Chapter 22: Footer
Nero found himself in one of the gyms used for private classes in his school, and wearing a different uniform. It was white with red stripes, and was easy to move in. More importantly, it was a very important and expensive piece of equipment designed to protect him from his own aether manipulation blunders.
The moment where the stability of his control over aether dropped below a safe threshold, the uniform would automatically cut off his connection to ambient aether, while suppressing his internal aether.
The uniform was not his, but the schools. The school had loaned it to him for the duration of his aether manipulation class. He could not take it out of his special gym class, but for the remaining semester he could come here whenever he pleased and practice as much as he wished in the safety this room provided.
This was a service all students could avail, not just high performers like him. But in practice most students only took advantage of it for the first few weeks. Once they got a handle on aether manipulation, they felt confident enough to try it on their own outside.
"Are you ready?" asked the teacher standing in front of him, a sturdy looking man who was treating this matter very seriously. He was quite famous in school for his strictness, and was commonly called Footer by the students because he liked to slap a foot long ruler in his hand whenever he was giving a lecture.
Nero had no personal complaints against Footer, because he was mostly concerned with learning, and as a teacher he was competent.
"Yes," Nero answered after making sure the uniform was not loose.
"Good. It's important you give this class your utmost effort and attention, because until I judge you sufficiently capable, you cannot begin your basic cultivation class, and your card crafting class will also remain mostly theoretical. Only once you display a satisfactory control over aether will I give you approval for those classes.
"Once you display a certain level of expertise, the class will then either transition to a self study model where you will have an hour everyday during school to practise with aether, or, if you have an active innate ability we can focus on teaching you to control that. Do you understand everything so far?"
"Yes."
"Good, now I am going to use an Initiate level 2 star card on you called Fairy lights, as well as on myself. Get ready."
After giving the warning, Footer took out a card he had already prepared and targeted Nero with it, activating an instant later. The process was slow and deliberate, not only so that Nero would not be alarmed by it, but so that he could study the steps involved.
He could not feel himself being targeted by the card, nor did he see a magical light shoot out of it towards him. As soon as his teacher used the card, its ability was activated.
"Now, all the aether you use will leave a visible trail so that you can see what you're doing. Whether you control it with your hand or absorb it, you will see small sparks showing the movement of aether. But do not, I repeat, do not try to absorb any aether whatsoever. Only follow my instructions, regardless of how tedious they may seem. I will prevent you from developing any bad habits that may affect your future.
"First I am going to impart you with the basics. You instinctively know how to use every part of your body, because you developed those instincts as a baby when you were learning about the world. Unfortunately, at that time, humans cannot sense aether, so you've developed no instincts for it at all.
"You may think that you understand how it works, or how it 'should' work, but that is you trying to enforce your understanding of different concepts onto aether. For example, you may visualise yourself controlling a liquid, or even gases when controlling aether. That visualisation helps certain people, and coincides with their innate abilities, so they think it's right. But it's not."
Footer held up a finger, and on its tips sparks started to fly, showing that he was controlling aether with his finger.
"Rule number 1: aether does not behave like a liquid, gas, or any such nonsense, because aether is none of those things. It is energy, and it behaves like energy."
He held up his second finger, and another spark appeared.
"Rule number 2: just because it is energy does not mean it has to behave in the same way as other energies, such as light, heat, radiation, or potential energy. Aether has its own distinct set of rules governing its behaviour."
Footer held up his third finger, and another spark appeared above it
"Rule number 3: while we have certain guidelines for how aether can behave given certain circumstances, we do not actually understand it at all. Normally we can predict its behaviour by replicating certain circumstances, but at any given time, aether can begin to behave completely differently for reasons we do not understand. Humans lack the appropriate sensory organs to properly study aether."
This time, Footer pulled in his fingers and formed a fist with tiny sparks flying out of his hand.
