Regaleon: The Forgotten Knight

Hearing Vaelorin’s proverbial remark, Aelric let out a quiet chuckle. The sound echoed softly through the winding cavern before fading into silence.

Eventually, he came to a halt and turned to face the eight of them, a faint smile lingering at the corners of his lips.

"Actually..." He began, tilting his head slightly. "I really don’t see how knowing how I discovered this cave has anything to do with your breakthrough."

His green eyes narrowed with mock incredulity as they swept across the group.

"I mean... Which is more important?" He spread his hands ever so slightly as he continued. "The story behind my fortuitous discovery of this subterranean labyrinth... Or the fact that all of you are about to transcend into true Etheryeans?"

Silence settled over the tunnel. Only the steady flicker of Kaeloris’ lantern and the distant drip of water somewhere deeper within the cave broke the stillness.

Then...

"Aelric." Sylveris suddenly called out.

The fourteen-year-old looked up at him, her silver eyes glittering with mischievous intelligence. "Is this your way of trying to divert our attention from the question?"

She folded her arms behind her back as she walked, a teasing smile forming on her face.

"If it is, then that’s perfectly alright." She shrugged innocently. "I mean, Valmyr already said you don’t have to answer if it’s something personal..."

She paused deliberately before adding with exaggerated seriousness. "Or perhaps some embarrassing secret you don’t want any of us finding out."

Aelric blinked multiple times. For a brief moment, he genuinely didn’t know how to respond.

His gaze lingered on the young girl as though he had just met her for the very first time.

She is using reverse psychology. That was the first thought that entered his mind.

Perhaps she wasn’t even aware she was doing it; or perhaps, she knew exactly what she was doing and was merely pretending.

Either way, it was surprisingly effective. Because if he refused to answer now, wouldn’t that indirectly imply there really was something embarrassing about the story?

Aelric silently clicked his tongue as he thought; what an ingenious... And insidious little trap.

He had to admit that he was genuinely impressed.

Call him vainglorious or self-regarding, but there was absolutely no way he intended to spend the foreseeable future being labelled a coward who was too embarrassed to tell a simple story, especially before a group of low Rank Awakeners like them.

So with a defeated sigh, he turned around and resumed walking. The others exchanged knowing smiles before following behind him once more...

"You know, there really isn’t anything particularly interesting about the story."

He stated, his tone casual and almost indifferent; as though he were recalling nothing more significant than yesterday’s weather.

"Oh." Veyrath immediately spoke up. "You don’t get to decide that."

He pointed toward himself and the others and commented. "We’ll be the arbiters of whether it’s interesting or not."

He grinned as he continued. "Besides, if you’re going to drag us through a dark cave for who knows how long, then I think the least you can do is entertain us with a story."

After saying that, he then dramatically clasped his hands together and added. "But please I beg you not to make it inconsequential."

Aelric almost rolled his eyes when he heard him. Honestly, he still couldn’t understand how the failed Alchemist had somehow become the most shameless member of the group; well, perhaps only slightly behind Valmyr and Vaelorin as the three of them together were practically a force of nature.

He had barely spent a single day with these people. Yet he could already say with complete confidence that Veyrath was perhaps the most incorrigibly theatrical individual he had ever met.

And considering the number of strange people he had encountered over the years, that was saying something.

The tunnel gradually curved downward, the stone beneath their feet becoming noticeably smoother. Moisture clung to the rocky surface, making every step slightly more treacherous than before.

Aelric instinctively slowed his pace as he called out without turning back. "Be careful. This part can get a little slippery."

Everyone naturally became more cautious when they heard his warning. Boots scraped against damp stone as they carefully descended and it was only after ensuring everyone had safely navigated the incline that Aelric continue.

"I discovered this place about three years ago."

The moment those words left his mouth, the group’s attention sharpened considerably. Even those who had only been listening casually straightened ever so slightly.

Without realizing it, they became so engrossed in his story that none of them immediately noticed the subtle changes occurring around them.

Small crystalline stones had begun appearing within the walls. They were scattered irregularly throughout the cave with each crystal pulsing faintly with an ethereal blue glow.

