Chapter 1 - Beyond Aethera
Beyond Aethera
Aethera was a world filled with magic, monsters, guilds, and adventurers.
But in one ordinary village, far away from the grand cities, lived an ordinary young man named Kyros.
He was sleeping peacefully in his small home when—
"Kyros! Come outside!"
A voice echoed from outside.
Kyros slowly opened his eyes.
"Huh...?"
He sat up, still half-asleep, and looked toward the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me!"
Kyros recognized the voice immediately.
Eryx.
His friend.
Kyros got out of bed, opened the door, and found Eryx standing outside with an excited expression.
"What is it?" Kyros asked.
"Come on, let's go. There might be a quest available at the guild."
"A quest?"
Kyros sighed.
He was an ordinary E-Rank mercenary, and most of the quests available to him were simple jobs that offered very little reward.
Still, he had nothing better to do.
"Fine. Give me a minute."
After getting ready, Kyros left with Eryx.
The two of them headed toward the village guild.
When they arrived, Eryx met up with the other members of their party.
After checking the available quests, they finally found one.
A D-Rank mission.
The objective was simple:
Hunt eight goblins in the nearby forest.
Kyros looked at the request.
"Eight goblins?"
For an E-Rank mercenary, it wasn't exactly an easy mission.
But with several party members working together, they decided to accept it.
The group soon left the village and headed toward the designated area.
Their hunt began.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
They moved carefully between the trees, searching for signs of goblins.
After some time, they encountered their first group.
The battle was short.
One goblin after another fell.
Eventually, they managed to hunt down six goblins.
"Only two more," Eryx said.
The group decided to take a short rest beneath a large tree.
Kyros sat down and leaned against the trunk.
After a few minutes, Eryx looked toward him.
"Kyros, go to the river and bring some water."
"Why me?"
"Because you're closest."
Kyros sighed.
"Fine."
He stood up and walked toward the nearby river.
When he reached the water, he crouched down and began filling a container.
The forest remained strangely quiet.
Kyros glanced around.
Nothing.
He turned back toward the river.
Then—
Rustle.
His eyes widened.
Something moved behind him.
He barely had time to turn around.
Two goblins suddenly jumped out from the bushes.
"Gah!"
Kyros immediately reached for his weapon.
The first goblin attacked.
He managed to block it, but the second one came from the side.
Bang!
The attack struck him hard.
Kyros lost his balance and fell to the ground.
His vision began to blur.
He could hear the goblins moving around him, but their voices sounded distant.
Damn...
His eyelids slowly became heavier.
Then everything went black.
...
One minute passed.
Perhaps two.
Kyros slowly opened his eyes.
His vision was blurry.
He blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then he stared upward.
A ceiling.
A strange ceiling.
Kyros slowly lifted his head.
His eyes widened.
He was lying inside an enormous, luxurious room.
The walls were spotless.
The furniture looked expensive.
Everything around him was completely unfamiliar.
He slowly sat up.
"What...?"
He looked toward the enormous windows.
Beyond them was a breathtaking view of a gigantic modern city.
Towering buildings filled the skyline.
One building in particular rose impossibly high into the sky, resembling the Burj Khalifa he had never even heard of.
Kyros stared at it in disbelief.
His mouth slowly opened.
"...Where the hell am I?"
For the first time in his life, the ordinary E-Rank mercenary named Kyros realized something terrifying.
He was no longer in Aethera.
