Chapter 11 - Chapter 11: Bookmark V2

🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋✦ AetherBorne: The Archivus Legacy ✦🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋 

The day at MAGIA Academy went on like usual, but I was still reeling from the news I'd heard yesterday.

Team assignments.

And not just any team.

Claire Everhart – Leader of Team 9, iron-willed, ruthless in strategy.

Solomon Salamander – Attack Dog 1, living embodiment of fire and ego.

Ayaka Fujimori – Support, a freshman prodigy with surgical precision in Aether use.

Haru Fenris – Attack Dog 2, my nervous, unassuming friend who turns into a Dire Wolf under pressure.

Ryuji Archivus – Movement, Tracker, and Scout. That's me.

Still kind of in shock, honestly.

The usual bullying from Sol had surprisingly died down the past two days—including today. I originally thought it was out of pity for my injuries, but now?

He probably just doesn't want to get benched from the team.

Especially not with Claire Everhart as our team lead.

Claire already made her stance clear:

"I want the best from everyone—especially you, Solomon. Try anything stupid and I'll put a leash on that flame of yours."

No one dared laugh. She wasn't joking.

We're preparing for Aether Clash, the biggest combat evaluation in the academy. A massive mock-up battle where selected seniors, sophomores, and standout freshmen are drafted into 5-person squads.

A total of 12 teams.

It's elimination-style. One team advances. The others? Sit down and watch.

The top 3 teams earn Grand Accommodation status during the summer operations.

Top 1 even gets a TechLogia-designed RV, loaded with creature comforts and combat support systems. The best of the best.

But that's not all. The top squads also receive high-level missions, and success there can boost your post-graduation ranking across global defense corps.

Claire doesn't just want to win.

She wants command.

See, Aether Clash had its own set of brutal, unforgiving rules.

And at the top of that list?

Any technique that could kill or permanently damage another student was banned on the spot. You'd be disqualified before you could even say "Oops."

Instead, we'd be fighting with TechLogia-issued training weapons—swords, spears, gauntlets, even makeshift firearms. They didn't draw blood or break bones. But if they touched your skin or armor, they drained your Aether like a sponge soaking up water.

It was a clever system. A blade didn't need to be cut. Just make contact. That alone could win your match.

But that's where things got interesting—and dangerous—for certain students.

Take Claire, for example. She usually wore her Angelic Armor, a relic said to have been passed down from her family line for generations. Impossibly durable, it transformed her into a one-woman fortress.

And Wei Fang, with his relic Guan Dao—a polearm that could slice through steel with a single motion when fueled with Aether. His entire style was built around its reach and weight.

But in Aether Clash?

Relics were useless. Not banned but little merit to earning a win

TechLogia's weapons were balanced, standardized. No enhancements. No shortcuts.

For someone like me, that was perfect.

My Ability Doesn't Rely on Relics. Was train of Fighting Style

Grandpa made sure of that.

"Anyone can hide behind armor," he used to say. "But not everyone can move."

He trained me to adapt. To fight with whatever was around me. My hands, my feet, my mind—and if needed, my Codex Nexus.

But guys like Claire and Wei? They were like dancers forced to perform without music.

They'd trained so long with their relics that removing them felt like cutting off a limb. Their rhythm was gone. Their instincts were thrown off. And in the arena, hesitation meant defeat.

Aether Clash didn't care about bloodlines. It didn't care about titles or inheritance.

It only asked one question:

"Can you fight—when stripped of everything?"

And honestly?

That question scared more people than they'd ever admit.

🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋✦ AetherBorne: The Archivus Legacy ✦🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋 

By the end of the day, my brain was already shutting down, until—

"Ryuji," Instructor Gryf called out from the front.

"Come see me after class."

Ding-ding!

A clear, crisp chime rings out—brief, bright, and attention-catching.

I was about to stand when Claire walked past me and whispered:

"Don't mess up my standings."

My whole body stiffened.

Everyone knows how terrifying Claire can be when she's disappointed.

I sighed and made my way to the instructor's room.

Instructor Gryf was already waiting, leaning against his desk with a device in hand.

"You missed the full evaluation during the official check-in," he said. "So we're doing it the old-school way."

He handed me a wristband-style Aether Monitor, its screen blinking with calibration lines.

"Put this on. It's not as precise as the ToNiQi scanners, but it'll do. Strap it near your pulse."

I nodded, wrapping the device around my wrist.

It gave a soft beep and began scanning.

"You can begin releasing your Aether," Gryf said.

Here goes nothing.

