Chương 9: Chapter 8 - Aethersoul

Varrin didn't slow as he closed the distance, his boots crunching the dirt road underneath while a cold breeze rustled the wheat beside him. His silver hair framed a pretty face hard set with restrained anger. He stopped just short of Ren, feet digging into the ground.

"What," he said flatly, "were you doing?"

"I was trying to get Elowen some clothes," Ren responded, wincing as he spoke.

"Nothing bad I don't think." Varrin exhaled through his nose.

"You're too naïve, didn't you notice them?"

"Notice who?"

"Those Hunters!" the silver-haired boy snapped, gesturing out wide.

"Didn't you see how dangerous they were?" Ren hesitated, aside from the one he got a proper look at being more on the gruffer side, it didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary to him. Not to mention that the Firekeeper seemed to trust them, and they didn't actually do anything so he had barely paid them any mind.

"No, not at all," he said eventually, "did they do something when you left?"

"It's not about what they were doing, it's about what they've done," Varrin closed his eyes briefly, then dragged a hand down his face in irritation.

"They were definitely killers and experienced ones at that. You could see it in that guy's posture and especially his eyes."

"Well, yeah?" Ren said, still not getting the silver-haired boy's point.

"Isn't that to be expected? I mean, Lady Agatha hired them to fight the demon incursion, of course they've killed things before."

"Not just things Ren," Varrin sternly, his eyes hardening slightly as he did, "they've killed people as well. You were going on about trusting each other right? Then trust me. I know what someone who's killed another looks like. It happened all the time where I'm from."' Where is he from that he could know all this?' Ren thought briefly before refocusing.

"I'll trust you, but what about Lady Agatha and Lorelle? They seemed like good people."

"I don't know," Varrin responded, his hair flicking out as he turned on his heel to leave, "I couldn't get a good read with those masks they wore. Even more reason to leave quickly."

"But next, don't go off by yourself. I do not want you to put me in any unnecessary danger and I don't want to have to clean up your messes."

"Alright," Ren said with a nod as they walked back through the wheat fields.

"…On the bright side, I did confirm something useful. There are other Blessed here!"

"That much was obvious." Varrin sighed, "those lanterns weren't exactly your everyday lanterns, they were Soul Attunements."

"Soul Attunements?" Ren asked, recalling the section of his status labelled the same.

"What are they?" The silver-haired boy froze when a pair of farmers stepped out into the dirt road in front of them, just before the village, and began to cross to the opposite side.

"Flame be with you," the older one said, bowing slightly as he passed. Only when the pair had made their way well into the new wheat field did Varrin continue forward.

"Ask questions like that later," he said when they entered the village again, "when there's less people who can listen."

"You're too untrusting Varrin," Ren replied, shaking his head.

"I seriously doubt those farmers would have done anything to us""No," the silver-haired boy said, turning back to look at him, "it's you who is too trusting. We lost nothing by being cautious there."

"Speaking of being too trusting and not cautious enough, did you tell those Firekeepers anything after I left?" Ren hesitated, knowing that Varrin would not like that Lorelle called out his lie, but he couldn't just stay quiet.

"I did actually," he admitted eventually, causing the silver-haired boy to freeze yet again. A cold gust of wind blew past them, rustling dead leaves as Varrin turned to face him once more.

"What exactly," he asked, very quietly, "did you tell them?"

"Uhm," Ren shifted the clothes in his arms around awkwardly, "I said we're travellers that aren't from around here. Oh! And that we are also headed to Solaris." Varrin's jaw tightened.

"Did you mention where we're from...?"

"The south." The silence stretched until Varrin sighed in exasperation.

"You idiot! We're leaving, now."

"Wait—" Ren began, but the silver-haired boy was already walking, his long strides eating up the path through the village.

"You basically told an important Blessed of an unknown god that we don't belong here," Varrin spat sharply.

"This is exactly why I told you to follow my lead!"

"She said she was teasing!" Ren called out as he hurried after him.

"She didn't seem suspicious either!" Varrin shook his head in disbelief.

"That's not very reassuring at all." An uncomfortable silence fell between the two of them as they continued through the small village, passing through the square and out to the wheat fields on the other side. Varrin walked in front, head down muttering irritated words the entire time, while Ren followed behind. They didn't speak again until the village faded behind them and the trees swallowed the dirt path.

Elowen was exactly where they'd left her, sitting in the clearing, her back against the same trunk of the broad oak she woke up on, her pale blue hair spilling over her shoulders.' Is she not cold at all?' Ren thought as the regal elf sprang to her feet the moment she saw them.

"You're back," she said, relief flashing across her face.

"How did it go?"

"This idiot," Varrin seethed, gesturing sharply at Ren, "may have gotten us into serious trouble. I don't know for sure yet, but I think we should leave regardless." Elowen blinked before turning to Ren, both shock and curiosity heavy in her icy eyes.

