The days that followed passed quietly, settling into a steady rhythm.
Dominic returned to the woods with his grandfather, just as he always had.
They hunted at dawn, moving through mist-draped trees and damp undergrowth, setting traps and tracking familiar trails.
Yet something had changed in him.
As he walked, as he drew breath, Dominic paid attention to his body in a way he never had before.
He tried to feel the ether.
At first, it was faint. Not stronger than what he had sensed inside the Labyrinth, just clearer. Like a slow current beneath his skin.
It stirred when he focused, felt warm and elusive. It was responding more to intent than effort. He didn't push it. He remembered Felix's words and let it move naturally.
His grandfather noticed the difference. Dominic spoke more and he also smiled more. Not as depressed as he was before.
His steps were lighter, his eyes sharper. The old man said nothing about it, but his mood also lifted in return.
They shared quiet laughs, simple meals, and long walks home with full packs.
For the first time in years, the house felt less heavy.
At night, Dominic meditated.
He didn't know much about proper techniques. He has no instructors or books. Just fragments of advice he'd heard over the years that had become common knowledge. Sit still, breathe slowly, and clear the mind.
So he sat on the wooden floor of his room every night, back against the wall, hands resting on his knees, and did his best.
His thoughts wandered constantly.
He thought about the Academy, about Felix, and the Labyrinth.
He also thought about the voices that had called him before.
When his mind drifted, he pulled it back and focused inward, tracing the faint movement of ether through his body. It pooled near his chest, branched along his arms, and circled through his legs.
The more familiar it became, the less resistance he felt.
After a week, he began experimenting.
Only at night when his grandfather was asleep.
He focused on one of his Signatures and whispered its name in his mind, the word forming in a language he did not understand, yet somehow knew it was his.
"Blitz."
The first attempt left him exhilarated just like the first time he had used it. Ether surged through his legs sharp and sudden, and he crossed his room in an instant, crashing into the far wall with a dull thud.
He bit back a groan and laughed silently, his heart pounding.
The next attempts went better. He kept the bursts short and his movements controlled. The speed came easily, but he learned quickly that restraint mattered more than raw power.
Then he tried "Cloak".
He waited until he went into the woods and hunted. Then he separated himself from his grandpa.
As they moved through the forest, Dominic focused inward on the Signature power, feeling his ether thin and spread across his skin.
He felt the difference clearly now. The world seemed to shift into blur around him.
Animals stopped reacting to him.
Deer grazed calmly as he passed. Birds remained perched. Even smaller creatures didn't flee. He watched himself reflected faintly in a stream, his outline broken and uncertain, like heat distortion in the air.
It worked perfectly just like before. But now that he was outside and in daylight, his appearance became clearer.
Those animals were never run even once when he used "Cloak".
By the time they returned home that evening, Dominic felt exhausted and exhilarated in equal measure. He said nothing about it. He didn't need to.
As he lay in bed that night, fingers curled around the hidden pendant beneath his shirt, Dominic stared at the ceiling and breathed slowly.
Three months suddenly felt both far away and dangerously close.
—
The routine did not break.
For an entire month, Dominic lived the same days over and over. Dawn hunts with his grandfather, quietly walks through the woods, and pays careful attention to the ether flowing beneath his skin.
Nightly meditation on the wooden floor of his room, and secret practice when his grandpa slept.
He did not rush or skip a single night.
The ether grew more familiar with each passing day. It answered faster when he called it and moved more smoothly when he guided it.
His body no longer resisted the flow the way it had at first. It was as if something inside him was slowly loosening.
Then, one night, he thought that something went wrong.
He was meditating as usual when a sudden pressure bloomed in his chest. It spread downward in a heavy and tight feeling, settling deep in his stomach.
The ether he was following surged all at once, becoming hot and violent, no longer calm or obedient.
Dominic bend over.
His stomach churned painfully. A sour heat climbed up his throat, and his skin broke out in a cold sweat.
He staggered to his feet, barely managing to stumble out the back door before his knees hit the ground.
He retched.
Bitter fluid spilled onto the dirt, darker than it should have been, reeking with a sharp, foul odor.
His body shook as more fluid followed, his muscles clenching as if forcing something bad out of him.
Sweat poured from his skin, it was thick and pungent, carrying the same sickening smell.
He vomited until there was nothing left.
When it finally stopped, Dominic stayed there on his hands and knees, breathing hard.
The night air felt cool against his soaked clothes. His chest no longer hurt. The pressure was gone. The nausea faded quickly, leaving only weakness behind.
Confused, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and slowly stood.
Aside from the smell clinging to his skin and clothes, he felt… better. Lighter, and clearer.
The ether inside him moved without friction, smooth in a way he had never felt before.
He didn't understand what had happened.
Not wanting to wake his grandfather, Dominic quietly filled a bucket with water and washed himself off as best he could in the bathroom, scrubbing away the sweat and stench. He needed to do it so many times for the stench to go away.
After that he slipped back inside, careful not to make a sound.
By the time he returned to his room, exhaustion finally claimed him.
He lay down with heart still racing, staring into the darkness.
Whatever had happened inside his body, it felt important. He had no idea what it was, though.
But for now, all he knew was that something had changed for the better for him.
—