Aethernea

by Cloe D Frost

  The reason why Kiel especially remembered Nelaira Helyot was because she became a Muni professor teaching classes related to the operation of the Purge. Since Kiel had always been quite interested in the mysteries of the forbidden zone, he figured that he would be taking her classes sooner or later, therefore, he found her worth remembering.

  Kiel’s gaze didn’t linger on Nelaira for long, he continued his inspection of other participants. The next face he didn’t recognize so he quickly moved on to the 6th participant.

  It was an argel with a wild air about him. His hair was red and spiky, sticking out everywhere messily. There were several strands of hair on top of his head that were especially eye-catching which were colored in a warm yellow similar to the color of his eyes.

  Judging by his glare and wild aura, Kiel would have thought him to be a thug, if it weren’t for his cute baby face that totally ruined the image, dispelling any fear that he could have evoked.

  Kiel instantly recognized this strange person as Deora Thayn.

  The report stated that Deora Thayn was specialized in Temperature manipulation magic and was especially proficient in using fire. While Deora Thayn, as a member of the Thayn family of Peacekeepers, had sufficient battle training, his specialty wasn’t combat. The only reason why he had applied for the battle type Muni exam was because there were no other exams that would allow him to demonstrate his peculiar abilities.

  There were several reasons why Kiel remembered this person. Firstly, the report stated that Deora Thayn was currently an assistant professor at Muni teaching Temperature and Fire magic related subjects. While Kiel was not sure whether he would be taking any of his subjects, he still chose to remember his name.

  Secondly, Kiel chose to remember most people from the list who specialized in fire-related magic, for Kiel ever since his childhood despised fire the most. The mere mention of fire made his blood boil.

  Lastly, what was imprinted in Kiel’s memory the most vividly was a queer tip for dealing with Deora Thayn: “Will explode if called ‘firecracker’.”

  The tip was so strange that it had left Kiel staring at the report dumbfounded for some time, wondering what that tip actually meant.

  Deora Thayn seemed to feel Kiel’s gaze because his eyes locked with Kiel’s. No words were spoken, but Kiel imagined that the words accompanying that gaze would probably be along the lines of “What the **** are you looking at, punk??”

  Kiel averted his eyes not wanting to inadvertently provoke a… firecracker, and he continued his scan. There were only three people left that he hadn’t yet inspected.

  The 7th person was unfamiliar to Kiel, however, the person after that was extremely familiar to Kiel.

  It was a tall argel with a long and wild mane of dark red hair. His hair was speckled with many strands of pure gold. No – those strands weren’t blond, they weren’t yellow – they were pure gold that shined in the sunlight dazzlingly. The eyes that accompanied the man’s exquisitely chiseled face were equally as golden as his hair. Those eyes were so golden that they looked like they were made out of liquid gold, eerily shining under the sun.

  Those golden eyes both especially stood out against and greatly complimented the tanned color of the man’s skin. The man’s strong muscles bulged out under his clothes making him look like a god of war. His dashingly handsome face and strong body could make most females weak in the knees, and his powerful, thick aura screaming “alpha-male” would conquer the rest.

  The man’s bearing, clothes, aura, everything about him exuded power and prestige, making one feel inferior in every way. He was like an emperor looking down on all mortals.

  The picture Kiel had seen in the report couldn’t compare to the majesticness of seeing Zor Arite in person. Nor could the emotions Kiel was currently feeling compare to those he had felt when he initially read about him.

  No, when he had initially read about Zor Arite, his body didn’t freeze like it froze right now, nor did his face turn this unsightly. He also hadn’t gotten an urge to slam his head against the wall out of frustration like he was feeling now.

  Out of all the powerful people I could have been pitted against, it had to be Zor Arite!

  Zor freaking Arite!

  Kiel couldn’t help but grit his teeth to stop himself from cursing out loud.

  He remembered this person especially clearly, and it wasn’t because he was an Arite, even though all Arites were considered as monsters not to be trifled with. It also wasn’t because this person could use pure mana, like every other Arite.

  No. The reason why this particular argel was deeply imprinted in Kiel’s memory was because his face was the first thing he saw when he opened Elaru’s book of people to watch out for.

  He was the first person mentioned in the book.

  And it wasn’t by accident.

  He was the first person mentioned because he was the most powerful one out of all the people in the report – the leader of the golden generation of Muni, the previous heir of the argel branch of the Arite family and the appointed future head of the Purge.

  Not only that, but the person who wrote the report was very helpful in writing the advice for dealing with Zor Arite. Kiel remembered that advice by heart, every and each word.

  Well, that’s because the entire advice consisted of a single word: “Forfeit.”

  * * *

  Author Note

  Patreon must have rounded it up or something :P

  Coming up in the next episode:

  Saying that Kiel’s luck was horrid would be an understatement. But, hey, at least it couldn’t get any worse than this, right? Wrong. It could get worse. It could always get worse.

  Kiel took an involuntary step back, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. What was happening around him made him question the nature of his reality.

  The silence inside his mind was unbearable. Every second he spent waiting for the response seemed like hours. His heart kept accelerating, threatening to jump out of his chest.

