Thank you guys for reading, voting, commenting! It is because of you that Aethernea managed to reach 10k reads and even climb to #42 in Fantasy! Thank you very much! ❤️
As a reward for reaching such high numbers, I released two longer episodes today.
Also, I want to give a huge thank you to imposeidonsdaughter, Redixl, and chowsey for sharing Aethernea with their friends. You guys are the real MVPs ❤️ Thank you so much!
Previously on Aethernea
Servants of the Rroda mansion are shocked that Kiel brought a girl home and misunderstood their relationship. Kiel finishes packing. Elaru casts a Cleansing spell on him to avoid him having to take a shower. She Accelerates into the air and activates the Eternal Beacon to teleport them to Ashar.
* * *
A moment later, Kiel and Elaru landed back to the ground gracefully. However, the ground they landed back on was not the same land from which they jumped.
They were standing on a large circular podium made out of black jade upon. Countless symbols were carved on it, and the carvings were filled with a glowing ink.
The podium was large enough to fit several houses. It made one feel insignificant.
From the edges of the podium, spread a sea of purple crystals. Layers upon layers of crystal formations grew around the podium.
It was a gorgeous sight, full of flickering and reflecting lights. Each time someone new appeared out of thin air, the magical carvings on the floor would light up briefly as if welcoming the travelers back home.
Elaru was quick to put her beacon back into her bag before she tugged on Kiel's hand and led him towards a large gateway. Although no one would be brazen enough to try robbing her in the presence of Peacekeepers, letting people see her Eternal Beacon would be asking for future trouble.
For Kiel, this was his first time seeing the famous gate of Ashar. He was dazed, looking around with interest. He didn't even question Elaru's usage of Acceleration before they teleported, nor did he notice they were still holding hands.
Kiel looked at the few dozen Peacekeepers guarding the Gate. They were spread around the gate in a circle, standing watch like statues. Their uniforms were white with golden embroidery. They wore a few pieces of light armor, coated to be gold in color, which seemed to be more decorative than practical.
Kiel looked up to the clear sky. He could clearly feel an invisible, restrictive barrier enveloping the Gate like a dome. It prevented the people from exiting or entering the Gate as they pleased. Everyone needed to follow a set path when entering or exiting so that they could be inspected and charged fees.
Kiel looked back towards the gateway in front of them. The white marble gate, 10 m in circumference, was the only way in and out of the barrier. As Kiel looked out of the gate, he noticed the world beyond the gates was a bit blurry, and it glittered. His mana sense told him that there was a dense layer of mana in between the gates, but that shouldn't have caused his vision to blur.
No one stopped them as they made their exit. Only those who wished to enter needed to pay fees.
As they passed through the gateway, Kiel felt a strange sensation, like he passed through the surface of a soap bubble. What was that?
Kiel was confused. These gateways were the only places where there were holes in the restrictive barrier, so what he felt wasn't the barrier. Even if the restrictive barrier didn't have holes, he wouldn't have physically felt it unless it repelled him.
Kiel turned his head back to look at the gate.
"They spread a thin veil in between the gates, made out of mana wyrm tail silk. Because of its ethereal nature, we can pass through it." Elaru noticed his interest and explained.
Ah! So that's why the world he saw through the gates flickered and felt blurry. He was viewing it through a veil.
"Mana wyrm silk is very sensitive to Ink, so the Purge use them to test whether someone is Tainted."
Suddenly, everything fell into place, and Kiel understood. Anyone at any point could teleport to this gate if they had an appropriate Beacon. That meant that even people outside, in the dangerous forbidden zone, could also come back inside the Shield of Aegis. However, who is to say that they weren't carrying back with them a deadly plague – the Ink?
If they had been Tainted by the Ink then they would have to be quarantined immediately and not allowed to spread it. That's why everyone needed to pass through the Ink detecting veil when exiting the gate.
The clear view of rows upon rows of light yellow houses greeted them as soon as they passed through the gate.
Elaru tugged on Kiel's hand harder, telling him to walk faster. "Come on. No time to sight see! We have to hurry."
She pulled him down the street. She seemed to know exactly where she was and where she needed to go.
The streets were bustling with people, murmurs of voices created a pleasant background melody. Kiel thought she was going towards a large "Rent-a-dragon" wooden sign ahead of them, but before reaching it she suddenly stopped and Accelerated upwards, pulling him along.
They landed on a rooftop of a building; their landing scaring a flock of yellow tiwi [tee-wee] resting on the roof, making them fly away in a sudden buzz of their wings.
Tiwi were small round birds that looked like cotton balls. They had a small sharp beak, beady eyes and short wings that create a soft buzzing sound when they flap them. They also have a few tail feathers that are several times larger than their entire body sticking out of their behind.
The skies were clear, with no clouds in sight. The only things that could be seen in the sky were flocks of gugoo [goo-goo] and silhouettes of flying dragons and men. The sun was blazing down brightly, but it didn't feel hot. (Gugoo are small birds commonly found in cities. 35 cm in length, with long curved feathers on their head and tail.)
