Rey's eyes snapped open; his vision blurry as he gasped amid erratic breaths. While he felt sore all over his body, faint yet frequent cramps tormented him mercilessly.
As his sight cleared, Reygar realized he had slept the whole night on the cold, hard floor. Last night, what started feeling good out of the blue, made him rapidly fall asleep. And here he was now, disappointed because that pleasant sensation lasted so little.
"Damn… I feel like crap," Rey muttered, rubbing his head. Then noticed the dagger lying on the floor next to him, its characteristic light blue glow now gone.
Seeing his heirloom relic, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, remembering something and hastily turning around to look at the bed.
Rey exhaled in relief at the sight of the crystal artifact lying safe and sound on his bed. 'Alena would surely kill me if I destroyed it… Who wouldn't?'
Now awake and able to relax, his mind drifted elsewhere… to last night's events.
'That octahedron was my… Seed? What the hell, was that my "Inner Sanctuary," then? How else would I have been able to see that?' He shook his head. 'That doesn't make sense, mundanes are not supposed to access their Inner Sanctuary.'
"..." Reygar recalled his review of The Principles of Aether.
He remembered flipping through the book to the section on inner training.
...Therefore, if a Weaver concentrates on their central axis, their Soul Flames, they will be able to feel and manipulate the flow of aether in their body and the atmosphere. This inner training could be more effective when performed in the Inner Sanctuary of each Weave-
Inner Sanctuaries are the personal and spiritual spaces granted to Weavers by the Nexus when they sprout their Seed. Within these spaces, they can observe both their Soul Flames and Soul Tree, among other aspects of their power and connection with the Nexus.
'...Well, mundanes aren't supposed to have their seeds imprisoned, cursed, blocked or whatever, by those… aetheric shackles, are they?'
Following a long pause, Rey sighed deeply.
"Great, my head hurts now too."
He took another look at the two artifacts: the now dull-dagger and the empty flask, its water gone.
'So… I really absorbed their energy into my Nexus Seed, which erased those shackles…'
A bright smile slowly spread across his face as realization dawned on him, widening his eyes and dilating his pupils.
'This sensation… It's something I've never felt before… Did I finally make it? After… after all this time?'
Reygar could now perceive a faint trail of energy curling deep inside him, swirling around an octahedron shape: his Nexus Seed.
A tide of happiness flooded his eyes, spilling down to kiss his cheeks.
***
Over the next twelve days, Reygar immersed himself in his training routine: waking at dawn to do endurance training, followed by aerobic exercises, a study session and finishing with basic sword drills at the militia near sunset.
From time to time, he helped his father when needed in the workshop.
But during the course of this rigorous routine, Reygar's mind was engrossed by one and only one thing…
Sprout.
Despite somehow freeing his seed, Rey couldn't manage to sprout it. It was odd, seeds filled with aether were supposed to sprout. However, Reygar suspected it was because his Seed was tainted and he wasn't able to fully cleanse it. But of course, that was just a theory of his.
He attempted once again to absorb the aether from the two artifacts after they recharged, but failed to achieve the desired effect like that night. He did manage to access his "Sanctuary" and sense the faint amount of aether within, yet he wasn't capable of manipulating it; he was mundane after all.
Eventually, he told Alena about his peculiar predicament. She was left stunned but unfortunately could not be of much help beyond shedding some light on the problem: Reygar seemed to be caught in an utterly strange paradox.
Seeds don't just need aether to sprout — they also need their catalyst, the so-called "Divine Nexus." This catalyst establishes its threads through inner training — that is, by managing to sense aether for the first time.
However, Reygar had already accomplished that; he was — and still is capable of sensing aether, and even his Nexus Seed. Yet, that sought reaction never happened.
Every day that passed, the claws of anxiety clutched at him tighter.
'Was that damn priest right after all?'
This day he decided to clear his mind by going hunting — his favorite activity — instilled in him largely by his uncle, Duncan. Speaking of whom, unfortunately had to postpone the hunt they had planned due to an emergency with his former mercenary group, and was forced to leave Luria for the time being to help them.
