1 01: The Encroaching Plague

The warm, golden rays of the sun cast over a massive temple-like building adorned with surrounding spires. The temple-like building was constructed in a medieval style. It was Etheloria Templar Academy, and inside was a group of young children ranging in age from 6 to 15 years old. In one of the compartments of this academy, there stood a young man.

"That is how you, as Aetherians who possess magical talents, can harness the ethereal energy bestowed upon us by nature."

Alvan, a young man of about 25 years old, stood before the Aetherians who were about 10 years old, and said. His distinctive silver hair flowed down his nape, and his emerald-green eyes scanned the faces of the youngsters in front of him. Looking at his well-sculpted face, one cannot miss the gentle smile that adorns it.

He continued, "As you continue to practice controlling your ethereal energy and manipulating elemental magic, healing arts, and enchantment. You might be able to develop an affinity for the cosmic energy of the celestial realm, allowing you to temper your body and potentially experience the sensation of immortality... This is because manipulating cosmic energy can help prolong one's lifespan."

He paused as another smile spread across his handsome face, causing his perfectly chiseled jawline to shift upwards. Alvan had his gaze locked on the perplexed faces of the young Aetherians who were all seated around him, numbering up to twenty-five. Aetherians are a group within the human population of Etheloria who possess a natural affinity for ethereal energy and can harness it to perform magic.

"You don't have to be surprised. Nevertheless, it is very rare for an Aetherian to be chosen by celestial beings and granted the ability to wield cosmic energy. The few chosen individuals are referred to as Cosmic Mages... Anyway, our theoretical lecture will end here. We should all head outside so that I can guide you on how to manipulate and control your ethereal energy more effectively." Alvan announced.

But just as the youngsters were about to be led outside for their practical lesson, one of them, a female Aetherian, raised her hand.

"Yes, Cassie, can we hear your question?"

"Master Alvan, you just told us that only Aetherians like us can tap into ethereal energy and potentially cosmic energy when we become Cosmic Mages. But I heard that you aren't even an Aetherian. Does that mean you don't have any magical abilities? Or was it all a false rumor?" Cassie said. The other students in the class curiously fixated their gazes on Alvan. It was obvious that they all wanted to hear the answer to that rumor directly from the actual horse's mouth.

Alvan's smile vanished from his face, leaving him with an expressionless face, he wasn't frowning either.

"I think the answer to your question should be both yes and no. Allow me to explain: I consider myself a half-Aetherian. Do you know why I said that?"

"No, sir," Cassie replied.

"That is because I don't have control over when I can harness and manipulate ethereal energy. It just comes on its own, mostly when I truly need to tap into it. Maybe, if I were in danger or something like that…"

Alvan was right. But he kept a certain detail hidden from the kids. He wasn't actually a full Aetherian, nor was he a full Cosmic Mage. But he was both. He can harness both ethereal energy and cosmic energy, but never willingly.

"Now, let's go outside. I will guide you on how to channel your ethereal energy from your core to command the elements of the universe." When he finished speaking, he led the students outside.

The academy happened to be built on a somewhat elevated plateau. Looking out from the front of the academy, one could see the settlement of the people of Etheloria. To the left, there was a range of mountains, hills, and valleys stretching into the distance. On the right, there was a vast sea.

However, just as they stepped outside, one of the kids raised his hand and pointed to the right, towards the sea. "Look, what is that? Master Alvan. Is it one of those celestial alignments that normally disrupt the atmospheric phenomenon?"

Alvan turned around and, on the distant horizon, he saw something strange casting a colossal shadow over the sea. It appeared as a shroud of darkness slowly creeping toward Etheloria.

'What is that? I have never seen anything like that before,' Alvan thought. Then, he brought out a solar telescope and lifted it to his eye level.

Looking through it, he could now see what was slowly encroaching on Etheloria. It was an insidious, creeping shroud of darkness. And from what he could see, it probably stretched from the surface of the waters to the sky. There was more to it than just that. There were also some blurry, distorted, dark purplish shadowy entities floating around in front of the encroaching darkness.

"Jaden, that is something else. It is not a celestial alignment. It is something ominous, which suggests that we might be in danger." Alvan said to the boy who spotted the approaching shroud of darkness first. Then, he brought down the solar telescope and turned to Cassie, who happened to be the head of the kids he was looking after.

