For a second, Rylan only stared at the System notifications with a smile on his face.

Finally.

His efforts hadn't been for naught. He had decided to bet on the possibility that Aura could be used to cast spells, and he'd finally succeeded. This was hardly the kind of situation where he could freely celebrate, but his heart bubbled with joy.

He then looked at the Magic Missile he'd created through Aura Casting. At first glance, the arrow of white light seemed even greater than the ordinary Magic Missiles, both in terms of energy density and apparent power.

As expected, it's also affected by my usage of Magic Swordsmanship.

The spell carried the unique nature of his Aura, the promise of a higher heaven. Because he was circulating both his Aura and mana, both Harmony of Twin Lives and his Class empowered everything that he was under the umbrella of Magic Swordsmanship.

Rylan smiled again.

I could get used to this.

Finally, he felt a bit freer. He looked down at the three Sandworms. They were all staring at him, with two of them raising their bodies to reach them.

Time to finish this.

He had already achieved what he had been trying to. He grabbed Silver Twilight's hilt with both hands, his Aura and mana circulating as fast as they could. They moved as one, but without merging. It marked the dawn of Rylan's current strongest Sword Art.

Both his white Aura and blue mana flowed out of him, dominating the world around him in the shape of clouds that crackled with lightning. One lightning bolt struck Silver Twilight, coating it with pure electricity, and the clouds around it wrapped themselves around the blade.

"Lesser Lightning. Tide."

His mana coalesced into water and lightning that surrounded the blade, also melting into the clouds. It was as if Rylan had become the god of storms, surrounded by a raging sky that only he could control. He shot downward, straight into the maw of the nearest Sandworm.

Stormcaller Sword Style, Final Movement: Storm's Descent.

The clouds and lightning moved as he swung the weapon, falling upon the beast. The blade unceremoniously split the monster's maw in half amidst a burst of boiling, green blood, then kept moving. Meanwhile, the lightning tore through the Sandworm's flesh, charring it black. Rylan didn't stop.

A few moments later, the two halves of the Sandworm separated, each falling to one side, burned beyond recognition, despite the monster's size. Without missing a beat, Rylan stepped on the air to dash toward the second Sandworm, followed by the storm. It met a similar fate, as did the third one.

Floating in the air, he looked at the three destroyed corpses. The monsters had been burned and split in half, their bodies reduced to a mere fraction of their past selves. All of the green blood had evaporated, leaving behind only the six husks.

Rylan let out a deep breath, dismissing the storm, then looked at his reflection in Silver Twilight's blade. He smiled.

"Not bad," he said to himself.

It wasn't as dramatic a power increase as Aether, but he was already stronger than an hour before. He looked at the System notifications again, since he hadn't dismissed them.

"A new possibility, huh?"

He kept his smile. There was much to do, but he was finally on the right path. As long as he followed it, he believed he would one day discover Aether's mysteries. Now, he needed to head to the oasis.

He looked in the direction of his destination. The lake in the middle of the desert was as beautiful as before.

He started flying toward it.

***

Aelfric opened his eyes, exhaling.

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"This is harder than I thought," he said out loud, looking down.

He was dressed in a simple brown shirt and black pants, sitting on his bed with his legs crossed, barefoot. As always, the bed was pristine – Sarah never stopped tidying everything up. Smiling, he looked to the side, straight at the young woman.

Sarah was looking at him with a grin, dressed in a full black attire. Her short blond hair was illuminated by the sunset's rays that came in through the open window. She wiped her brow with a sigh.

"It really is, young master," she said. "I know of young master Rylan's circumstances, but… I'm still amazed he figured it out so quickly."

Aelfric immediately nodded, his smile widening.

"Of course. Rylan is amazing. This is so difficult to figure out, but he did it so quickly after remembering his past life."

She flashed him a helpless smile and moved to stand beside her bed.

"It's time to eat, young master. We can continue afterwards."

Aelfric nodded again and looked through the window.

"I wonder what he's doing right now."

Sarah flinched, a shadow of worry crossing her expression.

"…I hope he's alright."

He looked at her.

"He is, but I understand your concern."

Aelfric's memories went back to when Damian had explained to him and his family the nature of the Arid Wastelands Dungeon. Of course, the Dungeon's danger level only made everyone else worry, but Aelfric knew Rylan was alright. As always, he would succeed.

