Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend

Raegar's gaze fixed on the blonde woman as she extended her hands toward him, a silent request to hold him. Hesitantly, he reached out his own, and her smile bloomed even brighter, lighting up her face.

She scooped him into her arms with gentle confidence, her voice soft and welcoming as she spoke. ''Hello, little one. I'm Vanessa, your mother's younger sister.''

''Hello, Aunty Nessa,'' he greeted her with an adorable big smile.

When the older woman heard this, a big smile appeared on her face as her head snapped toward Victoria who giggled as she revealed. ''He's very smart for his age, even more so then Isabella and Jasper.''

Serenya and Vanessa looked shocked, but the white-haired woman quickly grabbed him with a smile. ''Let's go check out the library while your mother and girlfriend get sorted as the other family members appear.''

Following that, he waved as the three women, as Serenya started walking toward the library. She glanced down at him with a smile. ''You're adorable. Don't tell anyone this, but you're becoming my favourite nephew.''

''Don't you like big brother Jasper or big sissy Isabella?'' he inquired.

The older woman nodded, then elaborated. ''I do their my family after all, but they were different from you when they were little. If I recall correctly, neither of them enjoyed being held the way you do.''

When Raegar heard that, he leaned against her shoulder, this made Serenya beam as they entered the library, which surprised him. There were books all over the place as his eyes bulged.

''So you're a lover of books?'' his aunty sweetly asked.

''Yes,'' he replied as she put him down with a smile. ''I always read at home when mother and Yuki let me.''

Serenya giggled while ruffling his hair before grabbing his hand and leading him toward one section. ''Do you like monsters and legends?'' she questioned.

Raegar nodded with an excited expression. ''I do. I've read about the big sea monsters that roam the Sirens Sea,'' he revealed.

''Have you heard of the northern Forest Giants?'' the older woman questioned with a sparkle in her red eyes.

He got excited at her words but quickly shook his head while answering. ''No, aunty.''

Serenya beamed and quickly picked him up with a yoink as she started beelining toward a certain shelf. He waited patiently as the woman scanned all the books until she found the one she was looking for.

A few minutes later, she settled into a chair by a window overlooking the Vaelthorne garden. He was amazed but the older woman's voice sounded. ''The author claims that the Forest Giants are a lost peoples who once lived in the Old World.''

Raegar's head tilted to the side in curiosity as he questioned. ''Old World? What is that?''

Serenya pulled out a teapot and some cups while speaking. ''Let's have a warm drink; the cold weather is invading the library, and the story is a long one.''

He looked confused but nodded anyway as she started filling the cups while talking. ''Did you know that Kaldorra was splintered into hundreds of small petty kingdoms and growing empires?''

''No, all I've read about is Dawnfire's history and the founder King Arthur who created this place out of a small city in the southeast,'' he revealed what he knew.

Serenya was amazed at his knowledge, prompting a big smile to appear as she revealed. ''Well, that's good because the Forest Giants come from his time, according to all the evidence we have.''

His aunt flipped through the pages and pointed at a map. ''The scholars believe that when King Arthur rode out of Greenshade City and started conquering the surrounding realms with his fusion magic, it forced people to retreat north to their death.''

''Fusion magic?'' his little voice sounded out. ''What's that?''

The older woman nodded as she took a sip of the tea before speaking. ''It's an ancient form of magic that lets the user wield every form of Aether, from fire to dark and everything in between.''

His eyes sparkled, and he started getting excited to learn even more as Serenya commented. ''Try some of my tea. I made it a few hours ago.''

He followed her instructions but struggled to reach the cup, prompting a soft giggle from the woman. She hoisted him up and set him down on the table, then handed him the steaming drink.

Ragaer took a sip, smacking his lips with satisfaction when he was done. "Nice!" he declared.

Following that, Serenya continued telling him everything about Fusion magic before moving on to the Forest Giants. She grimaced as she started speaking. ''Rumors speak of the survivors of the Great War fled into the giant northern forests, only to vanish.''

''Vanish? Couldn't King Arthur find them?'' he curiously asked as a map appeared on the page.

On the next page, Kaldorra lay fractured, overshadowed by a burgeoning black sun emanating from Greenshade City. The map was detailed but very old, as the paper was yellowed with time.

Serenya shrugged before offering her take on it. ''They disappeared into the mists, and all the documents I located about that period believe it's a rough timeframe of when they began transforming into those creatures.''

''How?'' he asked while scanning the page and realized it was an account of a Dawnfire Commander. ''And why would they give up their lives to become monsters?''

The older woman paused to reflect before responding. ''Dark magic runs deep up north, evil creatures, corrupted Aether, and mages devoted to the Dark Gods. I suspect they were ensnared and transformed into the Forest Giants as part of some twisted experiment.''

Raegar shivered when hearing that, but his curiosity was too much. ''What do these creatures look like? And what do they do for people to be scared of them?''

Serenya flicked through the book until landing on a picture of it only for his entire body to go stiff. He recognized the creatures prompting him to think. 'Bigfoot! What is it doing on Sylvara?'

After that, the two of them pored over the book for a while, sipping her delightful tea. Raegar perched on the table's edge, listening closely as the woman shared everything the book revealed about the beasts.

By the time they finished, his Grandmother Elysia walked into the library and beamed when seeing them. ''There's my baby! Look at you, my little gremlin has become a handsome man,'' she said.

Elysia rushed forward and wrapped Raegar in a warm, affectionate hug, sparking a giggle as she peppered kisses across his face. The playful affection tugged him back to the present just as a voice rang out.

''Young master, stop daydreaming and get ready to greet your aunt,'' Yuki said with a smile.

Raegar shook his head, suddenly aware he was standing in the Vaelthorne garden. Only a few seconds had slipped by, prompting another quick shake of his head. ''Sorry, I got lost in thought for a moment,'' he said.

''Don't worry about it, darling,'' Victoria said with a smile before hugging him as two women appeared.

She turned to them with a welcoming expression and introduced him. ''Ladies, this is my youngest son, Raegar Blackwood. He's been down south training and made his way home to take the academy test.''

The first women stepped forward and she had light brown skin, blue hair and green eyes with a welcoming smile as she greeted him. ''The famous White Devil of Bloodfang is my fiancee's little brother, interesting.''

Raegar was shocked when hearing this causing the woman to continue. ''I'm Alisha Sunfire, second daughter of Duke Tyrone Sunfire. The south is fully aware of your deeds and are grateful for routing the invaders.''

Victoria's eyes went wide at Alisha's words, prompting her to question. ''Daughter, what did he do while down there?''

At that moment, Jasper appeared with a wide grin, pulling both of his women into a tight hug before speaking. ''We're witnessing the birth of a legend, Mother! I've seen little brother fight, and it's incredible, straight out of those Aether King tales you used to tell me.''

The older woman glanced at Raegar, who shrugged with an innocent smile before another figure stepped forward, a woman with blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and an icy presence reminiscent of his sister Isabella.

She froze upon seeing his face, a flicker of disgust crossing her features as she forced herself to speak. ''I'm Elise Northwood, eldest daughter of Duke Leonard Northwood.''

Suddenly, the air thickened with menace as Yuki surged forward, her blazing cat eyes cutting through the tension. A low growl rumbled from her throat as she warned. ''Wipe that look off your face. Don't you dare gaze at my young master like that!''

Shock rippled through the gardarn, but Elise's eyes narrowed into icy slits. ''Who do you think you're addressing, you lowly animal maid?'' she spat, her voice dripping with disdain.

Everyone went silent when hearing this as Victoria's gaze narrowed at the young woman but something happened that shocked the group.