Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend-Chapter 333: Popular And Loved

Raegar watched Elara, who looked nervous as she revealed he wasn't welcome back at the school. He didn't care, though, asking. ''Where's Valentina? Is she still teaching at Drakenwood?''

The Tigress shook her head. ''No, she's vanished. Was sent missing to the west and disappeared among the Western Fog. She's still alive thanks to the Heart Stone the Devil Order has, but no one's been able to find her.''

When Raegar heard this, his eyes widened and his heart dropped, but Drusilla grabbed his hand, reassuringly. ''We can find her while heading south; that place is a short way away from our path south.''

''Yes, we'll do it,'' he replied, turning to Elara. ''Will you look after them, Lara?''

''Does it come with a date?'' the orange-haired beauty retorted, fangs on show as she smiled.

Raegar nodded with a charming smile that made the surrounding women beam at the expression. ''Yes, once I'm back, I'll stay at the village for some time while I explore the empire,'' he answered.

This made Elara beam as she suddenly hugged him, causing Selene to tease. ''Come on, you two, get a room already.''

Everyone laughed while they separated, just as Alice spoke next. ''Are classes being canceled? I heard from my mother that chaos is spreading across the empire?''

''Yes some have been cancelled,'' the older woman revealed. ''Others rearranged thanks to some professors going missing across Dawnfire during the winter break.''

Raegar grew concerned as he asked. ''Have Rune and Caspian arrived? What about the others?''

The Tigress nodded. ''They're here and will be kept inside thanks to Corinne keeping all the students on school grounds.''

After Elara's explanation had settled over the group and they had accepted it, she guided them toward the entrance was a strong door that looked like it could withstand a blast from one of his spells. Dominique, Zahara, Alice, and Selene lingered at his side, unwilling to let the moment slip away without marking it in their own tender ways.

One by one, they pressed close. The Vampress went first, her fingers threading through his white hair as she rose on tiptoe to brush a kiss just beneath his jaw, her breath warm against his skin. ''I'll count every heartbeat until you return,'' she murmured before she bit into his neck.

Raegar groaned when the dark-haired beauty drank his blood, but he allowed her to do it as Drusilla created a dark sphere around them to give the group privacy. Zahara followed, bold and unapologetic, cupping his face between palms to claim a fiercer kiss, teeth grazing his lower lip before she softened into a smile.

''Don't do anything I wouldn't enjoy hearing about later,'' she teased, the words curling like smoke.

Alice slipped her arms around his waist from the side, resting her cheek against his chest as though memorizing the rhythm there. Her kiss was feather-light on the corner of his mouth, accompanied by the faintest squeeze. ''Stay sharp, love. The board changes when you're not looking.''

Selene saved her affection for last, sliding both hands up his chest to frame his face with cool, steady fingers. Her kiss was slow, a silent vow sealed with the brush of her tongue before she drew back just far enough to meet his eyes. ''Come home in one piece,'' she whispered. ''Or I'll come down there and get you myself.''

By the time they reached the threshold, Raegar's smile had widened into something radiant, half embarrassment, half helpless joy, his cheeks flushed beneath the attention. The tanned beauty, Alice, turned fully toward him then, producing a small, rune-etched disc of polished obsidian no larger than a coin.

''Take this,'' she said, pressing it into his palm with a grin. ''An Aether Device, military grade. It'll allow us to talk across any distance, faster than ravens. We'll keep you updated on everything that happened in the empire, every whisper in the council halls.''

Her gaze softened. ''We'll remind you why you're coming back.''

Raegar opened his mouth to answer, but the words never left as Rune swept him off his feet in a bear hug that lifted him clear of the flagstones. Bones popped in protest; his breath whooshed out in a startled laugh as the giant's arms locked around him like iron bands wrapped in velvet.

''Try not to die out there, brother,'' the big guy rumbled, voice thick with affection and the faint crack of worry he'd never admit aloud. ''I've still got a tab at the tavern in Brightwater with your name on it.''

''Rune,'' he muttered, returning the hug. ''It's good to see you, friend.''