I focused, channeling Aether through my core, letting it pulse outward—but controlled, just as Grandpa taught me. No summoning the Codex Nexus, just natural flow.

The monitor blinked.

[A-Rank Detected]

Gryf raised his brows.

"Well, look at that. You've come a long way, Archivus."

I stared at the screen. A-rank? That was… unexpected.

Just a few months ago, I was a C.

Then I remembered—the King Beetle.

The blood, the fear, the growth.

"Well," I thought, "that wasn't such a terrible experience after all…"

Gryf nodded.

"Go home. Rest. You've earned it."

🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋✦ AetherBorne: The Archivus Legacy ✦🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋 

Click.

A beat of silence.

Creeeaaaak...

I stepped inside. My bag slid off my shoulder, hitting the floor with a muffled thud.

"Freya?" I called out.

No answer.

Maybe this time I'll catch a glimpse of her.

I hadn't seen her since this morning.

A quiet pit of unease twisted in my stomach.

I checked her room.

Empty.

The rooftop?

Nothing.

She wasn't there either.

A sharp breath escaped my lips as I turned to the last place that might hold answers.

"Grandpa, I'm home!" I shouted—

Whoooosh...

Thummm—

A deep, resonant pulse of energy surged beneath my feet—

—and just like that, I wasn't home anymore.

The air shifted.

Heat pressed against my skin.

White sand crunched under my boots.

The blazing sun beat down mercilessly from above, and the salty tang of the ocean filled my lungs.

I was back—

On the island within Grandpa's Codex Nexus.

Our training ground.

Last time... she was here.

Near the nipa hut. With Grandpa.

But what I found instead—

"Oi!" Uncle Baek waved lazily, holding up a gourd.

He was lounging beside Uncle Ramon, both seated in the sand mid-drinking session.

"You finally showed up. Thought you weren't coming home." Baek chuckled, clearly already tipsy.

"Where are Freya and Grandpa?" I asked, hoping for a straight answer.

Uncle Ramon shrugged. "Dunno. Your grandpa just left a note—said we're in charge of your training now."

"Training?" I blinked. 

"Yup," Ramon confirmed.

"But we're bored with that," Baek added, waving his hand dismissively. "You've already mastered my martial arts."

"And my sharpshooting," Ramon chimed in, raising his drink.

"So instead," Baek grinned, "we're gonna play a game."

"A game?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Ramon leaned forward, holding out a small glass. "Simple. Your task is to fetch water from the waterfall and fill this glass."

Inside was a strange spherical object—smooth, almost metallic in sheen.

"To win, just bring the glass back with the water still inside... and the ball submerged," he said.

"Sounds easy enough," I muttered.

"But what's the catch?" I asked, because with these two, there's always a catch.

Baek's smile widened. "That ball inside? It ignites if it's not submerged in water. Float it for more than 10 seconds, and boom."

He casually poured a splash of water into the glass. The ball floated to the surface.

"Ten seconds," he began counting with a grin.

The ball started glowing red.

Then—without warning—Baek hurled the glass toward the ocean.

BOOM.

A ripple of energy exploded outward. Sea spray erupted.

If a normal person were standing there... they'd be toast.

I stared at the tiny glass in his hand. "But it's too small!"

"Really?" Ramon blinked. "Looks pretty big to me."

"Yah, same here," Baek added, nodding.

That was their answer? I'm doomed.

"Are your eyes broken?" Ramon teased.

I sighed, exhaling sharply as I picked up the ridiculous 3-inch glass.

"Alright," I grumbled. "But won't it explode before I even reach the waterfall?"

Baek chuckled. "Relax. We're generous."

He uncorked a bottle and poured water in.

The ball floated.

"Ten seconds," Ramon grinned. "Starting now."

Aether hummed softly at my fingertips as I transferred it into the water, guiding it to gently push the strange orb downward.

It resisted.

But instead of settling… the ball began to drink the water.

Absorb it?

Before I could even say anything—

"GAME BEGINS!" Uncle Baek roared, already sprinting away in a drunken zigzag.

"NO AETHER AERIAL SHOES!" Uncle Ramon yelled over his shoulder. "USE IT AND YOU LOSE!"

"What—?!"

They left me?!

Panic kicked in.

I bolted, slippers slapping against the packed dirt path as leaves and branches brushed past me with every stride.

Shfff—shfff—shfff!

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Rubber soles pounded against the forest floor, scattering dry leaves in sharp bursts of motion.

I glanced at the glass. The water level was dropping. The orb devoured it slowly, like some cursed sponge fueled by spite.

