53_ Aethireon Vin Thunderia

Aethireon entered the royal hall ,and everyone present looked at him with disgust and contempt, but he did not give any of them the slightest attention.

Suddenly, a familiar voice broke through the atmosphere.

"Hey, Aeth! So you came!"

Aetherion turned and saw a gray-clad knight standing nearby, carrying a thin sword with a faint trace of wind swirling around him.

The Great Wind Knight... Zephyrion.

Zephyrion approached Aetherion.

"Did he call you too?"

"Yes. I met with the General two days ago, and he told me about this meeting."

Aetherion replied:

"Same here... The Deputy General, Kais, came to me and..."

The doors to the hall suddenly burst open.

Massive footsteps echoed throughout the room, accompanied by the sound of an axe scraping against the ground.

Everyone turned.

"It's definitely him..."

"The savage beast..."

Threymion entered the hall with confident steps, carrying his ice axe over his shoulder.

Everyone looked at him with disgust, but he merely wore a wide grin, as if deliberately provoking them.

He reached Zephyrion's side.

Zephyrion looked at him.

"Threym... Our weapons should not be drawn during meetings. It is disrespectful to the place."

Threymion scoffed.

"To hell with you and your ridiculous restrictions, you pathetic fool."

Zephyrion's eyes widened.

"What did you say?"

But Kais immediately intervened, stepping in front of Zephyrion and glaring at Threymion.

"Put your axe away immediately."

Threymion laughed.

"And what are you going to do, Deputy General?"

A purple aura began swirling around Kais's sword sheath, while ice spread from Threymion's axe.

Threymion's grin widened.

But in the next moment...

Both auras vanished instantly.

The two froze in place.

Ragnier raised his eyes toward them.

"Enough, both of you. You are showing disrespect to our guests."

Kais bowed slightly.

"My apologies, Supreme Commander."

Threymion merely exhaled in annoyance.

"Tch... I was about to have some fun."

Ragnier stood before the gathered knights.

"You have waited long enough, gentlemen... Now that everyone has arrived, we can begin discussing the reason for this meeting."

Silence fell, and everyone's attention turned toward him.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Ragnier continued:

"Some of you may have sensed the disturbance in the fabric of space a week ago... We detected an anomaly in the energy field of a distant planet."

He paused before continuing.

"Planet Earth... home of the human race."

Murmurs of surprise spread throughout the hall.

"After discussing the nature of this energy and analyzing it with the commanders, we discovered the truth... and there is no room for error."

Ragnier's expression changed, and his tone became more serious.

"One of the five legendary Spirits has begun to awaken."

Silence fell.

"The Spirit of Perception."

Everyone's eyes widened.

Aetherion silently clenched his fist.

Ragnier continued:

"A human vessel has absorbed the energy of the Spirit of Perception, allowing the Spirit to awaken inside him at any moment."

Then he added:

"But there is no need to worry."

He looked at everyone present.

"We know that several Spirits have crossed the barrier between our worlds in the past, taking vessels from different races in order to return to this world."

His tone became firmer.

"We also know that a single vessel cannot contain two Spirits at the same time."

"Since the Spirit of Perception has not fully awakened yet, we will take advantage of this opportunity. We will implant a rival Spirit into the vessel."

Silence filled the hall.

"Then one of two things will happen."

He raised one finger.

"Either the conflict within the vessel will cause it to die..."

Then he raised another finger.

"Or the invading Spirit will overwhelm the Spirit of Perception, eliminating the threat of its awakening."

One of the knights raised his hand.

"But this will not destroy the Spirit of Perception, will it?"

Ragnier replied:

"No. But that is not our objective... Our objective is to delay its return."

"We will repeat this process every time the Spirit of Perception returns, or whenever one of the other four Spirits begins to return."

Then he said firmly:

"In the end, our true problem is those five Spirits. The others pose no real threat to us or to this world."

Ragnier turned toward Aetherion, his expression changing slightly.

"As for you, Sword Bearer... Your task is to use one of the Spirits you defeated in the past and implant it into the vessel."

He then looked toward Zephyrion and Threymion.

"The Great Wind Knight and the Great Frost Knight will assist you in locating the vessel and dealing with any resistance you may encounter. There are a large number of fighters on that planet."

One of the commanders laughed mockingly.

"Human warriors? Since when do we concern ourselves with that weak race?"

Aetherion slowly stood.

He stared at the commander with a cold, terrifying gaze.

"Do not forget that the Golden Warrior who once saved your ancestors... was human."

Angry murmurs spread among the commanders, and several began protesting, but Ragnier raised his hand and silenced them.

"Enough. Leave that matter for now."

He then looked directly at Aetherion.

"Aetherion... Excalibur, the legendary sword, was not given to you simply because you are the strongest of your generation... It chose you because you are the only one who could withstand the spatial energy it absorbs."

Ragnier held his gaze.

