Regaleon: The Forgotten Knight

At the center of the Essence Pool, Veyrath was standing, or rather, floating upon its luminous surface.

Something about him had changed; not merely on the surface, but in a profound and unmistakable way.

From where she stood, Sylveris could sense the dramatic transformation the failed Alchemist had undergone. It wasn’t because she possessed some sort of supernatural sense or an awakened perception capable of seeing through the changes in his body. No. She didn’t need anything so extraordinary as the evidence was simply there, in a visible manner.

The quirky failed Alchemist who had entered the pool several hours ago was no longer merely an Awakener struggling to cross the threshold into true cultivation.

He had succeeded and his aura was a testament to his transformation.

It had become deeper, denser, and more refined, like an ocean that had been compressed into a single drop yet somehow retained the unfathomable depth of the sea.

A faint emerald radiance permeated his body, almost as though an invisible star had been ignited somewhere within him.

Floating above the Essence Pool, Veyrath continued to emit a soft green glow. The intricate patterns of Aether Veins across his chest converged around his heart, their brilliance shining so intensely that their radiance was even more resplendent than the Essence Crystals scattered throughout the cavern.

The phenomenon was almost reminiscent of the aftermath of a supernova. Except Veyrath hadn’t been destroyed by the explosion; instead, he had been reborn from it.

The energy surrounding him moved differently now.

It no longer resisted him and it no longer flowed with the wild and chaotic nature it had possessed before.

Instead, it circulated around his body with an almost instinctive fluidity, as though the Aether he had once struggled to control had now become an intrinsic part of his existence.

And perhaps that was exactly what had happened.

Sylveris stared at him with the expression of someone who had just witnessed the laws of nature being rewritten before her eyes. And this was unsurprising because this was the first time the fourteen-year-old had ever witnessed someone undergoing a breakthrough.

So naturally, her shock and astonishment could only be described as staggering.

For several moments, it seemed as though her mind had simply short-circuited. She couldn’t process what she was seeing neither could she even decide where to look.

Was it the transformed aura, or the emerald radiance, or the glowing Aether Veins, or the almost tangible pressure emanating from Veyrath.

All of it combined into something so extraordinary that her young mind struggled to reconcile the Veyrath she had known with the person floating before her.

And even after she finally recovered her composure, Sylveris continued staring at the human star standing at the center of the Essence Pool.

Meanwhile, none of the astonishment displayed so openly upon Sylveris’ face could be found on Aelric’s.

The green-eyed youth merely stood there with his arms folded, a slight curve touching the corners of his lips. There was also an unmistakable gleam of satisfaction within his emerald eyes.

Other than that, his expression remained remarkably composed. Yet the absence of visible surprise didn’t mean Aelric wasn’t shaken internally.

His disbelief wasn’t caused by Veyrath’s breakthrough itself. Rather, it was because Veyrath had been the first among the seven to complete the process.

If anyone had told Aelric beforehand that Veyrath would be the first to successfully break through, he probably would have responded with nothing more than a derisive smile.

Not because he underestimated Veyrath; quite the opposite.

Aelric had developed a certain understanding of the failed Alchemist through the interactions they had shared over the past few days.

Veyrath was eccentric, cowardly, lazy and somewhat unpredictable. Yet beneath all of that was a mind that Aelric had slowly begun to appreciate.

Still, reality had apparently decided to remind him that he didn’t understand Veyrath nearly as well as he thought. And perhaps that was what made the situation so surprising, intriguing and gratifying.

Regardless of how unexpected it was, one fact remained undeniable. Veyrath was the first among the seven to become a Vein Awakener Flesh Artificer.

And for that, Aelric was genuinely happy for him.

The newly transformed Veyrath remained suspended in that meditative pose for quite some time.

Then, gradually, the emerald radiance surrounding his body began to fade.

The brilliant glow dimmed, the patterns of his Aether Veins slowly lost their overwhelming luminosity, and after several moments, the entire radiance was drawn back into his body.

Veyrath released a long, slow breath... Then his eyes fluttered open. At first, his gaze was hazy, groggy and almost unfocused.

