Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 19 - Distance Test (Part 2)

In the previous episode:

Elaru and Kiel start to test out how far apart they can be. Kiel contemplates the changes to their soul and Minds brought by the Aetherneal bond.

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The first unexpected anomaly appeared when Elaru passed the 5 km mark. Kiel suddenly felt a sharp stinging pain in his heart. His breath hitched in his throat, his pupils dilated.

After the initial spike, the pain dulled, leaving behind only a slight stinging sensation and an uncomfortable chill traveling down his spine.

Was it caused by a soul tendril snapping? Kiel couldn't be sure, however, as the distance grew, the stinging pain periodically reappeared, sharper every time.

Soon, the previous chill turned into a full blow discomfort that he couldn't quite explain. It didn't feel like physical discomfort, rather, it felt similar to nervousness or panic, maybe even fear.

Larger the distance between them, the more uncomfortable they felt. It grew unbearable to the point of feeling like an itch you just couldn't scratch.

Kiel's aura became so pitiful that it was just as bad as when he was a non-mage. The feeling left a bitter taste in his mouth. Never again! He never wanted to revert to being a non-mage. Even though he knew that this state was only temporary, the fear lingered, slowly eating at him from inside.

The periodic stinging pain increased in frequency along with the distance until the pricks of a needle turned into full-blown knife stabs. His senses dulled, trying to keep the pain from interfering with his bodily functions.

As the state of their body became harder to bear, it started affecting their concentration and impacted magic weaving and control. It was becoming unstable, as if one was trying to write with a shaking hand.

Quickly, their abilities started degrading until they reached an ability expected from an average mage at the distance of 8 km. Even controlling the magic felt difficult. It felt as if the spells that were supposed be like their own limb fell asleep, turning numb.

"Something isn't right." Kiel frowned. "Even if our body was in a worse condition, even if we were in more pain, our magic abilities shouldn't be taking such a large hit."

"You are right." Elaru sighed dejectedly. "The problem isn't the state of our body. Our Mind is getting less mana as well."

Kiel's eyes widened in realization. The body wasn't the only thing that needed mana to survive!

His Mind, the ethereal projection of his consciousness, the embodiment of what made him who he was, the part of him that perceived the world and thought about it, the part that weaved mana and controlled the spells - it was sustained by mana!

Usually, the Mind would be glued to the flat side of the soul, where tendrils didn't grow, and would constantly suck mana directly from the soul. However, Aetherneal bond changed that. His soul and Mind were no longer in direct contact. His soul was who knows where, and his Mind was now rooted in his arm – right where the mark of the Aetherneal bond was situated.

Elaru told him previously that the mark was linked to the soul, and it would transfer mana to him. This mark, was a proxy, a substitute for the soul. That was probably why his Mind had switched its target to the mark.

As he observed the mark, he noticed that the amount of mana it released was constant. It did not change in any way with the distance.

That was a good thing. However, Kiel's expression darkened.