Aether Nexus: Curse of Love & Hatred

Liam staggered through the swirling snowstorm. “Damn, where did this storm come from!? It just…appeared! Just like the one that blanketed our campsite overnight…” He thought as he forced another step forward, each step a battle against the biting wind.

He hunched his shoulders, covered his face with his left arm, and squinted, trying to shield his eyes from the relentless flurries that stung his face. His breath came out visible in the frigid air. The icy ground beneath him was treacherous, causing him to slip and stumble more than once, but he couldn't afford to slow down.

Ahead, somewhere in the white haze, Dama and Mumu had run off. “DAMA! MUMU! CAN YOU HEAR ME!?” Liam shouted for the pair, to no avail though.

Continuing to focus for any response to his earlier shouts, Liam soon felt something off about the snow. The storm seemed almost alive, the wind howling and the snow dancing in chaotic patterns. What struck him odd the most, however, was the feeling of a separate and enigmatic force behind the snow. “This snow, it's not natural…! Something, no, someone is behind it! I have to find Dama fast!”

The thought of Dama facing such an enigmatic threat spurred Liam onward, despite the numbing cold starting to seep in his very muscles.

Pushing through a particularly fierce gust, Liam would open his eyes back up to the silhouetted figures of Mumu and Nina, who were cuddled together in a ball-like formation.

“Mumu and Nina! That's got to be them! Dama must be in the center of that huddle they're doing, good job you two!” Liam proudly mused before darting his eyes around the environment, trying to find the source of the storm.

Eventually, a childish laugh echoed through the snowstorm, giving Liam the chance to track its direction, leading to him spotting the shadowy figure looking down on Mumu and Nina from ontop a plateau.

“The hell is that? A monster?” Liam pondered as he took out his bow-and-arrow. After making sure the storm was coming from the mysterious figure, he planted his feet into the ground, drew his bow, and took aim.

The wind whipped fiercely, and without the protection of his arms, icy flakes became embedded into his face, each one a stinging needle against his skin. Worst of all was the snow that assaulted his eyes, blurring his vision. Yet, he refused to blink, determined not to lose track of the creature.

Despite the pain and tears, Liam secured a clear shot, aiming for the figure's midsection. Squinting, he then took a deep breath.

While the icy air filled his lungs, causing a sharp and burning pain, a rising warmth that started bubbling from his core soon clashed with the coldness.

It was a comforting, exhilarating sensation, like the first rays of sunlight breaking through after rainfall. A warmth he still didn't fully understand, nor have come close to mastering, but it was something he was still nonetheless grateful for being born with.

For a few moments, he let the warmth spread throughout his body, each progressively rapid heartbeat causing the warmth to surge even more within him. He could feel the warmth fill his entire being with some sort of vibrant energy—a power.

Now focusing on that power, he tried to harness it, and guided it to his hands like he practiced in secret.

As it reached his fingertips, he could feel the wind around him respond, swirling and dancing in harmony with his will, as if rebelling against the surrounding wind of the snowstorm.

Realizing it was working, Liam’s focus sharpened, the only thing on his mind was keeping Dama, Mumu, and Nina safe. In correspondence to his rising conviction, the wind not only swirled and spiraled closer towards the arrow in his grip, but also started to take on a more opaque-green appearance.

The arrow itself began to hum with newfound life, the wooden shaft vibrating slightly as it absorbed the power of the wind bending to Liam's will.

For a moment, he closed his eyes as he sensed a newfound unity with the elements, as if the wind became an extension of himself.

The moment after, his arrow sparked to life with a bright green flash of power, causing Liam to open his eyes back up with full confidence, and the shadowy figure to notice.

While Liam still couldn't see the figure’s face, he could tell from body language alone the surprise and fear it felt. With a smirk, Liam then announced in his head…

”Wind Affinity: Gale Shot!”

The arrow shot forward with a force and speed far beyond any normal arrow Liam had shot before, his wind affinity propelling it through the snowstorm at speeds of around 150 mph.

As it soared towards the figure, the arrow cleanly sliced through the storm, creating not only a vacant path in its wake, but also a crisp sound.

Reacting just in time, the figure hurriedly raised its palm towards the arrow, an icicle beginning to form at the center out of thin air. Unfortunately, it took too long, causing the arrow to hit the still forming icicle, change trajectory, and hit the figure's head.

Liam pumped his fist in the air as he saw the direct hit, even if he wasn't aiming for that spot. Though, as he watched the figure's head recoil backwards, he noticed something off.

The arrow had bounced off from the hit, instead of embedding itself. Not only that, but something else was also in the air, thrown off by the arrow’s hit.

The figure staggered back and fell as it held its head with one hand, grunting from pain. Both the arrow and the object it dropped from the impact fell off the plateau.

As the snowstorm began receding, Liam wiped his eyes quickly, making sure to not lose track of the figure as he readied another shot. Yet, when aiming at its small and vulnerable state, crumpled on the ground, Liam hesitated. “Something’s off here… Something’s telling me to not shoot, but why?”

It was then that the figure let out a piercing wail, the kind that could only come from a child. It started as a high-pitched scream, raw and unrestrained. The cry then broke into a series of gasping sobs, each one sounding equal parts desperate and primal.

The figure then got up and ran away, jumping off the cliff, its cries echoing throughout the surrounding mountains.

A shell-shocked Liam could only ask himself one question as he looked down at his hands: “Was… Was that a child?” Pondering on his actions for a split second, he then closed his fists, knowing his actions were to protect Dama.

