Sky's stomach still felt a bit off, but he supposed it was to be expected. As they walked, he began to notice the changes in the environment. The trees were larger, and the leaves were a deep green. The ground was soft and spongy, almost like moss, and the air was thick and humid. He wasn't sure how long they had been walking, but it felt like hours.

"Are we there yet?" He asked Avis.

"Patience is a virtue, my boy," Avis said without looking back.

Sky sighed and continued to follow behind Avis. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything since his little "meal.". He was beginning to regret not catching more of those creatures.

Suddenly, Avis came to a stop and turned to face Sky. "We're here." He said simply.

Sky looked around, but he didn't see anything that looked remotely like a city. "Where is it?" He asked, confused.

"You're standing in it," Avis said plainly.

Sky looked down and saw his feet buried in the soft ground. He looked up and saw the large trees all around him. Then it dawned on him; he was in the city. The entire city was alive.

"What about civilization?! Houses, stores, people!?" He exclaimed.

"What need do we have for such things?" Avis asked. "Everything we need is right here."

Avis looked towards a small opening, and Sky followed his gaze. There was a blue shimmering light glowing and changing from one moment to the next. 'Is that a lake?' He thought.

"Come, I'll show you around," Avis said as he began to walk towards the light.

Sky hesitated for a moment before following behind Avis. As they got closer to the light, Sky began to make out figures moving around in it. They seemed to be swimming, but he couldn't be sure.

"That's the Lake of Life," Avis said, gesturing towards the blue light. "It's where you will go when you're utterly exhausted. Whether broken bones or chunks of skin are missing, this lake will heal you much faster than the system ever could."

A dinging noise resounded between the both of them, following a message prompt.

"Version 2.1 of the Soul System will have improved features!"

"Well, you're at version 2.0 right now, so stop yapping your mouth. I'm talking to the zombie here."

Avis said, annoyed.

"Oh, right." The system said sheepishly.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Avis continued. "The Lake of Life is a very important place for us. You should never take your time here for granted."

With that, Avis turned and began to float away, leaving Sky standing there alone.

He looked around one last time before following behind Avis. He had a feeling that his life was about to get a lot more interesting from here on.

A steep cliffside could be seen in the direction they were walking. The wall itself was jagged and would be a very painful climb. Something that caught Sky's eyes was a dark opening eight meters from the ground.

"It's a cave," Avis said, answering Sky's curiousity.

"Is that where we will be sleeping then?"

"I will be," Avis smirked, "and you can too, as long as you can climb up there yourself. I've exhausted my limited power, so make yourself useful."

Then, Avis floated into the cave, leaving Sky at the bottom of the cliff face.

Sky looked up at the cave and sighed. "Damn you, Avis." He muttered before starting to climb up the cliff side. The process was slow but easier than Sky expected. During the climb, a glowing piece of plantation drew Sky's eye towards it. The unusual purple petals shaped as stars caught Sky's attention. "What kind of flower is that?" he whispered to himself, admiring the delicate petals. The more he looked at it, the more drawn in he was. He could see faint lines, like the ones he saw in his pocket dimension where he could see ether. These lines, although faint, had a slight silver shimmer.

He snapped out of his daze when he realized he had reached the top. He looked into the cave and saw Avis asleep on a bed of leaves.

"Hey," He spke softly, not wanting to startle Avis awake.

"Hmm?" Avis muttered, barely awake.

"I'm up here."

"Oh, good boy~," Avis said sarcastically, now more awake. "Come on in. I'll show you where you can sleep."

The cave was small, only a few meters deep. There was a pile of leaves already packed at the end of the cave, which was surprising considering they couldn't have gotten here through natural means. Something brought the compact leaves into this cave, and it definitely wasn't Avis.

"What was that glowing plant on the cliff-side?"

Avis looked surprised for a second before smiling with what were probably heinous thoughts.

"Oh, that? I'm sure you'll find out eventually." He said in a sing-song voice.

"Is it related to the silver lines I saw?"

"You saw those too, huh? Interesting." Avis said, looking thoughtful. "I wonder if the system had anything to do with it, or could it be a passive skill?"

"What are the silver lines?"

Avis sighed before answering, "They're called ether-lines. They are like rivers of etherical energy that flow throughout the world. The lines are what guide the ether."

"What do they do?"

"Well, they can be used for all sorts of things. Some people use them to power spells, others use them to make weapons or armour. There are all sorts of uses for them."

"Can we use them?" Sky blurted out.

"Are you a question machine or something? Just go to sleep; I'll introduce you to your plant friend in the morning."

Sky was about to say something, but he decided to leave it be for now. He was genuinely curious about ether, but he was also quite tired. Rather than sleeping, however, he began to breathe. Focusing on his breath, he followed the warmth from his heart to his limbs and back to his core. As he focused, he began to visualise the ether-lines Avis mentioned. Little by little, faint, almost nonexistent lines began to surface, making themselves known. They looked just like the rivers Avis had described them to be. He was so focused on the lines that he didn't hear Avis leave the cave. He only realized it when he felt a tug on his foot.

"Come on; I want to show you something," Avis said, motioning for Sky to follow him. It was already morning, the sun just peeking over the horizon.

"What is it?"

"You'll see," Avis said mischievously.

Sky got up and followed Avis out of the cave. Once outside, Avis floated towards the glowing plant from before. While Avis was floating, he looked strained in thought. 'How did he already draw his pathways? Drawing your ether pathways should be more complicated than that? Is it his experience from his previous life or the blessing of ether? What the hell is going on with this guy?' Avis shook out of his thought process and gestured his rounded body towards a glowing figure.

"This is what I wanted to show you." He said, gesturing to the plant. "This is a flower touched by ether. Touched is a loose term. Rather, it is capable of absorbing ether from the atmosphere.".

"It's beautiful." Sky said, admiring the purple petals.

"They are quite rare~." Avis teased. "Before we begin our hunt, I want you to eat this thing."

"Eat it? Why?!"

"No need to be so concerned, my dear boy~. You're going to eat a single petal every day. This plant you admire so much grows a petal a day if multiple go missing, so don't be too concerned."

"But why would I eat it in the first place? What does eating it do?"

"It helps you to develop your core. The place that stores ether in your body. If you want to be able to use the lines, you're going to need to get used to the effects of ether."

"Alright, I'll eat it." Sky said contemplatively.

And so Sky ate his first petal. It tasted sweet, like a mix between honey and lavender. He felt a warmth spread through his body, and he felt more energetic.

"How do you feel?" Avis asked, looking at Sky intently.

"I feel great! My fatigue feels washed away."

"Good, good," Avis said, nodding his head. "Now then, let's go on our little adventure, shall we?"

Avis turned away and looked almost fearful. 'What the hell is this guy?!'.