Regaleon: The Forgotten Knight

The process of absorbing Aether from the Essence Pool continued for several moments.

The seven Awakeners remained suspended within the crystalline liquid, their bodies motionless as they used their conscious will to guide the translucent curtains of Aether toward themselves.

Each breath was measured. Each movement of energy was deliberate. Even the slightest fluctuation could have disastrous consequences, so they proceeded with an almost unnatural patience.

Again and again, the mist ascended. Again and again, it vanished into their bodies. Eventually, after absorbing another round of Aether for what seemed like the umpteenth time, something strange happened.

A faint radiance emerged from their chests.

At first, it was barely noticeable; a soft glow beneath the skin, so subtle that it could easily have been mistaken for another reflection from the surrounding Essence Crystals.

But as more energy entered their bodies, the radiance intensified; becoming brighter and stronger until finally, it became impossible to miss.

Seven distinct lights now shone from within the cavern. And accompanying those lights was something even more extraordinary; patterns began spreading across their chests.

They resembled intricate constellations etched beneath their skin, countless luminous lines branching outward from a central point before connecting to one another in a complex network.

If one were to examine Veyrath’s chest closely, they would realize that the pattern was almost identical to the constellation-like formation of the Primary Aether Veins surrounding his heart.

The same was true for the others.

Their Primary Veins had finally become so strengthened and saturated with Aether that their structures were beginning to reveal themselves externally. Yet although the patterns shared the same fundamental nature, the radiance accompanying each of them was completely different.

For Veyrath, the intricate network erupted in a flash of brilliant emerald light.

It was the colour associated with the nature of the Aether within his body; a manifestation of his path as an Alchemist. Green had long been associated with life, vitality, medicine, restoration and growth, making emerald an almost natural colour for the Aether of an Alchemist.

Kaeloris’ Primary Veins, meanwhile, shone with a brilliant olive-green radiance, a peculiar colour somewhere between earth-brown and verdant green. It spread across his chest in subdued waves, giving the failed Gnost’s body an almost ancient and earthy appearance.

Caelestra’s Veins manifested with a brilliant pearl-white radiance, a colour possessing the purity of silver while retaining the luminosity of white. The light pulsed gently against her skin like moonlight reflected upon still water.

Valmyr’s veins were considerably more aggressive, erupting in a flash of brilliant scarlet. The colour spread across his chest with an almost fiery intensity, making the failed Vanguard appear as though a crimson star had ignited beneath his skin.

Vaelorin’s Primary Veins were no less striking.

They shone with a brilliant golden-orange light, somewhere between the radiance of molten gold and the fierce glow of a summer sun. It flickered across his chest like miniature flames, perfectly reflecting the fiery nature of his Aether.

Aureleah, however, was different.

Her Primary Veins produced no brilliant flash. Instead, a stream of charcoal-black smoke began spreading across her chest.

It was so dark that it almost appeared to absorb the light around it, like a black hole. Wherever the smoke passed, the crystalline radiance seemed to diminish, creating the bizarre illusion that a small fragment of night had been carved directly into the cavern.

It was the natural expression of her path as an assassin; death, destruction, silence, and desolation.

Those were the concepts traditionally associated with the Assassin’s Path, and yet, ironically, the colour that appeared within Aureleah’s body was something that no ordinary Assassin would have expected.

Had anyone been conscious enough to witness it, they would undoubtedly have been shocked. Unfortunately, even Aureleah herself was completely unaware.

She had no idea what was occurring beyond the confines of her consciousness.

And then there was Regaleon.

Unlike the others, the pattern forming across his chest was not merely unusual. It was anomalous.

His Primary Aether Veins did not resemble the constellation-like formations of his companions. In fact, they looked like nothing that had ever been recorded.

The luminous pathways shifted continuously, changing shape every few seconds. One moment, they resembled an intricate web. The next, they formed strange geometric structures before dissolving into something entirely different.

They seemed almost protean in nature, possessing no stable configuration; almost as though the Veins themselves were incapable of settling upon a single form.

Their radiance was also equally peculiar.

A brilliant colour appeared across Regaleon’s chest, resembling something between gold and silver. Yet even that description was insufficient.

The light possessed no fixed colour. This was because at one moment, it was golden and the next, it was silver. Then the two colours seemed to merge, producing a strange platinum-like brilliance before shifting once again.

It was almost as though the light itself refused to conform to a singular identity. Clearly, Regaleon’s Aether was displaying something far more unprecedented than that of his companions.

