TBATE Volume 8
Author: Unknown
Date: 2020-06-23T18:00:00+00:00

Chapter 250: Hello Darkness

Darkness. Complete darkness.

I was floating, hovering in an utter reflectionless black. Whether I was drifting along or suspended in place, I couldn’t tell.

All knew was that there was nothing else—no sound, taste, smell, or touch in this sea of perpetual darkness.

It was peaceful at first. I felt like I was both nothing and everything at the same time. I felt like a tiny spec in a vast universe, yet I also felt like nothing else existed aside from myself.

However, as time passed, I recalled more of what I was. I was a human…with hands, feet, and a body.

Yet, I couldn’t feel anything. I tried curling my fingers and toes. I tried flaring my nostrils, opening my mouth. I couldn’t feel anything. I couldn’t even feel myself breathe.

Fear took hold quickly. It didn’t come in any physiological signs that I was accustomed to. No thumping of my heart, no quickening of my breath, no trembling of my body.

Hell, I wished I could feel it—anything to verify that something more than just my consciousness existed. But I was stuck here as time passed by with no way to keep track.

I tried everything to stay sane. I screamed, yet no sound came out. I tried biting off my own tongue yet there was no sensation.

I simply existed.

And I grew more and more mad with each subjective second that passed.

Insanity effervesced, spreading and covering every corner of my consciousness. However, the hallucinations that I expected, hoped for—wished for—never came. None of the symptoms of insanity could be materialized in a world with literally nothing else and a body that I wasn’t even sure I had, let alone felt.

I soon grew bored of the incessant fear, anxiety, dread, and paranoia that gripped at my insides…if I even had insides. Memories that felt like they were on the tip of my hypothetical tongue were never within reach for me to truly recollect.

Time passed but in a state of nothingness, it was hard to even guess whether it was going by fast or slow.

It was only when I felt a slight prickle on my…arm—yes, my arm—that I jolted out of my stupor.

I had felt something for the first time. A few moments later, I felt another prickle, this time one that spread across my chest. Those prickles soon escalated into sharp piercing pains but I didn’t care. Even pain was verifiable proof that I existed outside of my consciousness.

I waited for the next bout of pain. The feeling of scalding needles digging into each and every one of my pores would have driven me insane from the torment they caused but after the subjective eons of literal nothingness, I welcomed each and every increasingly agonizing round of burning, piercing pain across every millimeter of my body.

More excitingly, my vision began brightening until the void I was in turned lighter and lighter.

It might’ve been from the sheer pain I was in but as the white overtook more and more of my vision, I felt like I had experienced this once before.

That’s when it clicked.

No. No. Please don’t tell me I’m reincarnating again.

A wave of panic overtook me as I approached the hazy clouds of white.

My eyes shot open to see that my blurry gaze was level with the ground, my cheek pressed flat against a smooth, hard floor.

Immediately, I tried to move, trying to reassure myself that I was once again not a newborn. I couldn’t start over again, not now. There was too much left to do, so many people I had to protect. My mother, my sister, Virion, Tess, Sylvie.

Sylvie!

I struggled to even lift my head, the piercing surges of pain still encompassing all of my body.

This wasn’t a good sign.

My body felt foreign to me, heavy and stiff like wearing a suit of armor designed for a different—much larger—species.

I pried open my lips and forced a note from my throat. “Ah…Ahhh.”

The familiar clear baritone voice rang in my ear, filling me with some semblance of relief.

I gritted my teeth, and swallowed, sending a burning sting down my esophagus.

Teeth! I have teeth!

No longer fearing the possibility that I was once more an infant, I worked on trying to get myself off the ground.

Trying to lift my arms was the first major roadblock to my goal. I might as well have been trying to uproot one of the centuries-old trees in the Elshire Forest because my body wouldn’t budge. Instead, I was met with another wave of piercing pain across my entire body like someone was trying to massage me with a spiked mace that had been lit on fire.

After several attempts trying to—god forbid—lift my own body, and passing out several times from the pain that came after, I gave up.

Still, I was somewhat relieved by the pain. Not in a masochistic sort of way, but the fact that I could feel pain meant that my body might just be injured rather than completely paralyzed. And after all that time spent in everlasting darkness, the limited field of view I had in the room I was in was still a sight for sore eyes.

By the curved walls that ran across my field of vision, it seemed like I was in a large circular room. Smooth white pillars without a trace of decay held the ceiling up. A warm ethereal light glowed brightly from the sconces that lined up along the walls, spaced out evenly every few feet while familiar but indecipherable runes were etched in between them.

I pried my gaze away from the tantalizing lights and focused on the ground—or more specifically, what was on the ground.

Blood. Lots of it.

But the blood was dried brown and caked on the corners where the floor met the walls. It was hard to tell how long the walls and floors had been bloodied but as more and more areas of dried blood pools became visible the more carefully I looked, it seemed like this was some sort of grounds for injured people…or injured beasts.

I shivered at the thought of a bloodthirsty mana beast standing behind me in my vulnerable state. The only source of comfort came from the fact that I hadn’t been eaten already.

I tried moving again to little avail. I still felt like I was in some sort of shell whenever I tried to move, as if this body wasn’t my own.

After time had passed and I ran out of details on the walls, ground, and pillars to distract myself with, unwanted and painful memories that I had been pushing back began resurfacing.

Me, fighting against Nico, who had reincarnated into Elijah’s body. Actually, Elijah might’ve always been Nico—I remembered Elijah telling me how his memories before arriving in the kingdom of Darv was all a blur.

I remembered Tess sacrificing herself because I couldn’t win against Cadell, the scythe that had killed Sylvia.

I remembered, by some fluke, that I was able to harness aether in order to create not only a pocket dimension but a teleportation gate as well using the medallion made by the ancient mages. I knew by then that I wasn’t going to make it. My body was barely able to function thanks to Sylvia’s dragon will and aether keeping me alive. I knew that once I withdrew Realmheart, I would feel the full impact of my feeble ‘lesser body’ succumbing to the after-effects of exploiting both mana and aether to such a degree.

And that’s when the most painful memory resurfaced. As if it was branded into my very brain, I was able to recall my last moments with Sylvie, before she pushed me into the unstable portal, with such clarity that I could almost see her in front of me now.

Tears formed, blurring my vision, as sobs threatened to lurch out of my parched throat. Every time I closed my eyes, the memory of Sylvie disappearing right in front of me replayed over and over.

From the bond that we shared, I knew that she had used a powerful aether art to basically sacrifice her own physical body to save me.

I hated her for sacrificing herself.

But more than that, I hated myself for it.

I had been so caught up in trying to handle everything my way—to save Tess, to get my vengeance against the scythe who killed Sylvia, to confront and defeat Nico, my past—that I couldn’t appreciate the one person who stood by me through it all.

I took her for granted, assuming she’d always be here with me.

Now, she was gone.

My stomach lurched and my chest tightened as I held back another sob. I squeezed my eyes shut, grinding my teeth to try and contain myself.

But I couldn’t. I lost Sylvie, the only one who had stayed with me far longer than any other person in this world, trying to save everyone.

“Ghhh…” I heaved, letting out guttural sobs that echoed across the room as if mocking me. “I’m…sorry. I-I’m so sorry…Sylv.”

I couldn’t tell how much time I had spent wallowing in grief and self-pity but I was abruptly jolted by the sensation of pinpricks running up my entire body. It was jarring, as if millions of insects were crawling all over me, beneath my skin.

Another wave came, stronger this time—more painful. And the last wave I remembered feeling, it felt like the millions of bugs underneath my skin had erupted out of me.

***

By the time I pried open my eyes and felt the cool stickiness of saliva pooled underneath my cheek, I knew I had passed out.

Peeling my face off of the wet floor, I turned to my back.

The brief moment of elation at the fact that I could actually move was interrupted by an overwhelming sense of thirst.

Swallowing what little saliva I had left to moisten my dry throat, I pushed myself off of my back. The motion felt off and my body still felt stiff and alien, but I was still excited about my new range of motion.

Sitting on the ground, the first thing to catch my eyes were my own two hands.

“What the…” My hands were pale—almost white—but not just that; there wasn’t a single flaw on my hands that I could see. The calluses on my palms that had accumulated throughout the years of wielding a sword were nowhere to be found. The scars that were strewn across my knuckles from battles were gone. Even the scars on my wrist that I had received battling against that toxic witch—the first retainer I had fought against—were gone, replaced by smooth and pearlescent skin.

It seemed like Sylvie did much more than heal the wounds from abusing Realmheart Physique.

I gnashed my teeth, trying to push away the thought of my bond’s sacrifice before I succumbed to an even deeper pit of dread.

I continued studying my hands, noticing more and more differences with each passing second.

My arms were still toned with the muscles I had accumulated over the years of training, but they were also thinner. My hands also looked smaller and my fingers more delicate—but that might’ve been from the lack of calluses and scars.

It was only when my gaze shifted down to my forearms, more specifically my left forearm, that I felt a sharp pang across my chest.

The mark was gone.

“H-Huh?” I stammered.

Panic rose in me once more as I began frantically turning my arm to see if it was on the other side somehow. The mark was gone. The mark that I had gotten after forming my bond with Sylvie had completely vanished alongside all of the scars and calluses that had riddled my hands and arms.

“Before you get all weepy, look to your right,” a clear, cynical voice resounded nearby.

Not threatened by the voice for some reason, I turned to my right to see an iridescent stone the size of my palm.

My eyes widened, and out of sheer instinct, I dove toward the colorful stone and grabbed it to take a closer look.

“I-Is this…”

“Yup. It’s your bond,” the voice said curtly before a black shadow appeared in my peripheral view.

A black will-o-wisp the size of a large marble came into view, except this black floating teardrop had a set of sharp, pure-white eyes staring back at me and two small horns jutting on the sides of its… head.

I felt my mouth open, as I tried to talk, but before I could continue, the black teardrop-shaped will-o-wisp with horns and eyes floated closer to me. It dipped, as if bowing to me, and spoke in an exaggerated tone.

“Greetings, my pitiful master. I am Regis, the mighty weapon that has finally manifested and crawled out of your metaphorical ass.”

Chapter 251: The Next Message

I bristled in anger at the sight of the black ball of flames.

“Why…” I seethed.

“Why what?” it looked back in confusion. It’s expression was so lifelike, so…sentient, that it infuriated me even more.

“Why?!” I roared, taking a slow and painful swing at Regis.

My hand slipped through its snarky face, the momentum causing me to lose balance in this debilitating body. I toppled forward, slamming my face hard on the cold smooth floor of wherever the hell I was.

“Don’t do that!” the will-o-wisp snapped before muttering, “…I feel violated.”

Rage continued to bubble up and rise as I stared at my left hand, the exact spot on my palm that Regis had come from. “Why. Why the hell are you here now? After years of draining my mana and doing what you want, why do you appear now?”

I whipped my head up, glaring at the black flame. My vision blurred as tears welled up in my eyes. “If you had come out earlier, I could’ve won. I could’ve saved everyone!”

A trace of what looked almost like…guilt manifested on Regis’ face before the horned will-o-wisp shook its head and turned away. “Well aren’t you a ray of sunshine. Even asuras would die trying to fight over a sentient weapon yet here you are, moping about—”

“I needed you,” I whispered, tears dripping on the ground beneath my face as I clawed the smooth floor.

Regis remained silent as I let all of the emotions out of my system. I was angry at Regis, but I was doing the same thing—using him as an excuse for my own failures.

After some time had passed, my tears ran dry and my parched throat started letting out raspy stutters trying to take in more air.

Regis’ voice sounded from a small distance. “There’s a pool of clean water here. Drink before you cry yourself into a mummy.”

I hesitated, not knowing whether I even deserved water when the small iridescent egg glistened in the corner of my eyes.

“Yes, that’s it. You can do it! Do it for that rock!” Regis cheered, hovering around me like a fly I couldn’t reach.

Pushing aside all of the emotions that weighed down on my body, I dragged myself in the direction Regis led me.

My milky pale arms looked foreign to me, even as I moved. I felt like I was still in a full suit of armor despite being almost bare.

Time crawled alongside me as I slowly pulled myself across the smooth floor, my biggest source of motivation getting my strength back to shut Regis up.

“Come on, pretty boy, almost there,” he continued.

“Shut…up…” I mustered, my voice barely coming out as a wheeze.

“If you have the strength to drawl, you have the strength to crawl!” he intoned.

I’ll kill him, I decided.

I focused my attention on the marble fountain beckoning for me, spouting water so clearly and silently from the top that it looked like glass.

After struggling once more, trying to pull myself up over the rounded base that held the water, I immediately buried my head inside.

It felt like I had slammed my face into a wall of ice, but I didn’t care. I opened my mouth and gulped it all in, the water crisp and cool as it rushed down my throat.

My body continued to swallow mouthfuls of water until I couldn’t hold my breath any longer.

“Gah!” I pulled my head out, gasping for breath, when a curtain of beige covered my vision.

I tried moving it aside, assuming that maybe the back of my shirt had fallen over my head, when Regis chortled behind me.

“You’re acting like a pup seeing its own tail for the first time.”

“What are you talking about?” I grunted, still trying to flip my shirt off of my head.

“That’s your hair, oh-wise-one.”

“Huh? That’s impossi…” I looked down, seeing my reflection for the first time since waking up. My eyes widened.

The person staring back at me looked a lot like myself yet a bit older, with sharper features and skin the same milky white as my arms.

The red scar around my throat that I had gotten from the witch was no longer there, showing only a smooth long neck and adam’s apple.

But what shocked me the most were the changes in my hair and eyes. My eyes were a piercing gold and the color seemed to have been completely washed out of my once-auburn hair. The head of deep reddish brown was now a grayish wheat color, even more pale than Sylvie’s hair in her human form.

My chest tightened at the sight of my reflection, my own hair and eyes now a sore reminder of what my bond had done for me.

“W-What is this? Why do I—” A scream suddenly tore out from my throat as a searing pain ignited inside me, as if my mana core had caught on fire.

My vision doubled and became hazy until I heard a voice. It was one that I hadn’t heard in a long time, but one I could never forget.

“Hello, Art, this is Sylvia.”

My heart pounded against my ribs as excitement rose up. “S-Sylvia?”

“I recorded this at the same time as my first message to you, but I suspect that, for you, it has been quite a while since hearing my voice. Haha, I suppose I should say that it has been a while.”

I let out a laugh as I felt fresh tears stream down my cheeks.

“I’m conflicted by the fact that you’re hearing this message. On the one hand, I’m proud that you’ve been able to get to where you are now. But the fact that you’ve had to push yourself to this point means that life has not been easy for you, perhaps even more difficult than your previous one.”

I felt the weight of her somber tone but continued to listen.

“Having gotten to this stage means that you’ve had to battle foes much stronger than you in life-or-death situations and based on history, I can only assume that it would be Agrona and the Vritra that serve him.”

I bristled at the mention of Agrona’s name, but Sylvia’s voice only seemed sad…almost heartbroken.

“I figure that a war between Agrona and the asuras is inevitable, and Dicathen can only be caught in the middle of it. There is much to tell you with the limited amount of information I can store without it being traceable so I shall be succinct.

“With my daughter as your bond and the fact that you are reborn, my father will most likely have taken extreme measures to bring you in and most likely even train you. And through your exposure to my people, you’ve most likely received a very one-sided story.”

Again, Sylvia’s voice was tinged with sadness.

“The tension between the Vritra and the other asuran clans are not as simple as they’ve made it out to you. Unlike fairy tales and bedtime stories for children, life does not always have a good and bad side—only a ‘my side’ and ‘their side.’

“Agrona can’t be forgiven for all of the atrocities he has committed over the centuries, but neither can the other asuras—myself included.”

Confusion replaced and overwhelmed my other emotions.

“Agrona, who had always been fascinated by the lives of lessers, had been the one to uncover the ruins of a civilization of mages. Mages that had learned to harness aether.

“And it was only a matter of time after this discovery that he found why they had fallen despite their technological and magical—both mana and aether—advancements. Centuries ago, the Indrath clan had brought upon genocide of these ancient mages.”

What? Why would they kill off a—my questions were interrupted by Sylvia’s answer in her message.

“The Indrath Clan had been distinguished as leaders of the other asuran clans and basically revered as beings closest to true gods not just for our strength but because our control over aether could not be replicated by any others. But after, one of the emissaries from the Indrath Clan discovered that there were a reclusive civilization of lessers that were able to harness their powers.

“Fearing that their power and authority would be questioned, the elders ordered for their…elimination. From what I’ve been told, unlike our clan that had developed and trained our aether arts for battle, these ancient mages had only sought to improve life through technological advancements.”

Sylvia let out a sigh and remained silent for a few moments before continuing.

“Needless to say, their genocide had been kept as the Indrath Clan’s darkest secret and their technology had been concealed and studied, but because of how elaborate their underground cities were, we were never sure if we had truly discovered all that they had hidden. Which is why the lesser kin of dragons inhabit both Alacrya and Dicathen, making sure even now that there aren’t any of the ancient mages left alive.

“Agrona had found one of these concealed ruins and threatened to expose the Indrath Clan for their wrongdoings and noblesse oblige that we asuras held over lessers. You can imagine how my clan elders reacted to this. Taking advantage of the fact that Agrona loved to disguise himself to sneak off to Dicathen and Alacrya for his research, they accused him of having intimate relations with lessers before exiling him to Alacrya.”

I shook my head. It was such a cliché—even amongst higher, older beings, there was still political strife.

“My biggest regret was allowing my family to completely destroy the life of my betrothed…and my unborn child’s father.”

My jaw slackened as I felt my eyes bulge from their sockets. So not only did Agrona not escape Epheotus like Windsom had told me, Agrona was also Sylvia’s future husband and Sylvie’s father?

“Signs of my pregnancy only showed only a few months after Agrona had been exiled. Normally, a new member of the Indrath Clan being born was a rare and celebrated occasion but I knew that neither my clan nor any of the clans of the Great Eight would approve of me having this child, and so when I learned one night that my father was planning an assassination for Agrona in Alacrya, I knew I had to get to Agrona first.

“I confess that I was young and foolish, Arthur. Rebelling against my parents for depriving me of the man I thought I loved, I found Agrona in Alacrya before the unit my father had sent after him could. It was then that I found, not the coy and charming knowledge-seeker I had fallen in love with, but a man driven mad after the betrayal of his clansmen and his love—me.

“He and his loyal followers from the Vritra Clan had scoured through the buried texts of the ancient mages and tried to build upon their work in a different direction, using the lessers as test subjects. I do not know what his end plans are aside from conquering Epheotus, but he had been investigating an element—an edict, higher than what aether encompasses, above that of time, space, and life. Fate.”

The word ‘fate’ immediately brought to mind one person. Elder Rinia. She was not only a diviner but someone who could control aether. She had expressed adamantly that she was not related to the ancient mages but…

My brain hurt from trying to wrap all of this information together.

“Fate ties into not only the life we live in now but lives elsewhere and elsewhen.”

My breath hitched.

“I would surmise this sounding familiar to you. Fate, afterall, is the core component to reincarnation. Agrona believed that the vessel was the key component in forceful application of reincarnation, which is why I could not risk you falling into Agrona’s hands. After finding out that I had carried a child from both the basilisk and dragon lineage, he kept me imprisoned until I gave birth. Of course, I couldn’t let my child be subject to his cruel experiments so I locked my child in the pocket dimension that I created within the stone.

“As I have said before, I could not figure out the scope of Agrona’s plans before my escape, but I found that there are four ruins built by the ancient mages that he nor any other asurans are able to cross into. I was able to imprint and pass on the locations of these four major ruins that Agrona had been breeding and sending lessers into in hopes to learn more about what is down there.

“What I am leaving you with is not some grand quest; that was never my intention. But if you are in a situation where you are lost or feel weak and outnumbered, perhaps the answer Agrona is looking for is the answer you are as well.

“Take care of my daughter and yourself. Goodbye, little one.”

Just like that, Sylvia’s voice faded, leaving me stunned in such complete silence that it was palpable. It was only when Regis appeared out of my body that I jolted out of my daze.

“Well, that was a lot to take in,” the black will-o-wisp said, letting out a sigh.

I stared at him, dumbfounded. “You were able to hear all of that?”

“Why else would I want to literally be inside you.” He rolled his eyes. “Now, I’ve got some good news and bad news—well, two pretty good news and one really bad news. What do you want to hear first?”

I hobbled back to the area where the iridescent stone was and picked my bond up—Sylvia’s daughter that she had entrusted me to take care of.

“Let’s just start with the good news,” Regis said, hovering in front of me. “Based on what I discovered while you were lying over there half-dead, I think we’re actually in one of the hidden ruins of the ancient mages.”

I pried my gaze off of the stone in my hand and looked up. “What?”

“Yup, take a look at the door on the opposite end of this room. Along with the dried blood and drinkable water fountain, I’d say that this is some sort of waiting grounds for whatever horrendous challenges that the ancient mages built to keep outsiders from whatever knowledge is stored at the bottom.”

After looking at the metal door etched with runes along the frame, I studied Regis.

“You’re pretty smart,” I admitted.

Regis gasped. “I have gained master’s approval! I am worthy!”

Ignoring him, I looked back down at the small stone in my hand.

“The second good news is one you probably guessed, but I confirmed that Sylvie is alive by taking a peek inside.”

“You went inside here?” I asked, holding up the stone.

“Bite me. I was curious,” he—assuming by the timbre of his voice—quipped. “Anyway, your bond used a high-level vivum art to give you some of her asuran body in order to save you…”

Regis’ eyes turned sharp. “Which leads me to the bad news.I don’t think you were able to hear Sylvia’s message because you’ve ascended past the white core stage. In fact, your core is damaged beyond recognition.”

Chapter 252: Resolve

“Damaged? No, that’s not…” my voice trailed off as I felt the internal condition of my body.

Regis was right. When I tried to spread mana throughout my body, an act as natural as breathing by this point, I was only met with a slight tingle.

I tried once more, this time trying to gather ambient mana. This time, I couldn’t even feel anything—no blanket of warmth like before when mana once rushed inside me and coalesced in my core.

“No,” I muttered, heaving my heavy body up onto my feet.

I threw a jab, my punch painfully slow even as I channeled mana from my core through the necessary parts of my body needed to carry out a punch.

“Arthur…” Regis sighed.

Ignoring him, I pivoted and kicked forward. I stumbled and fell, unable to even keep balance.

Pushing myself up, I tried moving my body again. It was a bit easier this time, but it still felt like my time as a toddler in this world. My brain knew how to move, but my body just wouldn’t listen.

I fell, and I fell again, each time more infuriating and embarrassing than the last.

Finally, as my face hit the smooth floor, my arms unable to even react in time to cushion my fall, I stayed on the ground.

I roared in frustration, slamming my head into the ground. “What the hell is wrong with me!”

All of that hard work. Years upon years of training and refining my core, learning to control all of the elements effectively, all gone.

I pounded my head on the ground again, barely feeling anything more than a dull throb despite how hard the floor shook. I let out another scream that had been tugging at my throat, desperate to be let out.

Whether I had calmed myself or had just run out of energy, I didn’t know, but I found myself staring at the iridescent stone—the pocket dimension where Sylvie resided.

She had sacrificed her life for me and was reduced back to this state. Because of all of the stupid choices I made, she was the one that paid the price.

If I can’t get things together for myself, I need to do it for her. At the very least, I owe her that.

I got up and silently made my way back to the water fountain. Cupping my hands, I brought the cold water to my mouth and drank. Quenching my thirst, I splashed some water on my face before taking a hard look at my reflection.

A slightly older and sharper-faced Arthur looked back at me with piercing gold eyes. My hair reminded me of bleached sand as it flowed just past my shoulder in waves. Even the texture of my new hair mimicked Sylvie, sending another pang of guilt.

Ripping a thin strip of cloth from the tattered pants that I was wearing in my last battle, I tied the back of my hair.

“What do we do now?” I mustered, turning to Regis.

The floating black ball of fire with horns cocked a brow—or at least, that’s what it looked like—before saying, “You realize you’re asking advice from a weapon, right?”

I remained silent, staring at him until he clicked his tongue…or whatever he had in that large mouth of his.

“No fun,” he grumbled before floating toward me. “Well, it’s not like we have much of a choice, seeing as there is only one way out of this room.”

“So we just go through the door?” I confirmed, already heading through the large metal door.

“Hold it, Goldilocks,” he began. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“What do you mean?” I asked before the familiar term registered in my brain. “And how do you know who Goldilocks is?”

“I’m made from you, remember? All of the things you know, whether from this life or your past life, has influenced what I am right now,” he answered. “So really, if you’re annoyed at my wonderful personality, you’re really just annoyed at yourself.”

“I don’t remember ever being this sardonic or derisive,” I retorted.

“Well…to be more specific, I guess I’m an amalgamation of you, Sylvia, your bond, and that charming stud of a beast, Uto,” the floating black fire explained.

That’s when it clicked. Regis had reminded me of Uto. While his horns were shaped more like Sylvie’s, out of the three, Uto’s nature was the most prominent in Regis—just a lot more toned down by Sylvia, Sylvie, and my mix of personalities.

“Anyway,” he droned, “You’re not in a state where you should be going through any sort of door haphazardly, especially if this entire place was meant to keep people out.”

“Yeah, I know,” I cut in. “My core is pretty messed up and my body feels like it’s made of lead or something, but it’s not like we can just stay here.”

“Disregarding your injured core for a moment, do you remember when I said that Sylvie used some pretty heavy aether voodoo on you to keep your body from basically destroying itself?”

I nodded my head. “Mhm.”

“Well, perhaps the one good thing that came out of all of this—aside from myself, of course—is your new body,” Regis explained. “Your body, while not being completely draconic, is pretty damn close,” Regis explained.

My eyes widened and I immediately lowered my head, looking down at my arms and the rest of my body. Aside from the color of my hair and eyes changing, the features of my face becoming a little sharper and my skin becoming paler, it didn’t feel any different from my body—actually, it felt worse than my usual self.

Regis answered, as if reading my thoughts. “I’m not sure how much pain you actually remember feeling, but you nearly died during this ‘metamorphosis.’ It’ll take some time and a lot of effort to temper your body.”

“How do I temper this new body of mine, and what happens after I’m able to?” I asked.

“Beats the hell out of me,” Regis quipped. “I’m knowledgeable but I’m not some floating encyclopedia.”

“So you just want me to wait here and hope that my body will get better?” I snapped. “What about you? You’re supposed to be a powerful weapon tailored for me, can’t I use you to get out of here, or is floating around and talking the only thing you know how to do?”

“Oh screw you!” Regis cut in, staring daggers at me. “I’ve been nothing but helpful after you practically killed yourself.”

“I wouldn’t have had to go so far if you had come out during my last battle, but I guess it wouldn’t have mattered if you did come out then. It’s not like you could’ve been any help!”

“Boo-friggin-hoo!” Regis mocked. “The only reason you are alive and sane right now is because of me!”

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Do you know why I have four very different personalities swirling inside me, one of which wants me to kill you very painfully?”

Thinking back to when the acclorite had absorbed most of the mana that was stored in Uto’s horn, I got even more annoyed. “Yes! Because you stole most of the mana from Uto’s horn—mana that would’ve helped make me stronger!”

“If it hadn’t been for me taking most of it, you would’ve been driven mad,” Regis snarled. “Instead, I get the pleasure of having oh-so-pleasurable psychopathic tendencies every so often!”

Stunned, I didn’t respond.

Time seemed to stop for a moment as we remained silent until Regis spoke up glumly. “I don’t know what I am. It might’ve been because I was forced out of you before I could fully develop, but I’m not even sure what sort of weapon I am either, and it’s been driving me crazy.”

I sank down on the ground and let out a sigh. “Looks like we’re both in a pretty messed up state right now.”

“True, but you dug yourself into the hole you’re in right now, pretty boy. I was forced into it,” Regis smirked.

I let out a laugh. “You’re right.”

Taking out the stone that Sylvie was slumbering inside of, I stared at it longingly. I missed Sylvie. She would’ve known what to do with everything I’d been told.

Panic rose inside me as I thought of Sylvia’s message and everything it entailed. If the Indrath Clan was capable of committing genocide just because they felt their authority being threatened, the asuras were no better than Agrona and the Vritra Clan.

Sylvia said that four ruins protected from asuras made by the ancient mages held the key to wielding fate…whatever that meant. Fate was such an abstract concept that even having reincarnated into this world, I still found it hard to believe.

But what can I do? My mana core is destroyed to the point where even if I can start using mana again, I don’t think it can ever get to the same heights as before. My body may be draconic now, but I don’t even know what that fully means, and the weapon that I’ve been waiting for…

“Get down!” Regis suddenly hissed, suddenly flying into my body.

‘Stay up against the wall and act dead, or at least unconscious!’ Regis asserted, his voice echoing inside my head.

I backed up against the wall and fell to the ground just in time to see a column of blue light appear in the center of the room.

Letting my bangs cover my face, I kept my eyes open despite Regis’s insistence.

As the pillar of blue dimmed, I was able to make out the silhouette of three figures. My heartbeat quickened, excited to see other people here, when Regis berated me, telling me not to even think about getting up.

The light completely faded, leaving only the three figures standing in the center of the room—two males and one female.

The larger of the two men was clad in a mixture of plated and leather armor that did little to hide his bulging muscles. He carried in each hand a spiked mace, both dripping with blood that matched the color of his short crimson hair.

The slimmer brown-haired one still was built like an athlete, with broad shoulders and toned arms underneath a brushed-silver suit of armor.

It was the girl that spotted me first with her two red eyes that shone like crystals underneath a curtain of midnight blue—almost navy—hair.

Her statuesque form layered in what looked more like a uniform than armor, turned my way as she studied me.

It only took a moment for the two men beside her to notice me, and when they did, they didn’t react nearly as subtly as the woman had.

The larger one swung his mace, splattering an arc of blood on the ground as he approached me, while the brown-haired warrior withdrew a longsword out of thin air and positioned himself between myself and the girl. His sharp eyes narrowed as a soft vibration hummed from his large blade.

I shut my eyes, afraid that they’d see me awake.

Shit, what do we do, Regis?

‘Stay down! You’re no match for any one of these three right now.’

He’s going to kill me!

‘Wait! Don’t move until I tell you!’

I peeked open an eye to see the crimson-haired man towering over me.

‘Not yet!’ Regis hissed in my head.

“Leave her,” the girl stated.

‘Pfft! She thinks you’re a girl!’ Regis snickered.

Shut up.

“She might be a threat to us in the lower levels, Lady Caera,” the large man warned. “There are those who feign weakness to make us lower our guards.”

“Have some pity on her, Taegen. The fact that neither of you were able to sense her immediately means that her mana core is broken,” the girl said. “She won’t be a threat. Now, let’s move. We’ll rest in the next sanctuary room.”

Taegen let out a dissatisfied grunt before turning around, following after the other two.

I let out a mental breath of relief as I began to relax when I saw it. All three of their outfits had purposely left their spines revealed, covered either by chainmail or a thin mesh that I could clearly see through. And running down all three backs, along their spines, were the same kind of runes I had seen on so many Alacryan mages.

Anger flared within my chest, and immediately, the man named Taegen whirled around to face me.

Calm yourself, Arthur, I said to myself.

Time seemed to crawl as the mace-wielder studied me, confused.

“Let’s go!” the other man called out to Taegen, and the crimson-haired warrior turned back.

I must’ve waited for over thirty minutes even after they had left through the door before I got up.

“Wow, now that got my little black heart pumping!” Regis exclaimed, shooting out of my body. “It’s a good thing that gorgeous woman has a heart as large as her ti—”

“Regis!” I snapped.

My floating companion shot me a wicked grin. “Aww, is someone still upset that they were called a girl?”

“No, I’m—”

“You can check your pants if you want. You’re still a guy,” Regis cut in.

I let out a sigh. “I know, Regis. Now, why are Alacryans here?” I asked, changing the topic.

“You heard Sylvia’s message. Agrona has been sending his people down into the ruins that asuras can’t go into,” he replied.

Suddenly a feeling of dread washed over me. “Does that mean we’re somewhere below Alacrya now?”

“Beats me, but if those ancient mages were able to tinker with aether to an extent where even Agrona wants to know their secrets, I’m guessing that we can be anywhere in the world—this room that we’re in right now could be somewhere in the bottom of the ocean and that door could be a portal that takes us to the other side of the world!”

Closing my eyes, I brought up the locations of the four ancient ruins that Sylvia said she had imparted me with. What I realized was that it wasn’t some sort of internal map laid out for me to visualize. It was more like an artificial memory that had been embedded into my brain. It confirmed for me what Regis said earlier—we were inside one of the four ancient ruins. What it didn’t tell me was where this ruin was located in the world.

“So what’s the plan, Milady?” Regis chimed.

I kept my eyes shut as I took a deep breath. Relying on the habits I had developed throughout my lifetime as Grey, I bottled up the emotions gnawing away at my mind and body. I tightly packed and stored the feelings of panic and dread that encroached on my mind. I tucked away the stray thoughts that lay scattered about and wrapped it shut, leaving me with a simmering anger to give me strength, and the cool and comforting numbness to actually think ahead.

Whatever was on the other side of that door, those three likely took down or cleared through most of it. I couldn’t waste an opportunity like this.

I opened my eyes with newfound resolve and I turned to Regis. “Let’s go.”

Chapter 253: A Healthy Appetite

Preparations didn’t take very long, especially since our inventory was basically nonexistent. I tore off what was left of my tattered shirt, revealing milky white skin that didn’t seem to have any sort of muscle definition.

“Great,” I muttered, looking down at my body.

“Why so glum? You have a body most would kill for…” Regis started before snickering. “Most girls, that is.”

I swatted at my companion but he zipped out of reach this time.

My long pants were mostly intact thanks to the leather cuisses. Taking off the thick sheets of leather that had been protecting my thighs, I created a makeshift vest by tearing off pieces of the leather with my teeth and using strips of my shirt to tie them together around my waist and over my shoulder.

With the extra strips of fabric I had left, I created a mask to cover my mouth and nose and wrapped the rest around my hands.

“Why the mask? Are you trying to just complete your little ninja ensemble?” Regis asked, inspecting my new appearance.

I curled and uncurled my fingers that were wrapped up to the second knuckle by the cloth. “The Alacryans that passed by had different types of armor that most likely fit their fighting styles, but all three had masks around their necks and unlike ourselves, they seemed to know what it is they’re getting themselves into.”

“Wow. Smart,” Regis acknowledged, bobbing his head up and down.

“Why do you sound so surprised when you know I’ve led two lives?”

“Good point. This one apologizes for his ignorance, Milady.”

I rolled my eyes. This was going to be a long journey.

After going through a series of movements and martial art forms to loosen my clumsy new body with, I walked up to the large metal door feeling even less prepared than I felt before readying myself.

Every time I moved, there was an almost tangible resistance. It felt like the very air around me had been replaced by tar.

I placed my hands on the door filled with runes and let out a sigh. “Are you ready?”

“Let’s go,” Regis said without a trace of mockery.

I pushed open the door with ease and what appeared on the other side looked to be an extension of the room we were in now.

Looking at Regis, I jerked my head towards the door.

“What? Why me?” my companion complained.

“Because. You’re incorporeal,” I said flatly.

Letting out a string of curses, the will-o-wisp hovered toward the other side of the door when he jerked to a stop all of a sudden.

“Ouch! That actually hurt,” he said, more confused than in pain.

“What’s going on?” I asked, carefully waving my hand in the area where Regis got hurt.

Unlike Regis, though, I was able to go through.

“Ouch! Stop that!” Regis snarled, his form quivering.

I did it once more, and Regis yelped in pain again before glaring at me.

“Just wanted to make sure,” I smirked contently.

“I don’t think this is just an entryway to another room,” Regis grumbled. “This is the same kind of pain I get if I move too far from you, but the pain level is a lot more gradual than this.”

“That means this is most likely a portal,” I replied, looking at the room on the other side of the door. “Wait, why did you try to leave me?”

Regis shrugged. “I’m a sentient being. I wanted to know what my limit was and it’s not like I was born inherently loyal to you.”

I shook my head. “I’d be a lot more upset if you were actually useful as a weapon.”

“Touché,” Regis quipped.

“We’ll cross together on three,” I decided.

Regis nodded, positioning himself just behind the doorway. My heart thumped against my ribcage as I felt my senses heighten. I had no idea what we would face as soon as we left this ‘sanctuary’.

“One. Two. Three!” I stepped through alongside Regis, ready for whatever challenges awaited. However, we were met in complete silence aside from the click and hum of the door closing behind us.

The marble floor underneath my feet was flawlessly smooth but unlike the circular room we were in before, this one was a long straight hallway with a ceiling that arched high above our heads with another metal door etched with runes on the other side. Two rows of sconces were lined across the patterned wall, illuminating the hallway in a warm natural light. On either side of us were giant marble statues depicting men and women armed with not just the familiar swords, spears, wands and bows, but also… guns.

Apparently, Regis was just as surprised as I was. “Are those…”

“Guns? I think so,” I answered.

The firearms that some of the statues were holding were different from the ones I was accustomed to from my previous life. They were more archaic, like the ones of the past that still used metal bullets and gunpowder.

My gaze shifted away from the stone statues for a moment, landing on the door straight ahead, roughly three hundred feet or so.

“So we just…walk past these giant stone statues and go to the door on the other side. That’s not ominous at all,” Regis muttered.

Rather than walking straight ahead, I walked over to the wall to my right, searching for any sort of hidden side exit. After searching both walls, I let out a sigh and looked down the middle aisle again between the row of stone statues.

“You don’t suppose these statues will start moving and try to kill us once we get near them, right?”

“There’s only one way to find out,” Regis said, perching himself on my shoulder. “Onward to victory, Milady!”

I got in a stance to run, cursing this new body of mine. If I was able to use magic, clearing this hallway would’ve taken no more than a few seconds—less, if I used Static Void. Letting out a sharp breath and allowing my brain to clear itself from needless thoughts, I pushed my feet off the ground and broke into a full on sprint through the line of stone statues on either side of me.

“Come on! A toddler can crawl faster than this!” Regis badgered right beside my ear, infuriating me even more than my debilitated body. Gritting my teeth, I continued running as fast as my heavy legs would take me when I misstepped and tripped over my own feet.

I slid forward on the ground, barely managing to bring my arms up fast enough to keep myself from slamming my face into the cold marble floor.

There was no pain, only embarrassment as I scrambled back up to my feet. It didn’t help that my companion was laughing his nonexistent ass off as he reenacted my crash.

I dusted myself off and started briskly walking. “Hey. What happens to you if I die?”

Regis stopped laughing. “Huh?”

“Do you become free, or do you die as well?”

“I never really thought about it but…” Regis pondered for a moment. “The foundation of this form comes from the acclorite that was placed into your body, but my life force is tied to you so if you die, I suppose…”

“You go back to being a hunk of rock?” I finished, scanning the statues now surrounding us as we passed the quarter mark in the hallway. “That’s nice to know.”

“Hey! Are you s-smiling?” Regis stuttered, looking at me with those large, unblinking white eyes of his.

“You’re just seeing things,” I said, swatting him away.

“No, I saw you smile! Are you sure some of Uto’s mana didn’t infect you, or were you always a bit sociopathic?”

Ignoring him, I searched for any signs that the statues were a danger to us. Continuing our way down the long hallway, a sensation I hadn’t felt since waking up in this…place, struck: hunger.

The sharp pang that made my stomach churn went away as quickly as it had come but a little bit of it lingered behind, making my mouth water.

We had only taken a few more steps past the quarter mark of the hallway when my vision began to narrow, blurring out everything but the statues in front of me.

“Well, I’ll be. No stone statues came to life and started attacking us,” Regis chimed as he floated closer to a statue holding what looked like a shotgun.

Suddenly the room shook as the lights from the sconces dimmed to an eerie degree.

I looked forward at the exit still over two hundred feet away. The aetheric runes carved on the door had changed and the handle that used to be there was gone.

Thanking Sylvie mentally for being able to see so far with such clarity, I whirled back around, bolting for the door we had come from.

I had no idea if we would be allowed back into the sanctuary but it was either that or face whatever it was that was about to happen.

I must’ve taken about ten steps when the statues around me began cracking. Large stone fragments broke off and fell to the floor…and as more and more of the statues began crumbling, the more I could make out what was inside them.

What was exposed from the coffin-like statues these…creatures were trapped in could be nothing short of unsettling. Scabrous flesh covered patches of exposed muscles and bone in these sinewy humanoid creatures. The weapons depicted in the statues were actually weapons in similar shapes made of elongated bones and muscle fibers.

If I could describe it simply, it would look like some lunatic had ripped apart a large human and tried to piece him back together inside out. Like some failed chimera experiment.

The first chimera to fully ‘hatch’ out of its stone encasement had been a statue of a man wielding a bow and arrow. It let out a guttural screech from its crooked mouth as it leapt from the podium the statue was on, sending shivers throughout my entire body.

“W-Well…at least technically the statues aren’t trying to kill us,” Regis mumbled. “Just what was inside them.”

I raced toward the door that we had come through, less than a hundred feet away. However, just after a few steps, I heard a faint whistle in the air.

Without looking back, I dove to the side and rolled, narrowly managing to avoid the bone arrow that managed to create a fissure on the ground from the force of its impact.

I scrambled back up to my feet just as the bow-wielding creature snapped off one of its long, spiked vertebrae and nocked the ‘arrow’ on the gut string of its bow.

“Axe monster finished hatching as well!” Regis called out from above, just a few feet away.

The split second I had taken to look over at the second chimera with axes for arms was all the bow-wielding chimera needed.

A burst of pain erupted from my side and I was sent flying back from the impact. Letting out a hoarse cough, I looked down to see a bone arrow protruding just below my ribcage.

I got up to my knees. My vision narrowed again, blurring out everything but what I had to focus on. I’ve had this feeling before in battle, but nothing as extreme as this. My head pounded against my skull as blood surged through my body.

I jumped back, barely in time to dodge the blurred swing of the axe chimera. Just as it was about to swing down its other bladed arm at me, a black shadow whizzed by.

Regis stuck to the axe chimera, obstructing its vision and allowing me the opportunity to limp away.

I made it another few steps when another searing pain bloomed, this time from my left leg.

Stifling a scream, I toppled forward, barely avoiding the first arrow from getting pushed further into my stomach.

“Arthur! I can only distract one of them and there are more of these things hatching!”

“I know!” I mustered through gritted teeth. I snapped the shaft off of the bone arrow inside my body, letting out a gasp as I did the same with the arrow on my leg.

My vision pulsed once more as if my body was trying to expel my soul. Colors began fading and what began surrounding the sinewy monsters emerging free from their stone statues were soft auras of purple. Looking down at the bone and muscle-strewn shafts of the arrows in my hand, the same soft purple aura seeped, causing me to do something that I couldn’t quite believe.

I bit down on one arrow. More specifically, I bit down on the aetheric aura surrounding the arrow, consuming the aether as if it were the meat attached to a bone.

“What in the unholy hell are you doing?” Regis cried out.

I chomped down on the dwindling aetheric fire, tearing it off the bone arrow and swallowing it down before moving onto the other aether-coated arrow.

My veins burned as the aetheric substance surrounding the arrows flowed through me, filling me with a strength that I hadn’t felt since waking up with this body.

It had gone as quickly as it had come, but what shocked me was that the wound on my leg and side were gone and two bloody arrowheads were on the ground below my feet.

With no time to spare, I got back to my feet with a renewed spring in my step. The ground trembled as the third chimera fully freed itself from its statue-shaped coffin—this one being a sword-wielding one.

The sword chimera jumped off its podium and galloped toward me at a breakneck pace while the first chimera loaded another one of its spiked vertebrae onto its bow.

Controlling my breathing, I let my enhanced senses pick up on the details.

The bow chimera released with a sharp whistle, but this time I was able to actually see the path of the bone arrow piercing through the air. Dodging it with an exaggerated motion, I steadied myself in order to face the sword chimera just a few feet away.

It swung its pale white broadsword in a brilliant arch that left me with a gash even though I had managed to dodge it.

My heartbeat quickened as various scenarios raced through my head. In this life-or-death place facing monsters in my debilitated state, there was only one thing I could do: risk it all.

If I wasn’t prepared to give up my life, I knew I wouldn’t survive in this place.

Lunging forward as the sword chimera’s large blade skidded on the smooth marble surface with a screech, I grabbed its arm and bit down and consumed the purple aura surrounding it.

The sword chimera let out a mournful wail, revealing a mouthful of needle-pointed teeth. The chimera flailed wildly in pain but I clung on, trying to hurt it in any way I could. Kicks and punches hurt me more than it hurt the chimera but as I continued consuming the purple-tinged aura surrounding the chimera’s sword-wielding arm, I felt my strength growing.

An explosion resounded this time and the entire room shook madly, throwing me off the chimera.

The chimera kicked me with its long, leathery leg and I slammed against the wall, coughing up blood and a couple of teeth.

“Arthur!” I heard in the distance as my consciousness faded in and out.

Ahead of me, marching towards me was an army of chimeras, each wielding a different weapon made of bone and muscle.

Another explosion resounded, much closer this time, and the ground in front of me burst into shards of marble and blood.

A guttural scream tore out of my throat as a pool of blood formed just where my left leg had been. It was the chimera holding what looked like a gun, its hollowed bone pointed right at me.

Dragging my body across the floor as the chimeras approached, almost tauntingly slow, I reached for the door we had come through—the door to the sanctuary.

Pulling myself up to my single good leg, I pulled at the handle. It wouldn’t budge.

“Come on!” I pleaded, yanking at the metal handle futilely.

Regis, who had floated back to me, let out a sigh. “My life sucked.”

I heard a faint whistle before a piercing pain erupted once more, this time from my left shoulder.

Gritting through the pain, I kept myself from falling by pressing myself against the wall and grabbing ahold of the handle for support.

That’s when I saw it. Amongst all of the aetheric runes and symbols etched onto this door, there was a single part that I recognized from when I had watched Elder Rinia activating the teleportation gate in the ancient mage’s hideout.

Pressing myself harder against the wall for support, I used my only good hand to trace the aetheric runes.

Nothing happened.

“Damn it! Please!” I pleaded, trying again.

I screamed once more as another arrow pierced my lower back, dangerously close to my spine. I gripped the handle again, to keep myself from falling, when I saw the same faint purple aura the chimeras emitted around Regis.

My eyes widened. “Regis, quick, come here!”

“Okay, but you’re not going to eat me, right?” Regis said, uncertain.

“Hurry!” I hissed. “Get in my hand!”

The black will-o-wisp darted into my right hand, and I almost cheered in delight at what I saw. My hand was tinted in a faint aura of purple.

Quickly, I traced through the runes again, shifting it ever-so-slightly so that its function of opening was enabled.

The hum of the door unlocking was heavenly, but my eyes widened as I spotted the gun-wielding chimera fully loaded and a thick cluster of purple gathered at the nozzle.

Prying the door open just enough for me to squeeze through, I lunged back inside the sanctuary just in time to feel the door shudder from the force of the chimera’s shotgun shell.

Chapter 254: Round Two

I toppled forward, collapsing hard on the cold marble floor of the sanctuary as a pool of dark crimson began spreading around me.

Struggling against the numbing grasp that threatened to rip my consciousness away, I crawled away from the door, desperate to get as far away from those monstrosities as possible.

