Chapter Six - Dreams Beneath the Stone

Chapter Six

Before my eyes was the most beautiful town I had ever seen. It was something straight out of the medieval fantasy movies that my sister had taken me to when I was young. Greystone walls decorated with colorful banners rose multiple stories high, and flowers lined the cobblestone walkway.

Flower planters hung in the windows; a large marble statue of a man thrusting a large sword into the sky stood at the center of the plaza.

Verdiem, as Grace had called it, was beautiful, but more importantly, looked safe. Guards lined the top of the Greystone walls, each one proudly wearing their uniform with a distinguished grey and white insignia. Townspeople conversed with each other as they went about their day. Many of them not paying us a second glance. Birds whistled in the trees surrounding the town or hung off signs over market stalls.

"There is no way this is real," I muttered as I walked towards the city, then paused with a sad smile on my face, “I wish Oliver were here to see this,” I murmured. The words felt heavy, wrong—like they should’ve stayed buried in my chest. What was the point of seeing something amazing if he wasn’t here to see it with us?

My hand rested on Drew’s shoulder, but he shrugged it off. A second too late, I realized he was carrying the same weight I was.

"Yeah… yeah, me too." He whispered back, but his fingers curled into a fist at his side. Tight, white-knuckled. Like he wanted to hit something but had nothing left to fight.

"Grace!" a small burly man called as he ran towards us. His old eyes scanned the soldiers that were returning with us. "Rey!? Grace, where is Rey?"

"I'm sorry-," Grace began, but the man dropped his shoulders and gave the same look I had seen on Drew's face earlier, and I am sure he saw the same on mine. Pure despair.

"I told him not to go! I knew it was too dangerous. Everyone wants to be the hero." The old man slumped to his knees and freely let tears roll down his face.

Grace's eyes said it all; she felt partly responsible for the deaths of her allies. When Drew, Oliver, and I first saw her, the magic she used set her leagues above the power of the soldiers around her. I

mean, even being around her, you could feel a type of aura that was different.

Should I say something?

I leaned forward and opened my mouth to talk but stopped myself. The last time I tried that with Claire, it had made things worse. So, I held my breath and pretended to be focused on the town instead.

The streets of Veridiem breathed with life. Children weaved through the crowd, laughing as they played tag around the marketplace stalls. A woman with graying hair sold roasted nuts from a street cart, the smell of cinnamon and caramel curling into my nose, making my stomach grumble.

“Two coppers for a bag! Best roasted nuts in Veridiem!” she called out, shaking a small leather pouch enticingly.

I barely had time to react before an old man with a beard like a bird’s nest shoved past me, waving a handful of coppers. “Hah! That’s a scam! You charged me one copper yesterday, Aelli!”

The woman cackled. “Inflation.”

A blacksmith worked at an open forge, sparks flying as he hammered a glowing blade into shape. Nearby, a man in a long cloak bartered loudly with a potion vendor, waving a vial of something green and bubbling in the air.

“This is diluted! A real aether-recovery potion would have at least double the viscosity!”

The shopkeeper sneered. “And you clearly have never brewed one yourself!”

Drew nudged me. “Think we should stock up?”

“We have zero money,” I reminded him.

“Still worth knowing where the good stuff is,” he smirked.

"Charlie's Iron Blacksmith, Hen's Tavern, Mal's Monster Exchange, and Guild Hall." I guess no innovation went into naming the last one.

A small girl that looked to be about seven was parked outside the monster exchange waving her hands, frantically attempting to lure in people. Almost like a medieval-esque sign twirler. I guess no one pays attention to the street side sales employees in this world too.

"Get your coins fast! Monster remains for money! Mal's pays best, way better than those other chumps!" she shouted. Drew poked at Grace.

"They want monster remains?"

"Of course! Monster drops are super valuable. That's why we raided that Orc tribe. You can use their drops for anything from potions to making armor. It goes without saying the stronger the monster the better the loot."

Grace continued to explain to us about trading monster drops for money and goods. We all heard a loud rumble, everyone turned to me as my stomach promptly interrupted our conversation. I gave a sheepish smile and put up my hands, “Wasn’t me."

Grace turned to Captain Willow, "Why don't you head to the Guild Hall? I will walk with the travelers and we will meet at Mal's?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Then he turned to the both of us and bowed his head, "Thank you for keeping us alive, none of us would have made it back with you. And we are sorry for the one you lost."

Drew and I nodded as he walked away, Grace gestured at us to follow her and we did.

"Come on," She rolled her eyes, "Let's get something to eat." She trotted over to 'Hen's Tavern' with Drew, and I eagerly following, hunger quickening our footsteps.

The tavern was exactly what you would imagine it as. Adventurers gathered around small wooden tables, sharing the day's story of monsters or just happily drinking. The musty smell instantly hit my nose, making me gag. Grace smiled at me.

"Get's everyone for the first time. Don't worry, it’ll grow on you," Grace laughed. Drew, of course, didn't flinch at the smell.

