Aether Nexus: Curse of Love & Hatred

“Kismeto!?” Kima ran up to the boy who face planted on the floor, starstruck to what just happened. “Are you ok sweetie?” She said lovingly while caressing his head.

“Mweerp! Mweerp!” Guspane uttered as he made his way to Mystigo.

Mystigo responded in kind as he scooped Guspane into his arms. “Did you get fatter Guspane? What have they been feeding you?” He said with a heartfelt snicker caused by Guspane's relentless licking.

Regaining his sense of being, Kismeto’s face immediately lit up. “Mama!”

Kima smiled while gliding her fingers through her son's hair. “Looks like you were playing with Squiggles, weren't you? You have so much dirt in your hair, to think I washed it this morning. What am I going to do with you?”

A small chuckle escaped Mystigo’s lips. “Pfft, Squiggles? I guess that fits you, Guspane.”

Hearing the unknown voice, Kisemto perked up from his mother's lap, seeing Mystigo awake for the first time. “Mister! You're alive!!” His red left eye and purple right eye shone with a childlike enthusiasm.

“And from what I've heard, it's all because of you. Thank you, Kismeto… It's nice to finally meet you. My name is Mystigo Aellekage.”

Kismeto smiled from ear to ear, revealing three vacant gaps in his smile where teeth should be. A smile Kima copied. “Hey, why don’t you go introduce yourself to him?”

“Ok!” Kismeto happily complied, running up to Mystigo and bowing. “It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Mystigo! I'm Kismeto Jurrai, and one day, I'm going to become as strong as the Hero-King: Adam!” Kismeto exclaimed proudly.

Mystigo raised an eyebrow as he let Guspane coil around his shoulders. “Adam the Hero-King?”

“Oh jeez,” Kima cupped her left cheek in slight embarrassment. “I'm sorry, he's at that age where he has such a hyper imagination, and his favorite book is Tales of The Cataclysm.”

As he gazed into Kismeto's mismatched eyes, a surreal wave of deja vu washed over Mystigo. Memories of the vision that had visited him two decades prior, depicting one of the figures of the Fated Duo, flickered vividly before him, overlapping with Kismeto’s own figure.

“It can’t be…” Mystigo thought to himself, awestruck at the possible fateful encounter. Snapping his fingers again, another eerie purple portal appeared beside him.

“Woah! It’s just like before! How’d you do that Mr. Mystigo!?”

Mystigo hesitated at first and looked at Kima, but with a nod of approval, he found no harm in satisfying the boy’s interest. “Well. you’re an eager one. It’s an application of my Cursed Technique: Hollow Void.”

“Cursed Technique!? You’re a witch mister!!?” Kismeto exclaimed, barely being able to contain himself at this point. His constant jumping and lit-up face was a clear sign of his childish wonder.

“Indeed, I am,” Mystigo said while showing his curse mark. “But you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone, ok? This is a secret between us.”

“Of course, I promise! Please, tell me more about your magic mister!”

Seeing Kismeto’s pure enthusiasm melted Mystigo’s heart. “Huh, this feeling… Is this your doing Guspane?” He thought to himself as he prepared to indulge in Kismeto’s curiosity.

“Alright alright, I will. Hollow Void is a Cursed Technique I share with my familiar here, Guspane, or Squiggles,” Mystigo snickered again at the nickname while rubbing Guspane’s head. “It gives both of us the ability to access a pocket space of our own. Anything we eat goes into that space, so it’s useful in keeping important items without having to carry them. While the applications are kind of limited for me, Guspane can use the technique to its fullest with his natural biology. He can eat almost anything.”

“So cool!!” Kismeto practically radiated with energy and positivity as his eyes widened in excitement. “Do you have a Soulful Technique too?”

“Indeed I do,” Mystigo said as a copy of himself materialized out of thin air beside him. Both of them started to talk in unison, their deep, but caring, voices overlapping with one another. “I like to call it Hollow Illusionary. I can create fake illusions of anything I see. Though they're just that, fakes, hollow images of the real thing.”