In that same instant of reflection, he heard a high-pitched gasp. Looking up, Liam saw that Nina and Mumu had unraveled from each other, with Dama being in the center.

As Dama rested on his knees, coughing and gasping for air, his eyes would instantly light up once he himself looked up and saw Liam. “M-Mr. Liam…!”

Liam smiled as he put away his bow-and-arrow and ran towards the trio. “Dama! Are you three alright?” He said while cupping Dama's face, making sure he wasn't too cold.

“I-I'm fvv-ine Mr. Liam…” Dama struggled to say through Liam's probing, eventually pushing off his hands to look around. “What happened to the snowstorm, a-and the creature? Also, what was that cry I heard?”

Opening his mouth to answer, Liam and Dama would soon hear a gruff voice, shouting far into the distance. “DAMA! LIAM! WHERE ARE Y’ALL!?”

Turning around, Liam and Dama saw Koul and Gus heading their way.

Koul could be seen frantically looking around his surroundings with axe in hand. His face was filled with fear and concern due to the thought of either Liam or Dama being caught in the sudden snowstorm.

Gus, on the other hand, barely had any pep in his step, only going as fast as he was mainly because of Koul shouting at him to help find the two. Though, it was also partially due to fear, obvious through how tight he was holding onto his spear.

“Hey! Koul and Gus! Over here!!” Liam shouted back, waving with one hand and megaphoning with the other.

“Eh!? Liam, Dama as well! Mumu and Nina too!” Koul said before turning to Gus. “Come on, boy! Step ya horses up! We gotta see if they're hurt!”

“Ugh, give me a break already…!” Gus thought as he struggled to keep pace with Koul's burst of speed. He could, he just didn't want to out of a procrastinating tendency.

Finally making it to Liam, Koul rested his hands on his knees, panting. “Haa… You guys alright? Did something happen, Liam?”

“Yeah, we're all good,” Liam answered as he pointed towards the plateau, “I may have found the source to our flash snowstorms too.”

“O…Our source?” Koul uttered, still panting, which further sold his confusion to Liam.

“Mhm! It was some creature that caused the snow.” Dama remarked as he appeared from behind Liam. “I couldn't really get a good look at it though. It was hidden behind a lot of mist that was floating around it…” Turning to Liam, he continued. “Mr. Liam, you saw it too, right? Did you get a good sight of it?”

“Nope,” Liam shrugged, “I saw the same thing as Dama, a shadowy figure hidden by mist. Though, knowing that it could create ice and snow, it could have been floating ice crystals… It did seem a bit too sparkly to be regular mist.”

“Well, how did you stop it?” Koul questioned as he stood up straight and tilted his head, intrigue causing his eyebrows to lift up.

“Yeah, how did you, Mr. Liam?”

“Well, with my trusty bow-and-arrow of course!” Liam exclaimed with pride comparable to a king's, bringing it out and posing with it.

“Oh yeah! I forgot!” Koul exclaimed back, striking the palm of his hand with his fist. “You must have used the Affinity thing of your's, right?”

Both Dama and Gus tilted their heads in confusion. “Affinity?”

“Oh that? Yeah, I did.” Liam replied, rubbing the back of his head. “Not many people know I have Wind Affinity. Only the chief, chieftess, Alexandra, Damian, and Koul, until now anyways.”

“You have Wind Affinity Mr. Liam!? That's so cool! Why would you keep it a secret?”

“Eh, I just didn't find any benefit in having such a thing when I first discovered it. Though, I did practice with it in my spare time along with my archery hobby,” Liam said as he patted Dama on the head, “and considering what just happened, I'd say it was worth it. Scared off the figure with one clean shot!”

“Hehee-har! I knew bringing you along was the right decision!” Koul exclaimed as he patted both of Liam's shoulders and smiled, his pride practically making his teeth shine. Liam gratefully smiled back, the compliment warming him to his core.

Meanwhile, Dama looked up at the clear blue sky, wonder and anticipation painted onto his face. “Man, I wish I had an Affinity Element like you or Mr. Damian's Fire Affinity…”

Koul and Liam glanced at each other, with both of them giving a soft chuckle in response.

“I wouldn't get too sad, my boy.” Koul stated as he crouched down and put an arm around Dama. “Remember, Damian's Fire Affinity did almost burn down the Alder’s Farm when he was but a youngin’!”

Liam laughed again, reminiscing about such an event. “Yeah, I was actually there when the fire started, believe it or not! It was scary in the moment, but thankfully, nothing of importance got destroyed. Anyways, I also wouldn't get too sad, since I discovered my affinity only a few years ago, you still have time.”

Koul then patted his chest. “Not only that, but you have something else, something grander, something Chief Owain hasn't seen for generations within Enohay! A ‘Soul Skill’, or whatever it's called.”

“Soulful Technique.” Liam interjected, correcting Koul.

Koul scratched his head in slight embarrassment. “I can never seem to remember that…”

Looking down at his hand, then back up to both Mumu and Nina, whose mouth stitchings curled up at the ends, Dama smiled. “Yeah… Yeah, you guys are right, I do have something special! If only I knew how to control it…”

“Sooooo, are we just gonna stand around in the snow all day, or?” Gus finally piped up, not even giving an ounce of effort to hide his annoyance.

While Koul got irritated himself, Liam and Dama agreed.

“Gus is right, we gotta get going to Briarstone. Maybe they know something about that mysterious figure and these snowstorms.” Liam noted as he began to walk back to Dorsey, waving at the others to follow. “Come on! If I remember correctly, we shouldn't be that far from them now!”

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Next: (Chapter 33) The Wandering Warden