Rey continued hanging out with Erwin, who also resumed his military training at Luria's Militia, but this time Reygar wanted to be alone.
This morning, he went deeper into the Luria Forest to hunt — or rather, that was his excuse for taking a walk in the wilderness to clear his mind, which was drifting off.
An hour and many thoughts later, he decided it was time to return.
By hunting for several years now, Reygar had honed his bowmanship. One could say that he has more skill with the bow than with any melee weapon.
He looked down at the bow in his grip while heading back. 'If uncle was here, he would give me some of his typical advice… Funny... Never thought I'd miss them.'
Suddenly, a cocoon of noises snapped Reygar out of his trance. He quickly sought out some nearby bushes to hide in and try to assess the situation.
A few moments later, a small white blur flashed by, just a meter from where Reygar had been walking. In that short instant, Rey could discern that the quadruped creature measured no more than forty centimeters and that it was covered with bright white feathers.
After a couple of seconds, three grey quadruped creatures ran past him, following closely behind the first one. This time, however, Rey was quite familiar with those shapes.
'Wolves — they're probably part of a larger pack that split up to hunt.'
He stood up and looked in the direction they headed.
'Their prey seems to be a cub… Ahh nature, always so lovely.' He let out a dejected sigh.
'Duncan always told me not to let my feelings get to me and let nature do its work... but you know what? Screw nature and the natural order of things.'
After a short pause, Rey added with somber expression:
"...Just as nature screwed me all this time."
With a surge of pent-up frustration and a resolute expression on his face, Reygar dashed forward into another hunt — a real one this time.
***
Some distance away, a small and stunning creature was desperately running for its life.
It had an eagle-like beak that gleamed with an almost metallic yellow sheen, its tip sharply curved downwards. Its eyes — wide and round — were of a striking golden color, but now they were shining with fear as they darted in all directions.
After another minute of arduous pursuit, the creature was forced to a halt... as it found itself at a dead end: what seemed like a path to escape the forest turned out to be the mouth to a deep, dangerous precipice.
The cub turned its back to the abyss and locked gazes with its pursuers, who, having just arrived, began to slowly approach, circling their target. Each of the three grey wolves was at least three times the size of their exotic, white prey.
When the canines were about to shoot forward to catch it, they unexpectedly halted.
Before the startled wolves, wings suddenly unfolded from the cornered cub, who flapped them in an attempt to appear bigger and thus intimidate its foes… Sadly, that didn't work, as they quickly shrugged off the surprise and resumed their predator behavior.
However, that desperate last attempt wasn't meaningless, as it gave the necessary time and perfect opening to a third actor who had no business in this situation.
Swoosh
The simple sound of an arrow piercing the air was amplified by the silence reigning over the place.
The arrow reached its target almost instantly, greeting one of the wolves — the one about to lunge at the cub first — with its cold and sharp tip.
Pained whines were heard, soon followed by a dull thud hitting the ground.
The other two wolves and the cub were stunned by the unexpected attack — or at least they were for a moment before they changed direction and quickly lunged towards the unexpected threat.
The one responsible for the sneaky attack remained still in place, knocking another arrow in his bow, his face only showing cold determination.
He drew the string of his bow again and shot a second arrow; however, this one did not hit any of his targets. He hastily loaded a third one, but it was too late, as the nearest wolf was just in front of him.
He shot hastily at point-blank range, threw his bow away, and unsheathed his aether-imbued dagger while sidestepping.
The nearest wolf flashed past him, flying away amid muffled cries as it stumbled on the ground. However, the second one leapt forward and closed its sharp maw tightly on Rey's left forearm, sending a cascade of pain through his nervous system.
'You… damn dog!' Reygar desperately poked one of the wolf's eyes with his free hand, forcing its jaws to loosen. Once free, he let his injured arm hang loose and steeled himself for the next exchange, knowing very well it would decide who will live and who will not.
Reygar took a deep breath as the two locked gazes on each other before charging forward.