“Arthur,” Regis muttered, his voice soft.

With the plethora of wounds driving hot needles through my body and mind, I focused on trying to keep myself alive.

Reaching a shaking hand over my shoulder, I gripped the shaft of one of the bone arrows lodged in my back.

I stifled a scream as tears rolled down my face. Without mana to protect my body and adrenaline to dull the pain, even touching the arrow sent spikes of burning agony through my back.

Letting out a guttural yell, I snapped the shaft off. A wave of nausea overcame me and I threw up on the ground. With nothing in my stomach, I heaved water and stomach acid until all I could do was gag.

It took a few minutes for my body to calm down—honestly, it could’ve been longer since I blacked out a few times in between. Mustering what little strength I had left, I brought the bone shaft up to my mouth.

“You’re not going to—oh, yup yeah you are.”

Regis regarded me with a grimace but I didn’t care. The aetheric aura was pure nourishment for me and I already felt strength returning to my body.

I snapped off the other shaft lodged in my side, barely able to keep myself from throwing up. I consumed the aetheric essence from that as well, thinking of how I was going to get out of here now that I only had one leg.

The pool of crimson that had spread underneath me began to dry, a good sign that I wasn’t bleeding anymore.

After polishing off both arrows, I dragged myself to the fountain. Gulping down mouthfuls of the clear cold water as my body grew limp and eyelids became heavier, I leaned back against the side of the marble fountain and let the darkness overcome me.

***

I was jolted out of my slumber in a fit of coughs as if I had been drowning in my sleep. I clutched at my chest, gasping for air as the wounds on my back burned.

Suddenly, Regis shot out of my chest.

“What…the hell are you doing?” I asked, controlling my breathing.

“I swear that wasn’t me. Okay, maybe it was a little me,” Regis replied with a guilty expression.

I shot him a glare that sent him retreating back a few more feet. “I’ll tell you what I found out while you were sleeping, but first, check out your body!”

Confused, I looked down, preparing myself for the worst. I had gotten shot three times in the back and once on my left leg before that same leg had been blown apart by a shotgun that I could only imagine Satan himself wielding.

However when my gaze reached my legs, I couldn’t help but let out a sharp breath. There it was, my left leg—bare from the thigh down but completely intact and without a scratch. I touched, prodded and pinched my leg to make it sure it was real, to make sure that it was mine.

“Neat, huh! You’re like some sort of weird starfish or spider,” Regis said excitedly.

I let out a laugh, unable to contain my relief. “You can’t think of a better life form to compare me to?”

“Well, I was going to say lizard but they can only regrow their tails and that’s not technically—”

“Okay, I get it,” I chuckled before studying my leg more closely. “I get healing a few gashes and puncture wounds but my left leg was completely blown off. Do you have any idea how I was able to do that?”

“I was getting to that,” Regis began. “I don’t know how you got the idea of eating the aether coming from those monsters but that saved you—no, it more than saved you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your physiology right now is neither human nor asura. It’s something in between because of the sacrificial aether art Sylvie used on you. The problem you had once you became conscious was that your mana core is damaged beyond repair. Unlike a lesser, without a functioning and rather powerful mana core to boot, you can’t sustain this body.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. How would my own body not be able to support…my body?” I asked.

“If you think of why asuras are so innately powerful, it’s because unlike lessers, their body is reliant on mana to operate. Since the moment asuras are born, their mana cores are constantly being taxed to even sustain their very lives. If their mana cores broke, their whole body would slowly collapse.”

I grimaced. “Okay, so since I don’t have a mana core, my body is slowly shutting down?”

“It was, until you savagely started eating the aether from those monsters like some starving zombie,” Regis explained. “After that, your body began to sustain itself a little better.”

I looked down at my hands and feet, marveling at how different this body was compared to my old one. It wasn’t just my exterior appearance that had changed.

“And more exciting still…remember when you were like, ‘Regis, get in my hand!’?” Regis said in a voice annoyingly similar to mine. “Well you thought that it was the aether from me that you were manipulating, right? It was actually the aether you already had inside your body. For some reason, when I went into your hand, all of that aether you had consumed—which had been spread throughout your body—came toward me.”

“Interesting…wait, does that mean you can basically siphon aether out of my body and use it for yourself?” I asked, suspicious.

“Maybe,” Regis answered before hurriedly continuing. “But I didn’t! Okay, maybe a little, but only once I knew your life wasn’t in danger! Until then, I went inside your leg and made sure all of the aether you had left in your body was focused on regenerating it. That’s why your leg is in perfect shape while the injuries on your back aren’t fully healed.”

I let out a sigh, tired by how my own companion was trying to pull fast ones over me.

“Look, I could go walk over to that door and trigger the range limit to put you in pain—hell, give me a few hours and I can think of even more creative ways to punish your incorporeal ass, but I don’t think keeping you on a tight leash is how we’re going to get out of here.”

Regis’ eyes widened at the thought before he nodded fervently.

“So you said that the aether I consume is spread around my body, momentarily nourishing and strengthening it before it’s all used up, correct?” I asked.

“Yup. From what I gathered, the aether tries to keep you at an optimal state so it prioritizes recovering wounds first, which is probably why you don’t feel that much stronger.”

“Good. And I’m guessing that if you consume the aether in my body, you’ll get stronger too in some way or another?”

“That’s what it feels like right now, didn’t you notice?”

I raised a brow. “Notice what?”

“My horns! They grew like an eighth of an inch!”

I stared at him, deadpan until he let out a cough.

“Anyway…what were you were saying, my beautiful master?”

I pointed at the metal door a few feet away. “We’re going to go back out there and try to harvest as much aetheric essence as possible either from the arrows or from those chimeras themselves and come back here.”

Regis’ eyes grew wide “Seriously? To what end?”

“Until I get strong enough to kill them all,” I said matter-of-factly.

Crossing through the door and walking up to the triggering point in the hallway wasn’t any easier the second time. The fact that we knew what was coming actually made it worse, but this time my body felt just a bit lighter and stronger, plus I knew what to expect.

With a rumble and explosion of stone fragments, the bow-wielding chimera broke loose from its statue first—the same as last time.

I broke into a sprint back toward the door to the sanctuary. I couldn’t allow myself to get surrounded here.

The goal was simple. Consume as much aether from the chimeras as I could while sustaining as little injuries as possible. The fewer injuries I had, the more aether that I consumed would go into strengthening Regis and my own body.

“So,” Regis began as we continued fleeing back while more stone statues began splintering. “We split the aether 50/50?”

“Nice try,” I scoffed. “80/20 after my wounds have been healed.”

Regis clicked his tongue…or made a sound that resembled it. “Stingy-ass.”

“Maybe if you become an actual weapon of some sort after getting stronger, I can allocate some more to you,” I replied, looking back over my shoulder.

The two of us parted ways as the chimera leapt off the podium it was on and landed with a ‘thud’. Locking its beady eyes at me, it unhinged its needled teeth-filled jaw and let out a monstrous wail that sent chills down my spine.

Maintaining my balance in this body while moving anything faster than a brisk walk took more control than when I was a toddler.

Still, I managed to make it back close enough to the sanctuary door without tripping this time. Whirling around to face the chimera, I stared as it ripped off one of its spiked vertebrae and nocked it on its bone bow.

The chimera released its attack, launching the bone arrow in a piercing howl that tore through the air.

I rolled out of the way, not trusting myself to dodge by a small margin. As the arrow struck the wall, the entire room trembled, and before I could even gather myself, the chimera already had two arrows ready to fire in its bow.

It didn’t do that last time, I thought.

Thankfully, Regis had reached the chimera by this time and was dancing crazily around its face.

The arrows missed their mark, allowing me some time to snap off the shafts of the arrow from the stone wall. I saved an arrow for later and consumed the aetheric essence off of the other one.

Things seemed to go more-or-less according to plan for the first few minutes until the second chimera broke loose. Then the third and a fourth…and a fifth.

“They’re breaking out faster this time!” Regis roared, still keeping the bow chimera occupied.

Cursing inwardly, my gaze shifted between the three chimeras racing toward me like frenzied animals holding weapons and the entrance back to the sanctuary.

I buried the temptation of leaving this soon. I wasn’t injured and I had consumed a bit of aether but that was nowhere enough now. My initial plan of harvesting a few arrows from the bow-wielding chimera to slowly get stronger over time had gone down the drain now that the possibility of the chimeras breaking free faster each time had dawned on me.

I wasn’t strong enough to beat them this round and I needed to get a lot stronger for the next round or I had no hope of going past this floor, let alone this entire dungeon.

The chimera wielding a whip made from the spine of some large serpent reached me first. Its weapon blurred in a barrage of swipes, sweeps and strikes, each of which created divots and splintered the ground.

Hardened battle instincts and decades of fighting knowledge made up for what little strength and control I had over this body. I ducked, rolled and weaved through the spiked whip, but I was just barely holding on even before the other two chimeras reached us.

The room was soon in chaos as Regis did his best to occupy the bow-wielding and shotgun-wielding chimera while I coped with the rest.

I clung onto chimeras as soon as their strikes missed and their weapons had become stuck in the ground from the sheer force of the attacks before consuming their aetheric essence to regenerate the wounds accrued throughout this little game of tag.

Every so often, the room would rumble after the shotgun fired off somewhere. Thankfully, Regis was doing his part.

“Watch out!” Regis suddenly called.

My gaze immediately landed on the bow chimera poised to launch three arrows before I whirled around and dove toward the sword chimera’s swing.

I had managed to avoid the sword just as I heard the deadly howls of the arrows. Following the swing’s momentum, I gripped the chimera’s sword arm and tossed the chimera over my shoulder in line with the three arrows.

The sheer impact of the arrows hitting the sword chimera knocked me off my feet and sent me tumbling back while the sword chimera toppled over me and landed on the whip chimera.

I watched in excitement as the chimera writhed in pain and just as an inkling of hope manifested in me, a blur whizzed by and the blunt end of the other chimera’s spear struck me.

Barely managing to guard the blow with my arms, I let out a gasp as the air was forced out of my lungs.

“Arthur!” I heard Regis yell as I flew back and hit the wall with such force that I felt something more than just the wall crack behind me.

I collapsed on the floor, blood pooling underneath me even faster than the time I lost a leg.

Both my arms had been broken from guarding against the blow and my consciousness wavered.

Contorting my body, I pried the broken arrow I had saved with my teeth and began swallowing the aetheric essence.

My right arm was shattered beyond use but I was now able to move my left arm. With strength slowly returning, I managed to pull myself up off the floor.

The room was just a few steps to my left and the temptation to just go back grew stronger. I weighed my options, trying to figure out the best way for me to survive when a beastly roar captured my attention.

The sword chimera and bow chimera were fighting…against each other.

The whip and spear chimera realized that I was still alive and raced toward me. A few minutes ago, I would’ve accepted this as my death, but now, a plan had solidified in my head.

My eyes locked onto the whip chimera just a bit ahead of its spear-wielding friend and with a sharp breath, I dashed toward it.

The chimera reacted by brandishing its skeletal whip as it continued its charge toward me. However, just before it was within range, I turned sharply to my right—nearly tripping in the process—and headed toward the spear chimera.

I only have one shot at this.

Not wanting its prey to get away, the first chimera struck its whip at me with a sharp ‘crack’.

Now!

I raised my only able arm holding the bone shaft and blocked the tail end of the whip before it spun around the bone arrow.

Come on…

Now with the tail end of the whip in my grasp, I dove down just below the spear chimera’s midsection swing and used the whip as a tripwire.

The spear chimera toppled forward and crashed into the wall in a thunderous crash.

Unfortunately for me, the whip that I had been holding onto jerked back, taking me with it.

With an angered roar, the chimera prepared to deal its finishing blow as its foot pressed down my chest when another bellow echoed just beside us.

Success!

Speary charged relentlessly and lunged its spear into its whip-wielding friend’s shoulder. Soon, the two chimeras were battling amongst themselves. All that was left was for the last stage of my plan.

The shotgun chimera was slow to reload its gun but each attack made a crater in the wall or floor of the hallway. I was just thankful that Regis was able to blind it enough so it wouldn’t be too much of a threat.

Now, I needed to take advantage of that threat.

“Regis! Keep its eyes covered but steer its gun toward me!” I barked after narrowly rolling away from Speary and Whippy’s scuffle.

Unlike before, my companion didn’t question the command and unlatched itself from the shotgun chimera’s face just enough to keep its vision mostly obscured.

Enraged, the chimera swung its gun at Regis who was zipping around its face.

With no time to waste, I scrambled past Speary and Whippy and positioned myself in front of them just as the chimera Regis was harassing had fully charged up its gun.

“Now!” I roared.

Regis flew towards me and I found myself staring down the barrel of the chimera’s shotgun once more.

This time, however, it was on purpose.

Timing it up until the very last moment, I leaped out of the way just as the chimera fired, letting the bullets rain down on Whippy and Speary.

I gritted through the pain that shot up my shattered arm and back, astonished by the sight before me.

The shotgun had punched holes through both the spear and whip chimera—both of whom where laying limp.

The plan had worked better than I expected.

With no time to lose, I ran to the two chimeras that were tangled up in the chimera’s long whip and dragged them toward the door.

A feral roar ripped out from the shotgun chimera’s throat, getting the attention of the arrow and sword chimera that had been fighting each other. The two regarded each other for a moment before their beady eyes landed on me.

Crap.

I heaved even harder, my eyes glued on the bow chimera reading its arrow and the sword chimera sprinting toward me.

“Regis!” I called out, not able to see the floating black fireball anywhere.

“Here,” Regis groaned, manifesting just beside me. “I didn’t know that it would take this long for me to form back after being obliterated.”

An arrow whizzed, barely grazing me on the leg as I continued pulling the corpses of the two chimeras back toward the sanctuary with only one arm.

I let out a roar, mustering every last bit of my strength in pulling the giant chimeras.

Another arrow whizzed. Without the strength and time to do much else, I pivoted my body so the arrow would strike my right shoulder, sacrificing my debilitated arm to keep the rest of my body able.

A piercing pain burned through me and I almost fell back from the force of the blow but I managed to stay on my feet.

The sword chimera was less than ten feet away by the time we reached the door and I had activated the aether runes to allow our escape.

I hauled the two chimeras through the portal, and even while I was physically inside the sanctuary, my heart pounded against my cracked ribs when I saw the spine whip slowly untangling itself around the two chimeras.

Barely managing to pull the whip chimera through the portal, I scrambled forward and began pulling back the spear chimera as well but as the whip around the spear chimera loosened, I felt a strong force pulling it back.

“No!” I roared, watching the spear chimera slip back through the portal as the sword chimera pulled it back.

“We need to close the door!” Regis shouted, shooting out of my hand.

“Damn it!” I cursed before giving up and shutting the large metal door close.

Chapter 255: Victory

My body shuddered as I let out a deep breath. Looking down at my body, I could see people mistaking me for a young noble barely in his twenties. Without a scar or blemish on me, the perfectly defined muscles that ran down my arms, torso and legs looked like they had been painted on, rather than acquired through training.

A faint aura of purple enveloped me, slowly dimming as more and more aether dissipated from my body. However, the biggest difference was something I could feel rather than see.

It was a feeling that differed from when I had enhanced my old body with mana… It was even different from how I felt after unlocking the third stage of the Sylvia’s dragon will in my fight against Nico. The strength pumping through me didn’t feel borrowed or artificially implanted—it felt like it was mine.

Approaching the nearby wall of the sanctuary, I squeezed my hand into a fist. My own eyes failed to properly see my hand as it struck the wall with a deafening explosion.

The entire room shook as water from the fountain spilled on the ground. While barely a crack had formed on the wall, I was still content; I knew that the force of my blow just now was enough to easily punch a large hole through even the thick metal gates of the Wall.

I looked down to see the wound on my fist already closing and healing itself. Turning around, I silently thanked the corpse of the giant chimera that had now been reduced to a pile of withered bones now that the aetheric essence holding it together had been absorbed.

“Ayy! You finally look a bit more like a man—at least, your body, that is,” Regis exclaimed, studying me.

“And you still look like a blob of ink,” I quipped, swatting him away.

I expected my hand to simply pass through him like it usually did, but this time I felt some resistance upon contact.

“Woah,” I said, startled.

Regis waggled his brows in an expression that I could only see as lewd. “Did you get a good feel for my muscles?”

I wiped my hand on my pants. “Gross.”

Regis laughed, zipping around the air as if he were flying for the first time.

I shook my head. “We should leave now. I can feel the aetheric essence leaving my body by the second and I need as much as possible if we’re going to kill all of those chimeras.

“You’re right,” my companion replied with confidence. “Let’s do this.”

Taking one last deep breath to calm myself, I pushed open the door.

My body tensed and my heart pounded against my ribs. Even though my mind knew I stood a much better chance against the chimeras, the fear and pain had been deeply ingrained into my body.

“Third time and this place is still creepy even without the chimeras trying to kill us,” Regis groused.

We continued walking, trying to make out any differences from the last time we came here. I hoped that the whip chimera that we had killed wouldn’t be here but its statue remained intact and looked somehow even scarier than the previous times.

“I’m curious how the party before us got through,” I wondered, my head still turning left and right as I scanned our surroundings. “How strong are those three?”

Regis shrugged. “Hopefully we’ll never have to find out.”

I must’ve reached the activation point because the room suddenly rumbled.

However, unlike the previous two times, that was the only warning—no gradual crumbling of the statues, no time spent prying themselves free from their encasings.

“So I was right,” I sighed. “They do break out faster each time.”

Regis rolled his eyes. “I’d clap slowly, applauding you for your incredible foresight but—y’know—no hands.”

All of the chimeras immediately leaped out from their podiums and let out a shrill screech in unison.

I got into a fighting stance, my trained eyes taking in the position and weapons of the twelve chimeras surrounding us.

I focused on the three chimeras wielding long-ranged weapons: a bow, a shotgun, and dual crossbows.

After making sure that the Sylvie egg was tucked tightly beneath my leather vest, I pushed the ground beneath my feet, propelling myself to the nearest chimera.

“I know the rough timing of the shotgun chimera. Keep the one with the crossbows occupied!” I ordered as I drove my fist into a chimera wielding two maces made from the skull of a giant ape-like beast.

The chimera was sent a few steps back from the force of the blow and it screeched in pain but was able to make a desperate swing with one of its maces.

I ducked under its path and released a wide hook straight into its exposed ribcage. It buckled and let out another wail but before I could capitalize on its injuries, an arrow caught me in my leg, going straight through my thigh.

Gritting through the pain, I tackled the mace chimera onto its back and focused on the other chimeras fast approaching.

Keeping the position of the shotgun and bow chimera always in mind, I dashed toward the next chimera.

Each step I took, each punch I threw, I could feel more of the aether that I had gathered being spent. Even as I consumed aether mid-battle from the various chimeras, I was expending it much faster than I could absorb it and I had only managed to barely kill three.

Making sure that my breathing remained controlled and movements sharp and unwasted, I mustered forward, using the same tactics I had used the last round. I was able to make two chimeras kill each other until the shotgun chimera quelled its forces with a gutteral warcry.

Meanwhile, Regis continued to occupy the crossbow chimera. Based on the speed at which its weapons reloaded and the power each bone bolt contained, I made the right choice in making Regis blind that one.

Still, as I killed more and more, an uneasiness spread from my stomach.

The entire hallway was littered with fragments of stone from the crumbled statues and the divots dug up from the battle ensuing.

I could tell that I had used over half of the aether I had gathered from the whip chimera, and the ones left were stronger than the ones I had killed.

“It’s never easy, is it,” I muttered under my breath, my eyes focused on the chimera with serrated daggers for hands.

Another idea began to form as my gaze shifted from the dagger chimera to the sword chimera.

Dodging the arrows of the bow chimera and picking two of them up, I locked onto the one wielding twin daggers.

Before I engaged, I hurled the arrow like a javelin, letting its tip bury itself into the arm of the sword chimera.

With no time to relax, I dipped and weaved through the flurry of swings from the lanky dagger chimera. My mind brought up scenes from almost ten years ago when I had sparred against Jasmine on a daily basis while starting my time as an adventurer.

However, unlike the way Jasmine seemed to almost dance with her daggers in hand, this chimera’s techniques were crude and relied on its long reach and ridiculous strength and speed.

Whoever made these things might have imbued the physical prowess of an S class mana beast, but it’s intellect and technique were subpar.

I continued skirting just out of reach from the dagger-wielding chimera, leading it around the palm of its hands now that I was fast enough to easily dodge its swings. I couldn’t make them kill each other while the shotgun chimera continued keeping its distance from me and shooting every so often. However, I was able to use wild swings made by the dagger chimera to give injuries to the other chimeras trying to kill me as well.

Growing more and more frustrated by its inability to even touch me, the dagger chimera let out sharp screeches, swinging its two daggers until a rather desperate overhead swing dug one of its blades a bit too deeply into the ground.

Finally with an opportunity in place, I jumped up, using its arm as a platform to reach its head in a roundhouse kick that snapped the arm stuck on the ground.

Just in time, the sword chimera found the perfect opportunity to kill me with its giant sword—regardless of whether its attack would also kill the dagger chimera as well.

Gotcha.

Immediately taking the other arrow I had picked up earlier, I defended the overhead strike of the giant sword and redirected its path straight onto the broken arm of the dagger chimera.

I felt my left shoulder pop out of its socket from the sheer impact, but it worked. The dagger had been cut cleanly off from the rest of the chimera’s arm.

The dagger chimera let out a loud wail of pain, distracting the sword chimera just long enough for me to free the severed dagger from the ground.

The dagger in my hand looked more like a longsword, but the all-too-familiar sensation of a sword in my hand filled me with a newfound confidence.

Pissed off by the fact that I was using one of its hands as my own weapon, the dagger chimera ignored its injuries and scuttled toward me using all three of its remaining limbs.

Quickly popping the dislocated shoulder back in place, I gripped my new sword with both hands and smirked. “I finally got a weapon.”

“Oh bite me!” Regis snapped, his speed noticeably slower as he continued buzzing around the enraged crossbow chimera.

All it took was one step to avoid the desperate strike of the dagger chimera and a pivot to dodge the arrow of the bow chimera before I swung my new sword. And with that single swing, the severed bug-like head of the dagger chimera rolled on the floor.

The soft glow of purple surrounding the chimera’s dagger in my hand dimmed with that one swing and I knew that this weapon wouldn’t last much longer.

Cutting the other dagger off the headless chimera’s arm, I left it close by as I started my onslaught.

The sword chimera was next, its legs cut first before I stabbed my decaying dagger into its throat.

Four more seconds until the shotgun chimera is finished reloading.

I dashed past a chimera wielding a lance and shield as I knew it was one of the stronger ones, and I aimed my sword at an old friend of mine.

The whip chimera let out a shrill cry as I stabbed my sword into its gut and carved a line straight through its torso.

Discarding the dagger that had begun to crumble apart, I ran for the other dagger, dodging a barrage of arrows. Picking up the dagger on the ground, I prepared to rush the archer first when an earth-shattering roar resounded from behind.

I whirled around, prepared to dodge or block whatever was coming—except nothing was. It was the shotgun chimera that let out the thundering cry, but it wasn’t pointing its shotgun at me. It was standing tall with its arms spread wide.

It let out another roar, even louder this time, and the remaining seven chimeras that were still alive began barreling toward its leader.

Even the crossbow chimera ignored Regis and rushed toward the sound of its leader’s cry, leaving the two of us confused and wary.

“What in Hell’s name is going on now,” Regis groaned, floating by my side now.

Every fiber of my body screamed at me to run away. Unfortunately, the shotgun chimera was just in front of the door to the sanctuary and the rest had almost gathered together.

Spinning on my heels, I rushed to the metal door leading to the next level of this godforsaken dungeon and yanked at the rune-covered handle.

It didn’t budge.

Cursing internally, I scanned every inch of the door, looking for any familiar aetheric runes that I could alter like the door to the sanctuary.

“Uhh…Arthur?”

“What?” I snapped, my eyes darting left and right, trying to find something that would get this thing to open.

“They’re…piling on top of each other,” Regis continued.

Despite my body screaming at me to focus on getting out of here, I couldn’t resist.

My eyes widened in horror at what I saw.

The chimeras weren’t simply piling on top of one another. With my enhanced vision, I was able to clearly make out the chimeras…devouring each other.

“How intoxicating to watch,” Regis mumbled, eyes wide. “Maybe they’ll just end up killing each other like that.”

“I don’t think so.” The aetheric essence enveloping their bodies grew thicker as they continued to eat each other in a pile of flesh and bone.

I turned to the door, not wanting to stick around for what was to come. Unfortunately, the door wouldn’t budge and unlike the door to the sanctuary, there were no runes that I could decipher.

I slammed my fists against the door in frustration before I turned back toward the monstrosity I would have to face.

Luckily, they were still in the middle of whatever process they were undergoing.

Picking up the dagger beside me, I dashed toward the pile of chimeras. If I can’t run away from them, I’ll just have to try and do as much damage as I can before it fully forms.

I swung and stabbed the large serrated dagger in areas where the aetheric essence had gathered the most but aside from the occasional wails of pain and brief spasms, the chimeras continued devouring each other. “Come on. Just die already!”

Suddenly, another sharp chill ran down my spine as a pair of gleaming red eyes shot open.

A split second later, a blast of purple erupted from the mass of chimera bodies and hit me like a lead wall.

The concussive force spread, blasting both Regis and I into the air. Barely holding onto my consciousness, I anchored myself to the ground, gripping one of the divots created by the chimeras to keep myself from rolling.

Regis tottered toward me. “Well that friggin’ hurt.”

My brows furrowed “That hurt you too?”

That’s not good.

My mind whirled, trying to think of a plan to kill that hunk of bone and flesh when an earthly roar resounded. I looked up, afraid of what my eyes would see this time.

And what I saw was worse than what I had imagined.

Like one of those old shooting games I had played with Nico and Cecilia in my past life at the rundown retro arcade, the creatures had merged into its final form.

The monstrosity that was close to a hundred feet away towered over the second row of sconces, bringing it up to about twenty feet in height. It had three heads and stood on six legs that jutted out from the bottom of its lanky torso.

While it only had two arms, one of them was a combination of the shotgun and crossbows merged together with long spines jutting from its forearms. The other arm was composed of the whip with a spiked sickle at the end that screeched while it dragged on the ground as the creature skittered toward us.

The thought of luring it away from the door and escaping back to the sanctuary crossed my mind briefly, but what I feared more than facing this monster was doing this all over again.

Clearing my thoughts from unnecessary distractions—like Regis begging us to go back—I tightened my grip around the bone handle of the dagger and propelled myself forward.

The fused chimera responded by aiming the barrel of its gun at me. I could see two of the spiked vertebrae on its forearm load and the aetheric essence coalescing until it was visible to even the naked eye.

Waiting until the last second, I pivoted and veered right just in time to see the two bolts fire, surrounded by a concentrated blast of aether.

What I didn’t expect, however, was for the monster’s attack to carry the force of a missle.

The area exploded in a dome of purple along with the debris from the demolished floor. Even though the attack had missed, the aftershock alone blasted me flat against the corridor wall.

I felt several of my of my ribs crack and my vision blurred for a second as my brain threatened to shut off on me.

Regis hovered in front of me, his expression serious, but I couldn’t hear his voice over the sharp ring in my ears.

My eyes focused back on the fused chimera, afraid to leave it out of my sight for even a second longer. Picking up the dagger that had landed a few feet away, I charged forward, paying close attention to the flow of aether around its body.

I knew that it would take the monster a while to charge for that last attack again because its blaster arm dangled lifelessly by its side while the aetheric essence around it dissipated into a purple smoke. I needed to make sure that it wouldn’t be able to fire off another one of those attacks.

The only problem was that the blaster wasn’t its only weapon. The monster swung its chain sickle at a speed that created gales of wind and gashes on the ground as it raced toward me as well.

The closer we got, the more I felt the danger of even getting skimmed by that sickle, but I continued my assault.

I was forced to perform at a speed that far surpassed what a normal human could ever achieve. Even I was surprised as I sidestepped, swiveled and pivoted just enough to dodge the weapon capable of slicing the marble flooring like it was made of butter. My eyes constantly flitted, pinpointing the direction the sickle would come from based on the slightest twitch of movement made by the fused chimera.

The flow of aether around its whip arm and around its legs was oddly familiar, allowing me to make use of my knowledge of reading mana flow. With my enhanced body, experience, and monstrous reflexes, I managed to take down two of its six legs before the monster’s blaster had finished charging.

It’s now or never, I determined, ducking under another swipe from the sickled end of the whip.

I stepped forward, turning the serrated blade up and preparing to swipe up as the gray blur of the creature’s whip arm flashed past me.

Barely managing to pull my left arm back, I watched as the serrated dagger and the arm holding it dropped to the ground in a spray of blood.

“Arthur!” Regis’s cry snapped me out of the momentary daze and I immediately rolled forward and grabbed the dagger from my severed arm and attacked.

The chimera shrieked in pain as aetheric essence splattered from its severed blaster arm along with part of its shoulder.

“Arm for an arm,” I muttered grimly as I reached down and consumed the leaking aether from the chimera’s detached arm.

Power flowed through me, and despite its effects being momentary, there was enough aether in my body to test something that I had seen from the chimera itself.

“Regis, get in my hand,” I ordered.

My companion, although worried, flew into my hand and this time, I could feel the aether coalescing in my grip.

I knew that aether wasn’t supposed to be manipulated but beckoned or ‘influenced’—as the Indrath Clan put it—but what if there was a way to force it into submission—to make it beckon to my will?

I dashed after the disoriented chimera trying to form another arm from one of the other chimera corpses lying on the ground.

I let the aether in my body congregate to my fist where Regis laid inside, focusing on the feeling—memorizing it.

As more and more aura condensed in my left hand, a thin layer of black coated my hand like a smokey glove.

I felt my pace slowing as more and more of the aether powering my body went into my hand.

‘I feel like I’m going to burst here. What exactly did you have in mind?’ Regis said, his voice echoing in my mind.

“Just hold it in until I say so,” I said through gritted teeth. It felt like I was walking deeper and deeper into a pit of tar as my own body worked against me, but I was almost to the chimera.

However, before I could go any closer, one of the chimera’s three heads whirled to face me.

Its remaining two heads twisted to look at me as well, but rather than use its remaining whip and sickle arm to attack me, it seemed…wary.

All six of its eyes concentrated on my remaining hand.

Almost there!

My hand felt like it was being squeezed by two boulders as more and more aether coalesced inside it, but before I could get in range to unleash it, the very room quivered and the sconces flickered off.

I could feel the aether in the atmosphere tremble as a baleful aura spread from where the chimera stood—its six eyes now glowing purple.

It’s using the aether in its body and in the atmosphere to launch some sort of debilitating aura.

My luck finally seemed to be turning around though. Whether it was because of this body, or because of my strong mental strength from living two lives, the aetheric intent had little effect.

Ignoring the intensifying pain radiating from the stub of my cleaved arm, I dashed forth.

The chimera let out a hysterical screech and began wildly swinging its whip arm.

Concentrating on the flow of aether to determine the path of its attack, I dodged one last time and jumped up.

“Now!” I roared, barely able to swing my arm.

My aether clad fist landed right underneath its three heads as a blast of black and purple erupted from my attack.

It felt like every ounce of strength had been sapped clean from my body as I lay sprawled on the ground just beside the remains of the fused chimera.

My eyelids grew heavy as I succumbed to the dark grasp of sleep when a loud cry suddenly snapped me awake.

“Hah! Screw you, I am a weapon!” Regis whooped in glee.

Despite the near-death experience we had just overcome and the fact that I was still missing an arm, I couldn’t help but let out a hoarse laugh.

Barely pulling myself up to my feet, I inspected the fused chimera. I couldn’t tell whether I had used space or life aether, but I had managed to create a crater in its chest, disintegrating most of its head as well.

“Good job,” I said to my companion just in time to hear the soft ‘click’ of the door leading to the next stage unlocking.

“So, pretty boy, did you want to consume this hunk of bone and move onto the next room?” Regis asked with renewed confidence.

“Not quite,” I mustered, hobbling toward the fused chimera corpse. “You know how you said that even asuras have mana cores that sustain and power their bodies?”

“Yeah?” Regis tilted his head. “But your mana core is broken.”

“Yup.” I looked back at him, images of the purple-clad chimeras ingrained in my head. “So what if I tried forming an aether core?”

Chapter 256: The Core

“This is crazy. It’s not going to work.”

“It might if you stop your relentless badgering,” I quipped, flexing the fingers of my newly regenerated arm.

Regis zipped up to my face. “Oh, I’m sorry. Is my genuine concern that you might blow yourself up bothering you?”

I swatted him away. “Yes.”

My floating companion’s smoky black head sizzled in anger. “Why are you even attempting this anyway? You just demolished the hidden boss of this level with a punch! I think you’re strong enough.”

“I can’t just rely on sustaining my body temporarily by eating aetheric essence off of monsters.”

“So your plan is just to form your own power source? Geez, I wonder why the wise and powerful dragons of the Indrath Clan haven’t thought of something like that…oh wait, they have!”

“Yes, I remember the story of the elders of the Indrath Clan attempting to form a core out of pure aether within the body of an infant clan member that was born without a core. You literally just told me.”

“And what did we learn from that story?” Regis asked as if he were speaking to an infant himself.

I sighed. “That the baby was met with a bloody death.”

“So why are you still trying to do this?” Regis seethed.

“Because I have no other choice if I want to get stronger. I don’t want to rely on temporary power boosts that I can’t even control from consuming another lifeform’s aetheric essence. You saw how fast it depletes from my body even when I’m not fighting.”

“‘That’s no reason to kill yourself over this!”

“Regis.” I stared coldly into the eyes of the black will-o-wisp. “I’m sure you know this from being fed my memories, but I’ve barely been able to fight against retainers while scythes are in a whole other league. I’m not just looking at surviving this hellish dungeon or ruin—whatever this place is. I’m looking at obtaining strength that can put me above them and up on the same level as asuras. Otherwise, getting out of here just means giving the enemy another chance at beating me back down.”

Regis remained silent as he studied me, his expression laced in a mixture of frustration and concern.

Finally, he let out a sigh. “Fine. Aside from the fact that you can physically eat aether, why do you think that your attempt won’t be any different from what the asuras attempted?”

“You’re forgetting that I was responsible for prematurely forming my own mana core when I was three. I’ll figure something out.”

***

The first step of my plan was to spend some time closely studying the chimera.

I studied how the aetheric essence had become bound to the chimera corpse. Despite the fact that the chimera couldn’t control or manipulate aether, unlike my own body, there was no leakage of the essence.

Utilizing my unique perception of the aether around me, I conducted experiments on the corpse.

Because it had been killed, the aether didn’t actively try to regenerate the broken parts of the chimera corpse. Instead, it seemed like it was in an almost suspended state.

Injuries that I had inflicted on the corpse postmortem weren’t being regenerated, and while there was some loss of aetheric essence from the wound, there was no leakage beyond that.

“Regis, try going inside the chimera and absorbing the aether directly,” I said, not taking my eyes off the corpse.

“Well, I wasn’t able to when it was alive, but I never tried it on a dead chimera,” Regis replied, floating toward the giant body.

Rather than sink inside the surface of the chimera corpse, however, he bounced off.

Regis let out a pained grunt from the impact before turning to me. “Happy?”

“Not particularly,” I replied, not even bothering to look at him as I continued studying the flow of aether around the chimera corpse.

Not able to find anything particularly insightful, I moved on to the next step—hoping I’d learn more.

Closing my eyes, I sensed the aether flowing in my body just like I had when I was first trying to form my mana core.

The entirety of my mental faculties was focused on observing how aether moved within me—how they interacted with my muscles, bones, organs, and how it dissipated from the surface of my skin constantly.

Next, I focused on the shattered pieces of my mana core. I couldn’t gather or produce mana and Sylvia’s dragon will was no longer there. That meant that I had no way of using Static Void or Realmheart Physique, but the fragmented shell of my mana core was still here inside me.

Worse yet, the aether was slowly dissolving the broken pieces of my mana core—seeing them as imperfections in my body that needed to be discarded since it served no purpose.

Thinking that all of the painstaking years of work refining and strengthening my mana core would soon disappear, sent a sharp pain through my chest, and it took all I could to pry myself out of that pithole.

That’s when it struck me. The aether saw the broken shards of my mana core as an injury… however, because it didn’t serve a function anymore, it was trying to remove it from my body.

But what if it thought that it did?

My eyes shot open, surprising Regis who had been observing me.

Scrambling up to my feet, I looked at the various sections of its body where multiple corpses had conjoined together to form the fused chimera, studying the creature once more from a different angle.

The act of fusing the chimera bodies together was neither regenerating or healing—but the fact that the aether determined that this course of action was the best choice told me something.

With my plan slowly solidifying, I went back to meditating with a slight grin on my face. Unsurprisingly, just like how the chimeras couldn’t actively control the aether that powered their bodies, I was unable to actively manipulate it as well.

I tested a few theories. I would purposely injure myself to study how the aether would behave and interact within my body depending on the injury while paying close attention to my thoughts. My actions would be considered insane to any passing set of eyes but I didn’t care.

I had learned something pivotal through my battles against the chimeras, namely, when I launched the final attack against the fused chimera despite the stub of my arm bleeding profusely.

It took a few dozen times of injuring myself to actually confirm my hypothesis, but what I realized was that intent influenced the movement of the aetheric essence within me.

This was nowhere near the point of manipulation like I had done with mana, but if I thought that regenerating a certain part of my body took precedence over another part, the aether took heed of that advice.

I wasn’t able to forcefully manipulate aether like I had been able to with mana. But the very fact that aether could be influenced to do something as crazy as fusing multiple bodies together meant that the chimera’s intent had tricked it.

What if I can somehow trick the aetheric essence to fuse together my shattered remains of mana core instead of getting rid of it and have it build a new core over my broken one?

But the aetheric essence were too dispersed within my body. At this rate it would just slowly eat away at the broken remains of my mana core rather than try fusing them together.

But still, it could work…no, it had to work.

Almost as soon as my thoughts solidified into an actual idea, I already knew what I had to do…

I just didn’t like the answer.

The only reason this plan had even a chance of working was because I could do something that not even dragons of the Indrath Clan could do.

Letting out a deep breath, I reached in my vest and pulled out the small iridescent stone.

I’ll definitely live and bring you back out here, Sylv. Just hold on.

Resolving myself, I got to work immediately, consuming the aetheric essence from the fused chimera corpse at a rapid pace.

Even after my body had become overloaded with aetheric essence and a purple aura began exuding from my skin, I absorbed more of the aetheric essence, making sure I was consuming at a pace much faster than the aether would deplete from my body.

“I don’t think stress eating is the way to handle this, Milady,” Regis snickered.

Ignoring Regis, I continued despite a jarring pain growing within my body. It felt like every muscle, bone, organ in my body were being pumped with fluid to the point of bursting.

But this wasn’t enough. I needed as much aetheric essence as possible if this was going to work.

“S-Seriously, Arthur. You’re…sort of bleeding from your body.”

Just a bit more.

Unable to withstand the growing pain any longer, I pried myself away from the chimera corpse and sat down.

Regis was right; it looked like I was sweating blood, beads of red trailing down my body. My vision spun and pulsated while I could feel my heart beating madly against my chest.

Controlling my breathing in order to keep myself from passing out, I grabbed a bone arrow on the ground in front of me and held it directly below my ribcage. “Regis. Position yourself right where my mana core used to be on my mark and leave as soon as I tell you, okay?”

Regis stared down at the sharp arrow in my hands. “What are you planning on doing with that?”

“Okay?” I repeated through gritted teeth, barely able to breathe.

Regis let out a groan. “Okay.”

With that, I plunged the arrow deep into my sternum in the small space just between my liver and stomach where the mana core was held. And just for good measure, I twisted the arrow.

“What the f—”

“Now!” I snapped, keeping my eyes closed in concentration.

Pulling the arrow out of my body, I clasped my hands over my wound as Regis flew inside me.

Immediately, like millions of tiny insects crawling inside every inch of my body, I felt all of the aether held inside me coalescing to where Regis and my fatal wound were.

Just as the aether was about to reach the area where Regis stayed, attracted two-fold by the black will-o-wisp and my fatal injury, I barked at him to leave.

A black shadow zipped out of me almost instantaneously and the aether that had gathered within the vicinity all condensed together to heal my injury.

Every ounce of my brain focused on maintaining this meditative state, forming a core around the coalescing aether where my old mana core used to be.

Some of the aether had leaked to close the hole below my chest, but with the worst of the injury right where my old mana core used to be, I was able to attract most of it.

So under the premises that: unlike even dragons, I was able to absorb aether directly into my body; I had Regis, who interacted in a way where he naturally attracted the aether within me; the remains of my mana core still existed inside me; and I could influence the aether a bit to a certain extent, I proceeded to the most important step.

***

The concept of time eluded me as the battle between my wits and the aether gathered around the fragmented parts of my mana core ensued.

I needed to not only trick the aether raging in the center of my body to restore the mana core rather than to break it down, but I also needed it to rebuild my broken mana core around the compressed orb of aether that had been tricked into gathering at this focal point.

If forming my mana core for the first time when I was a toddler had been difficult, this was next to impossible. Every slight twitch of internal movement or leak of intent could cause the condensed orb of aetheric essence to break down my mana core until it was completely wiped away from my body. I didn’t have a second chance.

It felt like every experience, every tribulation that I had gone through was for this moment. I was being tested to my utmost limit, concentrating through the sheer agony of the injury I had self-inflicted and the raging ball of godly power that I was trying to trick to bend to my will.

Finally, as the last bits of my old mana core had become restored, encasing the condensed gathering of aether within, my world erupted into a sea of purple.

By the time I came to, my head felt like it had been split in two, and my breathing was ragged. Prying my eyelids open, I was greeted with the sight of a smirking Regis in front of the familiar backdrop of the battle-scarred walls of the chimera hallway.

“Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty,” Regis chuckled.

I pushed myself off my back, sitting up. “What happened?”

“Well, after you committed seppuku and sat completely still for about a full day, your body suddenly combusted into purple flames and then you passed out for another two days,” the black ball of flame explained before shooting me another grin. “But you did it, you sick sadistic bastard!”

That’s right, my core!

Taking a moment, I concentrated internally, getting a feel for the state of my body.

Regis was right, I had done it…I had successfully forged a new core. The color struck me as odd—it was closer to a red color, like magenta—but it still held the ethereal purple sheen of aether.

I had done what even the asuras of the Indrath Clan couldn’t do.

I had forged an aether core.

Chapter 257: Forbidden Fruit

The purplish-red core thrummed with life inside me, wishing to be unleashed.

I could feel the grin plastered on my face, impatient to test out my new powers…whatever they were.

Despite the urge to let loose, I had one thing to test out first—perhaps the most important thing.

Taking a deep breath, I meditated. Focusing on my newly forged core and the ambient aether surrounding us, I slowed my breath.

Force of habit made me assume that the breathing technique that I had utilized to gather ambient mana could be applied to absorbing aether. That wasn’t the case, however, concentrating on my aether core in a way that almost felt like I was flexing it caused a change to stir outside my body.

Almost immediately, the effects were made clear.

“What? What is it?” Regis asked impatiently.

I opened my eyes, looking at the horned will-o-wisp with a smirk. “I can gather ambient aether into my body and core now.”

Regis’ nonexistent jaw dropped, his white eyes widening. “Seriously?”

“Consuming the aether from these chimeras directly is definitely faster and more potent, but at least now I’m not dependent on running into beasts fueled by aether. Even if the monsters here are filled with them, who knows if I’d be able to find one outside of this dungeon,” I explained.

Regis nodded. “That’s good. Now I don’t need to worry about you dropping dead because you couldn’t get a meal.”

“Aww, are you worrying about your master?” I teased.

“Master shmaster, my life is tethered to your pasty ass,” the black orb of fire scoffed.

I rolled my eyes. “If I knew that my weapon would turn out like this, I would’ve taken my chances in getting to white core by myself.”

“I love you too, my effeminate little wonderboy. Now, keep testing! We need to know exactly what your limits are before we go on to that next stage.”

Concentrating on my core once more, I released a bit of aether and focused it on my hand. However, as soon as the aether left my core, it spread throughout my body.

Furrowing my brows, I tried again, visualizing the aether flowing through my…mana channels.

“Crap,” I muttered, realizing the problem. Out of desperation, I tried once more, only to be met with the same result. The short concentrated burst of aether that I had expelled from my newly forged core, was once again distributed evenly throughout my body. “Damn it!”

“What happened? Is something wrong?”

“I can’t control the distribution of the aether from my core,” I said, trying once more to no avail. I could definitely feel the aether strengthening my body but the amount left by the time it reached the hand that I actually wanted was just a small fraction.

Regis frowned in confusion. “Huh? But what about your mana chan—ohh…I see the problem.”

I let out a sigh. “Even when I finally think things are working our way, there’s an even bigger mountain to climb.”

Regis shrugged, flying toward the unlocked exit. “Nothing we can do but move forward.”

“Wait. Let’s go back to the sanctuary.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“If I’m not able to control the aether inside me, then I need to at least strengthen my core and even if it gets harder here, we at least know what to expect on this floor,” I explained.

“Ugh…” Regis groaned as he wobbled his way toward me. “There better be some sexy vixen demons or something on the next floor. Looking at these skinless monsters is taking its toll on my little black heart.”

Chuckling, we opened the door back into the sanctuary. I made some minor preparations while we were here. Ripping my pants from my knees down, I fixed up a sash to safely store Sylvie’s stone and wore it across my shoulder. Then, I made a crude waterskin out of what was left of my leather vest. After making sure water didn’t leak from it, we went back into the hallway.

***

“Why aren’t they waking up?” Regis said as we reached the center once more.

The long hallway had been put back into its pristine state when we had left the sanctuary, but no matter how many times I walked back and forth in the hallway, the statues wouldn’t budge.

Regis flew up to the statue of the warrior wielding a sword. “Are they broken?”

“Maybe?” I walked up to one of them and pulled back my fist.

Not daring to use more than a tenth of the aether in my core, I struck the statue of the shotgun wielding statue, sending splintering cracks throughout its leg.

Not bad, I thought. Ounce for ounce—or whatever unit of measurement was used—aether was much more potent and efficient than mana. Still, I wasn’t satisfied.

“Hey, Regis. Occupy my hand again,” I ordered, holding out my right palm. “I want to test something.”

“Okay, but we should really make a name for this.”

“Why?”

“Well it’s better than having you shout out, ‘Regis, enter my hand!’,” Regis stated. “It can come off as a little sexual to others, don’t you think?”

Infusing my body with aether once again, I slapped the black will-o-wisp. This time, rather than go through him, my hand struck his dopey face, sending him flat on the ground.

“Ouch! What the hell? You can hit me now?” Regis fumed.

“Seems like it, and boy did that feel good,” I smirked. “Now, hand.”

Muttering a string of curses, Regis flew into my palm, coating my entire hand in a layer of smokey black tinge.

Immediately, I felt the aether that I had released beforehand gravitate toward Regis. After the rest of the aether in my body had coalesced in my right fist, I punched a different statue.

However, there was no expulsion of aether like before when I had used this same move against the fused chimera.

