Far from civilization, at a height where almost no life could flourish, a cave opened in a mountain ledge.
There, a boy was staring flabbergasted at a beautiful woman with silver hair, who was accompanied by her fluffy four-legged cub.
"Y-Your daughter? What do you mean? Who…What are you?" A hundred questions flooded Reygar's mind, but managed to ask those as his gaze rapidly shifted between her and the fluffy cub.
Lynara's lips turned up into an understanding smile. "I understand that my words make no sense from your point of view; a human cub who probably had lived a mundane life in a remote village."
'C-Cub? Me?'
They locked gazes; her golden irises looked like a sea of dancing flames.
"I believe showing it to you will be easier than explaining it." Her already hypnotizing eyes began to shine intensely before her whole body was engulfed in a mesmerizing aura of the same color.
Instead of the usual fire stirring within him, Reygar felt how a chilling cold clutched his heart
while his already wide eyes looked like they were going to pop out when Lynara's body suddenly began to transform: all her four limbs grew larger as she shifted into a quadruped position, her smooth skin was suddenly covered with bright white feathers, and her mouth and nose reshaped themselves into a powerful yellow beak.
Then, two majestic, powerful white wings surged from her sides, followed by a long, arrow-tipped tail.
The imposing creature rose from the ground and turned her head to the wounded boy, who, pale and trembling, began to retreat — one step at a time — trying to reach for the suicidal yet only exit of that place.
Lynara shook her head and a strong voice came out of her beak.
"Calm down, child. I would never hurt someone who saved my offspring." Her eagle-like pupils contracted before she added: "We are what your kin call Griffins… I think."
Reygar, now still, shouted nervously: "And since when can Griffins transform into humans?!" The great creature glowed intensely once more and shifted back to her human form.
"Since never. Only those who have ascended into the Chosen realm can adopt a human-like form."
Rey blinked several times as he recalled his study of the Bestiary and Aether Theory books.
They classified Aetheric Beasts into different ranks within a hierarchy, starting from the common and well-known "Awakened Beasts" — animals that naturally absorbed the atmospheric aether and learned how to wield it.
They were much like the Sprouted and even the first stage of the Flame Bearers — another way to refer to Weavers, especially to differentiate them from the Sprouted — from that point on, however, their hierarchy differentiated itself from that of the Weavers with the introduction of the next level: The Risen.
In this stage, Aetheric beasts evolved and grew much more powerful, undergoing a noticeable change in their appearance and size.
And above these were the Chosen Kin.
They were a rarity – incredibly powerful, with extraordinary abilities such as being able to adopt a human form. However, the biggest difference lay in their extended lifespan combined with an intellect equal or even superior to that of the intelligent races.
However, little was known about these mythical creatures — well, at least to the masses, since the upper and ruling classes knew of their existence and capabilities.
Some even tried to hide them.
While he was in trance connecting the dots, Lynara spoke. "To clarify something, we call the young and those who have never awakened by adopting aether 'Griffins'." She made a short pause before adding: "Still, they remain as Griffins even after awakening. In order to become a 'Gryphon' they need to step into the Risen Realm."
Rey just looked at her, absorbing and processing her explanations in silence.
Seeing the boy daydreaming for too long, the ethereal woman took him back to the real world with a simple question.
"Shouldn't you introduce yourself?"
He blinked again before shaking his head to come to his senses. "Right… sorry, I'm Reygar… from Luria… but you can just call me Rey."
Lynara nodded. A faint smile flashed across her face.
"So… Lady Lynara? C-Can you please tell me why you brought me to this place?"
"To repay you," she answered unfazed — even when the human honorific amused her.
Rey just stared dumbfounded at her for a while.
"...And how being on the mountains, far from civilization, in the middle of nowhere, is going to help me?" He asked, trying to suppress his exasperation and fear without sounding rude.
"I sensed an anomaly within you, Reygar. Your Nexus Seed, despite brimming with aether, has not established a connection with the Divine Nexus. We can fix that… if you are willing, of course."
Hearing this shocking proposal, Rey froze, his breath caught in his throat.
"...What? Are you serious… you can really make me sprout?"
Lynara simply nodded in response. "Yes. That is why we are here… 'In the middle of nowhere.'"
Rey rubbed the back of his neck. "So… how can this place help with my seed?"
"A Nexus Node — a fragment of the Divine Nexus' power — is located here, which will help you establish the connection you currently lack."
His eyes shone intensely at those words.
"A Nexus Node?" he repeated aloud, while searching back in his memories for another of his several study sessions, but couldn't remember.
'I think Miss Alena mentioned that a couple of times…'
Luckily for Reygar, Lynara decided to enlighten him.
"The Nexus is the heart that connects the whole world with all the living beings that inhabit it through its threads, allowing them to awaken." Her golden eyes glinted with ancient knowledge as she explained.
"It also channels an almost boundless well of energy that binds all life in Loran and the beings who shaped this world. However, its power is so inconceivably vast that it must release energy at certain points to relieve its pressure. Those are the Nodes — special places in space where aether manifests intensely, allowing its threads to seep into the world and make the seeds of those whose souls are strong enough to bear its power, sprout."
"…And a place like that is somewhere inside this cave?"
Lynara nodded. "Yes, deeper into the cave we will find the Node." She gestured for him to follow. "Come."
Reygar walked behind them, deep in thought. Doubts and hypotheses slowly started to consume him, prompting another question:
"So.. my seed didn't sprout because my soul is weak?"
Lynara slowly shook her head.
