Chapter 36: Fabricating a Solution

                                    

                                          
ARTHUR LEYWIN
In the endless void that is the mindscape of the Keystone, I find myself staring out into nothingness over and over. As I try my hardest to focus on Crawn's teachings, I can't quite grasp the magnitude of what I'm doing in here. It's been well over a month that I've held my hands out and attempted to will the aether around me to manifest itself as a permanent object with the properties of my desire. 
'Go figure, princess... poofing things into existence like God is hard,' Regis mocks. 
I don't need this from you right now, Regis. If you're going to talk to me then give me a little extra brainpower to process what the hell it is I'm trying to do here. 
'No can do, princess. This is your fight, not mine. It's fun to watch the mythical "Godkiller" struggle sometimes. It reminds me that you're mortal and fallible. Please continue to be humbled by your ineptitude.'
Fine then.
I forcibly push Regis out of my core and dump his puppy form on the ground with a yelp.
"Hey, you effeminate bastard! I'm just speaking the truth. It isn't like you aren't going to get the hang of it eventually anyway. Keep in mind that only a couple of seconds have passed outside. My taunting should only be a catalyst for you to hurry the hell up," Regis grumbles as he curls up at the base of Crawn's workbench. 
"Quite the companion you have, Dynasty. It's a shame you're taking him with you. I'd like to see how he works," Crawn jeers as he pokes Regis on the head with a chisel. 
"I am not your science experiment, you old fossil. Neither of us knows how I can use aether. Hell, it's already an anomaly that Arthur has a whole core of it. It's just an extension of his will," Regis groans. 
"Indeed. It's quite the anomaly. I've never seen a specimen like him. We've had some who had more influence than others, but never someone who could overpower the will of aether itself. You're a prodigy among prodigies. I'm sure you hear that a lot though, don't you?" Crawn asks. 
"Unfortunately, yes. I'm tired of hearing it by now. Maybe take into account that I'm nearly sixty and have had training in more than one universe. Then again, you're only one of ten people that know that, Crawn. I can't bring myself to tell most others for fear of how they'll look at me. At least the people I care about have accepted it. I wish I could have heard the words of affirmation from my father. I know my mother says he accepted me, but I never got to hear it in person," I answer. I killed the fun and boisterous mood, but even if it wasn't intentional, I'm not mad. I need all the focus I can gather. 
As Crawn's teachings have been going, I've been instructed to envision the functionality of what I'm trying to create first, then the form. He's demonstrated it countless times in front of me but watching him do it and me do it are two wholly different things. 
"So, Crawn... when you're attempting to influence the aether to create something, are you exerting any amount of willpower?" I ask as I take a seat in frustration. 
"Absolutely not. Djinn wouldn't dare try and exert their will over aether. We revere it. It's effectively our deity, not those damned asuras out there. A Drasea clan Djinn wields aether with varying calibers of effectiveness. It's more or less dependent on your affinity. I know you typically attempt to dominate the aether around you, but try and be nice. Ask it instead of commanding it, and maybe you'll have better results," he advises. 
Be nice... sure.
Reaching out to the connection I formed with the will of aether before I came to this zone, I attempt to speak directly to it and simply ask instead of directly challenging it. If aether truly has a will of its own and yields to no one -except me- then I guess Crawn is right in saying this is a more viable strategy.