Kiel looked towards the horizon. Countless rows of houses of all shapes and sizes greeted him, as far as the eye could see. Their walls in all shades of yellow, personalized by different engravings, murals, and drawings. Although most houses were made of similar materials in a similar style, each one seemed to have a personality. It showed through many different things: the engravings on the walls, drapes, and carpets hanging from the roof and types of flowers and plants decorating the houses.
The warm colors of the houses mixed with vivid colors of the decorations gave Ashar a pleasant, warm feeling. The feeling was only enhanced by the background noises. Kiel could hear soft cooing of gugoo, the pleasant chirping of tiwi followed by the quiet buzzing of their wings, and even strong swishing of dragon wings. Chatter and laugher of men and women alike, spread from all sides.
Ashar was bursting with life; one could tell immediately that it was one of the five biggest cities in Halnea.
This wasn't Kiel's first time in Ashar; he used to live here, before moving to Beyd.
He didn't dislike Ashar; he wouldn't mind calling this place home once again. Kiel's mouth twitched into a small smile.
Elaru pointed to a complex of large buildings far in the distance. The buildings were situated on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by empty plains from one side, and a forest from the other.
Ashar University of Magic.
Kiel's eyes glittered. That was his destination. That was his future home.
Elaru turned to him and grinned. "Let's fly!"
Fly? Kiel looked around them - even though one could rent a dragon to get around the city, Kiel noticed many people were jumping roof to roof via Acceleration, and even more were flying around in the air purely by magic. Their presence on the roof didn't make them stand out at all. In fact, upon further inspection of the roofs, it looked like they were specially made to be walked on.
They were not roofs in the traditional sense but orange stone platforms, sturdy enough to not crack by having an Accelerating person crash into it full force. The buildings also had wooden pillars around them for holding up carpets and drapes hanging from the roof.
At first, Kiel had thought their purpose was to shield people from rain and the sun, but they might have also served to soften the fall if someone were to lose their footing and fall from the roof.
Even though he used to live in Ashar, he had seldom been allowed to leave the house, so being in the big city was not something he was used to – it felt foreign and strange. Even though Beyd was an argel town, and argel often used magic to fly and accelerate, there weren't many people in Beyd that flew around. It was rare to see someone jumping from roof to roof because it was considered impolite. Roofs in Beyd weren't designed for walking and could collapse easily.
"Fly? Why don't we just rent a dragon?" Kiel raised an eyebrow at Elaru. There was a "Rent-a-dragon" office just ahead of them.
"Renting a dragon is for people who can't fly! Besides, those dragons aren't racing dragons; they can't hope to keep up in speed to two excellent mages such as ourselves!" Elaru was grinning ear to ear.
When her feet left the roof and she floated upwards, is when Kiel realized that they had been holding hands the entire time. Why now? Because her hand was pulling at his, beckoning for him to join her.
He frowned and let go of her hand. It was inappropriate to hold hands with a female unless they were romantically involved. And he didn't like people touching him.
He pretended that the sudden loss of comfortable heat in his hand didn't bother him.
"There is a long way to the university. You just gained the ability to cast Acceleration magic. Are you sure you can sustain it the entire way?"
There were many different ways to make one fly with magic. From the most rudimentary ways, which relied on Accelerating every few seconds, which looked like the person was jumping without touching the ground, to the most advanced ones which completely nullified the effects of gravity. Elaru was skipping the entire learning curve on to the last stages of flight. Kiel felt inferior for being unable to cast any Transmutation spells. Not that he had tried. He didn't know any.
"It'll be fine. I've seen Acceleration magic so many times I could cast it in my sleep."
Acceleration was an impulse spell – it had immediate effect and then it disappeared. Making an impulse spell into a sustained spell – a spell whose effects persist over time, was not as simple as one would be led to believe.
Kiel didn't bother to argue with her. Instead, he concentrated on overcoming his own reluctance to fly. He wasn't sure if it was because he was afraid he'd run out of mana, or because he was afraid to finally set out to the skies, after all this time.
Certainly he wasn't afraid he couldn't keep up with her magic; he had been using Acceleration magic since he was born. It wouldn't be a challenge to beat someone who just started using it for the first time a few minutes prior.
Kiel looked back to the university, measuring the distance skeptically.
Elaru laughed, dismissing his unvoiced concerns easily. "Kiel, you worry too much!"
"And you worry too little." He glared at her halfheartedly.
"It's fine! It doesn't matter if I can't fly well or fly for long. If I fall, you'll catch me!"
Kiel's soft glare turned into a real one. "As if I would catch you! You can go and die for all I care! That would free me from this mess."
She flashed him a mischievous grin and grabbed his hand again tightly, merrily pulling him upwards to the skies.
Kiel bit down on his lips to not curse. Whenever she reached for his hand, it was always so quick he didn't have the time to dodge it.
"You'll either catch me or fall down with me mate!" Elaru laughed. The wind was blowing her hair around her like a mane.