Individually they were unimpressive. But collectively, they looked like stars buried beneath ancient stone.

Aelric continued speaking, completely indifferent to them. "Back then, I was on the exact same mission I’m carrying out now. You know, searching for potential survivors."

"So what happened?" Sylveris asked almost immediately, her entire face radiating rapt attention, making her appear like a little girl listening to her favourite bedtime story.

Aelric smiled faintly as he replied. "Nothing particularly remarkable."

A brief, contemplative silence followed those short words before he added.

"Remember when I told you that there are times I left you guys on your own? Well, that happened to be one of those occasions. A time I simply wanted something different."

He shrugged. "Do you guys know that watching people every day can become surprisingly boring."

"Ugh." Vaelorin groaned dramatically the moment he heard that question. "Can you skip those parts already?"

Aelric slowly turned his head, arching an eyebrow at the failed Pyromancer.

"Weren’t you the one who insisted I tell the story so why are you suddenly getting impatient? Besides if anyone has the right to complain here, I’m fairly certain it’s me."

Before Vaelorin could respond, Caelestra chimed in.

"We know." She said, her voice flat and devoid of any emotion. "But nobody asked for the superfluous or inconsequential details."

She gestured impatiently. "So just get to the point already. We don’t have all day."

Aelric stared at her, genuinely speechless. That had been completely unexpected, especially coming from the failed Merchant.

As a matter of fact, he had not anticipated such bluntness from her.

"Unbelievable..." He muttered beneath his breath, his voice carrying a trace of righteous indignation and unmistakable umbrage.

Unfortunately, no one seemed particularly sympathetic, least of all Sylveris. Ignoring his obvious dissatisfaction entirely, she hurried closer.

"So?" She leaned forward eagerly. "What happened next? Come on. Don’t keep us in suspense."

Her voice practically overflowed with urgency and eager anticipation. Obviously, she had become completely engrossed in the narrative to care about anything else.

Aelric let out a slight scoff. Nevertheless, he continued; though his tone still carried that same lingering indignation and umbrage.

"Well... While I was enjoying my little break from that boredom, I was suddenly attacked by a pack of Animas. Back then, I was only a Rank Two Etheryean..."

He paused, frowning. "Or was it Rank One?"

His hand instinctively rose to his chin. Looking upward thoughtfully, he scratched it absentmindedly.

"Hmm... I honestly can’t remember anymore."

It seems that the memory of that particular event had become somewhat obfuscated with time. So after several seconds, he simply shrugged before explaining further.

"Whatever the case, I was still a lower-ranked Etheryean. And I happened to run into an entire pack of beasts around my own level."

He smiled awkwardly. You know, if it had only been one, I would’ve fought. But there were too many; so, I ran."

He coughed lightly as though that action of his could diffuse the somewhat awkward atmosphere in the air.

"But not before collecting a few injuries." He added rather sheepishly.

Sylveris blinked as she asked. "So you found the cave immediately after that?"

"Wrong." Aelric shook his head. "It actually took quite a while. I spent hours running, nearly becoming dinner three separate times."

He laughed softly. "But I suppose fortune smiled upon me or perhaps my ancestors finally decided to bless me. Either way, I eventually escaped and that’s when I stumbled upon this cave."

He looked ahead. Then his smile slowly became rather peculiar. "Though, I have to admit, that turned out to be one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made."

"Oh?" Caelestra raised an eyebrow. "And why exactly is that?"

Aelric chuckled. Before answering, however, something about his expression subtly changed.

A trace of portentousness settled within his eyes. Yet because his overall demeanor remained so carefree and relaxed, one of them paid it much attention. At least not until he finally answered.

"Well..." He scratched the back of his head. "It’s actually rather funny."

He turned toward Caelestra with an innocent smile. "You see, later that very evening, those same Animas came back."

There was a tensive pause before he continued. "It was the that I realized this cave was actually their home."

Aelric suddenly let out a bright laugh after saying that. "I know. It’s funny, isn’t it?"

He looked from one face to another, clearly expecting someone, anyone, to laugh alongside him.

Instead, he found eight utterly frozen expressions staring back at him with disbelief, dread and an unmistakable consternation.