Chapter 275: What Is Nether?

Hearing Veyrath’s request for clarification, Aelric finally began explaining.

"You see, unlike Aether Cores, which can be utilized by most Etheryeans, the same cannot be said for Nether Cores. These crystals are saturated with Nether energy, the kind that permeates the Nether Lands. Collecting them is perfectly fine, but attempting to absorb the energy within or crushing them to release it is a certain way to die. Unless you’ve somehow discovered a method of cultivating Nether, I would advise you to exercise caution when dealing with these resources."

His explanation was delivered with an unusual degree of seriousness, leaving little room for anyone to mistake his warning for an attempt at humour.

Veyrath slowly withdrew his hand from the crystal, his earlier enthusiasm diminishing beneath the weight of Aelric’s words.

He glanced at the Nether Core again but with apprehension this time, suddenly regarding it less as a valuable resource and more as a particularly beautiful instrument of self-destruction.

The others finally understood why Aelric had reacted so sharply when the Alchemist attempted to touch it. Although collecting the crystals presented no immediate danger, their contents were another matter entirely.

A resource that could kill its possessor through improper use was hardly the sort of treasure one should handle carelessly.

Nevertheless, his explanation left them with another concern, one that had quietly lingered at the back of their minds since entering the Nether Lands.

Aelric had spoken of Nether energy as though it were an ordinary subject, something as familiar to him as Aether was to the people of Aetherium. Yet, despite everything he had revealed about this strange land, they still possessed little understanding of the substance that gave it its name.

Caelestra was the first to voice the question troubling them.

"Aelric..." she called, her silver brows furrowing as she considered her words. Her usual composure remained intact, but there was unmistakable curiosity in her eyes. "What exactly is Nether?"

The question might have appeared elementary to anyone familiar with the Nether Lands, but to the group, it was anything but trivial. Indeed, it was rather embarrassing to realize that they had spent more than a week wandering through a place whose fundamental nature they scarcely understood.

Unfortunately, there was little information available about Nether beyond the boundaries of this desolate territory.

The people of Aetherium commonly described the Nether Lands as a wasteland, a land of death, or a place from which no living creature could return.

Such descriptions were repeated so frequently that they had gradually become accepted as established truths, despite the scarcity of reliable accounts supporting them.

In reality, most of those descriptions amounted to little more than speculation.

The Nether Lands had inspired fear for generations precisely because nobody seemed capable of providing a credible explanation of what lay within them.

Those who entered were presumed dead, and the absence of survivors ensured that rumours flourished where knowledge should have existed.

With every passing generation, the unknown became more dreadful, until the Nether Lands occupied a place in the collective imagination of Aetherium somewhere between a natural catastrophe and an inescapable grave.

The irony was that the people feared the land without truly understanding it.

The group had now spent more than a week within its boundaries, and their experiences had certainly confirmed that the Nether Lands were dangerous.

They had encountered monstrous creatures, endured repeated battles, and struggled to survive in an environment that offered few opportunities for rest. Nevertheless, they had also discovered that the territory possessed complexities that the stories told outside its borders had failed to acknowledge.

For one thing, the Nether Lands were not entirely devoid of intelligent life.

Through Aelric, they had learned that humans lived within this seemingly forsaken territory. More astonishingly, other intelligent races inhabited it as well, including the Sauryeans, whose civilization and dominion extended across portions of the land.

The existence of such societies challenged the simplistic notion that the Nether Lands were merely an endless wilderness inhabited by mindless monsters.

A place could be dangerous without being lifeless, and its inhabitants could be unfamiliar without being incapable of civilization.

Over the course of their acquaintance, Aelric had also shared fragments of the region’s geography, history, and political circumstances.

His knowledge had already proved invaluable, particularly when navigating the dangers of the Crimson Forest and understanding the creatures they encountered.

However, for all the information he had provided, the green-eyed youth had somehow neglected to address one of the most fundamental questions imaginable.

Actually, there were two.

