[Not only is he real, he's warm to the touch. Even before his death, the previous Aether felt constantly cold. But this one, even his clothes have a warmth to them, despite the chill in the air.]

I'm okay. The Aether you were with before wasn't-- he wasn't me.

[To say he wasn't "real" just doesn't feel right. Perhaps in some way, in some alternate universe, he is real.]

I don't know if I understand the full details. But after I got trapped in some kind of enchanted mirror, I saw a strange monster create a duplicate of me with ice and snow. And he's been running around with my face for the past few days.