, landing against an outstretched paw with a loud crack! Her body vanishes, appearing a short distance back as she twirls and lands with a flourish, her humble, blue dress rippling with the winds. "You're getting better, but still too much force. You broke my leg again." Ah, damn. I really thought I had that one.
Through the eyes of a confident seamstress
"Red this time?" "She wanted red. Apparently blue just isn't good enough for her." "That makes sense." Thin threads are spooled from rapidly cooling liquid, soaked in a thick crimson fluid, then wound together into an intricate mesh of fabric. Tiny claws grip and sew the fabric faster than a blink, the gentle yet rapid motions gradually forming a contiguous sheet, wrapped and warped into itself. Minuscule navy blue legs dip into the fluid, mixing in new hues for the fabric to shift towards. "Add a little more magenta for me." "Ah, of course."
"Say, you're on the surface now, right?" "Hm? Yea. The latency with my other bodies sucks from down here though." "Latency? I don't get anything like that. If I did my eyes would likely die a few layers up since I need to control them from here." Threads are wound over the fabric, patterns woven in and loose shapes pulled taut. "Blue next." "You really like blue..." "That a problem?" "No, definitely not. Why do you get latency though? Are you controlling with your original like me?" "No, my bodies are independent." "Then, what about your soul?" "What about it?" "Where is it? Just in your original? Or spread across all of your bodies? Do you have multiple souls?" "I... don't know." I'm definitely one being. But do my secondary bodies have souls? I figured I just communicate with Mana, but... is that true?
Stolen novel; please report.
Through the eyes of a violet freeloader
Dark scales cut through the wind, a spectacle of shimmering keratin pulling attention as a long tail points up. "Is this your card?" The tail flicks, a rectangular piece of paper adorned with a detailed depiction of a crimson ouroboros seeming to spin into being at the tip. The clatter of palms, crystal, and fur periodically clapping together speak in response, eight cyan eyes scrutinising the card. "Yep. That's the zero of fire alright. The same one you folded and hid just out of view behind your tail." "Damn... I thought I had it this time." Aleph thuds her tail against the soft carpeted floor, the card swinging listlessly in the air before gently gracing the ground. "Hey, it's only been a few eightdays. You'll get it eventually."
Through the eyes of a golden warrior
"What is Gol Dhee?" "I am Gol Dhee." "Are you?" "Am I not?" "You are close. Yet you have still not quite grasped the question." A swirl of flames surrounds the monkey, bursting forth with the limits of his strength and pushing at the boundaries of his capabilities. "Can you not simply tell me?" "Knowledge differs from understanding. You must grasp the concept with your own meaning. Not ours." Flame peters out, replaced by the frigid bite of wind, moisture collating into a snowstorm within his grasp. "Keep in mind it is not us you must answer, but Mana. Mana knows not who commands it. That is for you to declare. Now declare it." Golden eyes peer inward and outward, something flickering within them, a different hue of himself poking into reality.
Through the eyes of a scraggly swordsman
Swish! A blade eats the air. Bang! The air bites back at the space left behind. Wind swirls under the ceaseless barrage of swipes and jabs, each swing caught or deflected by the elegant touch of a pure white hand. Two sheets of paper hold steady behind each combatant, the occasional lunge of a blade or strike of a palm attempting to reach the guarded objects. Fluffy throws his entire body into a strike, momentum twisting through every fibre from the pivot of his foot, to the swerve of his hips, and the wide arc of his arm. The atmosphere is torn by his heavy fang, yet nothing more is struck, his opponent leaping over the strike. His mouth is thrown open by surprise, as well as the force of a swift foot grasping at his unruly scraggle to throw him to the floor.
"This is our win again. You've improved a lot. Your paper did not even waver." Nila reaches over the crumpled elf to snag his paper, tearing it in declaration of victory. "You really don't hold back, do you... You'd probably get along with my master." Fluffy stands, grooming the rustled patch of fuzz back to... being just as scraggly. "This master of yours... We do not know of one such as them. If they are as you describe, you should find them. They would make a powerful ally." "If we stop by the north I'll look for them. Whether I find them is... pure chance at best."
Through the eyes of a shiny demon
"Didi..." "Yes?" "I normally don't mind what people wear, but..." Diala looks down at her new dress, a fountain of red and purple frills which overflow in a grandiose display of rippling curves and extravagant decor. Faux flowers form a ring around the waist, fabric showering down in layers of frills leading to a long skirt which trails the ground. "Is it weird? I think it looks nice." "That's not what I'm talking about. Can you fight in that?" "Definitely not." "Well?" "I'm starting to see your point." "..." "..." "Let's call it off for today. You've improved well enough already."
Through the eyes of a dragon
"It would seem everyone is here. How lovely to see you all again!" Nila stands at the edge of a ring drawn into the pristine white floor, walls of seamless steel surrounding the dimly lit room. The group rest on the other side, Goldy and Fluffy stood side by side while Didi and Lyly sit atop Aleph. "We have received the remainder of the stone held by Mun's pet. You may take it." A pink gemstone, covered in cracks and seemingly glued together, is flung at the dragon to be caught between her fangs and swallowed. "The others are beyond our reach from here. But we can send you to where we believe the next will be. The journey is one way however. So this shall be our farewell."
A pale spider with black eyes appears on Aleph's head, meeting the gaze of the perch's primary occupant. "Lyla. It was a pleasure to finally meet you. We know not what exactly you seek. But you are strong. In many ways. You will find it." The spider vanishes upon the rude gesture thrown in response, a crystalline demon appearing eye to eye with Didi in its place. "Demon. We still do not know your term of address. The views of those on the surface differ to those held within our domain. We advise caution, especially with humans. They have much war in their history. Many involving demons. We also like your dress." "Thanks!"
Crystal skin gives way to ethereal black fur, stood in front of a golden reflection. "Gol Dhee. Your training has come a long way. And you will improve more in the days to come. Hold more confidence within yourself. And once more... What is your name?" "Gol Dhee." "What does Gol Dhee mean?" "Gol Dhee means I. My being defines the name. My history, my strength, my nature. This is what defines Gol Dhee." "Correct." A consolidation of identity. Are they priming him to form an anchor? A neatly dressed elf appears in mirror to the green-eyed swordsman, scraggle appearing to somehow be a little more chaotic than the original. "Fluffy. The way you use Aether is absurd. Abnormal. Perhaps even sacrilegious." "Hey..." "Yet there is something to it. We have taught you the fundamentals. Something the revered one proved inadequate in doing." Hey... "Teach yourself from here. Adapt your skill. We expect you may create something new. Perhaps something unknown to even our gods."
A dragon appears before Aleph, deep, black eyes peering from between pristine white scales. Wings folded behind, legs holding the form tall and proud in a stance far more natural than Aleph's own. "Revered one. We await the day you return to us complete. Beware of influence from the angels who seek your harm. And be wary of the ancient one. We know not why, but they are not the same as they once were. Perhaps the young one would know." Two dragons bow, the pale figure vanishing between thoughts and leaving behind a sphere of warped space, grey stone speckled with grass and precipitation in place of the pristine floor.
The golden stars, not associated with gods but instead a symbol of the angels. Due to their uniformity it is difficult to distinguish the individual ones from each other, though it is known that they all appear to remain fixed over the location believed to be Osalaleus. Despite this, one gold star stands out. A celestial body only known to be present during the times surrounding the great wars of the gods. The giant sta-
[Record stricken by angelic interference]