No time. Ten minutes to the falls at full sprint, no Aether-assisted steps.

My brain whirred, calculating pace, weight displacement, orb behavior, and water tension. Aether control pressed tight into the thin stream surrounding the ball to slow the absorption. A delicate balance—one false pulse and the water would ripple, destabilize, spill—or worse, vanish.

I kept running.

No traps? No ambush?

This was too quiet.

I expected resistance. A tripwire. A claymore mine disguised as a crab. Maybe even a sniper round grazing past my ear.

But the path remained still.

Weird. Too weird.

I reached the base of the falls, heart hammering, sweat streaming down my spine, but the glass was already half-empty. My control held—but barely.

I dove forward and scooped the water in, refilling the glass, submerging the now visibly glowing orb.

It twitched in place, absorbing greedily again.

"Nope," I muttered, forcing Aether into a spiraling current to cradle the liquid against gravity.

Time to go back.

I pivoted on my heel and dashed—hop, dash, duck, dodge—I knew a shortcut through the jungle trail.

With this pace, five minutes flat.

Easy.

Then—

BAM—

A bullet was fired.

No sound—just a shift in air pressure.

It passed a meter from me.

My senses flared—I felt it, like a string cut loose in space.

The bullet was meant to hit. If I took in another step.

I conducted an evasive maneuver, halting a step short of the impact point—then a sharp 180-degree spin.

SLASH!

Uncle Baek appeared mid-spin, cleaver in hand, aiming for a downward cut.

The downward cut, It was bait. He wants me to step back—right into the path of thebullet

If defense wouldn't work—then attack.

Codex Nexus – Quick Draw Katana.

CLANG!

Steel met steel as I parried, katana in my right hand, the glass in my left.

BAM—

Another sniper shot—just a meter from my face.

And Uncle Baek was on me again, his relentless assault pinning me down.

No space to dodge. Either get cut… or get shot.

My decision—

I threw the katana upward.

"You're not giving up, are you, Ryuji?" Uncle Baek muttered, blade inches from my throat.

I smirked. "Nope."

Tempestus Lumens.

ZAP!

I teleported—upward—swapping places with the katana midair.

Uncle Baek slashed it reflexively—

CRACK—BANG!

A bullet followed through. The katana exploded mid-air. Sparks, steel shards—gone.

But I was already above him, prepping my counterattack—

BANG!

Another bullet. No—five.

One aimed to lock my body with impact.

Second—aimed for the glass.

Third—for my head.

Fourth—angled for my back if I stepped away.

Fifth—twisted mid-air to track movement.

This… sniper's unreal. Uncle Ramon… you monster.

Uncle Baek spun with his blade, setting up another slash—coordinated with Ramon's firing line.

Locked in again.

Tempestus Lumens—to the broken katana.

ZAP!

I reappeared to Uncle Baek's left flank.

But then I looked down—at the water.

It had dropped again. Fast.

No time to waste.

Kunai in hand. Throw distance—50 meters.

Galaxy Punch.

BOOM.

I struck the ground. Earth shattered. Dust, debris, crater—all surged upward in a shockwave.

Perfect cover.

Tempestus Lumens—kunai.

Aether gave a short hum—

But I was still standing there. Why?

As the dust settled—I saw it.

My old katana, now bombarded by sniper fire—its hilt obliterated, blade whittled down to a jagged stub.

"Damn it…"

SLASH—!

Through the storm, Uncle Baek charged again. I barely sidestepped—his blade nicked my sleeve.

I dashed—fast—hurled three kunai in different directions.

One to the right.

One directly ahead.

One veering left—my only hope of escape.

CRACK!

The right kunai exploded mid-air—sniped clean.

POP!

The front kunai spun, struck mid-flight—another shot. Precise. Ruthless.

Just like before—Uncle Ramon was cutting off every exit.

That bastard…

Only the left kunai remained—still flying, untouched.

But Baek was already in front of me—fast, blade ready to carve me where I stood.

"You're boxed in," he growled.

Dimensional Slash—CHINK!

His cleave ripped through the mist and shattered trees, cleaving 270 degrees in front of him.

I felt the air distort—leaves torn from branches, the pressure splitting stones.

Anyone within 50 meters of that arc would be gone.

But I wasn't there anymore.

Tempestus Lumens—to the third kunai.

ZAP!

I switched places mid-air on the third kunai—just before another bullet could struck it.

It cracked on impact—but I was already gone again, dashing for the final stretch.

Water level: 33%.

