“So, you are telling me there’s nothing to be done?” Nido repeated what her boss had told.

“Yup, this place is normally pretty dead, except for orders like yesterday.” Matilda told from behind the counter. “I normally just enchant common or uncommon trinkets for the passerby adventurer to buy. A point or two in constitution can define a life-or-death situation in the end.”

“Isn’t that a bit boring?” The enchanter said as he grabbed a seat.

“Well, job’s normally boring. Being entertaining is a plus, not the norm.” She shrugged. “Though I normally try to enchant better items. I may be at my cap, but for us, enchanters, the only way to break through our current Prestige class is to enchant a masterwork, or at least something approaches it.”

Nido gave a quick glance to his trusted ring. Yeah, I doubt I’ll be able to increase my level cap any time soon. Not that I need though. Twenty levels to go with Enchanter, and I still have to earn a single one in my Combat class.

“It’s a shame that there are no commissions then, I work better when someone gives me an idea to what to enchant.” Nido rarely enchanted if he didn’t have a reason for, and a well-defined idea, even if the sole act of enchanting pleased him. His best pieces were a byproduct of his full focus and commitment. “And I would also prefer to make a decent stash of money before I part ways.” He added nonchalantly.

“Part ways? Are you going to go?” Matilda jumped out of the chair and hit the desk loudly. “You just got here, literally!”

“I’ve already told you, I’m a castaway and I was travelling.” Nido further elaborated with his half-invented story. “I came here because I lacked any money, and honestly, as an enchanter I had to join the guild, but my travel has to continue.”

“When will you go, then?” The enchantress didn’t elaborate further, she just relaxed and sat back.

“Probably when the Wanderers do.” Nido looked at the woman’s saddened face. “If I have travel, better do it with the professional, don’t you think?”

“I guess.” Her tone was filled with disappointment. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be this negative. You are right, you are a travelling enchanter. I just got drunk on the idea of finally having an enchanter coworker. Shifts here are rather solitary, after all.”

If there was one thing the ancient enchanter could understand, it was solitude. In his case was self-imposed, though the divine’s curses had a share on his decision, but in the end, it was him who isolated from the rest of the world.

“Well, before I part ways, I guess I could teach you some trade secrets.” He added with a grin.

“Are you sure? Isn’t your master going to be enraged?” Matilda’s face lightened up, though now a shed of guilt shone.

“I’m my own master now, and my master’s walking legacy. What I say it’s his word.” The enchantress was uncapable to understand the myriad of hidden truths behind those statements. “I could tell you everything, for all that matters. Albeit, we would probably need a century for that.”

“A century? You barely got two decades under your belt! Aren’t you getting a bit cocky?” By now, Matilda had regained her true colors, and taunted the young enchanter.

“I’m not calling you slow, I just stated that I have plenty of knowledge stored up here.” Nido pointed at his head. “And recalling it would take an incredibly long time. Like a lot. More than you think.”

“Well then, why you don’t teach me some of your “trade secrets”, will you?” She said with a muffled giggle.

Nido rolled his eyes. Why’s everyone so horny here?

“To the workshop.” The enchanter pointed. “Ladies first.”

The duo of enchanter’s entered the workshop, where Nido made Matilda sat before a chalkboard. The presence of a board wasn’t uncommon, as enchanters usually had to write a roadmap for the runic combinations they were going to inscribe.

“Alright, let’s start with very basics.” Nido cracked his knuckles. “Do you know what the elemental stars are?”

“Yes, of course.” Matilda sounded slightly offended. “I have been properly instructed by the guild master in the arts of magic.”

“Then you should have no problem recalling them.” Nido offered her a chalk.

The enchantress let out a puff of air. “I don’t know where you want to get with this, but I’ll play along.”

In reality, the enchanter did have a hidden agenda. He wanted to make sure if the knowledge of the magical world had changed, or worse, distorted since his last time on the physical plane. But his worries were proved wrong once the young enchantress drew three four-pointed stars on the board.

“Could you name them?” Nido asked with the neutrality of a teacher.

“Starting from the right, Elemental, Law, and Prime star.” She recalled from memory with a tired voice. “Really, what are we doing? Weren’t you going to show me your secrets?”

“Everything in its due time.” Nido scratch his chin as he inspected the writing on the board.

The elements remained the same, which makes sense. They are a constant of the universe. But the star names have changed. Only the Cosmic one for Prime, which isn’t much of a problem. The concept of the stars was made by mages in the first place to help visualize the harmonical structure of the elements.

What the enchanter didn’t like was the position she had put the elements in. In the Prime star, as she called it, the Light element was on the top arm and Void at the bottom. Everything alright for the moment. But then in the Law star, she placed Arcane in the right arm and Chaos in the left. That was totally wrong. The stars were meticulously crafted and didn’t follow random orders. Arcane was supposed to be on top, and Chaos on the bottom.

The reason why was the same reason why his Tenet of Immortality contained the elements that it did. In the stars, elements on the same axis aren’t opposites, but two faces of the same coin. That’s why Light was on top of the Prime star and Chaos on the bottom of the Law one. Because they were true opposites.

