Chapter 242: Mantle of Quiet Dread

Seeing the leaves fall from the trees, it made him remember memories he didn’t wish to remember, times when he was struggling with his own anger. This forest, he had a lot of memory in it; he remembered how many times he had failed hunting in this cursed place. It was as if someone had put a spell on him, so he could never be able to catch any animal.

The familiar path he took, it all brought back so many memories.

Aether stopped, a small smile appearing on his face, as the dojo appeared in his vision. How much… he had missed it. The bed… he couldn’t wait to actually sleep in something that wasn’t a cage.

He had had memories in this place that he knew, yet at the same time, he had missed it quite a lot; it was a place he had cared for, that he had taken care of, so really, he had grown quite attached to it.

…

But of course, the thing he had missed most was his master… Kael, though, a part of him didn’t want to face him, after all, he had come back without being able to fully learn his style… but he had to face him. After all, he had a question to ask him.

He needed help after all, in finding the last thing he was missing to truly say he could use the rapier.

“Alright… home sweet home.”

…

As Aether walked inside, the first thing he noticed was that… it was dirty, a lot more dirty than it had been when he was around; the old man hadn’t been taking good care of the place.

Aether shook his head in disappointment.

But he had to understand, his old master was hurt, his hands had been burned terribly.

…

Plus, he couldn’t complain since he had also broken his swords… and if he asked him to pay for it, he was head, in no world would he ever spend that kind of money, he didn’t know how much the blade was worth, but it was definitely not cheap.

Yet as he was looking around, he didn’t notice that someone had walked in.

“Aether, what a surprise!” Kael said, with a bright smile on his face, coming up to him with his arms wide open, inviting Aether for a hug.

“What did you not expect me to come back?” Aether chuckled, wrapping his arms around his master.

Letting go, he stepped back. “You seemed to miss me.”

The man scoffed. “Me? Never, what I missed was your labor.”

Aether laughed sarcastically, mocking the old man. “Very funny, but I see that this place has turned into a shit hole since I left.”

“Oh shut up, it’s your fault either way, what were you even doing? I’ve heard everyone else had left the arena a while ago, so why are you only now coming here? I had hope you were alive, but you not saying anything to confirm was damaging that hope slightly.”

…

…

There it was, the question he wished never came, since with it came the time for him to say that he had failed, and ask for help. He could lie, but what would that help?

…

“I just wanted to stay a little longer to train you know… and yet I still wasn’t able to master your style master… I feel like I’m missing something important, but I just don’t know that. I’m sorry if I disappointed you…”

…

…

“Oh no, I knew you weren’t going to be able to master it straight away.”

Aether’s eyes widened, confused by what his master was telling him. He had expected him not be able to master his style. What did that mean, and why, why did he think that… And what kind of master doesn’t have any trust in their own students, like what the heck, even if he was right, it still hurt to know that he didn’t believe in him.

“You see, the thing your missing, its not something you could have gotten in the arena… and while I won’t tell you what it is, I’ll say this, since I think i have an idea on what you are going to do next… which is starting the mission i assinged you long ago, with the rapier whose pieces i wish you to get back.

…

“You will be able to get it on your journey, I’m sure of it. I don’t know when, or how long it will take, but you will, so don’t overthink it, just let time do its thing, and you’ll find it without even trying.”

Something that he would find on his journey… what did he mean? How could he have known that, and how did he know that he wanted to leave? I mean, he never told him anything about doing so after the arena, and neither did he show any signs that he wanted to do so. The old man never seemed stop impressing him every day.

“I see… thanks for the… hint?”

The old man puts his hands on his hips, laughing out loud.

“You’re welcome… and I’m not done, I have something for you…

…

Remember when I asked you for your cloak?”

…

…

…

Kael did not wait for an answer. He simply turned, walked toward the old wooden chest near the wall, and lifted its lid with a slow creak that sounded almost ceremonial.

From inside, he drew something wrapped in linen.

For a brief second, Aether thought it would be the same cloak. The same miserable, dust-colored rag he had worn for years. The same thin fabric that had done little more than hide his hunger and his bones.

But when Kael unwrapped it, the room felt smaller.

The cloak was no longer the color of old dirt.

It had been remade.

The base fabric was still familiar in texture, still carrying that rough weave that once scratched against his skin, but it had been reinforced from within. Layers had been stitched beneath the outer shell, dark, tightly woven cloth that held structure without losing flexibility. The color had deepened into a muted charcoal, almost swallowing light instead of reflecting it. Not flashy. Not noble.

Purposeful.

Where the hem had once been frayed and uneven, it now fell in deliberate cuts. Angled slits ran along the sides and front, allowing his legs to move freely, the cloak parting rather than tangling when he stepped or lunged. It no longer dragged like something defeated. It followed like something alive.

Kael shook it once, and the fabric unfurled fully.

The hood revealed itself.

Not the sagging, oversized hood that once swallowed Aether’s head, but a structured one. Its rim had been subtly reinforced, giving it shape even when not worn. The inner lining was darker than the outer layer, almost black, meant to drink the light around his face. When raised, it would not simply cast shadow. It would sculpt it.

The seams had changed too.

Where crooked thread and rusted wire once held it together in desperation, the new stitching was deliberate. Thick, precise lines ran along stress points, double layered at the shoulders and collar. The places that once split under strain had been fortified from the inside. And yet, Kael had not erased its past entirely. If one looked closely, faint scars remained in the weave. Not weaknesses. History.

Then Aether noticed the weight.

This was no longer just cloth.

Built into the left shoulder was a reinforced panel, subtly integrated beneath the outer fabric. It did not shine like metal, but its contour sharpened the silhouette. It gave his frame an asymmetry that felt intentional. Defensive without being heavy. Armor disguised as shadow.

The forearm sections had been modified as well. Hidden loops and inner wrappings allowed the cloak to anchor against his bracers, preventing it from sliding during rapid thrusts. The material around the upper arms was layered enough to absorb a glancing blow, yet flexible enough not to hinder his wrist.

It was armor, yes.

But it did not look like armor.

It looked like movement.

Aether stared at it, with his mouth open… it was armor! After so much time fighting without any armor, he was finally getting something to protect him!

“Is this… mine?”

Kael scoffed. “Of course not, it’s mine… yes its your, you idiot, who else would it be, and you better take good care of it, since I put a lot of work into it! And not to mention the materials I used…”

Aether didn’t move, just staring at the newly redone cloak, if he could even call it a cloak anymore. But then a bright smile washed over him, one of pure happiness… he had never expected to get this kind of gift… since it had been a while since he had gotten one.

Really, how long had it been since he was this happy for a gift, and while he would say when he had gotten the cloak the first time, he was definitely not happy at that time, after all, Clarisse had just died, even with a gift, you couldn’t even cheer him up.

“Thank you…”

Aether said, as he reached out to grab it, yet once he touched it, something happened.

…

….

[You have gained a relic]

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