Veil of Aether

Taking a deep breath, Kei Y continued walking off the stage, fully aware of what awaited him. He tried to steel himself, inhaling deeply once more, but it wasn’t enough to calm the storm quietly stirring within him.

Ahead knelt Queen Thalia—despondent and broken. Her nails were torn and bloodied from clawing at the barrier, her once-pristine hair now tangled and disheveled. Her expression was wide-eyed, hollow, and soulless. Surrounding her were the remaining Greek participants, offering what little moral support they could, eyes filled with fury and resentment, their stares sharp as daggers—each gaze fixed squarely on the one responsible for reducing their queen to this pathetic state.

But to Queen Thalia, none of it mattered.

She knelt on the cold arena floor, eyes fixated on the exact spot where her daughter had chosen to end her life. At least, that’s what she believed—that Dione, overwhelmed and broken, had summoned her own spear and taken her life rather than continue enduring the horror inflicted upon her. The last look of terror, confusion, and despair on her daughter’s face was forever seared into her mind, branded into her soul. For as long as she lived, Thalia knew she would never be able to forget Dione’s final moments.

There wasn’t even a body left to mourn—no corpse, no ashes, nothing tangible to hold onto. Only emptiness.

The world around her blurred into meaningless noise—the roaring arena, the cheers, the gasps of disbelief, none of it existed in her frozen trance. She didn’t register her own people sobbing beside her, didn’t hear the soothing words from her attendants. It all became static.

But what she did register—what managed to pierce through her grief-stricken stupor—were the calm, steady, unforgiving footsteps approaching her.

She didn’t look up.

She didn’t need to.

She already knew who it was.

The person she blamed for her daughter’s end.

But there was no hatred left in her bones. No desire for revenge. No words to scream. She remained kneeling, silent, defeated, her purpose obliterated along with Dione.

And Kei Y? He spared her no glance. Paid no mind to the circle of glares surrounding her. Their hate didn’t matter to him.

In that moment, neither had anything left to say to the other.

No final words.

No confrontation.

Only silence—and the finality of it all.

The Greek participants glared daggers at Kei Y, their fury palpable. They couldn’t resist the urge for vengeance. Recruit Class, Soldier Class, Specialist Class—every last one of them flared up, force swirling around them, ready to pounce and kill Kei Y for what he had done.

But the moment a single finger so much as twitched, a suffocating pressure descended upon them, crushing them in place.

Their bodies locked up, restrained under an overwhelming force of will.

King Cronus had appeared, his will pressing down on all of them. The oppressive weight of his authority left them frozen, unable to move a muscle, while Kei Y walked by unbothered—completely unaffected by the suffocating aura that forced the others into submission, as he wasn't the target of the pressure.

As Kei Y walked past the king, he spoke casually, without a hint of respect or fear in his tone.

“I’ll be awaiting the rest of my compensation from you,” Kei Y said flatly. “Feel free to make whatever arrangements you need with Emory.”

King Cronus listened silently, letting out a heavy sigh as Kei Y walked off without looking back.

Everything that had happened today—the humiliation, the chaos, the death of his daughter—had been the culmination of mistakes his kingdom had made. Deep in his heart, Cronus couldn’t fault the boy.

It had been their own doing from the very start.

Their kingdom had antagonized him from the first moment. Over what? A simple refusal to accept a system-issued quest? Something completely unrelated to them? And yet, that minor incident had spiraled wildly out of control, culminating in Dione’s death.

Even though she wasn’t his biological daughter, Cronus had raised her as his own. Her loss was painful. He’d always known of her temperament, her pride in her talents—the very traits that earned her the title of Crown Princess. But he had tried, time and again, to teach her humility, to temper her arrogance, to make her into someone who could carry the kingdom’s future with grace.

But her mother… her mother had undone everything.

Every lesson he tried to instill had been eroded by Thalia’s indulgence, by her constant whispering that Dione was the greatest, the chosen, untouchable.

Now, standing there, watching the aftermath unfold, Cronus could only blame himself.

Kei Y left the stage, his steps accompanied by a thunderous uproar of praise from his kingdom. Even participants from other kingdoms joined in, applauding his performance—but he ignored all of it. He walked straight ahead, passing his group’s waiting area without stopping, simply waving back at Mia, who was being held in place by Silvie to stop her from leaping over the railing to tackle him. The sentiment made him chuckle.

He gave a brief nod to Inpu and Kei M, who returned his wave with congratulatory smiles. Then his eyes landed on Silvie, who stared back at him with visible discomfort, knowing full well where he was headed—Auserre, who did not look pleased. Kei Y sighed heavily, raising a hand to wave at her too.

