Chapter 6: Your Older Girlfriend

Raegar was enjoying the landscape, as he still couldn't believe he had found himself in a fantasy world. While admiring that, his mother, Isabella and Yuki, were chatting about mundane stuff. He sat there distracted when he spotted a town in the distance, a branching road leading away from the one they traveled. As he gazed at it, memories from the many books he read surfaced. This was Emberfield, one of the farming settlements near Blackwood Manor. Following that, the journey was peaceful as the hills changed to grassland that stretched in all directions. Raegar loved this world as it was something new and he could explore it when he was older. 'I can't wait to join Drakenwood and conquer their dungeons,' he pondered as his red eyes glowed. 'That should help me improve my skill and Aether Pool.' After that thought, Raegar retrieved the Aether Chronicles, a guide he had started recently. He flipped through its pages until he found a section that caught his interest. As he read, he discovered something intriguing. Using Aether in the form of magic would increase both its size and storage capacity. The concept fascinated him; the possibilities were running wild in his mind. However, his enthusiasm died out, and boredom soon set in. Closing the book, he turned his attention to the world outside once again. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting the landscape in hues of orange and gold. Raegar noticed they were coming to a halt near the edge of a peaceful lake. ''It's time to camp for the night as we left home late and the sun will go down,'' his mother said to everyone, causing Yuki and Saki to step out of the carriage. The cat girl held the door open for them and he smiled at the beautiful maid, which caused the young woman's cheeks to turn red. Following that, the Blackwood guards started setting up the tents. Raegar wandered around while taking in the surroundings. 'This place looks good to stay, but something is giving me a bad feeling,' he mused. Nothing unusual occurred, allowing him to relax as he made his way toward his tent. Upon entering, he found his mother arranging his bunk, while Isabella worked alongside Saki, who was assisting her with a few tasks. Raegar remained silent, his gaze briefly lingering on the scene before he sat in the corner to be out of the way. Crossing his legs, he closed his eyes and meditated, his breathing steady as he focused on centering himself amidst the calm of the evening. Minutes into his meditation, Raegar sensed the Aether flowing through the air. It was subtle at first, but then it became vivid, elemental energies swirling around him like a quiet, invisible dance. Water and Earth were the most abundant, their presence steady and grounding, while Fire Aether flickered brightly, fueled by the campfires. As he focused, the energy seemed to take on form, appearing as tiny dust motes glimmering faintly in the dim light. 'This is what the book says Tier One Aether Mages can do when unlocking their pools,' he mused while the sound of campfires crackled and soldiers' laughs echoed through the night air. Raeger settled into his meditation, and within moments, he sensed the subtle currents of Aether surrounding him. The energy danced and shimmered in the air, captivating him entirely. He quickly noticed that the elements of Earth and Water were common, their presence dominating. Fire, Light, and Dark flickered in the mix, but their energies were far less prominent. 'Must be because of all the water and earth in the surroundings,' he thought, piecing together the natural balance of the environment. Following this, his mother handed him a plate of food with a smile, ''Eat up darling, we'll be at grandfather's estate by tomorrow afternoon,'' she revealed. Raegar nodded before asking while looking around, ''Thanks mother, where's Yuki?'' Victoria's smile shifted into a playful grin as she teased, ''She's in her tent. I see you miss your older girlfriend.'' His cheeks flushed a deep red, surprised by the sudden remark. He had only ever been around his mother, Yuki, her mother, and the other staff at home, none of whom had ever made him feel this kind of awkwardness. ''Everyone knows you like each other and she is a wonderful woman, son,'' she said while sitting down and teased him with a grin. ''Your father and I expect you too bring home a few girlfriends in the future. Like I said before, I want many grandbabies to spoil.'' Raegar's face turned even redder at their laughter. Without a word, he hurried out of the tent, leaving Victoria and Saki's giggles behind. He made his way to the adjacent tent, where Yuki was cleaning up. As he approached, her sparkling blue eyes met his, and for the first time, he truly noticed just how beautiful she was. He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought before speaking. ''Can I join you? Mother won't let me read in peace with her teasing.'' The cat woman nodded with a big smile, ''Come in young master, make yourself comfortable.'' Raegar slumped down and relax the meat, which was delicious. He offered some to Yuki, but she politely declined, ''No thank you, young master. I've already eaten while you were busy reading.'' Following that, the two of them sat in silence only for him to notice she was reading a romance novel like most twenty-four-year-olds do. He found it baffling because he knew love was a strange concept. 'My parents didn't love each other back on Earth and were in a loveless,' he pondered. 'But my new ones do and it's obvious.' After finishing his dinner, Raegar placed the plate aside and settled into meditation once more, tuning into the currents of Aether that flowed around him. Hours passed in peaceful concentration until a gentle nudge brought him back to reality. Yuki's sweet voice reached him as she spoke. ''Do you want to join me for the night, young master? The weather's worsened, and you'll get wet if you return to your tent.'' Raegar looked into her big blue eyes that were hopeful and nodded, ''Yes, I will in a minute.'' The pink-haired maid nodded with a beaming smile, ''Okay young master,'' she before climbing into her bunk. He watched as Yuki settled in, her excitement barely concealed by the effort to mask it. Her eyes sparkled with a mix of anticipation and mischief. Raegar couldn't help but smile to himself. 'What's the point of being scared of her? We've grown up together, and she is comfortable around me,' he thought, the familiarity between them making the situation feel more comfortable than awkward. Raegar got up only to have pins and needles, which made him yelp, causing Yuki to look at him with a strange expression as he shook his feet. When the maid realized what he was doing, she giggle. ''Are the cave goblin tickling your feet?'' she questioned with a giggle. He looked at her with a confused expression as he answered, ''They have gone fuzzy and it's annoying.'' Yuki nodded with a playful smile. ''That's what I meant. Now come join me, young master. It's getting colder,'' she said, lifting the cover. Raegar hesitated, taking slow steps toward her, causing the cat woman to smile mischievously. ''I won't bite,'' she teased, ''Unless that's something you like to try young master.'' He stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes at her. ''No biting, Yuki! You already got my ear that time and made me jump.'' Her laughter only grew louder as she nodded, still amused. ''As you wish, young master. Now get in, or you're sleeping on the floor.'' Raegar, heeding her playful warning, climbed into the bunk. Almost immediately, Yuki wrapped her arms around him from behind, her chest pressing softly against his back, which made him feel weird. It was something he had never experienced, but the warmth and comfort of her embrace soon made him feel groggy. As she gently ran her fingers through his snow-white hair, the rhythmic motion lulled him into a deep, peaceful sleep. Sometime later, explosions woke Raegar up, causing him to jump out of bed just as someone grabbed him. He panicked, but Yuki's quiet voice reached his ears. ''We're under attack, young master. I need to get you to safety.'' Following that, they left the tent as the Blackwood soldiers were fighting dozens of bandits. He looked around as some of them dying, but their killers were burned to a crisp when his mother and Isabella cast a fire spell into the group. Raegar's eyes locked onto the approaching bandits, their figures charging toward the cat main. In an instant, she drew two daggers, blocking the first attacker's strike with practice, before plunging one into the second assailant. But before Yuki could recover, a third bandit unleashed a devastating wind spell. The blast sent her crashing through the air, her body slamming into the ground with a sickening thud as she yelped in pain. His heart surged with fury as he watched his mother and Saki rush to her side, but his rage only intensified when the bandits struck Victoria. The blow sent her crumpling to the ground, dropping with a painful thud. [Drop some Power Stones, Reviews, and Comments, as it will help the book grow]