"Well, this is a sticky situation indeed…"
Henry cast a wary glance at the boy, then quickly surveyed the village around him. He had no desire to stir up more trouble here, especially not to frighten the villagers into thinking he was a "threat."
The black-haired boy didn't give him much time to ponder his next move. The gentle breeze that Kyro and Hunter had felt earlier intensified into a gust as the boy leaped into the air, spear pointed menacingly at them. He charged forward, using the wind to propel himself with deadly intent.
Hunter instinctively reached for his bow, ready to unleash an arrow when suddenly…
"Hey, you two, cut it out!" a voice rang out from a distance.
The black-haired boy recognized the voice immediately and halted his attack. Kyro and Hunter turned to see who had intervened.
A middle-aged man, bald on top with a thick grey beard and forest green eyes that mirrored the boy's, approached. He wore simple clothing, a pair of glasses perched on his nose, and carried a heavy bag slung over his shoulder. Hunter's eyes lit up with excitement as he recognized him.
"Oliver! Long time no see, it's me, Hunter!" he shouted.
"Hunter, is that you? Oh-ho, long time no see, my friend!" Oliver exclaimed, his face breaking into a wide grin as he walked over.
"That must be the friend he talked about!" Kyro thought.
"Missed me, pal?" Oliver grinned.
"Well… my pockets certainly don't!" Hunter replied, and both men burst into laughter.
"Father, you know this man?" the spear-wielding boy asked, curiosity piqued.
"Know him? Silly boy, he helped me make a living out here for as long as I can remember!" Oliver replied, his voice filled with warmth.
"He is my number one customer of course!"
Oliver placed a hand on Hunter's shoulder, continuing, "Hunter believed in me and saved me when I was on the brink of giving up due to a lack of customers. When he first bought from me, he agreed to help promote my business, and in return, I always gave him a discount on anything he desired. I'm forever grateful to him."
"Now, now, you're giving me too much credit for your hard work," Hunter said, shaking his head.
"Stop it, Hunter. You know it's true, and I won't hear another word from you," Oliver said boldly.
Turning, Oliver continued toward the house where Kyro and Hunter stood, "Anyways, let's go inside where it's much safer. We have a lot to discuss!"
Inside, the house was neat and sparsely furnished. The main room contained only a small wooden table, a couple of chairs, and a rusty gas stove. Oliver gathered the chairs around the table, inviting them to sit. He then disappeared into another room, quickly setting down the heavy bag he had been carrying.
"Come, come! What brings you all the way here, Hunter, during these chaotic times?" Oliver asked, his curiosity evident.
"Well, before anything, I'd like to ask who this boy is. He seems awfully familiar," Hunter said, glancing at the black-haired boy.
"Oh right, it's been a while!" Oliver chuckled.
"That's my son, Tharic, right there. You met him when he was just two years old."
"Right, yes, I remember that, your wife holding him in her loving arms," Hunter exclaimed, snapping his fingers in recognition.
"Speaking of her, how is—"
Oliver interrupted, "She… is no longer with us. It's a sore subject, especially for Tharic, but she passed away a couple of weeks ago. Aether hunters came after her and took her life before she even knew."
Hunter fell silent, the weight of Oliver's words settling heavily in the air.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Oliver…"
Oliver smiled faintly, "It's quite alright, no worries. But anyway, what are you doing here?"
Hunter placed a hand on Kyro's shoulder, "Well, I actually came here for him."
Oliver turned his gaze to Kyro, "Oh? And who might he be?"
"This is Kyro. I found him outside our village one afternoon, unconscious, and took him in before anything bad could happen to him."
Oliver nodded, "I see. Kyro, where are you from?"
Kyro shook his head, "I don't have any recollection of my memories at all."
Oliver's eyes widened in surprise, "At all? That's strange indeed. To think it's been weeks and you still don't remember a thing? You must have hit your head hard, boy."
"I'm no doctor and I'm not sure I have any medication for memory loss as severe as his if that's what you are looking for," Oliver asked, turning back to him.
"Well, not exactly."