"Cassie, our class will be put on hold for now. But I want you to gather all the student Aetherians in our class and hurry down to the basement. I will alert the other teachers so that all students can be safely evacuated.

"You don't have to worry about your parents. I will also meet with the High Priest so that we can evacuate the adults and other children down there as well. No one knows what is truly approaching us, so it's better to play it safe," Alvan said. This time, there was no hint of the usual smile that was always plastered on his face; instead, it was replaced with a deep scowl.

Hearing their usually cheerful teacher frowning and speaking in this manner. The kids were terrified, their gazes locked on the ominous darkness on the horizon. In their eyes, it seemed to be static, but their teacher had said that it was gradually advancing. They could only believe him.

Some of them were completely consumed by fear, and terror was evident on their faces. Only one of them seemed to have a brave face, or maybe it was just a poker face concealing her internal fright. It was Cassie.

Cassie, demonstrating her leadership prowess, began to evacuate the kids inside the temple building and headed towards the basement that Alvan had mentioned.

'Whatever it is that is drawing me in isn't a good thing because I could sense the ominous cosmic energy fluctuation it was emanating even from that far distance... Wait, Mom... she went to the island to practice her healing magic... I need to go find her immediately before those creepy shadow entities find her.' He thought as he could feel his heartbeat throbbing even faster and his breathing seemed to have quickened.

Alvan looked in the direction of one of the Templar guards stationed at the entrance of the temple building. He instructed the guard to deliver his message to the High Priest within the temple before descending the elevated plateau and heading towards the expansive sea.

Whatever was about to encroach upon Etheloria, they didn't know whether it would be disastrous, chaotic, benign, or a blessing. Only the High Priest of the Templar Academy would know. That was why the guard who received Alvan's message hurried inside the temple building...

***

On an island with rugged terrain, a woman who appeared to be in her early fifties was seated cross-legged, surrounded by a variety of colorful herbs and shrubs. Visible white energy was swirling around her as she immersed herself in her healing magic practice.

It was Alvan's mother; she was the great healer of Etheloria. Her hair was jet black and cascaded down her back, almost touching the ground as she sat. She was wearing a brown robe-like dress, and even though she was no longer in her prime, she could still be described as exceptionally beautiful.

Noticing the fluctuation in the water flow around the small island where she was practicing. She slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of stunning cerulean eyes. However, the look in her eyes was one of sadness.

"Zamon, I think it's time I let it all go and tell our son about who he really is. I think he is meant for more than just being a teacher at the Templar Academy. Even if he isn't the type that wants to take up some herculean task… he would have to take on his responsibility after learning about his true abilities."

She lifted her left wrist, adorned with a bracelet embedded with crystals of various colors. She removed the bracelet from her wrist and kissed it. Some memories were triggered as she remembered when Zamon gave her the bracelet as a token of love many years ago. Elara allowed the tears that has formed on her eyelids to slide down her beautiful face.

However, she suddenly picked up some rustling sounds of something moving in the air behind her. A haunting whisper drifted on the breeze behind her as if someone was trying to get her attention.

Drawn by an inexplicable compulsion, Alvan's mother turned to face the source of the whispers. But her gaze met a figure behind her. Its entire body was made of a dark purplish shadow, shaped just like a human, with two abysmal purple eyes glaring back at her.

At that moment, she felt her entire being frozen in place. She couldn't move her hand or shift her gaze away.

"Is that a... shadow minion?" Elara managed to mutter as the shadowy figure in front of her seemed to vanish, leaving behind a blur. The next instant, the shadow figure, which she referred to as a shadow minion, merged with her own shadow and infiltrated her body.

It was as if she was possessed by the shadow figure.

That was when she noticed the encroaching darkness on the horizon. As the shadow minion took effect, she slumped to the ground, grappling internally as she tried to fight off the strange consciousness attempting to invade her senses. Elara began to hear cries of anguish in her head, and she was slowly losing her sanity.

"The…shadow…plague…is…back." Elara managed to stutter these words as she saw the blurry figure of a young man running towards her. The person's mouth seemed to be moving up and down, but she couldn't process what he was saying, nor could she hear the sounds of the sea anymore.