Sylvie brushed her hand over the runes that seemed too perfect to be engraved by hand. “That’s because it isn’t powered by mana.”
Bairon furrowed his brows. “What? That’s impossible.”
“No, she’s right,” I said, cycling Realmheart Physique through my body once more. Sylvie’s thoughts had leaked onto me and I just had to verify it for myself. And to my utter amazement, the entire cave lit up like a starry night, basking the area in purple. “It’s powered by aether.”
My mind spun as I tried to make sense out of this revelation. I ran the conversation I had with Sylvie’s grandmother, Lady Myre, in my head again. Everything she had told me about aether being an entity that couldn’t be manipulated like mana—but rather, influenced or coaxed into action—went against what was going on in front of me. Aether wasn’t something that could be confined and used so permanently like this, yet it was clear as day that someone or something had figured out how to do so.
“Let’s continue walking,” Virion announced, taking the lead. “There’s more of this down here.”
Prying my eyes away from the runes that filled these walls, we continued to walk. Much like in the desert above us, the air here was dry and stale. The only sounds came from our footsteps echoing through the tunnel that led out of the cave we had arrived through.
It couldn’t really be called a tunnel, though, as the smooth, polished floors and light coming from the runes made it seem more like a narrow hallway. The ceiling above us continued to rise as we made our way down the hallway, soon reaching so high that it became lost in darkness.
Despite Virion’s familiarity with this place, I couldn’t help but be cautious. My eyes darted left and right, looking for anything odd, but except for the unusually high concentration of aether gathered here, there was nothing off about this place.
‘You’re feeling uneasy here as well,’ Sylvie noted, sticking close to me.
I think it’s just because of all the aether here, and the runes that are practically trapping them to use as light. I thought aether only influenced time, space, and life?
‘I suspect that the walls aren’t just made of stone but some sort of living thing,’ she responded.
I carefully touched the walls for the first time, and realized that Sylvie was right. It wasn’t stone, like I had assumed—it felt more like a smooth tree trunk.
So aether is giving this… tree… life? I guessed.
‘Your guess is as good as mine at this point. I may be able to utilize aether but you can at least see the ambient mana; I have to go by my gut feeling.’
We continued walking in silence. The straight passage seemed to go on forever, with no end in sight. Despite the scores of runes on the walls, the lack of variation amongst them made it impossible to tell how long we’d been walking.
“How far away are we from reaching the actual shelter?” Bairon asked, unable to hold in his impatience any longer.
“I’m not sure. It hasn’t been long since we arrived so be patient,” Virion replied.
Bairon’s eyes widened. “Not long? Commander, It feels like I’ve been walking for nearly the entire day! I think the journey to find this underground tunnel was shorter.”
“Bairon, aren’t you exaggerating too much? I’d hardly be this fine if we had to walk that long without using mana,” Virion argued.
I tilted my head in confusion. He was right; Bairon might’ve been exaggerating but it did feel like I had been walking for quite some time. Yet, Virion, the one that was the weakest amongst us was doing just fine.
Sylvie, how long have you been walking for? I asked, turning on Realmheart once more.
‘Not more than an hour… wait, a few hours has passed for you?’ she asked, surprised.
I nodded. Sylvie, can you try utilizing aether?
Reading my thoughts, she replied, ‘But I can’t use it to control time.’
I know. I don’t think you have to, though.
Taking a deep breath, Sylvie began calling upon the ambient aether. Her body began glowing in the faint purple light she gave off while using vivum to heal herself and her allies.
Immediately, the surreal sensation akin to falling in your dream tugged at my body. And then, as if I had really woken up, an indescribable clarity spread through my vision.
‘Arthur, look behind you,’ Sylvie said, shaken.
I looked back to see that our hike of varying length down this hallway had only taken us thirty steps forward from the cavern we had arrived in.
Noticing the change in my expression, Bairon turned around. I couldn’t see his face, but judging by how his shoulders tensed and he took a step back, I knew that he was even more shaken up than Sylvie and me.
“Th-That’s impossible. I’ve been walking for hours. How—what is going on?” Bairon demanded, turning back around and shifting gazes between me and Sylvie.
“My best guess is that these runes carry in them the power of aevum and spatium,” I explained, my eyes turning to the mysterious and intricate runes carved into the walls.
“Aevum and spatium?” Virion asked.
“Time and space aether arts,” Sylvie answered, her brows knitted in confusion.
Bairon shook his head. “No, that makes no sense! Shouldn’t these time and space ‘aether arts’ affect us all the same way? How is it that Commander Virion only felt like he’d walked for an hour while it feels like I’ve been journeying for more than a day!”
I thought for a moment, looking around until my eyes landed on the white medallion.
“Because of that.” I pointed to the ancient artifact in Virion’s hand. “This ‘trap’ seems more like a precaution used to give whoever built this place enough time to react to intruders, rather than a full-on measure to stop them. And I’m guessing that having the artifact is enough to make passage a little easier.”
