Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend-Chapter 335: Movie? What’s That?

Raegar watched the Night Creatures prowl outside the runes as they kept the creepy humanoids at bay. He didn't know where the things came from, but an idea crept into his mind. 'The Old Ones!'

Just then, screams echoed out as the merchant spotted the monsters, causing Nivara to rush toward them. ''Shut up with the noise! It will attract more!''

He chuckled when they fell silent at the Dark Elf's scolding, prompting Drusilla to speak up. ''Let's get some rest, the journey south isn't over.''

Raegar stood up and stretched his arms before finishing off the hot chocolate Nivara had made for him when someone interrupted their conversation. A young woman appeared with a nervous expression. ''Stranger, be warned of visiting Hollowfen further south. People have vanished, never to be seen again.''

''Never heard of it,'' Drusilla commented.

''It sits on top of an Aether Wayline,'' the Dark Elf revealed, shocking everyone.

Raegar smiled, turning to the young woman. ''Thanks for the warning. Get some rest so you can reach a nearby village. The Night People will follow you if given the chance.''

The stranger looked scared but rushed off back to her family as he gazed at Nivara, who explained. ''If you want to advance your elements to the next stage, that's the best place to go.''

''How do you know about it?'' he questioned, a curious glint in her eyes.

''Heard stories when I was heading to Dawnfire,'' Nivara responded. ''Creatures sneaking around at night, hunting the people, but that's the norm in the south. The natives know not to travel beyond the settlement's walls after dark.''

''So a horror movie?'' Raegar muttered.

''Movie? What's that?'' Drusilla asked.

''Something from my previous world,'' he answered. ''It's a horror story but in picture form. One day I'll show you girls.''

The duo nodded as the Dark Fairy grabbed his hand, dragging him into their tent as Nivara followed behind. Raegar let the blonde do it, and when all three were inside, she jumped his bones, forcing the elf to watch with a bright red face. By the time the couple finished, she was mortified.

''Why do that, Dru!'' the silver-haired beauty exclaimed, shocked to the core. ''You could've waited for me to leave!''

Raegar chuckled but nodded. ''I agree, you don't have to expose her to such things,'' he said.

Drusilla giggled at his words, waving them away. ''Don't worry, it will be her exposing me to lewd things by the time we leave her homeland.''

Nivara went to retort, but the blonde turned to her. ''Shut up, Niv! I've seen the way you look at him,'' she teased, a grin crossing her face.

Following that, the three settled in as he took out some dumplings, handing them to the women as their stomachs rumbled. They started eating and filling their bellies with the spicy food he bought from a rest stop. By the time the group finished, the Night Creatures' howls echoed throughout the night.

Drusilla stood up and brushed the crumbs off her dress. ''I'm going to check on our guests, they've been awfully quiet,'' she revealed.

Raegar nodded, answering. ''Alright, be careful out there.''

The Dark Fairy left the tent just as Nivara turned to him, a worried expression appearing. ''I guess you want to visit Hollowfen?''

''That I do,'' he honestly replied. ''It's worth it if I can get the rest of the elements to Mist, it will make me stronger when the Fall comes.''

''Well, I don't know much about the Dark Monsters that prowl the darkness, but it'll be dangerous,'' she said. ''Maybe people are being attacked by beasts, or there's a powerful being lurking in the south.''

Raegar gave her a confident glance. ''Don't worry, we'll fight it together. Having a Dark Elf and a Fairy on my side makes things easier.''

Following that, they relaxed for the rest of the night until falling asleep, and by the time the trio was up, the merchant family was gone, leaving nothing behind. He wasn't shocked thanks to them being scared of the Night Creatures. Once the women woke up, they returned to Marlow, who lay nearby, guarding the camp.

The Fusion Wyvern was clearly happy when seeing them awake, prompting it to lower its body, allowing the trio to get on its back before it started flying south, toward Hollowfen Village, where their journey would take a wrong turn. Raegar was slumped on the front of the beast while flying over a fog-covered swamp.

