Aeter Companion
"Did you just… Eset! What was that?!" I shouted in surprise.
"What's gotten into you boy? "My father looked at me as though I lost my mind.
"Eset! Sh- she just spoke!?"
Father's eyes went wide, and he looked at Eset with awe. He got up from his chair and walked towards us. His thick, trunk like arms grabbed her small feathery body and his big brown eyes examined her closely.
Eset's small head shrunk in nervousness and her wings moved to shield her body from his gaze. A soft hoot sounded from her, frightened by the amazon giant.
"Hey you're scaring her!
Come here girl."
Eset wiggled out of my father's arms and flew back to my right shoulder. She nuzzled close, trying to hide herself behind my figure.
"BAHAHAHA sorry 'bout that. What did she say Elias"
"She said she wants to stay with me." I said as I looked at Eset fondly.
Father looked at us silently before he suddenly dropped a bombshell on my head
"Elias, do you want to form an Aeter companion bond with Eset?"
I looked at him expectantly, with stars in my eyes eager to form the bond with her.
just imagining us fighting together, slinging magic spells left and right was euphoric. But, a bond goes both ways.
'Would she say yes?'
Looking over to Eset standing on my shoulder I tried speaking into my own mind, hoping she would be able to hear me
[E-Eset? Can you hear me?]
[Yes of course I can. I am Eset, the mighty…]
[AAAHH, Cut it out. Do you want to form an Aeter bond with me?]
I held my breath and prayed to whatever gods exist in this world hoping that she would agree. Just then a soft feminine voice echoed in my ears.
[What's an Aeter bond, Elias?]
###
Upon explaining the ins and outs of Aeter bonds, Elias was overjoyed to hear his feathery companion agree enthusiastically. Elias held her by her small body, and flailed her around in glee as she let out hoots of satisfaction. They danced around and played recklessly, marking the beginning of a beautiful companionship.
In the corner of the room, Isaac looked at the scene in front of him with a nostalgic face as the beautiful face of his wife was all he could think about.
His mind visited the pleasant vestiges of the past, reminding him of the ache in his heart.
The longing he felt for his wife tightened his chest and choked him up. For Elias's sake, he held up a strong and nonchalant attitude. He hid his pain with laughter, drowning the voices of regret and anger talking him into storming the empire and bathing in the blood of his enemies.
With a deflated sigh, Isaac slumped in his chair and stared at the ceiling listlessly. His long brown hair, coming loose from its pony tail and his beard haggardly held on to his chin.
'Oh Aurora, you would have loved this wouldn't you? Look at him, our son is already all grown up.'
It took Isaac another moment before he regained his attitude. He jumped off the chair, opened the door to the humble shack and walked in the vast fields surrounding it.
He took out a small book and a silver knife, with engravings painting its sharp blade. Unlike the Nordic runes on his axe, these runes seamed more foreign, Hindu in particular. They were etched with wide strokes, forming drawing- like patterns, unlike the stiff Nordic and Greek ones.
Calling for his son, Isaac took a sharp breath and yelled
"Come outside already Elias, don't you want to form the bond?"
In excitement, Elias fumbled about in the cabin knocking over a few pieces of furniture.
He ran outside eagerly with Eset flying right after him.
Beside the house in a clearing, Elias found his father kneeling on the ground marking it with runic patterns. Beside him was a mortar where he ground several crystals of different shapes and sizes mixing them with some kind of elixir? Half way through he stood and up took out the ceremonial knife he had attached to his waist, then motioned for Elias to come closer.
'Hindu runes? This is my first time seeing them.'
"Elias, I need both your and Eset's blood."
Elias looked at his father with uncertainty as he hesitantly stretched out his arm. Eset tilted her head and looked at the pair in wonder.
Deciding to mimic her featherless friend, Eset stretched out her wing awkwardly.
"The tomes you read, were mostly found in Lyndell, depicting how a 'sophisticated' empire citizen would form the bond. We of the Kali tribe on the other hand do it differently, and are able to draw more power from the bond. Seeing as you are of my flesh and blood, it seems fitting to pass down such traditions."
Isaac cut his son's palm, and then Eset's wing respectively. He mixed both along with the weird mix of crystals and elixir solution.
'Truly a world of magic'
The patterns on the ground took shape of a rune Elias found very alien, despite his decent knowledge on Hindu mythology.
"This is no rune Elias, but an array. It is an array based on the Sri Yantra symbol. It aids a caster to focus on his spell, and focus all his sacrificed Aeter on the intent the spell caster exudes. The Sri Yantra symbol is characterized by nine interlocking triangles that radiate from a central point."
The symbolic pattern glowed crimson for a few moments, before the whole pattern shone in a crystalline light. An amalgamation of colors swirled about in the symbol imitating water currents.
Isaac's eyes lit up as the glowing pattern reflected in his eyes.
The surrounding area became a beacon of light drawing the attention of anyone nearby. A huge amount of Aeter seeped from the pattern, once again putting Elias's senses to the test.
The young boy narrowed his hazel eyes as he focused on the energy in the air. His hair fluttered wildly as the pressure the pattern exuded began interfering with nature itself.
Isaac groomed his beard as he raised his brow in astonishment. It seems both these kids have amazing potential, else the runes would not have reacted that strongly.
Isaac smiled wryly, wondering if there was an end to all the surprises his son would give him.
'Truly, there is nothing normal about this boy.'
"Alright Eli, its ready. Stand squarely in the middle and have Eset poised on your forearm."
Elias followed his father's instructions to the dot, standing just as he should. Isaac nodded contentedly and began reciting a mantra. With every word, the pattern pulsed with vigor and filled the environment with more Aeter. Many runes of the same nature etched themselves on Isaac's skin and enveloped his figure in a coat of aquamarine colored energy.
Moments later Isaac raised his hand and chanted loudly.
"OM BHUR BHUVA SWAHA"
"OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI"
"OM NAMO NARAYANAYA"
Once Isaac invoked the last word of the chant, the mystical energies contained within the symbol wrapped itself around the pair inside the pattern and crystalized itself into a pair of amethyst tear drops.
The crystals pulsed with a deep and rich violet color, it had swirling patterns of lighter and darker shades that seem to come alive inside their vessel.
The gem facing Elias, pushed itself deep into his chest as violet webs spread across his body pulsating with vitality.
Elias screamed in pain and agony as he dropped to the floor and curled up in a fetal position.
'@#&*!'
Isaac watched his son collapse in pain anxiously. He was not able to interfere with the ritual lest he risks harming his son and his bond.
'You can do it Elias, push through and become the best version of yourself!'
The gem pushing against his chest passing the skin and got absorbed into his body vanishing along with the amethyst veins.
His screams died down shortly after and he lost consciousness.
Meanwhile Eset was standing on the ground close to his body prodding him gently with her beak, trying to soothe him.
Her gem showed no sign of movement until the last vestiges of energy receded from the crystal entering Elias's body.
The tear drop crystal that was hovering above Eset suddenly rushed forward and hit her small head, knocking her a few meters away.
The crystal embedded itself firmly melding with her white crown like antlers, forming a circlet of sorts, with the gem being the focal piece.
'Damn talented kids, you're going to give me a heart attack'