Aethernea

by Cloe D Frost

  They changed their target to Elaru.

  She got too close to the enemy mage threatening his well-being. The terror taking over the mage was radiating off of him in waves. Kiel could feel its intensity through his mana.

  Elaru’s abilities were a perfect match for this type of battle. Her aura was so thick that it influenced all the daggers that came in contact with it. The density of her mana interfered with the spells cast on the daggers, disorienting and weakening them. Such daggers were inadequate, they couldn’t possibly hurt a fighter of her caliber. She didn’t even consider them a threat, it seemed like she ignored them completely and returned fire to the enemy directly.

  In that regard, it was understandable why the enemy was starting to panic.

  Ignoring me huh? That miscalculation will be your last! A cruel smile appeared on Kiel’s face, even more chilling than the iciness of his eyes. He readied himself, he was itching to try out his newest spell on a real opponent. Since he didn’t need to avoid the daggers anymore, his spell casting speed increased greatly.

  A wide, bright ray of light emerged from Kiel’s spread hands and flashed towards the mage, disintegrating everything in its path in a sizzling and zapping high pitched sound.

  Giving Kiel enough time to cast a high-level Lightbeam spell was a fatal mistake. The Protection spell on the daggers might be high level, but when faced with a higher level spell, it would inevitably break.

  Time seemed to slow down as the daggers standing in the beam’s wake disintegrated into nothingness; leaving almost no sign of their existence, not even little fragments of metal. Not even dust. The only proof was the smell of melted metal spreading through the stale, moldy air.

  The eyes of the enemy mage widened in realization of his imminent demise, horror seeping through them as he recognized that he had no time to defend against it – his full focus was already spent on his fight with Elaru.

  The beam light illuminated Elaru’s face. Her eyebrows twitched in annoyance, her mouth morphing into a frown. Kiel felt no gratification from it, for when he understood the source of her displeasure, it was already too late to stop the beam.

  It was ironic. A second before, he was jeering at the miscalculation of the enemy, then a second later, it was he who had miscalculated.

  They were fighting in the middle of Zerean ruins. In an ancient temple of crumbling rock which couldn’t possibly endure the power of their battle.

  And instead of carefully controlling his power, he used a high-level spell whose power he seemed to have underestimated greatly.

  Kiel didn’t even have the time to hiss a profanity before his beam hit the mage, producing a powerful blast. As if the pulse from the beam blew away the last straw keeping it together, the ceiling above and the floor below began to crumble in unison. The walls around them caved in almost simultaneously, showering all three of them with dense rock as they fell down into the basement.

  Why is it so powerful?! - Kiel’s mind raced as he quickly revoked the spell. When he was trying this spell on Elaru earlier, it didn’t seem to be that powerful. She brushed it off as if it was nothing.

  As Kiel raised his hands in front of his face, preparing to defend against the avalanche of rock, one question reawakened deep inside him like rekindling a flame.

  How did I get into this mess?!

  Why was he fighting a life and death battle against an unknown mage in the middle of ancient ruins deep in the forbidden zone?

  How did he, Kiel Rroda, a son of a noble family of first class mages, end up in such a situation? His position in the family was not important enough to have people after his head and yet, he was still wealthy enough to lead an easy and comfortable, though boring life.

  Yet, his life, his identity, everything turned upside down after a single meeting.

  “How did I get into this mess?!” - He had asked himself that same question a countless number of times over the course of the last few weeks. And no matter how many times he had asked himself, the answer stayed the same.

  Calamity, thy name is Elaru.

  * * *

  She didn’t have much time. She could feel it clutching at her heart, slowly slithering beneath her skin, spreading deeper and deeper with every breath she took.

  The stabbing pain in her chest lasted longer and longer every day. Yet the worst pain wasn’t caused by the sickness, but by the knowledge. She was the only one who knew.

