Dimension Weaver: My Wife Is The Dragon Empress!

Arryn was taken aback by Talon's words as he stood up from the bed. "Training?" He asked as he followed him.

"Yeah, didn't I say that I would give you a surprise earlier today? Well, this is my surprise." Talon replied as he drank a cup of water and then handed one to Arryn. The latter took it instinctively before he looked up again.

"No, but, why?"

"Why? Of course, because you need training. No offense, Arryn, but you are very weak. You also need a lot of work to build some muscles. We should start working on your abilities too." He said as he started counting the required things they had to do.

"..." Arryn tried to open his mouth, only to close it again. He was completely speechless. Naturally, he was aware of how weak he was and how much work he needed to do before he could actually be considered strong. But, he never expected Talon to be the one to actually give him that push.

After all, he was always told to learn on his own, like the other talented geniuses of the Azurian race. He understood that he was indeed not made for such things but he still wanted to give it a try.

"Why that look? Do you not want my help?" Talon spoke, snapping the boy out of his daze.

"Huh? No! Of course not! I was just a little surprised."

"Well, don't be. To be honest, things are only going to get tough from now on, Arryn. I don't think I can do it all on my own even if I wanted to. Not to mention that you're the one who needs to step up and take decisive actions. I'm but an outsider, after all." He said.

What Talon really wanted to see, apart from accomplishing his goals was to witness Arryn becoming a great figure. The boy had the ambition and the drive, but he lacked the guidance required to set him on the path. Talon was almost certain that the boy had something in him and he only needed to give him a little push for that thing to bloom.

'Though, I don't know if we can actually do much in a few weeks' worth of time.' He mused as he looked at Arryn. 'Well, I will just try and see what happens.'

"I see... I-I will try my best!"

"Good, that's the spirit. Now, get ready, we need to leave." He said.

***

A few minutes later, the duo left the inn secretly and headed to a secluded area of the city where no one would go. It was hard to find such a place, but with Acrypha's guidance and the late time of the day, they eventually found what seemed to be an abandoned factory area.

Reaching there, Talon made sure to check every corner to see if there were any potential spots someone could sneak in from. After that, he finally brought Arryn to the open area where he made him stand facing him.

"Ok, first things first, I want to see your water ability."

The last time Arryn tried to use his powers, it didn't end well. So, Talon wanted to see it closer now to understand what the boy was doing wrong.

"Ok..." The boy nodded before he closed his eyes for a moment and lifted his hands up. Talon stepped aside and watched silently as the boy channeled his Aetheris.

'Hm...' Almost immediately, Talon noticed a glaring problem. 'The way Aetheris is coursing through his body is rigid and slow...' He thought to himself.

Compared to him or even to other people weaker than him, Talon could see that Arryn was way too lacking in that department which might be the reason why he was failing in manifesting his abilities in the real world.

But, he didn't say a word as he watched Arryn continue trying to do it. His face turned into a frown as he struggled to do anything. A few seconds later, a small ball of water manifested in the air in front of him. The ball wiggled and changed shapes as if it was struggling to stay stable.

Then, Arryn's hands started shaking and his face turned paler. Eventually, he lost strength and the water sphere fell to the ground with a splash.

"Hah... Hah... Hah, I really can't do it..." He said with a downcast tone. "It never works, no matter what I do."

This wasn't the first nor the last time Arryn tried to manipulate water in his life. He had done that hundreds or even thousands of times before and it never worked. This was naturally no different from before.

'Can I even do this?' He asked himself as he closed his eyes.

"Hmm, I can already see a glaring problem," Talon said as he approached him. "Your Aetheris manipulation is quite slow and sluggish. Did you not realize that?" He said.

"Sluggish?" He asked.

"Yes, it is sluggish. Aetheris is a versatile energy that requires fluidity to work in most cases. Look at me for example." Saying that, Talon snapped his finger and a ball of fire manifested in his hand.

"Oh!"

"When I want to use something, I just instantly make it happen. It's speed that you need, and a lot of focus. You lack in both." He said.

"Then, what am I supposed to do?" He asked.

"Have you ever stopped for a second and actually tried to feel the Aetheris within you?" Talon thought for a moment before he asked.

"... What does that mean?"

"I mean, have you ever sat down and actually tried to understand the energy coursing through your body? Or did you simply think of it as mere fuel that creates magic?" He asked.

"I... What?" Arryn felt like he just got hit with a bombshell from what Talon asked. "It isn't?" He asked.

"Of course not. If someone thinks of Aetheris as mere fuel, then of course they will fail at actually using it. Aetheris is almost like a conscious existence on its own. It even has its own will that you as the user should learn how to control and manipulate rather than try to just put it out and expect something to happen. Think of it as a companion, someone you have to rely on to succeed.

If you treat that person horribly and never even acknowledge them, do you really think they will help you?"

"... No, they wouldn't," Arryn replied in a daze.

"Precisely. That is why you were failing, or at least a major part of the problem itself. Now sit down, we need to start from the very basics." He said.

Arryn did what he asked without any questions. He was simply flabbergasted by this sudden realization.

"Now, close your eyes and take a very deep breath to calm down. Clear your mind completely and try to feel at peace. Leave all the worries aside and just focus on yourself and the energy within you. Try to communicate with it."

Arryn listened to Talon as he followed his instructions. Slowly, he started relaxing as he took deep breaths. He felt his racing heart calm down and the feeling of the night's breeze hit his body pleasantly.

'Feel the energy inside me? How do I do that?' Slowly, he started trying to figure out the Aetheris coursing through his body. In his entire life, this mysterious energy has lived within him and yet he had never actually stopped to look at it.

All he chased was the dream of becoming strong. He aimed for something very high without realizing that he had to take it slow for results to show up. That naturally hindered his progress greatly and made him almost give up. Such a subtle detail and yet its effect was so huge.

'I was so blinded by the desire to get stronger and never actually thought about how to get stronger... So dumb...' He sighed inwardly.

"Don't let your focus slip. It's not time to think about something else." Talon noticed that subtle change and tapped Arryn's shoulder to get him back on track.

The latter finally took a deep breath and returned to the same state he was in. He tried to clear every thought in his head and simply let his feelings take control. That's when he first noticed something. Something that surprised him.

'Aetheris... It's so beautiful...'

He could almost see the blue energy moving through his body like an endless stream of water. Its bright colors swayed silently in an ethereal dance. It felt so... Magical.

Never in his life did he expect Aetheris to be this captivating. It was such a beautiful thing and yet he had always ignored it. Now, here he was, floating near it, watching it take its natural course.

'I'm sorry... For treating you that way...' He thought to himself. 'I wanted to get stronger and yet I never actually tried to make it happen. I am really sorry.'

For some reason, the moment he thought of those words, Aetheris seemed to change subtly. It pulsated with a faint light as if it was acknowledging his apology.

'I want to get stronger... To protect my people... And to make them proud... I don't want anyone to die anymore... Please, I need your help.' Stretching his hand, Arryn looked at the Aetheris with a complicated expression.

The energy seemed to stop for a moment as it looked at him. A few seconds passed in silence which made Arryn even more anxious.

'I guess... Not?' He thought to himself bitterly. 'Well, if I was in its place, I would also feel offended for being used in such a crude way...'

But, as he was about to retract his hand, the Aetheris suddenly did something unexpected. It changed its direction and moved toward him slowly. Then, in an instance of greatness, it touched the tip of his finger followed by an explosion of bright blue light.

A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don't forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!