She was happy. She was really happy to finally be able to fly.
And Kiel felt her happiness spread onto him. Whether it was because of her powerful, expressive aura, or an aftereffect of their bond that she claimed didn't exist, it didn't matter. Whatever the case, she was contagious. And, after all, he had always wanted to fly as well.
He pulled up the goggles hanging around his neck onto his eyes so that the wind wouldn't bother him. Elaru followed his suit and took out her own that were hidden under her scarf.
Elaru took the lead and accelerated quickly forwards, faster and faster, pulling Kiel along high into the sky. He struggled, Accelerated away from her, but her grip on his hand didn't lessen at all.
The attempts to struggle free caused a weird dance to occur.
"Let go of me, woman!" Kiel frowned in displeasure. No matter how he tried to shrug her off, she had a steel grip on his hand.
"Nevah!" She laughed. Kiel even saw her flick her tongue to him briefly. How bloody childish!
"Let go or I'll kick you!" Kiel threatened.
"Go ahead and try!" Elaru grinned, easily dodging his leg. It looked like she was a leaf drifting on the wind. Kiel frowned; he would indeed have trouble hitting her like this.
"Stop pulling me down with you!"
"Can't you just fly us back up, mister 'straight-A-student'?"
"Fly on your own darn it!"
"But flying with you is so much more fun!"
"I don't care if you're having fun! I am not having fun!" Kiel yelled over the loud sound of wind hitting their faces.
"Did you forget I can tell when you are lying?" Elaru laughed merrily. Kiel tried to divert the conversation. He did, in fact, forget that she could tell his lies apart.
"Stop it! We are attracting attention. People are looking at us!" Kiel felt his cheeks heating up; he tried his best to keep his emotions off his face. This is just too ridiculous! When was the last time he did something so unbecoming of a noble?!
"So?"
"What do you mean 'so'?! Have you no shame!?" Kiel spat through gritted teeth.
"Yes, I am shameless."
"Learn some shame then!!"
"Teach me then."
Kiel glared at her, complained, even swore a few times. The wide grin never left Elaru's face. She responded to him mostly in a joking manner, telling him she would never let him go and taunting him to try and shake her off.
"Are you deliberately going in the opposite direction?!" Kiel hissed.
"Of course not, I am just a bad flier."
"I can tell you are lying! Is our impending demise a joke to you?" She rolled her eyes at his exaggeration.
"Drama queen. Stop worrying and have some fun!"
"How could trying not to fall to death be fun?! I am not having fun!"
Elaru laughed without a care in the world. "You are repeating yourself. Running out of curses already?"
Kiel glared at her icily. He couldn't admit it. He couldn't say it was really fun. Trying to steer while taking into account actions of each other; it was like a game of rock, paper and scissors.
The most fun game of rock, paper and scissors Kiel had ever had. Even though he complained the entire way, it wasn't because he was worried about dying. He wouldn't die as long as he had enough mana to prevent it.
He complained because he didn't want her this close to him. He didn't want her to spread her glee to him, nor to hold his hand so tightly, and especially not to permanently engrave her presence in his pleasant memories.
He could feel his cold and apathetic mask melting like ice under her light, and he didn't like it. Or did he?
As the clear sky beckoned them closer; as the warm sun showered them with gentle kisses, as the wind ruffled their hair and clothes, Kiel forgot all his worries. For that brief while, Kiel felt free.
And for the first time in a long time, he felt content, maybe even happy? Perhaps Kiel couldn't quite recognize that pleasant feeling because he was a stranger to happiness. He didn't ponder and dissect 'why' and 'what' he was feeling, all he knew was that finally, after all this time...he was flying.
For a moment, he even forgot that all of this was just temporary. That he shouldn't get attached. Shouldn't get used to this.
And even though his mind knew that clearly, the heart was not the one to listen to reason.
* * *
Thank you for all your feedback. I want to make this book the best it can be so your opinion means a lot to me!
I've been thinking; I use modern cuss words and a lot of other modern terms such as "lungs", "brain" etc. The reason why I use modern terms is because mages in the lands of Halnea are advanced in many areas, and knowledge of certain terms is common. They also have a free primary education so there aren't many people who don't know the basic knowledge.
However, even though I use them for a good reason, they still might distract from the fantasy feel. Would you prefer it if I used them sparingly? Would you prefer if I replaced the modern cuss words with made-up ones?
Also, what do you think about Elaru's and Kiel's bickering? Do you think you might get tired of it in the future? Do you think it is childish? Or is it that you enjoy their bickering?
Next time on Aethernea
Elaru and Kiel accelerated towards them and called out to them. "Excuse me, are you taking entries for the exam?"
Kiel also caught their names – Rau Eryey and Ahon Tonrai. Their last names rang a bell to Kiel.
After a quick internal evaluation, Kiel decided to choose the hunt scenario.
He also needed to sign a document that stated that he takes all responsibility for any damage or death caused by the exam and it is in no way the responsibility of the university. Kiel almost chuckled, it was the university's way to avoid any legal responsibility.