Auserre stood waiting, arms crossed, her stance firm. From the way he walked, she could already tell he knew exactly what was coming. She didn’t bother to speak first, leaving it up to him to initiate.

As Kei Y approached, his gaze lingered on her—her gruff demeanor, the old scars tracing her features. His memory drifted back to when they first met, when she’d put on that same stern face and harsh tone, trying to intimidate him. It never worked.

He kept coming back to her stall, looking for deals, always accepting her so-called “interest rates” on the scraps she loaned him. Back then, he was barely able to feed himself, let alone his friends, but she helped him survive.

He remembered the way she’d teased him, arms crossed, smirk tugging at her lips.

“At this point, you’re hunting your own food,” she’d said, laughing. “You must really fancy me if you keep coming back.”

Kei Y had just shrugged, grinning back without hesitation. “You’re barely passable to look at,” he’d replied bluntly, “kinda hard to keep my stomach down. But you’ve been nice to me… so I’ll keep bothering you.”

“Heard you’ve been feeding everyone at your job. No wonder you’re so damn skinny,” Auserre had said, tossing an extra portion of food at him. “If you keep helping others, you’ll starve yourself to death. Here—take some more. If you die on me, I won’t be able to charge you interest anymore, and my profits would take a hit,” she added, eyes glinting with unhidden greed.

“You money-hungry hag,” Kei Y had shot back dryly—right before her foot connected with his side, sending him tumbling.

Their relationship continued like that, constant back-and-forth banter drawing attention from nearby vendors. Auserre, ever the opportunist, used the commotion to rope in the other vendors, convincing them to sell Kei Y food at a discount under the guise of “investment potential.” He didn’t complain—he appreciated every bit of help, using it to cook for himself and others.

That was when Auserre tasted his cooking for the first time—simple meals, nothing fancy—but they blew her away. It wasn’t just food, it was warmth, comfort, and a reminder of life outside survival. Meals that made her body feel light and her heart feel full.

Their strange friendship blossomed from there. And when she caught wind of Nekhtem trying to threaten him, she had been more than ready to rip out the slaver’s throat—if Kei Y would’ve given her the nod. But in the end, she didn’t interfere too much. Instead, she quietly kept tabs on him, observing every creature he hunted, every fractured zone he dove into.

She could see it, clear as day—talent, growth, and something even rarer: real, unshakable spirit. Not just in Kei Y, but in his friends too.

And then his talents truly unfolded before her eyes—a kid with multiple forces at his disposal, well-trained in martial arts. His swordplay still needed work, and his staff techniques were rough, but he was a raw gem worth the effort to polish. He managed to earn praise and recognition from a renowned Runesmith master, even receiving acknowledgement from her own master.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from NovelFire. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Their friendship gradually shifted into a proper master-student relationship, and she truly believed he respected her—that he would take her teachings seriously. When she asked him to limit his use of forces, it wasn’t for her sake, but for his own. She believed her students were more than strong enough to handle most opponents at their level, so going all out seemed unnecessary—especially since the results of the tournament weren’t important in the grand scheme. She mostly allowed them to participate as a favor to Pharaoh, and it wasn’t something she considered crucial for their training.

Her priority had been to keep the fact that Kei Y could shift between multiple forces hidden from the eyes of the other Kingdoms’ experts. She didn’t want a massive target painted on his back before he was ready. So when he blatantly disobeyed her orders, she couldn’t help but feel… disappointed. Like their past friendship, their evolving bond, and their master-student relationship might not have meant anything to him after all.

And so she stood there, arms crossed, staring at her student—her friend—waiting to hear whatever excuse he’d prepared. Kei Y removed his mask, meeting her gaze directly. The remorse and guilt were evident, carved across his expression, but it was his eyes that struck her the most. They were filled with regret.

And that… only made it worse.

If you were going to feel this guilty for disobeying me, then why do it in the first place?

Auserre had taught a few students—prodigies of their generation—so the fact one disobeyed her wasn’t some life-altering revelation. Still, it was disappointing, and more than that, it hurt. She had already begun steeling her heart, preparing herself to discipline him if needed. With a deep breath, she forced herself to remain calm, debating her next move and the words she would say.

But just as she opened her mouth to speak, a system notification popped up in front of her, hovering neatly in her view.

“Hm?” she blinked.

It was Kei Y’s status screen—his full display, laid bare without reservation.

"so that how that throwing skill works, but only partially accessible? weird"

Her eyes skimmed through it out of habit… until she froze, locking onto one particular line of text.