‘I don’t have enough aether to release it as an attack,’ Regis explained.

I gritted my teeth. “Fine. Tell me when.”

I released more aether from my core and it was immediately pulled toward my right fist. After about half of the aether stored inside my core had been consumed, the smokey black glove surrounding my hand began glowing with the same reddish purple color as my core.

‘Now!’ Regis barked, his voice suppressed in concentration.

I thrust my fist into the statue in front of me, releasing a torrent of black and magenta from my hand.

The very air seemed to distort as the concussive force decimated the large statue and the wall behind it.

Regis fell out of my hand, dazed. “I can probably use that move like one more time.”

“Same here,” I replied. “That used a bit less than half of the aether in my core.”

“Well, it definitely seems to do the trick,” my companion noted, studying the aftermath of our attack.

“Mhmm,” I agreed. Without the chimeras coming, it made little sense to remain here for much longer, so after spending the next half hour replenishing my aether core, we walked toward the door that’d lead us to the next floor.

“Let’s go.” I pushed open the tall metal door and stepped through.

Immediately, I was welcomed by a hot gust of humid air that clung to my skin. However, my mild dissatisfaction toward the warm sticky air was overcome by the scene ahead of me.

“Holy mother of mothers…” Regis mumbled as he surveyed our surroundings.

We had stepped into what could only be described as a jungle except for a few notable differences. The first difference was in the plethora of white trees around us with leaves glowing in various shades of purple. The second was that there weren’t just trees growing out from the ground but also on the ceiling of this enormous cavern.

My attention was pulled away by the sight of the door we had come from fading out of existence. Shocked, I hurriedly reached for the metal handle but it was too late—my hand slipped through and I was left grasping at the air.

I let out a sigh. “Well, it doesn’t seem like we can go back the way we came from. Come on, it’s a bit too open out here for my comfort.”

The two of us ventured deeper into the ethereal jungle, noticing more and more differences in this strange environment. We found thick pale vines that connected the trees on the ground to the trees growing on the ceiling. In the air were hundreds of blue globules, some floating up, others floating down.

My senses were on full alert as we continued walking carefully through the dense array of otherworldly trees. From time to time, I’d see shadows flit from tree to tree at a speed that exceeded some S-class mana beasts in Dicathen.

Despite how calm and quiet things were in this forest, though, I couldn’t help but feel restless.

Regis, on the other hand, was enjoying the scenery as he flew up over the canopy of trees that blocked much of my view.

“I can’t see much except for these two-tailed monkey creatures climbing up and down the vines,” Regis noted before his eyes lit up. “Oh! And you know those floating blue orbs? I think it’s water. I saw a few of them hanging from the vines and drinking from those.”

I nodded, my eyes constantly on the lookout for anything potentially dangerous.

“Will you ease up? No sexy vixen demons yet but compared to the last floor, this place practically seems like paradise,” Regis insisted.

“The only reason why you can relax is because you’re incorporeal,” I retorted, continuing to walk carefully with aether coursing within my body just in case.

Unlike the straightforward hallway we had come from, this jungle didn’t seem like it had any sort of predatory monsters of any kind that we had to beat in order to move on.

“Over there! It was a different color and a little smaller but I saw some of those monkeys eating that,” Regis pointed out, gesturing toward a pear-shaped fruit hanging from a branch above us.

I shot my companion a skeptical look.

“Hey, I’m not the one that has to eat,” Regis groused, offended by my lack of trust.

My initial reaction was to avoid the risk. After all, who knows how different the anatomy of the creatures in this floor was compared to me. However, the more I stared at it, the more my stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten since waking up in this god-forsaken dungeon. What’s more was that this orange fruit was covered in a sheen of purple indicating that it contained aether within it.

With my newly-forged aether core revitalizing this body, I knew that I didn’t need to eat nearly as much as before. But eventually, I would have to, and the temptation staring right in my face got the best of me.

I easily jumped up to the first branch, and continued to ascend. To my surprise, the branches didn’t even bend under my weight, making it easy to reach the glistening orange fruit.

Just as I was about to reach for the fruit, something caught my eye. There was a subtle distortion in the surrounding area that made me immediately pull my hand back.

And that’s when I saw it—a giant mouth rimmed with rows of serrated teeth clamping shut around the fruit…and where my hand would’ve been had I not pulled back. The strange thing, however, was that I could still see the fruit inside the monster’s mouth.

I leaped back to a farther branch, bracing myself for its next attack. However, the monster merely parted its giant lips once more and everything but the giant fruit it used as a lure turned transparent.

“Oops. My bad,” Regis let out an uncomfortable chuckle.

“From now on, you’re checking everything first,” I quipped.

My annoyance, however, was clouded by my greed for that fruit. After being near it and feeling my aether core quiver in excitement, I knew that the orange fruit wasn’t just some lure the monster used.

“Wait, why are you going back?” Regis asked, seeing me hop back toward the branch that the fruit hung from.

I slowly reached back for the fruit once more. “I’m going to try and get that fruit.”

Right as the monster’s mouth shut, I whipped my hand away just barely enough to avoid it.

It shut faster this time, I noted.

With its mouth now clamped shut, I struck at its transparent body, hoping to at least knock it unconscious. However, rather than hit it, my hand slipped right through. Losing my balance, I fell off. I managed to grab a branch beneath the fruit monster, but by the time I reached up, it had opened its mouth once more.

“Nice one,” Regis remarked. “You’re making the same face you did when you first tried to hit me.”

My eyes widened in realization. “You’re right.”

Climbing back up to where the beast was, I tried once more. The serrated teeth left several gashes on my arm because I hadn’t been able to pull back fast enough, but this time as I struck at the transparent beast, I released more aether from my core, enough for a purplish-red sheen to envelop my body.

I felt a slight give, as if my hand was passing through a layer of some viscous liquid, but beneath that was its actual body.

The beast’s transparent body shuddered like rippling water. It suddenly let out a shrill scream that made me lose balance for a second.

Luckily I managed to hold on to the tree, but Regis had been knocked unconscious.

I struck it once more, and its rather soft body went limp.

Prying open its mouth, I reached inside and pulled out the fruit that was suspended in the air.

“What a weird creature,” I mused, staring once more at the deadly fly trap beast.

Landing back down, I checked up on Regis, who was stirring back awake.

“What happened?” the black orb asked, his voice shaky.

I held the orange pear the size of a hand out at Regis with a smile. “I got it.”

Regis studied the fruit. “I wonder if it’s edible.”

“There’s only one way to find out.” I sniffed the fruit before barely nibbling on the outer edge of it just in case it was poisonous. This body was much more resilient, which was why I even dared to do something like this, but even then I was still cautious.

As I chewed, a sour flavor filled my mouth. It wasn’t bad—it just tasted like a more flavorful lemon peel. However, as soon as I swallowed, I felt the change in my body.

I buckled in pain as my insides twisted.

Unable to keep my body from quivering, I lay huddled on the ground as my aether core slowly absorbed the piece of fruit.

“Arthur!” Regis called out, his voice distant and muffled, but my attention was focused behind him past the treeline.

Deep, rapid thuds of what could only be footsteps grew louder as the ethereal trees—whose branches remained unfaltered beneath my weight—swayed fiercely in a path leading straight toward us.

Chapter 258: Law of the Wild

“There’s something coming,” I grunted, barely able to get back to my feet.

Regis turned around and I could literally see his smokey black body pale. “Oh, shit.”

My heart pounded as the rapid footfalls of the beasts grew louder. I hobbled as fast as my body would let me under the current strain of the fruit I had just consumed. There was no way I could I fight whatever horde was barreling toward us in the current state I was in.

Heaven-sent, we managed to find a dip in the ground just by large tree nearby. The exposed roots gnarled together, weaving in and out of the ground to provide us with a tight shelter to hide in.

My heart pounded as I listened to what sounded like a stampede searching every square inch of the area we had narrowly escaped from.

My mind whirled trying to think of the reason why we had suddenly attracted the attention of all of them. Was it because I had eaten the fruit? No, that wasn’t it.

That transparent fly trap… it let out that horrible scream just before it died.

And that’s when everything clicked.

The two-tailed monkeys, the trap monster and everything else on this floor made almost no noise. All of the organisms here had adapted to make as little noise as possible… most likely in order to survive against whatever those beasts were.

“Sensitive to sound,” I mouthed, pointing to my ear. Regis nodded back and the two of us waited for this beast to hopefully move on.

By now, the very ground shook under the constant footfalls of the horde of beasts. That’s how close they were. I could hear a loud chitter as the beasts continued to search for the source of the scream that had lured it.

With how close the horde of beasts were, I could feel the pressure they emitted and suffice to say, it was on a whole other level from the chimeras Regis and I had faced.

Steadying my breathing, I remained frozen as the grating sound of rusted gears clacking together grew closer. Even Regis remained inside me, afraid of being seen despite his incorporeal state.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck sensed something was coming that I wouldn’t like. The rapid chittering grew even louder until, moments later, I was able to see it.

It wasn’t a horde of beasts. It was just one very long, large beast.

The chimeras had been fairly horrifying to look at, but this creature was something straight out of a demon’s nightmare.

With the overall frame of a millipede—except the size and girth of a bullet train—the creature writhed past me using its countless spindly legs spanning twice my height. I was able to make out the serrated pincers on its head as it passed by but most of the smaller details were lost on me. I was focused on the fact that this millipede was almost transparent.

Tinged in a soft purple hue that blended with the glowing leaves, the giant millipede looked more gelatinous than solid… like it was missing its hard shell or something. However, seeing how not even the sharp branches of the ethereal trees made a scratch against the creature’s exterior, I knew it wouldn’t be easy to kill.

The millipede continued to crawl around us, searching for its prey. Despite its tremendous size and length, it moved with such deft and flexibility that even as it moved on to a different area, there was no trace that a giant beast had passed through.

Still, I could hear the giant millipede nearby. Its steps continued to shake the ground, keeping me from trying to leave from my cramped refuge.

Time dragged as we anxiously waited for the millipede to leave when suddenly I could hear a change in\ its actions. The beast’s rapid steps began to slow until all I could hear was a rhythmic thump.

‘What’s going on now?’ Regis asked.

I’m not sure, I responded, sorely tempted to take a peek.

It didn’t take long to figure out that I wouldn’t have been alive if I had moved. Not long after the millipede began rhythmically stomping its countless legs on the ground, I could hear pained cries.

I could only assume that the beast had used some form of echolocation to find anything nearby that had moved.

With the rhythmic stomping halted, I steeled myself enough to find out what was going on despite the burning sensation of my core continuing to absorb the aether from the fruit.

“It’s eating,” Regis whispered, looking over my shoulder.

The millipede had curled itself around a massive tree, which was apparently home to a family of two-tailed monkeys.

What was a feast for the millipede was a tragic bloodbath for the monkeys. I could see a larger monkey drenched in its own blood as it was being swallowed while a smaller monkey pounded desperately on the millipede’s head.

Unfazed by a sight that I had grown much too accustomed to, I studied the millipede. The giant beast had circular depressions all over its back that pulsated, but aside from the dagger-like pincers and its sharp legs, I couldn’t see any other form of attack.

“Please tell me you’re not thinking of fighting that thing,” Regis whispered an inch away from my ear.

“Not if I don’t have to.”

Despite there being over a dozen monkeys all tinged with aether, they stood no chance against the millipede. It didn’t take long for over half of them to be consumed while the other half had given up and escaped for their lives.

As the millipede eventually uncurled itself from the giant tree and began slithering away, I couldn’t help noticing the monkeys inside the beast’s body.

During the battle, the monkeys had grabbed stones from the ground to use as weapons. These had also gotten consumed along with the monkeys.

While the two-tailed beasts bodies were withering—as if their aether was being sucked out of their bodies, a slight glow began enveloping the rock that the millipede had consumed along with it.

After traveling a few hours in the opposite direction of where the millipede had gone upon finishing its meal, I was finally able to spend some time absorbing the rest of the fruit.

While the first bite had been an agonizing experience that could’ve gotten me killed by the millipede, the subsequent bites made it seem like it was all worth it.

I started off with small nibbles, afraid that I’d be met with another wave of pain. Instead, I was met with an overwhelming sensation of heat spreading throughout my body and coalescing back in my core. No longer afraid, I took larger bites as my core hungrily devoured the aetheric essence from the fruit.

What was even more fascinating was that after polishing off the fruit, the aether in my body had lost some of its reddish tint—and that was before my body had completely absorbed all of the aetheric essence.

I didn’t know exactly what the change in color meant but I knew I had gotten stronger.

Time went by neither fast nor slow on this floor. With little need to sleep as frequently and no sun overhead, my internal clock had become all but useless.

As we continued searching for the exit, my mind continued to think back to our encounter with the translucent millipede. More specifically, how the beast’s insides had completely absorbed the aether from the monkeys it had devoured but how a coat of aether seemed to be forming around the stone.

“—thur!” Regis snapped, his voice just inches from my ear.

“What?” I hissed, surprised.

“I was saying…” Regis stressed, his large white eyes narrowing. “That we need to think of a battle phrase for our combo attack!”

I raised a brow. “Our…combo attack?”

“Yeah! You know, when I go inside your hand and make your fist turn all smokey black and purple. In the heat of a battle, you’re going to need something more concise to say.”

My initial reaction was to dismiss his silly idea, but there was some merit to what my floating black companion was suggesting.

“Fine,” I sighed, relenting. “What did you have in mind?”

Regis’s eyes widened in surprise. “Seriously? I thought you were going to be a grouch about it.”

Shooting him glare, I enveloped my body in aether as I raised a hand to smack him.

“Okay okay!” Regis flinched.

“How about Aether Explosion Punch!” he suggested, out of arm’s reach from me.

“No,” I said flatly while my eyes continued to search for any signs of an exit.

“Aetheric Void Buster?”

“No.”

“Shadow Death Imp— “

“No,” I cut him off. “Where are you even coming up with these ridiculous names?”

“Your early memories as Grey playing those arcade games come to mind,” Regis responded simply. “Ooh! How about—”

“No.”

“Fine fine fine. I’ll be serious. What about something simple, like Fist Style or…Fist Form?”

I thought about it for a minute before I suggested something. “What about Gauntlet Form?”

“Yes!” Regis exclaimed, trembling with excitement. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

“Too loud!” I snapped, my head turning back.

“Relax. I saw that gigantic bug go back to its hole near the center of this floor. We’re hours away from it.”

“You saw its den?” I asked, shocked.

“Yeah, while you were absorbing the fruit. It wasn’t that hard to find with how much aetheric essence that place was giving off,” Regis explained before his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why? You’re not thinking of trying to fight that thing, right?”

“Let’s just search for the exit,” I dismissed. Meanwhile, the gears in my brain continued turn.

Subjective hours passed uneventfully as we combed through the ethereal forest. A few more times, we ran into a flytrap beast with its fruit tempting me every time we passed by them.

Thankfully, none of the other fruits seemed nearly as potent as the first one I had consumed.

We rested intermittently, mainly so that I could sit down and concentrate on my aether core. I was wracking my brain trying to think of how to form new channels throughout my body so that I could more freely control the aether inside me.

After hours of deliberation and testing with nothing to show for it, I pulled out the translucent stone which held Sylvie. It had become a habit for me to stare mindlessly at it whenever things got tough or I was feeling overwhelmed.

Since a few days ago, I had Regis go inside of it every now and then to see if there were any developments going within the stone—if Sylvie was getting better at all—but nothing had changed.

But this time was different. Whether it was because my core had gotten stronger after consuming the fruit, I didn’t know. But as I continued holding onto the stone, I could feel something pulling at my hands that were wrapped around on the smooth surface of the stone.

Will you accept the aether this time, Sylv? I thought as I pushed the aether from my core.

It only took a few minutes until my entire aether core had been drained, leaving me weak and shivering.

“H-Hey! What happened?” Regis, who had been inspecting the perimeter, flew to my side.

I held up my hand. “I…I’m fine.”

“I’m more than fine.” A smile formed on my face as I stared down at the translucent stone that seemed just a tad brighter than before. “Thanks to Sylv, I think I found a way to maybe control the aether inside me.”

“That’s great! But I got some good news too,” Regis said with a smile. “I think I found the exit from this floor!”

I tucked the small stone back in my vest. “No. We can’t leave yet.”

“What? Why?” Regis panicked. “Are you hurt?”

“Nothing like that.”

My thoughts went back to the millipede and the way it created a shell of aether around everything that it couldn’t digest. According to Regis, there was also a huge influx of aether stemming from its den.

If my thoughts were correct, then even at the risk of my life…

No. I had already decided that I needed to risk my life in order to overcome all of the challenges that I would face when I got out of here.

I turned to Regis and spoke with iron in my voice. “We’re going to kill that millipede.”

Chapter 259: Mother Lode

When Sylvie’s stone had absorbed the aether from me, it had taken every last drop from my core. However, only a fraction of that aether had been absorbed, spiralling down a designated path inside. The rest seemed to be almost filtered out while the remainder that was able to reach Sylvie, who was comatose within, was too little to amount to anything.

That’s when I realized that Sylvie’s stone wasn’t so much a battery that I needed to slowly charge like I had first assumed. No, it was more like a strainer that I needed to fill with aether faster than it could spill back out.

The fact that Sylvie’s stone wasn’t able to ‘receive’ most of the aether I had tried to give it even after I had consumed the fruit meant that my aether core was flawed. Not ‘flawed’ per se, but just like how mana cores started out with natural impurities from the body that limited the output and storage of mana, my aether core was experiencing a similar phenomenon.

I knew now that the aether core that I had forged was currently filled with impurities. This was hindering the capacity that could be stored within and keeping me from utilizing the full capabilities of aether. Great.

If I wanted to be able to make aether flow the way it did inside Sylvie’s stone, I needed the aether in my core to become much purer. And If I wanted to bring Sylvie back, I needed to be able to unleash that purer aether in a much larger volume than I currently was able to contain—all in one sitting.

Which brought me to the reason why I was currently standing here now, a few feet away from the giant millipede’s den, clad in nothing but a flimsy leather vest and shredded cloth pants.

“It’s not too late to back out,” Regis whispered into my ear.

I knew what it meant if I couldn’t kill it. Nonetheless, it was a sobering reminder that made me reconfirm my priorities. Getting out of here wasn’t actually my top priority—afterall, even if I was able to make it out right at this moment, I was actually weaker than I had been when I fought against Nico and the scythe, Cadell.

My priority was getting stronger, which—thankfully—aligned with getting back Sylvie as well. And killing this millipede would be a big step forward in working toward that.

Meeting Regis’ gaze, I replied to him. “Let’s go inside.”

***

As we traversed deeper inside the giant hole the width of the millipede that spiraled down into the ground, it got strangely brighter. There was a faint purple sheen that clung to the ground, walls and ceiling of the winding tunnel.

Regis scouted ahead, flying back to me every several yards to relay if there were any upcoming changes.

As I was taking a sip from my water sack, I saw the black will-o-wisp coming back out of the corner of my eyes. I picked up my pace, treading lightly on the ground, hoping to hear some different news other than ‘more rocks’ from Regis.

‘Arthur. There’s something up ahead,’ Regis stated quietly after flying into my chest.

If you make the ‘rocks’ joke one more time, I am going to hit you, I replied with suspicion.

‘Just go,’ my companion sighed before floating back out to lead the way.

The tunnel split into two paths but Regis quickly directed me to the slightly wider one on the left side. Not only was it wider in diameter, but also brighter. It only took a few minutes of quiet treading for us to reach what Regis wanted me to see.

Strewn all over the ground were clusters of crystals…aether crystals.

My brows furrowed in confusion at the sight of the glowing purple crystals, littered in front of us like trash. Quickly—and quietly—I picked up a fist-sized crystal and consumed the essence from it until the purple glow subsided.

These aren’t as potent as the fruit I had earlier, but these are still fairly concentrated, I noted mentally as Regis surveyed up ahead.

After consuming one more fist-sized crystal to top my aether capacity to the brim, I stored a couple smaller crystals in my pockets before moving forward. I would come back for these after my fight was over.

As we continued deeper into the millipede’s territory, the tunnel gradually became brighter until a brilliant purple light shone at the very end.

Regis and I exchanged a tense glance before walking forward. My heart pounded against my chest while my palms grew clammy at the thought of fighting against the giant beast. Being this close to the aether beast in its own home, my body could sense the pressure exuding from the giant millipede.

Taking deep, calming breaths and steadying my gait, I walked forward, ready to face my toughest opponent yet.

Let’s do this.

I stepped into the blinding purple light, my body tense and alert for any sudden movements, but when the glare subsided I saw that the tunnel opened into a massive cavern with a domed ceiling. The entire expanse was bathed in a sea of purple emanating from the mountains of glimmering crystals piled upon one another.

But despite the scores of aether crystals—some larger than my entire body—my attention was forced onto the giant millipede.

Instinctually, I stepped back and raised my arms to guard against what was to come. Even Regis cowered behind my shoulder as we gazed upon the towering figure of the aether beast.

It was hunched over in a tall arch while its entire body convulsed. Then, just as I was beginning to think it was about to explode, a waterfall of aether crystals gushed out the back end of the millipede to form a small hill alongside the other mountains of crystals.

It was like a scene straight out of a fairytale. Except, instead of a giant dragon guarding its mountain of treasure, it was a millipede guarding its mountains of…excrement?

“Pfft!” Regis stifled a laugh that echoed throughout the giant cavern, drawing my attention and—to our horror—the attention of the giant millipede.

“Move!” I roared, abandoning all thoughts of stealth at the sight of the charging millipede.

I dashed right as Regis flew to the left.

“I’m sorry, Arthur, but you basically ate this bug’s crap!” Regis guffawed.

I rolled my eyes mentally. Fortunately for me, he was also drawing the attention of the millipede, which gave me time to position myself toward its flank.

Releasing aether from my core, I pushed myself off the ground with a strength that formed a crater beneath my feet.

Clearing several feet in an instant, I smashed my aether-clad fist into the millipede’s side with a resounding ‘thud’.

However, while the millipede buckled from the impact, the wave of pain that surged up my arm suggested that the damage I had given to it wasn’t much to celebrate about.

Landing deftly back on the ground, I crossed the span of the cavern in a sprint as the millipede chased after me.

Just as the millipede got close, I held up a hand straight over my head in a fist—a signal that Regis and I devised to confuse the sound-sensitive aether beast.

Immediately, Regis screamed out, “Over here, you crystal-sharding bug!”

The millipede slid to a stop and whirled around toward the source of the voice. Meanwhile, I continued to exhaust my aether, wrapping my body in a thick layer of aether in the hopes that there’d be a different outcome as I flashed forward.

My surroundings blurred as I approached the millipede that was snapping its pincers at the air, trying to catch Regis. I aimed for the joints where one of its many legs were attached to its body, and this time, there was a satisfying crunch as my fist dug into its leg.

The giant leg snapped off and fell on the ground while a gel-like fluid tinted in purple gushed out from the injury. The aether beast let out a shrill cry while turning its attention back to me.

I raised my fist once more and Regis let out another cry to get its attention. The millipede hesitated for a moment but it decided to attack Regis again, giving me some time to absorb more aether from the crystals abundantly scattered all around us.

“How does that crap taste, Arthur?” Regis teased as he zigzagged in the air away from the millipede.

I raised my hand again, sticking up a specific finger. This one wasn’t a signal.

The gears in my brain spun as I refilled my aether core with the excre—crystals lying about. With the development in my aether core, I was technically able to use Gauntlet Form three times, but Regis hadn’t been able to strengthen himself enough to withstand the burden of three uses.

This was why we decided to test the beast’s defenses without having to resort to using Gauntlet Form.

I continued to try and search for weaknesses while Regis frantically avoided the millipede’s snapping jaws. Even after I had managed to break off two more of its countless legs and struck at the open wound where the legs attached to its body, it didn’t seem to have done any sort of lasting damage.

If anything, I seemed to have made it angrier.

While my supply of aether was abundant thanks to the crystals hoarded in this cavern, my stamina was slowly diminishing.

I guess we have no choice.

Now that I knew inflicting damage to its body hardly did anything to slow it down, the only option was to aim for its head. The problem was that its head was where its serrated pincers were and it also seemed to be the area most heavily armored by its translucent purple exoskeleton.

I would need to land both attacks using Gauntlet Form in the same spot in the hopes that it’d be enough to crack through its defenses.

Stepping off of one of its legs, I landed on the millipede’s back and began running up the smooth flesh of the millipede. Leaping onto its back wasn’t a challenge, but staying on as it reeled like a drunk stallion proved to be much more difficult.

I danced and wove around the giant millipede’s contorting trunk as it used its own legs to try and skewer me atop its own back. Still, as most of its attention was still focused on trying to catch Regis, I was able to avoid the sharp legs that stabbed down from both sides.

The uneven terrain from the countless tergites that segmented the beast’s trunk along with the fact that the millipede continued to spasm and buck to try and fling me off provided me with a challenge I hadn’t faced in a while. I missed flying.

As I neared the millipede’s head, aether stretched across my body in a tight layer of purple. Holding my right arm up, I clenched and unclenched my hand into a fist. This time I was beckoning for Regis.

Catching my signal, he let out another yell to catch the millipede’s attention before narrowly avoiding the beast’s mandibles and flying into my hand.

I immediately felt the rush of aether from my body coalescing into my dominant hand, but I felt something other than just aether forcing its way into where Regis remained. The faintest whisper of a voice, almost mistakable for a passing thought, echoed in my head.

The voice said to kill.

I shrugged it off as my own thoughts. After all, I had come here to kill the beast.

Rushing forward while doing my best to maintain what little control I had over the flow of aether, I reached where its head connected to its trunk.

Gauntlet Form, I recited to Regis.

The deafening crash of thunder resounded throughout the cavern as our attack struck its target. The millipede’s head crashed down into the ground to form a crater the size of a small house.

Cracks and splinters branched out from where my fist connected while the entire top of its head had become slightly concave from the force.

Regis wobbled out of my hand, his expression strained, while I unleashed another wave of aether throughout my body. Experience spanning two lifetimes and countless battles taught me…

Confirm the kill.

My body erupted in a veil of purple as I struck down at the epicenter of the splintering crater atop the millipede’s head. Another splintering crack echoed upon impact, making the millipede’s body jerk.

Even with aether coating my hand, my right fist was a bloodied mess as I pulled it out from the millipede’s head.

My breath short and ragged, I contemplated whether to hit it one more time. The millipede remained lifeless on its belly, a crater formed underneath its head.

“Is it…dead?” Regis asked, his voice hoarse.

Just as I turned back to my companion, the surface beneath my feet was swept up from under me. With no time to react, I was flung off the giant beast, helplessly watching as the serrated mandibles of the millipede snapped shut over Regis.

My eyes widened at the sight of the floating black orb disappearing inside the millipede, and it took every last ounce of self-control to keep myself from screaming out his name.

Quickly reorienting myself, I landed on my feet and immediately swiveled on my heel—barely managing to avoid a barrage of sharp legs raining down from above.

The millipede towered over me and continued to unleash a torrent of strikes using its hundreds of legs. Each time it stabbed down, a foot-long hole was left in the ground but my concentration was split between dodging its legs and looking out for Regis.

Regis was corporeal, capable of going through most objects but I couldn’t see my companion at all. My panic deepened as a minute passed with no sign of the black will-o-wisp.

It wasn’t until another minute when I saw him. He was floating in the inside of the giant millipede.

Damn it.

I needed Regis to launch an attack strong enough to kill this giant bug. Without him, would I be able to win?

A sharp pain erupted as one of the millipede’s sharp legs left a long gash on my arm. This sobered me enough to collect myself.

Even without my arsenal of elemental magic, I had not only trained with the sword extensively in my previous life, but I had trained in combat with Asuras.

I forced myself to remember my battles against Kordri—the oppressive aura that he emanated so casually, the movements that seemed both slow and fast.

Asuras. They were my opponents.

If I needed to rely on Regis for every strong opponent I faced down here, otherwise I wouldn’t even be able to beat the scythes, let alone the asuras behind them.

Letting out a sharp breath, I thought back to Kordri’s words. As he said, hand-to-hand combat was the most versatile and adaptive form of fighting. Except, his duty at that time was to maximize the potential of my human body.

I wasn’t so human anymore.

My legs blurred as I continuously danced around the piercing strikes of the millipede’s legs, my focus heightened to a terrifying degree.

I had to accept that I wasn’t human anymore, and with that came a strength that pushed me to my utmost limit.

The more I continued dodging, the more unnecessary movements I began to shave off. My body began remembering the Asura’s teachings I had cast aside over the years—relying on magic instead.

The battle was long and drawn out. I continued to hack away at its legs until I had finally debilitated its movement.

Since, without being able to control the flow of aether, I couldn’t do enough damage with my bare hands to land a killing blow to the millipede, I decided to use the same method I had used against the chimeras.

Let’s hope this works.

Because the millipede’s legs were too large for me to actually hold as a weapon, I had to break off the sharp tip of its leg for me to be able to use it.

The millipede let out a shrill wail as it clamored toward me with its remaining legs.

Wielding the translucent purple leg like a lance, I tested out my new weapon. The conductivity of it wasn’t as strong as the chimera’s weapons but it would be sufficient. It had to be.

Dodging the serrated mandibles that the millipede struck me with, I looked for an opening.

I had to land a clean hit on the wound at the back of its head where I had struck with Gauntlet Form, but it wasn’t easy as it flailed its head like a deranged bull.

Twice had I missed my target, scraping the exterior shell of its head as it dodged just as I was about to attack. Without the help of Regis drawing its attention, it was attentive to my location, rhythmically thumping its legs on the ground to find my location.

How do I get it to stop? I pondered, running circles around it as I absorbed the aether from the crystals lying about.

My mind spun until the memory of when the chimera had first fused together popped into my head. It was able to release this concussive aura that knocked us back that was almost able to knock me unconscious.

It was uncertain if I would be able to replicate its effects but I was running out of time and my options were limited.

Gauging the amount of aether I had left in my core, I figured I could spend about seventy percent on trying to stun it and the rest on landing the attack.

Steeling myself, I yelled out. “Over here!”

Noticing that I had stopped running, the millipede furiously made its way towards me, scrambling through the piles of aether crystals within the huge cavern.

“Please, let this work,” I mumbled as I began releasing the aether from my core. My aura flared purple at the sudden discharge of aether, but I didn’t stop there.

After waiting for the millipede to draw near, I allowed the aether within me to tear through that thin threshold that was my body, unleashing it in a translucent dome of tinged purple.

Immediately, my legs felt heavy from the exertion, but the effects were more than I had hoped for.

Compared to the concussive force that the fused chimera had released, my attack felt more like the manifestation of an aura—similar to Kordri’s King’s Force. Even I wasn’t completely unaffected as I felt the very air grow heavy.

The millipede stiffened from the effects of my attack and slumped down. Tightening my grip around the impromptu weapon in my hand, I rushed forward with the remaining sliver of aether left in me.

Veering right to avoid the millipede’s sluggish attempt in pincering me, I used its own mandibles as a foothold to launch myself high up into the air.

Utilizing the speed of my fall along with the force of my swing, I drove the lance deep into the epicenter of the crater on the back of the aether beast’s head. The satisfying crunch of the millipede’s exoskeleton shattering was followed by the sensation of penetrating flesh.

The giant millipede let out a pained roar, this time more guttural and raw before its body crashed onto the ground.

Taking out a crystal from my pocket and consuming a bit more aether, I struck the back end of the millipede’s leg once more, driving it deeper into the aether beast’s head.

My body felt like lead and my core ached upon depletion. But I felt good—better than I had in a long time.

“Stay down,” I huffed, collapsing on top of the giant beast.

Chapter 260: Purge

“Ugh, what is this? What happened?” Regis groaned, covered in translucent ooze, as he slithered out from the backside of the millipede corpse.

I stifled a laugh. “I didn’t know millipede feces could talk.”

Regis’ expression darkened as he looked at where he came from. “Oh crap…”

“Yup, exactly!” I laughed, unable to hold it in any longer.

After the giant millipede had died and its organs began to fail, I was able to see Regis slowly being pushed out toward the beast’s backside. Rather than trying to break its outer shell and pry Regis out from within, I let nature run its course.

“Anyway, welcome back,” I greeted with a smile, patting some of the ooze off of my companion. “How do you feel?”

Regis lowered his gaze. For a split second, I was worried he might pass out but he looked back at me with his mouth curled up into a grin. “…Like crap.”

Despite how exhausted and miserable we both were, everything seemed a little better as we laughed at our own childish jokes.

And with the giant millipede dead, it felt like I had reached another new milestone in growth.

After a short break, the two of us began reaping the rewards of our latest victory. Rather than the hills of aether crystals inside the cavern, I focused my attention on the millipede.

It took less than a glance to realize that the aether beast corpse was the highest and most potent source of aether in this entire cavern. Climbing on top of the giant millipede, I got to work consuming the aether from its body.

As my aether core developed, so did the rate of absorption. Still, with how massive the size of the beast was, it took several sittings.

While the process of absorbing aether was fairly straightforward with my newly-forged core, the next steps had taken more than a third of the aetheric essence from the millipede in order to test out.

But with how much material I had to work with, I was able to experiment and tweak the process—enhancing its efficiency and building my body towards eventually being able to do something even asuras of the Indrath Clan can’t do: manipulate aether.

Since there wasn’t exactly a manual for what I was doing, I broke down the process into three stages and named them absorption, tempering, and lastly, the purging stage.

After absorbing aether, I found that filling my core to the point where it was nearly overflowing—and very painful—forced the aether inside me to more quickly condense and refine itself.

The purging stage, however, was the most important and required my utmost concentration. All at once, I needed to expel nearly all of the aether I had crammed into my core. While the surge of aether was spreading throughout my body, I needed to trace the paths that that aether used to move and slowly guide the rest of the aether to use those same paths.

Every time I purged the aether from my core, I was slowly training the aether to travel through more efficient “passages” within my body rather than just spread aimlessly.

I focused on training the passages within my arms. I realized that, while my technique and experience was able to make up for the loss of speed, they couldn’t make up for my loss of power.

With how widely the aether was distributed within my body every time I utilized its power, I wasn’t able to create enough force to do major damage without nearly exhausting most of my aether. Not without using Gauntlet form, that is.

Hours, if not days, later, after I had gone through nearly eighty percent of the millipede’s aetheric essence, I checked up on my progress.

Holding my hands out in front of me, I released aether from my core. On my first time, I let it simply distribute evenly throughout my body while trying to still feel the aether passages strengthen inside my arm.

On the second try, I focused more aether on my arms. This time, however, I could feel around a ten percent increase in aether around my arms compared to the rest of my body.

A smile crept up on my face as I looked down at my hands, clenching and unclenching them. “H-Haha…”

“You look like you’ve just discovered fire. What are you all excited about?” Regis asked as he floated toward me.

“Can you sense something different?” I answered back, spreading my arms. I let the aether distribute evenly around my body at first.

“The aether around you became a bit less pink,” he noted, not impressed.

“Not that.” I smiled as I coalesced more aether into my arms. “This.”

Regis’ white eyes bulged. “You can control aether now?”

The faint shroud of aether around me dissipated as I relaxed. “Not completely, but it’s a big step forward.”

“Looks like eating all of that millipede dung paid off,” Regis said with a snicker.

“I was consuming the aether from the millipede’s body, not its crap,” I started. “…not yet, at least.”

“Well, I have some good news on that front,” Regis said mysteriously.

I raised a brow. “Oh? What is it?”

“Nuh uh uhh,” Regis chimed. “I’ll tell you after I’ve had my twenty percent share of aether from the giant millipede.”

“Fine. I saved about a quarter of the aetheric essence for you anyway,” I replied before I grinned. “For being eaten and expelled from the giant beast’s rectum, your master bestows upon you a five percent raise.”

“This one is unworthy!” Regis exclaimed exaggeratedly.

After finishing off the last of the millipede’s aetheric essence, reducing its corpse into a hazy gray color, Regis was able to easily withstand Gauntlet form three times without hurting himself.

I had expected more, but Regis was content with his growth—especially the growth of his horns.

“Why do you care so much about how big your horns are?” I asked.

“Why do human males care so much about how big their genitals are?” he quipped back.

I stared down then looked back up toward Regis. “Sorry I asked.”

***

Following Regis inside the massive cavern that was about the length of a city block, he led me past a particularly large hill of aether crystals. After we had reached the peak, the hill dipped to form a crater where a particularly vibrant pile of aether crystals were gathered around four large spheres all ranging in different shades of milky purple.

“Don’t tell me those are…”

“Yup,” Regis finished. “I don’t know how, but that giant millipede had her some babies.”

“But that’s not what’s important,” he continued, floating down into the crater. “Look at those crystals surrounding the eggs.”

Sliding down the side of the bowl of aether crystals that functioned as the millipede’s birthing bed, I focused my gaze on the vibrant set of crystals glowing much more brightly than all the other aether crystals in this cavern.

Squinting as I got closer, I saw what was held inside the crystals. My initial theory had been correct when I saw what was happening to the rock that the millipede had swallowed alongside those two-tailed monkeys.

Trapped within those aether crystals, which were much larger and brighter than the other crystals in this cavern, were various equipment, weapons and other items.

From the way the suits of armor and clothing were positioned within the man-sized crystals, it was evident to me that there was once living people inside each of them. Just like how I had seen the monkey being consumed and its very life sucked out of its body, these people probably had met the same fate after being swallowed whole by the millipede, leaving behind only their possessions.

It was a cruel way for anyone to die, but at this moment, I couldn’t help myself from being overcome by greed. I looked down, examining the torn strips of cloth and leather that I had been passing off as clothes, and then back up at the various armors and equipments gleaming within the crystals.

“Look at your eyes, all sparkling,” Regis teased before scanning the aether crystals himself. “Lucky for us, It seems like mama bug feasted on quite a few mages.”

“Have some respect for the dead,” I scolded.

“All of my respect disappeared since I popped out of that bug’s anus,” Regis chortled.

I was itching to get my hands on some of the equipment trapped within the aether crystals but there was something more important I needed to take care of first.

Using Gauntlet Form, Regis and I destroyed all but the last millipede egg before absorbing the aetheric essence from them.

“Why are you leaving one alive?” Regis asked.

“There’s a pretty delicate ecosystem within this floor. I don’t want to completely destroy that,” I replied, moving on to the first large crystal.

It took several hours to absorb enough aether from the crystals in order to break through them, but the thought of having something more to wear than what I had ripped and tied together kept me going.

Unfortunately, while the man-sized crystals that contained equipment numbered over a dozen, most of them weren’t usable by the time I had broken through the crystalline shell they had been stored in.

What was left, however, were masterfully crafted equipment that no doubt belonged to either powerful mages and warriors or—at the very least—rich ones.

I looked at the weapons first. Out of the ones that didn’t completely fall apart, there was a golden spear with red runes running down its shaft, an unstrung longbow, a longsword with a gem imbedded on its pommel and a crack running down the length of the blade, and a staff with a shattered gem.

Regis frowned as he hovered over the weapons strewn on the ground in front of me. “Well that’s anticlimactic.”

Remaining hopeful, I picked up the longsword first. It was perfectly balanced and felt good in my hands but when I imbued aether into the sword, the crack that ran down its blade grew bigger and began splintering.

Letting out a sigh, I struck the ground. Smaller aether crystals splashed from the impact as the sword shattered into pieces.

Next, I picked up the spear. Imbuing aether into this one had a particular effect; the runes began glowing purple.

Regis’ eyes widened. “Ooh! Do we have a winn—”

The spear exploded into pieces in my hands, hurling me several feet back and charring my leather vest.

“I guess I spoke too soon,” Regis replied.

“Damn it,” I cursed, gathering myself and walking back to the weapons that were left.

The remaining weapons didn’t fare much better: the runes on the bow indicated that it used mana to create a string and fire arrows, making it hopeless for me to use, while the staff with the shattered gem proved to be even less useful than the exploding spear—at least the spear would’ve taken someone by surprise had I used it on an enemy.

I moved on to the pile of equipment that I had taken out of the aether crystals. Unfortunately, I faced the same problem wearing the plated armor that I had with using the weapons. Because all of the higher-tiered pieces of armor were forge to better conduct mana, even using aether with those equipped quickly led to them breaking down or exploding.

What I was left with was clothing made from fine cloth or leather.

“Looking good, princess,” Regis teased as he circled around me.

My new outfit consisted of a loose white long-sleeved shirt that I tucked into a pair of bracers made from a thick blackened leather. Over it, I put on a gorget that was made from the same material as the bracers. Despite my rather lean frame, it fit well, resting snug over my shoulders and coming up to my chin.

After some testing, I realized that the shirt and the leather pieces of armor were surprisingly durable. They didn’t have any runes or indications that they were artifacts, so I didn’t need to worry about my clothes bursting from a bad reaction with aether. That’s always a good thing.

Along with a pair of pants, some soft leather shoes and a sturdy bag that was able to securely hold Sylvie’s stone and my water pouch, the last item held a bit of sentimental value to me. It was a rather elegant cloak lined with a soft white fur around its hood.

It was slash-resistant and incredibly warm, but I liked it simply because of its color. While it was white with fur on the inside, the outer cloth was a toned-down teal color. It reminded me of Dawn’s Ballad, but more than that, it reminded me of the simpler times when I first found Dawn’s Ballad in the back corner of the Helstea Auction House.

Putting on the cloak that came down just above my knees, I was greeted by a nice heft, but what surprised me was that there was something hidden inside the inner lining of the cloak.

“I thought you had gone through all of the weapons,” Regis chimed, studying the dagger in my hand.

“I thought so too,” I muttered, entranced by the small weapon for some reason.

The sleek handle of brushed silver was just long enough for me to hold it in one hand with slight grooves for each of my fingers. Attached to the end of the handle was a ring—most likely for my index finger if I chose to wield it blade down.

Gripping the handle tightly, I pulled it out of its sheath to reveal a flawless white blade with an insignia of a hexagon with three parallel streaks inside it carved near the base.

“Woah. What is that made of?” Regis asked, studying the glistening white blade.

I held it close in front of me, inspecting it as well. “It looks like some kind of… bone?”

“Are bones usually that shiny and white though? It looks almost crystalline.”

“This is my first time seeing something like this too,” I confessed, unable to take my eyes off of it.”

“Try it out. Imbue some aether into it,” Regis said impatiently.

I was afraid to—I didn’t want to damage it. But when I did, to my surprise, it was able to withstand and even conduct a small portion of the aether.

“Do you think that the person who had this knife knew how to wield aether too?” Regis asked, astonished at the sight of the faint purple aura leaking from its white blade.

“I don’t think so,” I replied. “Most likely, this dagger is just made from something that was able to wield aether—maybe from some beast found in this dungeon.”

Regis’s mouth curved up into a sinister smile. “Wicked.”

I looked back at the remaining millipede egg, searching for an ounce of guilt over killing its three siblings. I had definitely lost something while down here. A part of me was scared and wanted me to latch onto whatever remaining shred of humanity I had left, but a larger part of me knew that in order to survive here and in order to reach my goal, I couldn’t falter.

“Ready to go?” Regis asked.

“Just a minute.” Gathering my hair that had grown far past my shoulders, I tied it loosely near the base of my neck. Gripping the ponytail, I cut off my hair just past the knot, letting the locks of pale wheat hair fall to the ground.

Regis nodded in approval. “I’ll admit, that was pretty manly.”

I took a passing glance at the giant millipede that we had killed before walking forward. “Let’s go.”

Chapter 261: The Bridge

“Stop screaming!” I snapped, my legs a blur as we sped through the endless meadow of glowing white wildflowers and blue grass.

“Then tell them to stop chasing us!” Regis howled, zipping through the air beside me.

Behind us were hundreds, if not thousands, of rodents, each the size of a puma, with glowing purple claws…and all of them were incredibly pissed off at us.

“I told you not to go poking around those giant holes!” I retorted.

Regis sped past me, afraid of getting scratched by those purple claws again. “How was I supposed to know that thousands of giant rats were living in them!”

Anger bubbled up. “What exactly were you expecting then? Giant snakes?”

“No, I was just thinking if we were going to find another treasure trove or some—”

“Regis, Gauntlet Form!” I cut in as I whirled around and skid to a stop.

An aura of black and purple flared from my right fist, growing larger as the army of giant rodents rapidly approached.

Using two ‘charges’, I released an explosive blast that distorted the very space it touched, killing a few dozen rodents.

Immediately after, I hooked my index finger in the ring attached to the pommel of the dagger, unsheathing it with a brilliant white arc.

Focusing aether on my arms, I soon became a torrent of blade and fists, cutting, stabbing, and striking every giant rodent within range.

Wielding a dagger was difficult at first. Despite the similarity in shape to a sword, the style of fighting using a dagger had proven vastly different.

It was fun though. Utilizing the ring at the bottom of the hilt, I was able to hook my finger through it, freeing up my hand to strike or parry with a palm. The shorter length of the dagger meant that strikes and slashes were faster and more concise, allowing for sharper and more volatile movement.

Corpses of the giant purple-clawed rodents lay strewn about, dying the beautiful blue grass around me in crimson.

Before the rest of their horde could arrive, Regis and I turned back and started to run. We continued running and slowly chipping away at their forces for several hours while searching for an exit within this seemingly vast field of ocean-like grass.

What was worse was that, unlike the chimeras and millipede, most of the rodents’ bodies didn’t contain aether—only their claws were coated in a dense layer of aether. This allowed them to actually injure Regis and made them very cumbersome to kill with little benefit since I was using more aether than I was regenerating.

“Over there!” Regis shouted as he picked up speed.

I saw it too. Out in the distance, there was an all-too-familiar teleportation gate glowing brightly, beckoning us. It was only after we drew near it that we realized it wasn’t going to be that easy.

Separating us from the gate was a chasm at least 30 yards wide with no end in sight on either side for us to go around.

“What do we do?” Regis asked as my mind spun, looking for a way out. Behind us was at least a thousand rodents hell bent on killing us— all the more angry after we had continuously killed off their brethren.

Pumping out more aether from my core, I picked up speed as well, gaining some distance away from the horde of rodents. As we got closer, my eyes picked up two columns both on the portal side and on our side as well.

“I think there’s a bridge there!” I said, pointing to the two columns just a few dozen yards ahead. I could only hope that there was a mechanism that connected the columns on either side together.

I skidded to a stop just in front of the two pillars that were about three shoulder-widths apart. But when I saw what had happened, I cursed aloud.

There were thick rune-inscribed chains coming from the columns and falling down the crevice. At the bottom there was a stream of red, and by the heat that could be felt all the way from here, I knew that it was lava.

That was why there were no grass or flowers growing this close to the crevice.

“Well…there was a bridge,” Regis said dejectedly, looking down into the abyss. “I wonder what did this?”

“Not what. Who.” I seethed, punching the tree-sized pillar of stone before turning back to face the army of rodents.

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to try and kill all of those creatures,” Regis groaned.

“Not exactly,” I said. “I have a plan but you’re not going to like it.”

Regis stared at me, deadpan. “Has there ever been a plan that I liked?”

***

I hid behind one of the columns, replenishing my core using a rodent claw that I had severed and stored in my bag while I watched Regis scream as he fast approached. Just behind him was the horde of rodents desperately clambering atop one another, swiping savagely at Regis.

“I hate you!” Regis howled as he drew near.