"Show-off," I muttered to him under my breath. He rolled his eyes at me in response.

We gathered around one of the open tables, and a big hulking man with a wooden leg stumbled over to us.

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"Welcome to Hen's Tavern," He said, with zero enthusiasm. Then pointed at some carved menu right above the counter and folded his arms, waiting for us to order. Seeing the menu made me realize how hungry I was and completely exhausted.

"Hen's Tavern"

Menu:

Hen's special: bread, roasted Hodag, drink of your choice. 3 copper Bread: 1 copper

Today's meat special: roasted Hodag. 2 copper Drinks: water, Ale. 1 copper

I laughed to myself; there weren't a lot of options. I'm not quite sure why anyone ate here. Grace smirked at me. Drew had a puzzled look on his face.

"Oh, this is what gets you!" I laughed. Grace joined in, giggling. He smiled, but it quickly faded as fast as it had appeared. He sure knew how to keep the mood dark.

Grace turned towards the hulking hairy server; our laughing seemed to have annoyed him. I could tell this because his eyebrows were twitching furiously, "We will have three specials, please, Hen," He grunted in response and hobbled off towards the back.

"Umm. Grace, we don't have any money," I said.

"Don't worry about it, my treat," She smiled.

"Grace, you mentioned that you could test to see if we had any magical affinities?" Drew questioned. She rummaged through her purse-like bag and brought out a handful of colorful stones. I counted four of them, they were beautiful. And just like Grace, there was something about these stones that told me they weren't for decoration.

"These are AetherStones—they’re the foundation of an magic-infused equipment,” Grace explained, rolling a shimmering red stone between her fingers. “They come from monsters, forming where their Aether disperses at death. The larger the stone, the more potent the Aether it holds. Some can even be forged into weapons or armor, enhancing their wielder’s abilities.”

She held up a handful of smaller stones, each glimmering with a faint glow. “These? They’re beginner-grade. Weak, but still useful. And for us, they serve another purpose.” She smiled, tossing one to me. “If your Aether resonates with a stone, it means you have an affinity for that element.”

“Like mana!” I tapped Drew and his eyes flickered in excitement.

“Well, why didn’t you just say that Grace!” he said. She now returned a bewildered look.

“Uhm, yeah sure. You two aren’t aware of how to use Aether effectively yet, but it’s obvious you both have quite the Soul,” grace said. She rolled the Aether stones between her fingers, eyes flickering between Drew and I like she was trying to solve a puzzle.

"How are we supposed to channel the Aether, if we don't know how to use it?" asked Drew.

"Well, I can send a surge of Aether through your body; it's quite an unusual technique, that’s how the royal capital tests children. It shouldn’t permanently harm you..." Then there was a hesitation, "Probably."

“Probably?" Drew and I asked in unison, we turned to ourselves and back to Grace.

“It should be enough to test both of your affinities," Whenever Grace talked about magic, her eyes held this little sparkle, "Drew, I want you to put the stones in your hand," Drew did as he was told. Grace moved closer to him, grabbing him by the wrists while he held up the stones. Grace closed her eyes and chanted something under her breath.

A slight buzzing resonated from where Drew and Grace were touching. He cringed in pain. Some of the rocks in his hand started to flicker and rumble. Then the red and the brown Aether stone began to glow, a little then it died down.

"Grace, what does that mean? Is that bad?" I questioned.

"N--No!" She stammered, "It's impressive! Only one other person I know of has ever tested positive for two magical affinities. She relaxed and pulled away from Drew while studying the stones.

"Hmmm...Fire, Earth, definitely, it is also possible to have Aether mutations, but you would need to be tested by someone who knows a bit more than me for that! Drew put down the stones and stared at his hands, studying them. I was a bit jealous. Since we entered Purgatory. Drew had been stronger, and braver, and now he had two affinities with the possibility of another.

"Your turn Leo," Grace turned towards me, smiling. Was she blushing? Her cold soft hands clasped around my wrist, and she began her chant again as I picked up the stones. The moment Grace’s hand touched my wrist, it was like waking up in a storm. I could feel it, in my body. Aether or whatever she called it rushed through my veins, not like blood, but more like lightning searching for somewhere to escape. My fingers twitched involuntarily, like they weren’t entirely mine anymore. One stone began glowing, then another.

"What!" Grace yelped, this got the attention of a few people, but once they saw Grace they went back to their business, "Both of you with two affinities," She began to pout, muttering things like 'This isn't fair' between breaths.

She shook her head, exhaling like she was recalculating everything she knew about the universe. “Wind and Earth for you, Fire and Earth for Drew… That’s already unusual. Most people only have one, and those that have two—well, lets just say they usually have noble blood or are descendants of powerful mages.”

My eyebrows raised at that. “So… does that mean we’re special or something?”

