Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or it's characters.
-The Enchanter of Fairy Tail-
Chapter 42: The Etherial State
Year: X756. 28 years till Canon begins.
Cade POV:
After Master Han gave me his story, we both headed out into the forest to start training so I could hopefully finish strengthening my sense of sight. It took a few attempts at each session and course that Master Han had planned out for me, but he eventually said that I done well enough for him to consider the training completed.
And so, I had successfully strengthened my hearing, taste, touch, smell and sight.
In total it took about eight weeks, which is around two months.
Honestly when I first got here I was eager to get it completed and done with so I could access the Etherial State faster. But now I'm standing here with all the training finished, I'm glad it took the length it did.
If I finished earlier I might have missed a lot in the this village and my birthday may not have been spent here. I may not have learned the truth about Master Han which is interesting to think about, also I may not have gotten his cooking recipes which would be utterly devastating.
After we had finished the training Master Han said that he was proud of me for coming this far, and that only one step remained.
Entering the Etherial State.
Finally, after what was actually years of patient research and waiting I had done, I was hours away from fusing my magic together and casting much more powerful spells. The thought made me a bit giddy, I'll admit to that.
I was able to contain my excitement enough to hear Master Han say that we should have me enter the Etherial State tomorrow with a clear and relaxed mind. Guess being alive for over 200 years made him good at seeing through others.
And so the both of us headed back to Lavender Village where we would be doing basically nothing for the rest of the day.
Upon arriving, I quickly explained my excitement to my mother and Cornelia. Apparently Lilly went down to the book store to borrow and speed-read a book before it was time for her to leave the village.
They both seemed excited and happy for me and the three of us sat down and theorised what the Etherial State would look like.
I had asked Master Han a few weeks back what the state would look like, but he said that it would be different for each person that accesses it. He said that his was a white room with separate paths, each one leading to a different magic he had.
I was hoping for something easy to go off with. I was told by the Master that there was very little chance of failure when entering the Etherial State, and I couldn't be hurt or killed while in there.
Despite those worries of mine being eased away somewhat, I was still nearly biting my fingernails in fear of me doing something wrong and locking myself out of it.
But, I took a few deep breaths and relaxed myself. Worrying about it would only make it worse for myself going in.
Instead, I chose to relax and read the book Cornelia got me for my birthday and see the vast and wondrous locations the country had to offer. Eventually, night came and I had dinner and went straight to bed in the hope that I would fall asleep instantly and get the next day rolling.
It was finally time.
After months of difficult and rigorous training it was finally time.
It was currently the afternoon and I had woken up at a decent time, me having got a good sleeping schedule down while being here even though the sun didn't emit any actual daylight.
I was currently dressed and had a good meal to eat before this. Everyone was cheering me on at the breakfast table today, so I was hoping to not let them down.
I was sitting in the meditation chamber with my legs crossed while wearing some casual clothes. All my friends and my mother were outside the chamber eagerly awaiting me to exit and have hopefully entered the state successfully.
The lights in the room were dim, and this created a sense of calm and peacefulness which did help me relax a little for what was about to come.
Master Han sat in front of me, with him resting on his knees.
"Now then. Are you ready to enter the Etherial State?" Master Han questioned me.
"Of course! I've been ready ever since the training was fully completed!" I answered with gusto.
"Good. Would hate for you to put this off for any longer." Han replied. "Now are you feeling comfortable? Know that you will be in that position for a few hours when you are in the Etherial State. When you wake up your limbs might be a bit stiff." He informed me.
"I'm feeling fine just where I am. Shouldn't be that bad when I wake up." I said as I shifted my joints one last time, before returning to my previous position.
"Alright then." Master Han then took a deep breath. "Allow me to show you how to enter the Etherial State."
"First you must simply mediate as usual with your eyes closed and your mind at peace. The difference should be that you feel like you are on the verge of approaching something. Like a doorway that you can open. Try to bring yourself towards it, and then try to open it. If you do so, then you will enter the Etherial State and you will fall unconscious in the outside world. Anything could wake you up, Hence why I will be leaving you after you enter." Master Han explained.