"How so?"

"S-she said she was teasing!" Ren tried to defend himself.

"I don't think—""Ren." Elowen said calmly, cutting him off.

"Just tell me what happened. As leader, I need to know in order to properly plan our next step." Immediately, Varrin frowned upon hearing those words.

"Last time I checked princess, I was the leader." Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Elowen was just about to retort when Ren sighed and began his retelling of the little trip to the village.

"Varrin, tell me if I miss anything" He began with the tavern and its keeper's casual mention of demons, as well as him referring to their current location as Pyreridge Valley and the capital as Solaris. He also explained that their currency from Xantris was now entirely useless here in Aetira, which is what this new place they were in was called. Furthermore, he told her about the Church of the Eternal Flame, Lady Agatha the Firekeeper and her apprentice, Lorelle.

He also mentioned the sole goddess of Aetira was the Eternal Flame and the frequent demon threats as well as the Hunters hired to fight it. As Ren was explaining everything, a lump in his throat kept growing. He kept having to remind himself that purely because of the fact he was here in Aetira meant there was likely to be a way to get back to Xantris, back to Yumè. He had eight months to figure out how to do that.

Elowen didn't interrupt once throughout the entire speech, but her expression shifted with each revelation, concern to confusion, then something deeper and more distant. When Ren finished, the forest clearing was quiet, save for the light winter breeze that rustled the canopy.

"…We weren't just displaced," Varrin said at last.

"I'm certain we're in another world, as impossible as that sounds."

"Because of the geography and the existence of the Eternal Flame as the sole goddess," Elowen concurred, her gaze sharpening.

"Exactly," Varrin nodded.

"I also recall that the Eternal Flame is a Dominion that was present in our world."' Dominion...?' Ren thought, when he suddenly recalled something. With a frown, he opened his status. [Aethersoul Ren] [Rank: Awakened] [Dominion: -] [Soul Power: Soul Shepherd] [Soul Saturation Level: 0/1000] [Soul Attributes: Accelerated Regeneration, Survival Instincts] [Soul Attunements: -] The white text bloomed before his eyes, and there it was. [Dominion: -]"…

Hey," he said slowly, looking up from the text to his companions, "my Dominion slot is blank." Varrin pause his talking and turned his head curiously towards him while Elowen straightened a little.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"I-I said my Dominion slot is blank," Ren repeated, pointed at the white words of his status.

"What is a Dominion anyway?" Elowen exhaled and stepped out of her thoughts to answer him.

"A Dominion is the divine authority your Soul Power originates from."

"For example," she continued proudly, placing a hand over her chest.

"Mine is the Glacial Sovereign." She gestured at Ren.

"It's not unheard of for a Soul Power to not be connected to a Dominion, all that means is that it cannot be neatly categorised into one." Ren nodded a couple of times.

"So what you're saying is I'm special, huh?"

"Were you really not a Blessed before all this?" Elowen asked, ignoring his comment as she stared at him.

"I did try to tell you," he responded with a shrug, turning his attention back to the white words floating in front of him.

"There's something else strange," he said hesitantly, "Or maybe its normal, but at the top, it says Aethersoul Ren."

"Hmm, that's not right," Elowen said, tucking some loose strands of hair behind her pointed ears as her own status unfurled into existence.

"Mine says Blessed," Varrin agreed, the white words appearing before him as well.

"So does mine," she said quietly.

"I've never heard of an Aethersoul."

"Me neither," the silver-haired boy accented.' Maybe I really am just special...' Ren laughed to himself, though he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not quite yet. The trio stood in silence for a while, the weight of everything settling in beneath the thin streams of afternoon sun that filtered through the canopy. Somewhere above, unseen birds chirped idly to one another, their soft calls drifting down through the leaves, indifferent to the heaviness that hung in the air below.

"Oh! Right." Ren was suddenly reminded about the set of folded robes he held under his arm, so he quickly handed them to Elowen. Her eyes widened for a moment before softening with clear relief.

"You got these for me?" she asked.

"Didn't feel right leaving you freezing," Ren said with a shrug.

"Thank you," she responded before turning and moving a short distance away, disappearing behind the trees to change. Ren exhaled, then glanced back at the white text making up his status, one line still bothering him.

"Hey, Varrin."

"What?"

"…What's a Soul Saturation Level?" Varrin looked at him for a long second, silver eyes unreadable, before he eventually sighed.

"You really weren't a Blessed before all this, huh?"

"You know how awakened beings have Soul Cores?" the silver-haired boy began, not letting Ren answer his question.

"Inside of them is Soul Essence. When you kill a monster and collect its core, you can consume that essence to increase your Saturation Level." Ren nodded and listened intently, he had no idea what Soul Cores were, what they looked like, or even that they dropped from monsters. He knew that the heroes in his books got stronger after defeating a powerful enemy, but that was the extent of his knowledge.