Unique Skill: [Bond]

Type: Adaptive Force Conduction

Force: Pristine Aether

Effect: Khenu can form a living connection with any individual or creature that consumes his blood. Once bonded, Khenu gains access to that entity’s force alignment, allowing him to wield it at an elevated progression level due to his Pristine Aether. In return, those bonded gain passive benefits through the Favor of Aether, accelerating their growth and evolving their force potential.

Her breath hitched.

Suddenly, it all made sense. Everything she had witnessed, the absurd abilities, the shifting force alignments—it wasn’t rebellion. It was simply who he was.

She read through the entire detail of the skill, leaving not a single not overly analyzed

"Is that how you can use so many forces?" she asked him causing him to nod his head

Silvie, watching from the distance, could only exhale quietly, arms crossed. “So you chose to tell her, huh…?” she muttered to herself. “At least it’s a Temporal Zone… shouldn’t cause too much trouble when we head back to our time.” Still, she shook her head, unsure if it was relief or exasperation showing on her face.

Meanwhile, Auserre was too engrossed to pay attention to anyone else. Her eyes danced across every line of the status screen before her, the gears in her mind turning faster than ever. She tapped her fingers against her bicep before turning to Kei Y, voice lowering but laced with raw curiosity. “This… this is insane. Bond… a skill like this… how in the world did you manage to get something this broken?”

Her breath quickened as the realization hit. “All these forces… different creatures… and even a human bond— and this was just the first part of the skill.” She snapped her head up, narrowing her gaze. “Wait… humans too? Don’t tell me—was that how you wielded the Crown Princess’s Force?”

Of course, Kei Y chose to keep the names of his connections hidden, but their force was laid bare to see.

Kei Y gave a small shrug, but the guilt in his eyes didn’t fade.

Auserre’s questions only got faster, her words spilling over each other in disbelief. “This… this breaks every known rule. This isn’t just some hybrid affinity… this is high-grade force replication. Hell, it’s not even replication… you’re using it more efficiently than the original wielders, aren’t you?”

"With this Bond skill, there's probably no one else better suited for that ocular skill than you." She admitted

Realizing how loud she was getting, Auserre clicked her tongue and raised her hand. She manipulated the vibrations of the water particles in the air, swirling them subtly to create a dense soundproof barrier around the two of them. A faint shimmer coated the space, a technique designed to nullify external sound waves and prevent eavesdropping, especially from the nosey Vendor trying to lean in from the back.

Looking over the connections Kei Y had formed, Auserre couldn’t help but ask, “So where’d you get Fire Force from?”

“I had Ember-Ash Force from an Ember-Ash Viper,” Kei Y replied casually, “but it died, so I don’t have its force anymore. I can still use it through runes though.”

“Hmm, I see,” Auserre muttered thoughtfully—then without warning, jabbed a finger straight into Kei Y’s mouth, drawing blood that trickled down his tongue.

“Hmmm?!” Kei Y blinked, eyes wide in pure confusion, his body frozen. “The hell…?”

“Can you feel anything?” Auserre asked, tilting her head.

“Lady… can’t you read?” Kei Y growled, annoyed, biting down on her finger in protest. “Ahh—dammit, my tooth—this isn’t pleasant at all!”

Auserre clicked her tongue, unbothered. “Kid, I’ve been punched through planets and walked it off. Your teeth aren’t doing a thing to me.”

Then she narrowed her eyes with a sharp glare. “And who are you calling illiterate?”

Auserre’s eyes narrowed in realization as she studied his skill more closely. “Oh… it has to be your blood,” she muttered, clicking her tongue at her earlier mistake.

The more she scrutinized the [Bond] skill, the more she understood why Kei Y had made certain choices during the match.

“I still don’t get it, though,” she pressed, crossing her arms. “Why didn’t you just tell me about this skill from the start? I could’ve helped you—scouted suitable force alignments, tracked down useful creatures, even set up hidden sanctuaries to keep your bonds safe. You wouldn’t have had to worry about it.”

Kei Y scratched the back of his neck, a wry grin forming. “There’s a limit, you know? I don’t know the exact number, but I can already feel it—I’m getting bloated just from what I have. I don’t want to risk overloading myself, especially with unwanted connections.” His expression tightened. “And… what do you mean by hidden sanctuaries?”

Auserre’s eyes glinted with mischief. “Mind your business.”

Kei Y rolled his eyes, but Auserre pressed on. “Is that why you got so desperate when that wolf appeared?”

