Page 330 of The Edge of Darkness

You’ve been tied to a physical plane for so long that you’ve forgotten what it’s like to truly exist on your own—to be free. And so have I.

Something else splintered somewhere inside me.

The Aether was a bit further away now, not in proximity, but in its essence. Like there was the smallest hint of disconnect between us.

Finally, it spoke again. I see why the others think so highly of you, Tether. And I am afraid you are right. I have not known the taste of freedom for thousands of years. But you have never known it. Perhaps it is time that we both step into something new.

Something fissured far deeper this time. Pain lanced through my head, just as the Aether’s words echoed.

Something new . . .

Wait! I cried out in my mind. What do you mean by “new”?

The Aether spun. What do you want it to mean?

Do . . . do I have a choice?

Perhaps.

I want to keep what remains in my mind.

You would not wish for a fresh start?

And lose the life I’d already built? Lose Maeson? Even after everything I’d suffered and missed out on, I would not give that existence up. I would not lose her.

My mind remains the same, I repeated.

So be it.

Another searing pain, then a bright light split the center of my vision. The Aether danced around it, washing over the edges, daring to peek out of the dark.

You have surprised me, Tether, it said. And you have taught me much. Of all of my vessels, you have been the most exceptional.

I could feel the power being pulled out from my body like a string unraveling as the Aether began seeping through the crack in my consciousness. It was like the anticipated relief of stitches coming undone from the flesh. In its place, warmth flowed, blood pumped anew, and my very soul sang. I watched as my Aura untangled itself from my existence, and I listened as it continued to speak.

You weathered my power with the utmost grace, yet you never took advantage of its full potential.

Would you have preferred it if I did?

It paused, considering. No. No, I would not have. I am thankful that you didn’t. And because of your restraint, despite what I caused you to suffer, I shall only take what you have taught me, and leave you untouched.

Untouched.

I almost collapsed with relief. Perhaps I did, but I was still in the midst of enduring the separation to be conscious of my physical body.

Though, I must tell you, whoever is helping you on the other side has taken the brunt of the spell’s effects.

Its effects? What do you mean?

Dark magic is a double-edged sword. It binds and unbinds, and each instance comes at a cost. I have not taken my share from you, and that is my choice, but there must be balance, and to dabble in the darkness, one must always take the mark.

But she was only leading the spell⁠—

It is too late. It is done.

The light was growing brighter, and the Aura’s colors were slipping into the whiteness of the fissure as it spread across my field of vision.

I was worried for Nivelle—for what she was enduring on the other side—but a tingling sensation was taking over as the Aether detached itself from my soul.