Regaleon: The Forgotten Knight

It wasn’t long before most of them began to emerge from their cultivation. The four of them were still immersed in their conversation when, without warning, a tremendous shockwave erupted from the center of the Essence Pool...

BOOM!

The cavern trembled...

The crystalline formations embedded within the walls resonated with the impact, sending ripples of multicolored radiance cascading across the chamber. The mist hovering above the pool was violently displaced, surging outward in translucent waves before slowly settling once more.

The phenomenon was almost identical to the ones that had accompanied Veyrath and Valmyr’s breakthroughs. So naturally, it immediately seized the attention of all four observers.

Aelric’s gaze shifted toward the center of the pool before he spoke. ”Well, looks like Caelestra is the next person to become an Etheryean.”

A slight smile played upon his lips as he uttered that statement.

At the center of the Essence Pool, Caelestra’s figure had become almost ethereal.

A brilliant, pearl-white radiance enveloped her slender frame, transforming her into what could only be described as a human supernova. The light wasn’t merely bright; it possessed a purity that made it seem almost detached from the physical world.

The coloration of her Aether resembled the whiteness of milk, yet the delicate silver hue interwoven within it gave the radiance an almost celestial quality which was fitting, considering her name.

As the silver-white radiance expanded around her, Caelestra looked less like a cultivator undergoing a breakthrough and more like some noble and ethereal fairy who had just emerged from a celestial chrysalis.

Her ponytail suddenly came undone.

Long silver hair erupted around her head, whipping wildly through the air as though caught within an invisible gale. Strands swept across her face, occasionally revealing the serene expression beneath them.

The exposed portions of her skin gleamed beneath the white radiance like polished moonstone, while the crystalline lights surrounding the cavern reflected across her body in fleeting fragments.

For several moments, the entire scene was almost surreal. Then the radiance began to recede.

The silver-white brilliance contracted inward, gradually shrinking around Caelestra’s body until it became little more than a luminous outline.

Aelric immediately turned toward Sylveris and called out. ”Uhm, Sylveris.”

The fourteen-year-old looked at him.

”Go and stand by the Pool. She’s going to need you.”

Sylveris blinked. For a moment, she didn’t understand. Then Aelric subtly nodded toward the clothes clutched in her hands and only then did realization dawn upon her.

”Oh.” Her cheeks reddened slightly. ”Right. I’ll go.”

She immediately took several small steps forward until she reached the edge of the Essence Pool.

From there, she could observe everything with far greater clarity.

Her sister was still floating in one corner of the pool. Around Aureleah’s body, black—almost ebony—mistlike patterns swirled around her heart before spreading outward through her body like living smoke.

Sylveris had no idea what the phenomenon meant. But considering everything Aelric had told them, she knew it was undoubtedly part of the breakthrough process.

Her attention then drifted elsewhere, toward another corner of the Pool where the failed Knight occupied.

Regaleon was seated within the pool, his eyes firmly closed. Even in his unconscious state, there was something striking about him.

The sharpness usually present in his features had softened considerably. His silver hair floated gently around his head, framing a chiseled face that appeared far younger without the stern expression he normally carried.

Whenever the Forgotten Knight spoke or looked at them, he possessed an expression that made him resemble some stern middle-aged nobleman, often making him appear older than his actual age.

But seeing him like this, Sylveris couldn’t help but stare. Honestly, without his usual severity, Regaleon possessed an entirely different kind of attractiveness; an almost elegant and regal one.

Also, it was perhaps the first time Sylveris had ever seen the softer side of the youth without the intimidating composure that usually concealed it.

She was still absorbed in that thought when Caelestra’s eyelashes suddenly fluttered and the failed Merchant’s eyes opened.

Her consciousness returned sluggishly, as though rising through several layers of fog.

Caelestra’s mind felt heavy and lethargic so she instinctively raised a hand to her temple and groaned.

”Ugh...”

It felt like she had awakened after consuming an entire barrel of wine.

A terrible throbbing sensation pounded inside her skull, making her feel as though her brain were repeatedly striking against the walls of her cranium.

She massaged her forehead for several seconds. Then gradually, the discomfort subsided and the haziness clouding her silver eyes began to dissipate until her vision finally cleared.

She still hadn’t properly processed her surroundings when a soft, feminine voice called out. ”Caelestra, over here.”

The failed Merchant turned her head, her eyes settling on Sylveris who stood at the edge of the pool. The young girl held Caelestra’s clothes in one hand while waving with the other.

”Sylveris...?”

Caelestra’s voice came out hoarse and raspy, evidence of the dry throat and mild dehydration caused by her prolonged cultivation.

