Chapter 613: Aether's Story - Erekol's Creation

Chapter 613: Aether's Story - Erekol's Creation

MEMORY FRAGMENT

Erekol, Second Age

Existence came in a flash. Aether didnt know how or why. All he knew was that time had been split in two branches: up to the point he could move and after that. All of it seemed boring, and for some reason there didnt seem any particular difference between the two.

Aether, a voice commanded. It was a soft and polite voice, though not kind.

Aether knew that it belonged to GalateaThe Purple Moon of magic. He also knew that the Moon was his creator. There were several of them in total, definitely more than one. For some reason, though, he couldnt remember anything about the rest of them, only all that his Moon had done.

Youre making me wait, the Moon said.

The tone was neutral, deprived of any emotion whatsoever. It was, though, filled with magic, passing through walls and air alike. Aether could see the threads and symbols flow through it, making it vibrate in the air.

Galatea was a solitary Moon. He preferred to be on his own and not interact with anything. Long ago, in the far past, he had made a point to distance himself from all natural laws just so as not to be reminded of the others presence. Possibly, that was why Aether couldnt remember any of them. It was a strange realization that hed known all along.

Stretching his wings, Aether took a few shaky steps, then flew up and right through what appeared to be the wall of a very high building. The confusing part came later, when he went through the building walking about there.

People werent a new addition, although the current ones were a rather recent development. Most had been born not too long before Aether himself. There was magic in all of them, coursing through them like fine threads. In the special ones, the threads were thicker.

After a few seconds of fascination, Aether quickly lost interest in shifting form to a creature with a much larger wingspan as he continued the flight to his creator. The distance was short for everyone who followed the physical rules. Aether, on the other hand, have flown miles in and out of reality all the time following an aether path that ended on the Moons shoulder. Upon reaching it, the bird flapped its wings vigorously, coming for a complete stop, then slowly descended the last few inches. It wasnt something that was supposed to be done, but Aether found it amusing.

You werent supposed to have a personality, Galatea said. He had taken the form of a tall man with long, straight hair falling to his waist. The clothes were a combination of robes and trousers that had gone out of fashion two centuries ago, but they fit him well. Everything was shades of purple, of course, in regard to clothes. The Moons skin and hair color, on the other hand, changed incessantly, going through all conceivable and inconceivable shades.

Dont you mean he should have had all of them? someone else.

Aether had no idea who that was, but he knew it was another Moon. He also knew that he was someone capable of talking to him, even without the use of magic.

The second Moon was dressed all in green, though following no fashion whatsoever. Despite that, Aether felt the combination suited him.

Its a nice gift, the Green Moon continued. Even you have to admit.

Only an idiot would think that.

There was no telling who they were talking about. Aether definitely didnt remember his creation being a gift from someone. Everything he knew told him that the Purple Moon had created him, but at the same time, he knew that wasnt entirely true. There was someone else involved as well.

I want to explore the city, Aether said.

And youll tell me about him?

Yes, as much as I can.

Why? Aether almost snapped, as if catching the mage in a lie.

Because thats what he asked me to do.

From this point on, the conversation quickly shifted. Aether stopped inquiring about the reasons and just went along with the flow. And the mage, on his part, gave him answers to many things that remained hidden.

The city of Erekol had been built by a man called Chacle Sering. The mage claimed that he had been human, although Aether had his doubts. Surely it had to be a Moon. No one else had the power to vanish memories, not from the creature that represented the embodiment of magic, at least. As for Chacle, he had created the overall composition of the city as well as every structure within it. There were a total of eight major city sections, divided in two groups of four. Each section was built in honor of a Moon. The central mountain buildings were dedicated to the Purple Moon, and by extension Aether himself. The mage explained that the architect had considered placing a nest on top just to mark the perfect spot for the bird. He had changed his mind, however, preferring just to make the building cluster appealing and leave Aether to choose whether to perch on it or within it.

The other sections were a lot more boring. The physical appearance differed, but beneath the near complete lack of magic threads was obvious no matter how they looked. Only here and there Aether would spot pockets of condensed magicareas occupied by mages, of course.

That was another thing that annoyed the bird; the inhabitants of each section were a completely different race. Humans were the only exception, with two sections filled with them, although even the mage failed to explain why. The excuse given was that since the architect himself was human; he had granted a larger section of the city to his favorite race.

That didnt make much sense. Space wasnt the issue. There were vast uninhabited areas in Erekol. Clearing a forest section to add another building cluster would have been enough to solve overpopulation for the next few hundred years, and yet two sectors had been given to the humanstwo rather smaller sectors.

Mage, Aether began, perched within the wall of the mages bedroom. Why do you look so young? You should be a lot older than you are.

Thats because I am, the mage laughed. One last gift the architect gave me before disappearing. Or a joke. He did have a strange sense of humor.

Why didnt he give it to everyone?

He gave it to many, but even he has his limits. At least thats what I prefer to believe. Granting youth to some while ignoring others doesnt sound like the man he was.

Does that make him the greatest person in the world?

There are those who wont agree with you. The majority will, though, so thats why the eighth sector honors him, even if that wasnt his intention.

Its not like he could complain, Aether said, then stretched his wings.

You never know with the architect. He might just as well appear from nowhere, say he changed his mind, and take the city away.

Wont people be upset with him if he did so?

Precisely. The mage smiled widely