Aelfric nodded to himself.

I need to get stronger.

Rylan had already done so much for him. He needed to be able to keep up, even if only by a bit.

I know what we did when we were younger wasn't right, but he's different now.

A distinct ache made its way into Aelfric's heart. He knew that, before acquiring his past life's memories, Rylan had only used and exploited him. It was a difficult realization that he'd only come to terms with recently, after extensive talks with Regis and Lillia. His admiration for his brother had warped his perception of the young man, even as he was led down dark paths.

But you weren't always like that. And you're not like that anymore.

Aelfric smiled as old memories surfaced. Memories of how he'd started admiring Rylan in the first place. Memories of their childhood, before Rylan corrupted himself. Of how they'd play together, always covering for each other, as the two youngest siblings.

We were always together.

Once, Rylan had tried to pick one of every kind of flower in the garden to help with Aelfric's collection. Of course, they'd relied on Sarah for help. Another time, Rylan had personally visited Aelfric's class to make sure he wasn't being bullied by other noble children.

Aelfric's heart felt warm. The more those memories surfaced, the better he felt. However, they also made the memories of their teenage years sadder, from the moment Rylan had first met Evenon. Aelfric's eyes gained a sad edge, but it was quickly replaced by more affection. Those bad years didn't matter. Rylan had changed and would never return to being like that.

He looked through the window again. In his heart, he didn't feel as if the 'old Rylan' had died or disappeared. Even after remembering his past life, Rylan was still Rylan, even if he'd changed quite a bit. They were still brothers.

That was why he needed to be able to help Rylan, just like Rylan had helped him when they were children.

But he's still too far away.

The current Rylan was already the strongest in the kingdom, and he was becoming even stronger inside the Dungeon. Aelfric knew he needed to try his hardest to keep up.

He looked at Sarah after standing up next to his bed. She was looking at him with warm eyes, but she wasn't able to hide the concern deep within them.

"Let's go, Sarah. I already miss talking to everyone," he said. Even if only slightly, it would be better for him to try and get her mind off Rylan's situation.

She smiled at him half-heartedly.

"Of course, young master. Please, follow me."

Aelfric followed her out of the room, then through the winding pathways of Damian's Mage Tower, up and down several stairways. Eventually, they arrived at the floor where everyone usually ate. The doors opened automatically to reveal Gerard and Elizabeth sitting side by side, joined at the table by Regis, Lillia, Damian, Jasmine, and Hayden. The soldiers, including Jack and Scott, were sitting at another table, already eating. Elizabeth lit up once she met Aelfric's gaze. She hurriedly stood up.

"Aelfric! Come, we were waiting for you!" she said loudly.

The soldiers stood up and bowed at him, without exception, and he smiled at them. Then, he moved to sit beside his siblings, while Sarah sat next to him.

"Welcome, Aelfric," Damian said, making Aelfric look at him and nod.

The meal proceeded normally, but Aelfric could tell there was an air of unrest. It was especially obvious in Elizabeth and Jasmine, and didn't waver throughout the whole meal. After observing this for a while, once everyone had finished except for the soldiers, Aelfric took a breath and started to speak.

"I'm sure he's fine," he said in a steady tone, smiling. "He can overcome anything the Dungeon throws at him."

Elizabeth and Jasmine snapped toward him almost at the same time, but Hayden and Damian only nodded.

"Yeah, I agree," Hayden said. "There's no way a Fifth-Circle-level Dungeon can push him too far."

Damian sighed.

"…I have to agree, too," the man said.

Gerard frowned slightly, but remained silent.

"That doesn't mean he isn't having trouble," Elizabeth suddenly said firmly, clenching her fists. "He might have gotten injured, even if he didn't lose a fight."

Jasmine nodded repeatedly.

"He might be cold or hungry," she stated in a low tone, almost as if whispering to herself.

Sarah sighed at the remark, shaking her head slightly.

"No, I'm sure he's fine," Aelfric said, making everyone look at him. "He always is."

"That's what I'm saying," Hayden replied, nodding with a smile.

The conversation about Rylan went on. Aelfric knew it was the group's way to deal with their anxieties regarding the young man's situation.

He'll return stronger than ever.

Just like when he'd protected him from everything during their childhood.

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