Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend-Chapter 48: Nearly As Fast As Me

Raegar turned to the young woman by his side, his voice steady as he asked, ''Is your father the leader?''

She glanced at him, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her face before she nodded. ''Yes. He's the one who makes the decisions around here and keeps us safe.''

Following that, Vesa approached the door and entered while shouting before walking up a set of stairs to the left. ''Papa! I brought the white-haired boy!''

Raegar chuckled when hearing that, but stopped when he saw the man that first spoke to him. ''I can't believe you're still alive. Come in and get out of the cold. Winter is hard this year,'' he said.

He nodded before closing the front door and a vampire woman appeared. ''Who's this, darling?''

The man looked at him, and he introduced himself. ''I'm Raegar Blackwood. An adventurer exploring Bloodfang Forest.''

''Good to meet ya, boy,'' the woman said cheerfully. ''I'm Miranda, and this handsome man is Theo, the Chief of Eldergrove Village. But enough of that, I've just dished up dinner after tending to this lump.''

Raegar bowed his head with a chuckle at her antics. ''Thank you for the hospitality. It's appreciated since I've been sleeping in a tent.''

Theo's smile grew wider as he waved him away with a thankful expression. ''You aided the village against the Forest Men, so a meal and warm bed, if the least, we can do.''

Following that, they stepped into the dining room, the warmth of the crackling fire offering comfort amidst the storm outside as cold air nosedives causing their breaths to be seen when breathing out.

The room was simple but homely, which he liked a lot. 'This place is nice. It's different from the Blackwood Manor,' he thought with a smile.

He noticed wooden beams stretched across the ceiling, and the flickering light from the hearth cast long, dancing shadows across the walls. A rustic wooden table stood at the center, covered with rough-hewn chairs that looked worn from years of use.

''Sit down Raegar,'' Miranda said in a sweet voice. ''I've made some Bramblehare Stew. It's delicious.''

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He accepted the gesture and sat down just as she put a bowl in front of him with some bread as Theo finally spoke. ''I know you're training in the forest, but don't you find it dangerous?''

''Yes, but I wouldn't get stronger by killing Tier One Monsters,'' he explained while dipping some bread and eating it, which he found delicious before he continued. ''So I decided to move on to Tier Two when I came across the Forest Men and found them easy to kill thanks to my speed.''

When the vampire couple heard this, their curiosity sharpened. Theo narrowed his eyes, skepticism lacing his voice. ''How? You are a Tier One Mage at best. How can you possibly survive out there?''

Raegar merely smirked, saying nothing as he let his carefully restrained aura unleash. It crashed into the room like a tidal wave of death, suffocating and oppressive, thick with the weight of slain enemies.

The temperature seemed to drop, and a chill of fear crept up the vampires' spines. Theo's confident expression vanished, his face going pale as Miranda took a wary step back. But rather than fear, her eyes glowed with curiosity.

''That's… not right,'' she murmured, studying him as if trying to unravel a mystery. Then her gaze sharpened. ''Just how many monsters have you killed since arriving here to build such an unusual aura?''

Raegar's smirk deepened, his eyes gleaming with something unreadable. ''Enough that I've lost count,'' he said simply.

As they settled in and began eating, Raegar listened intently to the conversation. Although the food was simple but warm, he didn't savor it because his mind was elsewhere. From the vampires, he learned Aura wasn't just about raw power.

It was forged through experience, battle, and survival. Every fight, every kill, every near-death moment shaped it, making it heavier. But what truly caught his attention was Theo's remark.

''Your aura… it's nothing like a normal human's,'' he said, studying Raegar with an intrigued expression. ''If anything, it's more like the Dark Ones than one of your kind.''

Miranda nodded, her eyes flickering with curiosity. ''It's unnatural… but not in a bad way. Just different.''

Raegar suppressed his aura once more, pulling it back into himself like a beast retreating into its cage. Instantly, the heavy tension in the room lifted, the air returning to normal, almost as if the suffocating presence from moments ago had never existed.

But before anyone could dwell on it, a loud bell rang out, its sharp toll echoing across the village like a warning cry. Theo shot to his feet, his expression twisting into one of horror. His sharp gaze snapped to his wife.

''Check on Vesa and lock her windows!'' he ordered, his voice urgent.

Miranda didn't hesitate when hearing her husband's words. She was already moving toward the stairs. Raegar glanced at the older man and questioned. ''What's going on now? More Dark Ones?''

''Yes,'' Theo replied, his expression weary. ''They've broken through the village runes and are roaming the streets, hunting for anyone they can find.''

Raegar's face darkened with concern, but before he could speak, Miranda rushed downstairs, panic flashing in her eyes. Her voice trembled as she blurted out. ''She's snuck out!''

When Theo heard this, he went to rush out, but the older woman stopped him. ''We don't know where she's gone and I need you here when they finally attack.''

He watched the couple panic before shrugging and walking outside while speaking. ''I'll go find her. I'm faster and stronger than you both.''

Following that, the vampires looked at him like he was crazy, but he waved them away with a confident expression and glowing red eyes. ''Don't worry about me. I love fighting creatures like this. Do you know where she might be?''

Miranda nodded. ''With her boyfriend. They should be at his house in the southern part of the village next to the butchers,'' she revealed.

As Raegar stepped outside, a Dark One lunged from the nearby shadows and attacked him. He jumped over it and cast a Stormfire Bullet into the back of the skull of the monster, causing it to drop dead.

'Easy to kill when I can ambush them, but they're nearly as fast as me,' he thought before deflecting several claw swipes.

Sparks flew everywhere, but Raegar kept dodging attacks while countering with his own as he made his way down the street. He could hear screaming and shouting coming from all around.

With a big smile, he tore through the village, his blades crackling with fire and lightning Aether as he carved through the monsters. Sparks illuminated the streets with every strike, the air thick with the scent of burning flesh and ozone.

As he sprinted down the street, a Dark One lunged from the shadows, its twisted form a blur of claws and malice. Raegar dropped low, sliding beneath the creature. Even as he moved, his daggers flashed, wicked arcs of steel slicing clean through its body.

The beast barely had time to screech before it collapsed in a heap behind him, lifeless. Raegar jumped up and found the house Miranda told him about, but he noticed it was being surrounded by the creatures.

Without hesitation, Raegar hurled his daggers, the blades whistling through the air before burying themselves deep into the skulls of the nearest Dark Ones, which killed them instantly.

Before their lifeless bodies hit the ground, he summoned the weapons back to his hands, their hilts snapping into his grip just as the remaining creatures charged, their bloodcurdling screams tearing through the night.

As the first lunged, he twisted aside with lightning-fast reflexes. In the same motion, his hand shot forward, crackling with raw power. A surge of Lightningfire erupted from his palm, engulfing the creature's face in a furious blaze.

It shrieked, writhing as it disintegrated into ash before the wind could carry its last shriek away. The night burned with the clash of steel and claws as Raegar cut his way through the horde of Dark Ones.

His daggers danced in his hands, flashing like twin streaks of moonlight as they carved through monstrous flesh. Black ichor sprayed with every strike; every movement was a deadly blur.

A Dark One lunged at him, its claws slashing through the air. Raegar twisted, letting its strike barely graze past him before driving his dagger into its side and slicing down the body of the creature.

He continued attacking the beasts while noticing a group of villagers rushing toward a nearby house. Following that, Raegar spotted the young vampire woman trying to close a door as a Dark One tried to get in.

The monster slammed against the door, its excitement mounting at the prospect of a fresh meal. But before it could break through, he charged forward, his blades flashing as he tore into the creatures, cutting down anything that dared stand in his way.

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