"How long can it take for a person to enter?" I wondered.
Master Han simply shrugged his shoulders. "It took me around two minutes of meditation, but I was years older than you at that point… It could take you a few minutes, maybe longer…" He said with a frown. "You are the only other person I know of that has made it this far in my form of training."
"Right…" I muttered with a bit of worry. "Hey, if you want to, then you can leave right now. You don't have to stay for the entire time while I'm trying to enter it."
"It's all right. I'd also like to see you enter the state. I'm sure it will not take you long." Master Han said trying to assure me.
"Ok then..."
I then got serious and started to focus. "Ok, then enough waiting around!" I declared as I closed my eyes and calmed my mind to enter the Etherial State.
'Here we go. I have to do this! It might be the only way I can successfully progress my magic in ways that might have never been properly used before. Everyone has been wishing me good luck and believes I can do it, time to prove them right!' I thought with determination.
I started to take in small breaths through my nose.
I let my mind go empty.
…
…
…
…
Has it been a minute since I started?
…
…
…
…
I think I heard a footstep outside.
…
…
…
Another minute might have passed.
…
…
…
…
How long has it been?
Right as I was thinking this, I felt myself verging near something that I could not see as my eyes were shut, but I could feel it.
It felt like I was on a platform somewhere dark and quiet. I tried moving forward and finding the entranceway that Master Han brought up earlier. I kept moving and… I think I found something.
I suddenly stopped as I felt myself on a verge that looked over something. When I shifted my focus a bit more I found that I was at the platforms edge, and was inches away from falling off.
'I can't believe this! This all feels so realistic even though it's in my mind.' I thought. However, as I did think this I found myself veering away from the platform I was on.
I quickly made sure to re-focus my mind and I found myself stabilising on the platform. The last thing I wanted was to go through all that again.
Now that I was "safe" on the platform. What do I do now?
It was as I thinking that, I looked over and swore I saw a small white glint at the bottom of wherever that verge dropped down to. Thankfully as this was in my mind, I didn't feel that sick looking over the edge.
What was that? Was… that the entryway I was looking for?!
No… it can't be…?
Surely I didn't need to jump off a platform that led very deep below me?
But… when I looked around, I couldn't see anywhere else that might lead me there. There was no door that might lead me in. And Master Han did say that it was different for everyone.
Oh boy… there really was no other choice was there?
I took a deep breath in through my nose and stepped off the platform.
Next thing I knew I was falling, and I was falling quite fast. I tried to cast Soft to make sure that I landed ok if this didn't work out the way I was hoping; but the spell didn't work. I got a little scared and found myself getting closer and close to the bottom at a rapid speed, with the the glint getting closer.
'Oh god I can feel myself actually falling! I-I need to open my eyes! N-No! If I did that I'd be backing out of this! I gotta see it through to the end – even if it means crashing into that glint!'
I fell closer and closer, with the air breezing past me and hitting my face, until the glint was right in my eyesight. Right when I was about to hit the glint, it opened up.
And then I fell unconscious.
No POV, Han Veers:
Han suddenly felt something from Cade in front of him.
He had been waiting patiently for him to enter the state. It took around 15 minutes for him to achieve it, and Han was beginning to wander off into his own thoughts. It was the shift in Cade's magic power that gave him the response he was hoping for.
He carefully reached out and sensed Cade's magic a bit closer. Sure enough, it was just as he had hoped.
Cade's magic was no longer still like it is for every wizard when they are awake and even asleep. Now his magic was swimming in a way. Han could feel it moving around throughout his body, mainly his head. This of course meant that Cade had entered the state.
'Well done young Cade. I knew you had in you.' Han thought with a sense of pride and happiness for the boy.
He then carefully stood up and headed towards the door to the room.
'Time to tell the others about this. Here's hoping they won't accidentally wake young Cade up while he is doing this.' Han thought, as he slid open the door and exited while also closing it behind him.
