Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend

Raegar's entire body tensed at the sound of the voice, a chill running through him as he muttered the name etched deep in his memory. ''Maria.''

The darkness swelled around him, thick and suffocating, as the forest seemed to twist into a silent death trap. An eerie sensation crawled up his spine, he was being watched, stalked by something lurking in the shadows.

Moments later, a sharp snap of a twig pierced the stillness behind him. He whirled around, heart pounding, only to catch the faint rustle of a bush trembling in the gloom. That's when it hit him, the oppressive, unnatural aura of whatever creature lay hidden.

Without hesitation, he summoned the blades that appeared in his hands, steeling himself for battle as he called out. ''Step forward, monster. That voice doesn't belong in this world.''

Moments later, several Wendgio's slinked out of the shadows, their tall gangly bodies and long limbs ending with sharp claws gleaming in the dying light. While standing there, the newcomer's aura hit him, he instantly knew all of them were Tier Two beasts.

Raegar sent fire and light Aether to his daggers that lit up the surrounding forest. One of them growled at him just as another eery voice echoed out but this time it was off and sent a chill down his spine. ''Come with us or you will die.''

''Shut up,'' he replied before throwing three smoking at his feet.

A massive cloud erupted, allowing Raegar to dart forward to carve through the closest one's neck. Its head flew through the air as he threw both daggers at the two creatures that lunged at him.

The dark blades slammed home and pierced the enemy's skulls, forcing them to collapse to the ground with a thud. He summoned the weapons just in time to defend himself from a deadly swipe.

Sparks flew as the Wendigo's face appeared inches from his, allowing him to stare into its dead black eyes. He shook his head before headbutting the monster, which shocked it into going still.

Raegar moved in while his blade arched upward and sliced through the creature's torso before hitting it with a Lightningfire Blast, burning it to ashes just as he raised his weapons and blocked another claw.

Sparks flew everywhere before tilting his weapon forced the creature to fall over just as he stabbed it through the skull. Just after this, he started bobbing and weaving around the Wendigo's attacks.

'These are too slow but still dangerous,' he mused with an excited smile.

One creature's head parted from its body mid-leap, tumbling into the undergrowth as blood sprayed the earth. The second beast charged, its claws raking the air, but Raegar was already moving as his right blade thrust deep into its chest.

With a twist, he shredded its rotten heart, flinging the corpse aside as it crumpled into a lifeless heap. Three more emerged, circling him like vultures, their dark eyes locked on their prey.

Raegar smirked while he spun his blades once, then burst forward. Ducking under a slashing claw, he drove his left sword through one wendigo's jaw and out the top of its skull, yanking it free as he sidestepped another's lunge.

His right blade met the second attacker mid-strike, severing its arm before plunging into its throat with a wet crunch. The third leaped from behind, but he rolled forward and spun as both blades slashed in a scissor-like arc that cleaved the creature in two.

Following that, Raegar continued fighting the Wendigos and only stopped when the creatures stopped attacking. He was breathing heavily while his arms ached thanks to the constant use.

Looking around, he noticed a cozy spot to rest. With a yawn, he shuffled over, climbed into the bustling space, and curled up comfortably. Hours passed until he woke up as the moon hung over the forest.

Raegar climbed out of the bush and started making his way toward the Kingsway. A little while later, he appeared on the trader's road and started heading west as the weaker monsters hid from him.

On the odd occasion, a Forest Wolf tried to attack but he quickly finished them using Stormfire Bullets that pierced through the beast's bodies with ease. Five days later, he arrived at Duskmoor County and was shocked at the scene.

Fields burned as the border city lay in waste a couple of miles away, but the Kingsway was clear to travel. He readied himself to attack any enemies he saw before walking north toward his home.

Hours passed until he came to the first group of enemies that was terrorizing a refugee caravan that was heading east. When Raegar saw this, he quickly threw his blades at the men who held the women.

The blades pierced their head before he used his Aether to send the weapons into the other enemies and killed them without anyone realizing what happened until he summoned the daggers.

'I love these things,' he thought with an excited expression.

Raegar spotted an older human alongside a wolf man who was clutching his throat as the women tended to him. He didn't say anything and passed by just as the stranger went to speak but more enemies caught his attention.

Without waiting, he prepared as five more demons appeared causing his smile to widen before throwing his daggers at them while rushing in the soldier's direction and casting magic into the crowd.

They were caught off guard when the leader dropped dead with a knife buried in his right eye. Moments later, Raegar appeared and started killing the demi-human spearmen who tried to hit him from behind.

The blades scraped across his mask, spurring him to hurl one of his weapons into the man's forehead. In the same motion, he struck another attacker in the knees just as the enemy aimed a crossbow at him.

Dodging a flurry of incoming strikes, he shrugged off the pain from the blows that landed, pressing forward undeterred. Raegar continued fighting until a bolt slammed into his shoulder, forcing him to grunt in pain.

He spun around and cast a Stormfire Bullet into the soldier's chest before the battlefield fell quiet. Following that, shouts echoed out as a dozen more enemies appeared but he smiled while throwing three Frost Bombs into the group.

Perma Frost erupted and covered the incoming foes just as he threw a Thunder Bomb, which exploded. A loud clap was heard until the ice statues turned to chunks, shocking everyone who witnessed the scene.

Raegar was pleased with the results before turning to the caravan and speaking. ''Head east. The enemies aren't in that area, so you'll be safe.''

The older man and woman nodded in agreement before hurrying away. He pressed on with his journey until he reached Duskmore Manor, now engulfed in flames. Thick black smoke spiraled into the sky as Dawnfirian soldiers frantically worked to extinguish the blaze.

Without hesitation, he lobbed several Frost Bombs into the burning structure. The icy explosions smothered the fire, and the soldiers collapsed in exhaustion and relief as the danger subsided.

Afterward, the guards all spun on him and went wide-eyed when seeing the eery white mask he had to wear. He quickly left the scene and started heading home but grew tired along the way.

Raegar scanned the scorched land all around him before spotting a massive Titenroot Tree that would be the perfect place to set up camp. Ten minutes later, he used Flash Step to appear on the highest branch.

This spot offered him an excellent vantage point in nearly every direction, filling him with satisfaction. He pitched his tent and then set about preparing his meal over the fire that he set up using firewood from his storage ring.

Raegar threw it on the fire before taking out a pan, putting some bread dough onto it while using a stick to cook some monster meat over the open flames. As he did this he laid down and watched the stars above.

''This place is beautiful,'' he murmured, his glowing red eyes taking in the scenery. ''I just hope home hasn't met the same fate as the Duskmoors, reduced to ashes.''

Following that, he took off his mask before flipping the bread only to see it was a golden brown making his stomach rumble. Five minutes later, it was down forcing him to grab it and douse it with melted honey.

Raegar started eating, which was delicious and he closed his eyes while enjoying the crunchy sweet bread that he came to love. After a little time, the cooked meat's aroma wafted into his nose, making his mouth water.

He quickly took the food and started eating as the stars lit up the world around him. It looked like hell on Sylvana, causing him to think with a wicked chuckle. 'Wait until I attack them from the rear, they won't know what happened.'

After that, he grabbed the stick with meat and started eating before growing tired once he was finished.

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