Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 49: Chapter 45: Confessions

Read chapter 49 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Chapter 45: Confessions Chapter 45: Confessions The room behind Celeste’s shop was as Alex remembered. Dimly lit, fragrant with crushed herbs, old books, and the faint metallic tang of dried potion residue. Alex sat on a low stool, drying his face with a towel she’d tossed him, while she leaned against a battered cabinet filled with alchemical glassware. He hadn't said much since sitting down. Celeste finally broke the silence. “You’re hurt,” she said quietly. “I’ve been worse.” “Worse than bloodied, exhausted, and half-starved?” Alex gave her a lopsided smile. “Worse than having your soul turned inside out and your mage core shattered? Yeah. A little worse.” Celeste flinched. “Your... core?” He nodded. “Gone. According to The System anyway. Not damaged, not even cracked, but utterly shattered.” His eyes didn’t meet hers. “It’s not looking good. I know that.” Celeste looked away, arms pulled tight against her chest. “You’re right. You shouldn’t be alive at all, actually.” The silence between them thickened. Alex watched as her expression changed, something passed across her face, regret, maybe even shame. A complicated expression of emotions Alex wasn’t quite able to decipher. “Tell me what happened. Tell me everything.” Celeste said. She set her tea kettle on the wood stove, and Alex settled in for a long story. *** By the time Alex had finished, they were both on their second cups of tea. He left out a few minor details, such as the existence of Obby. The rock was a secret he needed to keep to himself for now. Otherwise he told her everything about his new abilities, how he had broken his core, Doudra and the Kobolds, the Badger Den Mother, his friends being taken, and more. “A condensing item forced into a siphoning glyph ritual hmm? That would certainly do it. This, Doudra, probably took the brunt of the damage for you, which is maybe why you’re not dead. The fact you weren’t that far into your core attunement probably helped a lot too,” she said. “All that said, its a rough spot kid. I’m sorry. I probably should have helped you more. I could have.” Her voice cracked, just slightly. “But I didn’t.” Alex frowned, finally looking up. “I thought…” Celeste let out a hollow laugh. “I thought if I just did the minimum, kept you and Garret patched up, gave a few hints, maybe offered a spell. Then the system’s Worldteacher quest would reward me more.” She sighed loudly. “Look kid, here’s the rub. The Heavenly System gives better rewards in a Worldteacher quest if the student overcomes challenges and difficulties themselves. That’s what everyone says at least. So I didn’t exactly help you and your friend out as much as I could have.” Alex stared at her for a long moment and narrowed his eyes. “You were hedging your bets.” It wasn’t a question. “Yes, honestly, I was desperate,” she said. “I didn’t tell you before because… because I’m not just a shopkeeper who got stuck here for retirement.” She set down the tea cup in her hand on the table, like the words were physically heavy. “I’m a Third Tier mage, Alex. Or… I was. ” Alex’s brow lifted slightly, surprise flashing across his face. “My core’s cracked,” she said flatly. “Tried to force a breakthrough to Stage Four a few years ago. Pushed too hard. It broke... not completely, but bad enough. I can still use magic, some of it. You’ve seen that. But it’s painful, all the time, every spell. Like forcing pressure through a leaky cauldron, aether leaks out of my core and attacks my body constantly, making me weaker by the day.” Alex sat in stunned silence. Despite her outward physical appearance, for the first time in Alex’s mind, Celeste looked fragile. “I had been hoping that the Worldteacher quest would give me something,” she continued, voice low. “An elixir, or a relic maybe. Something powerful enough to fix me up. I was banking on it. So I held back and I let you struggle. I figured you’d be able to handle it.” Her eyes met his. “And now your core’s shattered, gone, because of somet