I waited until he was about a foot from the cliff before releasing the same aetheric aura that I had used to immobilize the giant millipede.

By the time the frontline rodents realized that they were running towards a cliff, it was too late. The air around them grew heavy as the aetheric aura spread. The waves of rodents behind the first row weren’t able to stop in time either, crashing into their brethren and falling off the cliff as they desperately clawed at the air.

Meanwhile, Regis continued to hover in the air, inviting the giant rodents in the back that weren’t yet aware of the cliff to try and kill him while gleefully laughing like a maniac.

“Come on, you pea-brained rats! Try and touch me with those manicured claws of yours now, bitches! Hahahaha!”

“Now!” I roared as the final wave of giant rodents clambered atop their brethren and leapt off in a desperate attempt to reach Regis.

I used most of my aether to burst forward, pushing off the column for maximum speed.

With aether shrouding my body, I stepped on the heads of the crazed rodents, climbing on top of them to get as close to the other side of the crevice as possible. With the river of lava below me, my eyes scanned the route that I would be able to take to get to the other side.

Just before the giant rodents under my feet began falling down, I leapt off the crest of the rodent pile.

I pushed away the thought of missing my footing and falling into the river of lava that was blowing hot air even all the way up here. I doubted that even my vivum-enhanced healing abilities would be able to regenerate me faster than the lava would eat away at my body.

My eyes locked onto the rodent up ahead in the air. It had managed to clear almost halfway across the crevice trying to get Regis.

Stamping my foot on the flailing rodent’s back, I pushed off of him to gain the extra distance I needed to reach the other side.

“You’re not going to make it!” Regis screamed as I began descending just a few feet shy from the clifftop.

Pulling out my dagger, I summoned the remaining sliver of aether to reinforce my arm and dagger before driving it into the face of the cliff.

The very air distorted in ripples from the waves of heat emanating from the stream of lava drawing closer.

‘Use my aether for Gauntlet Form!’ Regis sent as my free hand started glowing black and purple.

With no time to waste, I unleashed the aether coalesced into my fist, striking downward rather than straight at the rocky cliffside.

The impact created a big crater on the cliffside. I was freefalling for a second until I barely managed to snag my fingers over the edge of the depression that I had created.

My hands—along with the rest of my body—clammy with sweat, I nearly lost my grip but managed to hold on.

Clinging for dear life until I was able to pull myself up, I fell flat on my back in the small cave that I had created with Gauntlet Form.

“We made it!” a slightly shrunken Regis cheered as I struggled to breathe. The air was thick here, but it was a bit different from just heat. Too tired and hot to figure out why, I was tempted to let sleep overtake me but I knew that falling unconscious this close to the molten river spelled death.

“Thanks for saving me,” I said to Regis.

The little orb of black shrugged nonchalantly. “Meh, I’m not very keen on finding out what happens to me if you die. Just promise me a bigger chunk of aether next time and we’ll call it even.”

I nodded before getting back to the matter at hand. Even without strengthening my body with aether, I should be able to climb the cliff, and common sense dictated that I should get as far away as possible from this river of lava that I had clearly seen bake those puma-sized rodents alive in mere seconds.

However, my instincts told me otherwise, and my new body seemed to agree. Staring down, for some reason, I thought that this glowing river of lava would help me.

“So, you all rested up? Ready to climb up out of here?” Regis asked cheerfully as he continued to watch a few dumber rodents chase after us and fall to their fiery deaths.

It was when I spotted several glints of purple floating away in the molten stream that I realized why I had been feeling this way.

“No. Not yet,” I said as my eyes began scanning the inside of the man-sized cave I was in, yet another brilliant plan of mine slowly snapping into place.

“Tell me the truth, Arthur. You’re a masochist, aren’t you.”

“No, I don’t particularly enjoy feeling pain, Regis,” I stated, lowering my toes.

“Oh so you’re just dunking yourself in lava for shits and giggles?”

I stopped. “Do you mind? I kind of need to concentrate if I don’t want my body to melt.”

Regis rolled his eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry for trying to dissuade you from skinny dipping in lava.”

“Apology accepted, now shut up.” I took a deep breath. Even after hours of testing dozens of times, it was nerve-wracking to actually submerge myself into the molten river.

Dipping my entire body into the stream of lava, I immediately felt a burning, but tolerable heat coursing through me as I continued pumping aether from my core.

It was an odd feeling but it didn’t take long for me to be able to confirm the benefits of doing this. I had been right, except, it had gone beyond my expectations.

Seeing the glowing purple claws of the rodents had confirmed my instincts and had set the plan into motion.

The first stage was the most uncertain. Just like how the last level had its own unique ecosystem, so did this one.

When I had consumed the aether from the rodents’ claws, I realized that they were only coated in aether. Their natural claws—while sharp and near-indestructible—were just black. Seeing how their bodies weren’t able to innately wield aether like the chimeras, monkeys, or the millipede, I assumed that they had acquired those claws through some other means.

Their species lived underground, using their sharp claws to dig tunnels, so I speculated that in the ground was something that was rich in aether that they dug through in order to layer their claws with aether.

After hours of using my newfound dagger and aether to dig and punch deeper into the cave that I had made, Regis and I had found it…

An aether crystal.

The one that we had managed to find was about seven feet in diameter and extremely dense in mana.

If the first part of my plan had been uncertain, then the second part of my plan should be described as painful.

With no way of knowing if my body would fare any better than the rodent claws, I did the only thing any wise and intelligent person would do: test.

After another several hours of melting my fingers, waiting for them to regenerate by using the aether crystal, and doing it again while adjusting the input of my aether, I had finally come to where I was now…buck naked, standing on one of the shallow ends of the molten river I had found by tossing a boulder into it.

But it had paid off. My body felt as if it was going through the tempering and purging stage of my patented aether refinement process over and over again every second.

Because of how much aether I needed to expel constantly in order to keep my body from burning, as well as to be in a state of equilibrium with the harsh aether flowing within this molten river, I could only be inside for about a minute at a time. At least at first, that is.

“Wow. Five minutes.” Regis acknowledged with a nod. “New record.”

I stared at the aether crystal that had now dulled into a hazy gray color. “Just in time. I think it’s about time we leave.”

“Really?” Regis’ eyes sparkled like a puppy in front of a steak. I felt a little sorry for my floating companion. After the rodents had finally given up on trying to chase after us, Regis’ favorite show—watching the rodents fall and sizzle in the molten stream—had been stopped. This meant that he was stuck watching me go in and out between the molten river and the aether crystal, naked.

I gave him a nod, putting on my clothes. After adjusting my darkened leather bracers and gorget and equipping my bag and the white dagger I had grown fond of, I draped the teal fur-lined cloak over my shoulders. “You ready?”

“Hell yes,” Regis declared before stopping abruptly and turning around. “But before that… was it worth it?”

I let aether erupt from my core. Rather than seeing the thin sheen of magenta cover my entire body, however, my aether burned a brilliant purple—all traces of the reddish hue now gone. What really surprised Regis though, was the fact that almost all of the aether had coalesced into my right fist.

My lips curved into a smirk as I watched Regis gape stupidly. “You tell me.”

Chapter 262: The Platform

Tempering my body in that molten stream for the past few days had been the right choice. I was now able to concentrate about eighty percent of the aether into my arms and focus up to thirty percent of my aether into my legs. That being said, my heightened control over aether made the climb back up to the clifftop a breeze.

I was tempted to stay longer in that fiery river—while excruciating, using the molten stream was a much faster way of forging my aether passages—but I had gotten lucky finding an aether crystal that large nearby. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to make such drastic improvements in that short amount of time.

There were a couple things I wanted to do before crossing through the teleportation gate. First, I looked for a source of freshwater. I knew there had to be one nearby since I had accidentally managed to excavate a thin vein of water down within the cave while looking for an aether crystal. Even if I didn’t need to drink nearly as much water now, if I hadn’t found that, I would’ve had to make a trip back up to the giant rodents’ territory.

“Found it!” Regis shouted a few dozen yards ahead.

“Nice!” The dark dirt gave way to a lush field of blue grass once more as I reached the glistening pond of water.

Wasting no time, I gulped down mouthfuls of water and refilled my pouch before stripping my clothes and jumping in.

My body shivered at the cold touch of water on my skin but the sensation was blissful. After thoroughly washing myself, I couldn’t help but study my appearance once more.

The pair of eyes that gazed back at me in the water shone like two spheres of golden amber tinged with some blue—evidence of my former eye color. Locks of pale wheat hair draped over my face, emphasizing the solemn expression I bore as I stared at myself. I still looked like Arthur, but I kept looking for small differences to prove otherwise. In the end, it was just me being discontent that the most obvious traits that I had gotten from my mother and father were now gone.

Stop thinking like that. You should be grateful to Sylvie you’re alive, I reprimanded myself.

“Are you done checking yourself out?” Regis chimed.

Turning back, I shot him a withering glare, surprising him.

“Easy. It was a joke,” my companion muttered.

I let out a sigh. “I know.”

After getting out of the water, I got dressed in everything but the leather armor and teal cloak. I wanted to get adjusted to the changes in my body after tempering in the molten river. To do that, I needed to see exactly what I was capable of and what my limits were.

Without a proper punching bag in this field of blue and white, I was left having to strike the air and occasionally the ground, but I was able to get a grasp of how much I had improved.

Despite the fact that Regis used my own aether as fuel to unleash Gauntlet Form, I wasn’t able to duplicate that effect even after imbuing all eighty percent of my aether into my right fist. I was stronger—tougher—and the regenerative properties were heightened with so much aether coalesced in one place, but when I punched into the ground, the outcome wasn’t as destructive as I had hoped it would be.

Still, because I was able to more freely control my aether, Regis and I were able to utilize Gauntlet Form much more instantaneously and effectively.

One crucial limitation that I realized, however, was the speed at which aether travelled inside me.

Whether it was because my aether passages weren’t completely formed, or because I was still trying to treat aether as if it were mana, it still took a few seconds of concentration in order to siphon aether into the desired location within my body.

I still have a long way to go until I’m able to use advanced techniques like burst step. Still, I couldn’t help but get a little excited. This body would be able to bear the burden of burst step and much more.

Before we headed back to where the teleportation gate stood, I took out the translucent stone that held Sylvie inside.

“Let’s hope my aether is pure enough for you now, Sylv,” I muttered as I pushed aether into the stone. A shroud of purple enveloped the stone as I felt nearly all of my aether being drained from my core.

This time, I could feel much more of my aether reaching Sylvie, but it was all the same. While I had gotten stronger, at this point, I was dropping buckets in a pond, rather than cups. I really did have a long way to go.

After my core had replenished, we made our way back to the towering teleportation gate and stood in front of the undulating portal.

I turned to Regis. “Ready?”

He let out a scoff. “Let’s see what fresh slice of hell awaits us next.”

The two of us stepped through, both excited and anxious of what we’d have to face on the other side.

Despite our preparation and even anticipation for something unpredictable and bizarre, we were still stunned silent as the bright white light finally gave away to a serene spectrum of colors. Despite having the accumulation of two lifetimes in two different worlds, my mind couldn’t quite make out what I was seeing.

“Well this is new,” Regis muttered as the two of us continued staring blankly at the scene ahead.

Glowing platforms the size of small houses lay suspended in the air, each one a different color and a bit higher the farther they were. The platforms were connected by a single set of glowing stairs that seemed to be made of the same material as the platforms themselves.

The sky itself, if I could even call it that, shimmered in a purple hue, making this place look as if it was in a perpetual state of twilight.

The teleportation gate we had come through was apparently one-way because behind us was just an expanse of the shimmering purple sky. No sun or moon, no obvious source of light or even a horizon…there was just nothing.

I stepped away from the edge of the platform we were standing on, not wanting to find out how steep of a drop it was if we fell.

“At least there’s only one way to go, right?” I said, kneeling down to inspect the platform we were standing on. This one glowed a soft white and was smooth to the touch.

Regis rolled his eyes. “Woohoo.”

I walked carefully toward the set of glowing stairs leading to the next platform, wary of any traps. Thankfully, I managed to reach the stairs without anyone or anything trying to kill me.

Climbing the stairs, I reached the next platform which glowed in various shades of red. After the two of us exchanged a wary glance, I stepped on the platform.

Immediately, the staircase behind me faded away, forcing me to fully commit to the platform. As both feet were planted on the glowing red floor, the entire platform began elongating, stretching to about quadruple its original length. Worse yet, I felt something pull at my insides, forcing me to stumble and almost fall.

My breathing faltered as wisps of purple aura leaked from my skin. Even as I closed off my aether core, I could feel the aether escape, slowly draining both my body and my core.

Regis was in worse shape as he fell to the floor, his entire form flickering and growing noticeably smaller by the second.

“Regis!” I reached out and grabbed him, allowing him to sink into my hand.

‘Thanks,’ Regis remarked without a shred of his usual blend of sarcasm and condescension.

Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but start to panic as more and more aether was being siphoned out of my core and leaking from the surface of my body.

I began hurriedly crossing to the other side of the platform where the stairs to the next level awaited. However, the rate that my aether was being sucked out from me increased the closer I got.

Thinking on my feet, I began concentrating aether to my right arm. With all of my aether coalescing in one place, I could only feel the aether leaking from my right arm.

Better than nothing, I suppose.

I was nearly at the stairs now but my gut told me to try and overcome this.

‘Uhh, the exit is right there,’ my companion sent, his concerned voice echoing in my head.

“I…know,” I said through gritted teeth as I stopped in my tracks.

Rather than panicking at the sensation of aether escaping from my very grasp, I used every ounce of concentration into narrowing the aether from my entire arm to my hand, then to the center of my palm until I could feel the aether about to burst.

That’s when I felt like something had changed inside me. As if my aether passages dispersed and rose to the surface of my skin. A layer of purple clung tightly to my right palm while rune-like marks extended out to my fingers like a glove made of aether.

Suddenly, my hand began to burn.

‘Arthur! You’re going to destroy your hand at this rate!’ Regis cried, panicking. ‘Hold on! I’ll absorb some of your aether!’

“No, don’t!” I groaned. I let whatever anomaly was happening within this platform help me drain the aether coalescing in the center of my palm. Better yet, I let it help guide my channels.

Letting out a roar to overcome the pain gnawing away at my hand, I pushed out.

A deep thrum resounded, followed by a devastating torrent of violet flames erupting from the center of my palm.

I gripped my right arm with my left hand to help stabilize and keep my arm from ripping out of its socket.

The sound of my own voice was washed away from the deafening blast as I struggled to stay conscious.

My ears rang and most of the red platform that had seemed indestructible up until now had been obliterated.

I fell to my knees and I cradled my right arm. All of my fingers had been broken and bent out of place from the impact and my entire right arm had fractures. And without a shred of aether left in my body, I could already feel my body turning against me.

“—thur! Arthur!”

I saw a blurry Regis shouting my name before shooting into my chest. Almost immediately, I could feel Regis injecting his own aether into my core, supplying me with most of what he had accumulated since manifesting.

Strength flowing through me once more, I staggered off the red platform and climbed the stairs using my hand and feet.

“Regis, are you okay?” I asked, worry laced in my voice.

Regis remained inside me, and I could feel he was still alive but he remained quiet.

Finally, my companion stirred and let out a groan.

‘You really are a fucking masochist,’ he grumbled weakly.

The two of us stared at the glowing orange platform in front of us.

Regis was no larger than the size of my palm now after giving me most of his aether. What was worse was that we weren’t able to stay on the floating stairs indefinitely. After a while, the stair we were on began trembling before fizzling out of existence. Eventually, we had been forced to the last stair before the platform, my arm still mostly broken.

“Remember, I can’t use Gauntlet Form right now,” Regis warned, hovering just over my shoulder.

“I know.”

“And don’t you even think about using whatever it was you used on that last platform! I mean, what the hell were you even thinking!”

“I told you. I need to risk my life if I want to stand a chance against asuras,” I stated. Despite my injury and close call, I had succeeded. I could feel the change in my body and the possibilities of what I would be able to do once I was strong enough to handle it. “But you have to admit, the result was worth it.”

“If it wasn’t for me, you would’ve died doing that dragon’s fart technique!”  he yelled before letting out a breath. “Fine. It was pretty cool. Just don’t do it again until we’re someplace safe, yeah?”

“It was a calculated risk…but I agree,” I answered before stepping onto the orange platform.  As soon as my foot touched the floor, the entire platform began glowing brighter and started pulsating softly while the stairs leading to the next platform retracted.

“That didn’t happen on the last platform,” Regis stated grimly, looking at the stairs.

However, even as Regis was talking, I sensed something and moved my body accordingly. I spun on my front foot, pivoting to the right and grabbing the space in front of me with my left hand.

A slight prickle on my cheek told me that I wasn’t able to dodge completely but what surprised me more was the fact that I was able to react to the humanoid beast that had attacked me at all.

Aside from the fact that it was deadly fast, it seemed to be invisible. Even with the fact that I was able to see aether with my eyes, the beast simply looked like a faint blur of purple with two bladed arms and four legs.

“Regis.” I tightened my grip around the bladed beast’s arm as it struggled to pry free. “Be careful.”

My companion’s eyes widened at what he saw and hid behind me.

With my right hand out of commission, I tried throwing the beast off of the platform but it hit an invisible wall.

Imbuing aether into my left arm, I unsheathed my dagger and struck the humanoid beast underneath its chin and severed its head.

The entire platform shook from the impact and the headless beast slumped into the ground without a trace of blood leaking from its wound.

As soon as the beast died, details formed underneath its camouflaging shroud of aether.

“How’d you even see this thing?” Regis asked as he hovered over what could only be described as some sort of reptilian centaur.

I touched my cheek, wiping a bead of blood from the wound that had already healed. “I didn’t…I just sort of knew and reacted to it.”

“I wonder if it’s because of your new body,” Regis pondered.

“I’m not sure. I didn’t feel this way when I first woke up to this body. Even while fighting the chimeras and the millipede—I don’t think I would’ve been able to react this fast back then.”

My mind spun, trying to think of what could’ve changed. Maybe by forging my aether passages, the aether was further acclimating to my body internally, strengthening my nerves to enhance my perception and reflexes.

The sight of the reptilian centaur fading into nothingness snapped me back to reality. Soon after, the platform dimmed to its usual color and the stairs returned to its usual state, connecting this platform to the one after.

Regis tilted his head. “I guess…that’s it?”

We crossed the platform carefully, making sure there weren’t any more invisible threats, but after I had deemed it safe, the two of us took some more time to heal.

After a few hours of concentrated absorption of aether, I was back to full health and was even able to give Regis some aether. His body and horns were still half their previous size but he was at least able to use Gauntlet Form once.

“Let’s go,” I stated, curling and uncurling my healed right hand.

Reaching the end of the platform, we climbed the flight of stairs, much more confident than last time.

This platform was bathed dimly in deep blue light and when I carefully touched the floor with my foot, rather than pulsating like the previous platform, tiles shimmered into view, segmenting the entire area into smaller squares, each the span of my arms.

“Ooh, not ominous at all,” Regis said sarcastically, looking at the squares. “Too bad you can’t just float over them like me.”

“You make it sound like your life isn’t tied to mine,” I shot back with a smirk.

Regis’s expression fell as he muttered weakly, “We don’t know that for sure…”

“Let’s not find out,” I chuckled before focusing on the task at hand.

I got low and tapped lightly on the square just ahead while watching out for any more invisible beasts sneaking up on me.

Nothing happened, but when I placed both feet on the same square, the entire platform trembled before it suddenly spun ninety degrees. Suddenly, I was on the left side of the square rather than the front side.

“Woah,” Regis muttered.

I carefully stepped on the square to my left, the one that was closer to the stairs leading up to the next platform. However, as soon as both feet were planted, the entire platform rotated once more, this time, counterclockwise.

“It’s a…puzzle,” I said, stepping on another square. “Like some sort of two dimensional Rubik’s Cube.”

The platform turned counterclockwise again, and the more I tried to get closer toward the stairs, the farther away I was led.

Minutes easily bled into hours as we stepped, failed, and retraced our steps before starting again.

“Forward, left, left, forward, right—no I think it was left?” Regis muttered.

“Shut up! You’re making this harder,” I snapped as I hopped through the memorized path until we were just three squares away from the staircase.

I stepped on the square adjacent to the one I was on this time, spinning me clockwise, but the move after that led to a dead route.

“Damn it,” I cursed, tracing back my path a few steps to hopefully find a different route.

“Can’t you just jump this distance?” Regis asked, his gaze shifting from me to the stairs.

I stared blankly at my companion. “Is that allowed?”

“You can get to the stairs easily from here,” he replied. “And generally, the stairs have always been safe.”

I thought for a moment and realized we could be stuck here for hours if not days on this giant spinning chessboard.

Imbuing aether into my legs, I jumped.

The distance was easy to clear but as I descended toward the flight of stairs, suddenly, a shadow loomed over me.

It was the entire platform.

My eyes widened as the entire blue platform flipped, and it came crashing over my head.

No… it can’t end just like this.

“Arthur!” Regis cried, falling alongside me despite his ability to fly.

I flailed my arms desperately in the air, trying to grab ahold of something in this purple void. I tried to gather aether once more in my palm but to no avail—I didn’t have nearly enough to launch an attack like earlier.

There was nothing either of us could do as we continued plummeting and the platform grew farther and farther away, until it faded out of sight.

Chapter 263: Cornered

Panic began bubbling up in the pit of my stomach as the platform disappeared from view. I didn’t have the confidence to say that I’d survive the impact after hitting the ground at this speed. Worse yet was the fact that I might not hit anything at all. Knowing that aether was involved in making this place, the possibility of falling indefinitely was all too real.

I remembered the helpless void that I had trapped myself in before waking up in this dungeon. The sheer numbness and darkness that had swallowed my mind and soul was something that brought chills down my spine at the mere recollection of it.

The impact I felt on my back, however, snapped me back to reality. I had landed on a platform.

The otherworldly surface glowed a soft white underneath me. As my mind tried to process what had happened, another crash resounded behind me.

“Sonova—”

“Regis! Are you okay?” I asked as my companion swaggered back up into the air, hovering a few feet above the glowing white platform.

“I don’t know… but for someone incorporeal, a lot of shit sure can touch me in this godforsaken place,” Regis groused.

I cracked a smile, happy to see my companion complain…and happy to have solid ground beneath me. However, what bothered me was the fact that, behind us, there were no other platforms. Just like when we had first arrived here.

With little choice but to walk up the lone staircase up ahead, we made our way across the platform and climbed the stairs to see the familiar glow of red on the platform in front of us.

I stared dumbfoundedly at the view ahead, struck with a sudden sense of déjà vu. “Regis. Please tell me you’re thinking the same thing I am.”

“If you’re thinking of a certain Italian plumber with a mustache, and what happens to him when he falls, then yeah,” Regis muttered.

“Crude metaphor of an ancient video game aside, I think you may have a point,” I replied. “But we’ll find out for sure once we step on it.”

“You mean once you step on it.” Regis shot toward me, disappearing into my hand.

Letting out a sigh, I stepped onto the platform. Almost immediately, I felt the sensation of aether being sucked out of me while the glowing red platform stretched out in length.

“I’m not even surprised,” I muttered, trudging forward.

I coalesced aether from my left hand this time, limiting the rate at which aether left my body as I neared the staircase.

‘Easy,’ Regis scoffed.

I stopped a few steps short of the staircase.

‘Wait, no. Please don’t tell me…’

“Where else am I going to find another environment that naturally pulls aether out of me?” I asked before smirking. “Besides, didn’t you just say it was easy?”

Despite having experience launching a destructive blast of aether from the palm of my hand, the second time wasn’t any easier. In fact, because I had become more accustomed to coalescing aether in my right hand, I had an even harder time with my left.

Needless to say, I walked up the staircase to the next platform with a shattered left hand, a near-empty aether core… and a smile on my face.

Regis glared daggers at me, his size once again shrunken from having to inject his aether into me. “Masochist.”

Ignoring the potential psychological repercussions of my dangerous actions since waking up in this dungeon, I stepped onto the orange platform. I dodged the invisible centaur beast once more, but rather than making the mistake of killing it and letting it disappear, I pinned it down and absorbed its aether first.

The great thing about expanding my aether passages was that I was no longer limited to consuming aether using my mouth. I could now absorb through my hand with dignity and poise.

Stepping up onto the blue platform, recovered and brimming with energy, I patiently solved the spinning platform puzzle.

My heart finally calmed after stepping onto the staircase leading to the next platform. The memory of the ground flipping from straight beneath me and sending me down a void had been seared into both our minds.

“Please let this next one be the exit,” Regis prayed, his horns practically drooping.

As we reached the top of the stairs, I couldn’t help but grow anxious.

The platform was about twice as big as the previous platforms and emitted an ominous black light.

I pushed aside my worries as my hand subconsciously reached for the bag carrying Sylvie’s stone. Despite the state she was in, my bond had become an anchor for me and a constant reminder of what my goals were.

Steeling myself, I stepped up onto the black platform with Regis following close behind. As soon as my feet were both planted on the glowing black surface, the entire platform began to thrum deeply.

My eyes scanned my surroundings, my senses on full alert for any dangers coming our way. The thrumming grew louder to an almost deafening degree until, suddenly, hundreds of black wires shot out from all four edges of the square platform, criss-crossing with each other to form a fence-like enclosing that stretched high above us.

Regis looked up and around. “That can’t be good.”

A thick layer of aether clung evenly over my body as I stepped toward the center. Seeing that we were blocked from moving forward meant that we needed to solve some sort of puzzle…or kill something in here.

As if reading my thoughts, the ground a few yards in front of me began rippling as a large mound of glowing black began growing from the center of it.

The expanse of purple surrounding us darkened as a towering figure burgeoned from the very ground we were standing on.

I gazed up at the shadowy giant looming over us. The bipedal creature was at least five times my height and looked like it was wearing a full set of armor of the same shadowy material as the rest of its body, along with a viking helmet with two horns curling upward. As it stepped toward us, causing the entire platform to tremble, I said the only thing appropriate for a situation like this.

“Look, Regis. It’s your dad.”

My companion regarded me for moment, deadpan. “I liked you better when you were depressed.”

The glowing black floor shook furiously as I effortlessly dodged the crashing strike launched by the shadowy sentinel. Its movements were slow but I knew that getting hit even once could spell death.

“Regis.” I held out my hand. “Gauntlet Form.”

As Regist flew into my hand and I siphoned aether through him, a sinister voice screamed at me, driving a nail to my brain.

‘Kill it. Slaughter it!’

I buckled from surprise and pain, just barely managing to avoid the low sweep of the golem’s arm.

With no time to wonder and question, I clenched my smoky-black fist and struck the giant golem’s leg.

A muted explosion resounded from the impact, but the golem only stumbled back a step.

The tight grip I felt around my core reminded me that the number of times I could use this was limited, but it seemed like even a hundred of these wouldn’t be able to kill the giant beast.

The golem let out a deafening roar, apparently pissed that I had managed to give it a bruise.

I grimaced as I clenched my shadow-clad fist once more. “Again!”

Channeling even more of my aether through Regis, I let the destructive power build. The smokey-black aura from Regis began to spread, slowly climbing up my arm.

Meanwhile the voice that had pierced into my brain actually began to quiet. Its once-desperate demand turned to mofillied appeals.

‘You need me. I’m the only one that can get you out of here. Don’t you want to see your family again? Don’t you want to see Tessia?’

“N-No,” I said through gritted teeth. Its tantalizing voice was actually scarier than when it screamed out its demands.

I fought to keep sane, wanting whatever this foreign demon was to get out of my head.

A forceful blow that threw me off the ground and slammed me against the black fence granted me my wish…and also a few broken ribs.

Coughing out a mouthful of blood, I landed onto my back to see Regis staring at me.

“What the hell happened? Are you okay?” the shadowy black ball asked before turning. “Watch out!”

I rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding the giant golem as it tried to step on me.

Getting up to my feet while the remaining aether in my body slowly healed me, I looked at Regis. “Was that you speaking…in my head?”

“What are you talking about?” he asked, frustrated. “Did you get hit in the head? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there’s a giant shadow golem trying to kill us.”

“I got hit everywhere,” I retorted, regarding Regis. I frowned as I looked at my companion. “The voice…nevermind.”

Shaking off the lingering aches of my body even as my ribs had healed, the giant golem and I began playing a game of cat and mouse. With hesitations keeping me from imbuing more of my aether, I was forced to try and attack its ‘weak points’.

Turns out, it didn’t have any. Its faceless head was just as hard as its armored crotch and chest.

Out of options, I did the only thing I could do. Keeping my distance, I began coalescing aether into the center of my palm.

As a thin layer of purple began spreading from the center of my hand, I hoped that my limited pool of aether would somehow dwindle the recoil of the aether blast.

But as I prepared to unleash the destructive blast of aether, I couldn’t help but question its capability. It was the wrong moment and time to be introspecting but I couldn’t help but wonder how this raw blast of energy stemmed from aether.

Like mana, did aether have a pure, affinity-less form, or was this power—like the strengthening of my body—a branch of vivum? But Lady Myre had explained vivum as the influence over all living components.

That’s when it hit me.

I had been on the right track with both the Gauntlet Form and the aetheric blast but they were merely a part of the bigger picture.

I channeled aether into my hand once more. But it was different this time. The very action of cladding my hand in aether felt more fluid… more natural and controlled.

Suddenly, an unbearable pain enveloped my hand, causing me to stop in my tracks. I looked down at my hands to see what looked like runes forming on the backs of my hands. They lingered for less than a second before the runes disappeared from view. However, I could feel the runes travelling up my arm like a white hot ball of iron before trailing down my back and legs before coming back up and pressing on the base of my spine.

Despite my growing tolerance for pain, the pain caused by whatever had happened nearly caused me to faint. However, for some reason, I felt reassured by what had just happened.

“—thur!”

I snapped out of my reverie at the sound of Regis’ voice right beside me, and I realized that I had been in the middle of a fight against a towering shadow-like golem.

I dipped my head and prepared for an impact that never came.

“Arthur, look,” Regis stated.

Raising my head, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

The black sentinel, whose figure towered over thirty feet high, was slowly backing away from me.

He’s scared.

I could see Regis looking at the sight in disbelief as well.

“What did you do?” he asked.

“I-I’m not sure.” I looked down at my hands to see nothing there. However, when I coalesced aether into my hand, a warm sensation spread from my lower back along with a flood of knowledge.

I staggered forward, nearly losing balance at the jarring sensation. It only lasted a split second, but I knew the newfound knowledge now ingrained into my brain would last forever.

“…uction, ” I muttered, looking at my empty hands.

“What?” Regis asked, floating down and staring at me. “Are you okay, Arthur?”

I could feel my lips curve up into a grin. “I’m better than okay. I understand now.”

“Understand what?” Regis rebutted. “You’re freaking me out, Arthur.”

Lifting my cloak and shirt up, I showed Regis my lower back. “This.”

My companion’s eyes widened as he saw the silvery-white rune glowing on my spine, just above my hip. “Do you know what this rune says?”

Regis shook his head as I let go of my cloak and shirt, covering my back.

“I do,” I said with a grin plastered on my face. “And so does that thing.”

I approached the giant shadowy knight, my gait calm and deliberate. The closer I got to the towering golem, the more I could see its form hunch, as if it was trying to make itself smaller in my presence.

It knew.

I was no longer the one trapped in here with this beast—the beast was now trapped in here with me.

Slowly raising my arm, I channeled aether into my right hand. The warm touch of the rune carved onto my back reassured me and the aether manifested into a small flame that glistened like pure amethyst.

The amethyst flame clung to my palm like a newborn. There was no wild ferocity or heat that emanated from this flame. It was cold, tranquil, and silent like the breath of something transcendent.

At the sight of this ethereal flame, the shadowy golem body began to tremble but not a shred of compassion could be mustered for this beast.

Like a cornered rat, the giant golem lashed out, slamming down its massive arms to try and flatten me.

I raised my arm, meeting his giant fists with my right hand. The amethyst flames silently consumed its entire two fists, leaving not even a trace of its shadowy hands.

The shadowy beast bellowed in rage, desperately flailing its arms at me.

Using its arm as a ramp, I rushed up and drove my flame-clad hand into its head.

“Farewell,” I said softly as I watched its head deteriorate from the violet flames and its body sink back down into the black platform.

Chapter 264: Branch of Destruction

As the giant shadow sentinel dissolved back into the black platform, it felt like—rather than calming down—my adrenaline rush from the battle was growing more intense. My breathing grew shallow and I could feel my heartbeat quicken by the second. Blood pounded against my ears, dulling out everything except for the sounds of my own ragged breaths. It was an overbearing yet intoxicating sensation which had me scared that I’d lose my mind.

I tried to withdraw the violet fire clad around my right hand but it wouldn’t budge. The cool flames clung to my skin, throbbing, and the rune on my back now felt like a scorching brand pressed against my very spine.

I didn’t know why this was happening but it felt like either my body was rejecting the rune, or the other way around. A scream tore at my throat as the violet flames grew stronger and more wild, engulfing my entire hand.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Regis frantically rushing toward me before disappearing into my body. It didn’t take much longer after that for darkness to overcome me.

When I came to, the shimmering purple sky was the first thing to greet me. The second thing was the pain. My right hand felt like it had been marinated in a vat of acid, a dull throb still lingered on my lower back.

My lower back…the rune!

My eyes widened as I finally recalled what had happened to me. I pushed myself off my back, wincing at the pain from putting weight on my right hand. As my gaze lowered to my right hand which looked unscathed, I finally noticed that the platform I was on wasn’t black, but white.

“Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty,” a gruff voice sounded behind me. My battle instincts flared as I whirled around while unsheathing the white dagger using my left hand, only to find myself face-to-face with a shadowy entity in the form of a wolf.

It remained seated on its hind legs like a large dog, no threatening intent leaking from it. The only details that set it apart from what would normally be a very black wolf was the fact that it had a pair of horns protruding out of its head, each twisting like a gnarled branch as they came to a sharp point behind its ears. The other detail, and the one that stood out the most, was its glowing violet mane that looked more like flames rather than fur.

“Check me out. I’m majestic as fuck!” the wolf said with a toothy grin, its shadowy tail wagging excitedly.

My jaw dropped. “R-Regis?”

It took me a few minutes to swallow everything, but once I did, my curiosity only grew.

I bombarded him with questions. “What happened to me after I passed out? What happened to you? Why do you look like that?”

“Easy, pleb,” Regis said haughtily, holding up his giant black paw. “This one shall explain.”

I shot him a glare, eliciting an uncomfortable cough from the shadowy wolf.

“After you killed that giant golem, that purple flame was trying to consume you so I did what any loyal companion would do and went into your body to save you.”

“Loyal? Is that why you’re a dog?” I quipped.

“I’m a wolf!” Regis emphasized, offended. “I don’t know why I’m a wolf, and not some badass dragon, but this is what I came out as.”

“So how did it happen?”

“Well, I felt this huge surge of aether fuse with me.”

“Fuse with your body?” I repeated blankly before it finally dawned on me.

I expelled aether from my core, trying to siphon it through the rune on my lower back. Except there was no rune. I recalled the knowledge that had been ingrained into me upon forming the rune but it felt like a blur, like trying to recall the events of a drunken night.

“It’s gone,” I mumbled. “I-I can’t feel the rune anymore.”

My eyes locked onto Regis in an icy glare. “You stole it.”

“It’s not like I expected this to happen,” Regis retorted back. “And besides. You were dying.”

I seethed. “I had it under control.”

Regis let out a scoff. “Sure. Writhing in pain and blacking out was all part of the master plan, right?”

“You don’t understand! I need that power, Regis. Give it back!”

Regis bared his fangs. “You don’t think I tried? After dragging your sorry ass out of the black platform—you’re welcome, by the way—I tried going back inside your body and giving it back to you but I didn’t even know how!”

My brows furrowed as I reached out my hand toward Regis. “Come here.”

With a sigh, my companion relented.

As soon as his form entered my body, though, I felt the change. It started with a pressure building inside my ears, as if I was sinking deep underwater. Then a growing pain began building in my temples as the knowledge of the rune in my mind and the actual rune now held within Regis connected. I recalled everything that I had learned as the warm touch of the rune spread from my lower back.

Destruction. That was what the rune that had been engraved on my back meant. Destruction, however, wasn’t something tangible, so the aether residing within me had shaped it into something I was familiar with: something destructive like fire.

Was it the result of my aether core being formed from the fragments of my white stage mana core?

It could’ve been. I didn’t know.

Through this very formation of power, however, I questioned whether aether had some level of sentience. It had given me knowledge of what destruction meant, and how it tied with vivum. Lady Myre had explained it as the influence over living components but that was wrong, that was only a part of it.

Vivum was more akin to the influence over…existence. And just as life was a part of existence, so was death, creation, and destruction.

I had barely touched the surface of destruction but even then, I had managed to gain more insight than Lady Myre knew—or at least what she had told me.

But perhaps even more shocking than that, was the revelation of what this rune signified. The fact that I had invoked this rune meant that I had a certain degree of mastery over what the rune meant. It was a rare projection of mastery over a specific edict of aether.

This made me question the differences in my newly-bestowed rune, and the runes that once encompassed my body through Sylvia’s dragon will…as well as the very runes that both Lady Myre and Sylvia possessed.

One difference was clear: The Indrath clan, as well as all of the asuras, thought that the only way to obtain these runes was through the rare chance of inheriting it since birth.

Were the specific edicts of aether they could learn limited by the runes that they possessed since being born? Were they given the knowledge and abilities that came along with each rune right away or was each rune ‘dormant’ until they could make the breakthrough themselves?

It seemed unlikely that they’d get the knowledge since birth, given how painful just obtaining one rune was—it was likely that even an asura infant would die from the mental burden of dozens of runes instilling their brain with knowledge.

Hundreds of questions ran through my head along with my newfound knowledge of aether from my rune. There would be no way to get all the answers anytime soon, but the acquisition of this rune and the parallel I had drawn with the runes I had witnessed in the past made me sure of two things: one, I needed to make more breakthroughs in aether arts to obtain more runes; two, Argona most likely gained insight from these runes in order to create his own version to bestow onto his people. That was what the marks, crests, emblems, and regalias that the Alacryans possessed were—simplified mana-adaptations of aetheric runes.

“Agrona,” I said aloud, a boiling fury building up inside me. My hands ignited in the cool violet flames of destruction, encompassing even the dagger still in my left hand as my eyes scanned for anything to let loose this rage on.

I needed to kill something. I wanted to kill something, just like Agrona had done to so many of my people. If it wasn’t for him, the war would’ve never happened and Adam wouldn’t have died. My father wouldn’t have died.

With the last trace of sanity left in me, I plunged the dagger in my hand deep into my thigh.

I dropped to a knee as the piercing pain spread, clearing my head. Regis was still inside me but I was able to withdraw his power.

It was worse this time. It wasn’t merely a voice whispering words into my mind anymore. I could feel the emotions, the cravings for chaos and destruction, fusing into my brain and making these murderous intentions mine.

Was it Regis? Was it the aetheric rune of destruction itself? Or was it me?

“You okay, Princess?” Regis asked. He had left my body, his expression more transparent and somewhat boorish in this canine form.

I got up. I was still in a daze and there were a thousand things on my mind, but I knew, regardless of intention, that if Regis hadn’t absorbed the aetheric rune from me…

“Yeah, I’m okay now,” I said with a pang of guilt. “And I’m sorry for accusing you of stealing it. You were right. If you hadn’t, I would’ve died.”

“It’s okay. I know you feel pretty cruddy since you’ve been so hell-bent on getting stronger.” Regis’ ears drooped. “And if it makes you feel better, my body is stronger now but I can’t use those purple flames like you used to kill that golem.”

I nodded, suspecting that may have been the case. Lowering my gaze, I stared at my hands, wondering what had gone wrong. I had gained insights into vivum, but I only had half of the whole piece, with Regis carrying the other half.

He didn’t have the insights to use the power of destruction as well as I could and I didn’t have the rune to use it myself. And if I did continue using the rune held by Regis, I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d go mad.

It was frustrating. Unlike the growth in my mana core and my ability to manipulate the elements, my growth in wielding aether wasn’t as linear and discernable. Obtaining this new powerful ability was the first step in bridging the gap between me and the asuras, but I was only given a taste before it was taken away from me.

But at least now I knew. If I could form a rune for a branch of destruction, then I could form one for other branches. I could only hope that the aether would mold and shape themselves to best suit me in the future.

Letting the wound on my leg close, I dusted myself off before shooting Regis a slight smile. “Come on. Let’s see just how useful this new form of yours is.”

Regis’s ears perked up and his tail started wagging excitedly as he shot me a toothy grin. “Try to keep up!”

Time continued to pass by unabated as Regis and I ascended higher through the glowing platforms. The expanse of purple shone overhead, ever-steady, making it impossible to track how many hours had passed.

There were a few patterns we had noticed as we ventured higher through this almost game-like expanse.

The color of platforms remained the same: white, red, orange, blue, then black. Regis and I referred to this sequence of platforms as a single ‘set.’ This order never deviated and each color corresponded to a specific ‘challenge.’

As far as we could deduce, the white platform was the only safe platform. The red platforms were meant to be some sort of test for either your mental or physical fortitude. Apart from the first red platform that siphoned our aether, the latter ones imbued all sorts of interesting curses onto the people standing on the platform. From insatiable hunger that could drive humans to eat one another, to lust, depression, and so on.

The orange platforms were rather straight-forward as well. Each one conjured up enemies that Regis and I needed to kill in order to move on. The numbers and types of beasts varied and grew a bit stronger with each ascending set, but the rate at which Regis and I grew surpassed the rising difficulty of the stages.

The blue platforms were by far the most time-consuming. Each one was a puzzle of some sort, some with deadly traps and others meant to keep you for days to die of thirst and starvation. With my body needing very little sustenance apart from aether, this didn’t really apply to us, but it was a large waste of time, regardless.

While the blue platforms took the most time, the black platforms were the most deadly and challenging. There was only one beast to fight, but on a level far higher than the ones seen on the orange platforms.

I had come out of each battle with wounds that would’ve crippled or killed a normal person, only to have them heal without a trace. My clothes were littered with tears and holes but the black leather bracers and gorget along with my teal cloak managed to stay intact. I had also expected the white dagger I had obtained from the millipede lair to be broken down by now, but it held strong without a single chip or crack to blemish its pristine white blade.

Despite what awaited us on each platform, our ascent through the platforms had gotten easier—no, that was wrong; each platform proved to be more challenging than the prior. We had just gotten stronger.

While I wasn’t able to unravel another aspect of aether to obtain a rune, the rate at which my aether passages grew had increased. It most likely had to do with the knowledge that had been instilled and remained in my mind when I had gotten the first rune, even after Regis’ body had absorbed it.

I was able to coalesce all of my aether into either of my hands and about eighty percent of my aether into my legs. Minute control over aether felt impossible for now, like I was trying to mold air into a sculpture, but it was something I desperately needed to advance.

It was imperative to have precise control over aether to enhance my speed. I had grown somewhat confident in my resilience and power but without the aid of both mana and elemental magic, my speed had deteriorated even with the aid of aether and my stronger body.

The biggest change, however, was Regis. My black mutt—which he hated to be called—was no longer the cannon fodder he used to be. While he wasn’t yet able to use the violet flames of aether, his speed, strength, and razor-sharp teeth and claws made him a torrent of destruction nonetheless. The only downside to this change was that he was now much more corporeal than he used to be—which meant he was susceptible to injury.

His body didn’t bleed, but since his entire body was made of aether, getting too hurt meant that he needed to be given more aether…my aether, and a lot of it.

“After we get out of here, remind me to whip you into shape,” I huffed, resting on the giant head of the three-headed serpent I had just finished off on the seventh black platform. “My little sister can fight better than you.”

‘Bite me,’ Regis snapped, his discontent ringing in my head. ‘I’m still getting used to this form. It’s my first time having actual limbs you know.’

“Well, at this point you’re more of a liability to my aether pool than you are an asset in battle,” I remarked with a smirk.

Regis opted for silence, all out of excuses and witty comebacks.

He knew that as well. It was too dangerous to use Gauntlet Form, now enhanced by the violet flames of destruction, because of its escalating effects on my psyche, and the beasts that appeared on these platforms were too strong for him to properly adjust his newfound powers and form to.

The sight of the shadowy rails trapping us within the black platform stirred me out of my thoughts. The three-headed serpent began to dissolve back into the ground as well, the same as usual.

I expected to see the customary set of stairs leading to the next platform, but instead of a platform, what awaited me at the top of the translucent stairs was a portal.

Looking at the shimmering gate of iridescent light felt like falling upon an oasis in an endless desert.

‘Is that…’

“I think it is…” I rushed up the stairs with reckless abandon, wanting nothing more than to escape this hellish purple void.

I thought anything we would have to face on the other side would be better than being here. However, what awaited us made me question those very thoughts.

It wasn’t the ominous crimson sky that shone overhead that made me anxious. It wasn’t the hordes of various beasts advancing toward us. It was the dozen or so humans fighting against them… and the three Alacryans in particular that I had come across in the very first room of this dungeon.

Chapter 265: First Ascent

There were so many thoughts racing through my mind. So many questions I wanted to ask as my eyes took in the sight.

What was going on? Am I still in the dungeon? If so, why were there so many mages gathered here?

My eyes were drawn to what I first thought was a red sun. Looking carefully though, the ‘sun’ seemed to be sitting on top of a towering column quite a distance away.

A monstrous screech pulled my gaze back to the scene just ahead.

With the vast field of uneven dirt being trampled by hundreds of monsters and the blood-red sky matching the pools of blood and fire strewn across the battlefield, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was what hell would be like.

During my journey through this dungeon, I had faced skeletal chimeras, giant aetheric millipedes, deadly shrews and shadowy beasts of all shapes and sizes. However, none of them could quite compare to the sheer grotesqueness that were these monsters.

Each one of these bipedal creatures had sickly white skin and an oversized head resting between narrow shoulders that could only be described as a ghoulish infant. Their clawed hands and large mouths were dyed in red and sharp fang-like spikes protruded out of their gangly bodies.

From the hundreds of monster corpses littering the field and the Alacryans coated in a layer of sweat, grime and blood, it was easy to infer that they had been in battle for quite a while.

‘Why can’t we ever be fighting against a half-naked succubus or a seductive demoness of some kind? Why are they always so damned gross?’ Regis lamented.

“Hey! Are you waiting for our permission or something? Help us out!” a large female warrior clad in plated armor a few yards ahead barked, unleashing a surge of blue fire from her golden halberd straight at a group of demonic babies.

Chittering screams resounded from the monsters as the fire washed over them, but they were immediately replaced by another wave.

‘What do we do?’ Regis asked.

Stay hidden inside me for now, I replied. It seemed like the Alacryans and I had a common enemy for now, but revealing anything more than I had to would be foolish at this point.

Careful to keep the aether flowing within my body, I unsheathed my white dagger and dashed forward.

The baby-headed demons were fast, relentless, and their skin was tough, but with aether pumping through my limbs in powerful bursts, I tore through them, wave after wave.

Despite the remaining thirteen of us fighting a common enemy, it was obvious that teamwork only existed within isolated groups of preexisting teammates. Save for the trio that I had met before, there was one other trio while the rest fought in pairs, trying to stay alive rather than trying to help out the rest.

