Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend-Chapter 133: I Love To Learn, But Hate Reading

''I do,'' he replied. ''I haven't done it in a while. I'm going to start with the school's library during my Free Class after dinner.''

''That's boring,'' Rune exclaimed while chewing on some meat. ''Come fight with me once my lesson is over, it's better than reading, and I could try to beat you in sparring.''

Everyone agreed, even Zahara, who added. ''I can't concentrate on books apart from spells; it's hard to imagine what the author is trying to get across. I don't find it boring, my father loves to read and built Duskhollow a town library.''

''I prefer technical books that teach us things that will be useful,'' Caspian informed him. ''Not many of our age read nowadays, apart from the ones the school forces the students to read for our classes.''

When Raegar heard this, he looked at his friends like they were idiots, before turning to Luna and Vienna. The green-haired girl giggled. ''Books are boring, I'm like Cas here and will only read something that will help my magic.''

''Don't look at me, Rae,'' the light blonde girl laughed. ''I love to learn, but hate reading.''

''You all are boring,'' he responded. ''Books are great, I've learned so much from them. I know Kaldorra is full of lost kingdoms, dangerous dungeons, and Gates. I survived the Bloodfang Forest thanks to the knowledge.''

Following that, the group continued chatting, finishing their breakfast. Once they were done, Luna jumped up while dragging Caspian. ''Come on, Cas, we have Aether Fundamentals.''

Raegar watched as his friend's cheeks went red, prompting him to tease the black-haired boy. ''Enjoy yourself, Caspian, don't let her bite too much.''

Everyone laughed as the two vanished into the crowd. Once they were gone, Zahara asked the Windermere siblings a question. ''What classes do you both have?''

''P.T,'' they answered at the same time.

Raegar laughed, finished his breakfast, and stood up. ''We should get going. I'm curious about our new professor.''

The group followed, heading to the Southern Fields as Zahara stayed close by his side, leading the way, while their friends trailed behind, stifling giggles. He turned to them, but they stopped with amused expressions.

As Raegar and his peers streamed through the school corridors, the air buzzed with excitement and gossip. Vibrant paintings and gleaming awards adorned the hallways, showcasing the school's storied history.

While traveling through the building, he noticed most of the boys and girls couldn't help but look at his face in horror, they started gossiping about him. When the blonde saw this, she became visibly annoyed.

''The scars aren't that bad,'' she muttered, smiling at him. ''I think they suit you well. You're still handsome, so don't listen to them.''

Raeger felt his cheeks going red, answering. ''I don't care about what anyone thinks, well apart from you guys, my family and Yuki,'' he said with a grin.

When Zahara heard this, her smile faltered briefly, but Vienna saw it and questioned. ''Whose Yuki, Rae? I don't believe you've mentioned her.''

''Oh, she's a childhood friend back home,'' he revealed. ''Her mother is marrying my father in the summer, so I have to return to Blackwood County during break for the ceremony as they want me there.''

''Why hasn't she joined the academy?'' Zahara asked, barely containing her smile as a thought flickered through her mind. 'Does he already have someone else?'

Raegar turned toward the blonde and instantly noticed the air around her dimmed, causing him to answer, which put the girl at ease. ''She's much older than us, plus she works for my family as a maid, she was very supportive of me joining here and meeting someone.''

Zahara stiffened, causing Vienna to giggle. ''So she's the older girlfriend who's waiting for you to return?''

''Pretty much,'' he revealed. ''Yuki wants to wait until I'm seventeen before taking things further, but she kept saying she wouldn't mind if I met other girls. I just have to be honest with everyone involved.''

Rune chuckled and nudged Zahara, who was smiling ear to ear. ''She sounds like a rare woman. Are you both okay with your parents marrying? What did your Mother say?'' she asked.

''She loves Saki like a sister, and is happy for the two,'' he revealed when the group stepped outside. ''Mother wouldn't lie over stuff like that, so I know it was probably her who put the idea in his mind.''

Raegar observed students bustling around, guided by professors to their classes. Notably, there was no uniform; everyone wore their normal clothes, prompting him to glance at his outfit, a simple black shirt, pants, and boots he'd bought in Dreadshade City months ago.

His gaze shifted to Zahara, who wore a blue dress ending at her knees, paired with stockings that hugged her thighs. The dress stood out against her dark brown skin and blonde hair, which he found pretty.

The girl turned to him with a smile, asking. ''I'm curious, when do you turn seventeen?''

''Last Light Day of the summer. I was born when the Ashen Veil storm plagued Kaldorra,'' he responded. ''What about you?''

Zahara smiled, replying. ''First Fire Day of winter. I turned seventeen not long ago.''

''Dammit you're older then me by a year,'' he chuckled.

She laughed along with him as her gaze lingered on him just a second longer than normal before the group arrived at the P.T field, where twenty-odd students lingered around just as Ranthar walked out, accompanied by third years.

The giant tiger man stopped in front of the crowd with a big smile, exclaiming. ''Welcome to the P.T Class, children. I have a question for you, young ones. Can anyone tell me why Drakenwood teaches such a thing?''

Raegar watched a dozen hands fly up as Ranthar picked an elf girl who confidently revealed. ''A mage's fitness is important, it allows us to fight for longer, use our magic longer, and rumors speak of it being tied to a person's Aether Pool.''

The tiger professor nodded. ''Good, that is one of the reasons, but the other is to build up your stamina, which would help you gather more Aether. It puts a strain on your bodies as you move from Mist to Vapour.''

Just then, Ranthor suddenly spoke in a booming voice, scaring some nearby girls. ''Now for the fun young ones. Run around the P.T field until you drop from exhaustion. I want to see how long you can go so I can plan our next class to benefit each of you.''

Rune let out a heavy sigh, drawing Raegar's attention. The larger boy shrugged with an amused smile. ''Being this big slows me down, I was built to tank attacks, not chase after monsters.''

''Don't worry, big guy,'' Vienna said with a giggle. ''We can get you to run faster, it will just take time.''

Following that, Raegar started jogging around the field the size of a football pitch, just as the other students joined. Soon there was over a hundred boys and girls jogging around the field as Ranthar watched them with knowing green eyes.

Ten minutes later, the larger students dropped to the ground, panting heavily, the exercise proving too much for them. He glanced back and noticed Zahara struggling to keep pace with him.

He eased up, falling into step beside the blonde, who flashed a tired smile. ''How are you still going, Rae?'' she gasped. ''Two laps, and I'm done for!''

''I've been training since I was five,'' he revealed. ''My father used to chase me around the manor, threatening to beat me, it was a joke, of course, but it was something that happened every day.''