The giant young man let him go as Caspian, Luna, and Vienna appeared nearby, greeting his women before glancing at Nivara, who was nervously standing to the side with Drusilla as they watched the reunions and goodbyes. Raegar sent a Fusion Soldier to everyone here to make sure they'd be protected. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Afterward, he bid his farewells to the women and his friends, along with Elara, who was smiling ear to ear. Soon, a crowd began to gather. Caspian approached, eyes narrowed. ''Rae, my parents wish to see you upon your return from the Western Islands.''

A grin crept across Raegar's face as she replied. ''What is it about? What could the famous Harker Family want with little old me?''

''Sasha and Mirelle,'' Caspian replied behind gritted teeth. ''And my parents are meeting with yours to discuss an engagement between you and my older sisters.''

Raegar was shocked just as Drusilla jumped in, adding wood to the fire. ''Tell them they can join us on our journey if they're willing to skip a few weeks of school.''

Just then, a soft voice carried across the entrance courtyard. Sasha Harker stepped into view, clad in armor that stole his breath. The polished plates hugged her hourglass body, accentuating every curve and framing her striking beauty. Her once-short black hair had grown longer, now tied back in a neat ponytail.

Beside her appeared her sister. Mirelle was the curvier one; she had big boobs, narrow-waisted, with powerful thighs that strained against her own armor. These sisters had tormented his thoughts from the moment he'd arrived at Drakenwood; now, seeing them again, desire surged through him like wildfire.

Raegar shook it off and turned back to Caspian. ''Looks like we'll be brothers soon, old friend.''

He leaned in with a smirk. ''Told you we'd be bound by marriage one day, Cas.''

Caspian laughed, pulling him into a fierce hug. ''Good to see you, Rae. And you're looking better than ever without the scars.''

Just then, Sasha approached him, a knowing glint in her purple eyes as she spoke. ''It's good to see you, handsome. I heard your blonde offer for us to join you? Would that be a problem?''

Raegar chuckled, shaking his head. ''You both can come, but don't you need to attend classes?''

The short-haired beauty rolled her eyes at his words. Mirelle interrupted. ''We cannot go with you, unfortunately, but I'd like to spend time together when you get back?''

''That's fine with me, I should be a month or two at least,'' he responded to the spectacled woman.

After that, Elara ushered the other into the school gates after everyone said their goodbyes once again, draining Raegar. Drusilla exhaled, the sound half-laugh, half-sigh. ''Gods, that was worse than a coronation. I half-expected them to start a betting pool on how long you'd last before writing love letters.''

Raegar let his hand drop. The flush in his cheeks hadn't entirely faded; he could still taste Zahara's smoke-spiced kiss and feel the ghost-pressure of Alice's arms around his waist. ''They're... intense," he admitted, voice rough.

Nivara hovered a step behind, clutching the strap of her satchel so tightly her knuckles blanched. ''Domi bit you,'' she whispered, as if the word itself might summon another vampire. ''And the big guy cracked your spine. Are farewells always like this in the Empire?''

''Only when you're popular and loved,'' Drusilla said, smirking. She flicked a finger; the dark sphere that had shielded their goodbyes earlier dissolved into drifting motes of shadow. ''Come on. We've got a fog to cut through and a professor to fish out of it.''

They descended the switchback path that spiralled down the cliff Drakenwood perched upon. Hoarfrost crackled beneath their boots. Below, the road lay under a quilt of early snow; above, the sky was the colour of tarnished steel. Raegar's breath plumed white. He rolled his shoulders, feeling the absence of the girls like a sudden hollowness behind the ribs.

Following that, Raegar summoned Marlor. The loyal wyvern materialized from the shadows, its massive wings unfurling like sails as Raegar vaulted onto its scaled back. The women followed close behind, scrambling up the creature's flanks and settling in behind him, their grips tightening on the makeshift harnesses.

With a thunderous beat of its wings, Marlow launched into the sky, banking southward toward the shrouded borders of the Dark Elf lands. Scarcely had they cleared the treetops when the heavens opened, a sudden downpour lashing at them with icy needles, turning the air thick with mist and making the journey ahead feel all the more perilous.

[Sorry about not releasing much today, I have food poisoning and am throwing up everywhere, things will be back to normal tomorrow]