Streams of blue fire lit the red sky from the same warrior that had shouted at me, but that wasn’t the only magic that filled the battlefield. I could see giant earthen spikes erupt from the ground, bullets of water shimmering as they pierced through the monsters, and crescents of wind that bisected everything in its path.

They were spells I was all too familiar with, but each one was at a level that could rival a veteran silver-core mage at the least. But even with all of these powerful mages mowing down the demonic infants, their numbers only seemed to increase.

‘Where are they all coming from?’ Regis wondered.

I wish I knew, I sent back as I pried my dagger out of the bulging black eye of a demonic infant.

“H-Help!” a pained cry rang from a few yards away. I turned to see five monsters pouncing on a warrior. He desperately scrambled on his back, using his shield to keep the monsters at bay.

His left leg was broken and the monsters seemed to know that, more and more of them gathering to finish off their prey.

My eyes locked with the warrior’s.

“You! S-Save me—please!” he shouted, panicking.

I instinctively stepped forward to help the struggling mage as he frantically lobbed a blast of fire that only helped in attracting more monsters.

But then, as the warrior was flipped by a pair of monsters, I saw the black runes between the mesh gap of his armor.

Anger flared within me as memories of the war came back; If it wasn’t for these Alacryans, my father, Adam, and so many others wouldn’t have died.

My eyes narrowed as any remaining shred of mercy I had dissipated. I turned away, ignoring his screams of pain and anger before he succumbed to his bloody end.

I continued my rampage unabated, like a deadly storm leaving behind only corpses. The aether within each monster was scarce, but enough for me to discreetly absorb and sustain myself. Despite the situation I was in, surrounded by both monsters and Alacryans, I blurred everything except for the enemies within my range.

It was as if I was fighting alone against the army of beasts approaching the Wall all over again. Except, this time, I didn’t have elemental magic to help me.

It didn’t matter though. At this point, my physical prowess had long since exceeded my previous state, despite my abated speed. The few injuries I did receive regenerated long before I even had a chance to worry about them.

The monsters must’ve finally realized that the newcomer wasn’t the weakest because they began slowly avoiding me. The thought of running away crossed my mind. I had no allies here—only the Alacryans that I had been fighting against for so long. Who knew what these people would try to do once given the chance.

However, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the three Alacryans I had run into when I first woke up in this dungeon. The three had gotten separated far from the rest of the Alacryans and were surrounded by over a hundred monsters.

Drawn to them, I continued to study the trio as I chased down stray demons.

Taegen, the crimson-haired mace wielder, fought more like a beast than a warrior—smashing, punching, kicking and throwing the beasts despite the injuries he had sustained from the extended battle.  The short brown-haired swordsman was more dignified, handling his mana-clad longsword with deft slices and stabs while a layer of sweat coated his face and neck.

The woman that Taegen had referred to as Lady Caera was positioned in between the two warriors who were obviously protecting her. She wielded a thin curved sword that was longer than she was tall with a blade the same color as her ruby eyes. As she sliced through monster after monster, I realized that her movements reminded me of…me. They were sharp, efficient, and deadly without losing an inch of grace.

Even without her two protectors, she was able to hold her own against the waves of beasts that continued to assault them. A shimmering white aura surrounded her entire body as her movements blurred, drawing arcs with the blood of her enemies.

However, it wasn’t hard to see that they were barely holding on. They were clearly running out of mana, their bodies fatigued and injured.

‘Despite the sight for sore eyes that is my fairlady Caera, I think it’d be a good idea to leave right about now,’ Regis commented.

Yeah, I agreed, my eyes still glued to the three of them.

As I was about to turn away, however, I caught a glimpse of Caera just as she made a fatal mistake. She misstepped, tripping over a corpse, giving the wave of monsters a chance to pile on top of her like starving animals.

“No!” Taegen roared as he tried to make his way towards the girl, pushing and throwing aside the horde of monsters practically climbing on top of him.

The other guy was in no better shape, doing his best to keep the monsters on his side from joining the ones trying to devour the girl.

‘Uh, Arthur? What the hell are you doing?’

I ignored my companion, willing aether through my legs and dashing as fast as my body would let me. My dagger blurred around me, cutting down all the monsters that stood in my way until I finally drew close to Caera.

Her words as I played dead in the Sanctuary echoed in my head.

‘Have some pity on her, Taegen.’

She had said that to me at my weakest point. If she hadn’t—if she had heeded Taegen’s prudent warning—I wouldn’t be here now.

Afraid that I’d be too late, I took a risk that I normally wouldn’t. Siphoning aether throughout my body, I released my aetheric intent.

As the translucent aura surged around me, making the very air grow heavy, the demonic monsters reacted. Their pale spiney bodies stiffened from the sudden pressure while some of the weaker ones even fell unconscious.

Clearing off the monsters that had piled on top of Caera, I found her lying on the ground, bleeding and unconscious.

Without thinking, I bent down, leaning my ear over her face to try and hear her breathing.

‘Wow. She’s even prettier up close,’ Regis said with a whistle.

Regis’ voice brought me back to reality and I jerked away.

They were my enemies. They were the ones responsible for killing so many of my people. So why was I helping them?

Why was I relieved that this girl was still alive?

“Step away from her,” said a growling voice from behind.

I stood up calmly, dusting off my pants. “Tell her when she wakes up that we’re even now.”

“Even? Who do you think—”

I turned around to face the girl’s two protectors, looking at each of them with a cold gaze.

“You’re the girl that we saw half-dead in one of the Sanctuaries,” the brown-haired swordsman said with mild surprise.

The mace-wielder beside him, however, didn’t act nearly as calmly as his companion. He rushed forward with explosive speed and his lightning-clad mace blurred straight at my face.

Stepping forward, I dipped just below the path of his weapon, and struck below his ribs, right at his liver with all of my aether concentrated on my fist.

My counterattack didn’t connect, though. In that split second, he had managed to bring his other hand up to block my strike.

Still, the force of my attack sent the crimson-haired warrior skidding back. His expression turned to that of surprise as he looked down at the hand that had become a bloody mess from blocking my attack.

“I’m a guy,” I corrected, shaking my throbbing hand. Even with all of my aether strengthening and protecting my hand, it felt like I had punched a wall of diamond.

The guy lifted his mace once more, rage building on his face, but his sword-wielding companion held up an arm.

“My apologies for his crude behavior…and thank you for saving her,” the swordsman said. As he lowered his head, I noticed his eyes linger over the teal cloak draped over my shoulders as if he was familiar with its owner.

Thankfully, at that moment, the sky suddenly changed. The once blood-stained sky cleared to show a beautiful expanse of blue, but something was missing.

It was the giant red orb that I had mistaken for a sun. It was gone, and so was the pillar holding it up.

“Finally!” a voice whooped from afar.

I couldn’t quite grasp what was going on, but the hundreds of corpses that had littered the desolate ground were gone along with the red sky.

The swordsman let out a sigh as he sheathed his longsword. “It looks like this wave has finally come to an end.”

“This wave?” I asked. “Does that mean there’s more?”

Going down on one knee, he handed the girl’s sword to the mace wielder before gently picking her up. “Until we can get close enough to destroy the power source, these waves will continue.”

“Power source?”

“That giant red moon that you saw in the sky,” he explained.

“Apologies for the questions, but this is the last one,” I said, surveying the mages setting up camp. “Why are there so many Ala—people here?”

This time, the swordsman looked at me with a curious expression. “Why? Have you never come across a convergence zone on any of your ascents?”

My mind spun as I tried to make heads or tails out of his question before answering vaguely. “This is my first ascent.”

The swordsman’s eyes narrowed as he studied me. “Even if it is your first, thorough research is always done unless you’re seeking death. And with your strength, it seems more plausible that you’ve had formal schooling. Where are you from?”

‘Say you’re from the outskirts of Vechor!’ Regis sent.

“I’m from the outskirts of Vechor,” I said quickly.

“Then a talent such as yourself would’ve been reported to the capital. Unless coming back alive from your first ascent is your rite of passage,” he said as if thinking aloud rather than directly talking to me. “Regardless. I must tend to Lady Caera before the next wave begins. I will relay your message to her.”

The swordsman walked away with the crimson-haired warrior following close behind. A soft white aura enveloped his hand, stopping the bleeding.

After a few steps, I watched the brown-haired warrior holding the girl stop before looking back over his shoulder. “It’ll be about twelve hours before the next wave comes. It’d be best for you to rest a bit before moving forward with the rest of us.”

I frowned. “Together?”

“You can go off on your own to see if you fair better, but the fact that the red moon still comes up means that the ones that have tried up until now have died, since destroying that is the only way out.”

I blankly watched as the swordsman walked off before focusing on what to do next.

Hey. How did you know the name of a city in Alacrya? I asked Regis as I studied the other Alacryans.

‘Not a city, but a dominion, which is another word for kingdom. And it’s because of Uto’s will. I don’t know everything he did, but I do know some basic knowledge.’

And you never thought to tell me this?

‘The knowledge I have hasn’t been very applicable while fighting beasts,’ Regis quipped.

Despite the flaring annoyance at my companion, I let it go. If it wasn’t for him, the swordsman would’ve been a lot more suspicious than he already had been.

I had managed to catch the mace-wielder by surprise, but I had a feeling that the next time, it’d be a lot harder for me.

I let out a sigh, rubbing my temples. Now wasn’t the time to care about that. There was something even more important I had learned.

Through the short and rather tense conversation I had with the swordsman, it seemed that our suspicions were correct.

I was no longer anywhere near Dicathen.

The dungeon I had wound up in happened to be somewhere in the very continent I had been at war with.

Chapter 266: On Guard

Surveying the battlefield, I watched to see what the rest of the Alacryans would do

My gaze landed on a black-haired man in thin leather armor aside from the greaves and bracers that seemed to be made out of a copper-colored metal as he knelt beside the corpse of the warrior that I had let die.

I had expected some sort of mock burial or at least a blanket covered over his body, but instead, the black haired warrior began rummaging through his stuff, looting every remaining piece of equipment that hadn’t been devoured or ripped up by those demonic monsters.

Even though I had been the one to let him die, I was repulsed by his people’s behavior.

Shaking my head, I walked away, wanting some distance between me and the Alacryans.

There were no hills, rocks, or any sort of natural formations in these extensive plains so I just found a spot far enough for me to keep an eye on the Alacryans. I sat on the hard, uneven ground, anxiously twiddling a dried weed that tenaciously clung to the ground.

My eyes wandered around the six separate camps that had already been set up since my short walk.

Collapsible tents had been assembled and fires had already been lit. Raw meats that had been stored in thick containers drawn from whatever dimensional storages they had were being grilled over their individual fires, filling the air with the sweet and smoky aroma of meat mingled with heavy spices.

Since coming down here, I was able to survive by absorbing aether, focused solely on surviving and growing stronger, but it was at this moment that I was reminded of the wonders of food.

‘Never thought I’d see a picnic down he—wait, are you drooling?’ Regis scoffed.

“Wha—no!” I exclaimed, wiping my chin while ignoring Regis’ cackling.

It was only when a few of the Alacryans looked at me that I realized I had just spoken aloud.

Clearing my throat, I closed my eyes and began cycling aether throughout my body. I didn’t need to eat and barely needed any sleep so I might as well get some training done. Without the aid of aetheric materials like crystals or monster corpses made of aether, I couldn’t utilize the three-step stage for training my aether passages that I had devised so I opted for just subtle channeling of aether throughout specific parts of my body to slowly carve out more aether passages.

‘Someone’s coming,’ Regis alerted. With his form currently within me, he was able to see through my body and into the outside world like, ‘a slightly tinted glass container,’ as he put it. While it was a bit disturbing to think about at first, I had long since grown used to it and it was a bit comforting knowing that I had another pair of eyes capable of seeing behind me, even though most times—like now—I didn’t need it.

I turned toward the sound of the obviously unmasked footsteps that were drawing closer.

Just a few yards away was a girl with light brown hair that sat just above her shoulders. Her thin petite frame was covered by a black mage’s robe that was purposely untied, displaying clothes that were revealing enough that it beckoned more than one admiring gaze to roam over her body.

Aside from her provocative attire, in each of her hands was a plate of flame grilled meat and vegetables still steaming.

“I come in peace,” she said, holding up her plates.

‘I like her already, Arthur,’ Regis remarked with a sigh.

Holding in the urge to roll my eyes, I remained silent, keeping my guard up.

“I know there are all those horror stories of backstabbing in convergence zone but I just wanted to express my gratitude,” she continued, shooting me a shy smile. “If it wasn’t for you killing so many carallians, I’m not sure if my team and I would’ve made it through.”

I frowned, mentally linking the term carallians to those infant-headed demonic fiends. “I appreciate the gesture but it’s not necessary.”

“I insist.” The girl bent down to put the plates on the ground, before tucking her fallen bangs back behind her ear while she locked eyes with me. “And my name is Daria Lendhert, by the way. If you’re looking for a team, we have an extra simulet and strong strikers are always welcome…especially ones that are handsome.”

‘Oh man… the inner Uto in me is having some very naughty thoughts,’ Regis muttered.

Do you know what a simulet is? I asked.

‘The inner Uto is too busy thinking of other things to care what a simulet is.’

Get your mind out of the gutter, I snapped.

Regis let out a sigh, blaming me for taking his attention away from Daria. ‘I think it’s an artifact of some kind used by lessers. That’s all I can muster up from Uto’s knowledge bank. I don’t think he particularly cared for what small things like these were.’

How frustrating. It wasn’t like I could ask without arousing suspicion, and I wasn’t close enough to any of these Alacryans to have these things come up naturally in conversation.

My eyes lingered on her frame as she ambled back to her camp, trying to remember what sort of spells she had casted, what sort of abilities she had. Her robe covered whatever mark, crest or emblems she most likely had tracing her spine.

If only I was still able to see mana.

The aromatic wisps exuding from the freshly grilled food must’ve reached my nostrils because I found myself staring at the two plates of food, one filled with cuts of grilled meat and the other topped with vegetables and spuds.

My salivating mouth won the fight against my dignity as I walked over to where Daria had left the plates on the ground.

Screw it. It’s not like I can get poisoned or anything, I thought as I stabbed the fork she had so kindly left into a cut of blackened meat still dripping with juices before shoving it into my mouth.

Every bite contained pockets of flavor that burst in my mouth and slid down my throat. It took every ounce of self control to keep myself from picking the rest of the meat by hand and scarfing it down.

I took another bite alongside some greens, letting the mixture of flavors and textures mingle and harmonize before reluctantly swallowing it down.

My mind must’ve blanked out soon after because by the time I came to, nearly all of the meat and half of the greens were gone.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy,’ Regis commented. ‘It’s kinda scary…”

Embarrassed, I let out a cough before slowly eating the rest.

The next person to come up to me was the warrior who had looted the dead shield-wielder. He shot me a somber smile as he walked up to me.

Despite the cautious glare that I had given him as he approached, he sat down a few feet away and asked, “So how many teammates did you lose?”

“None,” I replied curtly. “I came here alone.”

The man’s jaw visibly slackened. “You’re a solo ascender?”

I remained silent.

“My name is Trider, by the way,” the man said, leaning toward me and extending a hand. “And I guess I’m a quasi-solo ascender now too, since my teammate died.”

I didn’t take it and Trider eventually took back his hand with an uncomfortable chuckle. “I guess ascending solo makes you a bit cautious but that’s okay. Anyway, I came here to see if you’d like a partner for the rest of this ascent. I’m not sure how far you’re trying to go but I plan on getting out in the next crossroad so if you want to—”

“I refuse,” I cut in.

“What? Oh, are you worried about splitting accolades? If that’s the case, I think it’d be fair to separate and individually keep accolades from beasts we kill ourselves and split an even fifty-fifty for beasts we have to kill together.”

“No thank you,” I answered without missing a beat.

“That’s an honorable arrangement,” Trider said with a tinge of frustration in his voice.

Annoyed by his insistence, I lashed back with a cold tone. “The word ‘honorable’ has no meaning to a man who plunders his own teammate’s body for equipment.”

Trider flinched back, eyes wide in surprise and confusion. “You’re…joking, right? Taking valuable equipment back home to the ascender’s blood is what Warren would’ve wanted.”

Suddenly, it felt like I had been the one to make the mistake. I tried to recover from my last words by shifting the conversation slightly. “That’s not what I meant. It just didn’t look right to leave his body out in the open to decay or be eaten by those carallians.”

“Oh, you must be from Sehz-Clar.” Trider chuckled. “No offense but notions like that are why people from your domains are called the soft souths. Everywhere else, leaving soldiers in the place of their death is an honor, especially within the Relictombs.”

‘My master is such a racist,’ Regis teased, feigning disgust.

However, his joke was a cold splash to my face. I wanted to argue back that I didn’t know, but it only seemed to prove the point that racism truly was fueled by ignorance as much as it was by rage or indignance.

“I moved to Vechor because of that as well,” I lied, trying to make sure my story stayed straight with what I told the swordsman. “But I guess my teachings from Sehz-Clar still linger.”

Trider rambled on. “Really? How were you able to—never mind, I guess an accomplished solo ascender would have no problems being accepted into Vechor. I’m from Etril so we’d be on the opposite side of the continent once we get out.”

“Seems like it,” I agreed, even though I had no clue where I would end up once I left this dung—Relictombs. After a brief pause, I spoke hesitantly. “If I can ask you a few questions as well…who are those three ascenders over there?”

Trider looked to where I was pointing. “I wanted to ask you the same thing after I saw you talking with the swordsman striker. I’m not sure who they are but if you look at the accolades they have, it’s obvious they’re not your normal ascenders. Especially that red sword the girl wields. Warren and I had joined this convergence zone only two days ago, but supposedly, those three have been here for over a week now. It’s no wonder that they’re in such bad shape.”

‘Man, this guy talks a lot,’ Regis groused.

It works in our favor though, I sent back.

“Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your training. The offer still stands, unless you’ve already accepted the offer from the Lehndert blood prodigy,” he said with a hint of disappointment. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did either, she’s a gifted caster and pretty to boot.”

After Trider walked back to his small camp I continued my training until a few hours had passed. The camps began packing up their belongings, each of them getting ready to go as if there was an agreement established beforehand. From what I could see, there was no leader in this group of thirteen excluding me.

I got up as well, wiping away the sweat on my brows with an extra shirt I carried in my bag along with Sylvie’s stone. Taegen, Caera, and the swordsman left first, with Daria’s group—the only other group of three—soon followed after. Daria gave me a knowing stare, expecting me to follow her, but when I didn’t, her thin brows furrowed and she whipped her head away.

The only other person to travel by himself was Trider. I gave him a nod of acknowledgement before trailing behind the rest who travelled in pairs behind the two groups of three that led this excursion.

Our pace was that of a constant sprint as we tried to cover as much ground without using too much mana—or in my case, aether—before the next wave came. It might’ve been possible for me to keep a nonstop pace toward the exit out of this zone but for everyone else, the few hours of rest was crucial if we were to fight another wave.

As we ran in a line formation toward where the power source had been, I could feel the stress build amongst the group.

When the sky actually turned red, the Alacryans’ tensions culminated into explosions of mana as each one of them immediately readied for a battle.

I decided to keep to myself, not joining either Trider or Daria, but Trider stuck by me when the sky shifted, maybe for protection or maybe to prove himself to me.

The red sun—supposedly the power source of this zone—stood high above us, but it was closer this time, no farther than a day or two of travel.

Strength flowed through my limbs as aether cycled within me. My eyes scanned my surroundings, expecting to see a horde of monsters coming from the distance.

That wasn’t the case.

The carallians rose from the ground like the undead rising from their graves, clawing themselves out of the cracked dense dirt with their red claws all around us. Immediately, spells went off as the ascenders began their preemptive attacks, but I couldn’t help but stare at the claws sprouting from the ground.

It wasn’t just me. The rest of the ascenders froze when the first carallian managed to fully surface. It, along with the rest of its brethren were twice the size of the previous wave of carallians—standing at about ten feet high—and had an extra pair of arms. And judging by the look on everyone’s faces, it was obvious that this wasn’t normal.

Chapter 267: Justification

I wouldn’t have thought much of the difference in size if it wasn’t for the way the ascenders reacted to it. It wasn’t just their expressions of shock, it was the way they stared at me immediately after, as if I was somehow the cause.

Whether they truly thought that this was my fault or not, I wouldn’t find out until after the battle. The steroid-infused carallians were popping out of the ground by the dozens and it didn’t seem like they’d stop and wait for us to finish a conversation first.

“Tri-layer Circle Formation!” A clear voice rang from within the chaos.

The ascenders looked at one another—myself included, mostly because I didn’t know what the hell a Tri-layered Circle Formation was. The rest, however, had hesitation and reluctance written all over their faces.

“Now!” the same voice roared. It was an ascender from Daria’s team.

His resolute voice cut through the ascenders, spurring them on to follow his command. Aside from myself and Caera’s team, the rest formed a loose three-ringed circle centered around Daria and another ascender holding a golden wand.

Any idea what a Tri-layered Circle Formation is? I asked Regis.

‘No clue.’

Going rogue like Caera, Taegen and the brown-haired swordsman spelled defiance or ignorance, neither of which were good at this point. I got into position between Trider and another melee ascender in the outermost ring, deducing that this formation was centered around keeping Caria, who I knew was a conjur—well, whatever the term was called by the Alacryans, and the lanky guy with a crooked nose, protected.

There was no signal that indicated, no words that marked the beginning of our battle. We simply fought while I controlled my strength in order to not stick out.

The carallians’ strength mirrored their enlarged stature yet their speed was unimpeded. Still, I had gone through worse and came out only stronger.

Crescents of white arched around me as my dagger flashed with deadly speed and accuracy. With aether augmenting my body, my kicks and strikes made me an impassable storm.

The Tri-layered Circle Formation constantly shifted to avoid the accumulation of carallian corpses, and it all seemed like it was going well until the first ascender was killed, opening up a hole in the outer ring.

“Garth!” shouted a lean ascender positioned in the middle ring. He wielded a quarterstaff with a dozen or so orbs of lightning floating around him.

Immediately, the two on either side of the dead ascender seamlessly filled in the gap and we continued unabated. If I hadn’t seen the different camps set up for each pair or trio of ascenders, I would’ve assumed that they were all a part of the same highly-trained unit.

My attention then shifted to the inner circle of our formation. Despite my initial bias against Daria because of her rather suggestive attire and coy attitude, it seemed her skills were top-notch. Her main arsenal seemed to consist of conjuring spears of ice from the moisture in the air as well as creating explosions of wind around her enemies.

The long-range mage beside her only used fire magic, but had a wider variety of spells under his belt, from hurling spheres of fire to waves of scorching heat capable of melting the carallians’ tough hide. Both were precise with the strength and accuracy of their skills despite being encircled by a ring of defensive ascenders focused on protecting the two of them as well as the outer ring that fought to kill as many carallians as we could.

Spotting a carallian approaching, I kicked a corpse on the ground, hitting my target with it while shoulder tossing another carallian that tried to sneak up to my right. I gripped the dagger hooked to my finger and drove its blade through the struggling carallian’s eye before absorbing the remaining aether from its corpse.

Despite the added strength, speed, limbs, and spikes that protruded out of the carallians’ bodies, they carried more aether, which made fighting them actually easier for me.

Suddenly, a pained cry drew my attention. I turned to see Trider pressing down on his side with blood seeping through between his fingers. Simultaneously, his free arm was blocking the jaws of a carallian from biting down on him.

Damn it.

Turning back, I dashed to Trider, slashing the back of the carallian’s knees and stabbing the side of its throat in whirling succession.

The gauntlet-wielder looked at me with a dazed and puzzled expression. “Why…”

“We can’t get another gap in the outer circle,” I justified. “Stay alive.”

He was an Alacryan. Why did I care whether he lived or died?

I tried reasoning with myself that it would be hard for me to get through this convergence zone without their help, but I knew that wasn’t the case.

Perhaps I thought that the more I interacted with these ascenders, the more I could learn about these dungeons, or Relictombs—as they called it—and even more about Alacrya itself. And if I really did wind up in Alacrya after getting out of here, it made sense not to draw attention in the heart of a continent I was at war with.

But the more I thought about it, the more I began to think that I was regarding Trider and the rest of them less as my enemies and more as just people that wanted to get through this ordeal; the same as me.

I berated myself. Not willing to admit that I had feelings of anything but animosity towards these Alacryans. I wanted to hate these people, no—I needed to hate them. How else was I supposed to go back to Dicathen and fight a war against them?

‘Oy, Princess. Even if you don’t necessarily need them, getting their help and working together wouldn’t hurt.

You’re wrong, I sent back as I plunged my knife just below the jaw of a carallian. You have my memories of the war, Regis. These people are the ones that killed my father and Adam. And you want me to work together with them? Help them?

‘I know, but you don’t need to force yourself to think of these people as your enemies. They’re still just—’

“Shut up!” I roared aloud. They are my enemies. And no matter how sentient you are, you’re still just a weapon. Remember that.

Regis grew silent and the anger boiling in the pit of my stomach grew.

Cursing under my breath, I discarded the facade of a warrior struggling to stay alive and picked up my pace, fixating solely on the battle at hand. I used the carallians as dummies to test out different techniques to incorporate into my evolving aether-infused fighting style.

I concentrated on the feeling of cladding myself in aether. Feeling the fundamental differences from when I had once done the same with mana.

It was difficult to describe, but it was denser, yet more pliable and soft. So much so that the concentration needed to envelop my body in aether without it leaking or spreading. Concentrating on the proportions of aether to different body parts was also far greater than it had been when I had done the same with mana.

Yet, the differences in outcomes couldn’t be ignored. The power my body received as aether siphoned through my limbs felt as if the strengthened muscles were mine and the protective layer of aether was my thickened skin. It didn’t feel borrowed like when I strengthened myself using mana.

In retrospect, my inability to use elemental magic would’ve hit me much harder if it hadn’t been for my training with Kordri. Being taught to conserve mana and fighting with minimal movements and utmost efficiency while dealing the most possible damage served me better now than it had been all throughout the war after my training.

As I continued getting lost in the battle, I brought back the memories of my time with the bald asura—all the times he had killed me in the soul realm while teaching me how to fight. His movements were fluid yet sharp and the speed at which he was able to move was chilling. Add to that his King’s Intent that could literally squeeze the air out of a silver core mage’s lungs and I could see why he was respected even amongst the asuras.

Back then, he had taught me how to fight to the utmost limits of a human, but what about now? Could I reach the levels of Kordri with my new body and aether? Could I surpass him?

My mind stayed sharp as all of these thoughts raced through my mind, not caring how much time had passed. My mind was aware yet it blocked out everything but the enemies capable of hurting me. That was how I had been fighting since waking up in this hellhole. It had been eat or be eaten, and with my mana core shattered, I fought and trained on a daily basis not to be the latter.

The words I had spat at Regis threatened to resurface but I buried them by concentrating on the sounds of the battle—the crunch and grinding of rocks as they stomped the ground, the subtle whistle of the wind as the carallian’s swung their gangly limbs.

Ducking below the snapping jaws of a carallian, I knocked it off its feet with a low sweep kick. As it scrambled to get back up, I focused on another carallian barreling toward me.

Splitting aether between my back leg and the point of my elbow, I burst forth, pushing my supporting palm up against my fist to reinforce my strike. The sharp bones that protected the carallian’s torso shattered upon impact and my elbow dug into his midsection like a spearhead.

The carallian crumpled to the ground with its spine snapped. As it convulsed on the ground, I shifted my head to the left to avoid the carallian I had tripped. Two, well-placed stabs later and both carallians were added to my pile of corpses.

My eyes scanned for the next prey, and it was only when I couldn’t find anymore that I finally noticed that the sky had turned back to blue and that the corpses strewn around me were slowly fading.

Looking around, I saw several ascenders mixed in with the fading carallian corpses. Five ascenders had apparently died in this wave, a number that didn’t mean much to me, but I’m sure the teammates of the deceased didn’t feel the same way.

Daria and Trider were two of the seven left standing. Daria was in fairly good shape aside from a few cuts on her legs and tears in her robe. Trider was cradling the residual stub of his bleeding left arm, face placid while breathing heavily. Yet, both wore expressions that I couldn’t quite make out.

Was it fear? Anger? Both? It didn’t matter. These people were just as much my enemies as the carallians were. Whatever they decided to do, at the very least, I would be able to easily escape.

Regis remained quiet while I kept my body clad in aether and my grip tight around my dagger.

Despite my distracted state, decades of fighting and honing my instincts came into play in an instant as I felt, rather than saw, someone rapidly drawing near me.

Spinning on my heels, I grabbed my surprise attacker’s wrist, pressing the tip of my blade against…her throat?

I paused my attack for a split second out of surprise, and in that split second the hand holding my white dagger was grabbed by a large hand and I found myself face to face not only with Caera—whose wrist I had in my grasp—but also Taegen, who was grabbing my hand, and the swordsman, whose humming blade was aimed at my exposed side.

Rather than wavering at the sudden turn of events, I bristled in anger. “What is this?”

“Unhand her,” Taegen ordered as his thick fingers crushed down on my hand.

“She attacked me.” I responded calmly in a level tone but the aetheric pressure I emitted affected even Caera’s protectors as their expressions grew strained.

“I thought…I was imagining things,” Caera muttered, but she wasn’t talking to me. Her quivering red eyes were fixated on the white blade a few inches away from her throat.

“But I was right…” Caera’s eyes locked onto mine, her expression harsh. “Why do you have my brother’s blade?”

Chapter 268: Trading Knowledge

Caera’s voice grew dangerously quiet as she regarded me with bloodshot eyes. “I asked you…why are you wielding my brother’s dagger.”

“Answer, Effeminate One,” Taegen insisted with a commanding voice.

I thought I heard Regis chortle in my head but it could’ve easily been one of the other ascenders around us. Either way, I was growing impatient with the situation around me. Despite the temporary reprieve I had felt from seeing other people in these desolate beast-filled ruins, it had quickly become more of a hassle than a comfort being with them.

“Would you like to test whether your blade is faster than mine, swordsman?” I challenged, turning to meet the brown-haired ascender’s eyes.

I felt Taegen trying to pry my hand away from Caera’s throat, but I kept my eyes planted on the swordsman, unflinching.

After a beat of hesitation, the swordsman dropped his sword and held up his hands. Taegen released his grip and reluctantly stepped back. Still, despite her position, Caera’s gaze never faltered as if she still expected an answer.

“I found it on one of the flo—zones I encountered before arriving here,” I answered.

Caera’s face was a motley of expressions; she somehow seemed afraid, happy, crestfallen, and hopeful all at the same time.

She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated, almost afraid at what she might hear.

My gaze flickered between Taegen and the swordsman. Their eyes told me they were still looking for an opportunity to strike, but I didn’t mind. It was obvious that both were prioritizing this Lady Caera’s safety over anything else.

Letting out a breath, I spoke. “I’ll tell you what I encountered in the zone where I found this dagger, and I’m even willing to part with it…but I want something in exchange.”

“We don’t carry money in the Relictombs and we’ve yet to find any accolades but once we leave, if you come—”

I shook my head, cutting her off. “I don’t need money or accolades. I just want some answers.”

***

The four of us walked away out of earshot of the other ascenders after I released my grip around Caera’s wrist and put the dagger back in its sheath.

“Shall we start?” I asked, calmly regarding the trio just a few feet away.

I could see Taegen’s body bristle, the striations in his muscles literally seeming to stiffen as he prepared for anything I might throw at them.

Letting out a sigh, I took a seat on the hard ground.

The swordsman’s eyes narrowed as he studied me. “You could’ve kept Lady Caera as hostage and simply forced answers from us. What keeps us from simply killing you now and taking what rightfully belongs to Highblood Denoir?”

“Arian, enough. We both have things we want from each other,” Caera said curtly.

If Alacryans referred to family as ‘blood’, then did ‘highblood’ mean that Caera was from nobility? It made sense considering that she had two highly capable guards more than willing to risk their lives for her.

“The three of you seem too noble to do something as backhanded as that unless…Lady Caera was in danger,” I said, giving them a knowing look. “Besides, I can assure you that killing me will by no means be ‘simple’.”

“We’ll answer your questions to the best of our ability,” Caera assured, lowering herself on the ground as well in a heel-sitting position. Even apart from her proper and refined swordplay, every bit of her movements and behavior spelled out the fact that she had very strict and proper training on behavior and etiquette.

I paused to think for a moment before speaking again. “I’ll ask a series of questions, some with answers that I already know and some that I genuinely want answers for—you will not know which is which. You can’t ask why I am asking the questions I ask, and if you don’t know it, simply say so.”

Taegen dropped to the ground with both his arms and legs crossed and glared at me. “Make haste, Effeminate One. We’re wasting our resting period before the next wave.”

This time, I definitely heard Regis chortle.

“How many more zones do we have to cross until we’re able to leave the Relictombs?” I asked.

“The number and difficulty varies depending on the ascender since the Relictombs adjust to the abilities of the ascenders within their respective zones,” Caera answered immediately.

“Then how are parties able to travel through zones together if everything changes depending on the individual ascender?”

“Simulets,” answered the swordsman simply.

I let out a sigh. “How do ‘simulets’ work?”

Caera took over again and answered. “If I recall correctly, a female caster offered one to you. Holding one synced with the rest of the simulets held by members of the team ensures that the gates that members cross leads to the same zone, although the difficulty is still determined by the strength of the ascenders present.”

I nodded before asking the next question. “Why do ascenders come into these Relictombs?”

Taegen shot up angrily. “Even unads know th—”

“Taegen.” Caera’s voice was sharp and it was enough to make the large muscle-clad mage promptly sit back on the ground with the rest of us.

“Only the strongest mages given the title of ‘ascender’ by your domain’s Scythe are allowed to explore the Relictombs. In turn, ascenders are able to gain treasures that would never be found on the surface, called accolades. Furthermore, if a relic of the ancient mages is found and given to your Scythe, it is said that the ascender will be taken to the mighty sovereigns themselves and be bestowed a powerful regalia,” Caera explained.

“Right, the Vritra,” I affirmed.

Caera’s eyes tightened into a sharp glare but didn’t say anything at my response.

I recalled some of my encounters with the Alacryans back in Dicathen. I couldn’t only ask these ‘basic’ questions. Thinking back to the noble Alacryan that I had questioned back in the Forest of Elshire, I asked, “How influential is…the Vale blood?”

Arian’s gaze turned inquisitive as he answered. “Blood Vale is one of the few military bloods in Etril, so compared to the other named bloods in a domain known mostly for its farms, they’re influential. But in terms of influence in Alacrya as a whole? They’re…nowhere near any of the  true highbloods.”

The sudden mention of a specific family must’ve thrown them off because they began answering my following questions more seriously.

Despite the conditions I had set for this ‘questioning,’ I was limited in what I could ask in terms of learning more about Alacrya itself. Instead, I tried to learn more about the magic system that Agrona had devised in Alacrya. These questions didn’t seem to raise any flags to the three since I had some basic knowledge from my questioning of Steffen Vale.

Interestingly enough, their ‘mark-based system’, as I so casually dubbed, was largely a mystery to the Alacryans as well. Because of the awakening process that all children went through in order to become a mage, the Alacryans thought that magic was given to them by the Vritra themselves, or ‘the sovereigns’. Thus, nonmages or ‘unads’, which seemed to be the widely-accept slang for unadorned, were widely discriminated against since they weren’t ‘blessed’ by the sovereigns.

Just like Caera was afraid of hearing what happened to her brother, I was afraid to hear the answer to this next question.

Taking a breath, I asked, “What was the last news you’ve heard about the war going on with Dicathen and…how much time has passed since then?”

“The latest news that was delivered to my estate right before we prepared for our ascent was that Scythe Cadell had managed to conquer the Dicathian’s sacred flying castle,” Caera answered with a hint of pride. “So taking into account the time flow within the Relictombs, I’d say it has been almost two weeks since then.”

Almost two weeks. It hadn’t been more than a week at most since I escaped the Castle with Sylvie, Virion and Bairon and I fought against Cadell and Nico. I had hoped for time to work differently within the Relictombs because of the abundance of aether in here, but I couldn’t help but feel relieved knowing that despite everything I had gone through, not much time had passed.

“Do you worry for a member of your blood out in the war, Effeminate One?” Taegen asked. “It is a shame that an ascender’s exemption from the war does not extend to their blood members, but know that it is an honor for them to serve.”

I was a little taken aback by Taegen’s words, but responded with a nod.

Silence lingered for a time before I eventually stood up.

“Last questions,” I said. “How far is the power source from here?”

“It’s about another day’s worth at the pace we’ve been moving, and that’s not including the time it’d take to fight another wave or two.” Arian frowned, staring up at me with an utterly serious expression. “You’re not planning on going off alone, are you?”

“I’ve wasted enough time in this zone,” I replied curtly.

“The effect your presence has in this zone speaks for your strength, Effeminate One,” Taegen said as he stood up as well. “But even if you manage to survive the next wave by yourself, it’ll be impossible for you to fight the guardian protecting the power source alone.”

I tilted my head. “You know…the more you speak, the more I realize you’re not the meathead I thought you first were.”

A vein in Taegen’s forehead literally popped out at my comment but Arian responded with a stifled laugh. “Taegen indeed gets that a lot. It doesn’t help that his temper is shorter than a husked boarling with its behind on fire.”

I watched as Taegen stomped down on his comrade while Arian casually dodged the attempts.

Turning back to Caera, I tossed her the dagger. “A deal is a deal.”

Her lips curled up into a smile for a split second as she squeezed the dagger tightly before looking at me seriously. “What about my brother?”

“I didn’t see your brother in that zone. However, there was a beast in there both large and powerful enough to eat ascenders whole, and judging by the pile of human-sized equipment left in its lair where I found that dagger and this cloak…” I let the sentence trail off, not having the heart to finish.

Her expression remained calm despite the news—almost serene—but it was easy to see the emotions she was holding back. Her trembling hands gripped her brother’s dagger with such strength that her pale fingers had grown several shades lighter.

I stared out into the distance where the power source would most likely be  once the sky turned red again. As I prepared to leave, however, a voice shouted at me from a distance.

It was Daria running toward us with most of the other ascenders behind her. Even from here, I could tell that the expression on their faces spelled out trouble.

“I knew it. You’re thinking about going off on your own,” she huffed, her thin brows furrowed together.

I responded calmly. “Is that a problem?”

“Don’t you have any sense of responsibility? Because of your presence, the carallians have been augmented to such a degree that five of us died in that last wave! That’s unprecedented in convergence zones!”

Caera stood up, storing the dagger in a dimension ring. “Even if he leaves, a part of the wave will follow after him and if he dies, the carallians will revert back to their previous form. Where exactly does the problem lie?”

“H-He should take responsibility and stay here to protect the rest of us until we get out of this zone!” Daria sputtered, her cheeks red in anger.

A few of the ascenders behind her nodded in agreement. The only one that didn’t think the same was Trider, who was just idly kicking a loose clump of dirt on the ground.

I looked back at Caera, who remained unfazed as she responded. “Don’t you mean, he should stay here and protect you?”

Daria let out a scoff before she whipped her gaze to me. “So this is why you didn’t accept my offer. I didn’t realize you were a dog of the Denoirs.”

“Careful, Miss Lendhert,” Arian said as he finally got up, patting the dust off his matte armor. “While exploiting your blood name is frowned upon in the Relictombs, everyone here should know that Lady Caera doesn’t take lightly to insults and Denoirs are rather known for settling scores.”

“Enough. I plan to reach the power source before the wave begins.” The dirt beneath my feet picked up as I cycled aether through my limbs. The expressions on the ascenders told me that they all felt the change in the air. “Anyone who can keep up is free to follow me.”

Chapter 269: More Than a Weapon

I dug my heels, the barren earth splintering from the pressure as I prepared for the long sprint.

“Wait!” a familiar honeyed voice called out from behind.

I looked back over my shoulder, locking eyes with the brown-haired caster that wanted me to join her team. “What is it?”

Daria flinched under my gaze but steeled herself and glared back at me. “Assuming that everyone here follows you, by the time we reach the power source, most of our mana will be too drained to face the guardian.”

Impatience bubbled as I counted the wasted seconds spent talking any further. “So?”

“You don’t seriously think you’re strong enough to take on the guardian by yourself after sprinting a marathon, do you?” Daria snapped, stomping toward me. “You’re going to need all of our help. Hell, even if you see all of us as dead weight, at least you’ll need to be at full strength, right?”

“Just get to your point.”

Her brows furrowed and she opened her mouth to talk back but stopped herself. “To be honest, I have no confidence in being able to get past whatever monstrosity is waiting for us after fighting against the last carallian wave.”

Daria turned around to face the rest of the ascenders listening in.

“Therefore, I have a proposition, but I’ll only do it if he accepts,” she said while pointing back at me. “I have a way that allows all of us to travel while the burden of mana usage falls solely on Orid and myself. We will get everyone there in top condition at the fastest possible speed only if our safety is prioritized.”

Immediately, a few ascenders started protesting until I finally spoke up.

“I agree.”

Judging by how many of the ascenders were willing to tail behind me, my usage of aether would be limited. And with my only weapon gone, it was safe to assume that this final stretch was going to be a drawn out battle.

Daria whipped her head around, her large eyes glimmering as she smiled. “Great!”

I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Daria had seemed like a capable mage and even if Alacryan mages weren’t very flexible with their elemental manipulation, I had hoped for something…more.

Instead, I seemed to be staring at what looked to be a large…sled…made entirely of ice. At the center was a large tarp hanging off a tentpole as a makeshift mast.

“You expect all of us to ride this?” Taegen asked, towering over the ice sled.

“I’ve condensed the ice several times so it’s sturdier than it looks. I got the overall structure shape from the oceanriders and I’ve tested it several times myself,” said Daria with a hint of pride.

Everyone waited for me to get on the sled first while Daria stood on top of the ice vehicle, expectations high as I walked toward her.

Placing my hand on the surface of the ice, I pushed down with adequate force in order to make sure it could also hold my weight.

“Are you seriously questioning the integrity of my spell right now?” fumed Daria as she threw back her mage robe, letting the luxurious cloth slide down her exposed back to reveal a series of tattoos. “I have four crests and two emblems, you jerk!”

I climbed atop the panel of ice, facing my back to her. “We’ve wasted a lot of time. Let’s move.”

One by one, the rest of the seven ascenders aside from Daria and myself began boarding the large sled until we were all squeezed together and holding onto the railings that Daria had so helpfully conjured.

I was skeptical that she would be able to get the sled moving, but with an updraft taking some of the weight off of the sled and a gust directed at the mast, the eight of us began sailing over the barren dirt plains.

Cool winds brushed past my cheeks as we began accelerating. Despite the weight of nine fully grown adults—ten, because Taegen counted as nearly two people—the oversized sled never faltered or showed signs of breaking. I couldn’t help but be impressed at Daria for continuously managing three spells in order to keep the sled moving.

She used two wind spells for movement while her feet, clad in ice, that anchored her to the sled to keep from pushing herself off, and an ice spell to keep the ice sled from melting or degrading as it slid over the dirt.

Daria’s remaining teammate, Orid, used his earth magic to steer us and smooth particularly uneven parts of the ground that could potentially damage the sled.

After about thirty minutes of travelling, the rest of the ascenders had grown confident enough in Daria that they began to relax and actually enjoy the ride.

I was sitting in the back of the sled, leaning forward against the rear railing that Daria had conjured and simply stared out mindlessly at the vast expanse of unimpressive dirt and the clear blue skies. I had long since accepted the fact that I was looking up at a sky within an ancient ruin that was supposed to be deep underground. With everything that had been going on since waking up here and becoming more acclimated toward aether as I grew stronger, I had long since accepted that the realm of what was achievable using this godly power was far beyond what mana could do.

Growing bored of the bland scenery, I turned around. Aside from Daria and Orid, who were concentrating on keeping us moving, the rest of the ascenders were doing their own things. It seemed that Caera’s group seemed to be the only group left unscathed by the last wave.

The ascender named Keir, who wielded a quarterstaff and controlled motes of electricity to defend and attack, was polishing his weapon, using a thin cloth to dig out the grime that had accumulated in the engravings of his wooden staff.

Trider had his eyes closed, leaning back against the railing with his arms folded and legs crossed while another ascender was reapplyieding bandages around his left leg.

My eyes continued to wander until they landed on Caera, who was sitting near the front left side of the sled. Arian satwas besidenext to her while Taegen had situatedwas by himself alone on the other side, most likely to keep the sled balanced.

Arian was meditating and while I wasn’t able to feel mana anymore, the pressure he gave off was enough evidence. Caera, on the other hand, was staring at the white dagger in her hand, still in its sheath. Her expression looked almost indifferent as shewhile gazeding down at the weapon, as if she was studying it.

Suddenly, a tear rolled down her cheek. She immediately wiped it with the back of her hand before suspiciously peeking around to see if anyone saw.

Her eyes locked with mine and for a split second, I saw a flash of embarrassment pass through her face as she quickly turned away.

Clearing my throat, I turned around to face the back once more, resting my arms on the cold railing. I tried to find more things to do to keep myself occupied, not willing to address the issue at hand until I finally caved.

Regis, I sent. Are you still not talking to me?

Silence hung in the air as I waited for a response. When none came even after several minutes had passed, I let out a sigh and continued to convey my thoughts, hoping that Regis was listening.

As if I was reading out of my own diary, I conveyed to Regis that, despite having more than an entire lifetime, my ability to properly express and communicate my emotions was passable on a good day. In battle, with just me and my sword, that didn’t matter. I didn’t have to communicate or convey my thoughts in a tactful manner like some sort of neatly wrapped box to the receiving party. No, my swords were weapons—tools that I could utilize and take full advantage of in order to win a battle.

However, Regis was a weapon with sentience and a bigger personality than myself. He was less a weapon and more a companion that I truly relied on for some semblance of human interaction. I tried to shove him into that cookie-cutter role that I had made for weapons, but that quickly failed as he became more and more of a friend to me…like Sylvie had been.

Regis’s timing alone had made it hard for me not to compare him to Sylvie, who had sacrificed herself so I could still be standing here now. A large part of why I wanted to get stronger was in the hopes of bringing back Sylvie from her comatose state, but every dumb conversation and meaningless quibble with Regis I had, I grew scared of even the possibility that Sylvie may feel replaced once she caomes back.

But you know what I’m afraid of the most? Even though I have the body of an asura and the ability to manipulate aether in a way that not even the Indrath Clan can, I’m afraid of growing close to you.

I paused, realizing that I had subconsciously placed my hand on the pouch carrying Sylvie’s stone.

I’ve lost a lot, Regis. Adam, my father, Sylvie, and even Dawn’s Ballad. My mother, sister, Tessia, Virion—, they’re all back in Dicathen and I have no clue how to return, or even how they’re doing back. Worst case, the Alacryans have found the bunker and they’ve all been captured…or killed. Not to be overdramatic but it feels like the closer I become to someone, the harder it is for me to protect them.

I cracked a wry smile. I’m beginning to remember more and more why I became the person who I was back in my previous life… and it’s why I needed to just think of you as a weapon, Regis. Because it’s easier for me that way, in case I lose you too.

I waited and hoped for a response that never came.

