When the classroom was empty save for the two of them, Ashcroft moved to the enchanted board and studied the modified seal with the intensity of someone examining a priceless artifact. His fingers traced the organic markings Yomi had added, though he was careful not to actually touch the dormant pattern.
"How?" he asked finally, turning to face his student with an expression that mixed scholarly fascination with genuine awe. "How did you complete the seal in its original theoretical form? What you just demonstrated was pure Aether manipulation, something that's been lost for centuries."
Yomi considered his response carefully, recognizing that this moment would define his relationship with the academy's most knowledgeable faculty member. "You called it Aether," he said slowly. "I know it as... something else."