Demonstrating, Mystigo swatted his hand at the fake copy. The illusion faded into the air in response. “That’s only the basic application though, there are many more tricks up my sleeve.”

As Kisemto stared at Mystigo with wonder, Kima rested her hands on his shoulders, prompting him to look up at her. “Hey hey, mama! When am I going to get my Soulful Technique?”

Kima forced a smile while she cupped both of Kismeto's cheeks. “I don't know sweetie… And if I had to decide, I rather you not get a Soulful Technique… At least not one from the Juryoku or Karai Clan.”

Shock crossed Mystigo's face at Kima's response. “Huh? Kismeto is both a Juryoku AND Karai member? I thought the Juryoku, Karai, Orion, and Ciaran Clans didn't like each other…”

“Aww, but why mom? The Karai have such cool time powers! Your clan can even manipulate gravity!” Smiling for a moment, Kismeto then gasped. “What if I get both!?”

“Haha… Now now, let's… Let's not get too hasty…” Kima said through nervous laughs.

Back with Mystigo, he reached into his Hollow Void and started to pull something out. It was a sword, the very same sword that gave him the vision two decades prior.

The blade consisted of an unearthly steel, shimmering with a spectral luminescence that danced along its sharp edge. The hilt was wrapped in leather and adorned with ancient runes that pulsed with a soft glow. At the pommel, an ethereal red gemstone rests, seeming to capture the essence of the cosmos itself. The crossguard was ornately crafted, reminiscent of intertwining branches of a heavenly tree, imbuing the sword with an air of mystique and power.

As soon as the sword fully emerged from the portal, it started to glow and emanate with a profound presence. The enigmatic phenomenon captivated everyone present.

Once the glowing shimmered down, the first to speak was none other than Kismeto. “Woah… What was that?”

Perplexed himself, Mystigo could only nod in agreement with Kismeto. “I… I don’t know. It has never done that before…” Glancing at Kima, Mystigo intended to tell her what the sword was, yet her bewildered expression seemed to show that she already knew.

After a brief silence, Kima lowered her head, the bangs from her hair covering her eyes. “Kismeto, love… It’s about time the cattle need to be fed, right? Could you please go and do that for me?”

Confused at the comment, Kismeto looked at the grandfather clock on the wall. Its pendulum swayed from side to side, a tick sounding from it every time the pendulum became parallel with the main body of the clock. Focusing further, he could see that the hands were aligned in the position of 12:34. “Oh! You're right mama!”

Springing up and rushing towards the front door, the boy proudly shouted. “Don’t worry! I'll take care of it, mama!”

Now alone together, Kima walked up to Mystigo. “That sword…”

“You know of this sword, Ms. Kima?” Mystigo's interest started to bubble witnessing Kima's determined gaze on the sword.

“I would ask you where you found this… But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that it's finally been found,” Kima said, mystified and compelled to touch the sacred metal of the blade. “Fate's Edge…”

As soon as she made contact however, a shock of red electricity jolted through her body. “Ow!” She yelped while staggering back.

“What the? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m ok. It wasn’t too painful, it just surprised me…”

Looking down at the sword, which still crackled with a red current, Mystigo’s brow furrowed as he inquired further. “You said Fate’s Edge right before touching it… Care to elaborate Ms. Kima?”

“You not knowing something? That’s new,” Kima responded with a soft giggle. “Though, I can’t blame you. It’s something not even most members of the Four Reality Dynasties know about… Fate’s Edge is none other than Adam’s sword. The very same sword he used to end the Holy Catalyst War eight centuries ago.”

Mystigo’s entire face widened with admiration and curiosity. “No… No way, this was Adam’s sword?”

“Indeed. Alongside his other three sacred treasures, the Nebulin Staff, Gravimorb, and Luminaria Strands, they were passed down to his sons. Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John. Those four then went on to create their own respective clans: Matthew and the Juryoku. Mark and the Karai. Luke and the Orion. John and the Ciaran.