“Are you sure you wrote it correctly?” Nido asked her. He had to confirm if it was a mistake, or the definition of the elements had degraded this badly.

“Of course, I’m sure, don’t try to trick me.” Even if the words offended her, she still revised what she wrote. “It’s exactly as my master taught me.”

“Alright.” Magical knowledge is fucked up from the very foundation. But he wouldn’t call that out. It would be too inconspicuous. “Have you heard of the ether?”

“The energy of creation? Yes, I have, though what it has to do with enchanting?”

“The primal mana has a lot to do with it, Matilda.” Ether is known but not used, interesting. Maybe the way to use it has been lost along the ages. “I don’t use common enchanting, but a thing called ether enchanting.”

“Ether enchanting, why does it sound so familiar?” The enchantress tapped the table as she pondered.

Because I invented it, your guild’s founder. Nido smirked to himself.

“The concept of this type of enchanting is pretty self-explanatory, I imbue items with ether.” Nido added while Matilda still was deep in thought.

“Wait, are you telling me you make enchantments with the energies of creation?” Her brows were so lifted that many wrinkles formed on her forehead. “You know, those energies that created the world?”

“It isn’t that impressive, really.” The ancient enchanter said with true honesty. “The ether is almost omnipresent, and while it takes time and skill to even make it nudge according to your whims, it’s an overall better version of standard mana enchanting.”

“How you do it, then? How do you manipulate ether into your items?” Matilda was jumping in excitement, like a child in their birthday.

“Calm down, I won’t be able to teach you. Our time is limited, and the theory behind it is extensive, let alone the practice. But I’ll give you some pointers to at least weave a thread or two of ether together.”

The enchanter put his staff before him, and as he infused some mana, it began levitating. For others, the staff looked like a common oak one. The stereotypical one you see every novice mage with. But its true form was a staff of the rare spectral birch wood, imbued with runes that exuded Light ether. Nido cancelled the illusion that concealed the staff and showed its glory to Matilda.

“The true distinction and most important advantage respective to other ways of enchanting, is that ether always is there.” Nido began his lecture and the enchantress listened. “Unlike mana enchanting, where the enchanter themselves is supposed to bring the element to make the item, ether can immediately supply whatever of the twelve elements you desire.”

“Obviously, the world isn’t that perfect.” He pointed at the amber runes on the staff. “Ether depends on the ecosystem. Not as much as mana, but its potency is increase greatly by it. In a volcano, you are able to extract a lot of ambient Fire mana, and that’s also true with Fire-imbued ether. But mana enchanting will be incapable of producing a Water-based item in such situation, whilst ether enchanting will still be able to do so, albeit at a greatly reduced efficiency.” Nido stopped one second and thought how to continue. “Matilda, tell me. How would enchant an item with Void?”

“Emm…” The sudden question surprised her as she found herself attentively listening to the surprisingly knowledgeable enchanter. “With cores? I don’t have Void affinity, and I certainly don’t know a place where to get it.”

“Exactly!” He said with an old found love for teaching. “Mana enchanting has some workarounds for elemental enchanting thanks to the use of the cores, but as you know, cores are extremely expensive. Specially those with Time, Space, and Void affinity. But that’s besides the point. What matters is that ether enchanting is versatile.” The enchanter did love the word.

“Of course, as I’ve already told, ether enchanting is able to do everything, but not at the best efficiency. That’s why I still use mana enchanting, even though ether is superior to mana.”

“To complement them, right?” The enchantress commented as she began to understand the lecture.

“You nailed it.” Nido nodded. “Life, Earth, and Water ether are the most common. So common in fact, that they overpower the rest. That’s why for other elements I’ll use mana to boost what the ether can only do halfway.”

“How would then enchant a Fire-based item?” The student asked the teacher.

“I have a natural affinity towards Arcane and Life.” He explained. And probably now Void, but I should try it first. “So, I don’t possess an affinity in the Elemental Star to begin with. What I would do is use a Fire core, as they are pretty common, or light a fire and use the imbued ether.”

“Wait, you can do that?” Matilda found herself dumbfounded at Nido’s reply.

“Sure.” The enchanter affirmed. “The first thing I’ve told you is that ether depends on the ecosystem, so the more fire there’s in the surrounding are, the most Fire you can extract for enchanting.”

“Eh, hmm.” She was at a loss of words. “I now understand what you said about versatility. This changes everything! Being able to enchant without needing cores but just the physical presence of the element. It would cheapen the production cost of most… no scratch that, every item!”

Nido grinned as he saw the woman understand the latent power of ether enchanting.

“This is great in theory, but you are forgetting one key aspect.” Nido gave her a second, but as he didn’t get a response, he promptly responded himself. “How do you use ether to begin with?”

“Well, that’s why you are teaching me, right?”

“I told you we don’t have time.” He reiterated. “We’ve only scratched the surface, but with my pointers, you may be able to start to unravel the mysteries of the energies of creation.”

For an instant, Matilda didn’t think she wasn’t talking with a fellow enchanter, but she was making a deal with a devil. The macabre laugh of the enchanter told her this wouldn’t be a pleasant experience.