Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend

Raegar's eyebrow shot up in curiosity, but he nodded as he was led toward the Lord Inquisitor's office. Ten minutes later, he arrived at a wooden door that the older woman knocked on.

Moments later, a feminine voice echoed out. ''Come in!''

As they entered the room, Raegar's gaze locked onto a white-haired woman with piercing red eyes that halted him in his tracks. Her uncanny resemblance to his mother sent a jolt through him, stirring a whirl of thoughts.

'Cousin? Aunt, perhaps?' he wondered, his mind racing to place her familiar features.

Her presence carried the weight of countless battles; her face and arms bore a lot of scars, each mark a story from the conflicts she had endured, but the aura around the woman was something else, similar to Griffin but stronger.

Following that, Raegar watched her glance up, only to go wide-eyed when spotting him standing there. He watched as the older woman beamed before standing up and making her way toward him, speaking with a knowing smile.

''Hello, nephew. I'm Amara Vaelthrone, one of your sunts, and I must say you got your good looks from my baby sister, but also a war trophy from a Devil Lord,'' she revealed with a grin.

''What?'' he replied, confused.

Yvette's jaw dropped as she muttered. ''You're related to the Ghost of the South Lord Inquisistor? Amazing.''

Amara turned to the grey-haired woman and answered with a laugh. ''That I am. I thought you would have guessed with the white hair we share. It's a Vaelthrone feature.''

He shook his head and stepped closer to his aunt, replying curiously. ''So your Aunt Amara? Mother told me you were an exceptional warrior, but I didn't know you were a Devil Hunter and an Inquisitor at that.''

''I'm not one anymore,'' she revealed, dragging him into a tight hug. ''Well, I do fight Devils, but just city-level threats or lords like you fought.''

Raegar narrowed his eyes to sense her Aether, and when he spotted it, he was shocked. She was close to becoming a Tier Ten Warrior, but still not close to Griffen who was far above that but it was shocking.

He shifted his attention to Yvette, a Tier Six commander in the Devil Hunter Order—a rank that suited her formidable presence without surprise. As he glanced at the older woman, his aunt's voice cut through, her knowing smile sharp with pride.

''I heard about that mess with big brother Cassian and that little snake Rhaelor,'' she said. ''One of your cousins sent me the Aether Recording. You impressed me, Raegar.''

''How do you know about that? It happened once I left grandfathers,'' he questioned with a confused expression.

Amara beamed before lifting a device, explaining. ''One of your cousins sent me the Aether Recording; you impress me. You'll be one of the top students in Drakenwood if you put effort into it.''

''That's the plan, aunty,'' he replied excitedly. ''I want to learn more. Reading books and exploring can only teach me so much.''

The older woman beamed while turning to Yvette. ''Could you give us some time? This is the first time meeting my nephew after so many years.''

''Of course, Inquisitor,'' Yvette responded, her expression one of calm respect.

As she turned to leave, she paused to address Raegar, a warm glint in her eyes. ''It was a pleasure meeting you, young master. I look forward to crossing paths again.''

Following her words, Yvette left the room as Amara handed him a metal plate. ''Here, nephew. Show this to Valentina Morrirs, and she will know you're worthy to join her classes, which will get you out of the test.''

''Okay,'' he said and stored it in his ring, thanking her. ''Thank you for that, Aunty.''

The white-haired woman waved him away with a knowing expression. ''Prove what Father said about you and that pass will be more than worth it.''

Raegar's eyebrow shot up, asking. ''What's that old man said about me now?''

His aunt chuckled at this and replied. ''Nothing bad, apart from your lack of social skills, and you'll be a shining star that will uplift the Vaelthornes. It's one of the reasons why you weren't kicked out.''

''Damn family, they started this. Uncle Cassian was decent enough to apologize, and I understand his point of view,'' he commented with a sigh. ''But the others looked at me like I'm a monster.''

Amara giggled at this while nodding. ''Well yes, Serenya and Vanessa seem to dislike you after that show back home.''