"No, your soul in fact, is strong. The problem seems to originate due to an artificial intervention... though I noticed it has been recently purified. Do you perhaps know who or what could have done it?" The woman side-glanced Reygar, who had come to a halt. His expression was one of shock.
"...Are you saying someone or something did that to me on purpose? Why?!"
She gave him a blank stare, and shrugged. "How could I know? The only thing I can say is, that was not something just anyone could accomplish… It seemed the doing of a particularly powerful and skilled being."
A thousand emotions raged inside Reygar, but sadness and disappointment were the dominant ones. 'Why… Did I ever do something so awful to deserve this?'
After a reflective quietness where the three walked through the dim cavern, Rey broke the silence. "...About your earlier question, It was me. I managed to channel some aether into my seed these past weeks… but couldn't do anything more than that."
Lynara suddenly stopped and turned to him, her expression was something akin to surprise.
"That is incredible… for a human. The norm is that humans can not wield aether without the help of the Nexus, unlike us, the "beasts," as your kin refer to mine."
Rey raised an eyebrow. "Is it really that rare? And why can your… kin wield aether without the help of the Nexus, but humans can't?"
"I can't explain with words such a simple reflex… Can you explain how breathing feels?"
"...No?" He muttered to himself.
"And regarding your previous question, yes, it is indeed rare. It has been centuries since the last time I met a mundane humi attuned to aether like you."
Rey blinked a couple of times, not expecting such an answer. It was a constant barrage of revelations. 'I'd better think this through later. My whole body hurts… I don't want a headache either.'
"By the way… Lynara, what was your daughter doing alone in the wilderness? If you don't mind me asking."
The face of the Chosen being turned solemn, her delicate lips opened: "...I ask myself the same… how did things turn that bad so fast?" She sighed, making a short pause. "We got ambushed while we were traveling… by creatures you should pray to never meet."
Rey gulped. "...Really? What kind of aetheric bea– I mean, aetheric creatures could pose such a threat to someone as powerful as you?"
She shook her head. "They were not Aetheric 'Beasts,' they were a pack of Fallen 'Beasts' — a large one at that."
He frowned. "What?"
'Fallen…? And they're not Aetheric Beasts? Great, another question that only brought more questions.' Rey let out a dejected sigh.
A few moments later, Lynara spoke up: "Sorry, but we no longer have time for leisure chat; we have arrived."
In front of them, the long cavern ended in an empty, roughly circular and surprisingly spacious chamber. The place was dimly yet irregularly lit by crystals that emanated a light blue hue.
Reygar stood still, silently staring at the crystals. 'Aren't these familiar?' But shook his head moments later. 'It's not the moment to think about that.'
After gazing around for a bit, he stopped, tilted his head and turned to Lynara. "...And the node, where is it?"
"This entire chamber is the Node. Do not expect to find a physical shape when you are looking for a Nexus Node; they are pure energy, not matter. But of course, that is something that mundanes will not be able to perceive."
The silver-haired woman turned to the boy. "However, you are not a normal mundane. If you were able to channel a bit of aether into your seed, you will surely be able to sense this great amount of aether."
Rey already felt his skin itch, but when he closed his eyes, the burning sensation he had felt multiple times deep within was now everywhere. It was like switching from the chill cold of the mountain to a nasty summer day with high humidity, as the air became heavy.
"Ugh. This feels awful."
"It is a normal reaction for a mundane when they are in the presence of high amounts of aether." Lynara's eyes glowed with unwavering resolve. "Now, stand in the middle of this chamber. I do not like being in debt, so allow me to repay you and make that stubborn seed of yours sprout."
Rey just stared at her, blinking several times as the realization of what was going to happen dawned on him. A genuine smile tugged his lips and hastily did as told.
Lynara continued giving him instructions. "Now, I need you to concentrate. Try to reach deep within you, like when you managed to channel aether into your seed, and hold that state until I am done weaving the Nexus Threads into your seed. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" Reygar inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.
Lynara lifted both hands; her palms pointing at the cross-legged boy in the middle of the chamber. An ethereal golden aura surged around the silhouette of her body while wild, powerful flames danced in her eyes, but then…
Gack!
Reygar fell into a coughing fit as he collapsed on the floor, desperately gasping for air.
"S-Stop…"
Lynara opened her eyes and her golden aura retreated. "Hmm?" A few moments later, she sighed. "Of course, what a pity. You can't endure the pressure of my unleashed aura."
As Reygar lay on the ground, face up and struggling to breathe, he heard small steps approaching. Shortly after, his sight of the cavern ceiling was replaced by a little fluffy white face.
"...Lynn? What are you doing?" The Gryphon called out to her cub.
She didn't respond. Instead, she gently rested her forehead on Rey's, then closed her eyes.
The heat within Reygar returned once more. This time, however, it was a subtle, warm heat, the same he had felt when he managed to purify his Seed for the first time a couple of weeks ago.
Understanding what her daughter was doing, Lynara's lips tugged into a smirk. "Quite the cunning move, Lynn. Very daring of you."
Reygar's mind was thrown into confusion again, something usual on this… hectic day, but at the same time he actually began to feel very good.
'What's happening? I don't even feel this suffocating sensation in the air anymore.'
He sat up, looking intensely at how his hands and whole body trembled, beginning to glow with a faint golden hue.
"No way. I-It can't be!" His heart raced wildly, realizing that his most desired wish started to materialize.
Finally, the faint glow bathing Reygar disappeared.
His breathing halted when an otherworldly voice brimming with authority echoed inside his head.
[Congratulations for sprouting your Nexus Seed, Reygar of Luria.]