“In other words, Gravity, Time, Space, and Light. The four pillars of reality as we know it. That’s why they’re called the Reality Dynasties of Eranovum.” Mystigo tested his knowledge, giving Kima the sign he was following along.

Giving a nod of confirmation, Kima continued. “Correct. For the most part, the four clans were on great terms with each other… That is until the Dragon War four centuries after the Holy Catalyst War. Something caused the clans to become hostile towards each other, resulting in the heads of their era to clash.”

“Clash? Why?”

“We don’t know… No records exist of what happened after the battle. Only three things remain concrete. Every head had their respective clan’s prized hereditary technique, something that hasn’t happened before nor since, the fight forever soured relations between the four, and most importantly, the sacred treasure each head wielded became lost to us, including Fate’s Edge. Ever since, only the Luminaria Strands have been recovered by the Ciaran Clan… Until now I guess. Fate’s Edge belongs to the Karai Clan, which is likely why I got zapped as a Juryoku.”

“Is that so? Then why hasn’t it zapped me?”

“Fair point… Though, it’s said all four sacred treasures have a mind of their own. One of your goals is to find this ‘Fated Hero’, who’s to say this goal of yours is really the sword’s?”

“Hm… I see… This is a lot of information…” Mystigo said through a heavy sigh, catching Kima’s interest.

“Something wrong, our dear guest?”

“It’s just… This seems to be top secret information, are you ok with me knowing all of that?”

Kima, while at first appalled, snickered. “Come now Mr. Mystigo, you like information like this, right? It’s not like you’d spill such secrets or use them for anything nefarious, I can tell. You’re a good man, which is why I’m fine if you want to stay with us.”

“Stay!? But I-!” Mystigo started to protest, only to be met with Kima’s index finger on his nose, stopping and slightly bending backwards in response

“Ah ah ah! No buts, at least for the time being. If I had to guess, you’re worried you have a target on your back, right? That’s why I’m forbidding you to leave, you’re in no fighting conditions, mister! Your body is still healing,” Withdrawing her finger, Kima warmly smiled at Mystigo. “And either way, it seems my darling Kismeto has taken a liking to you and Squiggles. All of his life, it’s only been me and him, but now with you around, I bet he’s over the moon with bottled-up joy.”

“Mweerp!" Guspane yapped, seemingly agreeing with Kima.

“Huh? You want to stay Guspane?” Mystigo said in shock at Guspane’s interjection. Thinking about it briefly, he grabbed the back of his head and smirked “Guess I have no choice… Alright, I’ll stay.”

Out stretching his hand, Mystigo was expecting a handshake, Kima on the other hand tightly wrapped her arms around him whilst laughing. “Hehee! Great! Then it’s settled!”

Later that night, back in the same room he awoke in, Mystigo began to study the documents he had stolen from the fortress a year prior. His eyes scanned every line for anything to help decipher what plans they had.

The papers included almost everything documented within Eranovum. The different races, such as the Elves, Mermaids, Rajus, and Ritos. Information on witches and their familiars. Some documents were even about the Reality Dynasties. Yet, there was one specific document that caught his eye…

In the middle, eight cryptic symbols were drawn onto the paper, forming a circle around a tree-like drawing. Mystigo immediately recognized the image. “What the hell? These symbols, they look just like the symbols those eight figures were standing on in my vision… Seems like I wasn’t the only one who saw them…”

Reading further, he found an interesting, yet sinister piece of text.

“It is said during the climax of the Holy Catalyst War, Adam the Hero-King defeated and split the Great Calamity Devil’s soul into eight fragments, of which still linger in those chosen by fate today… If those eight were to ever come together in one place, calamity would be brought upon the world once more. This… This is the Great Prophecy of Calamity…!?”

Alerted but confused, Mystigo scanned the paper up and down for anything else. The only thing he could find though was a piece of text in the upper right-hand corner: “Sin Incarnations”

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(Chapter 24) Giona's Steady Recovery a Year Later