Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend-Chapter 69: All Those Years Ago
The news Lisara received was concerning, as it regarded the raging war in the north that was getting intense, as the whole south was in flames thanks to the enemy armies rampaging all over Dawnfire.
She wanted to tell him and left a message next to the bed the hospital assigned to him, thanks to the king’s orders, who passed through two days after receiving the message, as he marched north to aid the empire against the demons and demi-humans.
’This is getting serious if the Lion is involved,’ she thought before she was summoned back to Dreadshade City because monster attacks were increasing.
***
While Raegar was out cold and being tended to by the healers, he was dreaming of the time he and Yuki camped in the garden when he was six. He got the idea from a book by a famous explorer that he loved.
The cat maid suggested they do it after finding out his love for it. She went around gathering all the needed stuff and took him outside as the dark clouds of the winter sky hung overhead, casting shadows over everything.
’’Won’t it be too cold?’’ he asked in a sweet voice.
Yuki looked down with a smile. ’’Don’t worry young master. I will make sure you stay warm, I promised the Lady that I would look after you,’’ she explained.
Following that, the duo set up a camp before the young woman set a blazing fire that lit up the surrounding darkness. Raegar noticed the Blackwood soldiers patrolling the edge of the garden.
Yuki settled beside him with a gentle smile curved her lips. ’’Don’t let the darkness trouble you, young master. Mother always told me that the darkest nights bring about the brightest stars,’’ she said softly.
She tilted her head upward, pointing to the vast sky. ’’They will emerge soon, bathing the world in their light. But do you want to hear something truly special to me?’’
Raegar turned to her, his smile blooming as he leaned in, hanging on the cat maid’s every word. Her blue eyes sparkled with quiet conviction as she continued, her tone brimming with affection.
’’I believe, deep in my heart, that one day you’ll outshine every star up there. You’re destined for extraordinary places no one else could dream of reaching, and you’ll accomplish things the world thought impossible,’’ she revealed with a smile.
Yuki turned to him and cupped his cheeks with a concern. ’’Continue fighting and never stop! Even if the world turns against you, I’ll be by your side! Stand your ground and fight young master!’’ she exclaimed.
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Her blue eyes softened as she concluded. ’’Come back to me! You better return when you go to Bloodfang Forest! I don’t want to lose you.’’
Confusion clouded Raegar’s mind at first, but then it hit him, a searing rush of devil poison coursing through his veins, burning like wildfire beneath his skin. Her words clicked into place, their weight sinking deep into his soul.
Yuki’s unshakable faith in him sparked a wildfire of determination within Raegar, forging his wavering spirit into something unyielding. Around him, healers buzzed with desperate energy, their hands shimmering light as they poured their magic into his body.
Even the mightiest mage in Ravensguard Hospital bent over him, brows furrowed in concentration as he battled the poison’s relentless spread. The man’s resolve began to waver, his hands trembling as hope dimmed, until a blinding light erupted from Raegar.
A primal scream tore from his throat, raw and furious, as his Aether blazed to life. Limitless energy surged through him, incinerating the devil poison in a burst that left the room breathless.
Gasps rippled through the healers, their wide eyes locked on the young man who defied death itself. The head healer felt the power causing him to drop the scroll he was clutching as he mumbled. ’’A Tetraarch! This boy is a Tetraarch Mage and obliterated the infamous poison!’’
The other staff were shocked, but the door opened as King Vlad Von Carstein walked in dressed in his royal armor. Everyone knelt as Raegar sat up while rubbing his head. ’’What happened?’’ he muttered in a croaky voice.
’’Everyone out!’’ the king ordered as the royal guard ushered the healers out the room.
Raegar turned toward the vampire and went wide-eyed. ’’Vlad, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. It’s good to see you,’’ he greeted the man he met long ago.
’’Human! Refer to the king with the respect he deserves!’’ a random man barked out.
His eyes landed on the man but Vlad intervenes. ’’Geoff stand down! The Vaelthornes are personal friends of mine and this is the Lion’s favourite grandson, Raegar Blackwood, the first Tetraarch Mage in thousands of years and the White Devil of Bloodfang Forest.’’