Cade POV:
"Wha-!? Where am I?!" I suddenly came too, as I looked around quickly.
I was standing in a large white void that had absolutely nothing in it. It seems vast, and almost went on forever with it having no end.
I myself was standing on a white platform, which at first made me think that I was floating, the feeling on my feet and the fact that the platform was a different shade of white proved me otherwise.
'Wait my eyes are open! I can see! That means I must have entered the Etherial State!' I thought suddenly.
Indeed, I did not feel like I was in a meditative trance like I was before. Instead I felt like I was… myself in a way. Like I was moving, talking, I could see, hear, smell – I felt like I had really been transported here.
I then took another look around me. 'So this is the Etherial State. At least, this is how it looks for me.' I was surprised at how blank it was. I had a creative and active mind!
As I was arguing this in my head – (literally), I felt something strange come from behind me. I quickly whipped around and saw a light blue door with a dark blue doorknob. This door was not there before when I was looking around.
Oddly enough, while this may have disturbed me in the real world, it did not here. I felt like I had nothing to fear and that I was safe. Perhaps it was because I knew that this was my own mind and that I couldn't be hurt in any way?
Either way, I walked forward to the door at a regular pace and slowly opened it.
'What in the word is behind here?' I curiously wondered, as the door opened revealing what was inside.
Despite there being no walls to the left and right of the door from the outside, this door led into a room. It was a room with a lovely white bluish collared walls and a marble stone floor that was coloured white. There was a sink in one corner of the room with a fridge and a freezer on the other side. A round table and two chairs sat in the middle of the room. I could also see a ice machine that was dispensing ice into a glass cup.
The machine was doing this because well, there was someone obviously using the machine.
A man stood there and was filling up the glass with ice. He must have sensed my presence as he called out to me.
"There you are! Why don't you come in?" He greeted to me, as he continued to fill up the glass. Him not even glancing at me.
I was a bit lost for words as to who this man was, but this was my mind, so I doubt I'd find any monsters in here. And he sounded friendly enough.
I chose not to respond to him, as I did enter the room and closed the door behind me. As soon as I did I felt a bit chilly all of a sudden. I made my way over to a seat and sat down in it, before making myself known to the man.
"Who are you?" I questioned.
It was funny. Even though I had never seen this man I felt like I knew him from somewhere before… but I couldn't place my finger on it. His voice I didn't recognise, but his presence felt familiar and almost comforting.
"I can't tell you that. You'll have to figure it out on your own." He answered with a chuckle.
"Will you have some water? We have quite a lot of ice at the moment so I'd record you take some for your glass." The man offered as he held up a glass for me to see, while he continued to work away at the machine.
"No thanks." I kindly refused. "What is this place? I know it's my mind, but what is this room meant to be?"
"The question you should be asking, is what does it represent." The man said as he finished with the machine and filled up his glass with water. "You should also be wondering who I represent." He followed on, as he finally turned around to face me.
My eyes widened when I saw who it was.
"F-Fath-!? N-No… You're not him…" I was stricken with shock at the man before me.
He wore a light blue suit that had a dark blue tie with thin white stripes going along it. He had a smooth pair of dark jeans that matched the colour of his upper attire quite well. He also wore some black shoes that had the laces tied up nicely.
It was the man's facial features that made me freeze. He had blond hair and emerald green eyes. Nothing distinguishable about him, and yet that made me recognise him all the more.
This man heavily resembled my late father. Cobalt Felipe.
His eyes, ears, nose and mouth were all a little different in shape and place on his face however. He almost looked like some alternate version of him. Like if some wizard that was very new to mirror or paint magic tried to create him.
"Wha-!? Just who are you!?" I demanded with a bit of emotion welling up in my voice.
"Come now, this your mind. Surely you haven't figured it out by now?" The man said with a bit of empathy for me. "I'll give you a hint. Take a look at me, this room and the things in it and you should be able to figure it out." He advised me, as he sat down in the chair across from me.
