Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend

As time passed, fatigue soon settled over Raegar like a heavy cloak. Moments later, he crawled into his tent, slipped under the coarse sheets, and drifted into a deep sleep. He stirred with a yawn, crawling out of his tent into the chill morning air.

He quickly noticed a thick mist had settled over the landscape, cloaking the park in ghostly silence. The Windermere family's camp lay quiet, their tents still dark as the sun hadn't yet breached the horizon; he watched this and couldn't but smile when seeing Drakenwood.

'Looks like I made it, now to grow stronger and wait for Grandmother to wake up so she can heal my face,' he mused. 'Hopefully I can reach Vapour soon.'

He set about preparing breakfast, kindling a small fire to warm some leftover bread and meat. While doing that, he sipped fruit juice from Dreadshade City, the familiar tang grounding him in the misty quiet.

Raegar was tending the fire when Rune emerged from his tent, rubbing sleep from his eyes, and caught sight of him. The giant smiled before making his way over to him and plopping down next to him.

''Morning, Rae. Did you hear those howls coming from the Black Forest?'' the brown-haired boy questioned.

He shook his head, answering. ''No, and that's the name of the place that the school owns, right?''

Rune nodded. ''Yes, the headmistress banned us from going inside because powerful Tier Four monsters roam there,'' he revealed.

When Raegar heard this, he decided to explore the Black Forest when he reached Tier Two because he'd be stronger then. Following that, he offered the boy some juice. ''Here, do you want some? It's a fresh drink from the south.''

''Southern Dawnfire or further?'' Rune questioned while taking the drink.

''In the Nytheria Kingdom, but the Peachbelle Fruit used to make it comes from the Forbidden Wastes,'' he answered while drinking some.

With a flick of his wrist, Rune ripped the lid off and took a swig, his eyes flaring wide as Raegar's senses prickled with danger. In a heartbeat, he sprang to his feet, twin blades materializing in a flash to parry a vicious strike aimed at the brown-haired boy's skull.

Thrusting his arms upward, he unleashed a savage kick that hurled the Tier One Devil backward as he threw one of his blades at it, his dagger piercing its glowing eye and putting an end to its life.

As more fiends materialized from the shadows, Rune surged to his feet, unleashing a thunderous roar that shook the air, drawing every monstrous gaze to him, which surprised him.

'A taunting skill!' he internally exclaimed.

The Devils lunged at Rune, their claws gleaming with malice, but the giant boy conjured a towering shield and a massive warhammer, blocking their onslaught with a force that sent him skidding across the ground.

Raegar didn't hesitate, charging forward in a blur of steel, his blades carving through the creatures with ruthless skill, slashing and stabbing in a deadly dance. The fiends fell so swiftly that by the time the Windermeres arrived, the final devil collapsed.

Moments later, several Tier Three Devil Hunters appeared in the small park, watching the scene with wide eyes. He was about to talk until a familiar face appeared with a big smile. Yvette Silverblade stepped out of the darkness.

''Hello there, Blackwood,'' the blonde said with a warm expression. ''Are we even needed here now you've joined the school?''

''Yes, because there are several Tier Four Devils further west, but I can't leave the Windermeres without protection.''

Yvette smiled before ruffling his hair and fussing over him. ''Don't worry about it, we'll go deal with them. More importantly, are you okay?''

Raegar chuckled as she stopped, as he answered. ''I'm fine. I'll be leaving for the academy shortly. You should track those Devil's down, they might escape.''

The older woman nodded and chased after the fiendso once she said her goodbye, leaving Rune confused. The brown-haired boy shook his head while asking. ''You two seemed friendly. Was she a relative?''

''Basically, she's my aunt's lover,'' he revealed, looking at the giant. ''Thanks for your help. That taunt skill was brilliant, I could have used it many times.''

Rune laughed and gave him a proud nod. ''My father taught me, he said it's the perfect tool for a defender,'' he said.

''I agree,'' Raegar revealed.