"Rule number 4, and the most important rule: while free and untamed aether is beyond our understanding, as soon as we take control of it, its behaviour is dictated solely by our thoughts. We become its masters, and it is no longer a thing to be feared. Instead, it is our tool to face our fears.
"That brings us to the matter of how to control aether. Your body is the apparatus through which your mind can control aether. As long as there is any free aether touching your body, regardless of where it is touching your body, you can take control of it."
Footer's body suddenly became extremely bright, as every centimetre of it began giving off sparks. Fortunately, the scene did not last long.
"Most new card masters develop a habit of using their hands to control aether. They cannot be blamed for such thoughts, for a human's hands are what they use to navigate the world. At the same time, the fingertips have the most nerve endings in the body. But controlling aether has nothing to do with nerve endings, so using your hands does not give you any real advantage over any external part of your body. A skilled card master can just as effectively control aether from their hair as they can from their hands."
As if to display exactly what he meant, a few individual strands of hair on his head began to give off sparks.
"Do you understand why it is discouraged for fresh Neophytes to explore their innate abilities on their own? If they have active abilities, they begin by practising them with their hands nearly 97% of the time, and develop the habit which then carries on to aether. Since you have no instincts regarding aether from when you were a baby, every single action you perform right now with aether starts to define your instincts regarding it.
"I am not going to ask if you have practised on your own before this. Even if you have, it won't be enough to cause too much damage. All that matters now is that you obey my instructions precisely. Now, begin visualising yourself controlling aether with your left knee."
Not expecting the sudden instruction, Nero was a little slow to respond. He instinctively looked down towards his left knee, but before he could begin his visualisation, a loud smacking sound pulled his attention back up.
Footer had smacked his own hand with a ruler.
"Did I say 'look down'? No, I said visualise yourself controlling aether with your knee. Follow my instructions precisely without trying to look or perform unnecessary body movements. Now, try again. But this time, with your nose..."
The class continued for two hours before ending. In the beginning, Nero's performance really was too poor. It was natural. It wasn't as if he was some natural born prodigy. For every bit of success he had, he had worked a lot. That had built a strong foundation for him.
But controlling aether was like suddenly controlling a new limb. He could not help but try and look at his body before attempting to control aether with it. It was like someone telling him to only move his pinky on his right hand, and his third finger on his left hand. He could probably do it without the need to look at his hands, but he would probably look anyway just to see if he was doing it right.
But Footer was relentless, and each time Nero tried to look he'd change his instructions while smacking his ruler on his hand, as if using the loud sound to punish him.
Nero knew why Footer had developed such a habit. Military discipline was incredibly strict in Kolar, and one soldier was not allowed to hit another soldier unless in a designated spar or fight. Even superiors could not physically discipline their subordinates. They could make them perform the hardest, most brutal training imaginable and punish them that way, but they were never allowed to hit. Footer smacking himself with the ruler was basically a similar principle.
Regardless, Nero was not irritated or flustered by his failures, or by Footers constant yelling. In fact, the more he failed, the harder he tried. He eventually closed his eyes, so that he would not be distracted by the impulse to look. He also slowed down his response, and instead of snapping into the action, the way Footer was trying to get him to do, he very slowly and deliberately tried to control aether with the designated body part.
It was a rough process, but after the initial hurdle, Nero's performance began improving drastically.
When the class officially ended, both Footer and Nero felt somewhat reluctant. His process was genuinely astounding, and his patience for Footer's insistent yelling made him an ideal student for the man. But they still had other classes to attend.
"Refrain from using your innate ability for now," Footer said as they walked out of the class. "Once your level of control has reached a satisfying level, I can give you some tips regardless of whether you want to take the innate training class."
"I have every intention of taking the class," Nero informed the professors whose expression remained stern throughout the class. He was hoping to see a smile or some sign of satisfaction in his performance, but the man never budged.
"I'll see you tomorrow," was all Footer said before leaving.
Nero didn't have time to dwell on the disappointing response. After all, it was lunch break, and he was starving.