I struggled to move my gaze away from the man as I looked at the room, and the items in it.
There was the colour of the room which was a mixture of blue and white, together they'd create a lovely light blue colour. The appliances in the room were mostly some household essentials, like the fridge and freezer. There was also the sink and ice machine which was used to have some water. Finally there was the man in front of me. He had a disturbing resemblance to my father. His face was shockingly close to matching his, and his attire was rather… well blue.
I felt myself shiver due to the coldness of the room. As I shivered, I finally figured it out.
'I-I can't believe it!' I thought with realisation. 'T-This room and the man, they're meant to represent-!'
"You! You're the manifestation of my Ice Magic, aren't you?" I declared as I pointed a finger at the man, him taking a sip of his water.
"Well done. You are correct in what you say. I am the representation of how you see your Ice Magic." The man praised me.
"I look somewhat like your father as his Water Magic played a big part in you receiving Ice Magic for your inner magic. Hence why my appearance is altered slightly. You of course see that yourself. Did you not think that his magic was a reason as to why yours was the way that it was?"
"Yes, I did think that when my magic was discovered and I was on the hospital bed." I answered for him. "I assume the objects and the room itself are also a reason for that?"
"Of course. Are these not the things that you think of when you imagine an Ice Mage in your head?"
"Before I had any magic, I always imagined Ice Mages to be cool, calm and collected in practise. The freezing cold water may a bit of an exaggeration. I think I only though of it once before." I said a little embarrassed by my previous thoughts on the topic. "Now I just think of myself. Is that weird?"
'Can't believe I'm asking an imaginary person in my mind for advice… Life is full of surprises.'
"I can't exactly answer that. Remember, I'm simply an image you have created throughout your life." My manifestation reminded me. "But if you really want an answer, then I don't find anything weird about it. You are the only person you know personally that has Ice Magic."
"I see." I replied after. "So… what exactly happens now?" I wondered curiously. I genuinely had no idea what could happen next here.
"I'll be heading off soon, but before that I have a question for you. You've had magic for four years now, and you mainly focus on both of the ones that you have for combat. So tell me this: What kind do you think is the most important to you?" He inquired.
'Ah, that is an interesting question. For some people that have more than one magic it may be a toss up between one and the other, but for me it's a no brainer.'
"Neither. Both are equally as important to me." I answered with confidence. My manifestation corked his eyebrows at me in interest, so I followed on.
"The truth is, both my Ice Magic and my Enchantment Magic are the main reasons why I've made it to where I am right now. If it came down to what I use in fighting then it'd be my Ice Magic obviously. But throughout my last four years I've found that I view both in equal value. It was my Enchantment Magic that that first set me out on this journey, without it I would have maybe still not joined Fairy Tail and had a wonderful life with fantastic friends. And of course my Ice Magic has saved on more occasions than I care to admit."
"Of course the idea is that after this I can use both just as I have intended for the last few months now. Being able to use them together!" I finished with a voice of determination.
"Well said. Most mages often prioritise one magic over the other. When they find themselves in a situation when they require another that they have been neglecting, they they often tend to struggle." My manifestation smiled at me.
"I'd say you are done here. Why don't you head back out that door you came in from?" He advised me.
"The door I came in?" I asked with confusion. "What will be through there?" I said, accepting the fact that whatever was through there the last time had already changed by now.
"I can't spoil that for you." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.
I let out a mild sigh. "Well alright then." I said as I stood up. "Assuming I do this whole Etherial State process right for the first time and combine my magic, I doubt I'll need to come back in here. If that the case… I won't see you again will I?" I realised.
"I highly doubt that you will see me again nor you will need to see me again. You definitely won't be forgetting this anytime soon though." He said as he waved his hand around the room. "I shall remain in your memories." He assured me with a wink.
"Heh, I'll do my best on the outside." I grinned to him as I moved to the door. Right before I could open it though, he spoke up to me one last time.
