SkyEarth Book 2: The Ethaerium Keys

Chapter 8: Ruins from Long Ago

Chapter 8

Ruins from Long Ago

The sky over Tramontana Bay was as clear and blue as the bountiful seas of the bay. The winds were gentle and temperate, and the sun was shining. A beautiful day for flying.

Shaun, Oliver, Luna and Morpheus had spent their time at Mari's islands preparing for the five-day trip to Agrotika. The island locals have been generous to lend a helping hand to the little group. Not only have they gathered enough food, water, and supplies, Shaun had picked up a few techniques from training how to use his aura powers, with Luna as the teacher.

When she first told him how to fight, he was hesitant, saying that he's a pacifist and doesn't like violence, but he was finally convinced when she told him that it's not violence if he's trying to defend himself or others. Now Shaun can summon not only a whip from his stylus, but also a dagger made of glowing runes, and he can create shields of aura for protection and deflecting attacks, temporarily stun enemies with a snap of his fingers, lift objects using aura, combat enemies without sight using his Aura Sight, cover his hands in aura for hand-to-hand combat, which he also learned from Luna, and create explosive balls of pure aura energy to throw at enemies from far distances. Oliver picked up a few fighting techniques himself from watching. They're not only refugees, but also fighters.

Speaking of refugees, the owner of the inn had great insight about Granazian airships that flew east months ago, shortly after the Stratos siege in Granoden. Word of the Stratos occupation in Granoden had gotten to the Unity's ears, wherever they were hiding, and the dormant power had now risen to fight the Stratos once more. It was old news, but the group had been on the run for so long they haven't got the opportunity to catch up on the recent events happening around them, and this news shocked them to the core. It seems like the world was plunging back to the early 1040s, where the Dogfight Wars were at its bloodiest.

But at the same time, they all knew that this was going to happen. The siege and occupation of Granoden would be impossible to ignore. People would begin to panic. Ensians would be under the cloud of suspicion because the majority of the Stratos were from Ensis. Millions of people, whether they're soldiers or innocent civilians, will die. Worse still, the leader of the Stratos is delusional enough to believe that he could break this so-called 'Destiny Knot' Shaun and Luna have through whatever means necessary, start the Seventh Scourge, find Yggdrasil and harness it's cloaking shield so he and his army could sit back and watch the destruction of SkyEarth in their little fragment of Mitte under the protection of that cloaking shield.

It was pure madness of a plan, but if Shaun were to believe it, Col. Marcus must be stopped before his plan succeeds. Though it makes him wonder, what could the colonel possibly gain from this? The man and his past were a mystery to him, but Shaun knows one thing, and that he is a cruel, calculating, and ambitious man who will stop at nothing to gain what he wants.

That's why his only hope was to fly east, back to his home country and his family, and hope that the war doesn't reach them.

Right now, he's on a fishing boat with Oliver, Luna, Morpheus, and Shinji as captain of the ship. Not only did Shinji's family own the inn and restaurant, they're also in the fishing business, which explained the abundance of seafood in the island. The group boarded the fishing boat for one last trip, and that was to the edge of the bay, where the seawater ends. From what Shaun knows about bays is that a mysterious force has kept the seas and oceans from ever falling since time immemorial. No one knows how this phenomenon happened and what caused this. And in all honesty, Shaun was curious, even eager, to check the bay edge up close and personal.

Oliver had joined him as well, and so did Luna and Morpheus for reasons unknown. She glanced at Shaun with sharp eyes for the past few days, only looking away when he turned his attention to her. The blue aura around the acolyte felt tense, as if she's feeling cautious, wary, and hostile. Morpheus also reflected his mistress's caution and wariness, his eyes all steely and bushy fiery eyebrows arched. He didn't know why. Things had been very peaceful lately since coming back from Etherealm. A few Stratos airships came and gone in the past few days, but none had come close to the islands. There had been no sign of the mysterious Nyx and her band of Auraeons anywhere too. Was it possible that this hostility is not because of the Stratos, but because of him? Sure she's an acolyte of the Monastery and vowed to be wary of boys, but this was taking to an extreme. Shaun's not that an idiot to make a move on her, nor did he want to. Persephone must be waiting for him to return back in Agrotika right now.