NOVEL NEXT Chapter 265: Relaxing
A cheer went up from the group, surprising even Arthur with its enthusiasm. These villagers, these ordinary people with extraordinary potential, had tasted true battle and emerged changed. Not broken but tempered.
"Now then," Arthur said, picking up Jasmine's staff and handing it to her with a knowing look, "Return to the village. You will take today as a rest day, and tomorrow you will keep training."
He swept his gaze across the battered but resilient group. "You won't have to worry about the demon anymore. My summon has killed it."
Cheers erupted from the exhausted fighters.
"Curse the evil demon! He is nothing in front of our master!" someone shouted, and others quickly joined in. The relief was evident in the way they were acting. Surviving something that should have killed them had created an instant bond.
Arthur smiled, the expression softening his features. "Come on, off you go."
They nodded, gathering their salvageable equipment. A chorus of "Thank you, Master" and "See you" followed as they started back toward the village. Despite their injuries, their steps were lighter now, pride mingling with relief.
Jasmine lingered behind the others. She gave Arthur one last searching look, questions evident in her eyes, before reluctantly turning to join her companions.
Arthur waited until they disappeared from sight. The forest around him grew quiet again, broken only by the occasional wind movement.
"You can come out now," he said to the empty air.
A rush of wind announced their arrival. Skyla and Hank descended in perfect sync, their wings creating twin gusts that rustled the leaves. Behind them, a small shadow detached from the canopy, spiralling down with unnecessary flourishes.
Aether, the Primordial Void Dragon, touched down with a dramatic flair. Despite being one of the most fearsome creatures in existence, he currently took the form of a dragon no larger than a large dog—midnight scales gleaming with an inner light that seemed to pull at reality itself.
"Master!" Aether bounded forward like an excited puppy. "That was fun to watch! The human girl has interesting magic. Can I eat her?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "No, you cannot eat Jasmine or any of my students."
"I was joking...mostly," Aether huffed, smoke curling from his nostrils.
He circled Arthur's legs, reptilian eyes bright with mischief. "Master, what are you going to do now? You have already trained those humans, do you want to play with me?"
Arthur smiled despite himself. The contrast between Aether's true nature—a being of cosmic destruction—and his current childlike behaviour never failed to amuse him.
"What do you want to play?" he asked.
Aether stopped circling and sat back on his haunches. "I don't know. I thought you would think of something."
Arthur's mouth twitched. For a primordial entity, Aether could be remarkably unimaginative sometimes.
"Fine. Let's play handball."
"Handball?" The dragon tilted his head in confusion.
"Yes, handball. Me and Skyla will be against you and Hank." Arthur began explaining the rules—two teams, a ball, scoring by throwing it into the opponent's goal.
As he spoke, Arthur used his Space talent to clear an area, moving fallen trees and debris to create a makeshift court. He sketched rough boundary lines in the dirt with a sword.
Aether bounced in excitement, small wisps of space energy trailing from his tail. "Okay, okay. Let's start!"
"Remember!" Arthur warned, pointing a finger at the dragon. "No flying, you can only jump. And no void powers."
"Alright, alright," Aether grumbled, folding his wings tight against his body.
Arthur approached a rubber-producing tree at the edge of the clearing. With a quick slice of his hand, he extracted sap, using his Space talent to compress and shape it into a perfect sphere.
"Ball's ready. Positions!"
The four of them took their places on the makeshift court. Hank perched himself at the ready, talons digging into the soft earth. Skyla ruffled her feathers, amber eyes fixed on the ball. Aether crouched low, tail swishing back and forth like an excited cat.
Arthur tossed the ball into the air. "Begin!"
Aether launched himself upward with explosive power, snatching the ball in his claws before Arthur could reach it. The dragon twisted mid-air—just barely staying within the "no flying" rule—and hurled the ball toward Arthur and Skyla's goal.
"Too easy!" the dragon crowed.
Skyla moved like lightning, intercepting the shot with her wing and batting it back toward Arthur.
Arthur caught it smoothly, pivoting on one foot to avoid Hank's diving tackle. "You'll have to do better than that!"
He launched the ball with precision, aiming for the far corner of Aether and Hank's goal.
Hank scrambled across, wings spread for balance as he ran rather than flew. The hawk made a desperate lunge but missed by inches.
"Score!" Arthur called out, flashing a rare grin. "One-zero."
"Beginner's luck," Aether huffed, smoke curling from his nostrils.
'You didn't even know the game existed a few minutes ago...'
The game continued at breakneck pace. Aether might be restricted from flying, but his jumps could still clear ten feet with ease. Hank's coordination and quick reflexes made him a dangerous defender. Skyla's wingspan gave her an advantage in blocking shots, while Arthur's precision throws were nearly impossible to stop.
The score climbed: 1-1, then 2-1 for Arthur's team, then 2-2.
When Arthur scored to make it 3-2, Aether's competitive nature flared.
"This isn't fair! You're using your skills!"
"I'm using my natural attributes," Arthur replied calmly. "Just as you're using yours."
"Fine," the dragon huffed. "But next point wins!"
Arthur nodded. "Next point it is."
The final rally was intense. The ball changed possession six times, with diving saves and near-misses on both sides. Hank made a spectacular interception, knocking the ball to Aether, who immediately launched a feint toward the right before spinning to throw left.
Arthur read the move and dove, fingers stretching for the ball—but it was just beyond his reach. The rubber sphere was heading straight for the goal when a silver blur intercepted it.
Skyla had abandoned all pretence of not flying, diving from above to block the shot with her wing.
"Foul!" Aether shrieked. "She flew! I saw it!"
"I did not!" Skyla protested, though her guilty side-eye at Arthur said otherwise.
Arthur caught the deflected ball, chuckling. "I think we can call this a draw."
"Fine, fine," Arthur conceded, tossing the ball to the dragon. "You win. Congratulations."
Aether immediately brightened, prancing around with the ball clutched in his claws. "We are the champions!" he sang, terribly off-key. "No time for losers!"
Hank looked embarrassed by his teammate's display, while Skyla fluffed her feathers indignantly.
Arthur shook his head, amused by the dragon's antics. These moments of normalcy—if playing handball with mythical creatures could be called normal—were a welcome respite from his greater responsibilities.
The sun was beginning to set.
"Master, are you listening?" Aether's voice snapped him from his thoughts.
"Sorry, what?"
"I said, can we play again tomorrow? But with fireballs instead of rubber?"
Arthur laughed. "Absolutely not. But we can play regular handball again."
Aether considered this, then nodded. "Deal. But next time I get Skyla on my team. She cheats better than Hank."
"I do not cheat!" both hawks protested simultaneously.