"Kyro is interested in traveling the country in hopes of solving our century-long problem with the aether in the land. I've taught him the fundamentals of wielding an axe, but I would like for him to learn basic aether techniques as well. Thus I came to you in perhaps the chance you had a spare aetherite crystal for him," Hunter explained.
Tharic couldn't help but snicker at Kyro's ambition.
"Foolish! Who does he think he is to suddenly find a cure for this godforsaken curse…"
Even Oliver looked taken aback, "Save our country? You are out of your damn mind! I mean, if Hunter—"
Hunter interrupted before Oliver could continue, "Oliver, we don't need to go there. Besides, could you fault someone who wants to try and save our country? It's better than those aether hunters. Give the boy a chance at least."
Oliver stroked his beard thoughtfully, before grudgingly replying back,
"Alright, fine. Just because it's you, Hunter, I'll help him out. Let me grab a spare aetherite crystal for him."
Tharic turned to Kyro, slyly remarking, "So, you're going to be the great hero that saves our country now, is that right?"
Kyro felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him at Tharic's teasing. If even Hunter's good friend was skeptical, and his son laughed at his aspirations, was he being utterly ridiculous? Was Hunter merely humoring him out of kindness? Doubt crept into Kyro's mind.
"Well, I'm not sure about being a great hero, but I would love to help solve this problem as much as I can," Kyro replied, trying to sound confident.
"Oh, is that so, hero?" Tharic teased. "Someone like you with memory loss will save our country now is it?"
Hunter stepped in to shield Kyro from further embarrassment, "Alright now, that's enough."
Tharic sat quietly, arms crossed, his expression still one of disbelief.
Oliver returned, handing Kyro an aetherite crystal necklace, like the one Tharic had.
Kyro graciously accepted and put his necklace around his neck.
"You feel that?" asked Hunter.
Kyro nodded his head. He could feel the aether of everything around and its flow rapidly increasing into his body.
"I can feel the aether around me and coming into me!"
Oliver chimed in, "Maybe you can teach my son along-"
"Father, I don't need training at all from anyone," sternly said Tharic with his arms crossed.
"I can fully be capable of fighting and learning by myself you know."
Oliver and Tharic continued to go back and forth as meanwhile, Kyro began to feel a wave of dizziness wash over him, the world around him spinning. Though thrilled, he struggled to express his joy as a pounding headache began to take hold.
Hunter noticed Kyro clutching his head, "Kyro, are you alright?"
Kyro, still gripping his throbbing head, replied, "Yes… I am perfectly…"
*THUD*
Kyro collapsed onto the wooden floor.
***
"Crystallized aether?" a mysterious voice asked.
Kyro found himself in a dark room, a lit candle flickering on the table, papers strewn everywhere, and bookshelves looming around him.
On the table in front of him lay an abundance of aetherite crystal, but much bigger than those of Tharic's and Hunter's.
Behind him, the mysterious voice exclaimed in curiosity, "Could this really be as applicable as they say it could? I mean I understand the stable aether it can provide, but I admit the amount of aether is a bit underwhelming than I thought."
"If anything, though, it is a starting point. But we don't have much time, we must find a solution…and fast."
***
Kyro jolted awake in a cold sweat, confusion swirling in his mind. He found himself on a bed in a quiet room by himself.
"What was that just now? A memory?"
He rubbed his head, the throbbing pain subsiding, "Where was I even?"
His thoughts raced, questioning the dream he had just experienced. Next to his bed, a window was covered with curtains. Quickly, Kyro pulled them aside to check the time. Night had fallen, stars twinkling in the dark sky.
He rose from his bed, grabbed the axe leaning against the doorway, and stepped into the main room. Everyone was sound asleep at the table. Trying not to make a sound, Kyro decided to sit outside the house, continuing to ponder what had just transpired.
"That aether crystal…. the mysterious voice, what was all of that just now?"
"Was it all perhaps a strange dream? Or was it truly real?"
As Kyro spiraled into his thoughts, a man in a black robe with red sleeve cuffs approached him, his face obscured by the hood he wore.
"Excuse me, sir! Are you perhaps an adventurer?" the strange man asked quickly.
Kyro looked up, "Yes, I suppose you could say that. What's the matter?"