  Is he suggesting we team up and beat down other participants of the battle?

  * * *

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  Episode 98 – Replica or Not

  Episode 98 – Replica or Not

  Previously:

  The day of the practical exams is finally here. Kiel enters the 4th floor of Replica Dungeon to take the exam. The Replica Dungeon transports him to a large arena where his exam will be taking place. Out of 9 other exam participants, Kiel recognizes 3 of them, with the third one being Zor Arite.

  * * *

  As Kiel gazed at the imposing presence of Zor Arite, he felt his hopes of a perfect score crumble into nothingness. Zor Arite was a giant, impassable mountain crushing all hope. He was a monster among monsters, a person that had effortlessly managed to achieve a perfect score in the Muni exams 21 years ago. A person whose power was enough to annihilate all of the remaining 9 participants, Kiel included, even if they ganged up on him.

  Saying that Kiel’s luck was horrid would be an understatement.

  But, hey, at least it couldn’t get any worse than this, right?

  Wrong.

  It could get worse.

  It could always get worse.

  Kiel confirmed this as soon as his gaze reached the final participant in the exam, who came out of the room right next to his.

  When Kiel’s eyes landed on that familiar face, his face stiffened, and his mind was overcome with all swear words in his dictionary. The man finally turned his head, his gaze locking with Kiel’s.

  His eyes widened in shock, and he let out a disbelieving exclamation: “Huh? Little brother, what are you doing here?”

  The person who stared back at Kiel was no other than his older brother – Rhur Rroda.

  Or rather, it was a Replica of Rhur Rroda who took this exam last year.

  Kiel remained silent as if he didn’t hear the questi
on directed his way.

  Look at the bright side, I always wanted to give Rhur Rroda a beating. Kiel thought, but as soon as the thought entered his mind, his face darkened further. Unfortunately, with my current skills I’m not qualified to give him a beating. Even winning a pyrrhic victory would be an issue.

  Completely unaware of Kiel’s thoughts, Rhur’s shock quickly dissipated, replaced by a frown. He gently flew towards Kiel, stopping at arm’s length.

  Kiel’s pupils contracted as he stared at the Replica of his older brother. All of his features were identical to Rhur’s. Even his aura felt exactly like the aura of the real Rhur. Not just his appearance and aura, even his scent was the same – Kiel could clearly smell Rhur’s favorite cologne.

  Kiel was so preoccupied with trying to find a flaw that his mind barely registered Rhur’s voice: “Is this why you wanted to tag along with me and come to Ashar? To take the Muni exams? I must say that I’m impressed you made it this far. However, your efforts are futile. You haven’t finished high school yet, little brother. You can’t enroll in Muni.”

  Kiel’s body suddenly broke out in goosebumps. When Elaru had told him that everything besides the soul could be copied, including one’s consciousness, Kiel was extremely skeptical.

  The idea that there could be another him inside the Replica Dungeon that holds his memories, and thinks, feels and acts exactly like him, made Kiel’s hair stand on end.

  Seeing the Replica of Rhur Rroda, made Kiel feel like he had been hit with a hammer.

  How are Replicas mere flawed copies?! The person in front of him was in every way identical to Rhur Rroda.

  There was simply no difference. Not even a minute one.

  And worst still…this Replica of Rhur Rroda wasn’t even aware that he wasn’t the real Rhur Rroda. He thought that he was taking the exams right now!

  Rhur Rroda believed that he was the protagonist of this exam. In fact, every one of the participants thought that they were here to take the Muni exam. None of them realized that they were merely Replicas of the real people who had long ago finished this exam.

  Kiel took an involuntary step back, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. What was happening around him made him question the nature of his reality.

  If Replicas were identical to the original, if they behaved and thought just like the original, then what if he was just like them? What if he was only a Replica of the true Kiel who had long ago finished this exam?

  How would he know whether he was the real Kiel? Perhaps one of the faces he didn’t recognize was the real protagonist of this exam.

  Kiel’s mind spun. Is he the real Kiel Rroda? Or is he a Replica?

  Desperately he called out to Elaru. If he could contact her, that meant that she existed. And since she wasn’t inside the Replica Dungeon, if she existed, then it meant that she was outside, in the “real” world. And only the real Kiel could have a connection to a real Elaru.

  If Elaru could respond to him, then, surely, he was the real Kiel.

  The silence inside his mind was unbearable. Every second he spent waiting for the response seemed like hours. His heart kept accelerating, threatening to jump out of his chest.

  And then, when he finally heard a voice respond to him inside his head, to him it was the most beautiful voice in existence.

  “Yeah? What is it?”

  Elaru’s melodious voice was simply the divine music. At this moment, there was simply no sound more wonderful. Her casual response acted like a soothing tonic, calming Kiel’s mind and heart.

  “Uh, nothing. Never mind.” Kiel let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

  I am real. I am not a Replica. Kiel inhaled a deep breath. Get yourself together! He ordered himself, yet his heart was still beating erratically, his mind was still running wild with possibilities.

  He might be the true Kiel, but… what if what he thought as true wasn’t true at all? What if the “true” Kiel was also only a Replica?

