Aethernea

by Cloe D Frost

  However, that didn’t make sense. Arites were noble and far above the mundane world. All their children were princes and princesses in the eyes of all Halneans. How could they send one of their own to serve as a host for examinees?

  Even if this female was punished for something she did, surely her punishment wouldn’t come in the form of servitude?

  “Welcome to the practical exam number 4.” The female’s ethereal voice brought Kiel out of his stupor. That voice was just as timeless and beautiful as her face. And just as her face, it too had only a single flaw – complete and utter lack of any emotion.

  “Apologies for my lack of courtesy.” Kiel smiled apologetically and slightly bowed his head. “I am Kiel Rroda, the examinee number 5642.”

  Kiel pulled out his exam pass and offered it to the female, however, to say that she showed zero interest in his exam pass would be an understatement. She didn’t even spare it a single glance.

  Kiel awkwardly pocketed his exam pass.

  “Take a seat.” The female motioned towards the edges of the room filled with empty egg chairs. That’s when Kiel realized that the chairs in the center of the room were already occupied.

  The people slumped in the chairs were wearing Muni professor uniforms and looked like they were sleeping.

  Kiel nodded to the female and chose a random empty chair. He stepped towards the chair but then paused in his tracks and turned his head towards the female.

  “May I have the honor of knowing your name?” Kiel couldn’t help but ask.

  He had to catch onto this strand of intel, perhaps it would lead him to more information on the nature of Aethernea?

  The woman stared at Kiel wordlessly, her expression just as blank and apathetic as before.

  Just when Kiel thought that she wouldn’t respond, she finally opened her mouth: “I am… Mageheart.”

  Kiel blinked several times in confusion. Mageheart? What kind of a name is that? Is that some sort of a nickname?

  Kiel smiled politely in response and made his way towards the chair.

  When he finally sat down, the female spoke up. “Let me know when you become ready for me to transport you to the site of the exam. When the process starts, you will experience a sudden loss of feeling for a brief moment. Don’t panic, that is normal.”

  Kiel gazed at the lady, expecting her to continue talking. He expected her to explain that they will be allowed to use up to two magical artifacts in the exam. He expected her to ask which ones he wanted to bring. In preparation for the question, he had even taken out a metallic egg from his pocket that the Elaru had given him yesterday.

  Since the only magical artifact Kiel possessed was the ring, Elaru decided to temporarily lend him her egg-shaped artifact. She said that she didn’t need it and wouldn’t use it anyway. However, it might come in handy to him. Since his exam was a battle type exam, in case he was injured and needed to take a breath, or if he needed to block a powerful attack, he could use the egg.

  The egg could establish a strong protective barrier around him that could stop anything from entering inside, be it a physical object, a person, mana, or magic. However, since it wasn’t a divine artifact, it couldn’t keep it up indefinitely. It would eventually run out of power.

  Depending on the power of the attacks against it, it could last from 20 minutes to several hours. However, since the duration of his exam was 30 minutes, he couldn’t stay inside the barrier for long anyway. Otherwise, the exam would end.

  When she offered the egg to him, for a moment, Kiel thought about refusing. He wasn’t used to receiving anything from anyone. Getting such a precious ring from her was already making him feel like he owed her, he couldn’t shamelessly continue receiving her resources.

  But then he remembered, she wasn’t just anybody – she was his partner, his ally. The more powerful he became, the better it would be for her as well.

  They were in this together.

  Therefore, sharing of resources is only to be expected.

  Thus, he accepted the egg. Seeing Elaru’s sincere, bright smile only made him feel like it was the correct choice.

  She then proceeded to spin the different parts of the egg like a Rubik cube until it was adjusted. She said that it was a form of a password. That only the person who knew the right way to align all the parts would be able to activate the egg. She left a single ring not adjusted at told him in which position he needed to rotate it for the egg to activate.

  Kiel clutched the egg in his left hand, waiting for the female to ask him about it. However, she remained silent.

  Only after a long moment of silence did Kiel realize that she was waiting for him to declare himself as ready. Perhaps she was able to see with her eyes that he had only two magical artifacts on him, so she didn’t need to ask him which two he wanted to use.

  “I am ready.” Kiel spoke out.

  The words had barely exited his mouth when the world around him turned completely black. He couldn’t see anything, he couldn’t hear or feel anything either. It was as if he was dreaming. He couldn’t feel the existence of his body, he could feel neither pain nor the beating of his own heart.

  The only thing he could feel in this darkness was his own soul. It was still releasing mana, feeding his mind. Telling him that this wasn’t a dream. That he was very much awake.

  This strange sensation didn’t surprise Kiel.

  Mageheart told him that experiencing a brief moment of blackness was normal and that he would be transported to the site of the exam. However, teleportation never caused such a strange feeling.

  If it weren’t for Elaru telling him the secrets of Replica Dungeon yesterday, Kiel would have been very confused.

  The blackness lasted only for several seconds before all feeling returned to Kiel. He blinked his eyes repeatedly until the world around him became clear.