’’I guess you would know that, considering those villages are in your kingdom,’’ Raegar chuckled just as Camilla Von Carstein walked in with a concerned expression.
’’Father, the demi-human army is advancing north of the Veil,’’ the young woman reported, her voice steady. ’’They’ll breach our kingdom’s borders in a day or two.’’
Her gaze shifted, catching sight of him seated on the bed. Scars crisscrossed his body, a particularly jagged one tracing down the left side of his face. Her eyes widened, a flicker of shock betraying her composure.
’’Are you truly the same boy I knew all those years ago?’’ she asked, her tone laced with disbelief.
Raegar smiled with a chuckle. ’’Yes and no? I’ve been through some shit in that forest and that damn dungeon,’’ he said before trembling.
The overwhelming power imprinted on his very being, which made him pale, ’I beat him but at the cost of being mutilated until I see grandmother,’ he thought while clenching his fist.
Before Camilla could answer, Vlad cut in, his features tightening with an apologetic wince. ’’The Guild Master meant to tell you herself, but she was summoned back to Dreadshade City. I’ve got bad news, prepare yourself, it’ll rile you up, so keep a lid on it. Whispers are spreading through Kaldorra that the Lion and his wife vanished in a fight with a Devil General in their province.’’
’’What?’’ Raegar’s mind stalled, his expression blank before he shook his head in denial. ’’Vanished? How could they just vanish? Grandfather is a titan, how could a devil overpower them?’’
Vlad gave a helpless shrug, resting a steadying hand on his shoulder. ’’It’s as I said. They were locked in combat when a colossal explosion ripped across the battlefield. When the dust cleared, they were gone.’’
Raegar sighed and felt his heartache but hoped they weren’t dead. He shook his head before asking. ’’How long until the academy tests in the empire?’’
’’Six months boy,’’ the older man replied. ’’We can have you stay in my palace here or we can give you passage on the Skyhavens, they leave the capital every few days.’’
’’I’m fine Vlad,’’ he replied while standing up and stretching his aching body. ’’I want to go back to the forest, it will take me three months to get to the academy.’’
When the two vampires heard this confused expression plastered on their faces, moments later, Camilla questioned with a confused expression. ’’You’ve been asleep for nearly a week, your scarred and no doubt still hurting, why put yourself through that hell hole?’’
Raegar shrugged before putting his armor on. ’’Training doesn’t stop because my grandparents have gone missing, I’ll slowly make my way north from here while fighting on my way.’’
He summoned his daggers that materialized in his hands as Vlad started laughing. ’’You’re just like Griff when he was that age. Never gave up on growing stronger until he met Elysia and slowed down eventually.’’
’’Yes they are a strange couple,’’ he replied with a chuckle. ’’I’ll be fine, I survived against all the monsters in that damn place. Plus I want to go sell my loot in Dreadshade and say goodbye to the people I met there.’’
Vlad nodded in understanding before getting ready to leave. ’’I’m glad that near death experience didn’t dent your determination to grow stronger, just be careful on the way north. The enemy armies are pillaging the land and attacking caravans on the Kingsway.’’
’’Fighting bandits and rogue soldiers is easier than that devil lord,’’ he replied with a shiver. ’’That thing was powerful and took a direct hit from one of my strongest spells.’’
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Following that, the older man said his goodbyes and left the room, but Camilla stopped causing Vlad to comment. ’’I’ll wait out Cam, be quick.’’
When he walked out, the young woman turned to him with a smile and bowed her head. ’’I apologize for doubting you back then, Raegar. When Father told me you were in Ravensguard City after fighting a devil lord, I was impressed,’’ she said in a friendly tone.
’’No need to be sorry, I was just a kid back then with no experience of the world until I arrived in Bloodfang Forst,’’ he replied while the two of them walked out of the room. ’’I was going to lose, but thanks to my special ability, I saved myself and killed the devil.’’
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