"As a vision in your head, let me tell you this. There may always seem like an optional route in some places. But before you consider an alternative, anyways try to strive forwards and not backwards." He informed me with a voice that did sound quite like my father's.
I turned myself around at a lightning fast speed, only to find that the man, as well as all the things in the room were now gone. The walls were a white colour and there was no chill in the air either.
'Father, I swore that I would do you proud down here. I'll definitely make sure to be the best that I can, and face any problem that I may face head on!' I clenched my fist with vigour, as I turned back towards the door.
I then opened it wide for me to fully see into the next room.
Except… there was no square room.
The door led out into a vast grassy field that had some mountains in the distance; some sprinkles of snow on their tips. There were also a few trees in the distance, not too far away from where the door was. The most eye-catching thing here was a beautiful flower bed that was just across from me. The field seemed to go on endlessly which made it look like I was in the real world. To think this was all in my mind…
I slowly entered the field, with the door closing behind me as I entered. I could feel the light and brisk wind hitting my face as I walked through the field. Some birds made some music to my ears that was soothing to listen to.
As I was looking around the field, me quite happy at the moment, I could hear something.
No… someone.
It was faint, but I could barley make out the sound of a cheery whistle coming towards me.
I looked to my left and saw a middle aged man with some grey hair coming out from the trees. He wore a brown shirt, with a dark green blazer over it. He had some grey leggings and he wore some brown boots, with an ivy cap on his head. He had no distinct facial features, but he had a relaxed expression as he made his way over to me while he whistled.
I waited patiently until he got to me, him stopping in front of me.
"Hello there." I greeted the man with a smile. "Nice morning isn't it?"
"Afternoon." The man corrected me. "It is currently mid day as you can see by the sun, and the birds flying." He pointed up at the sun, with some birds flying overhead.
"Right of course." I said after.
'Wonder what this guys deal is. Is he perhaps a manifestation as well?' I wondered curiously.
"You are right about the nice weather though. Though, those dark cloud in the distance seem a bit foreboding." He remarked as he pointed up and to the right, where there some dark clouds coming our way slowly.
"Such a thing can be quite gloomy don't you think?" He said as he waved his hand up at the clouds, causing them to slowly disappear into the sky.
"H-Hey, how did you do that…?" I asked with awe. Then I thought about the situation more carefully.
The field and the nature in it. The sun in the sky, but the looming clouds that were easily moved away by the man – who in question resembles how I feel about a certain type of magic. With what I had learned about the last room, the answer became all to clear.
"You. You're how I imagine Enchantment Magic." I declared to the man.
"Well who else would I be?" He said. "And don't forget about the nature in this room."
"Room? But we're in a field." I reminded him.
"Actually no." He countered. "This is a room just like the one you were in earlier. If you walked far enough you would actually keep going. It will only disappear when you conclude your business here." He explained to me.
As I looked around the room to take in what he stated to me, he spoke up again.
"A beautiful thing Enchantment Magic. Practically ancient compared to other forms of magic, and yet it always seems to find a way to resurface throughout history. It is not always sought out however, it just seems to surface when one least expect it to. But I'm sure you know all about that."
"Malvel found the magic by accident while searching through the library Blue Skull had. Of course I got his spell book while not knowing what the magic inside of it was." I replied, thinking back on the details.
"So about this room. Tell me why you think it looks the way that it is." The manifestation inquired.
I look a look at the flowery fields and the blue sky before answering the man.
"When I think of Enchantment Magic, I think of the ability to change and reshape the world for the better. Creating fields of flowers and lush green grass." I answered for him.
"A good answer. But you must also realise that such magic can be used for all the wrong purposes hmm?" He hinted as he pointed behind me.
I turned around and saw that the mountains in the distance were beginning to expand and break apart at the peaks. Then I saw the top of the mountains collapse in on themselves and an orange sort of colour come out of them.
The mountains weren't collapsing. They were erupting.
