The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

Chapter 181 Rough Day, Master Aeric?

The tension in the arena was still thick.

Everyone was quiet, hearts were thumping, minds were reeling. Slowly, Aeric's spell dissipated and Luna's body unclenched on the ground, her ragged breath became softer as the frost on her armor slowly melted away.

She seemed to be shivering, her limbs were trembling from a combination of pain, exhaustion, and the lingering chill of Aeric's ice.

Faeryn and Melina hurriedly walked to her. "Luna!" Melina cried, squeezing her elder sister's shoulder.

Faeryn stepped forward, kneeling beside the Moonlight Princess. Her usually calm demeanor was shadowed with concern as she gently told Melina to move away and touched Luna's shoulder.

"Can you stand?" Faeryn's voice was steady but softer now, lacking the authority it usually carried.

Luna looked up at her, eyes glossy with a mix of anger and shame. "I'm fine," she hissed through gritted teeth, though her attempt to rise proved otherwise. She winced, clutching her arm as frostbitten patches of her skin peeked through the gaps in her armor.

Seeing this, Faeryn cursed under breath.

"No, you're not," she said with a firm tone that meant she wasn't going to argue. "I'm taking you to a healer."

She lifted her head and glanced at the other Daughters standing nearby, all having curious expressions. "We'll need to treat her injuries and this frostbite before it worsens. We'll gather tomorrow for the preparation instead."

Before Luna could protest further, Faeryn stood and summoned an item she owned; A Po Key. She stuck the key into an invisible lock in the air, twisted it and a swirling blue and silver rift instantly appeared before them.

"Let's go," Faeryn said, offering Luna her hand. Luna hesitated, her pride warring with her pain, but the look in Faeryn's eyes left no room for argument.

Reluctantly, Luna took the hand and allowed herself to be helped through the portal. But before she walked through, she turned around to take one more look at Aeric of Starlight.

Her eyes narrowed, seeing that he was also glaring at her. His dark crimson eyes.

She looked away. That boy. What did he do? What did he do inside the dome?

As the portal vanished, the remaining Daughters — Nyx, Nyssa, Celestia, and Melina — turned to face Aeric. He was still seated on the chair, his gaze distant and unreadable.

Aeric said nothing. And no one said anything. They all just stared at him, watching him glare into the ground like he was thinking a thousand horrible thoughts.

The silence stretched until the school bell rang, its chime breaking the tension like shattering glass.

Melina stepped closer to Aeric, her brow furrowed with concern. "What happens now, Aeric?" she asked gently, her voice pulling him from his thoughts.

Aeric looked up at her, his expression devoid of warmth. He glanced briefly at the other Daughters before standing without a word.

"I have to go," he said curtly, brushing past them. His tone wasn't exactly hostile, only cold and final, leaving no room for further questions.

Melina and everyone else watched him walk away. Celestia in particular, had her lips pressed into a thin line.

Aeric walked out of the school, but remained silent even when Delva approached him outside the doors. As usual, she had arrived to escort him home, but her usual sharp wit was immediately subdued by the grim aura surrounding him.

"Rough day, Master Aeric?" Delva said, her attempt at lightheartedness falling flat.

Aeric said nothing, mounting Sylver in one fluid motion. The wolf beast whimpered, sensing his master's mood.

The ride back to the castle was quiet, and although she had so many questions, Delva knew now wasn't the time to ask any.

~ ~ ~

When they arrived at the castle courtyard, Aeric dismounted, nodded his head when Delva said she was leaving and he walked into the castle.

He barely noticed the ornate carriages parked to one side. They had gleaming surfaces and royal-like designs, which suggested the presence of important visitors, but Aeric's mind was elsewhere.

He didn't even enter the castle immediately. Instead, he shrugged off his royal clothing, leaving himself in only a singlet and trousers. Blood still trickled from a gash on his belly side, but he ignored it, the [Heal] Skill would finish with that soon.

He tied the bandages around his arms and gazed at the training expanse a small distance away. Then he sighed.

Grabbing a training sword from the nearby rack, he moved toward the expanse, stood in front of a practice dummy, then activated the enchantment on it.

He began to battle the dummy.

Flashes of the fight with Luna plagued his thoughts as he did this. Her scythe cutting through the air, his body hitting the ground again and again. How weak he had felt then.

Then when the tide turned. That one had terrified him, how strong he felt then — her fear, her hesitation as he conjured Faeryn's image.

Aeric had used Insight Dive on Luna and saw that Faeryn was the only one she feared and respected. In fact she was even slightly jealous of her. So he used Faeryn to get her to stop, and he also knew Faeryn was the only one who would obey her and give him her hand.

Then he used [Insight] × [Project] two abstract skills that can be combined. That way he had created an illusion of Faeryn.

Aeric wondered what would have happened if he hadn't spent many nights or many thoughts studying the skills he had [Claimed]. Restricting himself to the rules of the Skill was one thing he knew he couldn't do, he knew how to experiment from playing multiple games like this, but Aeric started to prefer just knowing how to fight and win.

Without needing to play smart. He hated that weakness he felt in the beginning. Hated it!

The memories of it churned in his mind like a storm, and his grip on the training sword tightened.

"How would I beat beasts with no emotions or memories to exploit," he muttered with a low and frustrated voice.

His strikes against the training dummy became more erratic, fueled by frustration. He recalled the nights spent studying [Insight] and [Project].

"What if I hadn't figured it out?" Aeric whispered, his breath hitching.

The training sword clattered to the ground as he let out a long sigh. His body ached, his mind heavier than his limbs.

Cursing in the back of his mind, he turned and entered the castle, the weight of the day pressing on him like a cloak.

Inside, the castle was alive with activity. There were footsteps echoing and Aeric heard murmured conversations from the courtroom.

He walked by Ilyon as he passed through the halls.

"Master Aeric," Ilyon said, bowing slightly. "You're back. There's a—"

Aeric didn't stop, his attention had already been drawn to the noise emanating from the courtroom.

Pushing the heavy doors open, Aeric instantly froze at the sight before him.

His mother was sitting elegantly at the long table. Around her were Messengers and Disciples, having expressions of reverence and tension as they discussed something in hushed tones.

Guinevere turned her gaze toward Aeric, her sharp features betraying none of her thoughts.

"Aeric," she said with a big smile. "You've returned."

Aeric's frown deepened. "What's going on here?"

The room fell silent as all eyes turned to him.