It continued this way throughout the next few days as Marlow refused to land, as he wanted to keep flying, and monsters infested the land. By the time the group spotted Hollowfen in the distance, it was already sunset, but the creature landed this time, and they jumped off its back, hitting the ground with a thud.

As soon as Drusilla touched the grass, she stiffened, then glanced around in panic as she warned. ''This place is evil, Rae. I can feel the darkness seeping from the land, it's something ancient.''

''This isn't like the rumors,'' Nivara added, hands on her daggers. ''It feels off, even to my kind. This place is cursed.''

He was about to respond, but a panicked male's voice echoed from behind. ''Travelers, I must insist you come inside before the sun goes down; it's dangerous out here.''

Raegar turned to face an older man, his face lined with exhaustion and his uniform strange yet unmistakably that of a seasoned soldier. , but before he could speak, a chorus of howls split the air. The sound was not quite human, not quite from a monster, something twisted and wrong, echoing through the trees.

The older man's expression hardened. His tired eyes flared with sudden alertness as he gripped the worn strap of his rifle. ''Stay here,'' he muttered, voice rough with years of surviving.

Then he turned and sprinted toward the village that lay in the distance, a cluster of sagging rooftops and crooked chimneys silhouetted against the dying light. Raegar hesitated, heart pounding. The howls rose again, closer this time, crawling under his skin. The forest around him seemed to lean inward, the branches creaking like old bones.

He glanced toward the path the man had taken, toward the old, half-forgotten village, and then back to the shadowed woods, but decided against it, taking out his daggers as Drusilla prepared her magic while Nivara took out her weapons. Seconds later, he went to summon the Fusion Soldiers, only for it to fail.

Raegar was confused at this sudden turn of events. He turned to the Dark Fairy, questioning. ''Is your magic working?''

The blonde nodded. ''Yes, my love. Why?''

''I can't summon Arthur or Shadow,'' he revealed.

Drusilla's brows rose as she responded. ''That shouldn't be possible,'' she murmured.

Nivara stepped closer, her twin blades glinting faintly in the moonlight. ''Could it be the howls? Some kind of interference?''

Raegar shook his head, scanning the treeline. ''No. Whatever this is, it's stronger. Something's suppressing our link.''

He tried again, closing his eyes, focusing on the familiar energy of the Fusion Knights, but felt only emptiness, a void where connection should have been. A cold wind swept through the clearing, carrying the faint scent of ash and decay. The howls had stopped, replaced by a heavy silence that pressed down on them like a weight.

Drusilla's wings fluttered once, uneasy. ''Rae,'' she whispered. ''We should move. That village isn't just old, it's being protected. I can feel it.''

''Warded?'' Nivara repeated. ''By what?''

The Dark Fairy's gaze lifted toward the distant rooftops. ''Not what. Who.''

Raegar followed her stare. The village loomed in the mist, still and waiting, its crooked rooftops silhouetted against a dying sky. Somewhere within, faint lights flickered, though no sound, no movement, came from the streets. He tightened his grip on his daggers. ''Then whoever's behind this already knows we're here.''

A whisper cut through the silence, too soft to be wind, too deliberate to be chance. It came from the direction of the village. Drusilla's magic flared. ''They're calling to us,'' she said.

Raegar exhaled, the mist curling from his breath. ''Then let's answer.''

They had barely crossed the crumbling stone arch that marked the village's edge when the air changed, thickened, as if the world itself held its breath. The mist coiled tighter, shapes moving within it. A low growl cut through the silence. Then another. ''Positions,'' he said, raising his daggers.

The first creature lunged from the fog, humanoid, but wrong in every sense. Its limbs were too long, its skin pale and stretched thin over corded muscle. Eyes burned with a dull crimson light, and its mouth split too wide when it shrieked. Raegar barely had time to react. He brought his blades up, crossing them just as the creature's claws struck.

The impact sent a shock through his arms, boots grinding against the cobblestones as he was forced back several paces before twisting and shoving the thing away. It staggered, hissing, black ichor dripping from its talons. Nivara darted forward, blades flashing. She slashed across its chest, but the creature only howled.

Seconds later, its wound was knitting back together almost instantly. ''Regenerating!'' she shouted.