Alcaeus Indrath

Imposter

Upon noticing my arrival, she stood up and waited, most likely for me to attack her.

Ignoring her, I walked towards the portal that was oozing Aether like water in a river.

How was this possible? 

The portal was unmistakably broken.

And yet, for this amount of Aether to be surrounding it, the portal had  to have been used recently.

"What is this place?" I glanced over and asked the princess, who was staring at me like an owl.

"This place..." Thinking for a second, she gave me a roundabout answer, "I was brought here by Grandma Rinia before she disappeared a few years ago. She didn't give me any explanation, except that I could relax here when I was tired of the outside world." 

I didn't ask who Rinia was, probably an old elf who found this by mistake.

More importantly, I needed to solve the mystery. 

I began god-stepping everywhere, trying to look for someone hiding in the thick bushes or behind the pillars. 

In just a few seconds, I was left leaning on a wall, exhausted.

'Shit...! My core can only hold a laughable amount of Aether. And I can't use the ambient Aether, no matter how much it is, to fuel the Rune without first absorbing it.'

"Alcaeus!"

Sylvia's voice echoed as her figure came into view from behind a clearing of vines

"Sis!?!" How did she get here? Don't tell me...she used burst step!

I quickly ran over and supported her limping figure.

"I sensed Aether being used, so I came to check on you." She replied with relief on seeing my unscathed body.

"Ugh, you're not supposed to push your body! You don't need to worry about me!" I argued.

"Brother...I'll always worry about you." She was happy to remind me. "More importantly, is that a portal?"

"Yeah, do you also sense the insane amount of Aether around it?" I received a nod in return.

We heard a set of footsteps walking towards us, from the opposite direction of the entrance.

My attention immediately turned towards the intruder as I pushed Sylvia behind me and prepared for combat.

"Grandma Rinia!" The princess yelled and ran, hugging the 'intruder'.

So, this is Rinia...

I looked towards Sylvia and she gave me a short nod, telling me she understood.

"Oh, little one, how have you been?" The warm hug between Rinia and Tessia lasted for a while.

"Um, Grandma, these people are..."

"Don't worry, I know very well who they are."

 They whispered a few more sentences before the princess began to leave.

"Your name is Tessia, right?" Sylvia stopped her.

"Y-Yes." Not expecting to be called like that, the poor elf was startled.

Well, Sylvia's tone is much more gentler than mine.

My sister kneeled in front of the princess and slightly caressed her arms.

Frowning at whatever she was seeing through her eyes, Sylvia gave her a compassionate look.

"You know, before coming here, I was being held captive by a group of evil people." For some reason, she decided to reveal this. I wanted to stop her from going into details, but I knew my words would be useless against her wisdom. 

"Huh? But...you're an Asura..." The princess looked confused.

"Fufufu, dear, that doesn't mean I'm some kind of immovable God." The idea seemed amusing to her. "While held captive, I saw and was subjected to all kinds of unspeakable acts."

I saw the elf twitch visibly, her face was filled with realization.

"But, I never gave in. Because I knew that someone was coming to save me. And guess what, that grumpy boy standing right there came in like a true Prince and broke my chains." Sylvia gave out a hearty laugh as I turned away in embarrassment. "I was saved, and that was the end of my captivity."

"That's...I'm glad." She genuinely looked happy for my sister, despite missing a mountain of details.

At this point, the smile from Sylvia's face vanished, "But dear, I can see that despite being at home, with your family, you are still a captive. Captive no longer to the people, but to an idea."

Tessia's body trembled as she tried to break free from the hold and run away, but Sylvia just pulled her in for a hug.

"Listen, what you went through was a crime that should never go unpunished. But, dear, it doesn't have to be you who dishes out that punishment. Putting yourself through this, you're doing their work for them. To be rescued, you need to allow yourself to be rescued. Not just your body, but your mind as well." Sylvia's smile returned as she gently let go of the elf. "And trust me, the thing they hate the most is a smile on their former prey."

I didn't catch her expression as she ran away, but I suppose my sister's lesson will forever stay with her. 

If not then...then nothing, it's none of my business.

As Sylvia stood back up, I turned towards the older elf, who was watching the previous scene with a tearful face.

I glared at her with an unfriendly expression and demanded, "So, who are you, imposter?"

Sylvia, despite being exhausted, switched to Realmheart and activated Static Void. 

I conjured an Aether blade in my hand and waited for our foe to make the first move.

But to our surprise, she wiped her tears and swiped her hands.

Static Void was dispersed as Sylvia was pushed out of Realmheart, and the Aether blade in my hand was just absorbed back into my core.

"What..." That was the only word that escaped my mouth before the so called imposter began speaking.

"Please, stay calm and follow me. I will explain everything once we're in a safe place."

I was about to oppose, but her 'attack' from earlier was still on my mind and I wanted to hear her out.

Sylvia and I nodded to each other.

The elf guided us to a random tree, or at least, I thought it was random.

We kept walking and passed through the tree, which turned out to be an illusion.

Behind it, was a room with proper furniture for a living room. It connected to a kitchen and a bedroom. The lighting was dim, but it gave off a welcoming aura.

"Alcaeus, Sylvia." She addressed us without an honorific, but it didn't sound unnatural. "I am not Rinia, as the little elf called me. I..."

"...am an Ancient Mage, a Djinn."

.

.

.

Next three chapters are already out on my Patreon!

(A/N: Speaking of Patreon, chapter 25 and 26 are masterpieces. I have trouble believing I wrote them.)