Chapter 254: The Shadow in the Mountains

The path climbed slowly through the mountains, winding between tall ridges of gray stone that rose like silent walls on both sides. Loose gravel shifted beneath Aether’s boots as he walked, each step sending small stones sliding down the slope. The air felt different here. Thinner. Colder. The kind of cold that slipped quietly through clothing rather than striking all at once.

And you had to keep in mind that he was wearing a mantle with an ability specifically made to regulate the temperature. True… it was not in its best stage, but still.

Aether kept moving.

The wind moved freely across the mountains, brushing past him in long, steady breaths. His hair, now loose, flowed through the air; he hadn’t realized just how much it had grown, yet he had to say that he hadn’t cut it in a long time. Always growing it out before cutting it when he needed it. The wind carried the dry scent of rock and distant snow, along with the faint rustling of sparse grass clinging stubbornly to cracks in the stone. Compared to the endless noise of cities and harbors, this place felt strangely quiet.

Not silent, but quiet.

But the mountains have always been like that, without any life. A perfect place for murder if he had to say, so I guess it was a good idea to keep out for anyone that may be hiding. After all, he wasn’t sure taking a surprise attack would help his already bad injuries.

He lifted his eyes toward the ridges ahead. The mountains stretched endlessly, their peaks cutting into the sky in jagged lines. Some were close enough that he could see every crack running through their faces. Others faded into the distance, their shapes softened by a thin blue haze.

Stormfell really was ridiculous. And he has seen many things in his life. And yet this place was truly special. Something he has never seen before.

Even after hearing about it for days, seeing the scale of the island with his own eyes still felt absurd. Entire regions like this could exist without anyone from the coast even knowing what lay inside them.

Many might not even know the existence of the place he was in now; it was hard to know a place that could be considered a continent.

Aether stepped over a fallen rock and continued along the narrow trail. The ground sloped upward at a steady angle, forcing him to lean slightly forward as he walked. Small patches of grass and low shrubs clung to the mountainside, their leaves trembling whenever the wind swept past.

He exhaled slowly.

The quiet made it easier to think, though that wasn’t always a good thing.

His thoughts drifted back to the sword.

Or more accurately, what remained of it.

Somewhere across this enormous island were fragments of the rapier he had come here to find. Broken pieces scattered across places he had never seen, hidden in lands large enough to swallow entire kingdoms.

Just imagining the search made him tired.

Aether ran a hand through his hair and glanced up again. A group of dark birds circled high above one of the cliffs, carried lazily by the wind. They didn’t even bother flapping their wings most of the time, simply drifting through the air like scraps of shadow.

Lucky things.

Walking would be very annoying and took a lot of time, not to mention his injuries didn’t make it any better, so it was safe to say he wasnt’t enjoying it. He needed a break so he could calm down; after all, the cloth he had wrapped around his wound was now crimson from all he had bled; he needed some rest to regain his blood.

But first, he needed to find that bastard, but he had no idea where he was. Had he been killed, or something, since he had been searching for a while, and he had no idea of where he could go. And it wasn’t as if it was easy to find someone in this big a place.

Not that he expected it to be.

Aether continued to climb through the mountains, feeling his body weaken with each second. It was weird, feeling yourself dying on you. But he had to endure it; he had taken responsibility for that boy’s life, so he had to protect him, and to do that, he had to be alive

And yet, as it seemed like nothing was around this place, he noticed a small cave. Yet at the very same time, it was dark, really dark, luckily he had Eden so he could confirm that there wasn’t a monster inside… but there was something, a shadow with a master, meaning.

A human

’I really hope it’s who I think it is, since if it isn’t…’

He sighed before taking a step forward.

…

…

The cave opened into a narrow chamber carved by time rather than tools. It made him wonder how old this place was, but at the same time, how old Stormfell itself was. Was it always this big, or had it only appeared after the Demon of Dread came?

The stone walls curved inward, rough and uneven, their surfaces darkened by moisture that gathered in thin lines and drops. Water slipped slowly down the rock in places, falling with soft taps onto the floor below.

It was colder inside.

Surprisingly yet again, it had gotten colder even if his mantle had regenerated more, so it should have been warmer, not colder. But it just went to show how cold it was in this place that not even his mantle could keep up. If Kade were in this place, he would be freezing.

The wind that swept across the mountains barely reached here, leaving the air heavy and still. A faint smell of damp stone filled the space, mixed with the sharp scent of earth that had not seen sunlight in a long time.

Light from the entrance stretched only a short distance before fading into shadow. Beyond that point, the cave dimmed quickly, shapes losing their edges as darkness gathered along the walls and ceiling.

That was, of course, what would happen to any other person, not him. He could still be somewhat because of Eden, truly an ability worth getting. He didn’t regret the months he spent training at all.

The floor was uneven, scattered with loose stones and patches of fine dust that had settled undisturbed. In one corner, the rock dipped slightly, forming a shallow hollow where water had slowly worn its mark over the years.

The chamber was not deep, but the darkness made it feel larger than it was, the far end of the cave fading into a dull black where even the faint light from outside struggled to reach.

As he walked, he slowly felt the shadow getting closer. It could be dangerous. He knew that. And yet his mind was focused on something else.

“Do Lost… like shadows that still have a master.” A useless question for the moment. But with a lot of meaning. Since the Lost were beings who had lost their masters and tried pretending they were, what did they think about those who still happily lived behind their masters? While they tried to be them, they knew they weren’t, so it must be crushing.

But it was the case, and they did hate them. What did that mean for him? Did they also have his shadow, and so did they also mean they hated him… but that would contradict his whole powers, who say that they accept him with open arms.

So was he an exception?

He was going to have to get stronger to be able to answer that question. He had to get more information about the Abyss and anything related to it, from where he had no idea. But he knew he had to, which was important.

And by the time he finally focused, he had already reached the end of the cave.

A fire is what he saw first. But any would have made a fire in this place; it was probably one of the only ways not to freeze to death, that and having a cool and mysterious armor that, because of its impressive and absolutely deserved powers, had an ability to deal with cold and warm temperatures.

But enough with the praise.

Around the fire was what mattered.

Aether exhaled deeply as he saw Kade near the fire.

“There you were, do you know how hard it was to find you?”

The boy seemed relieved that his master was bad, to the point he was shaking… if he thought about it, maybe the cold was the reason he was trembling, not worry.

“I… didn’t want to cause any problems. I thought that if I didn’t go far enough, you might get to me while it was still chasing you, which wouldn’t have helped.”

Aether opened his mouth, but stopped.

“Let’s just forget about it for now… and rest.” He said as his body slowly fell to the ground.

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