NOVEL WEB Chapter 14: Contact
After the lecture, we left the classroom and walked down a spiral staircase toward the underground facility.
Noel caught up to me, placing a hand on my shoulder as we descended. "Great job figuring out it was an illusion—and explaining how it came to be," she said with a slight grin.
"Thanks," I replied, glancing back at her. "Oh, and I wish you the best of luck during your first Aetheric Trial."
We continued down the long, winding path, silence settling between us as a sense of nervous anticipation seeped into our bones. The staircase seemed to stretch on forever, as though time itself was slowing the closer we got to our destination.
Eventually, we stepped into a well-lit room that starkly contrasted with the dark corridor behind us. At the center stood an imposing monolith, its surface smooth, dark, and faintly humming with energy.
This device was a conduit for Aetheric energy, capable of allowing an unnatural surge of Aether to flow into one's body. Under normal circumstances, every living being would inevitably face their first Aetheric Trial at some point in their lives. The pull of the trial was unavoidable and often occurred between the ages of sixteen and twenty, though there were minor variations depending on the individual and race.
However, the monolith was different. It enabled people to undergo the first trial at a specific time and place a true master peace, creating both by Runecarving and blacksmithing, allowing civilizations to prepare their youth for the challenges that awaited them in a controlled manner.
I swallowed hard, the weight of the moment pressing heavily against my chest.
Ms. Athena strode toward the monolith with an unshakable calm, resting her hand against its surface. The monolith pulsed faintly, a rhythmic thrum of energy that seemed to resonate through the air. As it forced Aether into her, the reaction appeared almost nonexistent. Her expression didn't change, and her body showed no visible signs of strain.
It was no mystery why.
Ms. Athena's body was already saturated with Aether, and her Aetheric Core was perfectly harmonized and overflowing with energy. For her, this was routine—the monolith merely feeding into an already established and refined system. But for us—those who had yet to undergo the Genetic Resonance and form our Aetheric Cores—this device would initiate our First Aetheric Trial and transport us into the Aether Realm.
I clenched my fists, a surge of nervous energy coursing through me. This was it—the moment everything would change.
"Alright," Ms. Athena began, her voice steady and firm, "as you already know, you must place your hand on the monolith to initiate the First Genetic Resonance—and, in doing so, the First Aetheric Trial. This will transport you to the Aether Realm, where you will connect with the Ethereal Nexus for the first time."
We circled the massive black monolith in uneasy silence, its sheer size and ominous presence enough to make the air feel heavier. Its surface gleamed faintly, damp as though it were sweating under some unseen pressure, and the longer I stared, the more it seemed to pulse—slow and rhythmic, like a heartbeat.
Ms. Athena stood a few paces away, her expression unreadable but grave. Her lips parted, beginning to form the words, "Good luck..."
But I couldn't wait any longer. My chest tightened as if the monolith itself were drawing me in, daring me to take the first step. My hand trembled slightly as I reached out, the damp surface feeling cold and alive under my palm.
The moment my skin touched the monolith, a deep, guttural hum filled my ears, growing louder with every passing second. A sharp, unnatural chill slithered up my arm, piercing through muscle and bone, sinking into something deeper—something I couldn't name.
My breath caught in my throat as the ground beneath me shifted, the stability of the room warping as though it were rejecting my presence. The air itself grew heavier, suffocating, and I felt it—the unmistakable pull.
It wasn't just my body that felt wrenched free. My very essence—my soul—felt as though it was being torn from the fragile anchor of my mortal frame. I could feel the Aetheric energy wrapping around me, clawing, pulling, and relentlessly dragging me into something incomprehensible and vast. Then, with a final, violent tug, I was ripped from the material universe altogether.
I had no control, no choice. The Aether Realm claimed me.
And then, silence.
Not the serene silence of peace, but an oppressive void, dense and suffocating. A nothingness so complete it pressed against my thoughts, swallowing me whole. My body no longer felt like my own. I was weightless yet heavy, present yet utterly disconnected. I no longer existed as I once had—there was only the void, endless and consuming, a relentless expanse of absence.
"Welcome, trail taker. Prepare yourself for the first steps of your journey," a voice echoed softly in the open expanse. It was the first time I'd heard it, but somehow, I knew. The voice was unmistakably the Ethereal Nexus.
I'd heard about the Ethereal Nexus before, which was spoken of with both reverence and fear. Some saw it as the very essence of evolution, the driving force that pushed all life toward its greatest potential. To them, it was a sacred power, an unseen hand that shaped the course of existence. But others? They feared it. They recognized its ability to uplift but also its capacity to tear down, reshaping everything in its wake.
The Ethereal Nexus was said to be an omnipresent force that guided evolution by working in tandem with the flow of aetheric energy. It was believed to lord over the Aether Realm, a place beyond time and space, but its influence, along with that of aetheric energy, reached far beyond that.
The Ethereal Nexus didn't remain distant or detached; it flowed through the material universe, harmonizing with aetheric energy to subtly shape and guide all things—sometimes gently, sometimes with overwhelming force. It simply existed, moving alongside aetheric energy, nudging life toward its evolutionary course, urging growth and change.
Yet, that same unpredictability, that silent power, was what caused some to fear it. The Ethereal Nexus could bring great transformation, but it could also consume everything in its path if the balance was disturbed.
Suddenly, I felt it—the connection to the Ethereal Nexus. The moment it latched onto me, glowing runes carved themselves beneath my flesh, igniting the Genetic Resonance.
A blinding surge of heat coursed through my body, followed by an unbearable pressure building at the base of my skull. I dropped to my knees, gasping, as the searing energy burned and pulsed with an otherworldly light.
It wasn't just physical pain—it was as if my very essence was being rewritten. I could feel the runes sinking deeper, embedding themselves not only into my skin but into something more fundamental. My mind felt fractured, overwhelmed by an onslaught of alien sensations—chaotic, incomprehensible whispers and flashes of energy flowing in endless streams.
I knew exactly what this was.
I had read the accounts and studied the ancient texts, but nothing could have prepared me for this moment. This was the Ethereal Nexus, the force that bound existence together, the intricate and unfathomable system that connected nearly everything under the influence of aetheric energy.
My vision blurred as the runes continued their relentless march across my body, seeping beneath my skin. Each one burned with a fire that wasn't just physical but spiritual as if peeling back layers of who I was to reveal something hidden beneath. The symbols didn't give me power—that much I understood instinctively. They were unlocking something already there, dormant, waiting for the right catalyst to awaken it.
The Ethereal Nexus didn't bestow strength—it forced you to confront what lay within, to claim the potential buried deep in your soul. Whether that potential was light or shadow, brilliance or ruin, was entirely up to you.
The pressure reached an unbearable peak, the energy twisting through me like a storm, searching for release. I wasn't sure if I was being forged into something stronger or shattered into a thousand irreparable pieces. The Nexus's presence was overwhelming, vast and incomprehensible, but its intent was clear: it was stripping away everything false, demanding I face what remained.
The agony stretched on endlessly, my thoughts fracturing under the strain. Just when I thought I couldn't endure another second, the pain ceased, leaving me gasping for air I wasn't even sure I needed anymore. Relief flooded through me, but it was fleeting.
Then, the voice came.