She glanced around, seeing only Kaeloris, Aureleah, and Regaleon remaining within the Essence Pool while Veyrath and Valmyr were nowhere to be seen.

Her brows furrowed as she thought, where had they gone?

Before she could dwell on the question, however, Sylveris called her again.

”Caelestra!”

The failed Merchant shook her head, deciding to push those thoughts aside for the moment and swam toward the edge.

A few moments later, she reached the side and climbed out of the pool. Sylveris immediately handed her the clothes which she accepted before asking.

”Sylveris, what about Veyrath and Valmyr?”

”Don’t worry about them.” Sylveris smiled. ”They were the first ones to break through, so they’re with Aelric now.”

As she said that, she also nodded toward the opposite corner of the cavern. Caelestra followed her gaze and sure enough, Aelric, Veyrath, and Valmyr were standing together.

The moment Caelestra emerged from the pool, however, the three immediately turned away because they had no reason to stare.

Caelestra had entered the Essence Pool wearing only her undergarments, which had been necessary given the circumstances. But now that she was outside the water, allowing her to dress without interruption was simply a matter of basic propriety and the three afforded her the basic courtesy of privacy.

Within several minutes, Caelestra was fully clothed. She was just about to leave with Sylveris when...

BOOM!!

Another shockwave exploded across the Essence Pool...

The intensity was comparable to the previous breakthroughs, but this time there was something else accompanying it, heat.

An overwhelming wave of heat surged through the cavern and tge comfortable temperature that had surrounded them moments earlier vanished almost instantly.

Even the air itself became scorching and for a moment, it felt as though the cavern had been transformed into a literal furnace.

Caelestra and Sylveris immediately turned toward the source just in time to see a human torch standing at the center of the pool.

Vaelorin remained seated within the water, but massive waves of crimson-orange flames had erupted around his body. As a matter of fact, the flames didn’t merely surround him; they consumed him.

They rose several meters into the air, twisting and spiraling like enormous serpents of fire, every movement sending waves of scorching air throughout the cavern.

Vaelorin’s figure was almost impossible to distinguish through the inferno. And even with enhanced senses, it was quite difficult to make out his silhouette. It was almost as though the failed Pyromancer had ceased being a human being altogether and transformed into the physical manifestation of a burning sun.

Compared to the breakthroughs of Veyrath, Valmyr, and Caelestra, Vaelorin’s was utterly overwhelming; the sheer intensity making it seem as though a miniature star had been born inside the cavern.

Yet before anyone could fully process what they were seeing...

BOOM!!!

Another shockwave erupted and this one came from the opposite side of the pool...

The force of the phenomenon collided with Vaelorin’s breakthrough, doubling the disturbance that swept through the cavern.

Another person was breaking through and it was Kaeloris.

Unlike Vaelorin, however, the failed Gnost’s breakthrough was remarkably subdued. There was no blazing inferno, no overwhelming explosion of light, and no violent manifestation of energy.

Instead, Kaeloris remained perfectly still. His cracked spectacles rested upon his face, his eyes closed, while the Aether surrounding him moved with a strange, almost tranquil rhythm.

The most conspicuous manifestation was the halo forming above his head.

A circular ring of light slowly materialized behind his skull, its coloration unlike anything the others had displayed.

It possessed shades of olive green, verdant brown, and muted gold, colors that blended together like sunlight filtering through the canopy of an ancient forest.

The earthy resonance of the phenomenon made Kaeloris appear strangely connected to nature.

If one ignored the cracked spectacles and scholar’s robes, he looked less like a Gnost and more like some ancient elf or primordial nature spirit.

While the breakthroughs of the others had manifested as radiant cocoons, Kaeloris’ breakthrough manifested as a halo.

It floated behind his head like a crown; a crown befitting some ancient sage who had spent centuries communing with the natural world.

For several seconds, the two phenomena existed simultaneously; on one side, a raging inferno while on the other, an almost tranquil halo. Fire and earth; two entirely different manifestations of the same transformation.

Then, gradually, Vaelorin’s flames began to diminish. The towering inferno contracted and he roaring flames shrank closer and closer to his body until they became little more than flickering tongues of fire.

Finally, the last ember disappeared beneath his skin...

At almost the exact same moment, the verdant halo surrounding Kaeloris dimmed. Uts brilliance weakened and the circular formation contracted slowly before dissolving into countless motes of green and brown light.

Those motes descended toward Kaeloris before vanishing into his head. For a brief moment, neither breakthrough produced any further reaction.

Then, Vaelorin’s eyes opened. And at that same instant, Kaeloris’ eyes opened as well.

Two newly minted Etheryeans emerged from their cultivation almost simultaneously. And for the third time that day, the Essence Pool had produced another pair of practitioners who had crossed the boundary into true cultivation.