  Nelaira stared at the cold metal walls with a desire to break them down. As hard as titanium itself, they wouldn’t budge. No matter how hard she clawed at them, hammered them or kicked at them, Nelaira couldn’t make a single scratch or dent. And to make matters worse, pushing mana into the walls to power a spell was near impossible – the alloy had a high mana resistance.

  She imagined placing her palms in front of her and pushing outwards like she was opening double doors. Nelaira could picture the metal bending and twisting; creaking as if crying. It would slide away, creating a hole for her to pass through. Yes, that’s how she would have done it. At her prime, even platinum would have shifted in her wake. Nelaira was a Transmutation magic master - this wall would have been history if she could still use her magic.

  If only she could still use her magic…

  But it was no longer her own. The Ink growing inside her had tainted her mana, it resisted and twirled chaotically. Nelaira could no longer control it.

  Nelaira wanted to cry, to sob, but she had never been the type to cry when she met difficulty. Even now, faced with bitter frustration and futility, her fighting spirit burned in her chest. She swore under her breath, her fist clenched so hard her nails drew blood.

  The sharp pain made her look down at her palms. The blood was black and it refused to flow.

  Her eyes traced the black veins branching under her skin, traveling up her arms. The flesh around them was slowly losing every bit of color, turning snow white. Nelaira averted her gaze to the floor. She was disgusted.

  However, the shiny metal floor only reflected her own face back at her. She cringed. Her eyes had lost their glow, her pupils had shrunk so much that they were barely visible. Her face was plagued by dark bags and cracked blue lips. The hair on her head was as lifeless as straw. It had stopped growing and it was slowly decaying into shades of silver.

  Nelaira looked back at the walls, her eyes losing their focus. Her mind was getting cloudier every day. The secret inside her head weighed on her, consuming her from inside.

  She stared into the distance as if she could see beyond the walls. It was there, somewhere. Right in that direction – Ashar University of Magic.

  He was there, doing what he always did, completely unaware that she had been betrayed. She should have been more careful. If only they hadn’t found out what she had stumbled upon. If only she had been more skilled in hiding her doubt. Her “accident” could have been avoided.

  Alas, now her only wish was to pass it on to him. He needed to know. Everyone needed to know. He would believe her; he would not attribute her words to the ramblings of a sick person. He would make sure her death would not be in vain.

  Nelaira closed her eyes, imagining his smile, his mischievous eyes, and undying curiosity. He gave her strength to hold on, to fight. She would cling on to life as long as she could.

  The thought of him cleared her head.

  These walls couldn’t hold her prisoner. All of this was just a farce. They should have just killed her back then. Their own greed would cost them dearly.

  She would shatter the lie they encased everyone in. Caged like animals in the false name of “protection”. If Nelaira didn’t reveal the ugly truth, no one would. They would get away with their sins and continue to manipulate history.

  She needed to find a way to reveal it! But how? No one was allowed to see her. She couldn’t get out. Her body was weak and her magic was unusable. Nelaira could write him a letter, but it would never reach him. They would censor anything they deemed dangerous. And to them, revealing that the I
nk wasn’t what everyone thought it to be, revealing the actions of AegisAriteweren’t as kind-hearted as described by the history books… the truth was nothing short of a largeaxeswinging above their heads.

  Think, just think! Nelaira screamed inside her head. You are an intelligent young woman. You can find a way. You can outwit them. They are still underestimating you greatly! They have no idea what you are truly capable of.

  Nelaira sighed. That’s right! She was more than just a great mage. Even without magic she could wreak havoc! She would not sit still and count days to her untimely demise.

  Nelaira sat in silence, contemplating every option, devising a plan until her vision became foggy and her mind slipped back into the darkness.

  Next time, when her mind cleared, she would be ready to act.

  * * *

  Fate binds us. Everything is connected. Seemingly separate threads of life tend to converge into the same point. It is the secrets and mysteries that suck in and intertwine countless lives like a black hole.