The top of the mountains then exploded and a huge burst of orange lava came erupting out from the top and began to run down the volcanos edges. Thick dark fumes poured out from the top of the mountain and began to cover the blue sky.
This was my first time seeing a volcano eruption, and while this is in my mind, it is just as deadly as I have heard and read about.
I then saw that much of the grass around me was beginning to wither up and die, with it turning grey and shrivelling up. I turned in shock and saw that the tress were doing the very same, with them having their branches and leafs falling off and eroding.
I noticed that the sky had been covered by clouds, blocking off all sunlight.
"Not such a happy place now is it?" Remarked the man from behind me.
I whipped around and saw that the man was now wearing a powerful black cloak with various magical runes on them. He seemed much more intimidating and powerful than he was before. His arms were crossed and he had a stern expression on his face.
"Now you see. You see what kind of things could occur if this magic gets in the wrong hands." He said with a whisper.
"That's why I've hidden the book from the rest of the world." I addressed the man firmly.
"And you have made a wise decision to do so. Had it fallen into the wrong hands it would have been exploited and abused. Perhaps the Magic Council and the Royal Family wouldn't be the ones calling the shots around the country." He said with a suspenseful tone.
I shuddered at the idea. "You know… one of the main reasons why I've been running away from Rune Knights is so that they can't register me to the Magic Council. If they found out that I had Enchantment Magic, I'm not sure if they'd arrest me for fear of what I could do, or let me go."
"A fair move on your part. Perhaps in the future you will get to show them that you mean them and the country no harm." The manifestation said as he shifted his gaze to the desolate mounatins.
"Well after this by combining my magic I'll be able to - wait you probably know all this by now don't you?" I interrupted myself in realisation.
The man turned to me and gave me a smile. "Well of course. I'm a part of you remember?"
"Yeah, yeah." I said rolling my eyes in annoyance.
There was a moment of silence between us before he spoke up to me.
"We are almost done here I believe. I just need to know this: What is the first thing you plan to do with your magics when you learn to combine them?"
Surprisingly, I had no immediate answer.
It's hard to think about that considering how long it's taken me to get here. Sure, I knew I wanted to enhance my attacks to make myself stronger. But when I actually thought about it now, I couldn't think of anything else.
"I mean… I'd maybe make my offensive attacks stronger. That means I could go on tougher jobs in Fairy Tail. Other than that… I'm not sure…" I said with a murmur and a frown.
"Quite a bit." The man informed me. "Not only will your physical prowess improve, but the variety of jobs that you can take will be expanded upon as well. Perhaps someone will need a wizard to create some stone for a house, perhaps it will be useful in creating and shaping how you cast your magic as a whole; why the possibilities are near endless."
I felt a bit like a fool for not properly thinking about these options that I had if all this was successful. "Agh… those are good points…"
"You seem worried? You think I'm going to stop you? Oh, no, no, I wouldn't do that to you; not after how far you've come." The man chuckled. "Think of what I said and suggested there, as an eye opener to the possibilities that you have. Strive forwards and make sure to always try to look at the options you have with Enchantment Magic." The man suggested with a firm nod.
"I appreciate the help there." I thanked the man with a smile.
"Well I'd say that concludes your business here. Take the door behind you to head to the final place you need to go to." The man informed me as he held up a hand in farewell, before he then began to fade away slowly.
As he faded away, all the enchanted nature in the room began to disappear. By the time he faded away nothing was left in the room. There was now simply a white void, very similar to the one I encountered when I entered my mind. The only thing left was the door.
'Time to press onwards.' I decided, as I moved forwards to the door.
When I reached it, I wasted no time in opening it and seeing what lay inside it.
I saw what looked like two gigantic strands of colour that was pulsing with energy on the other side of the door. They came up and out of the ground and continued to fly high up into the air with them expanding outwards as they did. In a way, they were like trees, with the trunks in front of me. The left one was coloured a white blue colour, while the right one was coloured a mixture of purple, green and red. They were relatively close to the door, so I would have not to walk far to get to there.
