Regaleon: The Forgotten Knight

Veyrath turned just in time to witness Valmyr undergo his own breakthrough. And for a moment, the failed Alchemist simply stared...

Compared to most of the others, the failed Vanguard possessed a considerable number of Secondary Aether Veins that needed to be awakened. And truly, from a purely quantitative perspective, Valmyr arguably had one of the more arduous breakthroughs among the group.

Yet from a qualitative standpoint, his situation was considerably more favorable. Unlike Veyrath, who had been forced to cautiously navigate his Prime Organ, Valmyr’s Secondary Aether Veins were located primarily within his arms and legs.

Those parts of the body were undoubtedly important. But they weren’t medically critical in the same manner as the heart, lungs, brain, or other Prime Organs.

A mistake in one of his limbs could still result in catastrophic consequences, but the margin for survival was considerably greater. For that reason, it wasn’t particularly surprising that Valmyr had become the second person among the seven to successfully cross the bottleneck.

Just like Veyrath before him, the shockwave generated by Valmyr’s breakthrough eventually subsided. Then, his body began to glow.

At first, the radiance was faint; then it intensified. And within moments, the failed Vanguard appeared to have transformed into another human supernova.

Yet unlike Veyrath’s luminous emerald manifestation, Valmyr was enveloped by a blazing scarlet corona. The color was deep and vivid, almost identical to the pigmentation of freshly spilled blood.

As it wrapped around his bulky frame, Valmyr took on the appearance of a berserk and bloodthirsty barbarian warrior. His hair whipped wildly around his face despite the absence of any obvious wind, while his bronze skin gleamed beneath the scarlet radiance like molten gold.

For a moment, he looked like a war god emerging from a sea of blood. The sight alone was imposing, ferocious, and almost primal.

Eventually, after several moments, the scarlet brilliance gradually began to recede; the radiance dimmed and the violent aura surrounding Valmyr slowly settled.

Several seconds passed, then the failed Vanguard’s eyes opened.

Just like Veyrath, Valmyr initially experienced the strange sensation of mental fogginess that followed prolonged cultivation; his thoughts felt sluggish, his surroundings seemed distant, and his consciousness floated somewhere between wakefulness and sleep.

However, unlike Veyrath, Valmyr recovered rather quickly. After blinking several times and giving his head a vigorous shake, he managed to dispel most of the lingering post-cultivation haze.

He inhaled deeply, his enhanced senses immediately began registering the world around him with newfound clarity. But before he could even think about confirming whether he had successfully broken through, a familiar and thoroughly smug voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Well, would you look at that." Veyrath’s lips curled upward. "You happened to be the second person to become an Etheryean."

He paused deliberately before adding with pride. "After me, of course."

The smugness in his tone, combined with the self-satisfied expression plastered across his face, made him look like some nouveau riche who had just acquired his first fortune and was determined to remind everyone else of his superior status.

Valmyr was still struggling with the last remnants of his grogginess. Hearing the voice, he furrowed his brows and turned toward its source.

His vision was still slightly unfocused so it took him a moment before Veyrath’s smug visage finally came into view.

Valmyr stared at him intently. And as though trying to determine whether he was genuinely looking at the failed Alchemist or merely hallucinating, he examined Veyrath from head to toe. Finally, he spoke.

"Veyrath?" His voice was unbelievably hoarse and scratchy, sounding almost like two pieces of sandpaper being dragged against one another. "Is that you?"

The smugness on Veyrath’s face deepened. This time, however, there was an unmistakable hint of teasing in his expression, making the failed Alchemist appear even more insufferable.

"Well, would you look at that." He clicked his tongue. "Looks like all that cultivation gave you temporary amnesia."

Veyrath tilted his head. "If I didn’t know better, I’d think you sacrificed your brain cells in exchange for the breakthrough."

Despite the derisive nature of the statement, Valmyr completely ignored him. Of everything Veyrath had said, only one part actually registered in his mind and that was the part about him being an Etheryean. At least rhat was all he cared about and everything else was nothing more than background noise.

In fact, it was only after Veyrath’s words that Valmyr remembered something he should have checked immediately after waking, his breakthrough.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t intended to verify it. Rather, Veyrath’s nonsense and irreverent rambling had distracted him enough for the thought to temporarily escape his mind.

But now that Veyrath had brought it up, Valmyr suddenly remembered what had happened.