Instead, what greeted me was the shifting color of our surroundings. As if the very sky had been marred, crimson seeped and spread above us, covering the once blue expanse. The very air seemed thinner as well and the tension that blanketed over us felt almost tangible. I could tell this wave was going to be different.

“The wave is here,” Taegen said, standing up.

“We’re not going to stop so hold on!” Daria declared, casting a stronger gust of wind at the mast.

The sled sped through the dirt field as cracks began branching and splitting apart ahead. Fortunately, the obsidian structure standing even taller than castle watchtowers, stood only a few miles away, the shimmering red sphere perched at its peak.

These last few miles, however, would undoubtedly be the hardest. Carallians were already emerging by the dozens from the ground ahead.

“Shields, prepare to clear a path for us. We need to reach the tower before the guardian appears!” Arian barked.

Orid stopped focusing on the path ahead and instead, conjured slabs of earth that began rotating around us.

The ride immediately turned rocky without Orid, but we clung on to the railing while Keir summoned his orbs of electricity as well.

“Let me take over the mast,” Trider called out, hobbling toward Daria. “You’ll have to maintain the updraft steady but you’re the only caster left. Help the shields.”

After a beat of hesitation, Daria nodded, releasing the bindings of ice anchoring her to the sled.

Daria, sweating and pale, gave me a knowing glance and I nodded at her. A deal was a deal.

Trider immediately got to work, summoning bracers of wind. He pushed out with his fists aimed at the mast as soon as Daria bound his feet to the sled.

Daria, free from her most strenuous obligation, called forth bursts of wind powerful enough to knock the enlarged carallians out of the way. The ones that she missed were either pushed aside by one of the panels of compressed earth or stunned by the orbs of electricity hovering around us.

Something was wrong. There was no proof that something was wrong, but my body felt it. And judging by how anxious Taegen looked, his face in a fierce scowl and his gaze darting left and right—as if searching for something—I knew I wasn’t the only one.

The earth suddenly trembled, causing Keir to lose balance and let go of his spell.

“W-What’s going on?” he shouted, trying to scramble back to his feet.

The earth shook once more, even stronger this time, followed by a bloodcurdling roar that reverberated from the very ground beneath.

My hair stood on end and a familiar voice affirmed the very action I was about to take.

‘Get out of here, Arthur!’ Regis shouted, a wave of fear spreading from my companion onto me.

But the ground rose and I felt a rush of vertigo as the entire sled rose closer and closer toward the red sky.

Keir, who had been trying to get back to his feet, was thrown fromoff of the edge of the sled and knocked unconscious by one of the panels of earth circling around us.

His body quickly receded from view as he fell off the edge of the rising ground carrying us higher and higher.

Another beastial roar resounded, unmuffled this time and loud enough to make me dizzy, followed by a silhouette of something both large and tall enough to be able to eclipse the majority of the sky.

Then, it looked at us. The tower that had cast a massive shadow over us was, in fact, a long serpentine neck.

Resting on the top of the neck that stretched over ten stories high was the leathery head of a bat with a disproportionately large mouth and two piercing purple eyes…each larger than a carriage, and boring down directly at us.

Chapter 270: Descent

Despite the initial shock that had overcome everyone left on the sled as the colossal monster loomed over us, it didn’t take long for the ascenders to snap back to reality. However, thanks to Regis’ second warning, I was the only one able to react in time to fully dodge the wide tip of the beast’s tail. Everyone else had been too focused on its grotesque face.

Time seemed to slow as I watched the chain of events unfold after barely jumping out of the way. The beast’s leathery tail snapped down, crushing the sled like a twig. Taegen had somehow barely reacted in time to push Caera out of the way, only to get crushed alongside Trider underneath the large tail.  The shockwave of force generated by the impact scattered the rest of us who weren’t directly in its range.

‘Let’s go!’ Regis urged.

But my eyes shifted between Daria and Caera, both unconscious, and both falling off the risen earth that I largely suspected was the body of this titanic beast.

Regis. Get Daria, I sent with a pleading tone.

A surge of emotions rose only to fizzle out as my companion let out a groan. Despite the situation, a smile crept up on my face as I watched Regis leap out of my body, his shadowy wolf form bolting toward the unconscious Daria.

Meanwhile, I released the limiter that I had imposed on myself, bursting forth in a shroud of aether as my eyes took in the situation at hand.

Daria’s teammate was nowhere to be seen while a pool of blood spread from underneath the leathery tail. Arian, however, had managed to avoid being completely thrown off by hanging onto his glowing sword embedded on the side of the titan’s body, his face bloody and his free arm bent at an impossible angle.

I cleared the distance between me and the falling Caera, her face lost in a curtain of navy hair. I barely managed to grab her ankle as I hung off the cliff of the risen earth, more annoyed at myself than I was with the situation.

How many more options would I have had if I was able to use mana? I could’ve flown safely out of harm’s way, hell—I could’ve avoided this altogether.

Before I could even pull Caera and myself back up, however, I looked up to see the titan’s violet eyes glaring down at me. And swirling within his unhinged jaw was a massive sphere of silvery mana aimed straight at us.

I could feel my heart pound against my chest as I considered my options. Could I pull us up and run fast enough to dodge the attack? What would the width of the blast be? Would I be able to dodge it if I let Caera go? Or should I jump down the steep body of the beast onto solid land?

Cursing under my breath, I threw Caera over the edge of the cliff and pulled myself up just as the titan released its breath attack.

Caera stirred awake after landing on the ground, utterly confused as to why I had suddenly scooped her up and slung her over my shoulder.

“W-What is the meaning of—” Her words fell short as a bright white light bathed the surrounding area.

I looked back to see the mana blast disintegrate everything in its path as it let out a shrill hum.

“Can you run?” I asked as we passed the broken sled. I noticed that while Trider’s remains could be seen in the bloody pool where the beast’s tail had struck, I couldn’t see any sign of Taegen.

“No. My left ankle seems fractured at least,” she stated matter-of-factly.

The destructive beam of pure mana continued to chase after us as I continued sprinting on the broken surface of the raised ground resting on top of its body. “Then do something. Otherwise, I’m better off letting you go.”

I could feel Caera subconsciously tighten her grip around me at my words, but she remained silent as we neared the far end of the rocky platform.

“I don’t—” the red-eyed ascender let out a scared yelp as I loosened my grip around her, threatening to leave her.

I knew as I watched her fight in the previous waves that she was hiding something. Along with the fact that she had two very competent bodyguards eager to sacrifice themselves for her, saving her hadn’t been out of the kindness of my heart.

“Okay!” she relented, her mana-infused nails digging into my skin as she clung on for her life. “Just keep running.”

“There’s nowhere to run!” I retorted, the cliff edge drawing closer. Caera stayed silent though as I felt an ominous power building within her that I hadn’t felt before.

Trusting her, I navigated away from the approaching blast of destruction as the diminishing ground became more unstable. Reaching the far edge of the raised ground atop this monstrosity, I concentrated all my aether into my legs and back and pushed off with all my strength.

Without wind magic to redirect the air resistance, I could only grit my teeth and endure the thick wall of wind pushing back against our bodies as we sailed high through the air.

As the menacing power began to grow stronger around Caera, who was still slung over my shoulder, I looked back at the guardian that had erected from the ground right below us.

I thought that literally standing on the gigantic beast and seeing it up close would’ve prepared me for the sight, but I was wrong.

Despite all of the mana beasts I had encountered and fought over the years in Dicathen, it took me several moments to be able to begin fathoming this creature as a single entity—my brain just didn’t want to believe that there could be something this big.

The creature was about as tall as the tower holding the power source, but it looked miniscule in comparison to the overall length and girth of the beast.

From this far away, the colossal monster reminded me of an enormous dragon missing its wings. Both its long tail and neck were attached to a leathery torso that could be mistaken for a small mountain from up close. Supporting its weight were six legs, each as thick as its neck.

“Caera!” I roared as the shimmering beam still erupting from the colossal beast’s mouth rose up in its path as we began descending.

At the height we had jumped from and the speed of our descent, I had no confidence in surviving the impact from the fall let alone the beast’s breath attack steadily approaching us.

Twisting my body midair, I turned to face the monster as I began concentrating all of my aether into the palm of my right hand. I knew the beam of pure aether that I had learned in the glowing platform zone wouldn’t be enough to counter the beast’s attack but I had little choice. Caera remained completely still and silent as she hung over my shoulder.

Just as the two of us were about to be swept into the destructive tidal surge of mana and just as I was about to release my own attack, Caera wriggled around in my grasp. She hooked one arm around my neck to keep herself stable as she withdrew her curved sword from a dimension item.

I stopped my attack just in time to witness an all-too-familiar flaming black aura wrap over the crimson blade as she swung down.

Her once-red blade extended into a flaming black crescent that cut through the shining white cone of destruction, severing and creating a path just wide enough for us to fall through before the black flame whittled away. Judging by how the path of the monster’s attack continued up, I could tell that it would be hard for him to change its direction back toward us.

Caera slumped, her left arm still slung around my neck as she put away her sword.

“I won’t be able to do that again,” she said, her voice barely heard over the rush of wind.

There were so many thoughts and questions that rushed through my head as I tried to make heads or tails out of this situation, but I forced myself to put that aside for now and focus on getting out alive.

Regis, where are you? I asked.

‘I got Daria and used the guardian’s tail to get down to the ground, but I don’t think I can make it to you in time!’

The plan to use gauntlet form to mitigate some of the impact from falling wouldn’t work.

There was no other choice but to use the aetheric beam. While using it to counter the monster’s breath attack was a fool’s hope, using the force of the blast might just be enough to stunt the speed of our fall enough so that the impact wouldn’t kill us both.

Of course, using it could also mean draining all of my aether reserves and dying since Regis wasn’t close enough to get here in time…

Pushing aside the doubt clouding my mind, I focused on the aether art.

It seemed like Caera caught on that I was about to do something since she clung to me even tighter.

My aether reserves had somewhat increased since my first two attempts at the aetheric beam, but because of the repercussions it caused and being in such a dangerous zone, I had no opportunities to test the attack again.

Letting out a deep breath that got lost in the wind, I concentrated a majority of my aether into fortifying my arms, shoulders, chest and spine so that my body could withstand the burden.

I could see the rune-like marks of purple extend out from my palms and spread through my fingers.

Aiming both my palms down at the ground, shoulder-width apart, as we plummeted closer toward the ground, I waited until I was close enough.

Finally, just fifty feet above the ground, I unleashed the aetheric beam.

A deep roar resounded as the torrent of violet flames erupted from my palms and into the ground. I immediately felt my arms, shoulders and back protest but I held firm.

The platform that had first allowed me to unlock this ability had naturally forced out the aether from my body. Now that I was no longer impacted by that effect, the control I had over how much aether to put out was much greater.

My fingers forced the aetheric blast to remain focused forward rather than exploding out. Even with my body strengthened by aether, I knew that my arms had already begun to fracture and my aether reserves were depleting at a terrifying pace.

Still, I could feel us slowing down, and it was only as I began decreasing the output of aether and the noise that it caused grew quieter that I realized Caera was screaming as she held onto me like a baby koala.

“Brace yourself for impact!”I roared as I turned to face the sky, making sure that I’d be the one to land first as we crashed into the ground while cladding both of us in as much aether I could afford.

By the time I came to, I knew that I hadn’t been unconscious for that long by the clouds, dirt and dust still rising from the crater I had impacted.

My body felt like it had been ripped apart, seared back together, and then ripped apart again, no one part hurting more than the other. It took all of my mental fortitude to keep from passing out again, but at least Caera had fared better.

She was still unconscious but she had been able to use the rest of her mana to protect her body from fatal harm.

I could feel the little reserves left of my aether core already repairing my body, but I couldn’t calm down.

The ground shuddered beneath me, growing stronger with each deep thud that echoed in the distance. I had a feeling that it was the guardian approaching us.

“Arthur!” a husky voice growled from the edge of the crater. It was Regis with Daria riding on his back.

“Regis,” I gurgled before coughing out a mouthful of blood.

Daria gasped as she unmounted from Regis. “Merciful Vritra, how is he still alive?”

The two of them ran toward me and before either Regis and I could do anything, Daria had formed a glass vial from her dimension ring and held it against my mouth.

“Drink this,” Daria said as she leaned in closer and raised my head. “An emblem instiller made this. It uses the mana in your body to heal your wounds.”

“Can’t,” I managed to choke out. “Won’t…work.”

Her thin brows furrowed in confusion before a look of realization washed over her. “Oh, you can’t.”

Relieved that she understood, my eyes closed.

Regis, I need some of your aether if I’m going to be able to—

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft sensation pressing against my lips before a lukewarm liquid entered my mouth. My eyes shot open to see Daria’s mouth locked against mine, her eyes shut and cheeks red.

Without the strength to even lift my arms at this point and my attempts to twist my face away futile as she held my head in place, I was forced to swallow whatever contents were in that vial.

Daria finally pulled away, her composure losing away to her crimson face. “I-I had no choice since you didn’t have the strength to drink.”

Bursts of pain exploded with each cough that I forced out. “Y-You…the vial wouldn’t…”

“As my master is so eloquently trying to explain, it wasn’t that he couldn’t drink the elixir that you so generously mouth-fed him, but that it wouldn’t work on him,” Regis explained with an annoyingly amused expression.

Daria remained befuddled as I shot the black and purple wolf the most piercingly cold glare that I could muster. A snarky grin remained plastered on his canine maw as he dove into my body.

A cool rush of energy spread from my core and I could feel my body recovering.

‘You get a free kiss along with my recovery services. I’d say you owe me,’ Regis snickered.

Bite me, I responded sharply, but it felt good to be annoyed by him again.

With the help of Regis, I was able to recover enough to get back on my feet just as the earth shook once more.

‘Don’t you die on me, Princess,’ Regis sent, his voice weak.

Rest up, buddy, I said,  just barely managing to push myself up to my feet. Taking a glance down at Caera—whose injuries had gotten much better after Daria fed her another elixir—I reached down.

Unclasping the buckle that held the leather sheath and dagger by her waist, I strapped it on before climbing up the edge of the crater.  “Keep her safe. I have some questions I need to ask her.”

“Where are you going?” Daria asked. “You’re not thinking of actually fighting that thing, right?”

“No,” I responded.  “I’m thinking of killing it.”

Chapter 271: Back to the Basics

My vision focused on the towering figure as I approached the ensuing battle. There were two ascenders fighting against it, and from this distance, they looked more like fanged mice scurrying desperately around a giant orc. I knew without looking who the two were—Taegen and Arian were the only ones capable of staying alive and keeping the titan occupied for this long.

I rushed toward the colossal guardian, tearing divots into the barren ground as I gained speed. My hand gripped tightly around the curved handle of the white dagger; compared to the size of the monster I would be facing, this dagger couldn’t even serve as its toothpick, but having it in my hand filled me with the confidence I needed.

Expending most of my reserves on controlling the aetheric blast had almost the same benefit as going through the three stages of refining my core and aether channels—albeit with the added risk of death.

I could feel the complex, minute differences in the way the aether flowed through my body.

Using aether for the first time after forging my new core had felt like I was trying to regulate the direction and speed of the aether’s flow using a kitchen strainer. Now, however, I felt like I had a proper floodgate installed while the aqueducts leading to various points throughout my body were slowly being tunneled and constructed.

I was physically stronger and sturdier than ever before but I knew it wasn’t enough to face off against the Scythes just yet.

My entire arsenal had been taken from me and I was given a single, ethereal weapon. I finally had begun to learn how to wield it. Now, to make up for the versatility that I had lost in mana, I needed to be able to wield aether at a level far above not only the Indrath Clan, but also the ancient mages.

The first one to notice my presence was the colossal beast. Its bat-like face whipped toward me and let out a furious shriek that shook the ground.

As I coalesced aether to my legs, accelerating to meet the beast head on, I was surprised by how much more naturally the action came. Everything but the beast’s shoveled face became a blur as I clad aether around the dagger.

I leaped from the ground, spinning to gain momentum for my attack. Even the beast wasn’t prepared for the sudden increase in my speed as it tried to pull its head back up.

It wasn’t fast enough.

The dagger held in my hand, blade down, turned to a shimmering streak of white and purple as it pierced through the side of its nose. And while my weapon was barely a fraction of its size, the impact was anything but.

The sound of thunder erupted from the impact, sending shockwaves of force so strong that it was almost visible. Its head whipped to the side, staggering the beast long enough for Arian to charge up and unleash a flurry of golden crescents. Taegen, whose body was adorned in an intricate earthen armor, launched a devastating strike nearly as loud as my own using mace.

Both Arian and Taegen had focused on the legs that were carrying the brunt of the beast’s weight after my attack had hit.

The barrage of golden arcs and the ear-shattering mace strike were barely able to draw blood but they were enough to sweep the beast’s legs from right under its body.

With an enraged roar, the titan crashed on its side, shattering the ground and sending tremors that nearly fell the very tower it was trying to protect.

Both Taegen and Arian had to fall back immediately after it launched its attack—just the weight of the titan’s body alone would be enough to crush even the most powerful mages.

“Effeminate One! Is Lady Caera safe?” Taegen yelled out as soon as he and Arian retreated to a safe distance.

“She’s recovering at a safe distance with Daria!” I shouted back, my gaze fixed on the giant beast trying to get back up to its feet.

“Looks like we’re in your debt,” Arian replied, his voice quiet but oddly clear despite his distance and the noise coming from the titan.

Judging by the powerful vibrations that pulsated from his sword and those golden crescents, it seemed that his magic stemmed around specific subsets of wind and gravity affinities.

Taegen, on the other hand, surprised me even more, as his magic didn’t stop at just the earthen armor. Every step he took seemed to manipulate not only his own armor but the earth around him. Even as he swung his mace, chunks of the ground would envelop his weapon, molding around it to form a larger mace.

I didn’t waste the opportunity either, landing several more attacks at its face in order to keep it from getting back up for as long as possible.

Despite its colossal size, however, the beast was surprisingly deft. It was able to recover by pushing off the ground with its long tail. As soon as it was back up on all six of its feet, it whirled both its neck and tail like a whip, hollowing out chunks of the ground where it passed and launching shards of earth all around it in an attempt to keep us at a distance.

I weaved through the chunks of earth the size of carriages hailing down in an attempt to stay within striking range. With my aether core still in the middle of replenishing its reserves, I couldn’t risk using aether blast.

The problem was that the beast was so large that no amount of stabbing or hitting was going to do any significant damage unless I found a weak spot—if one even existed.

A loud crash resounded amidst the ensuing chaos and the beast buckled for a moment before it whipped its tail. Taegen, completely clad in stone armor that made him look more like a golem than a human, had tackled the beast.

And almost immediately, he was smacked away like a dung fly. He crashed like a meteor into the ground and was immediately buried within a thick cloud of dust and debris. It had been ingrained in me to always keep the entire battlefield within my view, storing everything happening around me in my head even if I couldn’t immediately act on it.

Reaching its front left leg where Arian had previously launched his attack, I was able to see some deep gashes on its three-story-high leg. I would have to focus on those.

I kicked off the ground and plunged my dagger, and the aether surrounding it, into a particularly deep gash that Arian had made.

Pinkish blood spilled everywhere, covering me almost entirely. A giant shadow suddenly enveloped me as the beast’s head fast approached.

Prying the dagger from its flesh, I prepared to meet it head on until a swirling sphere of mana struck the side of the beast.

Arian was several yards away, his body giving off a tremendous aura as the beast turned to face him.

The swordsman’s expression darkened as he prepared to face off against the colossal monster, when an idea came to mind.

“How much stronger of an attack can you launch?” I yelled. The beast kept its head high, keeping both of us in its field of view…as if it was trying to decide which one to kill first.

“Perhaps five times the strength, but I would need more time to prepare,” Arian answered, his voice as clear as if he was standing right beside me. “Why do you ask?”

“You’ll have to trust me on this!” I shouted back before turning my attention back to the beast.

I turned into a flurry of blades, dancing within its six giant legs as I carved gashes and dodged, then carved gashes into those gashes in an attempt to keep the colossal beast’s attention solely on me.

The earth shook with each step it took and I would have to dodge the blurring tail every once in a while as it attempted to strike me from right under it.

All my focus was spent actively limiting my output of aether, controlling it as efficiently as I could in preparation of the perfect time.

“I’m ready,” Arian said from afar, his figure no larger than a white crow from where I was.

A flash of gold suddenly filled my vision a second before a deafening explosion thundered through the air.

Arian had unleashed a giant blast of cutting force directly at the beast, enveloping its entire head in the bright golden surge of light.

I leaned forward, crossing my arms in front of me to keep from getting blown away by the attack.

It wasn’t just Caera. They were also hiding their strength while in the convergence zone.

Despite the dire situation we were in, I couldn’t help but think to myself how little of a chance Dicathen truly had in winning the war. Had Arian, Taegen and the ascenders all joined their people to fight against us, the war would’ve been over much faster.

The beast’s head whipped back on its long neck as the force from Arian’s attack. And while the beast was disgruntled and in pain, it focused its attention back on me.

I needed its attention focused elsewhere, and the beast itself mad enough to use its breath attack again, but it seemed like it was either smarter than I had given credit, or too wary of the aether that I gave off.

As I looked for an opening to deepen a wound that I had repeatedly afflicted, the beast suddenly began stamping all of its feet at the ground.

Dust rose, covering my vision of the beast’s legs and the full force of the tail that struck me from behind moments later.

The world turned white as the blinding pain spread throughout my body, and by the time I came to, I was on the ground, several dozens of yards away from the beast.

I pushed myself up, a groan escaping from my throat. My vision blurred and the world seemed to be tilting a bit, but overall, I was fine.

‘Still barely a scratch on Mr. Big-and-nasty, huh,’ Regis chimed.

“You’re awake,” I managed to say before letting out a cough. “Can you help?”

‘No. I haven’t been absorbing aether from your body like I usually do in order to heal since I knew you’d be fighting,’ Regis replied.

“Damn.”

‘There is one alternative, though,’ Regis mentioned.

My brows furrowed as I continued watching the beast fight Arian as well as Taegen, who had managed to return to the battle. “What is it?”

‘Using the Destruction Rune,’ Regis answered after a beat of hesitation. ‘Just your aether reserves should be enough.’

Anger and fear rose up in me as I answered. “No.”

For once, Regis didn’t push me. He remained quiet as I let the last aches and kinks in my body heal. I wanted to use the Destruction Rune more than anyone, but the last attempt led me to stabbing myself to keep from descending into a state of madness—and I had barely used its powers.

There was also the added problem of witnesses. Both Arian and Taegen would see, and even if Caera was able to use the corrupt flames, I’m sure a purple flame capable of destroying a nine-story-high beast would raise some questions.

As I returned to the battlefield, a low thrum sounded from the beast—more specifically, its mouth.

It was going to use its breath attack again!

Arian had retreated to a safe distance, drinking several vials of elixirs in an attempt to recover. Meanwhile, the beast focused on Taegen, whose giant stone-clad hands were scooping up giant pieces of earth, condensing and launching them at its legs where I had injured it.

Its fang-lined maw was spread even wider than before and I could feel the fluctuations in the air. Even without the ability to sense mana, I knew what would soon be coming.

I needed to get below the beast’s head, now.

Except, the only non elemental I could use was one that I had only tried with mana. Back then, my body couldn’t withstand the burden of it, but even if it could now, I wasn’t able to manipulate mana.

Taking a sharp breath, I focused internally on the state of my body as I continued sprinting toward the beast. I tried to feel every muscle in my leg, back, hip, and core move in a predetermined manner in a set order,  pushing my body to move a certain way.

I wanted to enhance every step of this process, imbuing power into each and every micromovement of muscles, tendons, and joints in order to far surpass the limits of even asuras.

I wanted to use Burst Step.

Derived from the pantheons’ use of a single explosive step, the Burst Step I had developed, merging the fundamental theory of mana manipulation along with my knowledge of the human anatomy, was going from a standstill position to an explosive dash in a single instant—almost to the point where, to the unsuspecting eye, the body would look almost pulled at high speeds by a higher force.

Albeit still linear and incomplete, I had surpassed the original technique of the pantheons with Burst Step. The real question at this moment was, could I replicate or even go beyond my initial success while using aether?

With my newly formed passages within my body, I timed the strength, location and flow of aether, at least trying to replicate the explosiveness in speed even if I had to forgo starting from a standstill position.

And, largely, it worked.

Tempering my core and forging my aether passages through all of the trials and tribulations had allowed me with a certain precision in my control. And as if the world had been pulled away from right under me, the world blurred as my eyes remained focused on my destination.

My position and timing were both ideal as a shimmering sphere of energy formed within the beast’s mouth.

I should’ve been happy. Hell, I should’ve been ecstatic. If I could do this now, with enough practice, this meant that I would be able to fully use Burst Step to my heart’s content.

But I wasn’t satisfied. I felt like I was missing something—the same feeling as a word lost on the tip of the tongue. Touching upon the basis of Burst Step, seeing the world pulled from right under me as I used this technique made me feel like I was on the cusp of something greater. Except I didn’t know what.

With no time to ponder, I coalesced the remaining aether into the center of my palm and pushed out a condensed blast of violet that clamped the beast’s lower jaw shut just as it was about to release its destructive breath attack.

For a moment, I feared that the beast would simply open back its mouth and release the blast of energy, but Taegen reacted as if he had read my mind.

A giant boulder hurtled from the sky, and only after a moment did I realize it was Taegen who had molded his entire armor into the head of his mace to form this giant earthen sphere.

With both my attack and his keeping its shoveled maw shut, the beast’s breath attack imploded within its mouth.

A muted thud resounded and the shockwave generated within the beast’s mouth from the force was strong enough to send Taegen and even Arian hurtling through the air.

I had managed to anchor myself, digging both my arms and feet into the ground in order to stay within range.

While drained and in pain, I knew that the beast was still alive by how it struggled to regain its balance despite the clouds of smoke erupting from its head. And even though I still struggled with that word on the tip of my tongue, I had to end this battle first.

I pulled out the dagger back from its sheath and drove it straight into my thigh.

‘Regis. Let’s do it,’ I said and a simple grunt of affirmation was all it took before a tsunami of knowledge, insight and—most of all—power, washed over me.

Taking the chance while both Taegen and Arian were disoriented and hopefully unconscious, I engulfed the wounded and defenseless titan in the cold, amethyst flames of destruction.

The last bits of my memories were of myself, discontent and hungry for more death, my eyes searching for the next victim. However, the waves of pain radiating from the dagger kept me sane enough to drive it in deeper, eventually causing my body to collapse.

However, despite how pathetic I felt—controlled by a power that I had unlocked—an epiphany came to me. I knew what was missing in Burst Step. That’s when darkness overtook me.

Chapter 272: Your Name

I woke up to see a domed ceiling dimly lit by a flickering orange light. That was all I was able to take in before my body so kindly reminded me why I had fallen unconscious in the first place. My body felt like it was being entirely twisted and wrung; rippling pain and objections to moving
pushed the air completely out of my lungs.

My vision spun and it took me several minutes to even realize that there were other people talking.

“—anything we can do?”

“Princess will be fine. He just needs some space.”

“Talking Wolf is right, Lady Caera. Since elixirs don’t work on Effeminate One, all we can do is wait.”

“What I don’t understand is how all of you can be so calmly accepting of the fact that we’re conversing with a wolf made of shadows and purple fire!”

“You were screaming at me to save you just fine back in the convergence zone, Miss Booty Shorts. I don’t see why you’re so baffled by it now.”

“B-Booty shorts? What are you even—”

“It was fairly obvious that Effeminate One was always cautious. It comes to no surprise that he’s been hiding some of his abilities.”

With the room stable and my wounds only disturbingly painful now, I managed to prop myself up on my elbows. “I thought I told you to stop calling me Effeminate One.”

“Ah, it seems you’re fully conscious now,” Arian replied a few feet away where he, Taegen, Daria, Caera, and Regis were situated around a simmering pot held over a fire. “You’ve had a few seizures like this before so we assumed you’d fall back to sleep again.”

“Where am I?” I asked, Regis helping me up by pushing my back with his head.

“You can relax,” Caera answered, her expression a conflicted mix of wariness and sympathy. “We’re in a sanctuary room.”

My eyes locked with hers, resurfacing the memories of the black flames she had conjured.

Swallowing the emotions I had come to associate with them—pain, loss, regret, and anger—I spoke. “So that giant beast guarding the tower…”

Arian shot me a smile. “It seems like your plan to let the beast’s breath attack explode in its mouth worked.”

“Effeminate One’s plan would’ve failed if I hadn’t assisted,” Taegen added, snorting. “Although I didn’t think it would actually work.”

So they didn’t find out. The shockwave from the beast’s breath attack must’ve been strong enough to knock Taegen and Arian unconscious while I utilized the runes of destruction that Regis stored in his body.

Since the carallians in the convergence zone disintegrated upon dying, they must’ve assumed the same thing had happened to that colossal beast.

Judging by everyone’s expressions, they seemed to have a lot of suspicions, but I was just relieved that they hadn’t witnessed my use of destruction aether.

“We all have questions for you, but I think it’s best to get your strength up.” Daria said softly as she handed me a bowl filled with steaming stew. “I heard you’re from the South, but you’ve tasted it yourself. The Lehndert blood is famous for delicious and augmenting recipes.”

“This particular member of the Lehndert blood seems to be particularly stingy, however,” Taegen muttered. “Restricting everyone to only two servings per person…”

Daria hissed at Taegen, shooting him a glare. “That’s because you started eating straight out of the pot using the ladle as a spoon!”

“We still have our own rations, Taegen,” Lady Caera said as she calmly withdrew what looked like a moist brown brick with chunks of dried fruit sprinkled in it.

“…Thank you, Lady Caera.” The towering mass of red hair and muscles actually let out a sigh before he bit down into the ration bar.

Despite the fact that my body technically didn’t need to eat, my hands automatically reached for it. I let the warmth spread from the bowl and into my palms before taking a sip.

A rich hearty broth slid down my throat, coating my mouth in its deep meaty flavor. My expression must’ve given my thoughts away because I looked up to see Daria with a smirk, Caera looking at me with intrigue, and Taegen staring longingly at the bowl in my hands.

“The power of the Linhndert cuisine triumphs again,” Daria snickered. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to have any expression aside from annoyed and deadpan.”

Regis curled up beside me, his purple flames seemingly cool to the touch. “He’s a softie once you get to know him.”

After finishing my second bowl of stew, I finally spoke again. “While your actions were unnecessary, thank you for taking care of me while I was unconscious.”

I patted Regis, who was still lying down. “Let’s go.”

“Wait, you’re just going to leave now that you had some rest and a meal?” Daria asked.

I regarded the brown-haired ascender. “Is there a reason why we should continue travelling together?”

“You’re powerful—freakishly so—and it’s obvious that you haven’t revealed all of your abilities,” Daria answered. “But there are only one or two zones left until the next exit portal comes up. Let’s work together and get back home safely. I’ve already agreed to team up with Lady Caera’s team.”

Despite not meaning to, Daria had just revealed two incredibly important facts. First, that there were multiple exits, and second, that they had already passed an exit portal—or several—before this. This meant that I must’ve landed somewhere in the middle of the Relictombs.

Standing up, I felt for all of my belongings. Noticing that the dagger was still strapped to me, I unbuckled it from my waist and handed it to Caera. “I had to borrow it for the last battle. Here.”

She accepted the dagger without a word, her expression almost impossible to make out. It was only when I turned to walk away that she spoke.

“Stop,” she said with a weight in her voice that she hadn’t used before.

I looked back over my shoulder in time to catch the dagger she threw back at me. “You’ll need these once you get out of the Relictombs.”

I glanced down at the dagger in my hand, noticing that there was a golden coin tied to the strap that wasn’t there before. The design of feathered wings spread from a wreathed shield was etched delicately onto the face of the medallion.

“Lady Caera!” Taegen started before the navy-haired ascender raised a hand.

“What makes you say that?” I asked, my gaze on Caera who was pouring a steaming liquid into her metal cup.

“It’ll be the easiest way to prove yourself without having to reveal your identity in front of all of the kingdom officials waiting for ascenders that come out of the Relictombs.” Caera took a sip before looking at me with a serious gaze. “Just say you’re a nomadic ascender contracted under the Denoir Blood.”

I hadn’t thought about the possibility of people waiting outside of the Relictombs. I forgot that this wasn’t just a dungeon that adventurers could go in and out as they pleased. One of the fundamental purposes for these Relictombs was to retrieve lost artifacts from the ancient mages so of course there would be officials making sure that was regulated.

“Then what about the dagger? I thought this was your brother’s?” I asked as I loosened the medallion tied to the dagger strap.

“It is. Which is why I expect you to return it eventually along with the medallion,” Caera replied. “The Denoir estate will be easy to find once you get to the capital domain in central Alacrya.”

“Central domain?” My brows furrowed. “I have no plans on—”

“Then do you wish for me to take back the dagger and medallion?”

I clutched the golden coin in my hand as I decided. “What makes you think I’ll return it once I’m out of the Relictombs?”

“The Denoir Debonair blood has always had a great eye for people,” she stated simply. “You know a secret of mine and I know one of yours. I won’t try to force you to come with us, but I do hope that we can meet again and share a conversation under better circumstances.”

“Wait, you’re just going to let him leave?” Daria stood up. “I still have a simulet that you can hold onto. Once we’re all out of here, Blood Lihndert can definitely provide you with anything you want. I said this before, but we really are always looking for powerful strikers.”

“And you also called him handsome,” Regis added.

Daria flushed and shot a glare at him. “Yes, I did. And usually, throwing in a few compliments and exposing some skin works.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to refuse,” I said to Daria. “As for the medallion and dagger. I’ll return them.”

I exchanged glances with Taegen and Arian. While both seemed a bit reluctant, they gave me a nod.

I made my way toward the end of the sanctuary where a closed door awaited. Opening it showed a shimmering portal that I knew would take me to a different place from the rest.

“Your name,” she said over the crackling flames.

Turning back, I could see Caera was standing up as well. “I don’t need to know what blood you’re from, but at least a name…”

It was a simple question that I found myself having a hard time answering. Despite the changes in my appearance, going with Arthur wouldn’t be smart—too many Alacryans had heard of the lance with that name during the war.

At the same time, I didn’t want the name that I would go by now as a mere moniker to stay hidden. My motive wasn’t to stay in hiding.

I needed some time under the radar while I got stronger, but this wouldn’t be the same as calling myself Note during the time I was posing as the masked adventurer.

No. I wanted my name to be a statement that no one else but my relatives and Agrona and the asuras would know of. And my goal would be, by the time Agrona hears of this name and connects it to who I actually am, that I’d be a foe powerful enough to stand up against him.

“My name is Grey,” I answered, walking through the portal.

***

Both Regis and I were on full alert once we stepped through, expecting another aether-fueled beast. I half hoped for the door to remain like it had in the first sanctuary. Last time, I had been able to unlock it with my limited knowledge of aetheric runes in order to rest and challenge the level multiple times.

However, what we were met with was dead silence and a corridor about two shoulder-widths wide, brightly lit by panels of light running down the top of the walls. I turned back to see that the portal we had come through was gone, leaving me with only one path.

“Well, this is eerie,” Regis noted, tails of black and purple flames swaying from his wolven form  as he walked beside me.

“Yeah.” My eyes darted left and right, never staying in one place as adrenaline rushed through me. It was quiet and calm, but with the white light and the immaculately smooth white walls, I couldn’t help but feel on edge.

As we walked, however, I must’ve triggered something because runes suddenly lit up on the wall on either side of me and the corridor lights suddenly turned purple.

I didn’t have much time to react after that because an indescribable force suddenly pulled us forward, putting both Regis and I in front of a massive entrance made of what looked like black crystal that was definitely not anywhere near the path we had been walking on.

Air suddenly returned to my lungs, which made me realize I had been holding my breath. On the solid gates of shimmering black were etches of indigo that, only upon closer inspection, seemed to be runes.

‘Welcome, Being of Aether and Flesh. Please enter,’ a voice suddenly spoke in my head. Having shared telepathic communications with both Sylvie and Regis, I was accustomed to voices in my head. However, this was different. It didn’t feel like someone or something was speaking. It felt like I was the one that had suddenly thought that to myself.

“Did you hear that voice too?” I asked Regis.

He tilted his head. “I heard something, but the voice was too muffled for me to make out anything.”

“Get inside me, just in case.”

As the shadowy form of my companion disappeared as he entered through my back, I looked around one more time. There was no corridor behind me now, only three white walls, one white ceiling and floor and a single solid crystalline gate that gave off a purple glow. I stepped in front of it, cautiously reaching for the door.

When the tips of my fingers grazed the surface, however, a warm and almost familiar touch enveloped me and my hand sunk through the seemingly-solid crystal.

I hesitated to walk further in but I couldn’t help but be drawn to whatever was on the other side, stepping forward once more through yet another entrance that held the unknown.

The crystalline gate clicked and whirred like millions of solid tiny moving pieces making way for me to slip through. Until, finally, my entire body had become fully immersed.

Chapter 273: Being of Aether

I had grown accustomed to expecting the unexpected. As brash and cliche as that sounded, in an unfamiliar area that didn’t abide by the conventions of either of the worlds I had lived in, it was all I could do in order to stay above the crippling anxiety lurking within me.

Yet, the scene that unfolded in front of me as the innumerous crystals of black and purple parted was oddly…familiar.

It wasn’t grandiose like the hall of elaborate statues or mind blowing like the panels of light within a cosmic void of purple.

No. It just seemed like the laboratory of a person even messier than Gideon. The room was fairly large but felt cramped with the dozen or so tables strewn throughout the room, each ‘decorated’ with an array of beakers and test tubes. Lining the walls in this hexagonal room were tall glass shelves filled with various nicknacks and containers—some empty, some not.

Only one wall remained different and that was because it had a portal. Unlike most portals that shone in an array of multicolored lights, this portal looked more like I was looking through a glass screen. Clearly shown on the other side were guards clad in plated armor of black in an otherwise empty room.

“Huh. You’d think with an entrance like that, it would lead to something…more,” Regis began before his eyes fell on the portal as well. “At least we’ll finally be out of here.”

“Wait.” My eyes scoured the lab. “The voice in my head referred to me as the ‘Being of Aether and Flesh’.”

“There has to be something more to this place than this,” I said as my eyes continued to search every corner of the room. “I’m guessing it wouldn’t have let me in here otherwise.”

“Wait.” Regis narrowed his sharp eyes. “Is that why you didn’t want to go back with the other ascenders? You expected something like this to happen?”

“Somewhat,” I said while walking through the aisles of metal tables. “There are too many variables that I can’t put my hands on, like finding Caera’s brother in the forest zone with the aetheric millipede. But what’s certain is that my presence has an influence on all of these zones, so it’s reasonable to assume that whoever built the Relictombs only wanted beings inclined toward aether to get this far.”

“Then what about all of the past cases where Alacryans were able to bring relics of the past to the Vritra?” Regis pried. “It’s been mentioned by the ascenders and I’ve even seen glimpses in my memories from Uto.”

I paused, thinking for a moment before shaking my head. “It’s hard to say for sure. My best guess is degradation, though. The Relictombs might be powerful enough to keep asuras out, but there’s nothing that can last forever, especially something as intricate as this place.”

“Anyway, this room shouldn’t be something as simple as an easy way out.” I turned toward my companion. “Do you know what these relics look like?”

“Aside from the massive amounts of aether held within, they can look like anything, from a book, to an artifact, to a bone. But I know that the simulets that Miss Booty—Daria mentioned a few times were made using the insights from a relic,” he answered before perking up. “Do you think we can find artifacts in this room before leaving?”

There was something odd about this room in that it looked like a normal lab but there were key components missing. Comparing this lab to Gideon’s, what filled his lab even more so than the beakers, molds, and contraptions were books.

Whether they were textbooks or journals for recordkeeping, there was always an abundance of bound paper. There wasn’t anything like that here.

As Regis continued to search through the lab, hoping to find some sort of clue as to where we were, I took a different approach.

But even with my enhanced vision, I couldn’t sense anything made of aether here aside from the portal.

Did I think too deeply into it? Like Regis had said, was this place simply just an easier route to get out of the Relictombs?

I almost considered leaving as Regis waited impatiently by the portal, his shadowy tail thumping the ground, when the words the voice had said echoed in my head once more.

It had referred to me as a ‘being of aether’, so maybe just trying to detect aether in this room wasn’t enough.

With nothing to lose, I unleashed an aetheric aura, bathing the room in a suffocating pressure.

“What the…” Regis stiffened, confused by my sudden action until the room started changing. As if everything that I saw, smelled and felt within this room had been an illusion, everything started fading away…including the floor.

I began to fall, and then just stopped. It felt like I had jerked awake from a falling dream as my feet suddenly found themselves firmly planted to a floor that didn’t exist a second ago.

I heard Regis let out a startled gasp, but my eyes were focused on the construct in front of me. A pedestal that stood ten-feet high with aetheric runes carved around it. Four revolving halos of glowing stones with the same intricate runes etched across its surface gyrated without ever touching one another.

Floating just above the pedestal in the center of the halos of stone was a small glistening crystal. It radiated a brilliant lavender light and, while it appeared rather valuable, the amount of the aether it emitted was miniscule. However, there was something in this room that held an unfathomable amount of aether.

Regis, although his perception toward aether wasn’t nearly as sensitive as mine, felt it too as he searched the room.

Looking around as well for the first time, I realized the deteriorated state of this room. Unlike the illusion of the lab we had fallen from, the stone rune-filled walls were cracked and chipped. There were even a few man-sized holes on the ground and in the walls with rubble still littering the floor.

What made me tense and almost fearful was the fact that this source of aether wasn’t just coming from any one spot. It was constantly moving and while I could feel it, it was the first time I couldn’t see it.

“Who’s there!” I roared, my eyes trying to follow the massive congregation of aether.

Suddenly, I could feel it rapidly approaching from the other side of the room. Unable to tell how large this invisible force was, I shrouded myself in aether and threw a blurring punch forward.

What was strange was that the strength behind my punch should’ve either gone through and hit the air, hit something and sent it flying, or injure my own hand and arm from the recoil. However, none of those things happened.

My fist had definitely hit something solid, but it felt like the force behind my attack had been completely nullified.

And manifesting in front of me, with its hand wrapped around my fist, was a humanoid figure that stood at about six feet.

“So you can sense me,” it said with an expression of pure shock.

I pulled my hand back and stepped away while Regis appeared beside me, teeth bared.

The figure was an opaque purple in color with short cropped hair of the same hue. The only parts darker were the tattoos of interlocking runes running over almost the entire surface of his body. It even ran up to his cheeks and forehead, leaving only his eyes, nose, mouth and chin bare.

The being studied me, brows furrowed and eyes glowing. “You have an aether core, yet no spellforms to protect your body.”

“Spellforms?” I asked while exchanging a confused glance with Regis.

Its eyes narrowed with intrigue. “I see. A human with the body of an asura—a dragon no less. What an unprecedented anomaly you are.”

The being looked down at Regis, who flinched from its gaze. An expression of shock resurfaced once more on its face. “You carry an edict for destruction, yet the knowledge remains in the asuran human’s mind.”

“Who are you?” I asked, aether still cycling within me, ready to attack.

“I have waited a long time, yet what was brought to me is something even I didn’t know was possible.” The being waved its arm and I found myself in an impossibly large enclosing surrounded by a dome of translucent purple. The entity, who had been right in front of me, now stood several yards away and Regis was gone.

“What did you do with Regis?” I growled, looking for my companion.

“The pup is safe. This is a trial of your skills after all.” The being stepped toward me. “I know you’ve undergone many challenges so far but I sincerely hope that you pass this final trial.”

“You’re right. Ever since being thrown into this godforsaken dungeon, it felt like all I’ve had to do is face trials.” The edge of my mouth curled into a smirk as anger leaked through my voice. “At least, unlike the other monstrosities this place whipped up, you have the sentience to at least tell me some answers.”

“And that I will,” he said as a spear of aether manifested into his hand. “Given that you prove your worth, of course.”

I had landed in this ancient dungeon after failing to protect Dicathen. The only ones I could blame were far out of reach, and the only ones I could take my anger out on were bloodthirsty monsters.

Now, standing in front of me was a being of high intelligence and strength that deemed himself the ‘final trial’.

Prove your worth, my ass.

I burst forth, brandishing the white dagger in my hand. My blade was met with the shaft of his purple spear, and once again, the force of my attack was nullified. It was a different feeling compared to the ability to alter the gravitational pull of an opponent that Cylrit, Seri’s retainer, had. There was no delay or recoil that I could work off of.

My attack just stopped.

Stepping into my opponent, I followed up with a strike to his sternum, channelling aether in quick successive bursts through my arm like I had done with Burst Step to maximize strength and speed.

Again. My attack stopped just as it hit below his ribcage.

However, I had noticed something. The runes scouring almost every inch of his body glowed slightly as he channeled aether through them.

The two of us soon fell into a flurry of attacks, with me on the offensive. Using my dagger only as an extension of my right hand, I slashed, lunged, kicked and punched with the being matching every one of my attacks with a perfect defense.

Dodging a barrage of blurring stabs from his glowing spear, I used my left palm to redirect his last strike downward to my right and used the momentum to launch a reverse roundhouse stab at his head.

Like I had expected, his runes glowed once in the area he knew I would attack. And like I had expected, the tip of my dagger simply remained suspended just above his right ear.

He swung his spear, putting a distance back between us before lunging forward at me once more. While his nullifying defense was beyond frustrating, I had to admit that his technique with the spear was astounding.

The shaft of his weapon swayed and bent as if it were made of wood, curving and springing in the air with every stab and swipe he threw at me, as if his spear had come alive.

However, my martial techniques were nothing to scoff at either and my asuran physique only supplemented my abilities. I wove, parried and redirected his attacks until we were both at a stalemate.

That’s what I wanted him to think.

I had realized that his nullifying defense mechanism wasn’t automatic. The way the being’s eyes followed the movement of my dagger to block proved it.

The entity aimed for my left collarbone as his spear rushed toward me. Rather than sidestepping out of it, I dipped my left shoulder forward and grabbed the shaft with my left hand. While pulling the entity’s spear toward me, I imbued aether into the dagger in my right hand.

Again, the runes glowed and I could already sense the accumulation of aether protecting his stomach. And that would’ve worked had that been my intention.

Rather than strike at his stomach, I brought my right leg forward and stabbed past him before hooking my right arm right below his armpit.

He never saw the shoulder throw coming as I released a pulse of aetheric intent before letting go of my dagger and slamming him into the ground.

I followed up immediately by concentrating aether into the palm of my hand in preparation for a blast. Suddenly, the entity, who had been lying on the ground right in front of me, was now over a dozen yards away.

“What the,” I muttered.

The entity calmly stood back up, his expression a bit more serious. “Very good. I must admit that I’m embarrassed that you have managed to land an attack.”

With his brows furrowed in concentration, he stabbed his spear forward. I sidestepped, expecting his spear to stretch forward and reach me—he was a user of aether, after all—but the tip of his weapon disappeared in front of him and a sharp pain exploded from my shoulder.

The spearhead had sprung out of a portal made just beside me.

Expect the unexpected, I reminded myself.

Relying on my body to recover the wound, I imbued aether into my legs once more and rushed toward the tattooed humanoid. Except, I wasn’t getting any closer to him no matter how far and fast I sprinted.

