DoorBound

Atlas decided that to really test the limits of Aether, it was better to apply the scientific method and start by just testing things.

Even if there was a right or wrong way to use Aether, neither Iris nor he knew it. So, it was better to use their method.

He stuck out his hand and started speaking.

"The real question that we need to answer is, can we use Aether to stop us from running out of breath and from being crushed by the pressure?"

Atlas paused and pondered a little longer.

"The first thing I can think of is just pumping Aether into our lungs and seeing if it actually increases the amount of air we can hold."

Iris also began thinking about how the test would actually work.

"We need to get a baseline test… We can count how long we each hold our breath and then compare it to when we use Aether."

They both nodded in agreement, then took a deep breath in.

Internally, Atlas started to count in his head.

"One Mississippi… Two Mississippi… Three Mississippi…"

He kept going and going, his lungs slowly feeling hotter.

At over sixty seconds, it started to feel uncomfortable. When he internally counted to a minute and a half, Iris finally quit and started gulping in air. He reached two full minutes before his body finally gave out.

Now it was his turn to suck in air and enjoy the luxury of having oxygen in his body.

Each one now had a baseline to compare to when they imbued their body with Aether.

Atlas now had to learn where to imbue it and what it felt like.

"When we do this, I think we should try imbuing the lungs as well as the windpipe, mouth, and nostrils."

Iris once again nodded in agreement before her yellow Aether spread from her core into the needed parts.

Atlas mimicked her actions and controlled his Aether. When it first went into his lungs, it felt like the organ itself was working harder than physically possible. It then went into the windpipe, where it felt like he could just intake more oxygen. Finally, he controlled the Aether to spread into his mouth and nostrils, giving them an almost numb feeling.

Then, at the same time as Iris, he inhaled as much oxygen as possible.

This time, he could feel the extra power when inhaling. He could feel more oxygen being drawn into his lungs. It was as if the very oxygen itself was compressed. His lungs didn't get any physically bigger than before, but the Aether somehow made them hold more. It didn't follow modern science, but that was the most interesting part of this experiment. If it didn't follow anything they knew of previously, then it was uncharted waters for someone like him to explore.

After gulping in the air, he again started counting, just like before.

"One Mississippi… Two Mississippi… Three Mississippi…"

After a minute, he felt fine. Surprisingly so. He looked at Iris and made a thumbs-up or thumbs-down gesture. Iris gave a thumbs-up and kept going, just like him.

Another minute ticked by, making Iris surpass her record, and Atlas matched his. Then again, another minute passed. Iris didn't seem bothered at all, and neither did he. It was clear there was a huge increase in the time they could hold their breath.

As the minutes kept passing, Atlas couldn't help but stare off into the distance. The groups were still actively fighting one another, slaughtering and battling over minimal resources, each hoping to gain just enough to survive another day in this terrible place.

Curiously, he noticed a small number of people weren't fighting but were instead teaming up to form a group of six. This was either for the weaker groups or those who truly felt it was better to trust strangers than wait for death from a larger group.

The maze, for some reason, didn't allow groups to exceed six members, so it mostly consisted of teams of three joining with another team of three, as well as teams of four taking in teams of two, leaving the larger group holding power over the newcomers.

Finally, Atlas's internal count reached an insane time of twenty minutes.

Reality hit him: Aether was an insane boost to the overall functions of a human. This power was something that people had all over the world, although there were few of them due to the almost impossible challenges they had to face to gain it.

Atlas almost let out his breath thinking about the idea of returning to the real world with this power, along with anything else he might pick up in this challenge—if he returned.

His lungs finally started burning at the twenty-three minute mark,Iris gave him a thumbs-down.

She, too, was feeling the burn. Once it reached twnety-four minutes, Iris finally let out her breath, and Atlas was pushing himself to his limits.

He finally exhaled at twenty-five minutes and felt relieved to breathe again.

Internally, he felt happy with the outcome and needed to discuss it with Iris.

"That was a ridiculous boost. I mean, well over ten times what we could normally do. This implies that the amplification of Aether, even at our level, is ridiculous—well, at least for holding breath. I'm almost certain the amplification effect isn't as severe when it comes to moving body parts."

Atlas was deep in thought about how this could be used in the future.

Iris with a bit of an excited face but also flush with curiosity started speaking, "With this information, we can assume we can use Aether on every part of the body and become even more effective in things like intel gathering and other physical challenges."

Right after she said this, she tested something again.

Her yellow Aether rushed from her core into her eyes, and they glazed over with a yellow film before reverting back to normal.

Atlas saw this and was intrigued. He, too, thought about putting Aether into his eyes or even ears after this test.

It was foolish to assume Aether could only work on muscles, and even if it did, there were plenty of muscles people constantly overlooked that he could take advantage of.

Mimicking Iris, he too placed Aether over his eyes and instantly saw the change.

The groups fighting in the distance suddenly became significantly clearer and appeared closer.

Then, pain hit his eyes, and he shut them tightly. Instantly, he put his hands over them, feeling like they were being stabbed.

He also heard Iris give a small yelp and stagger backward.

He rubbed his eyes and removed the Aether from them.

With his eyes still closed, he asked Iris, "I'm assuming you also felt pain after that?"

Iris responded in a curious tone, "Yes, I did, but before that, I was able to see the other groups very clearly and even see details I couldn't normally see. On top of that, the world seemed brighter."

Atlas was glad to have someone as clear-headed as Iris, who, instead of being distracted by the pain, accurately described what happened when she boosted her eyes, giving him valuable information without wasting words.

He shared the same info back before coming to the definite conclusion that you could boost your eyes, but it came with a cost of pain, and you definitely couldn't do it for long.

Atlas even wondered what would happen if you held it for ten seconds. It had to leave some sort of damage. Maybe the Aether itself was too harsh. If he had more control, he might be able to prevent it from hurting him.

He didn't know if he could prevent harm in the future, but he was curious.

Aether was a great mystery.

Finally, after the pain subsided, he used Aether on his ears, and his ears pricked up.

Sounds of clanging and moving water hit him like a tidal wave. He was overstimulated with a wealth of sounds. He felt like he could hear his own blood moving through his body, but only momentarily. Once again, pain and a ringing noise drowned out everything else.

He stumbled, placing his hands over his ears. He could still hear some, so he shared more information with Iris before focusing on recovering.

Atlas finally stood back up and realized how powerful information was. If he knew more about Aether, he could probably figure out how it allowed him to transport through space. How could every single atom move to where he wanted? How could he move things he was holding? Could he teleport someone with him? So many questions were itching to be tested.

He and Iris sat around, experimenting with Aether for hours, learning at a basic level how it functioned, what it could improve, and what wasn't worth reinforcing or wasting Aether on.

As darkness approached, so did something else. A group of six began getting closer to them.

Atlas didn't get cocky, remembering that these people could have been a group of six who were always together rather than a ragtag team. They might be the greatest warriors, and it was probably still better to run away but they also had to take risks for rewards.

Only those who play, win.

Iris stared at the group before grabbing her sword and looking at Atlas.

"We might have to fight this one."

Atlas reached into the water, wet his hand, and slicked back his hair.

"I know."