  For curiosity and hope is what makes us human. And it is also the curiosity and hope that drives the moths into the flame.

  Is it a path of no return? Or is it a path from which only the fated ones can return? Or maybe, it isn’t a question of fate at all. Maybe what we call fate is just a result of decisions and abilities.

  Either way, to unveil the ball of yarn, one needs to start from the beginning of a single thread.

  * * *

  In the next episode:

  It had been a calming, enjoyable ride – Kiel Rroda didn’t know it back then, but this ride would be the last bit of real peace he would feel in a long, long time.

  She was still there, staring right at him.

  Suddenly he felt a presence - an aura, foreign mana. His eyes widened. It appeared out of nowhere.

  Episode 2 – How it all began

  Episode 2 – How it all began

  Previously:

  A mysterious woman is confined in a room with no way out. She is dying, yet she can’t die in peace because she is the only one that knows a dangerous secret.

  After a fierce battle with an unknown mage, Kiel and Elaru were buried under an avalanche of rock. Moments before their fall, Kiel recalls how his life changed into its current chaotic state.

  * * *

  ◈ Town of Beyd, Thursday, 23rd of August 1449 A.W. ◈

  That fateful day, a large hazel blur could be seen flying skillfully between the canyon pillars. The scales which adorned the creature glittered brightly under the desert sun, contrasting sharply with the black clothes worn by the rider. The powerful sweeps of its wings rose soft red sand all around them, but Kiel Rroda didn’t mind. On the contrary, the wind hitting his face felt very refreshing in the summer heat, carrying an earthly smell of burnt sand which he could still feel, even though his nose and mouth were covered by a scarf.

  It had been a calming, enjoyable ride. What Kiel Rroda didn’t know back then, was that this ride would be the last bit of real peace he would feel in a long, long time.

  Kiel pulled on the leather reins of the dragon, making it stop gracefully in front of an orange house in the upper Beyd. This part of town was filled with tidy medium-sized houses which had small green gardens and whose roofs were covered with orderly rows of red brick.

  Upper Beyd stood still, covered by a veil of silence with no person or creature in sight. Kiel looked at the small wooden porch just in time to see a figure emerge behind the vivid multi-colored drape hanging above the entrance to the house.

  Kiel pretended not to see the approaching figure and dismounted gracefully, removing his goggles and scarf. He breathed in the faint scent of roses spreading through the dry desert air and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his glove. The dragon puffed through its nostrils releasing hot air.

  His gaze unconsciously drifted to the high cliffs on the southern side of the canyon towering above the town. His eyes focused on the distant figure sitting on the highest pillar of the canyon, next to the small blue flag marking it as the highest point in the entire town of Beyd.

  She was still there, staring right at him. Or, at least, in his general direction - he doubted that she could actually see him as clearly as he could see her. Her elibu eyes weren’t capable of ‘zooming in’ on distant targets like his argel eyes. He could tell that she was an elibu because of the long pointy ears protruding through her hair.

  Beyd was an argel town. There were no elibu in Beyd. Consequently, she was by default an exotic creature to Kiel, who rarely left Beyd.

  Did she perhaps want to come to town, but was afraid that the townsfolk would be hostile to her? Was she raised in an elibu city and didn’t feel comfortable around argel? That was certainly possible, considering how only the big cities had residents of both races. Many halneans lived their entire lives without contact with the other race.

  Kiel was not a people’s person. Showing genuine interest in others was not something he often did. And yet, this girl, who sat in the same spot every day, under the harsh sunlight from morning until dusk, managed to pique his curiosity.

  Perhaps he felt intrigued because of his natural attraction towards mysteries – he liked being challenged, the process of finding a solution to a problem amused him greatly. Maybe it was because he longed for something new and exciting to break his everyday monotony.

  Or perhaps his innate sense of danger was trying to warn him that his life was about to take a sudden turn. It could have been a premonition of fate, for the wheel steering his life might have already been far beyond his reach, firmly in the hands of another.

