Harper spent the rest of the day and a portion of the next teaching Vayuhn. She set him to memorizing the Quilish alphabet, mainly composed of characters from the tetran language with some influence of the original Magnon alphabet. Quilish was a messy language, taking influence from all over the tri-continents with a base of Old Destonish. The former occupation of tetrans in what was now Quilen left a heavy mark in both their culture and language.

  He was a fast learner, quickly associating the symbols with the verbal equivalent. He wasn’t starting completely from scratch. Apparently, the young man had paid attention when someone read something out loud and memorized the characters that they had read. In this way, he was able to recognize a few basic words.

  The progress on learning the Solar Domain was less clear. The level of mastery in one’s understanding of Domains was somewhat ambiguous, even for oneself. It was why Harper had felt that she was incredibly close to the Sky Domain for a year, and yet had never manifested it. Vayuhn felt that he was making headway though.

  He was fortunate that she had such extensive knowledge on the Solar Domain. She knew the common insights very well and the more secret insights that her family had managed to acquire. Their specialty was the Lunar Domain, but they were no slouch when it came to Sun.

  Harper had considered just teaching him the common knowledge, but decided it was against the spirit of the deal. It would be dishonorable, even if only she knew that she was holding back. The noble still made him swear not to reveal the rarer insights she taught him. It wouldn’t bind him in any way but his word. Harper hoped it would be enough.

  She had begun by explaining what she would be teaching him in broad strokes. The insights and techniques to understand and manifest a Domain were pieces of knowledge that seemed to lead to a higher rate of earning Domains; there were several types.

  The first were scientific insights. They touched on how the world worked and its relation to the Domain it’s represented by. The water cycle was a good example. Those who understood it well had a higher chance of gaining the Domains of Sky or Sea. It was most effective to both learn about it in theory and see it in action.

  The next were conceptual insights. They were examining the Domains for what they represented in a more abstract way. Earth, for instance, evoked concepts such as durability, immutability, and hardness. If one imagined a shield turning a furious assault, they wouldn’t associate it with the movable and avoidant power of Sky. They would associate it with one better suited to providing resistance, like Sea, or more likely, Earth.

  The last were aethereal insights, otherwise known as aether techniques. Neither humanoids nor creatures could manipulate the aether directly, at least, not without an Apex Domain. Instead, each had a means of wielding the aether, and through it the Domains.

  Creatures did so through an innate and natural connection; they were tied to the Domains more closely than humanoids and were born with them. This had the effect of each Domain empowering a creature more than they did humanoids, even if a humanoid had an integrated core.

  Humanoids had no innate connection to any Domains. They did have the potential to form a connection to any of them and even a predisposition for some of them. Growing closer to a Domain was done with what connection they did have to the aether, their aetherspace.

  An aether practitioner could align the aetherflow in their aetherspace to manifest a Domain. Techniques were the way that one could move their aetherspace to harmonize with a certain Domain. They, combined with knowledge about the Domains themselves, led to Domains being manifested more commonly, but it was still more an art than a science.

  There were other theories and potential types of insights, but none else that were proven to work. The scientific, conceptual, and aethereal insights were the tried-and-true methods towards manifesting a Domain. The aethereal insights were the hardest to learn without being taught. They were learned through trial and error, and by how those who already possessed the Domains felt them in their aetherspace.

  Vayuhn asked something. Harper looked up at him. “What was that?”

  It was late morning, and they sat next to another statue. It portrayed a peryton, a winged deer. It was less impressive than the other statues, being not as large and only of a two Domain creature. But it was also unknown, other than by Vayuhn and now herself, of course. She had checked her list; it was not listed as a known statue in the area.

  He repeated himself. “What is the aether exactly? Isn't it just unaspected Domain power? Aren’t they the same thing?”

  Harper pursed her lips. She had neglected to inform him of some of the very basics. She just was used to some things being common knowledge. “Not exactly. You can think of aether as being a form of potential energy.”

  At his confused look, she explained, “Energy that’s held and can be released when certain criteria is met, but that’s not important right now.” She waved it away. “It’s like imbued objects, they aren’t any different from mundane objects unless a Domain is actively infusing them.”

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  He nodded at this. His gear is probably aether imbued, she realized. She knew he had an Alius; chances were, his clothes were at least minimally imbued so that he could store them in his aetherspace. She moved on.

  “Aether is everywhere.” She gestured around. “It won’t move unnaturally until a Domain forces it to though. When a creature or person uses a Domain, they draw on the surrounding aether and twist it in a certain way. Domains are the known configurations that aether can take to accomplish something.”

  He pondered that for a while. “Does that mean that aether can take shapes we haven't discovered yet?” He looked fascinated.