The entity stabbed forward once more into a small portal in front of him, but this time I was able to dodge his attack. There was a slight delay between the fluctuation of aether and the spear emerging from the portal.

“Your technique and physical prowess is superb but your attack earlier was merely a fluke,” he stated as he prepared to stab forward once more.

Lowering my head, I hid my grin, letting aether flow freely from my core. I could feel the ambient aether react as the aether oscillated through every inch of my body.

I welcomed both the familiar surge of warmth spreading from my lower back and the knowledge that flooded into my head.

Then, I stepped forward.

And that single, divine, step brought me behind the entity, aether crackling from my body in branches of violet lightning.

“Is this a fluke as well?” I asked as my dagger dug deep into the entity’s back.

Chapter 274: The Crystal

The dome of translucent purple shimmered out of existence and I found myself back in the hidden chamber. The entity I had just fought was nowhere to be found and I was barely able to remain standing, the mental and physical strain of my new rune gripping its cold claws around me.

Regis came bounding toward me, his expression a mixture of shock and concern. “W-What the hell happened? You got another rune!”

“Where is he?” I asked through gritted teeth, my eyes searching for any sign of the purple figure.

“He?” Regis echoed in confusion. “You were just blankly standing still a few seconds before this purple lightning started crackling around you.”

“I have never seen aether manifest in such a way before,” the familiar deep voice echoed in front of me.

I snapped my head up while Regis whirled around to see that the source of the voice wasn’t coming from that same entity…but the crystal floating atop the pedestal.

“Forgive me for the confusion. Seeing as I don’t have a physical form anymore, I took our fight into your mind,” the crystal stated, radiating a light that corresponded to the words it said.

My brows furrowed. “So that entire fight didn’t really happen?”

“The mind is a powerful tool that even asuras rarely exercise, choosing rather to hone their body and cores,” the crystal replied with a rather flippant tone. “But you seem to be different—in more than one sense.”

“Princess here is a bit of an oddball,” Regis agreed, nodding his head.

Even I had to admit that my case was anything but odd. However, I had so many questions and wanted to move forward. “So what happens now? Have I passed your ‘final trial’ or is there something more?”

“The fact that I have chosen to even speak with you means that you have passed,” the crystal answered. “That little spar was more for my curiosity and boredom, and you have done a splendid job in satiating both.”

Whether it was the Indrath Clan or the Vritra Clan, asuras and these higher entities always seemed to love satisfying their boredom without any care for those on the receiving end.

“To think that you would be able to receive a rune, and of the spatium edict no less,” the crystal continued. “Tell me. How are you able to control the flow of aether within your body with such precision? Is it the asura’s physique that aids you?”

My eyes narrowed. “I have no reason or incentive to answer.”

Regis looked back at me with a flash of panic. “Ar-Grey. What are you doing? Don’t disrespect the talking crystal.”

“No. Your master is prudent,” the crystal said to Regis before addressing me. “Grey, was it? Earlier, you indicated that you wanted answers. What is stored within this aetheric remnant is something that I believe you’ll want. All I ask is that you satiate my curiosity for a few more minutes.”

“You said that I had passed your trial. Am I not already entitled to whatever it was you’re going to give me regardless of whether or not I answer you?” I rebutted, tired of his antics.

The crystal paused, its glowing surface dimming for a few seconds before it spoke again. “Very well. I can grant you an additional small gift from my people.”

Exchanging another glance with Regis, I let out a sigh and began telling my journey after arriving here. I told the crystal about the beasts I had to fight, the trials I had to overcome, and what eventually lay ahead once I got out. I did, however, omit any of my relations to the Indrath Clan for obvious reasons.

***

“Fascinating! To think you were not only able to forge an aether core, but also forcefully temper your own internal conduits to control its output. Truly something that could only be done with the physique of an asura,” the crystal gushed, its lights pulsating excitedly.

“That’s what those runes covering your body are for, right? They’re used so you can control the flow of aether,” I confirmed.

“Correct. While our people have mastered spellform in order to draw in and manipulate aether, true mastery and the organic appearance of godrunes—such as that branch of spatium you had just received—only come through major insight.”

“So this godrune signifies that I’ve gained insight into a certain aspect of aether, right? By whom, or what?” I asked. “Is there a higher deity above the asuras that are bestowing these?”

“That information is not stored within this remnant,” the crystal answered. “But aether is all around us and can work in ways that are impossible to imagine. The path of obtaining authority over aether is different for everyone, and yours—by far—is the most different.”

“How so?” Regis asked.

“Our people were limited by our physical bodies. Most of our struggles weren’t about gaining insights, but rather figuring out ways to make our fragile bodies handle the burden of aether.”

“I may be speculating but I believe your new rune took on the appearance of lightning not because it is lightning but because that was how you conceptualized the abstract nature of that specific branch of aether,” the crystal went on.

“So the dragons of the Indrath Clan weren’t able to do what your people or I am able to do?” I asked. “They have the physique and aptitude to handle aether but not the knowledge and insights to conceptualize aether as their own, right? ”

I felt the hair on my neck stand as a heavy pressure spilled out from the crystal. “Those beasts do not deserve the title of asura for the atrocities they have committed. Their greed for our knowledge and fear that we may overtake their position as the true wielders of aether led them to kill not only our people but take prisoner many of our most powerful mages in the hopes to torture and learn.”

My eyes widened at the crystal’s sudden outburst. I didn’t know how much to believe but if what it said was all true, then the Indrath Clan wasn’t so different from Agrona and the Vritra Clan.

I wanted to argue—to say that not all of the dragons were like that. Sylvia and Lady Myre were some of the kindest beings I had met that had taught me so much. But the thought of Sylvia brought on new suspicions. Based on her last message, it seemed as if even she had come to despise her clan. Were the golden runes she had a byproduct of their findings from these ancient mages?

Biting my tongue, I nodded solemnly.

The crystal seemed to be studying me before it spoke once more. “My apologies for my outburst. It wasn’t only my knowledge that had been stored in here but my emotions as well. As you surmised, the Indrath Clan—along with the rest of the asuras that their leader had fooled into believing we were a threat bent on destroying the world—had managed to succeed in their genocide but not in their pursuit of our knowledge.”

“Because of these Relictombs that you’ve built to keep asuras away?” I asked.

“Relictombs?”

“That’s what the people that delve down here call this place,” I clarified.

“How fitting. Yes. This place is the work of hundreds of mages adept in wielding aether of different edicts, as you might’ve figured. Time, space, and life all work differently here and more of it is from the natural course of time rather than our own design,” the crystal said with a hint of pride. “While our civilization had been ransacked and burned, we had created an ecosystem separate from that of the rest of this world, one that cannot be touched by asuras.”

“I don’t understand how any of that was possible though. With hundreds of aether mages, how did you guys lose?” I asked, more confused than before. “And also, how was it possible for your people to create a place where only lesser beings were allowed when the Indrath Clan—limited as it was—still had the ability to influence aether.”

“That is not for me to tell,” the crystal said. “And we were able to do so with the efforts of many spatium mages.”

Frustration flared in the pit of my stomach and Regis sensed it as well. He lightly hit my leg with his tail.

“Fine,” I mustered. “What about the lesser beings scouring this place, looking to loot anything they can in hopes to get stronger and find pieces of knowledge that you have stored here to bring back to the asuras they serve?”

“As you’ve most likely witnessed firsthand, we have devised safeguards for those contingencies so—”

“Well those contingencies are slowly failing,” I cut in. “It may hold for some time, but like I said, an asura of the Vritra Clan is already close to gaining insights into what your people knew about aether by using lesser beings to explore these ruins for him.”

“You must gain insights into aether faster then. Compared to the asura, who is not even capable of traversing in this plane, your unique physique and understanding gives you an advantage,” the crystal answered.

“It’s not enough. Agrona has had hundreds, if not thousands of years over me!”

The crystal dimmed. “But despite all of that, this Agrona sees you as a threat, yes?”

I frowned. “Well, yes. But—”

“Then there’s hope. It means that there’s a possibility of you succeeding.”

It felt like I was talking to a rock at this point. Well, a non-sentient rock made of aether…

“My job is neither to guide you nor to reassure you. It is also not within my hands to control the outcome of Fate, merely to tip it in our favor,” the rock said, as if sensing my frustration. “And it is why you will be receiving these…”

Suddenly, the halos of stone revolving around the crystal halted and a flash of purple light enveloped me before I had the chance to react.

A slight tingle radiated from my right forearm as well as down my spine, but even that lasted only for a second. The light dimmed and the first thing I noticed was a black rune running down the inside of my forearm. “What is this?”

“That…” the crystal said, “is an extradimensional storage engraved directly into your arm. You mentioned to me about your regenerative abilities, so this rune is a bit special in that even if your arm is cut off, as long as it is regrown, this rune will stay with you.”

“So no one can steal anything stored inside there?” Regis asked, bringing my arm down with his paw so he could get a better look.

“Exactly,” the crystal replied. “This does limit the space within the rune but I’d say it would still fit about a crate’s worth of anything inorganic or dead.”

My eyes studied the complex geometric shapes that made up the rune running down my arm. “This…”

“You also told me that this asura you’re fighting against has created a civilization of mages with basic spellforms running down their backs to aid them in magic. In order for you to better assimilate, I engraved some useless runes down your back that roughly describes your aetheric spells as a rare subtype of pure mana,” the crystal explained. “I’m not sure how well they are able to read spellform but it should at least allow you to use your basic aetheric abilities without raising too much suspicion.”

“Wow. You’re totally an Alacryan now,” Regis teased, using his paw to lift up the back of my shirt.

Shooting my companion a glare, I swatted his paw away.

“Take caution. If you use an edict of aether, the godrune will shine above these faux runes,” the crystal warned.

I nodded in understanding, showing respect for the first time. “Thank you, truly. Both these gifts will help tremendously.”

“Don’t thank me just yet. The real artifact is within the extrademensional storage within your arm. It holds the insights needed to unlock another godrune.”

My eyes widened as I hastily withdrew the single item from the storage. A small cuboid stone rested in the palm of my hand, and aside from its shape and deceivingly heavy weight, it was unremarkable at best.

Still, I was excited at the prospect of unlocking another godrune without blindly trying to gain insight.

“Will this teach me how to create an aetheric weapon like you were able to do? Or maybe negate impact?” I tried guessing based on the abilities that he had used in our spar.

The crystal brightened. “No. This will be something far more worthwhile if you are able to decipher it.”

“Decipher?” Regis asked. “So that rock isn’t just going to give Grey a godrune?”

“If that were possible, I’m sure that the Indrath or Vritra Clan would’ve long since taken control over the edict of Fate,” the crystal replied. “No. This is but a mind’s compass into gaining insights, and it’s one that even I was not able to unravel while still alive.”

“Is it not possible for me to trade this artifact with another that would give me the ability I mentioned before?” I asked. “Learning to manifest a weapon or being able to negate physical attacks would be tremendously helpful in going up against the Alacryans and the Vritra.”

“These two edicts are minor branches that I believe you can gain insights to on your own,” the crystal stated. “On the other hand, that artifact holds an edict capable of aiding you in the areas of the ‘Relictombs’ you have yet to traverse, and also help you turn the tides in your upcoming battle.”

I stored the artifact back into the pocket dimension along with my bag that had Sylvie’s stone in it. “Fine, but you just said that even you weren’t able to decipher this artifact. If you could at least help me gain insight into manifesting an aether—”

Suddenly, we were back in the laboratory, the two of us standing in front of the glass-like portal.

“Did you really have to haggle with an ancient sentient aether crystal?” Regis sighed, shaking his head.

“I was able to get a few additional perks because of that, wasn’t I?” I rebutted.

With everything I had gone through since arriving in this Relictomb, I didn’t feel anywhere closer to knowing how this journey would unfold. Agrona wouldn’t stop until he succeeded in gaining insight into Fate, and it would be impossible to know whether my family, Tess, Virion—everyone else I cared about—would be safe.

Still, I had gotten stronger and received some tangible tasks I needed to accomplish.

Regis turned, regarding me with a serious gaze. “How were you able to gain insight into another edict of aether?”

“Burst Step,” I answered with a smirk. “Turns out that the technique I developed a few years back was already the first step into gaining insight into this specific edict.”

Regis tilted his head. “Pun intended?”

I frowned. “What pun?”

“Step… nevermind.” Regis let out a sigh. “So, what changed from the original Burst Step?”

While difficult to explain using words, I described the sensation that I had felt when using Burst Step against the titanic beast guarding the portal. Instead of stimulating just the parts of my body needed to take that ‘step’, I coalesced aether throughout my body. Different from when I used aether to strengthen myself, the knowledge that I had gained insight into guided me. It was almost like tuning the frequency of aether into a specific channel for a split second, allowing me to cut through space to a predetermined location.

As expected, Regis actually looked more confused than before I explained it. Without the insights I had gained at that moment, I probably would’ve had the same look as well. After gaining insights into both the edict of destruction and this specific branch of space, I could see why Indrath’s attempts at gaining insights into aether through torturing the ancient mages were fruitless.

It’s not that they didn’t explain, it’s that they couldn’t. Even this latest edict was different from when I had fully used Sylvia’s dragon will. Back when I was able to use this sort of pseudo Burst Step, that was me ‘folding’ space and taking a physical step through that fold in order to cross an impossible distance.

This, while having a similar outcome, was different. I wasn’t manipulating the space around me, but manipulating my body into this aetheric vibration capable of slipping through space at a near-instant speed.

“So it’s like Burst Step 2.0,” Regis surmised.

“It’s not true teleportation but I’d say it’s on a much higher level than Burst Step.”

Regis’ tail began to wag. “So like…Divine Step?”

I let out a sigh. “Must you give a name to everything? Don’t you think it sort of belittles the technique?”

“Only if the name sucks,” he responded. “Hmm…Asura Step?”

I raised a brow. “Our enemies, the ones we have to beat, are asuras.”

“You’re right,” he said before his eyes lit up. “Ooh! God Step.”

I thought for a moment before a smile crept up on my face. “God Step…I like it.”

“Great!” Regis suddenly jumped, disappeared into my back. ‘Are you ready for Alacrya, Princess?’

Taking a deep breath, I faced the portal, staring into the scene on the other side. I needed to take it one step at a time. Starting with this one.

“Of course.”

Chapter 275: Maerin

I stepped through the portal, not really knowing what to expect on the other side.

What didn’t even cross my mind—out of everything that had happened so far, with my experience with the Alacryans both in Dicathen as well as in the Relictombs—was seeing the two guards standing on either side of me to literally jump in surprise, letting out rather terrified screams.

Regis let out a chortle in amusement while I really didn’t know what to make of the situation.

The guard on my right, a rather plump man wearing plated armor that obviously couldn’t contain his wide girth, managed to muster up what little training he had in order to at least point his trembling spear at me. It only took his skinnier—although not by much—companion a second later to follow suit.

“W-Who goes there?” quavered the skinnier guard.

I thought for a second how I should answer when the rounder guard spoke.

“Did you—are, a-are you coming from the R-Relictombs?” he sputtered, his head shifting left and right.

‘Don’t bother answering these stooges. Just kill them,’ Regis groaned.

Ignoring the voice in my head urging me to kill, I looked at the rounder guard who flinched under my gaze and answered, “Yes.”

The thinner stooge to my left let out an audible gasp. It was becoming more and more challenging not to roll my eyes.

“E-Esteemed ascender,” the rounder stooge began, bowing as much as his potbelly would allow before raising his head. “Allow this one to guide you to Maerin Town’s chief.”

The rounder stooge gestured to me to follow after him and the thinner one trailed close behind. Pushing aside the idle thought that maybe one of them should’ve stayed behind to guard the portal, I took in the sight around me for the first time.

Contrary to the…competency and grace shown by the two guards, the hall I had arrived in was anything but magnificent. While not large—no bigger than the size of a modest house in Ashber except with higher ceilings—it had features that obviously displayed the importance of such a structure. A line of pillars towered over us on both sides, holding sconces of actual fire on each one.  Upon closer inspection, I could see intricate carvings of what was obviously a basilisk in its humanoid form being revered by genuflected men and women. Each pillar told a brief story, all leading to the same message of worship toward the basilisks that made my stomach curdle.

Discounting the rounder stooge peeking back at me every few seconds, the three of us walked through the smooth marbled floors in peace until we reached the ironbark doors. Light seeped in between and around the two doors, and I was suddenly reminded of my longing to see the sun.

The doors opened with a screech and groan until I was bathed in the rays of sunlight. A knot formed in my stomach and I found myself struggling to hold back tears that I didn’t even know I had. The warm touch of the sun enveloped me like a mother’s embrace.

“Uhh…esteemed ascend—”

“Shhh! He must be cultivating or gaining insight!”

I closed my eyes for just a moment and gathered myself before stepping through the blanket of light that spilled over me like warmed honey.

As my eyes adjusted, I was able to take in the sight around me, and it was…unimpressive.

Single-story houses of brick and mortar lined neatly and uniformly on either side of a cobblestone road about three carriages wide. Civilians could be seen doing their day-to-day tasks, from hanging laundry on a clothesline, tending to their gardens while children ran around swinging wooden swords wrapped in cloth. There was even a child drawing random scribbles on the back of his friend using coal.

My eyes continued to wander, taking in the sights until I noticed the stench reminiscent of a back alley outhouse emanating from behind us.

“Please bear with the odor until we reach the town proper, esteemed ascender,” the thinner stooge said, noticing my change in expression. “We’re still at the edge of the town so the smell from the town outskirts still seeps through past the walls.”

I turned around to see a wall over twenty feet high just behind the edifice housing the portal that we had just walked out of.

“What’s on the other side?” I asked out of simple curiosity.

“The vagrants and parasites that were either evicted from the town of Maerin for not paying their taxes or committing a crime are all congregated there. Our benevolent chief allowed them to stay in that area and even take jobs from residents within the town if the need arises,” the rounder stooge explained.“That also includes nightly jobs as well, if esteemed—ow! Sembi!”

“Stop being an idiot, Chumo! Do you think an ascender has so few options that he would resort to bedding those foul wenches?”

The two digressed into a heated argument, elbowing each other and whispering insults as if they didn’t think I would notice.

‘I wonder if this skit was something they rehearsed,’ Regis pondered, obviously amused.

It was interesting to see that, unlike the ascenders that I had met in the Relictombs, the two stooges didn’t have gaps in their armor that revealed the marks or crests lining their spines.

Perhaps flaunting the markings was something only higher-tier mages did to show their status? Lost in thought, I didn’t notice that many of the civilians we passed were staring at me. Some had the decency to pretend like they were doing something while others just blatantly stopped and gawked.

Some of the men sized me up, instinctually puffing up their chests even while their heads lowered in respect.

A group of town girls who couldn’t have been much older than my sister blushed after making eye contact before giggling amongst themselves. I also caught sight of some older women adjusting their blouses to accentuate their chests, smiling sweetly with an inviting gaze when our eyes locked.

“See, Chumo! Look at everyone just drooling over our esteemed ascender. He has the pick of the lot,” the thinner stooge named Sembi bragged.

“How far is the town chief’s office?” I asked, casting a cold glare at the both of them.

“J-Just a few blocks at the heart of the town proper!” Chumo answered while both visibly shrunk under my gaze.

Houses soon gave way to storefronts as we got closer to the heart of the town. I couldn’t help but reminisce about my time living in Ashber Town. Although it was much larger and more developed here, it had a more peaceful ambience compared to the cities of Dicathen that I had grown so used to.

However, as we continued walking, the cobblestone road suddenly branched off into four separate roads—one main, and three smaller paths that each led to a multi-leveled structure of varying sizes with plenty of land around them.

“What are these buildings for?” I asked. These three buildings were the only ones that weren’t single-storied so I assumed they carried some importance.

“Ah! These three schools are the pride of Maerin Town!” Chumo puffed. “The one to our left is where our children who have received their first mark as a shield attend, while the larger building is for casters, and the black-roofed one is for our future strikers!”

“Our instructors are all very capable, with crests themselves,” Sembi chimed in. “And the head instructor from our striker school has two crests herself and had once taught in an actual city!”

“Speaking of, you actually came at a great time, esteemed ascender,” Chumo. “Not only is a bestowment day tomorrow, but in a few days, students from our neighboring towns will gather here for our annual exhibition!”

While the ‘bestowment day’ sounded interesting, I didn’t want to waste too much time in this town. My priority would be getting a map of where we were after speaking with the town chief.

“I wonder if any of our strikers have a shot at winning the tournament,” Chumo muttered to Sembi.

“Town Chief’s kid, Draster, probably has the best shot, right? I heard he just tested into the third stage of base-tier,” Sembi replied.

“Yeah, but there’s that little monster from Cromer Town that just tested into the fourth stage of base-tier at the age of fifteen.”

“Damn it. And I heard an elder from one of Aramoor City’s academies is actually going to spectate this time to see if there are any potentials to take back as candidates.”

The two continued their gossip, completely carefree as we neared what looked like the town square. The number of people quickly inflated as not only storefronts and restaurants surrounded the smoothly-paved center of the town, but vendors pulled around their wooden carts. Some were filled with food while others carried leather goods or simple clothing.

Ignoring the passing glances of the civilians, I took in the sight of the colosseum that dwarfed the single-storied establishments around it. Just by the number of soldiers—actual, able-bodied guards that exuded some semblance of strength—guarding the large bowl-shared structure, I could guess the level of importance it carried.

Civilians pulling up in carriages and carts pulled by horses and mana beasts lined up in front of the main entrance, waiting to get inside. From the goods they carried, it seemed like they were there to prepare for this upcoming exhibition.

‘It seems like this esteemed ascender is interested in the upcoming events,’ Regis noted.

Maybe a little, I admitted. I had never gone to an exhibition or any sort of tournament in Dicathen while I was growing up there. Even though with my unfair advantages, it probably wouldn’t have been much fun, the very air in the town square as civilians prepared for these events seemed vibrant.

“—scender?”

I turned to see Sembi and Chumo waiting for me.

“It’s this way, esteemed ascender,” Sembi said, gesturing me toward a domed building with a long portico supported by columns similar in design to the ones in the edifice that housed the portal leading to the main entrance.

Once inside, I was guided to the front counter in an otherwise empty building where an obviously bored young woman was fiddling with her brown hair tied back tightly in a bun.

Chumo leaned his elbow on the front counter. “Hey, Loreni.”

“Skipping work again for a snack, Chumo?” Loreni asked, not bothering to look up. “Be careful. It’s how you and Sembi got stuck guarding the Descension Chamber. Honest to Vritra, I don’t know why the old man bothers placing guards there when there hasn’t been an ascender come out from that portal in years. If it were me—”

“Uhh, Loreni?” Sembi chimed in, nervously glancing between me and the girl who had now moved onto getting dirt from underneath her nails.

Loreni finally looked up with an annoyed gaze. “Wha—Oh!”

Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed as Loreni stood up and smoothed out her blouse. “W-Who is… this?”

“He’s an ascender,” Chumo whispered, leaning in closer.

I didn’t think the girl’s eyes could open any wider, but they did. “Oh my! My apologies for the rude behavior, esteemed ascender. W-We don’t get many ascenders here so I had no reason to assume that there’d be…oh my, I should stop talking now. Are you here to meet the town chief? Of course you are, that was a silly question. Right this way!”

Loreni guided me through a corridor, often peeking back before nervously turning away while Sembi and Chumo snickered behind me. We arrived in the town chief’s office, modestly decorated with a desk and two leather couches facing each other separated by an oval tea table.

“Chief Mason, our town’s leader, will be here shortly. Please make yourself comfortable while I get you something to drink!” Loreni exclaimed as she bowed.

After taking another long ‘peek’ at me, she dipped her head once more and practically scurried out of the room while Chumo and Sembi stood guard outside the door.

I found myself staring at the door. Hearing Loreni whisper out some profanity at the two guards through the door, I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.

‘It’s been a while since you laughed,’ Regis mused.

It’s been a while since I’d been around so many idiots, I quipped, leaning back into the couch as Regis mentally nodded in agreement.

Taking a moment to open the window behind me, I took in the gentle breeze that flowed through, carrying along the chatter and sounds from the town square. Laughter, both young and old, chimed like melodic bells that nearly lulled me to sleep.

I took it all in while my mind replayed all I had gone through. Fighting not only to live but to grow stronger from the moment I had woken up. I had lost Sylvie and was separated from my loved ones with no way of knowing how they were doing.

But in this brief moment, I was at peace as it finally dawned upon me…

I had made it out of those hellish Relictombs.

Chapter 276: The Town Chief

The brief moment of peace I had while waiting for the town chief didn’t last very long as rapid footsteps approached, growing louder until the door swung open.

I opened my eyes, a bit startled to see a bear of a man with bulging lumps of muscles for arms and a long white beard that flowed down to his wide chest.

Panic crossed his aged but energetic face as he immediately fell to his knees with a thud. “This one deserves to die for putting esteemed ascender through such inconveniences! Sembian and Chumorith are ignorant of the ways outside of this measly town and did not mean to offend esteemed ascender. Please forgive them as I am the one to blame for their lack of wisdom.”

The large elder whipped his head back. “Sembian! Chumorith! Get down on your—”

“It’s fine,” I cut in. “There is no reason for you to ask for forgiveness.”

Locking eyes with the two guards, I allowed a small smile. “Chumo and Sembi’s antics were…entertaining, especially after getting out of the Relictombs.”

I could literally see the elder’s body deflate in relief as he remained on his knees. “Thank you for your benevolence, esteemed ascender.”

“Please, get up,” I said, gesturing to the couch in front of me. “Chief Mason, right?”

“Yes!” he exclaimed.

While taking a seat, I noticed the dirt on his hands.

“Ah! My apologies for my unkempt state, I was helping out with the renovation of our coliseum. We’re a little behind for the upcoming events,” the chief explained, looking down at his hands.

“Your two guards told me about the bestowment and exhibition coming up in the next few days,” I replied.

“Yes! It’s our town’s turn to host the exhibition. If esteemed ascender wishes to attend, we can definitely set up an announcement and—”

“There’s no need. I plan to leave soon,” I interjected respectfully. “I would’ve left immediately but there was something I needed anyway.”

“Yes! I will be happy to help in any way I can.” The town chief paused and gave me an embarrassed look. “But, I do need to verify esteemed ascender’s license and belongings. It’s not that I don’t believe that you are an ascender, but as the chief in charge of overseeing this town’s Descension Chamber, I’m required to verify any ascender that exits the portal.”

I hesitated for a moment. While the fake markings I had received should pass, I didn’t have a license. Meanwhile, the town chief hurried to his desk where he retrieved what looked like an obsidian pocket watch.

Turning around, I lifted the teal cloak that I wore over my otherwise black outfit to show the elder the markings engraved over my spine.

I could hear the elder inhale sharply. “Amazing. I recognize some of it but I’ve never seen such complicated markings, esteemed ascender. Three distinct imprints and judging by the complexity of the top marking, it has to be an emblem.”

“Please, stop referring to me as ‘esteemed ascender.’” Lowering my clothes, I sat back down. “As for my license, unfortunately, I lost my dimension ring carrying all my belongings in one of the floors. But I do have this.”

I took out the white dagger, in its embroidered sheath.

“This…” The town chief’s eyes bulged as he carefully reached for the dagger as if it were a newborn. “If I’m not mistaken, this is Highblood Denoir’s insignia. Is estee—are you an ascender under their blood?”

“Yes,” I lied as I watched him inspect the dagger.

“This is more than enough verification of your status, esteemed ascender,” the town chief said, handing the weapon back to me with both hands. “It’s an honor to be in your presence.”

“I may not be here for much longer, but please keep this information to yourself.”

“Yes, of course!” The elder nodded furiously. “My inquirer shows that you have no relics on you, so you are clear in all sense!”

“Wait. So that artifact can sense relics?” I asked, leaning forward to get a closer look.

“It has a very limited range, but yes,” the town chief said with a furrowed brow. “Have you never been checked by an inquirer after your ascents?”

I cleared my throat, feigning embarrassment. “To be honest. This was my first ascent. I made a blunder and lost the simulet that was in my ring, separating me from my team, fairly early on.”

“Oh no,” the elder gasped, clearly interested. “That’s horrible. Thankfully, you came out alive.”

“Yes. I got lucky to be close to a portal in the next zone,” I said.

I explained my situation using as much Alacryan vocabulary as possible to not sound as ignorant as I actually was about the whole system, and it seemed to work. Quickly changing the subject, I leaned forward. “But anyway. I know we’re in a town called Maerin, but I’m not exactly sure where that is in Alacrya. Is there a map that you can part with so I can be on my way?”

“Maps are pretty rare around these parts but a travelling merchant came by with copied maps several weeks ago so I actually do have some,” the town chief said, going back to his desk. “Might I ask your destination?”

His innocent question left me stumped. I didn’t have a specific destination in mind aside from my obligation to return the dagger to Caera in the capital of the central domain.

“Aha! Here it is.” The town chief came back and unrolled a large parchment that spilled over the oval tea table. On it was a piece of land that oddly resembled the side-view of a horned skull with its mouth open and a large curved bump protruding from the northern end. Alacrya was segmented into five parts with a thick line separating the north, east, west, south, and center.

“How far is the journey to the central domain?” I asked.

“Well, seeing as we’re at the southern tip of the eastern domain,” he answered, pointing to a small dot on the map. “It would take around five months on foot or about sixty or so days in a carriage.”

My eyes widened as I stared at the map. “That long?”

“This is the normal way, of course,” the town chief replied. “There are teleportation gates available in the major cities. The price is hefty but if you show them your dagger, you should be able to travel for free.”

I didn’t want to show off the dagger too frequently in case I attracted unwanted attention, but it was nice to have this as a backup alternative.

Studying the map, I pointed to the city marked closest to the town we were in. “How far is Aramoor City from here then?”

“It’s just short of two weeks by carriage if conditions permit,” Chief Mason answered with a weary chuckle.

I let out a sigh. “We’re…really on the outskirts, aren’t we?”

“Aye. Truth be told, settlements with Descension Chambers that have a very low operation rate don’t get dimension gates built for fast travel.”

Piecing together what Loreni said and what the chief confirmed, this portal that I had stepped through only seemed to be able to allow ascenders to leave the Relictombs, not enter.

Leading off with that train of thought, I asked the town chief, “So does Aramoor City have an Ascension Chamber?”

“Of course!” The bear-of-a-man huffed. “Aramoor may be a small city in the outskirts of the Eastern Domain, but even we have an Ascension Chamber!”

“I see…” I muttered, taken aback. “My apologies. I rarely leave the Central Domain.”

The chief’s eyes bulged. “Oh n-no offense taken, esteemed ascender. Please don’t apologize! It is rare indeed for Highbloods of the Central Domain to travel this far out!”

With a polite smile, I went back to studying the map.

Travelling to the Central Domain right now wasn’t necessary but going into the next Relictombs was. It didn’t seem like the specific Ascension Chamber used to enter the Relictombs determined where you ended up once inside, so my first stop would be Aramoor City.

Travelling on foot was probably faster than getting a horse but it would still take over a week to get there since I didn’t know the land very well.

As I was thinking over my options, Loreni entered. “Excuse my intrusion. I’ve brought some tea and snacks.”

“Perfect timing, Loreni,” the chief said. “Our esteemed ascender’s destination seems to be to Aramoor City. Make some arrangements to prepare a horse and a guide for him.”

“Of course!” Loreni placed the tray carefully onto the table and turned to leave when she abruptly stopped. “Ah!”

Both the chief and I raised our heads.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you both,” Loreni whispered. “But perhaps the fastest and most comfortable way for esteemed ascender to get to Aramoor might be to just wait?”

The chief raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors, Chief Mason, but I just got a confirmation letter today confirming that a representative from Stormcove Academy is actually visiting Maerin to spectate and maybe even recruit one of our student mages,” Loreni explained.

“Ah!” The town chief snapped his finger in realization. “Stormcove Academy has a tempus warp!”

Just as I was about to ask Regis for some clarification on what a tempus warp was, the town chief turned to me excitedly.

“This is great news! If esteemed ascender stays until the representative from Stormcove Academy arrives, I’m sure they will be more than happy to take you back with them. This way, you can just go through the temporary gate and arrive in Aramoor City immediately.”

I nodded calmly, while internally, I was still trying to wrap my head around the idea of a school official in a small city having access to such powerful technology.

‘It’s probably not as powerful as the one that the Alacryan who invaded Xyrus Academy used in order to enter and escape with Elijah…or is it Nico now?’ Regis clarified.

It was still hard to swallow, but it made sense that Agrona’s people had access to this technology since he had been dabbling in aether since long ago. And as astonishing as it was that a mere representative of a school had access to such technology, it gave me hope.

The person from Stormcove Academy might not have a tempus warp powerful enough for   intercontinental teleportation, but someone higher might. If I could acquire one, travelling between Alacrya and Dicathen might not take as long as I had originally thought.

‘Don’t get your hopes up. If Uto’s memories are any indication, Agrona is probably the only one that has one and it’s not like he’ll just let anyone use it.’

Yeah. My life has never been that easy, I responded internally.

Standing up, I regarded both Loreni and Chief Mason. “Thank you both for your help. It seems like I’ll need to rely on your hospitality for a few more days then.”

The town chief bolted up to his feet, excitement radiating from his wrinkled face. “That’s great! There are a few homes left vacant for important visitors! They’re most likely shabby cottages compared to esteemed ascender’s estate in the Central Domain but please feel free to use one!”

“I’ll be in your care then,” I said with a faint smile. “And my name is Grey.”

“Ascender Grey of Blood Denoir,” the town chief muttered as both he and Loreni bowed before me. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

After handing me the map, the town chief had Loreni escort me to the villa that I would be staying in for the next few days.

Unsurprisingly, Chumo and Sembi had remained next to the doors, keeping guard. When the two tried to follow along to protect us, Loreni shot them down with a glare as she whispered, “Protect who? Esteemed ascender’s left pinky toe is enough to beat you two.”

Leaving the two withering guards to console each other, the two of us left the administration building.

“You keep staring at me,” I mentioned, making Loreni stiffen.

“A-Ah I, uh…my apologies, esteemed ascender,” she stammered.

“I know I’m an ascender but do I look that different from the people you usually see?”

Loreni lowered her gaze. “It’s actually my first time seeing an ascender in person. And a man as…pretty as you.”

Regis let out a chortle.

“You didn’t mistake me for a woman, right?” I asked, still conscious of my new appearance for some reason.

She blushed, eyes wide. “Oh no! Not at all. It’s just that your eyes are so golden and features so sharp that it’s…very different from the boorish men that hunt mana beasts for a living.”

The mention of my eye colors put a knot in my chest that I quickly swallowed. Loreni must’ve noticed my change in expression though.

“I hope you weren’t offended by any of our behavior, Ascender Grey. Our town chief is probably the only one that has come across an ascender before, and while I had been taught the proper etiquette of talking to an ascender, Chumo and Sembi have not.”

“Based on how you all behave around me, it seems like ascenders tend to be pretty vain,” I noted, ignoring the gazes of everyone around us.

“O-Oh no, I mean…our town is a very remote and insignificant part of the Eastern Domain, much less all of Alacrya. It’s understandable that we don’t amount to much in the eyes of the great ascenders,” she explained with a wary chuckle.

‘Elite mages being asses to the less-inclined? Not very hard to believe,’ Regis chimed in.

We walked in relative silence throughout most of the short walk to the villa that was on a gated path just off the edge of town proper. The dirt road led up to a seclusion in a ring of trees where three single-story houses faced each other, each with a grass lot divided by a tall white fence.

“This will be where you’ll stay for the next six days until the exhibition ends. The town chief will notify the representative from Stormcove Academy of your presence and request them to take you along when they take the tempus warp back to Aramoor City,” Loreni informed as she opened the fence leading to the rear house on the left. “There will be a guard stationed at the gate to the path leading up here and an attendant will be sent your way to help you with anything you need.”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile.

“Of course,” she replied while handing me the keys. “Were there any questions you had for me before I leave you to rest?”

“Just one.” I turned, looking past the high brick walls that surrounded the town. I could see several hills filled with trees. Based on the map, past those hills was the southeastern coast of Alacrya. “You mentioned mages hunting mana beasts for a living earlier. Is anyone allowed to hunt here?”

“Yes! This area is known for the high population of rocavids indegenous to this part of the country. Their hides are very popular to make leather and their hooves are often used to make tools,” she answered as if reading out of a manual. “Why do you ask?”

I rubbed my neck. “I lost most of my belongings during my last ascent so I need some money.”

Loreni’s eyes widened, “The town chief can provide you with gold, esteemed ascender! There’s no need for you to work!”

“It’s okay,” I chuckled. “I also want to stretch my limbs from time to time.”

“Ah, as expected of an ascender. There are more powerful mana beasts the more north you travel into the woods, but please take caution. Much of this area hasn’t been explored yet.”

I nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Now if you’ll excuse me, I should wash up and get some rest.”

Stepping into the villa, while modest and decorated minimally, it was clean. From an integrated water system to even plumbing that I hadn’t expected in such a remote place, it had everything I needed to rest somewhat comfortably.

“Finally, some fresh air,” Regis said as he leaped out of me and cat-stretched. He trotted around the one bedroom villa, sniffing the gray leather couch and looking through the metal container inside the kitchen.

“I know you look like a dog, but is it necessary for you to act like one?” I teased, taking off my clothes.

“Wolf,” Regis corrected. “And no. For some reason, with my transformation, my nose is the most sensitive to aether, which is basically food for me.”

“Good to know.” I stepped into the shower, pumping the lever until cold water began pouring down the dispenser.

After washing myself and my clothes, I picked out a pair of tan trousers and one of the few shirts that didn’t have a gaping hole down the back. It was also the first time I had gotten the chance to look at myself clearly for the first time. The metal sheet that served as a mirror showed a man that looked to be in his early twenties, thin yet toned with broad shoulders. Aside from the rune running down my back and on the underside of my right forearm, I didn’t have a scar or blemish on my athletic body.

The face that stared back at me in the mirror was one I still wasn’t used to seeing. I still had traces of Arthur in me minus the small scars that I had accumulated through the years. My eyes were still large, but seemed colder and the auburn head of hair that I had grown used to were now stripped of color. My wheat colored hair seemed almost gray and it fell just above my shoulder in locks still dripping water.

With where I was now, it was actually great that I had a new appearance—that way I didn’t have to worry about someone recognizing me as the Lance that killed thousands if not more of their people.  But what I worried over was how everyone I knew would take it. How would my mother and sister treat me when they saw me like this? How would Tess?

“Still not used to it?” Regis asked, walking up to me.

I put on the black shirt and walked away, combing my hair back with my hands. “No.”

“You’re still you, Princess,” he tried to comfort, following me as I sunk down on the couch facing the window overlooking the fenced yard.

“I know that.” I let out a sigh. “I just hope that everyone else does too.”

Anxious and impatient to progress in whatever way I could, I withdrew the relic out of the extradimensional storage rune.

The ancient mage had said this wasn’t an edict or an artifact of any sort but more of a guide that would help me unlock a specific edict of aether.

“He could’ve at least told me what branch it was,” I muttered, studying the surface of the stone cube.

Clearly seeing nothing significant on the surface of the stone, I imbued aether into it.

As soon as my aether touched the cube, a foreign aetheric substance from the cube reached back out to me, filling my vision with a blanket of glowing purple.

Chapter 277: One Step Forward

As my vision was flooded in a sea of purple, I could feel my aether core slowly draining. As my senses entered the stone cube, I attempted to look deeper inside. It felt like the further in I ‘traveled’, the more difficult it became. As I wafted through this space, the mud-like viscosity soon thickened and hardened until eventually it felt like I was pushing against a brick wall.

Even while I was disconnected from my body, I could feel my breath coming up short and ragged, as if I was breathing through a wet cloth. Straining to push through this wall stopping me from venturing forth, I pumped more aether out of my core until finally I was able to shift through the wall.

To describe the experience of my mind touching the surface of the cuboid relic into words would be undermining the sheer complexity of it all.

Geometric shapes in seemingly random patterns and movements floated around me. I couldn’t see an end to how far these polyhedrons went but for some reason, I knew that there was a boundary within this chaos.

As more aether flowed out from my core and into this realm within the relic, the polyhedrons began to change. I was no longer just observing but actually affecting these geometric shapes as if my aether was resonating with these things.

I found myself lost in a trance as I tried to make heads or tails out of the patterns, movements, shapes, and sizes of all of these polyhedrons that made up this realm within the relic. Using the aether within me as the metaphorical limbs, I combined, sorted, and categorized these polyhedrons in an effort to understand what this convoluted guidebook was trying to tell me.

Finally, when my aether reserves fell to around a tenth of its capacity, I was pulled out of the realm. As my consciousness returned, I found myself seated in the same position I had been on the couch. The only thing that had changed was that the room—once brightly lit by the afternoon sun—was now almost completely dark.

“You’re finally done?” Regis asked, lifting his head while curled up beside me.

I stared at the crescent sun. “How long have I been out?”

“About five or six hours. I lost count after falling asleep.”

“You need sleep?” I asked.

Regis let out a wide yawn before answering. “It’s like a battery-saver mode. I consume less aether when I’m asleep so I can accumulate more ambient aether.”

“What a peculiar dog you are.”

“Shove it,” he groused before hopping off the couch. “So did you learn anything from the cube?”

“I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be learning.” I let out a sigh. “And the worst part is that I use up aether trying to study this piece of rock.”

“Damn, and I thought learning this reality-bending ability was going to be easy,” Regis said sarcastically as he walked away.

I kicked him below the tail, getting a sharp yelp out of my companion.

“Never thought I’d miss the days when I was incorporeal,” he grumbled before turning to me. “So what’s the plan now?”

I paused, thinking for a moment. “We have a few days to kill anyway so we might as well learn a bit more about the locals. The bestowment event is something I’d want to check out along with the schools tomorrow.”

Regis looked at me silently with a slightly stunned expression.

I frowned. “What is it?”

“Nothing. It’s just that, I thought you’d be scratching off your skin trying to find some way to get to the next Relictombs or something,” he muttered.

“I have been pretty on-edge lately, haven’t I?” I scratched my cheek.

Regis shrugged, his mane of purple fire fluttering. “It’s understandable. I don’t have a family aside from you but I’d be pretty nervous if I didn’t know what was going on with the ones I cared about.”

I stood silent, taken aback by Regis’ nonchalant mention of me as his family. It never occurred to me that he didn’t have anyone else except me. Even in this canine form of his, did I still see Regis as a weapon?

Regis narrowed his eyes. “What. Why are you staring at me like that?”

“I-It’s nothing.” I got up from my seat and headed toward the door.

“Where are we going?” he asked, trotting along behind me.

“Didn’t you hear what Loreni said earlier? There are a ton of mana beasts just outside of town.” I shot my companion a smirk. “I haven’t had the chance to really practice the limits of God Step.”

“We get to stretch our legs a bit and earn some money.” Regis mirrored my smirk. “Sounds good.”

***

I breathed in the crisp night air, our feet crunching against the foliage as the two of us rushed through the woods. We wanted to get further away from the town in case someone spotted us using aether, but that didn’t mean we didn’t kill a few rocavids on the way. These massive deer-like mana beasts had antlers not only on their heads, but down their spine and thick tails that they used as deadly clubs.

Deadly for normal mages, anyway. The mana beast couldn’t even react as I sunk my dagger between their eyes, since their hides were what was what we would need to sell.

Regis had a harder time keeping his kills clean, but between the two of us, it took less than an hour to hunt down half a dozen of the rocavids roaming around the dead of night. The only reason we stopped was because we ran out of space in the extradimensional rune.

“I thought the talking crystal said you can’t put organic things into the rune on your arm,” Regis commented as we neared a small clearing that led to the base of the hill.

“It seems like I can only put it in once they’re dead,” I answered, my eyes spotting a large boulder in the center of the clearing.

Stopping in front of the boulder that stood at least a foot over me, the words, ‘Danger. High-level mana beasts ahead’ were carved with ominous splashes of dried blood on its surface.

We crossed over to the other side of the clearing, where the ground began to gradually slope up as we trekked up the hill. While my vision had been enhanced by my new physique, being unable to sense mana now made finding mana beasts a much more challenging task.

While I was able to augment my senses using this new source of magic, I’d been unable to find a way to utilize aether to sense non-aetheric beings and objects.

However, not having any sort of mana signature coming from me or Regis meant that the stronger and more predatory wildlife here saw us as an easy meal.

The first mana beast that came after us was one I hadn’t seen before in Dicathen. It reminded me of my sister’s bond, Boo, if he had four arms and a crocodile-like jaw with three rows of serrated teeth.

“Keep watch in case of any passerbys,” I ordered Regis while I faced the beast.

With a gruesome snarl, the bear got down on all six of its limbs and charged at me with surprising speed. Putting away my dagger, I faced it head on.

While my aether reserves hadn’t been fully restored, tonight’s goal was merely to test out my new godrune. I didn’t know what tier this mana beast would be classified under but it would serve as a good guinea pig.

Aether surged out of my core, clinging to my skin. As the familiar warmth of the rune spread from my lower back, I focused on the location I would try to land.

The experience of initiating the aether art this time felt completely different from when I had first used it. My perception of the world around me changed, as if everything had been stretched in all directions. Particles of ambient aether now conjoined and looked like intertwining streams of purple coursing in the air, creating fluid pathways that interconnected and branched off.

Taking a ‘step’, I felt my body being carried by a jet stream as I rode the currents of aether. The problem was that there was no direct ‘route’ to the location I had determined—I had to ride these currents of aether that branched off to every inch of space that surrounded me. These streams didn’t extend infinitely though. The streams surrounded me in a ten yard radius, which was probably my current range of God Step.

Despite my limits, the result was astounding. Although my landing location wasn’t as accurate as I would’ve liked it to be, I had traveled ten yards in the blink of an eye.

The biggest difference between God Step and Burst Step, however, was the control of momentum. Since I was no longer bound by the inertia upon reaching my destination, it really felt like I was on the cusp of reaching true teleportation.

Tendrils of violet lightning coiled around me from using God Step as I appeared just beside the charging bear-like mana beast. It skidded to a stop but by the time it turned around, my aether-clad fist had already sunken into its side.

The beast’s giant body tumbled on the ground, crashing and breaking several trees in its path.

‘Are you setting off explosives or something?’ Regis voiced his complaints.

Sorry. I held back.

Due to its thick, mana-coated fur, the bear still lived but it scuttled away, letting out low whimpers.

I continued scouring through the woods, training God Step while hunting down mana beasts until the rocavid corpses within my ring had all been replaced.

Regis hunted as well, which allowed me to see what level he was at. Aside from the distance that we could be apart and his increasing capacity to hold aether, Regis’ growth in terms of strength wasn’t at a level where he could keep up with me. He needed to consume more aether, but the problem was, so did I.

Apart from collecting the relics, both in the Relictombs and out here in Alacrya, I needed to get my aether reserves large enough to awaken Sylvie from her comatose state.

“You okay?” Regis asked as we neared the base of the hill. “You’re rubbing your left arm again.”

“I’m fine,” I said, sticking my hands in my pockets.

Getting closer to town, Regis retreated back into my body and I found myself enjoying the quiet night, right up until I neared the site of a rocavid corpse I had left behind to make space in my extradimensional rune.

