Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend

Raegar watched Yuki giggle as she shrugged before answering. ''No, Master Alaric and Mother have a thing going on with your mother's permission. It surprised me, but they have been friends for years now.''

'What the fuck? Father and Saki are a thing?' he thought in shock. 'Mother is letting him have a harem?'

After that, the two slipped back into the tent, and he pulled Yuki into a warm cuddle, making her smile as she melted into his embrace. Time passed quietly, and they fell into a comfortable sleep, lulled by the birds chirping overhead.

Moments later, the sound of roars of monsters echoed through the night while others circled their camp but couldn't approach thanks to the runes he set up. The next morning, Raegar awoke to the soft snores of the cat woman, still peacefully asleep beside him.

A warm smile spread across his face as he quietly slipped out of the tent, the crisp, cool air brushing gently against his skin. He glanced around only to notice a fog descending on the clearing that blocked his view.

''Damn winter weather, hopefully, it ends soon,'' he muttered in annoyance.

Following that, Raegar sat down and got comfortable before starting a fire thanks to the stockpile of wood in his storage ring. Once the flames roared to life it beat the cold weather back and heated him while he wrapped a cloak around him.

''Morning, young master,'' Edmund spoke up from his right, catching him off guard. ''The weather is getting worse.''

Raegar turned to the older man with a startled expression before replying with an amused smile. ''Hello Edmund, what are you doing up so early? And yes, the end of winter is always the worst, especially out on the road.''

The Blackwood Commander settled down with a weary sigh, stretching his hands toward the fire's warmth as he spoke. ''Too cold to sleep, and those roars were getting on my nerves until they finally stopped.''

No sooner had Edmund finished speaking than a chilling howl sliced through the air, reverberating from the north. The older man's eyebrow arched in suspicion as he turned toward the sound, a flicker of unease crossing his face.

''That's no ordinary monster,'' Raegar muttered with narrowed eyes. ''Could it be a werewolf?''

When the older man heard this his face paled before speaking in a worried tone. ''Werewolf? They are here in the South? Aren't they hunted whenever they step foot in the empire?''

Raegar shrugged. ''Normally you'd be right, but many monsters are following the armies so they can feed on the dead. I'm honestly surprised we haven't come across any Ghouls or Blood Fiends.''

Edmund shivered when hearing his words as the creatures were notorious for raiding caravans and rest stops in the far north. Raegar chuckled at the man's reaction before reassuring him.

''We should be fine, though. There's a town in between us and Darkwater City, we'll rest there before continuing on the Kingsway,'' he revealed. ''I'll fight off the Werewolves, but I may need the guard's help.''

''Sounds good to me, young master. We will help you without needing to ask, it's the least we can do,'' the older man replied with a friendly smile.

Following that, the two of them spoke for a while before Edmund decided to patrol the camp which left him alone just as his stomach growled with hunger. He pulled out some flour and started making his campfire bread for breakfast.

A while later, Raegar reclined lazily, savoring the warm, freshly baked bread as he watched the sun spill golden light across the awakening world. The camp stirred to life around him, and just then, Yuki emerged from the tent.

He glanced at the cat woman, her hair a chaotic, tousled tangle, and a grin tugged at his lips despite himself. Spotting him, she beamed back, her voice lilting with a sweet warmth. ''Morning, master! That bread smells delicious.''

Raegar let out a soft chuckle as he noticed her tail swishing eagerly behind her. With a nod of agreement, he gestured to the spot beside him. ''Come sit with me,'' he said warmly. ''I'll get started on cooking some for you now.''

Following that, the two of them sat in silence until Yuki turned to him. ''How long will it take us to get to Deadwater City?'' she questioned with a curious expression.

''Two days,'' he responded while focusing on her breakfast. ''Depends on how far we travel. There's a town called Ravenhollow where we can stock up on supplies and rest.''

''I heard of that place,'' she revealed. ''It's where merchants and travelers pass through on their way north for trade.''

Raegar was surprised but soon was distracted when Yuki's bread was finished cooking as the aroma hit his nose, prompting him to cover it in honey butter. After doing that, the smell was delicious causing their stomachs to growl.

The older woman let out a soft giggle, her bright smile lighting up as she accepted the food, sending Raegar's heart into a sudden sprint. The day slipped by in a blur after that, and as the sun dipped below the horizon, the distant howls grew louder and more frequent.

This sudden scene worried the people, but he reassured them. ''Stay in the camp and don't leave the tents; tonight will get wild.''

After that, the monsters went crazy forcing everyone apart from Raegar to hide inside the shelters. Yuki went to comfort her mother just as he spotted several monsters lingering in the growing darkness.

'Sneaky fuckers,' he thought while spinning one of his daggers. 'Let's see how they react.'

He rose to his feet and moved toward the runes, drawing the newcomer's gaze. Their piercing yellow eyes tracked his every step as he crossed the camp, sparking a flurry of thoughts in his mind.

''What is this thing? A Wendigo? A Hidebehind?'' he muttered, unease prickling at his senses.

With a thought, he summoned his daggers before vanishing using Flash Stop. This shocked the watching creatures, who started looking around. He materialized behind a humanoid wolf that was crouched in the bush.

'So it's a werewolf!' Raegar mused with a wicked smile. 'Thier strong Tier Twos, this is going to be fun.'

Without waiting, his blades sliced through the air and decapitated the monster just as the others' heads snapped in his direction. Seconds later, he started casting Lightningfire Blasts into the group of surprised beasts.

The shocking flames took the creatures by surprise, causing them to scatter in all directions, which made him laugh. He sensed them fleeing into the distance as one lay on the ground while trembling thanks to the lightning Aether.

Raegar threw his blade into its head to finish it off as the guards started waking up back at camp. Once the Werewolves were gone, he returned to the tents only to see Saki and Yuki standing there with concerned expressions.

When he got closer, the younger of the two commented with a worried smile. ''Is everything alright, young master? Where did you go?''

''Monsters were hanging around in the shadows,'' he revealed before sitting down and letting out a sigh. ''Werewolves are stalking us, but we have fire, so it should be fine.''

After that, Raegar, Yuki, and Saki sat together, exchanging stories about the recent events in the Dawnfire Empire as the day passed. He learned that the army had driven the enemy forces into the southern region and was now working to crush them.

'Hopefully, none of them are lurking around Darkwater City,' he mused, his thoughts drifting to the possibility that made a shiver run down his spine.

By the time the sun set, the Blackwood guards were fully recovered and could continue, but they wanted to wait until the morning when it was daytime thanks to all the monsters and horrors lurking in the forest.

As everyone went about their business monsters circled the tent which scared the maids as the guards shielded them. Raegar's eyebrow rose with curiosity. ''A small wave it seems, they are fleeing north.''

''Running from what?'' Yuki asked from behind him while getting ready to cast a spell.

He cast a glance at the cat woman before explaining. ''Tier Four and Five monsters that started the wave. When the weaker beasts grow too numerous, they go berserk, rampaging through, killing anything they can get their claws on.''

No sooner had the words escaped his lips than a horrible aura crashed over them, sending a jolt through Raegar. He jumped to his feet, blades appearing in his hands as he turned to the pink-haired beauty, his eyes wide with fear.

''Get them to the city, now!'' he commanded with a tremble. ''I'll hold the monsters off before running.''

When Saki and Edmund heard his warning, their faces paled before they urged the people to flee toward the Kingsway. He smiled in relief as they fled, causing him to turn to the cat woman. ''Go, Yuki, you need to protect the others while I hold these nightmares back.''

''You cannot fight them!'' she protested while bordering on panic. ''You're Tier One! They are on another level, Raegar!''