However, none of the seven were conscious enough to appreciate what was happening.

Realistically, the external appearance of their Primary Aether Veins signified something far more important; the fact that they had successfully completed one of the fundamental stages of their breakthrough.

Their Primary Veins had been completely mapped, they had been strengthened, and now they had reached the point where they could proceed toward their dormant Secondary Veins.

It was excellent news, but it was not the end. Far from it...

Aether itself possessed neither colour nor form. In its natural state, it was almost indistinguishable from air, existing in a more mystical and ethereal state of matter.

The colours displayed by the seven were simply reflections of their Soul Essences and the paths they had chosen.

Veyrath’s emerald Aether reflected Alchemy, life and medicine while Aureleah’s charcoal-black Aether reflected the concepts of death and destruction traditionally associated with the Assassin’s Path.

The others followed the same principle. Though their colours differ in terms of hue, the fundamental essence remained the same.

Aether was Aether; only its expression differed.

And now that their Primary Veins had been reinforced, the seven instinctively moved toward the next stage, the awakening of their Secondary Aether Veins...

They might have passed the previous stage with relative ease, but this final step was something entirely different.

It sounded simple. In practice, it was anything but.

The seven could no longer draw energy into their bodies in the same quantities they had used to strengthen their Primary Veins.

Secondary Veins were dormant for a reason.

Before awakening, they were fragile pathways hidden within the body, and forcing an enormous influx of Aether through them could cause catastrophic damage.

There was also another problem.

Some of the Secondary Veins were hidden within Prime Organs.

A damaged Aether Vein could be considered a serious cultivation injury. But damaging a Prime Organ? That was unthinkable.

And this was precisely why Aelric had repeatedly warned them against rushing. And now, even in their near-conscious state, some fundamental instinct seemed to understand the danger.

The time for caution had arrived...

For Veyrath, the first change came almost immediately.

His Primary Aether Veins began to move.

Not physically, of course.

Rather, their energy pathways seemed to extend deeper into his body, stretching outward like the tendrils of some ancient subterranean organism seeking its roots.

They originated from his heart; then they moved downward and outward, slowly and carefully, fllowing pathways that Veyrath had never consciously known existed.

They continued until they reached his lungs, where is Secondary Veins were.

Veyrath wasn’t too surprised about the behavior of his Primary Aether Veins because Aelric himself had already explained that this strange movement was precisely why they had been instructed to strengthen them first. They were not merely reservoirs; they were guides.

Even without conscious awareness of the outside world, Veyrath released a shaky breath.

Perhaps it was the result of some subconscious apprehension, or perhaps it was simply a fundamental instinct awakened by extreme concentration; no one could say.

But somewhere deep within him, Veyrath understood one thing. What he was about to do was dangerous...

The Essence Pool around him began to ripple once more. Wisps of pure Aether condensed above the surface before slowly rising. The next moment, Veyrath guided them and caused them to flow into his body, toward his heart and through his Primary Veins before setting them onward.

He directed the energy through the newly strengthened pathways, carefully guiding it toward his lungs.

He did not rush, not even once as the Aether moved like a thin stream through an enormous network of channels.

Then suddenly, it encountered resistance...

Veyrath’s eyelashes trembled, his brows furrowing slightly but he did not panic. He knew what this resistance is; a dormant Aether Vein. The hidden pathway was blocking the flow.

And now came the most dangerous part.

Veyrath carefully increased the pressure causing the Aether to push against the dormant Vein...

It resisted...

But Veyrath increased the pressure again...

His breathing became slightly heavier, yet his consciousness remained focused. Then, with one final controlled surge...

BOOM!

A muffled explosion erupted inside his body.

A wave of compressed air burst outward from Veyrath, disturbing the surface of the Essence Pool and sending ripples racing across the surrounding water.

But Veyrath paid no attention to it. Instead, his entire consciousness was focused on the newly exposed pathway.

The dormant Aether Vein had finally been opened. Now he had to fill it.

So carefully, he guided the Aether into the newly awakened pathway...

The energy spread through it, coating the fragile walls with pure Aether before gradually reinforcing them.

Then the Vein slowly became stronger, more substantial, more receptive, until finally... It stabilized.

And with that Veyrath had successfully awakened his first Secondary Aether Vein.

Yet there was no celebration because his journey was nowhere near finish. One Secondary Vein had been uncovered, but several more remained hidden within his lungs, waiting to be found...