They clashed, and Rey thrust his dagger right into the predator's side, stabbing it. He could feel a shudder run through the canine, followed by a guttural growl.
It was then when Reygar noticed sharp fangs loosening their grip on his body. He slowly looked down, searching for the source of pain. All he saw was rivers of blood streaming down from his right side.
The wolf had also managed to sink its fangs into a vital spot.
'Fuck… I really did it this time.'
While he was lamenting his life choices, a series of sharp, high-pitched screams rang out from the cub's beak. Rey looked at it and could see how the creature desperately tried to communicate something to him.
"!"
He abruptly turned around… but it was too late.
In front of him, another wolf's maw was sinking into his flesh; gnawing one of his thighs.
It was the wolf he shot at point-blank range and tripped. Rey was confident that he had knocked it down when he saw it hit the ground, but seeing it up close, he could confirm that his shot had hit the target… in a paw, not in a vital point.
Dazing off, he mustered the last bits of his remaining strength and decided to take advantage of the… zero distance between them, slashing the animal's neck — a trail of blue light followed his slash's motion after cutting its throat.
'...I'm such an idiot…'
Reygar collapsed on the ground at the same time as the wolf. The last thing he saw was the small cub running towards him, its white feathers glimmering with beautiful intensity.
Then.. darkness.
Total and absolute darkness…
He felt pretty good actually, like having a deserved good night's rest.
But beneath that strange calm, a faint warmth pulsed deep within his chest – it was that familiar sensation again, reminding him of his seed, and of himself.
***
Rey's eyes snapped open.
Feeling dizzy he blinked several times, then looked at his surroundings as the place came into focus. He was lying on a bed of soft moss inside a cave, in front of him a bonfire was providing some much-needed heat as freezing gales blew from outside, making his skin tingle.
Strange enough, it didn't affect the fire whose flames burned with complete indifference before the strong winds.
'Weird— Ugh!' Rey's face winced in pain after turning around.
His wounded torso, arm and thigh were wrapped in… peculiar bandages: wide leaves that glowed faintly with a golden hue. Their edges curled around his wounds like a protective cocoon.
'Where… am I?'
He slowly sat up, still wincing as pain spread all over his body. His bow and dagger lay nearby, leaning against the cave wall, but there was no sign of the wolves — or the cub.
The memory of the fight flooded back: the wolves' incessant attacks, the cub's desperate cries, the blinding pain of fangs tearing his flesh…
He should be dead, so why wasn't he?
Reygar forced himself to his feet, his legs shaking like trees in an earthquake. He immediately noticed light coming from what seemed to be the cave's mouth. With not many alternatives, and drawn by this natural source of light, he moved towards it, stumbling now and then.
When Rey was about to pass through the cave's mouth, he took a look at the magnificent sight from the inside while shielding his eyes from the blinding sunlight — it seemed like an entrance to heaven.
'Maybe I really did pass away.'
When he stepped out, he realized with a hanging-open mouth that he was still in Loran… and alive.
He was high…impossibly high, on the side of a ridiculously tall mountain, near its peak.
The Eastern Calonian Range stretched out before him, its jagged peaks piercing the clouds, the ground below wasn't even visible, only fluffy mattresses of endless white clouds.
The wind howled, tugging his tattered clothes, and for a moment he felt the world spin beneath him.
"I wouldn't get too close if I were you." A voice called, smooth and melodic, yet it resonated with quiet wisdom.
Reygar spun around.
What he saw made his heart skip a beat.
Standing at the other side of the cave was a woman of striking beauty with long white hair falling over her shoulders like a waterfall of moonlight, and her golden eyes glowed with an otherworldly aura.
Nestled against her leg was a familiar white silhouette — the small cub he had saved — its white feathers shimmering in the dim light. Its eyes were wide and curious, filled with gratitude as they looked at him.
The ethereal woman calmly gazed at him, then a faint smile formed on her lips. "You're awake, human child. I am Lynara, and this is my daughter, Line. You saved her life… and for that, I'm in your debt."