“Yeah…” Kei Y admitted with a sigh. “I don’t know why, but creatures react strangely to my blood. They crave it. Like it’s some divine elixir or something. When that wolf showed up, I could already feel its instincts pulling it towards me. I don’t want to risk forming more bonds without properly understanding how this works… especially not in the middle of a fight.”

Auserre let out a low hum of approval, her earlier frustration slowly ebbing away. “Well… you’ve found creative ways to use it,” she admitted, thinking back to how Kei Y had forcibly bonded with Dione and used her own force to kill her. Her lips curled into a small, wicked grin. “I’ll give you that much… brutal, but effective.”

“Is there a limit to how strong the being you're forming a connection with can be?” she asked.

“Well… I don't know, to be honest. Everyone seemed to be within my level range, so I haven't noticed,” Kei Y said. “Didn’t really seem to work with you,” he muttered quietly.

“Hmmm… it’d be a shame if there’s a limit. If I could get you to form a connection with that Blood Force user… I wonder if your skill would flourish,” Auserre mused, already scheming for her student. “But he's almost as strong as I am…” she trailed off before suddenly pausing. “Wait, what did you just say?”

“Nothing,” Kei Y replied quickly, a shiver running down his spine.

“Hmm… you think I could trick Emory into forming a connection? He seems fun,” Kei Y asked, trying to shift the conversation.

“He’s a unique case. His force in particular isn’t strong, but he’s crazy enough to make it work. I don’t think it would be the same for you,” Auserre said thoughtfully.

“Lady, all my life, the top-ranked psychologists in the world tested me and concluded I’m crazy… among many other psychological diagnoses,” Kei Y thought to himself, feeling mildly offended.

Auserre sighed. “I guess I can't be too hard on you… everyone has their secrets. And if it got out that you have a unique skill that lets you access other people's forces, the number of enemies you'd have would only keep growing.”

She unfolded her arms, softening slightly… or at least, she thought she was softening—

But her words trailed off.

Her brain suddenly stalled.

..............

..............

..............

The status screen still hovered in front of her. Something gnawed at the back of her mind, and she instinctively read it again, trying to reassure herself that she had misread something.

She was convinced she was wrong.

She had to be wrong.

“There’s… no way…” she whispered, eyes widening.

Beads of sweat started pouring from her skin, soaking her clothes within seconds.

“That’s… a weird way to use Water Force,” Kei Y commented, watching her soak through like a leaking faucet, but she ignored him entirely.

Her eyes frantically scanned the screen over and over again, reading… rereading… and reading again.

Her entire brain felt like it froze and rebooted.

Auserre, a seasoned warrior, experienced cultivator, and master instructor… completely short-circuited.

“I really must be illiterate,” Auserre muttered, her breathing turning erratic, borderline hyperventilating. Her eyes remained glued to the status screen. “Does that say… Unique Skill?” she asked aloud, not even realizing her thoughts had slipped out.

“Yup,” Kei Y replied casually, earning a dumbfounded, borderline panicked look from his master.

Before he could process it further, their figures vanished from the spectator grounds.

“…She noticed way faster than Ren did with me,” Silvie mused, petting Olly, shaking her head as she watched the space where they had disappeared. With a sigh, she returned her attention to calming the others down.

Back within her private training grounds, Auserre didn’t waste a second. Every security mechanism roared to life—runes flared, force techniques activated, layers upon layers of barriers locked down every possible method of observation, eavesdropping, or information leak.

After quadruple checking everything down to the microscopic level, she finally turned to Kei Y, her expression a warzone of disbelief.

“Is… is Bond really a Unique Skill? You… you really have Pristine Aether?” she asked, her body trembling so violently her knees nearly gave out beneath her.

“Yup,” Kei Y answered nonchalantly, as if announcing the weather.

“Oh, by the way—” he added, tone light and innocent, “you haven’t said anything about the second half of my skill yet. I was wondering if you had any advice.”

Auserre stood there, numb.

Her world felt like it tilted sideways.

Pristine Aether… Unique Skill… a God Spark… and somehow this monster, no—this absolute anomaly—was her student.

Her eye twitched violently. She was right on the verge of descending into unhinged laughter. The kind of laugh that said the world isn’t fair and I’ve been played by the heavens themselves.

A God Spark… with the rarest aether known to existence… casually asking her for training tips.

Her jaw clenched so tightly she cracked a molar.

Then Kei Y, completely oblivious to the mental breakdown happening before him, sniffed himself, face twisting in disgust.

“Uh… can you wash this stuff off me?” he asked, gesturing to the sludge from his breakthrough still clinging to him. “It really stinks.”