  Either way, whenever he stopped his work to take a rest, his gaze would drift towards the mysterious girl.

  “Kiel! Did you come to see me?” A high-pitched voice called out to him, making him snap out of his daze and divert his gaze back to the house.

  Piala was waving her hand frantically, evidently delighted to see him. Her unremarkable blue eyes were ogling him disturbingly. She flipped her long blonde hair with brown highlights seductively. Or rather, in a manner she thought was seductive. Kiel disagreed. Though, the issue might have been on his side since he remembered Piala being rather popular in the Beyd academy.

  Her father was a well-known merchant, which led her to believe that she was of a higher social status than everyone else. She had been in the same grade as him so he knew her… well, as well as he could know someone who he was discreetly avoiding as much as possible.

  Kiel walked up to her with a package in hand. “I did come to see you… ” as much as it pains me… - Of course, he left that last part unspoken.

  “Doing deliveries again? Poor Kiel, why do you need to start from the bottom? You should just throw a pool party instead of wasting your time on these meaningless quests. Leave quests to plebs!”

  Kiel didn’t expect a little pampered stuck up princess, that hadn’t worked hard a day in her life, to understand that everyone did quests – lower social class and nobles alike.

  The entire economy of Halnea revolved around quests. Whenever someone wanted something done, they would put up a quest in the quest lodge. Quest seekers, who met the skill requirements of the quest, could then take it and complete it for the bounty or glory.

  Ironic how a middle-class nobody like herself could be so pompous and condescending. He would have expected it from a noble like his father and brother – they had reasons to be arrogant and patronizing. Piala, on the other hand, was full of hot air.

  Kiel had to exert extra effort to keep the scowl of disgust off his face and instead, smile his trademark gentle, charming smile.

  “I don’t want to take advantage of my father’s influence to advance in quest seeker rank. I want to do it with my power alone, just like everyone else.” Kiel lied.

  He had no intention of mentioning that his father didn’t approve of his life plan. Hence, he offered no help in getting him the credentials needed to challenge the ‘fun’ quests.

  “Besid
es, spending the whole day relaxing by the pool gets dull quickly.”

  She giggled and fluttered her eyelashes attempting to be charming. “I would not let you be bored!”

  Kiel swallowed down the bile silently, trying to ignore his gag reflex as he handed her the package addressed to her name.

  Piala, from the moment she first saw him, had designated Kiel as her prince charming.

  He had shiny, straight yet slightly messy hair, the color of the midnight sky, the ends of which reached past his chin. Thick locks of deep blue strands on the left side of his face made his piercing icy blue eyes look even more striking. All argel had multi-colored hair – a racial trait of which Kiel was no exception.

  She remembered how his eyes scanned the room back then. As his diamond shaped pupils that argel were known for met her eyes, she felt her heart skip a beat. She could swear his eyes lit up as well. It hadn’t occurred to her that it was the optical trick of light caused by the contrast between two black rings spreading around his pupil and the rest of his pale blue iris.

  She had never seen anyone as gorgeous as him. Of course, she had heard that most nobles were gorgeous, but still, she was sure that Kiel was stunning even by noble standards, since she couldn’t possibly imagine how anyone could be more dazzling. It might come as a surprise, but Piala wasn’t known for being imaginative.

  Later that day, when she came to introduce herself, he shook her hand. Her knees almost gave out when she felt his pale, smooth, flawless skin against her own.

  She thought that Kiel must have felt shy because he never asked her out, even though she followed him around all through the academy like a mana wyrm. ( Leech-like creature that feeds on mana. Upon finding a good mana source, it sticks around it until its depleted.)

  “Kiel, do you know that elibu?” Piala nodded her head towards the girl sitting on the cliff, her jealousy rearing its ugly head.

  “No, why do you ask?” He wondered, mild surprise spreading on his face.