What strikes me the most was the background colour of the room.
It was completely void black room on the other side of the door. I wouldn't say it was darkness, as the light from this room did not effect the lighting through the doorway. Whether this room had walls or not, I could not tell due to how dark it was. There was however, a pathway that I could vaguely make out in the blackness that led forwards to the energy strands.
With nowhere else to go but forwards, I took a step forward into the room, with the door closing behind me as I entered.
Like I suspected, darkness did not overtake me when the door closed. I could still see myself and the giant strands just fine.
I did notice however that the door had disappeared when it closed. With that in mind, this truly might be the last room I needed to complete.
So I marched onwards towards the giant strands. I did feel a trickle of sweat run down my back as I walked forward. I was still a bit nervous despite this being my mind.
When I stood before the strands after reaching them, I truly felt tiny in comparison to them. I had always seen Master Makarov use his Giant Magic when he was unhappy which did make me feel small in comparison. Here however, I genuinely felt like an ant when standing here.
As I focused my nerves and looked forward I saw that the two strands were quite close to each other, but they did not connect at all. I looked up and saw that while they did spiral upwards into different directions, the left and right strand did not connect to the other.
'Could these both be…?' I began to think.
Curious, I reached out my left hand and placed it onto the left strand. When I did so, I felt a cold jolt go up my body. I quickly retracted my hand and placed it onto the right strand. Like I suspected, I felt a warm wave of energy, that felt like it was giving me strength. I then pulled back my right hand.
These two strands are my Ice and Enchantment Magic. Quite different to how I imagined them though.
'Took a few months, but I finally made it here.' I thought with a smile on my face. 'Now I just need them to connect to each other.'
I reached my left and right hand out to the left and right strand respectively and placed them on them.
I'm not sure whether what I was doing was correct or not, yet I felt like it was right in a way.
'Connect… Reach out and connect.' I declared in my mind firmly.
It was as I was doing this I felt the strands pulse with more energy than I first felt. I looked up and saw that some of the expanded parts of the strands were moving closer to the opposite strand, as if they were accepting each other.
'Yes! Come on now!' I cried internally.
I did notice that while the smaller strands higher up were moving together and connecting, the much larger strands which were closer to the bottom were struggling to connect. As I was noticing this, I felt my grip on the strands falter a little, due to the energy hurting me a little.
'Gah! That hurt a little. Argh, I can't give up now though, I've came to far to turn back!' I grunted as I poured more of my strength into connecting the strands.
While this did connect even more of the strands, and even move the bigger ones together; the amount of energy going into my palms continued, with it hurting even more.
"ARGH! Oh no. I am NOT giving up here. I have fought all sorts of magical and evil creatures, I've had to fight Gildarts who is now probably the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail, a defender of this village and a hitman who wanted me dead. There is no way I am giving up here! REQUIP!" I shouted as I requiped into my armour.
I then screamed as I put all my effort and might into connecting these damn strands. Oh, it hurt all right, but I was willing to endure it.
I saw that all the strands above me were now coming together, with even the larger ones connecting together. After what felt like an endless struggle I saw that all the strands on the left and right were now connecting together, creating a sort of archway like shape.
When this happened I felt my hands suddenly gain an incredible sensation that I had never felt before in my life. Said sensation then made its way up my arms and into my body where I felt an incredible feeling.
God with this sensation and feeling… I felt like I could take on the entire Fairy Tail guild and come out on top! Ok… maybe not the WHOLE guild.
I then felt this sensation slowly disappear, before I then saw a dim white light in the room.
The dim light got brighter and brighter, before it then began to be too bright for me to handle. I covered my eyes to shield them from it, and this somewhat worked. Yet the light persisted and it only got brighter.
I let out a cry as I felt the light overtake me completely, and my vision went black.
"Wha-?!" I spluttered as I found myself back in the monastery meditation chamber.
'I'm… I'm back…' I realised as I turned my head to look around me. I was the only person in the chamber. Master Han had left just as he said that he would.