  Since he can’t tell the difference between the world inside the Replica Dungeon and the real world, then, how can he be sure that that which he called the real world was real?

  The blood inside him ran cold.

  What if the entire world of Halnea was just a Replica Dungeon on a larger scale? A world created by a divine artifact controlled by a being calling itself a god?

  What if what he called “grass”, “wood”, “steel”, “rock”, what if all of it was just a copy of a material from a higher realm?

  What if everything and everyone he knew were only Replicas?

  Kiel stared unblinkingly at the minute changes of expression on Rhur’s face. Rhur didn’t seem to be too pleased that Kiel wasn’t responding to his questions, yet he still tried to be as perfect of a nobleman as he was supposed to be in public.

  A strange thought entered Kiel’s mind. Would it even matter?

  Would it matter if that which he thought as “real” wasn’t really “real”?

  In fact, what is “real”?

  If he can smell it, touch it, feel it, interact with it in every way as if it was “real”… If there is no difference between that which is “real” and that which is not, then that which is not “real” would become real.

  What is real, what is true, what is unreal, what is false – all of it is a matter of perspective.

  If he was a Replica in a world of Replicas, this false world of Replicas would be his reality. To him, the existence of the original would be “false”.

  What is real is up to me to decide. Kiel’s mind finally settled down. For me, this Replica world I am in is just as real as the outside world. Both worlds are just as real.

  That’s right. Kiel’s mind cleared. Replicas were just people from an earlier time, not much different than him. Like an image stuck in the past.

  A loud sound of snapping fingers woke Kiel up from his thoughts. “Are you alright, little brother? You zoned out on me.” Rhur looked at Kiel with his eyebrow raised. “It’s ok to be surprised… but get yourself together. We are in the middle of a battle royale. If your moment of distraction ends up causing you to get eliminated, grandfather would be livid. ‘Dragging the Rroda name through the mud’ and all that.”

  Rhur chuckled softly, his voice carrying affection and worry of an older brother that only Kiel would be able to recognize as completely fake. Personally, Rhur would be the first one to gloat if such a thing happened to Kiel.

  Kiel’s eyes narrowed, and he finally responded. “Thank you for your reminder, older brother. You know better than anyone how livid grandfather becomes when he considers something as ‘dragging Rroda name through the mud’.”

  Rhur’s soft smile stiffened. Wasn’t Kiel implying that Rhur often dragged the Rroda name through the mud and thus made Venric angry?

  “You’re welcome. We brothers have to stick together. Infighting would cause others to laugh at us.” Rhur beamed yet his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Luck is on our side today, little brother. Let’s show them the combined might of the Rrodas.”

  Is he suggesting we team up and beat down other participants of the battle? Kiel’s expression showed no surprise. He and Rhur might be on bad terms, however, infighting, when confronted by a common enemy, would be simply stupid.

  Since there were ten people participating in the exam, a single person would find it extremely difficult to beat everyone by himself. Especially if other participants teamed up when fighting against them. That’s why it would be beneficial to have an ally in such a situation.

  Well, Rhur could hardly be considered an ally, however, Kiel could trust that Rhur wouldn’t pull any underhanded methods as long as there were common enemies to fight against.

  There was an unspoken rule in every noble family that should never be broken – infighting was only allowed if it didn’t negatively impact the interests or the honor of the family. It was absolutely the greatest of humiliation if an outsider reaped benefits at the expense of their family because of their infigh
ting.

  It was the greatest taboo that could easily lead to one getting expelled from the family by the family head.

  If Rhur knocked his own brother out of the competition while there were other competitors he could have targeted instead, in the best-case scenario, people would look down and him and talk trash behind his back. In the worst-case scenario, Venric would be absolutely livid.

  No matter how much Rhur internally wished Kiel would receive the lowest score possible, showing that desire outwardly or contributing towards it would be unsightly. And besides, even if it weren’t so, Rhur wouldn’t go against his own interests no matter how much he hated Kiel. What mattered the most to the Replica of Rhur right now was to perform well in this exam. If he could use Kiel to increase his own score, then he would unhesitatingly do so.

  Thus, Kiel could trust him to a certain extent.

  Kiel glanced at the other examinees. No one had started fighting yet; they were warily looking around themselves, waiting for someone to make the first move.

  “There are three other people we should be wary of.” Kiel pointed them out one by one. “The golden eyed guy should be avoided at all costs. My information says he is stronger than both of us combined. The other two that are dangerous are the brown haired elibu and the ginger.”

  “Eh?” Rhur mused. “Where did you obtain this information?”

  Kiel looked at him like he was an idiot. “From the D.I.” Duh.

  “You are well prepared, little brother. Then let’s avoid those three and take out the other five first.”

  “Agreed.” Kiel nodded.

  The ten participants continued to warily eye one another, trying to determine which one of them would be the easiest prey. However, the stalemate didn’t last for long.

  It was broken by the actions of Zor Arite.

  Unlike the rest of the participants, Zor Arite didn’t seem wary at all. He looked around himself leisurely, seemingly not putting up any defenses. After inspecting every participant, unexpectedly, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, as if he was completely disinterested in this exam.