It wasn’t particularly surprising.

During cultivation, practitioners entered a state that was almost indistinguishable from sleep. Their consciousness withdrew inward, leaving their bodies functioning in an almost automatic state.

Veyrath shook his head slightly, attempting to dispel the lingering drowsiness clouding his mind. But it took another few moments before his vision finally cleared and then he became aware of his surroundings.

For an instant, confusion crossed his face. He was muddled and disoriented. Tge feeling of post-cultivation disorientation was so pronounced that he almost wondered where he was.

Then his eyes slowly traveled across the cavern; the Essence Pool, the crystalline walls, the enormous subterranean chamber, and suddenly... His memories came rushing back.

Veyrath’s eyes widened. A faint gasp escaped his lips as he abruptly turned his head to the side before looking down at himself.

He examined his arms, chest, hands and body. He could feel that something had fundamentally changed within him. His body was stronger, his senses were sharper and even his breathing felt different.

Even the circulation of Aether within him felt completely unlike anything he had experienced before.

For several seconds, Veyrath simply stared. Then, as though something inside him had suddenly snapped into place, the corners of his lips began to rise.

A smile spread across his face. It started small, then wider, and wider... Until it became an almost manic grin.

The failed Alchemist abruptly threw his head toward the ceiling. And laughed.

”HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

His laughter echoed through the cavern, bouncing from crystalline wall to crystalline wall. It was loud, unrestrained and utterly unhinged.

Anyone unfamiliar with Veyrath might have genuinely assumed that the youth had finally lost whatever sanity he had left.

But Veyrath didn’t care. In fact, at this point, he couldn’t care because for the first time in his life, he could feel it; the power, the transformation, the overwhelming sense of accomplishment and the fact that the impossible barrier which stood before him had been broken.

”I’m an Etheryean!” Veyrath shouted the moment his laughter subsided.

His voice thundered through the cavern. Then, as though those words were insufficient to contain everything surging through his heart, he shouted again.

”Aetherium, I’m an Etheryean!”

His fists clenched. ”Finally!”

His voice cracked with emotion as he yelled once more. ”Finally!!”

He threw his head back again. ”FINALLY!!!”

And once more, Veyrath erupted into laughter. This time, it was even longer and more deranged than before as his laughter rolled through the cavern like thunder.

Veyrath had no idea that two people were watching his unrestrained celebration from a distant corner of the subterranean chamber.

Aelric observed him with open amusement.

Sylveris, meanwhile, merely stared with furrowed brows, her young mind struggling to understand why the failed Alchemist suddenly appeared to have descended into madness.

If only she knew.

Perhaps only Aelric could truly understand what Veyrath was feeling.

There was a peculiar joy in becoming an Etheryean. A joy that was difficult to explain to someone who had never crossed that threshold.

It wasn’t simply the acquisition of greater strength; instead, it was the sensation of breaking free from an invisible cage and the realization that the limits which had once defined one’s existence had finally been shattered.

Aelric knew that feeling. And now, Veyrath knew it too.

There was perhaps no greater joy in the world to a cultivator than successfully becoming an Etheryean. And nobody understood that better than the two Etheryeans that now occupied the cavern.

For this reason, Aelric didn’t judge him. Rather, he simply smiled because he was happy for Veyrath; very happy.

Unfortunately, Veyrath’s celebration didn’t last for long as another phenomenon suddenly erupted.

A tremendous shockwave exploded outward from somewhere within the Essence Pool.

BOOM!

The force swept through the cavern with immense power, violently disturbing the previously tranquil atmosphere.

The crystalline formations trembled, the mist scattered further and the surface of the Essence Pool erupted into waves.

The shockwave was so sudden and forceful that Veyrath’s laughter abruptly died in his throat.

His expression changed as he immediately turned toward the source.

Until that moment, he hadn’t even bothered looking at the others because he had been too consumed by the euphoria of his breakthrough.

Now, however, his attention finally shifted toward the remaining six cultivators. His eyes narrowed, then narrowed further... Until his pupils became almost pinpricks. Then in the next moment, a grin spread across his lips...