43rd of Vhalar, Arc 716
Meditate, Alistair, he whispered to himself, trying to keep the thoughts silent. It had only ever been under the perfect conditions where he could truly meditate, and release his tether from his surroundings; this time, he hoped, would be one such time. The conditions were wondrous - the wind blew softly against his skin as the sun was concealed by clouds. There was, however, no rain and nothing to endanger him. If there were ever such a thing as a perfect condition, it would be here and now, within a beautiful mid-Vhalar day. The only moment he'd experienced better weather than this certainly had to be in Venora, back at home, during Ymiden and Ashan.
Of course, his mind was not entirely clear of bothersome thoughts, which was a greater inhibitor than the external conditions around him. As he buried his feet into the grass, there was a haunting reminder of just how endangered he was at this moment; haunted by some spectral wraith seeking revenge against the Lich-Mother. Pursuing Adriel en Avellach, an artifact that even the Immortals seemed to readily avoid. His time in Ne'haer had been one entirely of danger, and with each passing moment came another intrusion into his psyche over the state of his well-being.
He entered only a half-focused state, not entirely cleared yet not entirely bound to other distractions. It was good enough, he knew, and so he began to channel the mana around him towards his body as a focal point. Pockets of ether were pulled around him, and as his eyes were steadily shut, a great portal began to form not twenty meters way from where he sat. It began as merely a blazing doorway, in appearance, like all the rest of his ruptures. But it spread out, and became a sphere of pure black. The blazing apparel instead became an array of outlining, transparent rings, violet in shade.
He was beginning to learn how to cast the Rend, the most powerful portal one could unleash; one capable of transporting armies. One capable of flooding a city with the tides around it.
Of course, his skill - despite being greater than most he'd known - was not quite there yet. The only other Rupturer in history who'd been able to cast the Rend, who he'd known of at least, had been Reyard. The founder of modern Rupturing. The man who revolutionized it - changed the game.
And so, try as he could, the scale of Alistair's portal could not expand far past the boundaries of what he'd been able to do before. No matter how well he managed to stabilize the compression, or to properly align and meld the pockets of ether within the portal, it inevitably destabilized after a certain point and nearly knocked him back with the torrent of wind that unleashed afterwards. Alistair sighed, relaxing himself and attempting to recuperate any ether he'd lost in the attempt. He would have to perform this many times before he could claim to even be capable of it at all, let alone mastering it. Now that he was in Ne'haer - a place more tolerant of magic - he could practice to his heart's content. And so, he would very well use that opportunity.
Meditate, Alistair, he whispered to himself, trying to keep the thoughts silent. It had only ever been under the perfect conditions where he could truly meditate, and release his tether from his surroundings; this time, he hoped, would be one such time. The conditions were wondrous - the wind blew softly against his skin as the sun was concealed by clouds. There was, however, no rain and nothing to endanger him. If there were ever such a thing as a perfect condition, it would be here and now, within a beautiful mid-Vhalar day. The only moment he'd experienced better weather than this certainly had to be in Venora, back at home, during Ymiden and Ashan.
Of course, his mind was not entirely clear of bothersome thoughts, which was a greater inhibitor than the external conditions around him. As he buried his feet into the grass, there was a haunting reminder of just how endangered he was at this moment; haunted by some spectral wraith seeking revenge against the Lich-Mother. Pursuing Adriel en Avellach, an artifact that even the Immortals seemed to readily avoid. His time in Ne'haer had been one entirely of danger, and with each passing moment came another intrusion into his psyche over the state of his well-being.
He entered only a half-focused state, not entirely cleared yet not entirely bound to other distractions. It was good enough, he knew, and so he began to channel the mana around him towards his body as a focal point. Pockets of ether were pulled around him, and as his eyes were steadily shut, a great portal began to form not twenty meters way from where he sat. It began as merely a blazing doorway, in appearance, like all the rest of his ruptures. But it spread out, and became a sphere of pure black. The blazing apparel instead became an array of outlining, transparent rings, violet in shade.
He was beginning to learn how to cast the Rend, the most powerful portal one could unleash; one capable of transporting armies. One capable of flooding a city with the tides around it.
Of course, his skill - despite being greater than most he'd known - was not quite there yet. The only other Rupturer in history who'd been able to cast the Rend, who he'd known of at least, had been Reyard. The founder of modern Rupturing. The man who revolutionized it - changed the game.
And so, try as he could, the scale of Alistair's portal could not expand far past the boundaries of what he'd been able to do before. No matter how well he managed to stabilize the compression, or to properly align and meld the pockets of ether within the portal, it inevitably destabilized after a certain point and nearly knocked him back with the torrent of wind that unleashed afterwards. Alistair sighed, relaxing himself and attempting to recuperate any ether he'd lost in the attempt. He would have to perform this many times before he could claim to even be capable of it at all, let alone mastering it. Now that he was in Ne'haer - a place more tolerant of magic - he could practice to his heart's content. And so, he would very well use that opportunity.