There was a figure, whose small frame indicated they couldn’t be older than ten, ripping apart the rocavid.

Hearing me approach, the child’s head shot up, looking around frantically until our eyes locked. The small boy leapt to his feet, pointing the jagged knife that he had been using to skin the rocavid. His sunken cheeks and tattered clothes spoke volumes of his status but it was his eyes that made me pause. His eyes were filled with desperation and fear as he stood between me and the rocavid corpse, but at the same time, I could see the determination within them.

His gaze reminded me of… me. Not as Arthur, but as Grey. It was the same gaze that I had when I first met Headmaster Wilbeck when she first found me on the streets.

“Boy,” I called out, eliciting a startled step back from the little kid. “Do you plan on using that knife on me?”

The kid slowly lowered his knife, wavering, before he lifted it back up and stepped toward me. “Th-This rocavid is mine.”

I tilted my head. “Did you kill it?”

He paused, lowering his head. “No…”

I stepped toward him. “Then why is it yours?”

“I f-found it first. I hid and waited but there wasn’t anybody to claim it,” the boy spoke, his tenor voice haggard but strong.

“What do you plan on doing with it?”

The boy held his ground as I continued to walk toward him, holding his trembling knife aloft. “My family needs it. If I can sell the hide, we can eat.”

I let out a scoff. “Wouldn’t it be simpler to just eat the rocavid’s meat?”

His shoulders slumped. “I…can’t carry it.”

I walked toward the boy without responding, startling him. Instead of backing away, however, he charged toward me with one hand over the other gripping the knife that was pointed at me.

Tripping his feet while slapping the knife out of his hands in one quick motion, the boy fell face first on the ground. Shaken but still determined to fight for the rocavid corpse, he jumped back up to his feet and lunged toward me with bare hands.

I side stepped and tripped him once more before picking up the corpse by its back legs. “Where’s your house?”

The boy got up, confused by my question.

I tilted my head. “Didn’t you want this corpse?”

“Yes!” he quickly sputtered. He whirled around and began to lead the way before stopping. Turning toward me, he gave me a fearful gaze. “Y-You’re not going to hurt my family, right?”

Staring at the boy, I let out a sigh. “What’s your name, boy?”

“Belmun,” he said warily.

“I’ll leave this close enough to your house where you can have your family come and help you take it after I leave,” I replied. “Does that sound okay?”

Belmun nodded before scurrying off. I smelled Belmun’s house before I could see it—the area that Chumo and Sembi had told me about. Shacks made from splintered wood and other discarded material lined the fenced ‘zone’ on the outskirts of the town. Torches were sparsely lit, leaving most of the homes shrouded in darkness.

“You can just leave that here,” Belmun said.

“Yeah,” I muttered, my gaze still taking in the sight in front of me.

To my surprise, Belmun bowed, his tattered clothes showing his exposed ribs. He gave me a toothy grin that finally made him look like a child. “Thank you, Sir.”

I arrived back at my residence, my mind unable to forget what I had seen. Even in Dicathen, the few slaves that I had seen before they had become banned were in better shape than Belmun.

“Didn’t think you were such an altruist,” Regis said, curling up on the leather couch. “Especially considering your hate for Alacryans.”

“I’m not an altruist,” I retorted, taking a seat as well. “He just reminded me of someone.”

Regis just shrugged before going back into his battery-saver mode. Although he didn’t need to breathe, the purple fire-like mane around his nape started pulsating rhythmically and I could see the aether particles slowly being absorbed by him.

As the peaceful silence lingered in the air, I checked what I had. I wasn’t a king anymore, nor was I a lance. The only things I had were my clothes, Caera’s knife, Sylvie’s stone, the relic cube, and corpses of some mana beasts.

Still, despite my limited belongings, the thing that weighed the most on my mind was the little kid. This was the society that Agrona had created. A society where—even more so than Dicathen and even my previous world—without strength, you were tossed aside as trash.

It’s not my place to intervene, I reminded myself. I have bigger things to worry about.

With sleep eluding me, I began meditating, refining the ambient aether into my core with a bitter taste in my mouth. From the bestowment tomorrow, to the exhibition and even beyond that, I was curious but also afraid to see what this continent would have in store for me. This continent ruled by deities that only saw these people as weapons and tools.

Chapter 278: The Day of Bestowment

A soft knock on the front door snapped my eyes open. Spending the entire night refining my aether core had increased not only the amount of aether I could store but the speed at which the aether travelled through my newly-forged passages as well. The improvement was miniscule compared to my time in the Relictombs, but any amount of progress felt better than sitting by idly.

“Ascender Grey,” a soft voice called out through the door.

After getting up and having Regis withdraw back into my body, I opened the wooden entrance to see a girl that looked like Loreni, except a few years younger and with longer hair, waiting timidly.

For a moment she simply stared at me as I waited for her to speak, her mouth slightly ajar.

“Yes?” I finally asked.

“Ah!” She shook her head. “My apologies, Ascender Grey. My name is Mayla and I’ve been instructed by my sist—Loreni to assist esteemed ascender during your stay in Maerin.”

So they are sisters, I mused before replying. “You came at a good time, Mayla. I was actually wondering when the bestowment would be happening today.”

“It’s not until later this afternoon so Ascender Grey has some time to rest and get ready if you wish to attend,” she answered, keeping her gaze downcast.

“It’s actually getting a little stuffy in here so I’d like to take a stroll. Would you mind accompanying me?”

“Of course!” Mayla exclaimed.

“Ah, before that, though. I have a cart filled with mana beast corpses. Can you get a few men to bring it down to whichever shop I could sell them to?”

“Right away!” Mayla gave me a quick bow before scurrying back to town.

After she was gone, I used one of the empty horse-pulled wagons in the back of the house and began taking the beast corpses out of my extradimensional rune.

‘Is all this necessary?’ Regis asked.

“The story we’re going with is that I lost my dimension ring, remember?”

By the time Mayla came back with three burly townsmen, I had finished piling the corpses on the surprisingly sturdy wagon.

“Th-This…” A bearded man sporting a tank top to show off his muscles paled at the sight of the mana beasts while his two companions stepped back in shock.

I frowned. “Is there a problem?”

“N-N-None at all, esteemed ascender,” the bearded man said, carefully poking the leg of the bear-like mana beast. “It’s just that…these beasts are considered dangerous to even a team of mid-tier mages.”

With no reference to how powerful a mid-tier mage actually was, I just shrugged. “Please take these to town and give the money to either Mayla or Loreni.”

“Yes!” The three bowed once more before the bearded man began lugging the cart while his two companions pushed from the back.

Mayla and I took our time walking down the small hill leading back down to the downtown plaza of Maerin when I noticed her looking at the rune on my right forearm.

“Is something the matter?” I asked, suddenly very conscious that having a rune on your arm might be abnormal.

“My apologies for staring, Ascender Grey,” she said, peeling her eyes away. “I’ve heard many nobles and even highbloods have rune glyphs tattooed on their bodies but it’s my first time seeing one in person.”

“O-Oh,” I muttered. “Is it not popular in these parts?”

“Permanent ink capable of withstanding the properties of mana flowing through the skin is very rare and expensive to come by, and laws are very strict around these inks because it can be used to forge fake marks—which is why tattooing near the back is strictly forbidden—so rather than it being popular…” Mayla let out a chuckle as she rubbed her arm nervously. “My apologies, Ascender Grey. I’m sure you already know this.”

“It seems like you and the rest of the townspeople resort to apologizing very often,” I commented with a smile. “It’s fine. You seem very knowledgeable about this. Are you a mage yourself?”

“Oh not at all! Although…today is also the day of my bestowment,” she admitted, flushing with embarrassment.

“Congratulations in advance,” I remarked as we neared the gate to town. “Any particular element or class you’d like to be in?”

“Even though I know I’m a bit on the older side and my chances are low, I would very much like to be an instiller. I know that casters and strikers are the most sought after in academies and powerful bloods, but I’m no good at fighting,” Mayla admitted.

I pondered for a moment at her words. I had heard of the three classes of battle mages as well as the supporting ‘sentry’ class. In Aya’s brief, there was a detailed account of the powerful sentry who had managed to use her magic to create a path in the magical Elshire Forest for the Alacryan army to invade Elenoir.

Her name was…something Milview if I recall correctly. I also knew that she was just one of the many mages capable of using elemental magic to scout and scry long distances, however, I had never heard of instillers.

“What do you want to do as an instiller?” I asked, hoping to gain more information about this class.

“I want to create necessary artifacts to help the impoverished people all over Alacrya,” Mayla effused, eyes suddenly vibrant. “For example, I know that there are artifacts capable of purifying water but they’re currently too expensive to make on a large scale. However, I’ve done some research and realized that not all the components for the artifact are necessary and a lot of them can be replaced with cheaper materials so—”

Mayla let out a gasp and bowed at me. “I didn’t mean to lecture you, esteemed ascender.”

“I was the one who asked the question, Mayla,” I remarked. “It’d be silly for me to get angry because you answered me. Especially when you’re so excited.”

Mayla reminded me of Emily back in Dicathen. Her excitement and passion for artificing was second to none. The thought of my curly-haired friend made my chest squeeze.

“A-Anyway, did Ascender Grey have anywhere in mind to go first?”

“Since the mana beast corpses will be taken care of, do you mind if we stop by the schools?”

“Certainly! It would be an honor if esteemed ascender visited! I know the students at our striker school would love to get some pointers—of course that’s only if esteemed ascender wishes to,” Mayla said.

The irony of training the future soldiers that would ultimately attack Dicathen caused a laugh to burst out of my mouth. I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stifle my laughter.

Mayla regarded me with utter confusion. “D-Did I say something odd?”

“No, it’s…nothing,” I said, composing myself. “Anyway, let’s take a look through the academies.”

***

The visit to the caster school was brief. They were having practice outside today so I could see over the fence surrounding the training grounds each of the caster students participating in target practice shooting bolts of pure mana. From the power of their spell, to the amount they could fire as well as the accuracy, each of the kids showed varying levels of competency.

‘How cute,’ Regis remarked.

“It doesn’t seem like these students are using their marks,” I noted.

“The students here are still adjusting to their marks so they’re not yet allowed to utilize their elemental magic yet. Once they’ve been deemed a base tier mage, they’ll be allowed to practice the elemental spell their marks carry,” Mayla explained as we watched from the other side of the metal fence.

She turned her head left and right as if looking for something before letting out a gasp. “Ah! I forgot that the primary students are practicing in the arena today in preparation for the upcoming exhibition. My apologies, esteemed ascender.  Both the instructors and students are much more excited this year because of the recruiter coming from Stormcove Academy.”

“Is Stormcove Academy that much of a prestigious place?” I asked, genuinely curious.

Mayla thought for a moment before answering. “Well, it is an official academy so students accepted will have housing and basic needs provided for them within the campus to be fully immersed in training. Stormcove is also one of the higher ranked academies in not only Aramoor City but the entire Grevorind Region. That being said, this is still all relative.”

The two of us began making our way to the shield school as Mayla continued to explain.

“Compared to the elite academies in the rest of the Etril Dominion and even the other four dominions, which have even more prestigious academies, I guess Stormcove isn’t much. It’s why esteemed ascender has most likely never heard of Stormcove Academy.” Mayla rubbed her neck as she blushed slightly. “I can only imagine how pitiful our schools look compared to prestigious highblood academies in the central domain.”

I remained silent while taking in all of this information. It seemed like the entire economy in Alacrya glorified self-improvement in strength and was even centered around it. Was this all funded by Agrona? I couldn’t imagine a viable way for a proper economy to form around just training and getting stronger aside from hunting mana beasts and going down the Relictombs.

“D-Did I talk too much again, esteemed ascender? My sister, I mean, Loreni, often berates me for this.”

“No! I like it,” I answered quickly. Mayla was a goldmine for information and the best part was that I didn’t have to ask questions that might normally be common sense. I stopped mid-step, alarming the little girl. “Mayla, do you know what dungeons are?”

“Dungeons? Of course—my mother would tell me the story all the time as a child,” she answered. “It really is amazing how the great Vritras led by the mighty Agrona vanquished all of those dangerous dungeons in order to keep us safe.”

It was both hard and easy to imagine Agrona and the rest of his clan wiping out all of the dungeons in order to build an economy around exploring the Relictombs.

“What do you know about the other continent then?” I asked, studying her expression.

“Dicathen?” Mayla tilted her head. “I’ve heard stories from passing merchants about how savage and undeveloped they are. It’s scary to think of an entire continent where mages run amok and dungeons still exist. Thankfully, Sovereign Agrona has decided to liberate them.”

“Liberate?” I echoed, pushing down the fiery rage rising up from my core. “I see.”

The shield academy was a bit more entertaining, but we didn’t stay long either. Mayla guessed that the primary class of the shields were also in the arena since the shields and casters often trained together. It made sense seeing as the shield’s practice was to either take damage for their teammates if they were a melee shield or create defenses from afar if they were a ranged shield.

After watching the secondary class focus on doing movement drills while maintaining a stable shroud of protective mana over their bodies.

Finally we arrived at the striker school, where both the primary and secondary students were present and currently about to spar.

“Remember, release and focus your mana from your core to the rune glyphs that make up your mark! Pay attention to the warmth that spreads from your mark and let that feeling guide you. Don’t try to control it!” advised a scowling woman garbed in a layered robe of muted colors.

Despite her salt-and-pepper hair and the wrinkles lining her face exposing her age, she carried herself with poise as she strode around the two students wearing padded leather practice-gear while the rest of the class sat against the walls.

From what I could tell in the gaps of the protective headgear that they wore, the two students looked around the same age as Mayla. Each one of them fought barehand and even without being able to sense mana, a faint shroud of white clung to their bodies.

“Begin!” the woman barked.

The two students that were facing each other in a neutral stance, a girl and a boy, triggered their spells with surprising swiftness.

The girl’s spell materialized first—a short blade of fire surrounding her open palms. She dashed toward the boy who was barely able to conjure his bracers of fire in time to block her first strike.

Their two flames intertwined from the impact as the boy was forced to retreat a few steps. Cheers from some of the children on the sidelines rang in support for the girl as some of the boy’s friends cracked jokes.

With gritted teeth, the boy rushed forth and the two began to spar. Despite their young age, each showed a shocking amount of agility and strength while their techniques seemed almost ingrained into their movements.

“The instructor is good,” I muttered, vaguely remembering Chumo and Sembi’s praise toward this woman as Mayla and I watched from the hallway.

Mayla and I continued to watch from the hallway while the spar soon came to an end. The instructor intervened just as the girl was about to launch a critical strike on the boy’s open side. The aged instructor called out the results and was just about to start on the next pair of children when she saw me.

Mayla bowed at the instructor as she regarded me for a second with her sharp eyes.

“Instructor Resbin, this is Ascender Grey,” she said without lifting her head.

Her eyes widened for a moment but otherwise kept calm as she dipped her head in a formal gesture. “My apologies for not welcoming you sooner, Ascender Grey. You hid your mana so well that I didn’t know such a powerful individual had been so close.”

I raised a hand in a placating gesture. “It’s fine. I had no intention of interrupting your class.”

By this time, the children that had been spread out against the walls were all standing and taking peeks at me. Gasps and mutters soon filled the room until Instructor Resbin silenced them, but that didn’t stop their sparkling stares from boring into me.

“Instructor Resbin was actually once an instructor from Stormcove Academy,” Mayla said proudly before turning to the aged instructor. “Ascender Grey just told me how good you were!”

“Thank you, Ascender Grey,” she replied but her eyes continued to assess me.

“I simply noted what I saw,” I said with a polite nod. “Please continue.”

I turned to leave, not particularly having a reason to stay here any longer, when Instructor Resbin called out.

“Forgive my insolence, Ascender Grey, but as you know, the annual exhibition is in just two days. My students and I would be most honored if an esteemed ascender showed us some pointers.”

Looking back over my shoulders I stared at the woman.

“You say pointers, but your eyes say you want blood. I have no interest in engaging in a meaningless fight just to have you gauge your own strength.” I gave her a smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

I walked out of the striker school with Mayla following beside me with an uncomfortable expression.

‘You’re no fun.’ Regis remarked. ‘I was hoping for a show,’

I know you’re bored. Just hold on for a few more days.

By the time we reached the town proper, the center of the plaza had been redecorated for the bestowment ceremony as a line of twenty or so kids had already formed. Near the end of the line was a kid I actually recognized.

‘Hey, isn’t that the boy that tried to stab you last night?’ Regis asked.

It was Belmun. I could make out more of his features in the daylight, but it only seemed to highlight how malnourished he was underneath a clean button-up shirt that was obviously too big for him.

Thoughts of whether he and his family managed to eat last night and if they were able to sell the leather cropped up in my mind.

“Didn’t you say that the ceremony starts later?” I asked, pushing away these thoughts and berating myself for worrying about the kid.

“Yes, but oftentimes lines always form beforehand,” she said, her eyes watching nervously as the line grew longer.

“Then shouldn’t you be going too?”

Mayla turned to me. “Oh no! It’s okay, esteemed ascender. It’s my responsibility to assist you so I’ll just get in line once the ceremony actually begins.”

I let out a sigh. “Just go. I’ll be fine.”

There was a trace of reluctance in her expression but her impatience won over. After thanking me, she bolted to the end of the line.

‘She’s a good kid,’ Regis voiced. ‘Too bad she and all the rest of the people in this continent have been brainwashed by Agrona.’

Not sure if brainwashed is the right word but, yeah.

The ceremony progressed once a man dressed in complete black walked up toward the elevated platform with two hooded figures in gray behind him. The most notable part of his wardrobe was an obsidian staff that he carried. A small gem was embedded at the top that glimmered in the colors of not only the elemental attributes but also had a faint trace of aether.

Regis noticed it too and I could feel his hunger for it.

“Esteemed ascender,” a voice called out faintly from behind.

I turned to see Loreni dressed in her work attire, a layer of sweat above her brows. “Please forgive me. I completely forgot that Mayla had her bestowment again today.”

My brows furrowed “Again? Has Mayla been bestowed before?”

“Ah. She’s been trying to get her first mark for the past three years now since children are required to be tested since the age of six,” she explained, her expression tinged in concern. “If a mark doesn’t form during today’s bestowment, I’m afraid she’ll most likely be deemed an unadorned like me.”

“How bad is that…” I began before hurriedly adding, “around here?”

“Being a non-mage is always looked down upon but Mayla is well acquainted with everyone in Maerin, so she should be fine,” she said with a slight smile. “I was devastated too when I was deemed an unadorned but thankfully, everyone was still very nice to me—oh, it’s about to begin!”

I watched along with the rest of the town as the first child scurried up the stairs and knelt before the officiant holding the obsidian staff. After muttering a lengthy incantation in a language I didn’t recognize, the officiant walked around the kneeling boy and placed the tip of his staff just above his tailbone.

Blood dripped from the boy’s back as the gem began glowing until finally the officiant withdrew his weapon and instructed the boy to turn around and lift up his shirt.

“Fiorin of Town Maerin has been adorned with the mark of a caster! May he bring pride to his blood and vanquish all who stand in the way of our mighty sovereigns!”

Cheers rang and I could see the boy beaming in pride even while tears of pain lined his cheeks. After he stepped down and ran into the embrace of his family, the next child came up.

The bestowment day went on, with every spectrum of emotions being displayed by the child as well as his family, from utter joy and pride to despair and even anger.

While the event was interesting and even insightful toward the cultures of Alacrya, I grew bored…until Belmun stepped up onto the podium. Anticipation rose as I watched him walk up the stairs to the expressionless officiant.

I could hear some mutters of disapproval and even some of disgust as Belmun knelt silently in front of the officiant. However, everyone’s expressions changed as the officiant’s staff grew brighter than normal. Even the poker-faced officiant’s eyes glimmered in interest until the gem dimmed and Belmun fell to the ground.

With the crowd deathly silent, the officiant hurriedly lifted Belmun’s shirt and let out a sharp breath before helping the boy up to his feet.

“Belmun of Town Maerin has been adorned with the crest of a striker!” he exclaimed as Belmun looked at the man in utter shock.

“A crest?” Loreni sputtered.

The entire plaza seemed to have let out a gasp in unison before mutters began growing in volume. However, two adults struck out to me as they began crying while hugging each other. Belmun practically leaped off the stage and bound toward what looked like his parents and fell into their embrace.

“Belmun of Town Maerin will be further assessed before being placed in an appropriate academy!” the officiant declared as he regained his composure.

I watched as the officiant’s hooded assistants escorted Belmun and his family away.

“Is Belmun someone esteemed ascender knows?” Loreni asked, snapping me out of my daze.

“Huh?” I turned to Loreni. “Why do you ask that?”

“Esteemed ascender was smiling for a moment so I just thought…” Loreni shook her head. “Forgive me for assuming.”

The bestowment resumed like normal—with either the kids getting a mark or not getting one—until Mayla stepped up onto the platform.

Loreni clasped her hands as she looked at her sister kneeling onstage.

I didn’t know what would happen since Mayla was one of the oldest kids there, but what I didn’t expect was for the officiant’s staff to grow even brighter than it did for Belmun.

“Th-This…” the officiant muttered, completely bewildered this time. “Mayla of Town Maerin has been adorned with the… emblem of a sentry!”

I heard Regis let out a whistle as the plaza broke out into cheers. The crowd and even the officiant was ecstatic as the black-robed man even went as far as to pat her on the back. However, both Mayla and Loreni wore a solemn expression at the turn of the event.

“Are you not happy at your sister earning an emblem?” I asked, curious.

“Oh n-no, of course I’m happy, esteemed ascender! I’m very proud of her,” she said as her gaze fell. “Please excuse me, esteemed ascender. I will go congratulate my sister.”

I watched as she walked toward the stage, using her sleeve to wipe her face.

“A crest and even an emblem,” a voice muttered behind me. “It looks like our town will get a lot of extra resources this year. It’s a shame for Loreni though. I heard that talented sentries are trained rigorously and sent down the most to the Relictombs.”

“Shhh, don’t say that out loud, you idiot. Mayla should be proud that she will be able to better serve our sovereigns in finding the relics!” another voice said.

So that’s what it was, I thought while staring at Mayla and Loreni. The two embraced in tears that I might’ve mistook for joy had I not known.

Ignoring the ache in my chest, I made my way out of the town plaza and back to the house.

Chapter 279: A Social Gathering

The first rays of dawn peeked above the horizon by the time Regis and I had climbed back from the beast-riddled hill just off of Town Maerin. I had focused solely on practicing God Step—falling more times than I could count in the process—while Regis scouted around the area, doing a bit of hunting on his own.

Though progress was slow, I was still proud of the visible growth in the mastery of my first official godrune. I was able to reach the destination I had determined, using God Step with much better precision than I had at first.

That is, with no obstacles, of course. Taking into consideration the obstacles blocking my ‘path’, God Step became exponentially more difficult to use.

There were several ways around this, of course. I could use God Step in a straight line, much like I had with Burst Step, but doing so would be basically using the blunt edge of the sword.

Alternatively, I could spend a prolonged period of time focusing and mapping out the ‘path’ I could take in order to arrive at my intended destination… but that was a little hard to do while a two thousand-pound mana beast charged after me, and changing positions even slightly altered the ‘path’.

The silver lining behind all this was that my initial development of Burst Step back in Epheotus had served as training wheels for God Step. Along with my augmented reflexes from my aether core and a dragon of the Indrath Clan’s physique, I knew that mastering this was only a matter of time and effort.

Regis, on the other hand,  had yet to gain the insights in activating the rune of destruction despite my guidance.

I knew that if I used the destruction rune one or two more times, he would be able to gain insight into the edict, but I was honestly afraid of what might happen while I was under the pseudo-psychotic state that the edict evoked.

Still, thanks to the fact that unlike mana, ambient aether was everywhere, Regis managed to make strides in strengthening his own aether reserves. Through this, his strength had not only increased, but the range that he could be apart from me had expanded.

His entire form seemed to illustrate his growing strength as the two horns that twisted and gnarled behind his ears had become even more intricate. Not only that but his entire form seemed to become more corporeal and real as the purple fire that made up his mane looked like real flames instead of smoky wisps.

With my head cleared of the events during the bestowment ceremony and my aether core empty, I neared the stone sign that indicated we were back within the ‘safe’ zone. To my surprise, there was someone waiting for me just beside the carved boulder in the clearing.

‘Isn’t that the kid…er, Velma? From last night?’ Regis asked, his form hiding within me.

Are you sure you’re an intelligent weapon? I teased, before calling out to the boy. “Belmun?”

‘Sentient weapon,’ Regis corrected with a grumble.

Belmun shot up to his feet at the sound of his name being called. He bolted toward me, the wind tossing back his long unkempt hair to reveal a busted lip, bruised eye, and a swollen cheek.

The boy shot me a wide grin as he waved his hand. “Mister!”

Belmun skidded to a stop in front of me and plopped down to his knees. “Please teach me how to fight!”

Noticing the bruises and welts all over his exposed arms and the hardened look on his face, I couldn’t help but admire the boy’s determination.

“No,” I answered, walking past him.

“W-Wait!” Belmun scrambled back in front of me. “I don’t have anything to offer now, but I’ve been bestowed a crest earlier today!”

I raised a brow. “So?”

The boy scratched his head. “S-So I have incredible talent! I don’t have anything to offer you right now, but in the future, when I’m a famous or even ranked ascender, I’ll pay you back!”

I don’t know what came over me as I saw the confident—almost smug—expression on Belmun’s face but I released a wave of aetheric force, lacing in just enough killing intent to bring the boy on all fours while choking.

Withdrawing my intent as well as the palpable pressure exerted through the ambient aether around us, I stared deadpan at Belmun, now gasping for air. “Don’t be so ignorant. The world’s a large place and your talent in this small town might be comparable to the street rats of a major city.”

Arriving back at the manor, Regis emerged and jumped on the leather couch. “I didn’t think you’d get so emotional with the little boy.”

I frowned. “I wasn’t emotional.”

“Please. You barely care for the people here enough to exchange more than a sentence with them unless you’re prying for information,” Regis replied, laying down. “But you not only helped the kid, but you gave him advice.”

Taking off my shirt, I retorted, “That wasn’t advice. His smug attitude after getting a bit of recognition annoyed me.”

Regis rolled his eyes as he curled up into his ‘meditative’ state.

I let out a sigh as I sat down on the ground. I knew why I acted like that—I just didn’t want to admit to myself that the little boy reminded me of myself in a lot of ways. Slapping my cheeks to focus, I closed my eyes as the warm blanket of the morning light enveloped me and began refining my aether core once more.

***

Over the next several days leading up to the annual exhibition, Regis and I had fallen into a comfortable rhythm largely away from the curious denizens of Town Maerin.

Without the need to sleep aside from a few hours once every three days, I had been using my mornings refining my core in order to replenish my aether reserves enough to study the cuboid relic in the afternoons. In the evenings and overnight, I would stay near the peak of the tree-filled hill practicing not only God Step but also fighting with aether in general.

Mayla had stopped by the first day after the bestowment but I told her I wouldn’t be going anywhere and made her go back home. I didn’t want her to spend the majority of the day with me when her time with her sister was so limited now.

I did find out from her later on, though, that Belmun had started training seriously at the striker until he would enroll in Stormcove Academy. It turned out that the bruises he had received the night after the bestowment was because he got into a fight with some of the striker students.

While progress had been made in both studying the cuboid relic as well as God Step, I was slowly growing more and more impatient staying in this small town.

So when the day of the annual exhibition finally came, I was actually excited.

“Are you sure you want to do this now?” Regis asked, staring at me.

I held Sylvie’s stone tenderly in my palms. “It’s been a while since I’ve tried and my aether core has gotten stronger after practicing God Step.”

“I know, but didn’t your last attempt almost completely suck your aether reserves dry? Will you be okay during the exhibition?”

“Exactly. I can’t train today because of the exhibition anyway so I might as well. Now shush.” I replied, focusing on the translucent stone as I released aether from my core.

I was met with the same sensation of the aether draining from my body as a shroud of purple enveloped the stone. Unlike last time when it felt like I was trying to fill a pond a few drops at a time, I could now feel an actual stream of aether reaching the inner dimension within the stone. With my aether purer and denser than before, there was even less aether being wasted through the ‘filtration’ process that occurred within the stone as well.

Still, while definite progress was made, by the time I was left sweating and gasping from the strain of having nearly all of my aether sucked out of me, there were no visible changes to the translucent stone.

I put the stone back into the extradimensional rune and fell back on the cold floor.

Staring at the ceiling, I thought of how far I still needed to go. Even after I had gotten this far, it felt like I had barely taken a step forward in this leg of the journey. But what I feared most was what would happen after I reached the last leg.

Would fulling imbuing aether into the stone truly bring back Sylvie? She had given me her physical form in order to save me. Would she truly come back as the same Sylvie I knew and loved? Would she come back at all?

My chest ached at these thoughts and it felt like my body had just grown several times heavier as my motivation and determination wavered.

No. You’ve come this far, Arthur. You can’t stop now.

Letting out a sharp breath, I got up and changed. The sensation of the black leather-like armor clinging to my skin was a welcome change after the previous cloth outfit.

The gentle knock on the door told me it was nearly time for the exhibition to begin.

“Let’s go,” I said to Regis. With a nod, his form disappeared into my back.

After pulling the teal robe over my shoulders and inserting the white dagger within the hidden pocket on the inner lining, I headed toward the door.

I was greeted by a somber Mayla. She gave me a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Good Morning, Ascender Grey.”

“Mayla?” I raised a brow. “I thought I said to send over someone else to escort me.”

The girl that looked to be just a few years younger than my sister shook her head. “I couldn’t do that. My mind would be more at peace guiding esteemed ascender myself. Thank you for your consideration though. I have enjoyed the last few days with my sister.”

“It’s good if you’re fine then,” I muttered, scratching my cheek.

The two of us walked down the hill leading to the town proper in silence. The once talkative girl seemed to be lost in thought, stumbling several times on the uneven road.

“Ah, I almost forgot,” Mayla suddenly said, turning to me. “Chief Mason has your runecard prepared with the money you’ve earned from selling the mana beasts. He figured since you lost your dimension ring that even with the fee, it’d be more practical than carrying around a bag of gold.”

‘Runecards are physical cards linked to a banking institution using runes so that you don’t have to carry physical money around,’ Regis explained simply after a quick mental nudge from me.

“I’ll be sure to pick it up before I leave,” I answered, impressed once again by how advanced Alacrya was compared to Dicathen. I was tempted to figure out how to subtly ask more about how the banking institutions here worked when we arrived at the town proper.

The atmosphere today was much livelier than it had been a few days ago and it only grew worse as we reached the arena. The din of dozens of conversations all fighting for supremacy overpowered the soldiers trying to manage the growing crowd.

Luckily, we didn’t have to take the main entrance. The two of us were escorted by one of the guards toward a side entrance leading to the area.

“I will take my leave here, esteemed ascender,” Mayla said, lowering her head. “Only officials of the towns and guests from Stormcove Academy are allowed inside this viewing room.”

Watching her walk back, leaving me with the guard in the well-lit corridor, I cursed inwardly for thinking that I’d be able to watch the exhibition in peace. I could already guess how stifling a room filled with town officials brown nosing the Stormcove Academy representatives would be.

The usher standing at the far end of the corridor hurriedly opened the cherrywood door and directed me inside as he called out, “Ascender Grey has arrived!”

I walked into the open-air room that looked over the arena that had rows of preadolescents in uniforms that distinctly highlighted their towns.

The room was decorated modestly with vases of flowers on dark wood furniture. The lack of seats in this ‘sitting area’ seemed to suggest the promotion of walking around and getting to know each other.

Inside were distinguished individuals of varying ages all garbed in lavish suits or dresses. They each held a wine glass in their hand like they were posing for a picture as they stared at me.

“Esteemed ascender!” a familiar, booming voice called out. Chief Mason wore a fitted suit that highlighted his broad frame. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back while his beard was properly combed and tied near the end.

He handed me one of the many wine flutes displayed on the cocktail tables arranged throughout the room before turning to the rest of the people present in the room. “We’re all so excited to have you with us today!”

“Thank you for having me.”I accepted the glass and turned to the staring individuals, raising my glass and presenting a smile. “I must’ve gotten a bit excited myself, seeing as how I’m dressed to join the kids down there rather than to drink here.”

Laughter rang, breaking the tension as the officials present began flocking us.

‘Wow. Who is this smooth-talker and what have you done with the angsty Arthur that I grew to tolerate? I thought you said you were bad at social gatherings,’ Regis said.

Shut it. And I said I didn’t like social gatherings. That doesn’t mean I’m bad at them.

“As expected of esteemed ascender. Not only is your presence so imposing, but your looks are stunning as well,” a woman that seemed to be in her early twenties said with a giggle, brushing her hand against mine.

I smiled back as I took a step toward her. “Please. Call me Grey.”

Not bothering to learn her name, I made my way through the crowd of over twenty. Dismissing their overeagerness to introduce themselves to me and flaunt whatever morsel of power they had in order to appeal to me, I kept a charming and lighthearted air.

I had gone through several glasses of wine as I exchanged greetings and a drink with the people present while learning more about the three neighboring towns when my entire body suddenly shuddered.

Regis felt it too as my entire attention was suddenly pulled toward the door we had entered from.

“Elder Cromely of Stormcove Academy, students Aphene and Pallisun of Stormcove Academy have arrived!” the usher announced, opening the door.

The chatter and laughter surrounding me was soon drowned out by the blood pumping in my ears as both Regis and I focused on the lean, grizzled man garbed in a dark suit.

More specifically, what caught our attention was the unassuming stone that lay mounted on the sleek obsidian cane in his hand. The unassuming stone that held a considerable amount of aether within its decrepit surface.

Chapter 280: The Catch

I tore my gaze from the stone adorning the man’s black cane and studied the three guests that had just arrived.

The hook-nosed and pale-skinned Cromely exchanged polite but terse greetings with the flock of town officials and their family members. The two students that looked around my age barely spoke as they kept their chins raised and chests puffed.

The female student referred to as Aphene had an athlete’s body with long, slim legs that were accentuated by her uniform. Her fierce gaze bore into me behind her dark bangs, singling me out.

Dismissing her provocation as cute at most, I turned my gaze to the blonde man that looked like he’d spent a tad too much time in front of a mirror. Compared to his brusque female schoolmate, the student named Pallisun met everyone with a practiced smile that seemed to convey his hubris in a more implicit way.

Watching the teen strut in his white suit, which was embroidered with a single embellished shoulder guard, I was reminded of a rainbowgoose displaying its feathers during mating season.

Regis chortled at my comparison, agreeing wholeheartedly.

The trio eventually made their way to me. Following behind them were the entourage of townsmen doing whatever they could to curry their favor or even have them look in their general direction.

“An honor to have an ascender in our presence,” the older representative intoned, his expression not quite matching his words. “My name is Cromely of Blood Mandrick. This is my granddaughter, Aphene,” he introduced before gesturing to the student on his left. “And this student is Pallisun of Blood Blather. Both of you, introduce yourselves.”

Aphene dipped her head, a bit reluctant. “Aphene of Blood Mandrick.”

Pallisun, who was around my height but with a bit more bulk, scanned me from head to toe.

“Pallisun of Blood Blather,” he greeted, releasing a bit of mana that clung tightly against his frame in an attempt to show off his control.

‘What a rainbowgoose,’ Regis judged.

“A pleasure to meet you all. And thank you again, for taking me with you to Aramoor City,” I said to Comer with an amiable smile. He was my ticket out of here, after all.

“It is nothing,” he replied humbly.

“Hearing that our town had an ascender visiting, Elder Cromely brought along the top students of Stormcove Academy,” Chief Mason explained.

The Stormcove representative’s gaze flickered over the town chief dismissively before adding, “Yes, while they can’t yet compare to Ascender Grey, they’ll both be transferred to an ascender institute in the central domain rather soon.”

I regarded the two students with a casual smile. “Congratulations in advance.”

Pallisun craned his neck to get that extra inch over me as he replied.  “You seem very young, esteemed ascender. I can’t imagine you having much experience yet, but I’d still love to hear of your tales down in the Relictombs.”

Regis bristled. ‘Please, let me humble this man.’

It’s beneath us to bully them. Plus, I’m baiting them on purpose, I quickly sent to Regis before replying to the vain blonde.

“It’s quite the pleasant place for a stroll. Do you care to join me the next time I go?” I asked with a wink.

A few chuckles rang from the crowd around us. Pallisun’s brow twitched in restrained annoyance as he stifled a laugh as well.

“Please excuse me while I get a drink,” Pallisun said with a forced smile. “Let’s go, Aphene.”

The two students turned around and headed off to one of the tables behind them. As they did so, I couldn’t help but think that it was a shame their backs were covered, hiding their runes.

Not dwelling on it, I made myself comfortable against the ledge overlooking the exhibition. Below, the host in charge of mediating the event was having the students walk in a circle to wave at the audience.

Cheers broke out as most of the students headed out of the center field, leaving behind only one group of students that looked to be about eight to ten in age.

The day progressed as we watched the various events showcasing both the magical and physical prowess of the students.

Caster students had been up first. Workers brought targets and laid them on the opposite side of the field for the students to try and hit with both accuracy and power. After that, they began running through an obstacle course while hitting targets without stopping.

While I didn’t condone child soldiers, it was impressive to see even the children in this small town effortlessly go through the complicated obstacle course while firing like trained combatants heading for war.

A war against Dicathen.

Damn it, I cursed myself for thinking unnecessary thoughts. Anything I did to try and go against Alacrya at this point wouldn’t even amount to the dirt underneath Agrona’s nails.

Swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, I continued watching while the caster students finished and the host called for the shields to step up back onto the arena. Their exhibition consisted of each of the shields protecting two mannequins from blunted projectiles made of wood and stone.

“At that age, I would be fighting to the death against a mana beast my father had captured in order to build battle experience,” a clear voice declared a few feet to my right.

I shifted my gaze to see Pallisun standing with a frilly-dress girl under each arm. He continued to brag loudly about his training as a shield at their age. Meanwhile the girls cooed and giggled as if his very words contained gold.

He wasn’t the only one enjoying the spectacle below. During these two events, the other officials from the neighboring towns made wagers on their own local students, while the names of promising students were mentioned and praised loudly enough in the hopes that Cromely could hear.

As the shield students of Town Ludro, Cessir, Deura and Maerin stepped down, the atmosphere shifted. While both the casters and shields received enthusiastic cheers throughout their events, they paled in comparison to when the striker students stepped up on the platform that had been raised for their tournament.

This particular event would consist of six representative strikers from each town, all partaking in the tournament. They’d start by having the six duel each other for the spot of representing their towns and it would end with the remaining striker from each town facing off in the semi-finals and finals.

After the host reminded the strikers that intentionally losing to let a specific member of their town advance was strictly forbidden, the tournament commenced.

While I didn’t expect much, I had to admit that I enjoyed the exhibition. Judging by how Aphene had stopped bothering to watch after the first match, I’m sure she would disagree.

The children fought with practiced movements, displaying prowess in both physical and magical abilities. Because of how the marks or crests they had confined the scope of their spell to take form into a specific shape or action, they had to rely on understanding and outmaneuvering their opponents—utilizing their magic as a tool rather than relying on it.

“I can’t imagine this little pageant would entertain you in any way,” a thin voice intoned from behind.

“You’d be mistaken then,” I said lightly without turning around. “At this level, their ‘weapons’ are unsharpened and inflexible. This forces them to be more quick-witted and creative. Don’t you agree, Elder Cromely?”

The older man stepped up next to me, a brow raised in thought. “Are you saying that the sharper our weapons get, the slower and more unimaginative we become?”

I shifted my gaze to Cromely with a smirk pulling at the edge of my mouth. “That would depend on the person, but the temptation to lean heavily on the sharpest tool is always there. Isn’t that why we’ve evolved from fighting with our bare fists in the first place?”

Cromely blinked for a second before letting out a laugh. “Wise words that I haven’t thought of myself. Perhaps the Relictombs bestow wisdom upon its ascenders.”

“Perhaps.”

Turning my gaze back to the next pair of striker students stepping up onto the arena. “So have you found anyone worth admitting to Stormcove Academy?”

“I’ve already scanned the entire lot of students and not a single one carries the mana reserves worthy of bringing in,” he replied in a tone that said he had expected it. “Still. The Headmaster of our academy requested we bring more talents from outside Aramoor City so I’ll just take the winner of this little tournament.”

“Is that so. To me, it sounds like you never had any intention to take this seriously,” I mused.

“Truthfully, I was reluctant to visit this…outpost.” Cromely then turned to me, his hooked nose less than an arm’s length away from my face. “If that old bear of a man hadn’t told me an actual ascender was here and needed a favor, I wouldn’t have bothered coming, let alone with my top two students.”

“It seems like you’re implying something, Elder Cromely,” I responded, casting a sideways glance at the older man. “I wasn’t aware that there were strings attached for my short trip to Aramoor Academy.”

“No strings attached, of course,” he quickly responded with a dry laugh. “I merely hoped that you would grace my students and this town with a demonstration of  the strength of an ascender.”

I had been waiting for this. From the moment the two students he had arrived with began sizing me up for a fight, I knew the chances were high. Still, I didn’t think they’d want to challenge me here.

‘Makes sense though,’ Regis sent. ‘If you guys spar here and they lose, they don’t run the risk of losing face for stupidly challenging an ascender.’

“Hmm…while educating the youth is important, I chose to become an ascender rather than an instructor because I valued material goods a bit more,” I hinted with a playful smile.

The old representative blinked and seemed to come back to himself after a moment. Letting out a hearty laugh, he patted me on the arm. “Looks like it won’t be very hard to get along with you, Ascender Grey! Name your price!”

“Gold is easy to come by,” I said, flashing him the runecard that Chief Mason handed me earlier filled with the earnings from selling the mana beasts I had used as practice dummies. “But I am curious about that odd rock you have on your cane.”

“As expected of an ascender, you have a good eye,” he mused while holding up his cane. “Even though this has been deemed a dead relic by our sovereign, it still cost me a small fortune during the auction.”

“Does it contain any sort of special effects or secrets?” I asked nonchalantly, suppressing both my and Regis’ urge to consume the aether stored inside it.

“If a dead relic could perform even the smallest spec of ancient magic, then it would be impossible for a mere academy elder in some small city to afford it,” Cromely answered as he rubbed the palm-sized stone with his thumb. “No, it’s just a very expensive trinket to brag about.”

“A shame,” I said, feigning disappointment.

I was unaware that relics deemed ‘dead’ by Agrona were auctioned back to the public, but it made sense. Why not obtain riches for the scraps you have no use for after taking all of the relics that were still intact.

Thinking back, I couldn’t help but wonder how things would’ve played out differently if I didn’t have the dimensional storage rune and Chief Mason had said he would need to take the cuboid relic from me.

It was safe to assume that my relationship with the people of this town wouldn’t have been as carefree as it was now.

“Still. If Ascender Grey is a connoisseur of these sorts, I can’t imagine you not wanting to add this to your collection,” he replied. “How about this. If Esteemed Ascender can best Pallisun and my granddaughter in a friendly spar, I will not only escort you to Aramoor City and ensure you’re completely taken care of, I’ll also give you this relic. If they can best you, all Ascender Grey needs to do is put in a good word for them.”

I cocked a brow. “Put in a good word?”

A knowing smile replaced the look of confusion on the older man’s face. “It’s no use feigning ignorance, Ascender Grey. Mason told me your close relations with Highblood Denoir,” he whispered. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

I took a deep breath and willed down my irritation. Looks like the large chief caved in. I really didn’t want my association with such a powerful name being broadcasted so soon, but I guess it did work in my favor at the moment.

Letting out a sigh, I agreed. “That doesn’t sound like a bad proposition.”

“Great!” Cromely clapped his hands, showing a smile that actually reached his eyes for the first time. “I presume that you’d have no qualms with facing off against my two students at the same time?”

He really has no shame, I conveyed inwardly to Regis.

Shrugging, I said to the older man, “I assumed that would be the case.”

“As expected of an ascender!” Cromely beamed. “I’m sure whether my students win or lose, this will be an excellent learning experience for them!”

‘As expected of an ascender,’ Regis echoed mockingly. ‘What a fox.’

He speaks in politics. It’s nothing to be surprised about when there’s such a distinction within the hierarchy in Alacrya.

I watched as Cromely walked off after giving me a small bow. He couldn’t have taken more than five steps away when Chief Mason immediately scurried over to me, concern laced in his furrowed brows. “E-Esteemed Ascender.”

Chief Mason turned his head to make sure Cromely was out of earshot before continuing. “M-My sincerest apologies. Elder Cromely was on the verge of cancelling his visit, and I know that would implicate your trip back to Aramoor City as well. And he’s met many ascenders before so just saying you were an ascender didn’t seem to interest him.”

“What’s done is done,” I replied, my voice leaking a tinge of annoyance. “I’m assuming you’ve anticipated that Elder Cromely would ask me to put on a little show with his students?”

The burly man’s gaze lowered. “He has mentioned it, yes.”

“Good. Then progress as planned.” I stood up to get a drink when Chief Mason grabbed my sleeve.

“Please be careful of Elder Cromely. He is known to be quite devious in his plans, and he cherishes his granddaughter very much,” he leaned in and whispered.

My mouth twitched upward in a smirk. “So you’re worrying about me now?”

The town chief’s expression faltered and he looked like he was about to crawl into a hole.

“I’m joking,” I smiled, patting the large man’s shoulder. “I hope your son wins the exhibition. His first win was impressive.”

“Thank you!” Chief Mason’s expression brightened as he beamed in pride.

Meanwhile, I made my way toward the exit, passing by Cromely with his two students. Aphene’s fierce expression mirrored her determination while Pallisun looked like he had already won.

‘Not that I’m worried, but are you going to be okay? They seem to be hiding something and you’ve drained most of your aether reserves trying to wake up Sylvie,’ Regis voiced his concerns.

They’re under the assumption that I’m a newly fledged ascender that barely made it out of his first ascent.

A smile pulled at my lips as I left the viewing lounge. I had been getting bored of training against the mana beasts nearby, and whether this duel would prove challenging or not, I’d at least get to enjoy unwinding.

Table of Contents

- Chapter 250: Hello Darkness
- Chapter 251: The Next Message
- Chapter 252: Resolve
- Chapter 253: A Healthy Appetite
- Chapter 254: Round Two
- Chapter 255: Victory
- Chapter 256: The Core
- Chapter 257: Forbidden Fruit
- Chapter 258: Law of the Wild
- Chapter 259: Mother Lode
- Chapter 260: Purge
- Chapter 261: The Bridge
- Chapter 262: The Platform
- Chapter 263: Cornered
- Chapter 264: Branch of Destruction
- Chapter 265: First Ascent
- Chapter 266: On Guard
- Chapter 267: Justification
- Chapter 268: Trading Knowledge
- Chapter 269: More Than a Weapon
- Chapter 270: Descent
- Chapter 271: Back to the Basics
- Chapter 272: Your Name
- Chapter 273: Being of Aether
- Chapter 274: The Crystal
- Chapter 275: Maerin
- Chapter 276: The Town Chief
- Chapter 277: One Step Forward
- Chapter 278: The Day of Bestowment
- Chapter 279: A Social Gathering
- Chapter 280: The Catch