  He was standing in a small dark stone room. The only light in the room was coming from the exit in front of him.

  Through the gaps in the bars sealing the exit, he could see a brightly lit patch of yellowish earth. He recognized it as the arena. He was currently in the waiting room for the participants of the battle. The other participants were probably in the similar rooms positioned all around the arena.

  Since the exit was barred, Kiel couldn’t walk out immediately. So instead, he looked at his own hands and flexed his fingers.

  A ring, in every way identical to the ring Elaru had given him, was on his right hand. He could feel its enchantment clearly concealing the mark of the Aetherneal bond.

  He had been holding a metal egg before the “transport”, and indeed, a metal egg was gripped tightly inside his left hand.

  Kiel pocketed the egg and looked towards his belt and his feet. Everything was in order.

  He even stealthily pinched the skin on the back of his hand. The sharp pain told him that everything around him was indeed real.

  He took a step forward and inhaled a deep breath. A pleasant musky smell of earth entered his nostrils.

  There was absolutely nothing strange about this situation. It was as if he had been teleported to a distant place where the exams were supposed to be held – the Replica Dungeon.

  Yet he knew that all of it wasn’t as it seemed.

  The words Elaru spoke to him yesterday echoed clearly inside his mind:

  “Replica Dungeon is a subspace inside the basement of Muni. Each floor is a separate dimension sustained by the divine artifact created by the goddess Luvia Arite.”

  “Everything inside the Replica Dungeon is a Replica – a copy of an existing object.”

  “For all intents and purposes, Replicas are completely identical to the original. The only difference being that they are sustained by the divine artifact and cannot exist outside of the Replica Dungeon.”

  “The only thing that the Replica Dungeon cannot replicate is the soul. Even the gods cannot create the soul and thus neither can the artifacts they left behind.”

  “Remember, everythin
g inside the Replica Dungeon is a Replica – even your body. The divine artifact will detach your mind and soul from your true body and reattach them to the Replica body.”

  “Your true body will remain safe exactly where you left it, in the basement of Muni. Even though your soul will be temporarily attached to your Replica body, the artifact will ensure that your true body receives enough mana to sustain it until you repossess it.”

  “Once the exam is done, the artifact will reattach your mind and soul back to your original body.”

  If not for Elaru’s explanation, Kiel would have no idea that the body he was currently moving, the nose he was using to smell the earth, the eyes that he was using to see the particles of dirt, everything was only a copy.

  Suddenly, a loud voice coming from outside woke Kiel up from his inner thoughts: “Welcome to the Muni practical exam. You will be pitted against 9 others in a free for all skirmish. Show us all your prowess. You can kill and be killed without worry. No one will truly die. All of the injuries of the people present will be completely healed upon exiting the Replica Dungeon.”

  If Elaru hadn’t explained to him the nature of the Replica Dungeon, Kiel would have thought this place to be just like all other Arenas which were in possession of a Memory divine artifact with the ability to restore a damaged or destroyed body.

  Yet, Replica Dungeon wasn’t like the Arenas.

  It was completely different.

  “The battle will last 30 minutes. The more people that are left undefeated by the end of those 30 minutes, the lower your score will be. You have 5 minutes to prepare for the battle.”

  These 5 minutes of preparation were meant to give mages the opportunity to set up battle enchantments.

  Kiel used them to reinforce his body and sword. He even enveloped his body and sword in a Temperature isolation barrier in case some of the participants used Temperature based attacks.

  He thickened his mage armor and aura, so that he would have plenty of mana available for future use.

  He even cast a sustained Acceleration spell on himself so he would be able to fly at a moment’s notice.

  * * *

  Author Note

  This is gonna be so much fun! Oh, the plot twists! The excitement! The subtle foreshadowing! These following chapters are going to be the most exciting ones in the first book.

  I am looking forward to sharing them with you guys. ^_^

  Coming up in the next episode:

  “We are not going to the arena today. Today, you have…” Elaru slammed a thick book onto the table, smiling sweetly. “…some last minute cramming to do.”

  One brief glance was enough to stir him to the point of almost swearing out loud. Can my luck get any worse?!

  His section with battling advice was very brief and to the point. It contained a single word: “Forfeit.”

  Kiel’s heart thumped painfully in his chest. What was happening around him made him question the nature of his reality.

  * * *

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  Episode 97 – The Purge

  Episode 97 – The Purge

  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. He has 9 opponents and 30 minutes. The more people that he defeats and the longer he stays undefeated, the higher would be his score. The examiners give the participants 5 minutes to prepare for the exam.

  * * *

  After the five minutes were up, the bars sealing the exit slowly lifted, giving Kiel a clear view of the arena in front of him. There was a large hourglass embedded into the wall of the arena right opposite of his exit. Kiel assumed that when all the sand passed through the hourglass that would signal the end of his exam.

  Other than the large hourglass, the walls of the arena contained other exits with rising bars, just like his. The other participants of the exams were surely behind those bars.