'How long was I out for?' I wondered to myself. I felt like I was in the Etherial State for maybe 15 minutes? But that was inside my mind, so I wasn't entirely sure if time worked the same while I was in there.
Either way I was back, meaning I had to tell the others.
I stood up and felt my legs crack a little due to the position they were in for so long. Oddly enough, the pain I felt while I was clutching the giant strands was all gone. Was that all mental perhaps? I suppose I should just be thankful it didn't carry over here.
I made my way to the doors that led out of here, and slid them open. I exited the room, while sliding the doors behind me as I left. I saw that the four residents of the monastery were waiting for me. Them in light conversation with each other until I exited.
When they saw me they all let out some happy expressions.
"Cade! How was it?" My mother asked eagerly, her being the first to speak up.
"I think I did it! I made my way through the Etherial State and I think I was able to fuse my magic together successfully." I explained with a grin.
"You think you did it? What do you mean you think you did it?!" Cornelia interrupted me.
"Oh well I haven't tried it yet." I replied plainly.
"What?!" Lilly cried. "Come on we have to see! Let's go outside and see you test it out!" She said eagerly.
And so the five of us headed out to the training yard at the back of the monastery to see if my magic was successfully fused. I was surprised that I was able to walk calmly instead of sprinting the way there.
When we got out to the back of the monastery I walked into the chalk square with Master Han following me in. The other three stood back to watch with interest.
"Alright then. Are you ready?" Master Han asked me.
"Honestly I'm scared that this won't work. Could you imagine if I went through the last two months for this to not work?"
We both laughed when I said that, but we quickly calmed ourselves down. "When casting magic that is fused together before it leaves your body, just think of the two magics combing together in your mind with a clear enough image of the result." Master Han informed me.
"Got it." I said, before I took a deep breath, and got a decent image of what I wanted in my mind.
'When Ice Slicer and Henshin are combined they create…'
"Here we go! Stone Slicer!" I cried as I sent out a slice of stone that was aimed at the ground. The stone sped through the air and crashed to the ground, causing the ground to crack a little.
'Hell yeah.' I grinned like a genius.
"I DID IT!" I shouted with amazement in the air.
I heard everyone watching give a cry of joy at my achievement just there.
What I had just done there, felt incredible. Years of hard work and searching had paid off at last. I could finally further advance my magic and become a lot stronger. I simply couldn't wait to show Master and the others back home.
"Congratulations Cade. You have concluded your training with me. You are by far the only person I have taught that has ever come this far." Master Han said with pride at my accomplishment.
"Couldn't have done it without you Master Han." I said as I looked up at the man.
"You can just call me Han now. I'm no longer your Master." Han informed me with a deep smile.
"I guess that's right." I realised with a smidge of surprise. "Alright then Han. I'm going to keep progressing my magic. My personal training doesn't stop here!" I declared with a grin.
"I should hope so." Han replied with a laugh. I then saw my friends and mother coming over to me to congratulate me in person.
With my hard effort of training out of the way, I planned to enjoy the rest of the time I had left in this village before we all headed back to Magnolia.
"Hey guys! How about a photo to commemorate this!" I suggested as I pulled out my camera from my Requip storage.
Phew, that's that chapter done! Do leave a review on your thoughts.
I'll be honest, I kinda did go a little off course of what I originally planned for the Etherial State to be when you entered it. My mind sort of went wild with ideas and I couldn't help but put them down. In the end I was satisfied with the result so I decided to keep it.
Anywho, Cade has finally learned how to fuse his magic together successfully! In the next chapter we will have the final chapter of this arc before we return to good old Magnolia and Philipe Manor. I know this arc has been long for you and I thank you for your patience with it.
Honestly I've seen this arc as a good way to train myself writing wise for the eventual Grand Magic Games arc. An arc which I have been dreading since beginning this story due to the insane amount of things I have to write in that arc. But, we'll get there when we get there!
With that I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to seeing you in the next one!