"If… if you don't mind, my friend was kidnapped by an aether hunter not long ago. They ran into the forest north of here."
"I would go after them, but I'm too weak. You seem like an adventurer with promise, so please, could you help me?" the man pleaded.
"Of course, I'd be glad to help," Kyro replied innocently.
"This is my chance to prove myself!"
Kyro followed the man into the forest north of the village. They walked for a while, and Kyro grew curious about their destination.
"We've been walking for a bit, sir. Are we getting any closer to where your friend might be?" Kyro asked.
"Yes, yes, we are almost there. Just past the river ahead and into that small cave," the black-robed individual smiled.
Kyro nodded as they crossed the river and entered the cave. It was pitch black, visibility nonexistent.
"Ugh, I can't see anything," Kyro muttered.
"Hey, where are—"
As Kyro turned around, he realized the man's presence had vanished. In fact, it felt as if something sinister loomed behind him.
"What's going on?"
Suddenly, torches around the cave ignited, revealing three more figures wearing similar robes as the mysterious person guiding Kyro, standing before him, with two more behind.
One of the figures in front snickered, "So this is the new kid that popped into town!"
Another chimed in, "He will surely provide us with abundant aether!"
Yet another added, "Such a naïve idiot. I can't believe this plan of yours worked, Yusef."
Yusef, who stood behind Kyro, grinned, "Sorry about this, boy, but you must understand during these trying times."
Kyro stood frozen, shock coursing through him. He had thought he was genuinely helping someone, only to discover he had been misled.
"Why did they… how did they even know…"
But there was no time for self-pity; Kyro had to prepare for what was coming next.
"Why are you guys doing all of this?" he demanded.
Yusef laughed, "Why? Do you not know the soil that you stand on? The terrible state of our country? The lifeforce being stolen from all of us? I mean talk about a naïve child; we are only doing what anyone else would."
"Of course, it's a shame that you had to be caught in all of this. But, as they say, survival of the fittest. Better luck next time, kid."
Kyro turned to Yusef, "Wait, but—"
Before he could finish, a fireball spell struck him from behind. Kyro fell to his knees, the force of the attack overwhelming him. Laughter erupted around him as the others mocked his plight.
Fueled by a surge of anger to prove them wrong, Kyro sprang to his feet, grabbing his axe and charging at the individual who had cast the fireball. The robed figure drew a dagger hidden within his cloak, clashing it against Kyro's war axe. Kyro kicked him hard into the cave wall.
Before he could catch his breath, a torrent of water blasted into his face, followed by a jolt of electricity coursing through it, presumably from one of the others, shocking him and bringing him to his knees. The laughter intensified, but it only fueled Kyro's determination.
He rose once more, seizing his axe as he charged at Yusef and the other figure beside him. Recalling his earlier battles, Kyro slammed the ground with his axe. The earth cracked, dust swirling everywhere, obscuring visibility.
As he kept running toward Yusef, a vine erupted from the ground, ensnaring his ankle and tripping him.
"How did they see me through the dust?"
More vines sprang from the earth, binding Kyro and rendering him immobile. His axe slipped from his grasp as the vines tightened around him.
"That was a cute attempt, little boy," the robed individual he had knocked against the wall earlier taunted. He appeared unscathed.
As the figure approached from behind, he plunged a dagger into Kyro's lower back, the blade sinking deep. Blood spilled as Kyro screamed in agony.
"Now then, how should we kill this boy?" the black-robed man grinned.
He turned to Yusef. "Yusef, since you brought us this lovely boy, I say we follow your lead."
"Let's give him a slow, miserable death," Yusef suggested, laughter echoing in agreement.
Kyro looked up, despair washing over him.
"Is this really the end for me?"
He glanced at the laughing figures surrounding him.
"I guess… it was foolish to think I could save this country…"
"Perhaps I should have just stayed… at the inn."
The man who had stabbed him prepared to strike again when suddenly…
*VWOOSHH*
A spear flew through the air, piercing the man's chest and pinning him against the cave wall. He collapsed, bloodied and unconscious.
"Step away from him," a mysterious voice commanded from outside the cave.
The bloody spear flew back into the voice's hand.
"Or else I'll kill you all."