The first concerned the very substance they had been discussing. What was Nether, precisely? Where did it originate, and why did it permeate the Nether Lands so thoroughly without affecting the rest of Aetherium?

More importantly, why was it so dangerous to anyone who lacked the means to cultivate it?

Aelric’s warning suggested that Nether was not merely another form of energy that could be substituted for Aether.

There appeared to be a fundamental difference between the two, one significant enough to make the absorption of Nether potentially fatal to those accustomed to cultivating Aether.

Yet, without a proper explanation, the group could only speculate. And speculation, they had discovered, was an unreliable companion in a place where a mistaken assumption could cost them their lives.

The second question was considerably more personal.

Was there a way out of the Nether Lands?

It was a question that had haunted them since their exile, though the urgency of their circumstances had repeatedly forced them to push it aside.

Before meeting Aelric, they had possessed little reason to hope for an answer. Everything they had heard suggested that those cast into the depths of the Nether Lands were condemned to remain there until death claimed them.

Their present circumstances had done little to dispel that fear. The dangers surrounding them were real, and even their recent victories had required considerable effort. Survival alone demanded so much attention that contemplating their eventual escape could feel almost indulgent.

Yet Aelric’s existence had changed that calculation.

Here was someone who had survived in the Nether Lands for six years, traversed its dangerous regions, and possessed knowledge that extended far beyond the immediate surroundings of the Crimson Forest. If anyone could offer them a path towards freedom, surely it would be someone who understood this place better than they did.

The possibility was not a guarantee, but it was enough to keep the question alive.

For days, the group had considered asking Aelric about their prospects of returning to Aetherium. However, their journey had been an uninterrupted succession of problems, leaving them precious little time to pursue questions that did not immediately contribute to their survival.

Whenever their attention was not occupied by cultivation and the prospect of breaking through to the next stage, it was consumed by the need to find food, avoid dangerous creatures, or prepare for their journey towards the Sanctuary.

There had always been something demanding their attention, some immediate concern that displaced their longer-term anxieties.

Their minds were already crowded with worries, and there was only so much room for questions whose answers they might not be ready to hear.

Even now, the group had only remembered to inquire about Nether because the discovery of the Nether Cores had forced them to confront their ignorance.

Had Aelric not warned them against absorbing the crystals, they might have collected their spoils without considering what made the substance within them so dangerous.

But it seems that Caelestra had no intention of allowing that opportunity to pass.

As a Merchant, though a failed one, she still understood the importance of distinguishing between what one possessed and what one actually understood.

A valuable commodity could become a liability when handled improperly, and ignorance was rarely an excuse that could recover one’s losses. The Nether Cores had already demonstrated that the same principle applied to cultivation.

She folded her arms, her attention fixed on Aelric.

"Since we’re already discussing Nether, perhaps you could explain it properly," she said. "I’d rather understand what we’re dealing with before someone in this group decides that a dark crystal looks sufficiently valuable to swallow."

Her voice wasn’t teasing because there was a hint of a serious undertone in it as she looked at the failed Alchemist. Even the manner with which she looked at him suggested that she had some sort of prejudice towards the auburn-haired Alchemist and only Aetherium knows what could be the source of her dissatisfaction towards him.

Veyrath immediately frowned. "I wasn’t going to swallow it."

"No," Caelestra replied pleasantly. "You were merely going to touch it. Forgive me for underestimating your restraint."

The failed Alchemist opened his mouth, then reconsidered his response. Under the circumstances, defending his dignity seemed considerably less important than discovering whether the objects scattered around them were safe to collect.

Besides he could already detect the distaste within Caelestra’s tone and he wasn’t about to start another argument with her.

Their attention returned to Aelric, whose expression had become difficult to read.

For once, nobody appeared interested in rushing him. They had already learned that the Nether Lands concealed far more than their outward desolation suggested, and the answer to Caelestra’s question might finally reveal something fundamental about the place they had been forced to call home.

After all, before they could hope to escape the Nether Lands, they first needed to understand what they had truly entered...