Aether Beasts

I let out a hiss of pain as her fangs bit deep into neck, but before I could fully process that, I felt another feeling, unlike anything I'd ever felt before. My body froze as though I was paralyzed. I tried to move anything part of my body, but even with all my strength, I wasn't even able to twitch a finger.

Then it began.

"Just stay calm," Zirani said. "I can handle things. I'll let you know when I need you."

I went to nod them realized I couldn't and just sent her a mental confirmation instead. I was able just to look at the corner of my sight just in time to see her throat begin to work, and then the draining started. It was a feeling I didn't know how to describe. It wasn't pain, or even discomfort, just an odd feeling like I was getting lighter, though it wasn't a fully physical feeling. I felt an odd feeling in my chest, and for a second thought Zirani had been wrong and that her essence was about to be taken.

Then the feeling vanished and Misty stopped for a moment as if she was confused, but apparently, it didn't matter too much as she was back to draining my blood from me in the next instant, and just when I thought things couldn't get worse for, aether began being pulled from my core and in a way I'd never seen before, it merged with my blood into a twisted cocktail which Misty devoured with eagerness.

"Zirani," I said mentally. "Some help please."

"Not yet," She replied. "Just a minute more. She needs to have a decent amount of your aether in her."

I tried to groan, but nothing came out. My vision was starting to get blurry and I felt so light that I thought I could've probably floated off if Misty let me go. The blonde looked like she was having the time of her life, in comparison to myself. She gulped down my blood nonstop, and it was quite the sight, though not in a good way.

Just when I thought I was going to pass out, I felt it. A string of essence, no aether, burst from Zirani's core and shot through the blood being drained by Misty. It entered her body and then all the aether she'd taken from me, tore itself from the blood it had been merged with and formed an odd pattern around the tip of the string of essence. The closest thing I could compare it to was a drill or a needle, and like both, it shot forward and dug into Misty's mutated core. The blonde froze and stopped her gulping. Her body began to shake and she tore herself off me in a hurry.

Her eyes were wide, but before she would elt out a word, all the aether that had formed around the string of essence, unformed from its pattern and into another. Then I assumed through Ziranis instruction, it burst into Misty's core.

The blonde let out a gasp and then dropped into all fours, as her shaking body now began to convulse violently. The string of essence pulled out of the blonde and shot back into Zirani's cores as I slide down the wall.

"Is she ok?" I asked mentally. From the way my body felt, i dint think i would be able to speak coherently. "She took a lot."

"She'll be fine," Zirani said in a tired voice. "It won't be that much every time. She couldn't control herself this time, but if it all works then next time will be different."

"That's good," I mumbled as my eyes began to drift shut. My body felt cold and numb, and even turning my neck felt like too hard of an action to accomplish as I was. "I'm going to… sleep…"

My words trailed off as darkness took me.

The first thing I felt when I woke up next, was the new bond next to Zirani's. It was a small thing, like a salon, compared to the young tree that Zirani's bond was, but it was still there. I tugged on it hesitantly, and there was a muddled sound from in front of me.

I wiped the sleep from my eyes and looked up to see Misty passed out on the floor. The sight of the beautiful bond reminded me of everything that happened, and I tried to spring to my feet, but I immediately regretted it as my entire body protested. I let out a hiss and immediately had to press a hand against the wall to keep myself steady. It felt like my entire body was aching, and my stomach felt emptier than ever. My throat also felt as dry as a desert, and I coughed at the rough feeling.

"Welcome back, Aiden," Zirani said mentally. "You'll be feeling a bit tired for a few hours, but some food and drink should fix that. You should know that it worked. Misty is now officially bound to you.'

"Great," I said, and let out another cough. "Should I wake her up?"

"Best to let her get as much rest as she needs," Zirani suggested. "You should eat and drink something before you fall over."

I yawned as I pulled some rations and water from my ring. I devoured the food in seconds and drank the entire flash of water in a single long gulp, but even after that, I was still feeling hungry. I must have eaten half a das worth of rations along with five liters of water before I felt good.

"That's better," I said as I stretched my arms above my head. "How long was I out for?"

"A few hours," Zirani replied. "Nothing I didn't expect. Although I was shocked that you were able to stay awake for so long. I assumed you'd pass out well before you did."

"Guess I'm stronger than most people," I said.

"Oh, I already knew that," Zirani said. "Your one of a kind, that's to be sure."

"What happened?" A tired voice mumbled and my gaze shot over to Misty who was stirring to wakefulness.

"I could use your help, Zirani," I said. "You're probably going to be able to explain things better than I."

Zirani must have agreed as she manifested next to me and then headed over to the blonde.

My words were true, and I did think Zirani would be better able to explain things, but there was also another reason.. Zirani had said that this would be for the best, but that didn't mean Misty wouldn't be angry or have a negative reaction, and in all honesty, I didn't want to be the one to explain to her what had happened.