Chapter 14: Ether or Aether...

/

Name: Ether

Sex: Male

Race: Human

Level: 0

Title: Eternal Servant [Master: Kai Frostblade]

Attributes:

Strength: -1

Agility: 0

Intelligence: 1

Magic Affinity: 0

/

‘Eternal… Kai?’ Mortimer Frostblade mumbled inwardly as anger swelled within him. It was his first seeing with the term ‘Eternal Servant,’ and to his astonishment, his own grandson was the master.

Unconsciously, Mortimer’s power leaked out, weaving an oppressive atmosphere that seemed to tighten the air around him.

“Arrrhh!” A pained voice snapped him out of his contemplation, and he turned swiftly to witness the young boy struggling to stand, his face growing visibly pale.

Recognizing the unintended consequences of his formidable power, Mortimer hastily retracted it.

‘Crack, Crack’

The audible release of joints echoed as Mortimer rose from his prolonged seated position, a physical manifestation of the time he had spent immersed in this icy world.

“Y-Young man, I am truly sorry,” Mortimer conveyed his apologies, a reassuring hand patting Aether’s back with genuine concern.

Aether, though initially tempted to voice his frustration, observed the genuine worry and sincerity in Mortimer’s expression.

‘Fuck it!’ He thought, opting for patience over confrontation, a choice fueled by the understanding that confronting an elder wielding mysterious magical powers was not the wisest course of action.

After a few moments of heavy breathing, Aether’s weakened body began to feel the first hints of relief.

“Please, forgive me, Ether!” Mortimer apologized again, his age momentarily forgotten in the sincerity of the moment. He emphasized the importance of Ether over any personal pride… A wonderful character that Aether never met before.

“I-It’s fine, Mr. Mortimer!” Aether replied with a forced smile, his words a diplomatic response to the situation. Internally, however, he couldn’t suppress the thought, ‘Fuck!! It’s definitely not fine!! My body is really weak!! I despise it when people casually apologize after causing shitty trouble!!’ Yet, recognizing the complexity of the situation, he chose to swallow those thoughts.

Unable to express his true feelings to someone wielding mysterious magical powers and kill him without any second thoughts… Aether suppressed his frustration.

In truth, after examining Ether’s log, Mortimer recognized the deep pain he was in. Witnessing Ether’s lack of resentment towards him, Mortimer couldn’t help but feel a tremor in his wrinkled lips, acknowledging Ether’s resilience.

“Here, sit!” Mortimer urged, waving his hand as an ice chair materialized.

Aether hesitated at first, eyeing the ice chair warily. However, Mortimer’s encouraging gesture prompted him to comply. To his surprise, as he settled into the frosty seat, there was no chilling sensation. It was as if he were sitting on a regular wooden chair.

‘Magic!!’

“I am sor–”

“It’s okay, Mr. Mortimer. I am really fine!” Aether interjected, feeling awkward about the repeated apologies from the elderly man.

Despite Mortimer’s imposing presence, Aether couldn’t shake the feeling that the old man’s demeanour towards him could be used to his….. advantage.

“So, what happened?” Aether deftly redirected the conversation, steering it away from apologies and toward a different course…. his Advantage.

“Oh? I-It’s nothing,” Mortimer responded, waving his fingers dismissively, “I was just taken aback by the unexpected dip in your strength.”

As Aether contemplated Mortimer’s words, he couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Is it really nothing, or is there more to this?’ However, instead of delving deeper into the matter, he strategically shifted the focus toward his own curiosity.

“So, about that black transparent thing?” Aether asked, his eyes shimmering with genuine intrigue. The shift in the topic was calculated, a strategy to unearth the information he sought.

Observing Aether’s animated curiosity, Mortimer sighed inwardly, silently musing, ‘I suppose he’s still a naive child…’ before embarking on an explanation.

“That’s what we call ‘Arcane Energy’.

An energy that is born along with every life in this world.”

“Arcane Energy? But you called it some ‘Log’?” Aether feigned a frown, probing for more details.

Mortimer simply smiled and continued, “It’s a type of energy that reveals the living beings’ Life Profile, including their birth name, status, attributes… It stores their data until their death, and everyone receives this from the moment of their birth.”

“Hmm…” Aether nodded outwardly, attempting to maintain the appearance of understanding. Internally, however, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed, ‘So, everyone has this…? Shit..ah?’ he thought with a twinge of letdown.

But, a lingering question persisted.

‘What about my name?’ Aether wondered, deciding to inquire further,

“So, what did it show about me?” Aether asked, his curiosity now fully engaged. If Mortimer had indeed seen everything, he would have noted the difference in names.

Observing Aether’s child-like enthusiasm, the old man couldn’t help but chuckle before responding,

“Why don’t you look at yourself first? While I explain.”

The familiar black transparent panel appeared again before Aether, this time revealing…

/

Name: Aether

Sex: Male

Race: Human

Level: 0

Title: Slave (Eternal Contract)

Attributes:

Strength: -1

Agility: 0

Intelligence: 3

Magic Affinity: 0

Charm: 1

Compatibility: 82%

Affection Points: 00002 (1000 Affection Points = 1 *any Attributes)

????

/

Aether’s eyebrows twitched as he processed the information presented on the transparent panel.

‘That’s fucking same…’ He thought.

“See, your name is Ether…” Mortimer said.

“What?” Aether was taken aback, his confusion evident.

“Hmm?” Mortimer tilted his head, seemingly oblivious to Aether’s confusion.

“Y-You can see it right?” Aether questioned, his gaze doubtful. Internally, he added, ‘Are you sure you can read it? Or have your eyes gone dull?’

It felt somewhat cowardly to entertain such thoughts….. but Mortimer was the only one who had shown any care for him at the moment, and Aether hesitated to be rude to someone who exhibited concern.

“Hehe… Yes, once you gave permission to me, I can also see that temporarily that is…” Mortimer explained, the wrinkles on his face shifting with a warm smile.

Aether nodded with a slight frown, still processing the revelation before asking,

“So, my name is Aet- I mean Ether?”

“Yes”

“What else then?” Aether inquired, choosing to remain silent about his suspicions, ‘If my guess is true then…’ he mumbled inwardly.

Mortimer continued his explanation, detailing each aspect of the displayed information.