His hands slowly rose before him and he stared at them as though seeing them for the first time. His fingers moved as he clenched his fists and unclenched them before repeating the motion several times all the whole looking at them.

He could feel that there was something different about them; something subtle yet profound. His body felt stronger, his senses were sharper and beneath his skin, he could feel the newly awakened Aether Veins running through his limbs.

They were no longer dormant pathways waiting to be discovered. Instead, they were alive and were a part of him.

Valmyr’s expression gradually changed; awe replaced confusion, then surprise took over as flexed his muscles.

Veyrath, surprisingly, said nothing. Even he knew better than to interrupt the moment.

This was Valmyr’s breakthrough, his moment. And Veyrath knew exactly what that felt like. Therefore, ge wouldn’t rob someone else of the same experience when nobody had robbed him of his own.

Valmyr continued examining himself; he stretched his fingers, flexed his wrists, moved his arms and then his legs. He could feel the difference in every movement. In fact, it was as though his body had been rebuilt from within.

Several minutes passed before Valmyr finally raised his head, his eyes meeting Veyrath’s with an unmistakable expression of disbelief on his face.

"I’m an Etheryean." The words came out almost as a whisper.

Yet Veyrath heard them perfectly thanks to his newly enhanced Etheryean senses easily catching the quiet declaration.

A grin appeared on his face as he said. "Well, no shit, genius." He then spread his hands and added. "What did you think?"

Valmyr ignored him again. His eyes dropped to his hands as he examined himself one more time. Then he repeated the words.

"I’m an Etheryean."

But this time, something had changed. There was a tremulous cadence in his voice, a barely restrained emotion beneath the words.

Veyrath’s grin slowly disappeared. He recognized that tone and because of that, he knew exactly what was coming next.

Valmyr suddenly raised his head toward the ceiling as Veyrath expected. His chest expanded, his lungs filled and then, he shouted.

"I’M A FUCKING ETHERYEAN!!!"

His roar exploded through the cavern, the sheer volume behind it sending ripples racing across the surface of the Essence Pool.

The crystalline formations trembled faintly as his voice reverberated through the enormous chamber, bouncing from wall to wall before returning as a thunderous echo.

And then Valmyr laughed. It was a loud laughter which made freely and without restraint.

Had Veyrath not reacted almost identically upon discovering his own breakthrough, he might have thought the failed Vanguard had finally lost his mind.

But Veyrath understood the overwhelming euphoria flooding through Valmyr’s heart so he kept his thoughts to himself and simply watched as the failed Vanguard celebrated.

Eventually, Valmyr’s laughter began to subside. He took several deep breaths, still grinning broadly, then he turned toward Veyrath and asked.

"What about the others?"

Veyrath raised an eyebrow hearing that question before gesturing around them. "As you can see, they’re still cultivating."

Only then did Valmyr finally look around. Until now, the joy of his breakthrough and Veyrath’s provocative commentary had consumed most of his attention.

But now that he actually looked, he noticed the remaining five figures still sitting within the Essence Pool.

Valmyr’s expression shifted. And only now did he fully understand why Veyrath had called him the second person to become an Etheryean.

Moreover, he couldn’t deny that the revelation surprised him. He had fully accepted Veyrath’s ability to break through but he hadn’t expected the failed Alchemist to be the first among them.

However, when he thought about it, Valmyr simply assumed Veyrath’s breakthrough would was easier because he didn’t have as many Secondary Aether Veins to awaken.

If only he knew that Veyrath had been forced to search for his veins within his body’s Prime Organs... Then he would have been far more impressed and probably a little horrified by the perilous ordeal the Alchemist had endured.

Valmyr turned back toward Veyrath. But before he could say anything, the failed Alchemist spoke first, this time more seriously.

"Come on." Veyrath gestured toward the edge of the pool. "Let’s leave them to their breakthroughs."

He glanced toward the distant corner of the cavern. "I’m sure Aelric and Sylveris are still waiting for us. Besides, we wouldn’t want to disturb them now, would we?"

That finally seemed to remind Valmyr that the two observers were still waiting.

His expression changed slightly as he nodded. "Right. Let’s go."

Then without hesitation, Valmyr began moving toward the edge of the Essence Pool and Veyrath followed next to him.

The two newly minted Etheryeans gradually swam away from the center, leaving the remaining five cultivators undisturbed.

Behind them, the Essence Pool remained tranquil and the cultivation of the others continued...

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