“That doesn’t explain why you two weren’t affected,” Bairon retorted, obviously upset.
I looked at my bond. “Most likely, it’s because Sylvie is naturally inclined to aether that she experienced only minor effects. For me, I can only guess it’s because I’m sensitive to aether that I was still affected but not nearly as much as you.”
After a long moment of silence, Bairon accepted the answer with a click of his tongue.
“Come on. Let’s continue,” Virion urged. “With Lady Sylvie using aether, the effects of the time and space aether doesn’t seem to affect us.”
We continued walking cautiously with Sylvie in the lead as she continued utilizing aether.
My brain pounded against my skull as I tried to wrap my head around what exactly had happened. It was easy to deduce all of the things that I had said, but so many more questions popped up in my head.
How had the ancient mages succeeded in harnessing aether arts to such an extent that they could devise traps like this? Was the time and space manipulation isolated to each person individually, or were we in some contained area?
Were the Indrath Clan’s teachings about aether wrong? Did these ancient mages originate from the Indrath Clan—and like the Vritra Clan, flee from Epheotus due to a difference in beliefs? Or were these ancient mages actually lessers that had learned how to harness aether?
As my mind swam in these questions, I continued to look behind us to make sure we were actually making progress. Bairon did so as well, even more on edge than everybody else. After a while, something luminescent appeared in the distance. A bright glow that didn’t pulsate like the glowing runes around us grew larger as we approached it.
“Finally!” Bairon muttered from the back.
He wasn’t the only one relieved. With the hope of an end finally within sight, our strides became longer and our steps more confident until we finally reac
hed the end of the corridor. The hallway opened into a massive cavern with an elegant coved ceiling carved from the natural stone and sanded down to perfection. Pillars, the width of at least three grown men linking arms, supported the huge underground structure. Bright orbs of warm light lining the walls exposed the awe-inspiring expanse in front of us.
On the one hand, it reminded me of the cavern systems that the dwarves had made for their underground cities, but at the same time, those crude structures couldn’t even begin to describe the splendor and architectural meticulousness of this place.
My eyes immediately took in the cavern large enough to hold a small town and the various tunnels that led out of the cavern. Running through the entire expanse was a large stream that glimmered, reflecting the lights of the cavern. There were several multileveled structures on either side of the stream and bridges that crossed the width of the stream at various points along the cavern.
What caught my attention, however, was the flickering light that I spotted in the second level of one of the buildings just by the stream.
Sylvie and I exchanged glances, understanding each other with just a thought. I turned back to Bairon, who was still taking in the sight in front of us, and Virion, who was catching his breath.
Without saying a word, I got their attention and pointed to the only building with a light. Virion and Bairon’s expression both grew fierce, all signs of fatigue replaced by a guarded grimace.
Being the strongest of the group, I took the lead as we descended the set of stairs leading to the ground. We weaved silently through the empty stone structures that seemed like a home.
I took a mental note for myself to explore these buildings later on if I had the chance to see if I could find any sort of clue on these ancient mages. However, our goal was to find out who had lit a fire this far below the ground in a secret location.
Arriving at the building, I could hear the quiet mutters of several voices but the windows were covered by glass and even with enhanced hearing, I could barely make out how many voices there were.
Gesturing everyone to lean in close, I whispered to them. “I hear at least three different voices, but assume there are more than that.”
After receiving a nod from Sylvie, Bairon and Virion, we circled the perimeter until we found the entrance to the building. There wasn’t a door so we inched closer, keeping our backs against the wall until we were just beside the opening that led into the building.
I held up five fingers and slowly counted down. Once my last finger fell, I pivoted to face the entrance with mana coiled around my body.
I had expected to meet a guard keeping watch, and I was right… mostly.
My eyes widened and my jaw fell. “Boo?!”
Chapter 240: Reconciliation
The towering dark-brown bear fur, the tuft of white on the chest, along with two spots of white just above two intelligent eyes—it was unmistakable. This was Boo.
Boo must’ve been thinking the same thing I was, because the thousand-pound bear charged at me on all fours, letting out a happy grunt.
With unabated force, the gigantic mana beast tackled me, lifting me off my feet and tossing me to the ground. Looming over me, Boo revealed a toothy grin before slobbering me with his tongue that was actually larger than my face.
I struggled under the mana beast’s weight as he pinned me down to the ground and continued to show his affection. “Boo—Ack! Stop! Okay! Enough!”
“I think he’s had enough, Boo,” my bond said, her voice calming the excited beast enough for me to escape.
“I feel violated,” I groaned, wiping off the thick and slimy mask of saliva that had accumulated over my face. It wasn’t until halfway through that my brain clicked. If Boo was here…
I grabbed Boo’s large, furry head and turned him to face me.
“Boo! Is Ellie here? What about my mom?! How did you get here?” I asked, as if he could speak to me.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to. My questions were answered when I saw Virion rush past us in a blur.
