Prince of The Abyss

You could say he was in a good mood, but after getting himself four hundred embers, how could he not be ecstatic? This was amazing. This much money would help them a lot; not only could they get Kade an actual weapon, but it would be enough to last them until they reach the next part, probably.

Hopefully.

His happiness was evident on his face.

Kade was quite creeped out for some reason, almost as if seeing this part of him was weird. But he would get used to it one day.

Well, if good things continued to happen, of course.

”You could smile.”

Aether smiled, fell, as he glanced at the boy, dumbfounded.

He had known this was what he was thinking, but he didn’t expect him to be so blunt.

”Of course I can? You’ve seen me do it many times, you idiot!”

He frowned.

Yet the boy didn’t seem hurt by the insult; instead, he seemed relieved.

”You’re back, I was starting to think you had gone missing and someone else had taken your place.”

In a sense, Kade reminded him slightly of Riven.

Of course, he wasn’t going to compare the two, after all, if he did, Riven would clean the floor with him.

The boy had been amazing.

A very useful Affinity, which helped them a lot, and fit in his plan perfectly, plus his determination and trust were also there; he wasn’t saying that Kade didn’t trust him. Or that he wasn’t trustworthy.

But Riven was someone with a deep hatred, one that motivated him.

The biggest difference between the two was just this: what motivated them.

In theory is the same thing, a family member dying who they were really close to, for Kade, his brother, and his wish to protect the rest.

And for Riven, his father’s death.

Yet while Kade still has someone to protect, Riven didn’t, so instead, he wanted revenge.

It was interesting that maybe if Kade didn’t have any other family member, he could have taken the same path as Riven, which wouldn’t be good, since it would mean that the one he would want to get his revenge on would be him.

Riven had lost everything.

Kade still had something to protect.

It was a big difference.

Why could he never compare the two?

Plus, Kade is starting from scratch and alone.

And Riven had his affinity, and later on, a whole squad helping him, including him.

...

Of course, we know what happened after...

...

...

Aether sighed. ’A great way to ruin my mood.’

A bad memory like that one ruined everything...

Yet he can’t let go of it as much as he tried... he wasn’t ready to accept what had happened.

Since... maybe if he got stronger, if he sacrificed something, he could get them back.

And he was going to do it.

...

The Harbor couldn’t be that far away, as they got close to the end of the forest.

Yet at the same time, he felt something weird, almost as if something was following them... and when he looked around, he couldn’t see anything... that is, without Eden. Their clothing matched the environment so much it was hard to see them.

Bandits.

’Damn it.’

And if it hadn’t been for his ability, he could have never noticed them,

However, it was time for him to make another decision.

To face the bandits, or continue forward?

He put his hand forward, stopping the others.

Glancing at Kade, he had a cocky smirk on his face. The boy already knew something was up when he saw it.

”Stay here for a second, protect them if something happens.”

And before the boy could respond, he had already started running.

He was going to kill them.

There was no point in continuing and being attacked later, or at any moment. He knew where they were, so why not kill them now and not be worried later? Plus, if there were others, maybe they would unite, making it hard to beat all of them.

Of course, if they were as strong as the others from before, they would have to find a way to get through his mantle first.

The bandit staggered as he saw Aether heading straight to him. But he didn’t freeze; he gestured to his friends, and before he could get to him, five other bandits appeared.

There were a lot, so it was fair to say he was a bit nervous.

”I’ve got to say, I didn’t expect a boy to see me so easily.” The first bandit said, with a big ego, now that his friends were here. But of course, numbers always win... right?

”Impressive, right? I think I’m quite good at detecting trash.”

The Bandit Frowned. ”Kill him.”

Aether watched as the other bandits took out their weapons... it was just that he didn’t expect them to all use... heavy weapons.

Hammers.

...

This was the worst possible outcome. He would have been confident if they had swords, since they couldn’t have passed through his mantle, but hammers didn’t need to do that; it hit his body either way, it was just how much of it his mantle could block.

He sighed, summoning Voidpiercer.

Then the first hammer came fast.

Aether barely shifted, the weapon slamming into the ground where he had stood a breath ago. The impact created a hole in the dirt, sending a dull shock through his feet. Too heavy. Too slow. But there were too many.

What would that hit do to his body?

Though... even if a heavy weapon was good against him... it had many weaknesses, like being slow.

He saw the second bandit coming, but before he could get to him, he thrusted Voidpiercer into the shoulder of the first, and quickly raised his arm, as the second swung from the side, his mantle flaring as the hammer connected.

Even if he hadn’t wanted to get hurt, it was good to test just how bad it was.

...

He felt it, he felt it a lot, it hurt, it really did. But his bones didn’t break, and they weren’t close to doing so. The mantle had blocked it very well.

Before the bandit could pull back, Aether drove his hand forward, fingers closing around the man’s throat, and before he knew what had happened, he thrusted Voidpiercer into his chest, the blade coming the other way.

Another came. Then another.

The air filled with the whistle of descending metal.

Aether moved through it, not clean, not perfect. Each block cost him. Each impact numbed his limbs a little more. They hurt, they really did.

But they were predictable. Wide swings. Overcommitment. Fear is hidden behind force.

They must not have a lot of experience, which costs them a lot.

One by one, he broke their rhythm.

Each time they made a mistake, he punished them.

A sidestep. A strike. A body dropped.

By the time the last hammer fell, it didn’t rise again.

Aether stood still, chest rising slowly.

He took a step forward, towards the first bandit. Staring at his horrified face, as he wiped the blood from his face. Though his walk might not have been that menacing, as he was slightly limping.

Bringing the tip of his blade to the man’s neck, the bandit raised his hands.

Breathing heavily.

”You’re strong... really strong.” He paused, then a cocky smile appeared on his face. ”But I wonder how strong your friends are-”

Aether stabbed his neck.

’Damn it, not again.’

He wasn’t going to waste any time; he figured out what the man was trying to say instantly.

’Hold on, Kade.’

He ran as fast as he could, but with his body being heavier than usual, he was slower, a lot slower.

...

...

...

Yet as he reached the group... he saw something he hadn’t expected.

He stood frozen, confused, as a pool of blood continued to get bigger.

His eyes drifted to Kade, who was lying on the ground... badly injured, his leg looked almost crushed, with blood coming from his nose and mouth. And yet, in his hand, he held the wooden blade, painted with blood.

...

On the ground, in the pool of blood, was not any member of the family, but rather a bandit.

...

Kade had killed him; he had defeated the bandit with a wooden blade, nonetheless.

The boy glanced at him with a forced smile on his face.

”D-did I do a good job?”

Aether walked forward, picking the boy up on his back.

”You did, but you better not die now, or I will come in heaven, or hell, wherever you end up, and make you suffer.”

...

They needed to get to the Harbor, and urgently.

The boy was in very bad condition... he wasn’t going to let him die, not after what he had just done... not after he had taken responsibility for his life.

He was going to force his body until it couldn’t walk anymore, if that was what he had to do.

He was not going to let the boy die.