Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend-Chapter 176: Complete Our Bond

''Thank you,'' Dominique said, her voice stronger now, laced with a warmth that hadn't been there before. ''You… you're more than I expected, Rae.''

Raegar chuckled before turning to the battlefield that was covered in bodies and flames, prompting him to speak to the group. ''Selene, carry Zahara. Dominique summons Baldur to be our scout. We need to find a place to hide out.

As the sun started vanishing, he led the three girls deeper into the woods, their footsteps crunching softly on the carpet of fallen leaves. The air grew cooler, and an eerie stillness settled over the landscape. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

'I can't believe we are near Drakenwood,' he thought, glancing around with a curious expression. 'I wonder where we are.'

After a time, Raegar's keen red eyes spotted a towering oak, its gnarled branches stretching like ancient arms into the twilight sky. He paused, pointing toward it with a steady hand while sending a wave of Aether across the landscape.

''There,'' he said, his voice calm but firm. ''That tree will shelter us for the night. We'll make camp beneath its boughs. The Creatures of the Night will stir soon, and we need to be ready.''

The three girls exchanged uneasy glances, their faces paling at the mention of the Nightwalkers. Tales of those beings had haunted their childhoods, whispered around flickering hearths to keep young ones close to home after dark.

Their anxiety was obvious, but they trusted Raegar, their guide and protector, and so they followed, their steps hesitant but resolute as they trailed behind him toward the massive tree.

''Don't worry, ladies,'' he said confidently while summoning his daggers with a ching. ''I'll protect you and have been fighting them for some time now.''

As they drew closer, his sharp gaze noticed signs of previous habitation: a ring of stones blackened by old fires, a few weathered logs arranged as makeshift benches, and faint carvings etched into the tree's bark, worn by time and weather.

It was an abandoned camp, likely used by other travelers or wanderers seeking shelter in these perilous woods. The discovery sent a prickle of caution down his spine, but he kept his expression steady, not wanting to alarm the girls further.

''Inside, quickly,'' he urged, motioning them toward the hollow at the base of the tree, where its roots formed a shallow cave-like enclosure.

The girls hurried inside, their eyes wide as they took in the cramped but dry space. Raegar lingered outside, his hands moving with practice as he began carving protective runes into the earth and bark around the camp.

While doing this, Drusilla appeared from his pocket and questioned. ''How do you know how to create Runes Rae?''

Without looking away from his work, he answered. ''I had to learn from some adventurers who taught me when I first learned about the night creatures, annoying things when you don't have Runes.''

Each symbol glowed faintly thanks to his Aether as he completed it, a soft blue light pulsing briefly before fading, forming an invisible barrier to ward off Nightwalkers and other sinister entities that prowled the forest after dusk.

His movements were fast but deliberate, the result of doing it every night for over a year. Once satisfied with the protective circle, Raegar dusted off his hands and stepped into the hollow, ducking slightly to fit beneath the low ceiling of roots.

''It should keep them outside,'' he muttered before looking at the blonde Fairy. ''Have you been out in the wilds?''

Drusilla shook her head. ''No, only back home but we was safe there,'' she responded.

Raegar nodded in understanding. ''Makes sense, you see they aren't just monsters, they are pure nightmares,'' he revealed.

He started studying the dark landscape and started noticing figures moving in the distance, prompting him to point. ''They are Watchers, beings that like to lure out people from the protective Runes.''

When the Fairy heard this, she shivered before speaking. ''I'm going to hang out with the others. Selene is starting a fire.''

''Okay, I'll be in soon,'' he said in response.

While standing there, Raegar checked his previously damaged arm and noticed it was back to normal as he clenched his fist. Just then, he sensed a Watcher creeping up on him. A smile crept onto his face.

He spun around and cast a Stormfire Bullet at the creature, causing it to scream out in pain as the projectile burrowed through its chest. Thanks to this, the surrounding landscape erupted into chaos.

Raegar tensed as he spotted the Watchers encircling the tree, their shadowy forms blending into the night. With a resigned sigh, he summoned his twin daggers again, their dark edges glinting faintly.

