Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend

Raegar watched Jasper's face change to one of stress as he revealed. ''The northern realms have broke the truce with the empire, pirates are raiding from the east. Then there's the remaining demon and demi-human armies lingering in the south.''

''So, everything is chaos, and a major war is due?'' he commented with a chuckle. ''Just like every ten years, it's a regular thing here on Kaldorra.''

His brother laughed as he agreed. ''You're right, brother. I forgot you love history and reading books.''

Following that, the two of them started eating when Jessica brought over their food, which consisted of a steak, mashed potatoes, and some unknown vegetables he had never seen. This caught his attention, but the young woman spoke.

''This is a Tier Three forest boar steak, elvish creamy mash, and some southern veggies,'' she said with a big smile.

''Thank you, Miss Jessica,'' Jasper replied with a smile while handing over a gold coin.

The young woman beamed before thanking the payment and rushing off to get change, which made them laugh. He was about to eat, but his brother interrupted him. ''Can I see your face?''

Raegar stiffened at the words, but Jasper quickly cast a spell that hid their table from prying eyes with a chuckle. ''Sorry, I forgot to cover us.''

He shook his head, peeling off the mask and letting the cold air sweep across his skin. His brother gasped, then exclaimed, ''Bless the gods! That's a battle scar any soldier would wear with pride.''

''Huh?'' Raegar mumbled, caught off guard.

Jasper burst into laughter as he elaborated, ''I get why you'd hide it with a mask, but walking away from a Devil Lord with just a scar? That's something to brag about, brother; not even Tier Two warriors have walked scarred. Most have lost a limb or their lives.''

Raegar put the mask on while replying with glowing red eyes. ''It was hard, but I did it, and would do it again as devils deserve no mercy along with bandits and outlaws,'' he declared with a burning determination.

''Oh wow,'' his brother muttered in amazement. ''Grandfather was right, you're a determined little shit who will end up changing the world but there's something else, something different about you since awakening your Aether.''

''What do you mean?'' he curiously asked.

Jasper rubbed his chin before revealing with a smile. ''You remind me of the warriors from old, especially with your skill when taking out the Korrvethians or Lunathyrians. I've heard the stories the merchants are spreading.''

He gazed at him, pride shining in the familiar red eyes as he concluded. ''The white blur that strikes down the empire's enemies or leaves explosions echoing for miles, you've become truly something extraordinary. Keep pushing forward, little bro. I can't wait to see how high you'll rise in this world.''

Raegar didn't know what to say, but Jasper urged them to eat after saying. ''Once we're out of town, do you want to spar with me?''

''Yes,'' he answered near instantly, as he wanted to see how strong his sibling was.

Following that, the two of them continued eating and chatting about their lives. Jasper was amazed when listening to his stories about fighting he devil, monsters in the forest and his rewards from the City Lord in the Nytheria Kingdom.

When his brother heard that, a proud smile appeared on his face as he exclaimed. ''Father will be happy that you took out the bandits; he hates them as much as you.''

After finishing their meal, the pair headed toward the town square where Yuki, Saki, Edmund, and the Blackwood Guards awaited. As the group caught sight of them, the cat woman broke away and strode straight toward him.

''Young master,'' she said with a big smile. ''The road to Deadwater City is clear. We spoke to a group of adventurers that arrived from the north.''

Raegar was curious, just as Jasper explained. ''Yes it is, I cleared it with the soldiers I came with but High Command has allowed me to go get married. My guards and I will be traveling alongside you.''

''That's fine,'' he replied to his brother before greeting Yuki with a hug.

This made the cat woman's cheeks go red just before they left Ravenhollow with two hundred heavily armed Dawnfire soldiers that led the with Jasper leading. Raegar and the others were sitting in the carriage.

As they traveled, the mother and daughter duo chatted excitedly about the upcoming wedding and reuniting with his mother while he focused on gathering Aether to replenish his pools.

The Dawnfire soldiers stood guard of the perimeter from any monsters that dared to approach. Raegar was happy he didn't have to fight and could relax for a while as he tried to level up but failed.

''There's no point in trying until you arrive at the academy,'' Yuki's soft voice reached his ears. ''If I remember, leveling up from Vapour to Mist is risky and can damage your Aether Pools if not done correctly.''

Raegar shivered at her words but stopped attempting as he only had to wait a month until he would be attending classes. Following that, hours passed as the three of them spoke, just before the caravan came to a stop.

''We camp here for the night!'' a soldier's voice echoed out.

When Saki heard this, she quickly stepped outside while speaking. ''I need to stretch my legs. Come, Yuki, let's set up our tents.''

Raegar watched as the two maids went about their business as Edmund commanded the Blackwood Guards to rest. His brother's soldiers patrolled the edge of the night camp, prompting him to start drawing runes around it.

While he was busy doing that, two Dawnfire commanders appeared with doubtful expressions as one of them questioned. ''What are you doing?''

''Creating runes to stop the Nightwalkers from abducting you or your soldiers,'' he answered before turning to the men. ''They plague Nytheria and the southern realms. The bad news is that they have made their way into the empire thanks to the war.''

''What kind of creatures are they, young master?'' the second man asked.

Raegar took out the guide he had gotten months ago and showed the two a picture of a Nightwalker, which made them tremble. The first commander questioned. ''And these runes stop these vile creatures from ambushing us?''

''Yes, I learned it from the people who used to live in Redwood Village,'' he revealed. ''Just make sure your soldiers don't follow the voices. The Nightwalkers that roam the empire must be strong thanks to all the victims along the way.''

The two men nodded in respect as the first spoke. ''Thank you for the information, young master. We didn't know such creatures roamed these lands.''

''You're welcome, commander,'' he replied before getting back to work.

Raegar circled the entire camp just in time. The creatures' voices echoed out, but he soon realized the Hollowborns were with them. He made his way over to the command tent and entered.

Jasper's face lit up with a warm smile as he spotted him entering, calling out, ''Hey, little bro! What brings you here?''

''Tell your mages to shield the camp and order the soldiers inside the tents,'' he warned. ''Hollowborns are surrounding us. These creatures are good at luring in soldiers and travellers, but I can deal with them if I'm not watching this place.''

When Jasper and the commanders heard this, one of them, a young man with blonde hair, jumped up, exclaiming. ''We can leave our protection to a masked stranger!''

Raegar's head snapped toward the voice, but Jasper cut it off with a stern voice. ''Yes we can, Luthian. My little brother is the sole reason the empire took back the land. If not for his attacks, we would have lost thousands retaking the fortresses.''

The second-in-command got annoyed and grew quiet just before Jasper turned to him. ''Take care of the creatures, keep the Aether Cores. I know you young mages love those things, but I'd have to give it up to the empire.''

''Thanks,'' he replied and left the camp.

Raegar approached the runes while summoning his daggers just as some of the soldiers were listening to the Hollowborn voices. He crouched down while casting Enhancement on him before exploding forward and appearing in front of the leader.

The creature was shocked, but he quickly sliced its body into pieces just as howls rang out, prompting the rest of the monsters to lunge at him. He moved so fast that they couldn't keep up with him or his blades.

Hollowborns and Nightwalkers dropped in heaps, the survivors scattering into the shadows. Raegar didn't bother pursuing them, he knew the creatures would steer clear of him from now on.

Instead, he moved through the battlefield, calmly gathering the scattered Aether Cores. They were only Tier Twos, but he'd take anything. While busy with this, Jaspers voice sounded from behind him.

''You're turning into a loot gremlin, little brother,'' he teased. ''Grandfather would love this.''

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