Herald of death

The roads of the Cotswolds are quiet, nearly deserted. The rural villages are silent, and Ethan senses their sparse population. 'Older folks live here. They likely suffered more from the monsters than the big cities,' Ethan thinks.

As Ethan leaves the last village on his route, Russ sticks his head out of the car window, his tongue flapping in the breeze. The area becomes devoid of human activity, except for the road. After half an hour, the road leads to the open gate of a mansion.

Another car is parked in the gravel driveway. 'I hope I can convince the new owner to let me in,' Ethan thinks as he drives through the gate. 'He has restored it well; it looks just like I remember.'

Ethan exits his car and opens the door for Russ to stretch his legs. Russ immediately starts sniffing around, following a scent to the other car. He excitedly sprints around the car, his tail wagging as he explores.

Russ dashes from the car towards the mansion, and Ethan follows. Through predator's sight he sees a woman in one of the basements, which he recalls as the heating room. As she opens the door leading outside, Russ jumps on her to lick her face, overwhelmed with excitement.

Tombstone is in her early thirties, with a few brown strands falling from her hair bun, complementing her thin oval glasses. "Hi, yes, I'm happy to see you too," she says to Russ. She meets Ethan's gaze and asks with genuine concern, "Are you blushing?"

Ethan quickly regains his composure. 'Was the priest on a celibate vow?' he grunts in his mind. "It's cold," he lies. "What are you doing here?"

"When you asked for a flight without much explanation, I knew this is where you were headed," she replies, still petting Russ.

"How did you get the keys?" Ethan asks, unable to sense another human in the building.

"Well, … N.E.S.T bought the mansion after your father's death and restored it. This is still yours, as it was intended," she explains, handing him the keys. Her voice quickens as she adds, "Well, in reality, it belongs to a shell company, under the cover of a non-profit aiming to restore English monuments, owned by a holding in a country that allows for ultimate beneficial ownership, and so on."

"I don't know what to think about that," Ethan admits. "Thanks."

"Do you want to go inside?" she asks as Russ finally leaves her to sniff flowers.

Ethan moves to the main entrance, whose opaque green glass and golden rims remain identical to his memories. He unlocks the door, takes a deep breath, and steps inside.

Tombstone follows and looks around. "What are you looking for?"

"When I was in the dungeon with Specter nine, I came across a lost soul who shared some of his memories with me." He pauses, seeing Tombstone's puzzled look. "I had a flashback where the man who killed my father stood before a crowd. He was giving a speech, as their king."

"Deception leveled up."

"Even if that memory were real, it couldn't be the same person. Maybe he just resembles him; your mind might be altering the image," she suggests.

"I just needed to be sure. After all this time with no leads, I couldn't let go of even the slightest chance of finding him," Ethan says, his voice measured to hide his frustration. The mere thought of the man fills him with anger. "And now I am," he says, stopping before one of the basement doors. Wisps of Ether seep through its cracks.

"What do you mean?" Tombstone asks.

"You can't see it? What's your level of Ether manipulation?" Ethan asks.

"Huh, skills," she says before checking the list appearing in front of her. "Two."

Ethan turns to her, using the distraction to calm himself. "Close your eyes," he instructs, removing the ring of aura manipulation from his finger.

She immediately closes her eyes. "No funny business," she warns playfully.

"Save your comments for six," Ethan jests. He places his hand a few centimeters away from her face, his fingers spread wide. Visualizing it in his mind, he guides Ether from his heart to the tip of his fingers. He explains, "Our world hardly contains any Ether, but on the other side, it's omnipresent, floating in the air. Sensing Ether isn't one of our usual senses, and it starts with a shiver when it's first drawn to you."

Ether flows from Ethan's hand, brushing past Tombstone's skin. She resists stepping back. "I see it. … It's moving toward my heart," she says, astonished.

Ethan cuts off the flow. "I've stopped controlling it. Imagine it moving to your heart; guide it there," he advises.

Tombstone grins, mimicking an effort. Moments later, she exclaims, "I did it!" Opening her eyes, she confirms, "And it's now level eight."

Ethan pulls out a light Ether crystal from his haversack. "The Ether you just experienced is … neutral. It can be used to fuel abilities and cast spells. But some spells require, or profit from, a different form of Ether," he tries to explain. Breaking the crystal, he releases threads of golden Ether before manipulating them to gather in his hand. "Try to absorb this Ether."

She executes his request and slowly succeeds in absorbing the Ether. As the light Ether gathers in her heart, a small cat claw scar vanishes from her cheek. She touches it before checking with her phone's camera.

"When corrupted with light Ether, you'll heal from injuries your body can't normally handle. Like scars, cancer, a compressed vertebra, or a severed hamstring," Ethan explains, "but the effect is temporary."

"I think I can see it now; it's coming from behind that door. And I can sense a lot of Ether in you. But wasn't that precious?" she asks, mixing concern with her words.

"I have five more; don't worry about that," Ethan assures her as he places his ring of aura manipulation to conceal his Ether. His heartbeat rises as he returns to the present, his attention falling once more on the door.