Channeling Ather, he cast an Enhancement spell over himself, his muscles surging with newfound strength. He then infused his blades with Fire and Lightning, the weapons crackling and glowing, casting an eerie light across the darkened glade.

In a blur of motion, he launched himself at the nearest Watcher. The creature recoiled, emitting a guttural, otherworldly snarl as his radiant blades sliced through the air. In an instant, its head tumbled to the ground, severed cleanly.

He surged through the grasslands like a tempest, his enchanted daggers a whirlwind of light as he unleashed a thousand precise slashes, carving through the Watchers with relentless fury.

Raegar's roar echoed across the field. '''Gotta go faster!''

A sudden boom reverberated as his Wind Aether ignited, propelling him to blinding speeds. His movements became a blur, each strike a masterpiece of his years of rigorous training thanks to his family.

The creatures fell in droves, shredded into countless fragments by the storm of his blades. In the years they hunted the humans, the Watchers had never felt fear until meeting Raegar, who killed them in their dozens as none could escape.

As he tore through the Watchers, Drusilla hovered frozen, her eyes wide and unblinking, every nerve in her body trembling like a storm about to break. She could feel the surge of raw, electrifying power of his Aether swelling with every strike, feeding off the chaos of battle.

But what shattered her breath and clawed at her soul was the sheer number of creatures falling before him, an endless tide of death he wove with terrifying ease. Her heart pounded, a fierce mix of awe and excitement.

''He's unlike anything Sylvara has ever seen!'' she cried, her tiny wings trembling with excitement and fierce loyalty. ''No creature in this world can match him, and we are bound, soul to soul.''

Without a second thought, the small fairy soared forward, her form shimmering with dark energy. Though tiny, her power was immense, a Tier Five Mage wielding devastating Dark Blast and a whip of shadow that lashed through the Watchers like a storm of night itself.

Side by side with her boy, she became a whirlwind of fury and magic, tearing through the enemy ranks with unstoppable force. Raegar turned to Drusilla when sensing her Aether killing the Watchers.

The battle raged on, shadows clashing with fury, until Raegar's sharp eyes caught sight of the last creature, desperately sprinting into the distance. His voice thundered across the battlefield. ''You're not getting away from me!''

In an instant, he surged forward like a rocket. The speed was blinding, so fierce that the force of his leap sent Drusilla hurtling backward through the air. Time seemed to slow as he soared, twisting and spinning.

Then, with a brutal, precise strike, he shredded the Watcher into bloody chunks, landing flawlessly on the ground as if born of the storm itself. Drusilla crashed down moments later, breathless and awestruck, her small form trembling from the violent shockwave of his power.

Once all the creatures were dead, Raegar stood there and basked in the aftermath, as he loved killing. While doing that, the blonde Fairy flew over to him and stopped inches from his face.

She had a big smile before sweetly asking. ''Do you want to complete our bond, Rae?''

''Yes,'' he answered without hesitation. ''You're a wonderful girl, and I can't wait to fight by your side, again and again.''

Drusilla's tiny wings fluttered wildly as a flush of warmth spread across her cheeks. She shook her head shyly, then, before she could think twice, she darted forward with a spark of boldness and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.

The moment her lips brushed his skin, Raegar felt a sudden jolt, like electricity surging through his veins, sharp and exhilarating. Time stilled for a heartbeat as the connection between them deepened, unspoken but undeniable.

Something deep within Raegar roared to life, his Dark Aether Pool ravenously absorbing a flood of energy, more than ever before. A fierce, electric pain crackled through his body, thunder crashing inside his bones, forcing him to grit his teeth and drop to one knee.

Beside him, Drusilla trembled as the overwhelming power spilled into her like a shattered dam, wild, unstoppable, and utterly transformative. The energy twisted and reshaped her very essence, altering her in ways no soul on Sylvara could have ever predicted.

She was no longer just a small fairy; she was becoming something far more, something extraordinary and terrifying.