He shrugged with an indifferent expression. ''I don't care about that. Rhaelor and Draevor attacked me after I threatened that bitch Calista.''

The older woman chuckled at his words but quickly agreed. ''Yes, they are stuck up brats. You did the right thing by defending your girlfriend. How is Yuki? I bet she's beautiful now.''

''She is,'' Raegar answered with a nod. ''What about you? No husband yet?''

Amara started laughing even harder and revealed. ''You've met my lover's nephew.''

''Huh?'' he blurted out. ''One of the knights?''

''No,'' she responded. ''It's Yvette. Does this bother you?''

Raegar shot her a look, his brow furrowing as if she'd said something absurd. ''Why would I care who you love, Amara?'' he scoffed. ''It's none of my business. If you're happy and she treats you right, who am I to judge anyone's love life?''

Following that, silence overtook the room as the older woman looked at him with an unknown expression. She shook her head and spoke. ''That's surprising. Every noble I've met apart from the family look down on it.''

He chuckled, answering. ''Yes, and a majority of nobles are strange creatures, but enough of that. I should be heading toward Drakenwood. There were loads of students on the road.''

Afterward, Amara agreed and stood up smiling. ''You need to get some rest until the tests start. You'll have a full day to recover whatever Aether you've used, but make sure not to buy anything off the merchants along the road; they are sneaky and conniving.''

Just then, the door flew open, and the grey-haired Yvette rushed in warning. ''Lord Inquistor! A Tier Five Devil has appeared further east. High Command wants you to go deal with the fiend.''

He caught his aunt's soft sigh as she rose to her feet, her warm gaze settling on him with affection. ''Students are free to explore the Willowbank Village where we have an office in where I'm normally stationed thanks to the attacks,'' she said, her voice gentle but firm. ''Make sure you come visit me when you can, alright?''

Moments later, Amara pulled him into a brief, heartfelt hug before slipping out of the room. Yvette offered him a kind smile, her eyes crinkling with quiet encouragement. With a nod, he left the Devil Hunters' base, emerging onto the street.

Raegar explored Brightwater for a some time and came across the Adventurers Guild, which looked as busy as any other in the empire, prompting him to think. 'Should I empty my ring? I'll get loads of gold for it.'

Following that, he entered the guils only for the people to stare at his face. Some grimaced while others gossiped. He ignored this, approaching the desk where a young man was sitting, waiting for someone to appear.

''Hello there, I'm Davis,'' the man greeted him while ignoring the scars, which was good for both. ''What can I do for you, young man?''

''I want to sell all the monster parts I've gathered on my journey here,'' Raegar replied, taking out his Rank D card.

This shocked Davis, and his eyes widened. ''So young to be granted this rank. What did you do?''

''Killed a Devil Lord in Dreadshade City,'' he revealed. ''The Guild Master gave me if for saving the Strike Squad.''

The young man smiled before handing it back. ''I heard about that horrible incident; it caused the higher-ups to panic.''

Raegar chuckled as he asked. ''Where can I see my stuff? I have to get moving to the academy.''

''Yes, come this way,'' Davis said and led him to a back room only to enter. ''The workers here will organize it, allowing me to bring out your payment on their finished.''

Moments later, he spotted a few men milling around as the young man turned to him and motioned for a nearby square. ''Empty your goods on there and we'll sort it out.''

Raegar did hyst that, and a massive pile appeared, shocking everyone in the room, but Davis spoke excitedly to the men. ''Come on, ladies, let's get to work and earn a fat bonus from the new Guild Master get announced!''

As the staff members busied themselves around the room, a young man nearby caught Raegar's eye and spoke up, his tone laced with admiration. ''Must've been no small feat collecting all this,'' he said, gesturing to the pile. ''Some of these beasts are tough Tier Threes.''

''They were easy to kill,'' Raegar replied with a confident smile. ''I've been killing monsters most days this year; I have experience with them.''

Davis looked shocked but nodded. ''Well, if you'd like to wait outside, we should be done in an hour.''