Grace rolled her eyes. “You’re something, alright. But don’t get ahead of yourself, being born with an affinity doesn't mean you can just throw fireballs or storms on a whim. Spells follow structure, and every mage has to train their AetherSoul to get anywhere. Otherwise, it’s just raw potential with no direction.”

“AetherSoul?” Drew cut in. “That sounds made up.”

“It’s not.” Grace held up a single finger, and a flicker of red flame curled at its tip. “Every person who can use magic has an AetherSoul—the core of their ability to manipulate Aether. It grows and changes throw training. Some mages never get past Veilbreaker, the stage where you can chant a spell and hope it works. Others train their whole lives and reach Astral Vein, where magic becomes a natural extension of their will.”

I frowned, rubbing my palms together, half expecting them to spark up on command. “And what’s after that?”

Grace hesitated. “The ranks go in this order: Dormant Veil, Aetherforged, Veilbreaker, Astral Vein, Ascendant Aether, and Aether Sovereign, although that last one is just a myth.” She took a breath before continuing. “Only the most powerful reach Ascendant Aether, I have only ever even heard of one. Legends say Aether Sovereigns don’t just cast magic… they reshape reality. The scholars will tell you that last one doesn’t exist.

I exchanged a glance with Drew. He looked interested, though I could tell he was more focused on his own power than the broader implications.

“So how do we move up? I asked, my curiosity overriding my exhaustion.

Grace smirked. “Patience, you newbies are just at the Dormant Veil stage. You’ll see soon enough.”

After she told me that, I felt a jolt of confidence run through my body. I felt like I could find my sister or at least have a shot if she was alive here. I couldn’t be useless; I needed to be strong.

"I have a Fire attribute”, She fumbled with her fingers, avoiding eye contact. "If you two want, I could help you learn magic. I might not be the best teacher, but I could at least teach you the basics of magic theory."

Drew and I nodded at each other. Even though he wasn’t my biggest fan right now, we mutually understood that we needed to get stronger. I didn't have time to learn things on my own. Grace's help would be huge.

I smiled and put my hand on her arm, "We would appreciate that, Grace. Thank you for everything."

"Eeek! You can't just touch a girl like that!" she squealed.

I promptly received a smack to the back of my hand, which I withdrew and laughed it off. After eating, we thanked Grace and promised to pay her back. Then Drew and I dragged ourselves to two of the rooms above the tavern. Grace had paid for our stay. I patted Drew on the shoulder and wished him goodnight as he stepped into his room. He responded with silence.

My thoughts dragged to Oliver, and gloom returned to my mind. A single tear dripped down my face. I walked towards the next room, wiped it, and entered, the door opening with a soft wooden creek.

****

The room was small but elegant. It had a small chest at the foot of a twin-sized bed. A small cylindrical window peered off into a dark alley that was dimly lit by lantern light, not allowing for much scenery.

A single rose sat on my wooden bedside table. The best part of the room was the bed, just looking at it made my legs weak, wow am I tired.

My head had barely hit the pillow, and I was sleeping like a log. Since I was a kid, I had never dreamt much. My sister and I were similar in that regard. My father, however, suffered from horrible nightmares. He would wake up screaming and often burst into our rooms crying and telling us he

was sorry he couldn’t save us. The only way to calm him down would be to coax him back to sleep by telling him we weren't going anywhere, and we were as safe as could be.

I never built up the courage to ask him about his dreams before he died. I just assumed that they were because of his rough upbringing. However, after seeing him wake up in cold sweats and fear, I became quite content with not having any dreams, and when I did dream, I was anxious. So, when my dark, quiet sleep started to morph into a dream, I cursed my brain with as many curses as I knew.

Dreamy fog whirled and cleared. I was up high in some volcanic mountains. A plateau on the tip of the mountain came into view. A strange-looking throne covered in strange etched hieroglyphics, stood at its center. My dream landed me in front of the throne. I could feel the ominous aura through the dream; fear tingled through my mind. Standing in front of me was a muscular blonde man with his back to me.

Dreamy fog curled around my ankles like whispering fingers. Heat pulsed beneath my feet, cracks in the ground glowing red like the earth itself was breathing fire.

A jagged black throne sat atop the plateau, twisted and unnatural, as if the mountain itself had been carved into submission. The air crackled with something heavy, something ancient. The figure stood with his back to me, shoulders broad, armor gleaming with flickers of lightning. His presence warped the space around him, making the very air feel too thick, too charged. He stared at a darkness whirling around the throne.

The ground trembled as he turned his head slightly toward me, not enough to reveal his face—just enough for me to see the eerie glow of piercing amethyst eyes.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Leofwin Warin.”

Then everything collapsed into blackness.

I heard a loud bang on the bedroom door, and I was woken by the sound of Drew pounding on my door. Upon opening my door, I noticed his mood seemed to have improved a little bit from yesterday. He gave me a wide smirk.

"Leo, are you ready to train?" he asked, cracking his fists in anticipation.

Something about that tone made my stomach flip.