Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend

While Raegar lay unconscious, his mind drifted into the depths of memory, pulling him back to the days of his childhood. A familiar face surfaced in his dreams, one he hadn't seen in years.

She was the youngest daughter of Duke Lucas Romanov, who ran the northern province of the empire. Their paths had first crossed at a noblewoman's gathering, an event where titles and etiquette held more weight than friendships.

His mother, Victoria, had been given a special invite because of her mastery of magic, a reputation that earned her respect even in the aristocracy of the Empire. That day, among the halls and conversations, he met the only friend he made since coming to this world.

Raegar was sitting off to the side while his mother mingled with the noble ladies who were happy to see her. He had tried to talk to the other children, but they were in their little groups, which he couldn't be bothered to deal with.

While sitting there, a brown-haired little girl appeared beside him with a scowl as her big green eyes gleamed like a star. Soon the stranger had calmed down as she introduced herself in a sweet voice. ''I'm Bella Romanov. Am I right to assume your parents dragged here you as well?''

''Raegar Blackwood,'' he replied with a friendly smile. ''And yes. My mother brought me here to meet children my age, which is strange because most of them are stuck up.''

Bella looked at him with a confused expression, causing him to explain. ''I prefer studying magic and reading. It's better than listening to the noble boys talk about them becoming dukes and slaying whole swarms of monsters or claiming a princess. It's boring.''

The little girl giggled before answering. ''Yes, they can get annoying. My siblings are just like that, so I've grown used to it. Do you have any brothers or sisters?''

''Lucky you,'' Raegar replied with a nod. ''Yes, but they are older and rarely visit. Even when they do, they're always busy, so I tend not to bother them.''

Following that, the two of them continued talking as Bella brought up magic and the duo couldn't stop. While they did that, three women stood off to the side with amused smiles as a brown-haired lady looked at his mother.

''Looks like our children get along well, Vic. It begs a differ to how we became friends,'' she said with a giggle.

Victoria laughed along before answering. ''Not my fault you were a bitch Jess, but yes it's good to see Raegar talking to someone his age. I've been worried that he wouldn't be able to make friends when he joins the academy.''

After speaking, the last woman spoke with a curious expression. ''Well, Bella is an anti-social girl. It's good they found each other. Maybe you should arrange a marriage for the two? It would bind your families.''

''No.'' Both women replied instantly, causing everyone to laugh.

Jess was the first to speak in a love-filled voice while looking at her daughter. ''Unlike my father and mother, I won't force her to marry anyone she doesn't want to. Plus, we Romanovs grow stronger when we match well with our husband.''

While they were chatting, Raegar and Bella were chatting animatedly before the brown-haired girl grabbed his hand with sparkling eyes. ''Follow me and I'll show you something Rae, but you must promise not to tell anyone?''

''I agree,'' he answered with an honest smile. ''I promise.''

Bella beamed as she started dragging him to a nearby balcony and the two stepped outside, only to feel the cold air brush against his skin. While the duo stood there, she raised her hands and started muttering.

Moments later, a phoenix materialized out of nowhere, made of ice, and flew into the air, which shocked him, 'She can use magic as well?' he thought with glowing red eyes.

''Do you like it?'' Bella asked with a hopeful expression.

Raegar turned to the girl and nodded. ''Yes, it was amazing. I can't believe you can use magic. How old are you?''

''Just turned nine,'' she answered while drinking some orange juice a maid brought to them. ''What about you Rae?''

''Eight, I still have a few months before my birthday,'' he responded just as the ice phoenix flew in their direction and vanished.

Bella's eyes sparkled with excitement as she gently took Raegar's hands in hers, her fingers cool to the touch. ''Did you know ice magic can remove scars?'' she asked with a hint of pride in her voice.

Raegar glanced down at his hands, noticing the faint scars he had earned through years of training. They had never bothered him, but curiosity stirred within him. He lifted his gaze to meet Bella's and held out his hands.

''Show me,'' he said, intrigued. ''This is the first time I've seen such magic in action.''

When the girl heard this, she happily agreed before placing her hands on his and chanting something. Moments later, Raegar felt a chill run across his body, which woke him up. 'Ahhh,' he thought as the pain racked his body. 'That damn spider was too strong for me to fight.'

He glanced around, taking in the cramped room with its simple bed, table, and chair. It all felt so basic apart from the wood burner in the corner, making him wonder, 'Am I in a hunting shack or something?'

Following that, Raegar leaned up only to wince as pain washed across his body, but it soon faded. Without waiting, he threw back to the covers only to be horrified as horrible scars littered his body.

He tried to use the ice healing spell but couldn't remember it, which frustrated him. 'I need to wait until I see grandmother or go to a city to find someone who can heal me.'

Moments later, the door slammed open and Raegar's jaw dropped open in shock. 'An orc! But they look like humans.'

The man watching him stood with his arms crossed, his green eyes narrowing as he spoke with cold indifference. ''Good, you're up. At least we don't have to babysit you anymore and can work out how you'll pay for our services.''

Raegar's mind was still hazy, but the hostility in the man's tone was unmistakable. He wasn't welcome here, causing him to shake his head. ''What? I have to pay for getting rescued?''

''Yes, healing you wasn't easy and my wife is still out cold because of the mana drain caused,'' the orc man replied before getting to work after filling the fire.

''Okay, I don't have any gold but I could help with anything,'' Raegar said while rubbing his head. ''It's only fair since I would be dead if it wasn't for you.''

The orc furrowed his brow, momentarily stunned by Raegar's calm acceptance, but soon gave a firm nod.

''Good. At least you've got some sense,'' he grunted. ''Name's Hogar Bloodaxe—your boss until the debt is paid.''

Raegar met his gaze without hesitation and offered a friendly smile. ''Raegar Blackwood. It's nice to meet you.''

The orc let out a low chuckle, amused by his attitude. ''We'll see if you're still that polite after a hard day's work, human,'' he remarked before turning away.

As he left, his parting words were short but clear, ''Get some rest. You start in the morning.''

Raegar looked around and noticed his magic bag was next to the bed safe, which made him sigh in relief. He summoned his daggers, which appeared seconds later before he stored them away.

'Let's eat and explore as I need to walk,' he mused while eating some campfire bread he made a while back.

Following that, Raegar got out of bed while chewing on the delicious food, which filled him up. His legs were weak, but this caused him to take out the only health potion he had, thanks to his grandfather.

''At least the old man had the sense to add this,'' he muttered before downing it.

Raegar watched as some of his scars faded, but the deeper ones remained, the jagged one across his chest and another slash across his cheek. He couldn't wait for the day he'd finally be healed.

Afterward, he kept eating his bread as he walked outside, taking in the sight of towering trees surrounding him, with a trail veering off to the side. What caught Raegar's attention was drawn to a massive pile of logs stacked in one corner, larger than the shack.

'That's a lot of firewood but winter is coming,' he thought while glancing at the grey sky.

Raegar finished his bread, which made him feel full, then grabbed a few branches and summoned one of his daggers to use it to chop some wood before carrying it back inside to start a fire.

Once in the shack, he started a fire with the little Aether he had left before sitting down and gathering to recover some.

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