Grey super punch 3.

Regis, you’re a genius.

‘I…know?’ I could sense my companion’s confusion, but I was already preparing myself.

With a thought, I encouraged Regis to move to my hand to help draw the aether that I released from my core. I didn’t build up a large blast of aether like I might have if I were preparing for an attack, but instead I released a small burst of aetheric energy.

As I siphoned aether through my arm, I willed it to coalesce rather than surge out, but the manifestation faded in my palm; this was something new, and it required more control than creating a straightforward burst of energy.

Taking a deep breath and tuning out Regis’s stray thoughts and Caera’s boring gaze, I tried again—and again.

After the fourth attempt, the aether finally manifested into the form of a globular balloon that dispersed as soon as it left my palm. After the seventh attempt, the aether took shape into a sphere that grew larger as I fed it more aether.

It took every ounce of my concentration to keep the shimmering purple globe from dispersing as it grew to my height. Then I shoved, driving the aetheric sphere forward into the snow.

Despite using only a fraction of the aether it would’ve taken to unleash a full aetheric blast, the large aetheric orb bored through over twenty feet of snow before it faded away, leaving behind a round, stable tunnel that we could easily walk through.

“Good enough,” I huffed. I had hoped to manipulate the aether into a cone-shaped drill, but seeing as even a half-decent sphere was barely possible, I quickly settled for something simpler.

‘You know, that’s pretty much exactly what I was thinking.’

Of course it was, I teased.

Caera walked carefully into the tunnel, her hand running across the wall and roof as she warily inspected my handiwork. “Clever. Can you do it again?”

Nodding, I said, “I should be able to get to that dome without totally draining myself, yeah.”