Chapter 8: Bone Dry

A short time later, Victoria spotted her parents' estate on the horizon. With a surge of determination, she poured the last of her Aether into the spell, propelling herself forward with explosive speed. Seconds later, she crashed into the Vaelthorne's garden, causing all hell to break loose. Guards rushed in from every direction and aimed their weapons at her, but froze when her father appeared, Duke Griffin Vaelthorne, a man with a fearsome reputation. His expression changed to shock as they fell upon his daughter. ''Sunflower! What is the meaning of this!'' he exclaimed, but soon went wide eyed when he saw Raegar in her arms. ''Elysia! Get out here now, our grandson needs you!'' The Duke's voice boomed across the garden when he realized the situation and called for his wife. Seconds later, a powerful boom echoed through the air. Victoria's eyes widened as she saw her mother emerge above the manor, her figure unmistakable as she moved toward them with purpose. Her father knelt beside the dying Raegar, placing a steady hand on his chest, his expression tense as he focused on the fallen figure before him. Griffin's eyebrows rose in shock as his face paled at the condition his grandson was in. 'This is serious. Aether overload is tearing his body apart,' he thought. After that, he got angry and asked in a low voice that scared her, ''What happened? Why is his body breaking down like this?'' ''We were on our way here, camping along the Kingsway,'' she started, her voice growing gentle as she gazed at her son. ''That's when the bandits attacked. Amid the chaos, he began to glow with Aether, and before we knew it, he was casting spells that destroyed everything they touched.'' When Griffin heard this, his eyebrow rose just as Elysia arrived and took Raeger before scanning him. Victoria looked worried as she questioned, ''Can you heal him, mother?'' The mature woman concentrated as her energy washed over his body before her eyes opened only to reveal, ''We need to talk in private, but I can heal him, but it will take a great deal of Aether.'' Following that, Elysia took Raegar while speaking, ''Come to the workshop, Vic, and husband, bring me some Aether Fruit please.'' ''What type?'' Griffin asked. ''All of them, bring as many as you can,'' her mother replied. ''You won't believe it.'' Afterward, they rushed off with Victoria peppering Elysia for answers, but the older woman shut her down, ''Just wait, daughter!'' Minutes later, the trio arrived at a workshop where her mother put Raegar on a bench as Griffin rushed out of the room to get the Aether Fruit. Once he was gone, Elysia turned to her and revealed, ''He's a Tetraarch, my daughter. A Mage who can use all eight elements, which is amazing but dangerous.'' When Victoria heard this, her eyes widened as her brain shut down. ''A Tetraarch? How is that impossible? The last one died hundreds of years ago in the Great War,'' she exclaimed. Her mother nodded in agreement, ''I would usually agree with you Vic, but scan his inner world,'' she said while motioning to the sleeping boy. Victoria approached Raegar, her movements calm yet deliberate, and gently placed her hand over his chest. Closing her eyes, she channeled her Aether into him, feeling the energy flow throughout his body. What she saw was beyond anything she had ever expected, numerous pools of power, each swirling around a larger, unfamiliar one at the center. The sight was alien to her, something she had never encountered in all her studies. As the vision faded, Victoria emerged from the haze, her voice tinged with awe. ''I've never seen that before. Not even in the old history books.'' ''You're wrong daughter,'' Elysia said while staring at Raegar with a curious glint in her eyes, ''There's one legend, well, more of an old myth.'' Victoria glanced at her mother, her brow furrowed as the older woman recalled the distant memory. ''If I remember correctly,'' she continued, her voice thoughtful, ''My grandma once mentioned a being who was adored by the world's mana and commanded the elements like no other.'' ''And you think Raegar is this being?'' she asked the older woman. Elysia shrugged, her expression serious as she cautioned, ''When the boy attends the academy, he must only use three elements at most, or things could go wrong. Even that could cause problems.'' Victoria's brow furrowed in confusion at her mother's words. Sensing her daughter's confusion, the older woman quickly added, ''If the other Dukes and Duchesses learn of him, they'll try to bind him to their families, or worse, some might attempt to enslave him. His power would make him a target.'' 'Oh no they won't,' she thought as her motherly instincts kicked in while exclaiming with a dangerous expression, ''I won't allow anyone to touch him.'' Elysia grinned before revealing, ''Your father and Alaric would cause chaos across the empire but that won't stop the nobles' schemes.'' Victoria nodded just as Griffin entered the workshop with a massive basket of fruits, which he put down while speaking. ''What's going on? When will you heal him, love?'' ''Bring me a Lightning and Fire Fruit,'' the older woman replied. She watched as her father pulled out two small objects and handed them to Elysia, who revealed what she knew. ''Griff, our grandson is a Tetraarch Mage.'' Victoria watched the big man go white as he stammered, but noticed a glint in the old man's eyes as he exclaimed, ''He's going to be a monster. We need to protect him from those greedy nobles and those who would harm him.'' ''Put your contacts to good use, darling. When he takes the Aether test, we can lie and tell people he's a Triarch Mage instead,'' Elysia instructed her husband and daughter. ''We also have to be careful with the De Vilmont, that Mariah is a sly fox.'' The older woman pressed a fruit in her hands, crushing it over Raegar's mouth, allowing the juice to flow into him. She repeated the process, her movements purposeful. Victoria, unable to understand, watched her mother in confusion before finally asking, ''What's going on? Why are you doing that, Mother?'' ''He needs Aether in every part of his body. I can sense that his pools are bone dry and cracking, which will destroy his internal organs,'' Elysia answered with a focused expression. ''And I've been pouring energy into him to heal the wounds.'' When Victoria heard this, her eyes widened, but a small smile appeared as she muttered, ''Thank you for your help, mother.'' ''Shhhh now, he's my grandson and I have a feeling this one will come see us, unlike the others,'' the older woman replied in a cheerful voice. Victoria and Griffin sat quietly, watching as Elysia continued to heal Raegar. Slowly, they could see his body mending, wounds closing, and his breathing stabilizing. However, it was obvious the older woman was growing increasingly exhausted. Despite the visible strain, she pushed forward, her focus unwavering as she ignored her fatigue and continued to pour her energy into healing him. While doing this, Victoria looked at her son with a newfound respect. 'What could a soul like that be capable of?' she thought in amazement while sensing the life returning to Raegar just like the mythical phoenix. ''We better pray he doesn't turn against us or the empire, daughter,'' her father warned, his voice heavy with concern. ''It would be the doom of Kaldorra.'' He paused for a moment, his gaze distant, as if contemplating the weight of his words. ''But I believe his soul is too strong for that.'' *** While unconscious, Raegar was dreaming about his previous life and he didn't miss it, as he had a new life to live. Once he came to, pain shot through his body but soon felt Aether flowing into him. 'What's going on?' he mused with a groggy mind. 'I remember killing those bandits, but after that, nothing.' Minutes later, Raegar's eyes fluttered open as he regained his strength. He saw a window that showed him a beautiful garden, shrouded in darkness, with a landscape stretching endlessly in every direction. The stillness of the scene only seemed to heighten the confusion in his mind. He groaned softly as he attempted to sit up, but the intense pain coursing through his body made him tremble. 'Shit, this hurts so bad,' he thought, clenching his teeth as the sharp pain sent waves of discomfort through him. As Raegar sat there, he felt the Aether coursing through his body, gradually mending the last of his injuries. The pain slowly receded, and ten minutes later, he felt much better. His senses sharpened, and he scanned the unfamiliar surroundings. His gaze landed on a basket filled with strange-looking fruit. 'What are they?' he mused, curiosity getting the better of him. [Drop some Power Stones, Reviews, and Comments, as it will help the book grow]