  Harper nodded, grinning. It was a topic of conversation that engrossed her as well. “It’s possible. We learned of the nine Domains by studying creatures.”

  The labuntan looked perplexed. “Nine? But there’s-” His face shifted to realization. “Star.”

  “Yes. No known creature has the Astral Domain. It was discovered independently. Most scholars agree that it was found millennia ago, by your people in fact.”

  Judging by his exuberant grin, this was not something he knew, and something he took great pleasure in.

  It was late afternoon, and they didn’t stay much longer. They both had business to be about. After coming to an agreement about the next time and place to meet, they went their separate ways. This time, Vayuhn returned to the city first and Harper waited a while to not arouse suspicion, unlikely as such scrutiny would be. In the meantime, she rested against the bone peryton.

  Harper shot up. Not from something around her, but within. She felt pressure building in her aetherspace. She panicked momentarily, worrying that she had somehow damaged it in some way. Then she realized the true reason. The egg.

  Harper concentrated, opening her aetherspace. A portal of white, aethereal energy appeared next to her. The frantic young woman stuck her hand in, focusing on the egg and waiting for it to solidly. It took about ten seconds. Once her hand firmed over the egg, she pulled it out. The aetherspace entrance closing as she turned her concentration away from it.

  Harper watched the mottled egg intently. She could hear a slight cracking sound coming from within and felt the egg move a bit in her hand. Gradually, the surface in one part started to bulge upwards.

  She had begun to worry that it would not hatch. Most species of lizards hatched much faster. If another month had passed with no reaction, she would have concluded that the egg was a dud and had to be disposed of. It was much preferable this way.

  It was possible getting the Aquatic Domain helped. The best Domain to ensure that the hatching was successful would be the same Domain as the creature, Sun. Sea was not a bad alternative though, most reptiles needed a humid environment for their eggs. It wasn’t exactly humid in her aetherpace, more like the concept of humidity nurtured the egg. Odd, but it supposedly helped.

  A prickly head emerged from the egg. Harper watched in fascination as it slowly worked out the rest of its body. It occasionally glanced her way, before turning and looking around elsewhere. Harper held the small lizard and its broken egg in her hands, inspecting it.

  It was patterned red and off-white. Its torso was slightly wider than most lizards; its other proportions being more standard. The reptile fit comfortably in her outstretched hands. She could hold it in one, but it would be harder. Its core granted it a larger size than the mundane variety would be. Also, it was absolutely covered in spiky protrusions.

  A thorny devil. Amazing. They were both uncommon and difficult to find. They lived in the southern portion of her homeland. Due to their camouflage and reclusive nature, they were rarely seen, even by those who were looking specifically for them. Her brother had been exceptionally lucky to find the egg, especially seeing as it had a core. Harper was grateful he saw fit to give her it.

  She wondered how many eggs he had, assuming there was more than one. The number of offspring a Domain creature could expect was smaller than their mundane counterparts. It was one of the reasons breeding creatures for cores was unprofitable.

  The spikes weren’t particularly sharp. She wouldn't cut herself on them unless she pressed her hand to the lizard. The exiled noble stroked the lizard, trying to solidify a bond. Being in her aetherspace for months helped, but now she needed to show that she was worth being around.

  It was a little easier with a Domain creature than a mundane creature. They were a little smarter, and there were even studies showing that the more Domains a creature had, the more humanlike emotions it would be capable of.

  Harper scratched the thorned lizard, showing it affection. It likely wouldn't be enough; she needed to show it that she would provide for it. Harper set out on a hunt.

  It didn’t take long to find what she was looking for. Several anthills adorned the forest floor. She set the newborn creature down, watching as it began devouring ants. At the rate it would grow, insects would not be enough for long. She needed to get meat, and ideally a core. One a year at the bare minimum, but two for the creature to be healthy.

  The expense was the main reason Domain pets were not more common. It was a luxury only the wealthy could afford. Hopefully, with her and Vayuhn’s hunts, she’d be able to comfortably feed it. Eventually, the creature may even help her in battle.

  Harper was unable to ascertain its gender for certain. She was not very familiar with the subspecies. She thought it was a male, but she would find a Magnonian bestiary later to be sure. For now, she wanted to come up with a name.

  How about... Spike? She looked at the lizard munching happily on the fleeing ants. Yeah, that sounds like something a child would come up with. Harper thought for a while longer. She could pick something that would ignore his appearance, but where was the fun in that? His red and white coloring gave her an idea. Roses come in red and white. They also have thorns. No, not thorns, briars. She crouched above the lizard. “Your name is Briar.” The thorny devil didn’t respond, continuing to chew his meal.