“Tessia!” he called out, his voice brimming with emotion. My grip around Boo loosened at the mention of that name, and I immediately followed after Virion.
I didn’t have to go far before I was able to see four figures at the base of the stairs near the far wall of the building. It was my mom, sister, Tessia and… Elder Rinia.
My long and hurried strides slowed as my vision blurred. Tears struggled to break loose as I saw Tessia fall into Virion’s arms. The sight of Ellie running towards me was enough to break me and I found myself arm in arm with my baby sister, my face buried in her short brown hair.
My sister’s entire body shook as she bawled into my chest. Hitting me weakly with her tiny, trembling fists, she blubbered in between sobs about how scared she was and how I wasn’t there.
It felt like a cold hand was gripping down on my chest as I watched my sister in this state. I felt guilty for making my sister, who had grown up so bright and strong, cry this much.
“I’m so sorry, Ellie. I’m so sorry. I’m here now, everything is going to be okay,” I said, tightening my grip around her frail body and kissing her on the crown of her trembling head.
“W-We almost died and you weren’t there. Y-Y-You’re… never there! Not at the Castle, not at the Wall, not even when Dad died!” She wailed, her fists still pounding my body. “You’re my brother, you’re supposed to be there! You were supposed to comfort me when Dad died! I-I needed you… Mom needed you!”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Ellie,” I repeated, doing all I could to stay strong. “I’m so sorry…”
Ellie slowly calmed down as her head remained buried in my chest. Her trembling shoulders now only occasionally shook when she hiccupped. During this time, I didn’t look up. I kept my focus entirely on my sister until she pushed herself away. Staring at me with swollen red eyes, she jutted a finger behind her. “G-Go apologize to Mom now.”
I looked up to find our mother only a few steps away from us, her expression hollow and empty of any emotion. Her warm and tender smile that I found even in the hardest of times was nowhere to be found.
I walked up to her, unsure of what to do or where to begin.
“M-Mom…”
My mother’s cold eyes cut me off as she took a step forward. “Arthur, your sister and I almost died. If it wasn’t for Elder Rinia saving us, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
My gaze turned to Elder Rinia, who was talking with Tessia and Virion, before landing back on my mother. “I-I…”
“But throughout that entire situation, when I thought that surely we would die—soon, if not now—do you know what I was thinking?”
I shook my head.
“I was thinking…” My mother paused a moment, her mask of stone wavering. Tears welled in her eyes while she bit her lower lip in an effort to keep it from trembling. She turned away from me, quickly wiping away her tears, trying to compose herself before turning back. “I was thinking the entire time how sad and guilt-ridden your father must’ve been to leave this world without even getting the chance to make up with his only son.”
Her words weighed down on me like a thousand tons, making my knees buckle and my entire body falter. Just as I lost strength in my legs, my mother wrapped her arms around me and supported me against her chest.
Her trembling hands gripped me as she whispered. “It doesn’t matter who you were before. I raised you when you were little, I nursed you when you were sick, and I watched as you grew into the man you are today. Your father and I talked for a long time, and we can say with certainty that the Arthur now is so different from who he was when he was born, and that’s when we realized that you are our son.”
The strength left my feet, crumpling me to my knees
. I gripped my chest as my breathing came out in strained gasps. I couldn’t breathe, I could only gag out the neverending sobs as my mother kept her arms around me.
“I’m so sorry that it took us so long to realize that. I’m so sorry that you couldn’t come to your own father’s funeral because of me. I’m so sorry, Arthur.”
***
It took a while for us to gather ourselves and get settled up on the second floor of the building. During this time, I noticed that the atmosphere was a bit tense between Tess and Elder Rinia.
The rest of us newcomers had picked up on this as well, exchanging wary glances at each other while Tess ignored any efforts by Elder Rinia to start a conversation.
Once we got upstairs, Elder Rinia pulled aside Virion with a grave expression and disappeared into another room. After some time spent talking with my mother and sister, I properly greeted Tess and the two of us embraced silently for a brief moment.
Tess, however, seemed to have something else on her mind and I didn’t blame her. While I didn’t have the courage to ask directly, just based on the hollow expression that Tess had, I suspected something had happened to her parents. As for why she was so angry at Elder Rinia, I could only speculate.
Tess, not long after we sat down, excused herself, telling us she was a bit tired. Bairon was next, telling us he wanted to spend some time meditating to recover.
I told him that because of the lack of the ambient mana here, it would be almost impossible to go further than trying to recoup the mana he would naturally gain from his mana core, but I suspected that he left more to give me and my family some space. While my impression of Bairon had never been good—and I think he could say the same for me—the lance had come a long way from the prideful hotheaded noble he was before the war.
Finding myself with just my family, I couldn’t help but crack a smile. Before today, I would’ve sworn that being in a situation like this would’ve rendered me catatonic, but it was… peaceful.
“You’re so pretty, Sylvie,” Ellie commented, combing my bond’s long wheat hair with her fingers.
TBATE Volume 7 Page 36