  The examiners have not explained exactly who Kiel would be fighting. From their words, one could infer that Kiel would be fighting other Muni exam participants.

  And in a way, that was the truth – he would be fighting Replicas of the previous exam participants.

  Elaru had told him that the Replica Dungeon would pick nine opponents with different levels of abilities. Therefore, there would be both weak people and strong people among the participants. Based on previous data, there should be four participants who had achieved a result of 15 points or higher in their exams.

  Those are the ones he should be wary of.

  Out of all the people in this world inside the Replica Dungeon, besides the examiners, Kiel would be the only actual person. All others were just flawed copies of the original – mere Replicas.

  The Replica Dungeon would remember every exam participant it had ever hosted, allowing it to Replicate them in the future. Perhaps Kiel would run into someone who had taken a battle exam 20 years ago, or perhaps he would run into someone who had taken it a year ago. Perhaps, a year from now, the new batch of examinees would be forced to fight a Replica of Kiel Rroda.

  The thought that inside this world there might exist another him was unsettling, to say the least.

  * * *

  (Yesterday, Black Pearl Restaurant)

  “We are not going to the arena today. Today, you have…” Elaru slammed a thick book onto the table, smiling sweetly. “…some last-minute cramming to do.”

  “What is that?” Kiel looked skeptically at the huge book.

  “Two days ago, I visited the D.I. and asked them to compile a list of all previous participants which:

  took the Muni exam in the last 30 years,

  had chosen a battle related exam,

  had achieved 15 points or higher.

  I asked them to provide info on their fighting style and tips on defeating them. This report cost me a fortune, you better memorize it well.”

  Looking at the thick book that looked as if it had over 400 pages, Kiel’s face fell.

  “You want me to memorize a 400-page book in a single day?!”

  Elaru shook her head. “No, not memorize but analyze. Find those that are a threat and remember how to deal with them.”

  * * *

  (Present)

  As Kiel exited the small waiting room, he hoped that the four, strong people that the Replica Dungeon chose for him would be among the ones whose details he managed to memorize.

  As soon as he passed through the exit of the room, Kiel halted his steps and carefully glanced at every other participant exiting their respective rooms. His argel eyes could clearly see their features even though the arena was larger than the size of two airbalt stadiums combined.

  His attention fell on the two participants left of him whose faces and features were completely unfamiliar to him. His gaze proceeded onwards, and after the third person who he didn’t recognize either, there was finally a face that he recognized.

  It was an elibu girl with a light brown wavy hair reaching her chin. Although the girl couldn’t be called a great beauty, she was still quite attractive. Her facial features were sharp and dignified like those of most elibu with deep eyes looking like two endless pits one could get lost in.

  Her eyes which looked like two shiny black beads had completely black irises making it impossible for one to tell them apart from her pupils. All in all, it gave her gaze depth unbefitting of her age.

  She wore skin tight, black battle suit and combat boots, which magnified her aura of dignity, power, and confidence. Since she lacked that usual bearing of a noble that held innate arrogance and aloofness, it was hard to tell whether she was a noble or a commoner.

  However, Kiel knew right away that she wasn’t a commoner.

  For Kiel remembered her name – Nelaira Helyot, a child of the Helyot noble family. That fact alone was
enough to illustrate how strange her existence was. Unlike the rest of her family that specialized in arts and crafts consisting mostly of architecture and sculpture, to the great shock and dismay of the Helyot family, she chose a completely different path – Nelaira Helyot became a prominent figure in the Purge.

  The Purge was a special combat division ran by the Arite family whose purpose was to keep the lands under the Shield safe from the dangers outside. In a way, the Purge could be considered as an army, yet, they were neither trained, used, nor disciplined as an army.

  That’s because a normal army participated in large scale battles, while the Purge engaged in many small-scale battles. One of the reasons why the lands under the Shield didn’t have a true army was because there was no outside threat that could mobilize a large-scale attack. The other reason was the existence of the Shield that unconditionally protected the people under it.

  1449 years ago, the Great Mage Wars were abruptly halted due to a sudden spread of a terrible disease – the Ink. The god Aegis Arite, the ancestor of the Arite family, gathered the allied families together and erected the Shield of Aegis – a large-scale spherical barrier that separated their land from the outside world, allowing them to survive the calamity.

  After the disaster, all that was left of the previous civilizations populating the large continent of Halnea were ruins occupied by terrible monsters created by the Ink – the Tainted. And thus, the dangerous wilderness outside the Shield was titled as the Forbidden zone where only the Purge and people with special permission from the Purge could venture out to.

  The Purge were the greatly respected elites which excelled at combat and survival, and although Nelaira Helyot only joined the Purge after her Muni days, her combat prowess could not be underestimated.

  However, the reason why Kiel paid special attention to this person wasn’t because she joined the Purge – even though he did think that any elibu that could attain a high position in a field of work mostly dominated by argel deserved the utmost respect. It also wasn’t because she had the courage to fight for her own path, different from what her family had planned for her, which resonated with his own private struggles.