"And once it's full," Varrin continued, a slight winter breeze rushing through the small clearing, cold enough to make Ren shiver once, "you can enter your soul and attempt a Soul Trial."

"Attempt?" Ren asked, lifting an eyebrow.' Also, what's a Soul Trial?'

"They're all very dangerous," the silver-haired boy said bluntly, "and each one is unique to that specific person. Fail it, and you will die, your soul will collapse into itself, leaving only an empty shell."

"…Good to know," Ren muttered.

"But if you manage to complete it," Varrin went on, crossing his arms as he spoke, "you'll definitely be rewarded. Your soul basically infuses itself with the collected Soul Essence to become purer. Your body will get stronger and stuff as it removes the impurities, you'll gain more and denser Soul Essence, sometimes even a new Soul Attribute, or an evolution of an existing one." Ren nodded slowly, absorbing every word.

"The ranks in the Ladder of Ascension go like this," Varrin said.

"Awakened—where we are now. Ascended. Exalted. Anointed. Sacred. And then… Angelic."' That's… quite a few,' Ren thought.

"I've heard rumours of something beyond Angel," Varrin added quietly, "but it's so far out of reach for me at the moment it might as well be a myth." Footsteps crunched softly against the forest floor, prompting Ren to look towards it. Elowen emerged from between the trees, now dressed in the black and grey clergy robes Lorelle had given him. The fabric was a little different compared to what Lorelle was wearing and the dark colours contrasted sharply with her fair skin.

Her pale blue hair fell loosely down her back, catching the light where it slipped through the leaves, and her long elven ears peeked out unobstructed, elegant and unmistakable. The muted robes only made her sparkling blue eyes stand out more, calm and sharp all at once. Ren stared for a moment too long.

"…Ren?" Elowen said, raising a eyebrow. He jolted and immediately turned away.

"S-So—uh—what do we do now?" She smiled faintly, clearly amused.

"First?" Varrin said, crossing his arms.

"We put as much distance between us and that village as possible." Ren hesitated, his eyes hardening just a little.

"I know that sounds reasonable and all," he began carefully, "but… Lady Agatha did say we could come to the church if we needed anything." Varrin's head snapped toward him.

"Absolutely not."

"Just hear me out," Ren said quickly.

"She mentioned demons and said they'd be attacking sooner rather than later. If demons are really such a threat here, and a large enough one that she needed to hire extra guards, then three Awakened Blessed aren't exactly equipped to handle it all on their own."' Especially since I have little to no experience in fighting and have no idea on how to go about using my Soul Power properly,' he thought, but he wasn't going to tell that to everyone, even though they probably already knew.

"And you think hiding under a foreign god's roof," Varrin said, his expression darkening, "with these Hunters we know are dangerous killers, is safer?"

"I think a consecrated church with experienced fighters nearby is safer than sleeping in the woods of a world we don't understand," Ren rebutted and met his gaze. Elowen watched the exchange quietly, with her arms folded and eyes thoughtful.

"Not to mention," Ren added, "we don't have money, not for beds or for supplies. If we leave now, our options are stealing… or roughing it in this forest." He was confident in his survival skills and was sure that it would be easy enough to survive, but that wasn't factoring in the demons that were apparently on the prowl. At that, Elowen spoke up.

"I won't steal," she said calmly, prompting both boys to turn towards her.

"This isn't just an unfamiliar land," she continued.

"It's an unfamiliar world with different gods, different rules and different dangers. Sleeping in the forest with demons on the move is just reckless."

"Of course the princess doesn't want to steal," Varrin scoffed, "even when survival's on the line." Elowen's blue eyes flashed.

"And I won't start my life in another world by becoming a criminal and tainting my family's name. Especially when we're the only obvious outsiders." The silver-haired boy scoffed again, with more disgust this time.

"All you House bastards, always so stuck-up and worried about the integrity of your name when there are a million more important things at hand."

"Excuse me?" the regal elf said, glaring at Varrin.

"What did you say?"

"She's right," Ren said quickly, trying to defuse the situation, "if something goes missing, we'll be the first ones blamed. That's a far bigger risk than just asking for shelter." Varrin clenched his jaw, his eyes drifting toward the trees above as he weighed his possible options.

"…Those Hunters are dangerous," he said at last.

"Sure, but they were hired to protect the church, weren't they?" Ren replied with a shrug. Finally, Varrin exhaled, sharp and unhappy.

"I don't like it."

"And, if we do this, you both have to be careful. We don't volunteer information and we don't stay longer than necessary." He looked at Ren, "Especially you."

"I'm happy with that plan," Elowen said, nodding slowly. Varrin glanced between them, then turned away.

"Fine then, we'll ask the Firekeeper for shelter."