I had no time left.

As i continue to use Aether the ball also consume more water also

I had only 2 kilometers left to the beach.

Time to try my new upgrade.

Another barrage—five bullets, plotted like they knew my next move.

Calculated. Predicted. Merciless.

Codex Nexus – Bookmark V2.

Hum...

The floating grimoire enlarged to ¼ my size, opening wide—

It caught all five bullets in a single glowing page.

But it wasn't over.

SHRRAAANG—

Dimensional Slash again—Uncle Baek's Aether-empowered arc raced toward me.

Codex Nexus – Bookmark V2.

Hum...

Another page turned, absorbing the shockwave.

I stopped in place, slamming my palm forward.

"Release."

FWOOOOM—

I shot the captured bullets back—straight toward Uncle Ramon's direction.

Then turned to Baek—

"Here. Taste your own medicine."

I unleashed the stored Dimensional Slash, redirecting it toward him.

Baek threw up a defensive guard, shielding with a spin as the projectile tore through the sand. Ramon dove behind a rock, dodging the returned bullets.

I dashed—

And finally—

I arrived at the beach.

The glass sloshed as I dropped to my knees.

Water level: 50%.

Then I threw it into the ocean.

BOOM—

The ball exploded mid-air—

—but instead of a deadly blast, it burst into light.

Colorful sparks scattered across the sky like a festival firework.

I blinked, stunned.

"…Seriously? It was just a firework?" I muttered, dumbfounded. "I thought it was a bomb…"

Uncle Ramon groaned as he stomped toward me, rifle slung over his shoulder—still grumbling.

"You cheater!" he complained. "That was my win!"

"Now, now, Ramon…" Uncle Baek's voice came soft and calm, as he strolled up beside us. "You've grown, Ryuji. But…"

He paused, hand resting on my shoulder.

"…our goal wasn't achieved today," he said, with a wry smile. "Still, looks like you got to try a new skill."

He gestured knowingly at my side.

The Bookmark V2.

"The Bookmark V2?" I echoed. "Yeah… I gave it a try."

I glanced down at the Codex still faintly glowing at my waist.

"But I noticed it—there's a limit. Two times a day. Any more than that, and it drains Aether fast… even with the zoning technique I used."

Baek nodded. "Exactly. Your control's improving—but there's still room to grow."

He stretched with a yawn. "Let's do this again tomorrow. After school. I think we can help you break that limit."

He laughed, loud and carefree, as always.

I frowned. "Just tell me now. What's the trick?"

"No need to rush," Baek said, patting my head in that annoying older-brother way. "I know you. Always looking for the shortcut."

He grinned.

Then Uncle Ramon chimed in, already halfway to the hut, his voice casual:

"You'll learn soon. No fun to spoil the fun."

He stepped into the doorway of the nipa hut, raised his hand, and shouted—

Uncle Ramon stepped into the doorway of the nipa hut, raised his hand, and shouted—

"Thanks for the memories!"

The world shimmered faintly.

That's the exit trigger, I reminded myself.

"A technique…" I muttered to myself.

I turned once more to the sea, where the ball had exploded in a burst of color.

Then I ran toward the nipa hut and called out:

"Thanks for the memories!"

Whoooosh—

In a blink, we were back.

The familiar scent of home, the quiet buzz of the city.

Uncle Baek was sprawled on the couch, already back in his relaxed pose.

Uncle Ramon clattered away in the kitchen, humming something that definitely wasn't in tune.

That evening, I trained a little more—just light Aether forms on the rooftop under the moonlight.

Still no sign of Freya.

No Grandpa, either.

Even at dinner, it was just the three of us.

Uncle Ramón took over cooking duty—which could only mean one thing.

I poked at my food suspiciously.

"…Did you put sugar in the curry again?" I muttered.

"No proof," he said, deadpan.

Baek laughed, nearly choking on his rice. "Still edible!"

Despite the ridiculousness, despite the teasing—

Dinner was warm.

Sitting there with those two—uncle, mentor, family friend, father like—it felt like family.

But even so… something was missing.

Someone was missing.

Later, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of the nipa hut.

The same wood. The same scent of the sea through the slats.

It reminded me of when I was younger—before the chaos, before the training, before the burden.

My thoughts wandered to Freya and grandpa

Where are they?

What are they doing?

The quiet tug of loneliness wrapped around me, but I didn't fight it.

I just let it settle.

And as sleep finally crept in—

I whispered under my breath:

"I'll catch up to you, Freya… and when I do—I'll protect you too."