He shook his head and curiously asked. ''Maybe we can team up. What does your sister specialize in?''

''I'm a mage and archer; my arrows can burn through any creature's hide,'' Vienna's voice echoed from behind the two.

Raegar turned around as the blonde girl stood there with a smile. She continued with a confident tone. ''They were lucky I wasn't there when these creatures appeared.''

The two boys chuckled when Rune turned to him and asked. ''Would you like to join me and sis on the road to the academy?''

''Yes,'' he nodded as their parents stepped out of the tent.

As the dust settled, the adults offered fervent thanks, hastily packing their gear while Raegar's group neared the towering gates of the academy, joined by streams of arriving students.

His sharp gaze caught dozens of boys and girls from Willowbank Village, their silhouettes weaving through the morning sun toward the same destination. While walking, he was looking out for Dominique but couldn't see the elusive vampire.

'I'll see her again,' he mused.

Moments later, Rune stepped beside him with a smile. ''What interests you, Rae? I want to take Potion Brewing and Herbology. I love growing plants to make concoctions to help my friends back home.''

''I've picked three so far, but I know we need seven classes altogether,'' he answered with a confused expression. 'I should've gone to that seminar Caspian mentioned, but I was traveling here while it was on.'

Following that, Vienna appeared as he responded to Rune. ''Dungeoneering, World History, and Devil Hunting are the ones I'm interested in.''

The big guy nodded with a smile. ''Good choices. It seems like you want to be an explorer and dungeon runner,'' he said.

Raegar chuckled as Vienna added. ''No wonder you want to take Devil Classes; they are appearing all over the empire. Duke D'Ambrose is having problems keeping the fiends from attacking the remote villages.''

''Yes, I heard. The empress deployed the Order all over the empire to quell them, but it seems to be useless,'' he replied to the girl.

The siblings nodded just as Kravos spoke up from behind. ''There are over fifty thousand hunters in the Order, if I remember correctly; all but the raw recruits have been deployed to the farming villages and towns.''

Raegar turned around as the older man continued. ''The cities aren't a problem, thanks to the Imperial Guard and Vaelthrone forces protecting them. The empress dispatched the famous General Blackwood to the north. They are fighting strange monsters, but that's far away from our city.''

He couldn't help but smile when hearing about his father but shook his head and revealed. ''Forest Giants, they are from the Old World. If the book I read speaks the truth then they were the previous people who came before us who turned into cannibals.''

When the Windermere Family heard this, their eyes widened as Kravos questioned. ''How do you know that? Only the Northern Nobility have been told that by the Imperial Government.''

''A passing Dawnfire Army when I entered the empire down south,'' he answered.

Following that, the family packed up as the group made their way to Drakenwood, only for him to see docks in the distance unloading cargo. When Mirabel saw this, she revealed. ''Those are the ships that will take the families down the Western River or along the coast to Eryndor, thanks to how dangerous the Kingsway is nowadays.''

''Interesting,'' he muttered before asking. ''Can students take them to get home during the holidays?''

Rune nodded with an excited smile. ''Yes, it's how my sis and I are getting home during Summer Break.''

Vienna giggled and started teasing her brother. ''You just want to see Julia. I bet you miss her.''

When the giant boy heard this, his face went bright red, but he ignored the girl, which made her laugh. ''Where do you come from, Rae?'' the blonde questioned as the group got closer to the academy.

He answered, without taking his eyes off the road. ''Just outside Southwood in the Blackwood County.''

When the siblings heard this, they got excited as Rune inquired with a curious expression. ''Is it always hot down there like the rumors say?''

''Sometimes,'' he said with a shrug. ''Depends how far south you go.''

The three kept chatting, their voices weaving through the cool evening air, while the adults hung back, letting them bond. After a ten-minute trek, they reached the academy's entrance, where a crowd of students milled about, waiting to pass through.

Raegar joined the line as the Windermeres slipped inside, cleared by a guard. The siblings shot him apologetic glances, but he waved them off with a grin. ''Catch you both in class.''