Child from the Dungeon

Chapter 35: Aether

" You've fought well, boy... " Tania says to Donovan, praising him for his prowess at his young age while she laid on the ground after being constantly slashed by Donovan who overpowered her with his swordplay.

"Your talent is sure not to be looked down upon," she tells Donovan as Donovan then decided to point his sword at her.

As he pointed the sword, Tania laughs and asks why did he only point his sword at her neck and not kill her. Instead, Donovan says that he wants some answers, especially about the 'Aether' that powered the worms and the Hunters it inhabited as his Black Shadows then killed the Berserker Hunters.

" The 'Aether'... I want to know more about it...? " he asks for the <Vague Memory Voices> passive then strikes again, as the voices constantly spelled the word 'Aether' into him, giving him a little bit of curiosity if this 'Aether' thing has to do with him before in his probably past life.

While thinking that, Donovan then asks some questions about the 'Aether' which Tania then says she doesn't know much about it but only knows that the 'Aether' is an ancient sinister power source that existed many ages ago before Ragnarok even begin.

" Many ages ago...before Ragnarok? "

" Yes, and through time, the 'Aether' has evolved many beings rapidly after Ragnarok was ended. "

" For the 'god of Destruction' has spread the Aether that he stored from his body to the universe, as it gives great powers and abilities to those who wield it. "

" Including us, the Dark Elves who had used the Aether before Ragnarok even occurred which of course gives us more dominance than the other race of monsters. "

" Really? so basically you're saying the dark elf is the pinnacle of the Demonic Monsters? " Donovan asks which Tania then smiles for she then approaches her neck into Donovan's blade, bleeding it, showing Dovan her black blood courtesy for having the 'Aether' on her body.

" Do you believe me now, boy? " Tania asks which shocks Donovan as the <Vague Memory Voices> then speaks again on his head.

"( Black blood, the first effect of using Aether. )"

"( This effect is very common for an Aether user on every Timeli ... )"

"( The Aether is the energy of the 'black', the very color that dominates the universe... )"

"( This is the consequence of using the Aether. )"

"( The Aether ... the Aether ... the Aether ... the Aether... )"

" STOP!!! " Donovan shouts as his head was in pain after hearing those voices out of nowhere again.

Seeing that, instead of running, Tania simply enjoys Donovan's deeds as she then laughs at him and pats his hair with her long arm which shocks him as she said this.

" It's loud, isn't it? the voices on your head? " she asks him calmly.

" At first, I was thinking that you have some sort of a Mind Ability like those humans called Telepath or some sort. "

" But it seems, the voices inside your head come from a memory that I believe doesn't belong to you, was it not? " Tania asks which Donovan then reacts by pointing his blade at her again.

" What do you know about it? Do you hear these voices too? " Donovan asks and Tania tells him that she can hear it for she had the ability to read someone's minds after she received the 'Aether', also she then tells Donovan that it seems she also had heard the voices inside Donovan's head before within the mind of a Dark Elf she knows which she believes that the voices must also come from the Aether inside Donovan's body.

" I ... have the 'Aether'? " Donovan asks and he then holds his head again as the voices begin to speak louder in his head for the voices are too loud for a nine-year-old kid to handle.

" Interesting, you haven't realized that most of your abilities come from the use of 'Aether' inside your body? " Tania asks for she tells Donovan that the moment he came in, she can feel a surging amount of Aether flowing out from his body and his black shadows which she thinks earlier that Donovan must be a powerful Aether magic-user. Instead, what she found is a fresh little boy who had problems controlling his powers, the power so raw and unforged.

As she says that, she begins to pat further on Donovan's head telling him to listen closely to the voices on his head as she kisses him on his forehead to calm his Aether flow down as the Aether from Donovan's body is leaking rapidly due to Donovan is so stressed hearing the <Vague Memory Voices> in his mind.

Because of that, the black shadows begin to dissolve for their master can't maintain their presence anymore and it seems Donovan is not in a good state right now Tania decides to take action for she draws her dagger.

" Too bad that you are too young to control the Aether. "

" If you are older and trained enough, you could be a powerful Aether user. " Tania says as she proceeds to take Donovan life's out with her dagger.

" You ... " Donovan says while holding his thoughts and 'Aether' energy.

" Don't be afraid boy, when you die I will make good use of your 'Aether'. " Tania says as she proceeds to kill Donovan and absorb his Aether.

"( Stop!!! )" Donovan says in his mind to the random loud voices in his head.

"( Can you all stop talking? your voices are shaking my head like hell!!! )" Donovan says in his mind, asking the voices again to stop.

< The [Vague Memory Voices] activation will disorient the User for the coming minutes. >

As Donovan was very shaken, Tania then prepares her dagger and imbued it with the 'Aether' for she thinks with the Aether imbued, she can kill Donovan as easily as a slime.

" Don't worry boy, it will be quick. "

" After all, making a child suffer does not entertain me. " Tania as she proceeds to stab Donovan with her dagger while plunging it into his head.