As Kharon was about to take the first bite of his meal, he suddenly stopped. His eyes shifted towards Gale as he put down his fork and used his knife to cut a part of his meal. Using Hidden Hand he offered it to Gale who howled before eating the piece of meat enthusiastically. As he did, Kharon looked at him fondly before taking a bite of his meal. The rich taste of the Emberhorn Flame Roast spread through his tongue as his body began to slowly heat up. He took a sip of his Iceborn Mead which immediately cooled him down. As he ate, he looked at Aidan and the others who were busy enjoying their meal and smiled melancholically.
Aidan's subtle gaze went unnoticed by Kharon as he continued his hearty meal. He also offered a piece of his food to Gale who quickly devoured the portions offered. Kharon looked at his little pup with a slightly bewildered expression as he offered more of his meal.
'He seems really hungry. Did they not feed him at the zoo? That is truly despicable! At least now I can provide him with a better life... But he would probably be happier with a pack of his kind. I wouldn't want to put him in danger.'
Kharon moved on to his second meal as his mind became clearer and more relaxed after finishing the Aethergrain Risotto Royale. As he ate his Aether Lotus Creme, he offered some to Gale who was hesitant at first before furiously licking at the sweet substance. Slowly, everyone finished their meal as they smiled contentedly. One by one their plates rose up in the air as they returned to the trays which quickly flew out of the room.
As this happened, Master Lodge suddenly said, "Time for gifts!" Saying this, he suddenly pulled out a black box with three vertical handles from his robes. Slowly, it began to grow and expand. He handed it to Kharon with a smile as he said, "This is a personal storage for you which contains three compartments. The first contains quite a few arcane materials used in the integration of runes. The second is a food storage which is equivalent to an aetheric cooling chamber. The final compartment is currently empty. You can choose what you want to do with it. I am sure you can handle integrating a few runes into it alone."
He smiled as Kharon accepted the large box with a grateful nod. Master Lodge quickly added, "The size changes depending on when you infuse aether into it. You can make it shrink by adding your aether and vice-versa. Keep it close to you, I am sure it will be useful in your future endeavours." As he said that, he looked at Kharon and gave him a melancholy smile.
Kharon gently released his aether into the box as it began to shrink back into a little box which fit in his palm. He placed it into his bag as he thanked Master Lodge.
Next, Dorn took out a neatly wrapped box. Similarly to Master Lodge's it began to expand. As it did, Kharon could sense a faint energy coming from it. The energy felt very familiar as he suddenly thought.
'A mystic construct.'
As he took the box, he quickly unwrapped it as he looked inside. Inside was a black jumpsuit. Kharon gently pulled it out of the box as he looked at it closer.
'It looks like something an assasin would wear. The little pieces of leather make no sense in terms of practicality. I like the design. No hood, that is understandable seeing as I will be wearing my cloak. It is from the path of enhancement; that's why the aether is so familiar.'
"Do you like it?"
"I really do. Thank you Dorn."
Dorn smiled as he said, "As you may have noticed, it is a mystic construct of my path. It doesn't have any singular abilities which have to be activated. Instead it just has a passive ability. The user of this construct gains a considerable boost in their strength. Gravitational distortions become almost ineffective depending on the opponents tier. I thought it would be a great addition to a future hunter's arsenal."
Kharon put back the jumpsuit in it's box as the box shrank. He placed it in his pocket as he once again thanked Dorn for the gift.
"I will put it on as soon as possible. Now there is almost no way for me to lose a battle."
"Don't get too cocky or pride will be your downfall."
Kharon smiled as he said, "Of course. I will keep a cool head and remain humble."
As he said this, Aidan pulled something from his suit as he handed it to Kharon. As Kharon accepted the gift, he opened his hand to see a golden ring sitting in his palm. He looked at Aidan and back at the ring before smiling.
Before Kharon could say anything, Aidan suddenly said, "This is a promise ring of sorts. It's for you to remember your promise to me. No matter what we will become tier 1 wielders and protect the world."
"I would never forget my promise to you. But this could serve as a good reminder just in case. It's really beautiful, thank you Aidan."
Aidan began to turn red as he said, "No problem. I am just glad that you like it. I thought you might find it a bit strange and reject it."
"Why would I think that? I thought you knew me better than that."
Aidan looked downwards as Kharon placed his hand on his. They looked at each other as they smiled tenderly. As Kharon slowly moved his hand, he put the ring on his right ring finger. Aidan reached out and took his hands before gently squeezing them. Kharon's eyes slowly moved as they met Aidan's when suddenly there was a flash of light.
He was once again in the beautiful meadow, but this time the mysterious stranger was sitting next to him. His face was blurred and Kharon was unable to make out any distinguishing features as he noticed something on the stranger's hand. There was a silver ring on their left ring finger. Before Kharon could make anything else out, he was back in the restaurant.
"Are you ok Kharon? Did you have another vision...?"
Kharon quickly nodded as he held his head in his hands. The world seemed to sway as he tried focusing on his surroundings. Slowly the feeling subsided as he stroked Gale who was licking his face his concern.
He ruffled Gale's head as he pondered over what he had seen.
'Was that my past partner...? It seems like we were engaged. And that presence, it was much more prominent than that was of tier 3 wielder despite their calm demeanour. Could it be that I was engaged to a tier 2 wielder...?'
"I think it's time to go home kids. Today was a great day, but sadly all good things must come to an end. You should get some rest Kharon, you only just ascended today. Maybe you should hold off hunting for a few days."
"There is no need Master Lodge. I am fine, I promise. But you are right. I guess me and Aidan will be heading out now. Thank you for organising this party Dorn. It was incredible. And thank you for everything Master Lodge."
Dorn and Master Lodge smiled as they looked at Kharon with a hint of sadness.
"We will meet again."
"Don't use this as an excuse to slack off. If you want to one day become a better runic magic user than me."
Kharon smiled as he felt a slight stinging sensation in his eyes. He hurriedly rubbed his eyes as if removing a spec of dust from it. He stood up with Gale in his arms and began walking out as Aidan followed close behind. Before leaving he heard Dorn call out to him as he threw something. Kharon caught it and placed it into his bag as he slightly bowed before shutting the door behind him.
He and Aidan walked out of the restaurant as Gale howled at the rift. Suddenly, there was a downpour of rain as they began running to find protection from the rain. They stood underneath a building with an overhang. They began to laugh as Aidan suggested running home. But as he did, he noticed Kharon's strange expression.
"Kharon, are you sure you are ok? I could carry you home if you don't feel well."
"No it's fine. It's just that, I can't go back home."
Aidan looked at him with an incredulous expression.
"What do you mean you can't go home? You can. You know the patterns, you are always welcome."
"You know what I mean Aidan. This is where our paths must converge. This last few months have been the best of my life. I may not know a lot about my previous life, but I know that spending time with you is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. But now it's time that we let go of each other. I wouldn't forget our promise so you shouldn't worry about that. Once we reach our goals, we will probably meet again."
Despite the rain dripping down his face, Kharon could distinguish the tears mixed in with the rain. Aidan tried to wipe his face but more tears began flowing down. Kharon gently placed his hand on his face as he wiped Aidan's tears. He then used Hidden Hand on himself as he floated up and kissed Aidan's lips. He could feel the warmth of his soft lips as it contrasted with his cold, porcelain skin.
"Goodbye Aidan, thank you... for everything."
As he said this, he stepped into the rain and using Veiling on himself and Gale, he vanished...
End of Volume 1 - Path of the Forgotten