Aether's mother shouted,
"Left Guardian, capture them all!"
At her command, the Left Guardian moved fast and cut the legs of every fleeing cultist, stopping them on the spot.
Slash slash slash slash
The ones who were too far were taken down by the warriors.
"Cut both hands and leg," Aether's mother ordered.
Following her command, the Noctvain warriors began cutting their arms and legs.
In the Empire, the Noctvain family is known as the most ruthless. Some even call them demonic, because they guard the border of The Chasm: The Graveyard of Madness.
* * *
The world of Eloria is divided into seven continents. Long ago, they were all part of a single continent sealed inside Earth. But Aether's brother, Julius von Legolant, moved that sealed continent to a new world.
Inspired by Earth, He divided the sealed continent into seven continents, because the sealed continent was as big as all seven of Earth's continents.
After that, he united all the human kingdoms, and one strong Empire was born.
But the Empire wasn't the only power in the world, each of the seven continents was ruled by a different race.
On the eastern side of the Empire lies the Elf Kingdom, hidden deep within the ancient trees.
Many nature-loving races also lived there
At the South Pole stood the Ice Land, where many tribal people lived.
To the west, high above the land, were floating islands.
It was here that the Dragons reigned.
Not as beasts, But as Sovereigns.
Each dragon was like a force of nature. Their wings could break storms, and their breath could destroy cities. But they stayed out of human fights. Proud and long-lived, they watched the world from above.
Their sky islands were called Drak'Xiun, also known as the Empire of Ashen Wings.
Even the skyborn sovereigns, whose roars once shook the entire continents, eventually bowed to one man.
He was Julius von Legolant, Aether's big brother.
Because of him, a treaty was made.
Humans, elves, dragons, dwarves, fairies and all other races signed this pact.
It was called the Non-Aggression Treaty.
This treaty ended the age of chaos.
Even though peace came to the lands and skies, one place in the north stayed wild and dangerous. It was so vast it covered half the world.
No one could take control of it.
People called it The Chasm: Graveyard of Madness.
Even the strongest warriors of the Empire struggled there.
And here, at the shaky edge of the abyss, a family had stood guard for many generations.
They were the Northern family, called the Noctvain Family.
* * *
After torturing the cultists, they revealed where the fight was happening.
Aether's mother took one thousand warriors, including the Left Guardian and many Transcendent Realm warriors, and went to help the patriarch.
His mother wanted him to rest. So, Aether stayed behind.
In his past life, his father had wiped out the thousand cultists and earned the title Heaven's Equal.
So he wasn't worried at all. he had faith in his father.
The reason he brought up the fight was to ensure the family's key figure would leave, giving him the perfect opportunity to claim the Sunless Sword.
Just as he was about to go inside to take the sword, A big, fancy carriage came through the gates.
Aether turned back.
As he saw the carriage, he knew exactly who it belonged to.
The carriage stopped right in front of him, and the door burst open.
A girl jumped out.
She looked around fourteen. Her long purple hair shone like silk. Her dark purple eyes glowed. Her skin was pale, and she wore a black-and-purple dress that fit her perfectly,
Not even the most famous actresses on Earth or the queens of beauty could compare.
No, this wasn't just beauty. It was something more. Something beyond what any human could measure.
She was none other than Cierra von Ophelia
The moment Aether saw her, time seemed to stop.
His heart pounded fast and wild in his chest.
In his past life, he was so focused on his destiny and the prophecy that he never paid attention to her. Even at the age of 40, they were still just engaged.
But she never pressured him to marry. Instead, she supported him throughout his journey.
Even in his final moments, she tried to help but was brutally killed.
Aether stood still, deep in thought until he heard someone running.
It was Cierra. She was running toward him.
Before he could react
Slap!
His head turned to the left from the slap. The sting stayed on his cheek.
Aether didn't expect her to slap him. He looked at her and saw her eyes filled with tears.
Her chest rose and fell with unsteady breaths. Her soft pink lips trembled as she tried to speak, but her emotions stuck in her throat.
She clenched her fists and gently pounded his chest.
"Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot!"
After letting out her anger, she hugged Aether tightly. hiding her face in his chest.
Her whole body shook as she cried loudly.
"Do you know,how worried i was. Idiot. Stupid.idiot. You're all I want you heartless. You make me whole. Your absence shot arrows of loneliness at me, turning my heart into a wasp hive, full of holes. I couldn't think of anything but you."
Aether froze. He had ignored her all his life, so why did she love him so much? He felt guilty for not loving her back.
As he was about to speak, Lina's voice interrupted him.
"Young lady, Master Aether isn't fully healed yet. So you need to behave."
Lina has been Cierra's personal maid since childhood. handling everything from her clothes to her health, and often felt more like an older sister than a servant.
When she heard Lina, Cierra began to let go of her hug.
Just then, Aether placed both hands on Cierra's shoulders and looked into her eyes.
Seeing his aggressive approach, Cierra's face turned as red as a tomato.
"Aaahhhhfdlss uuuhmmmmm "
Her voice wouldn't come out.
He had always been cold and ignored her, unless it was about magic. Since she came from a magic family, he often asked her to spar with him.
So his sudden approach made her heart race.
.
.
.
.
To be continued....