"You are the shield of our people... and its sword. Do not disappoint us."

Aetherion gave a slight bow, completely expressionless.

"This catastrophe will not happen again, General."

He raised his head.

"I will carry out the mission... and seal that Spirit."

Ragnier replied:

"Excellent... We will discuss your departure time later."

His voice rose again.

"And now, everyone... Let us enjoy the night!"

Laughter and conversation returned to the hall as Aetherion silently left.

---

After the meeting...

Aetherion walked through a wide corridor with heavy steps.

Suddenly, Ragnier appeared before him, with his deputy Kais at his side.

Aetherion stopped.

Ragnier looked at his worn-out cloak with contempt.

"You actually entered the royal palace wearing that rag? Do not forget your place and your origins simply because Excalibur chose you, you bastard."

Aetherion did not answer and remained silent.

Ragnier stepped closer.

"You are a disgrace to that sword... It should have belonged to one of the commanders, or one of the sons of the prestigious families... not an ignorant fool like you."

He stopped directly in front of him.

"Remember this carefully... Your next mission is not something you can choose to accept or refuse."

His voice dropped.

"If you return without sealing the Spirit we seek, I will correct the mistake of the past myself... I will erase what remains of your family name... even the graves of your ancestors, from the history of Astragard itself."

Aetherion remained silent.

He placed his hand on Excalibur's hilt and tried to draw it.

But the sword did not move from its sheath.

Aetherion said mockingly:

"Unfortunately... I won't be able to stop you with Excalibur that day... It has decided that you are not worthy of seeing its power."

Kais's eyes burned with anger, and he reached for his sword, but Ragnier stopped him.

Ragnier said:

"It seems that a little power has blinded you and made you forget who you are speaking to."

Then he regained his composure.

"Very well... I will overlook what you said for now... and postpone our reckoning until that day."

Aetherion walked past him without saying a word.

Ragnier continued staring at him with contempt until he disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Later that night...

Aetherion stood on the balcony of an isolated stone house, far from the lights of the royal palace that illuminated the darkness of the sky.

He stared at the cosmic dust stretching across the horizon, where the remains of planets and celestial bodies gathered together, creating a breathtaking view that concealed the scars of ancient wars behind its beauty.

A woman with long orange hair approached and stood behind Aetherion.

"Are you thinking about your companions again?"

Aetherion looked toward the horizon.

"Every time I look at this cosmic dust, I remember the souls of those I couldn't save... Especially when I was just a child hiding behind my mother."

The woman reached toward his torn cloak and gently ran her fingers across it. Each time she touched it, faint sparks of light rose from the fabric before fading into the air.

She spoke reassuringly.

"You're wearing her cloak... It is proof that everyone you wanted to protect is still with you, supporting your back... They strengthen your resolve every moment, believing in you and your strength."

Aetherion replied:

"Perhaps this cloak carries the spirit and determination of everyone who placed their trust in me..."

His tone changed slightly.

"But its tears are proof of my weakness, proof that I failed to live up to their expectations..."

Then he remembered the tragedy that happened in the great war ,when his people were being killed one by one while he was running and hiding , from a place to another ,leaving his mother defending him until her last breath

And her last words were "My dear , it's okay to hide for now...Take my sword and runaway ,stay alive and get strong so you can fight tomorrow..."

The scene returned to the present...

The woman took his hand, the one resting against the cloak, and thin strands of light rose between her fingers.

"You're wrong, my love... Its tears are not proof that it is old or that you have neglected it... They are proof of the weight of the souls you have carried behind you all this time."

She looked at him with a gentle smile.

"You never fought alone, and you were never weak... And I am certain that you are capable of protecting all of us from what happened in the past ever happening again."

Aetherion stared at her for several seconds, then exhaled and raised his head toward the sky.

"No one understands me like you do..."

The woman laughed.

"And who would understand you if I didn't?!"

Aetherion returned to his serious expression.

"I will protect you all... even if my life is the price. I will restore peace and balance to this planet."

His wife asked:

"And the leaders?"

He answered calmly:

"The leaders seek power, while I want to end this curse... Dealing with them is much easier."

His wife said:

"You're right."

Then her tone became more serious.

"Aetherion..."

He turned slightly toward her.

"Yes?"

She said:

"Do not let selfishness consume you, all right? Do not let protecting us become the only thing you see as right..."

Aetherion was surprised by her words, but he did not answer.

---

The scene gradually turns silver as his wife's voice continues:

"You may not always be right... You may be wrong sometimes..."

The silver gradually fades, revealing a glowing silver eye.

Wail's aura rises around him with terrifying intensity, cracking the ground and sending debris flying in every direction, while dark yellow lightning fills the sky and repeatedly strikes Excalibur.

The two stand facing each other, each one ready for battle.

A knight who devoted his entire life and all his time to this very moment...

And a boy who knew nothing about this world, yet found himself fighting and suffering within it against his will.