Chapter 79 Draft

  Caera POV

  I stumbled back a step as I used my hand to hide my face. I couldn’t help but be dismayed. A Scythe? Defeated?

  Even from this distance you could tell the Scythe was badly beaten. He looked more like a beaten down animal who had its spirit broken than the Scythe Dragoth I knew. He was a massive beast of a man, towering over even the other Scythes and Retainers.

  And to see him reduced to such a pitiful state, both his horns shattered and broken off and chained to the cage, it was a sad sight indeed.

  But it also raised so many more flags. Grey had captured a Scythe, with no real noticeable harm done to himself. Just what the hell was he?!

  “Thank you your majesty, but in truth it was you who did most of the heavy lifting. My adventurers and I only dealt with the stragglers.” Kaspian said with a smile and a laugh.

  “You are too modest, Kaspian. I merely wanted to shine some light on you and your guild.” Grey answered as he moved to the side to give Kaspian room to walk forward.

  Kaspian cleared his throat before he continued. “These past few weeks I have worked directly under King Grey and I believe my initial trepidation of our new leader was unnecessary. Seeing him in not only his office but also on the battlefield I truly believe he is a leader. Not some corrupt dictator who sits on his throne while ordering his men to die.”

  This clearly was planned by the both of them. To garner support for not only Grey but also the Adventurer’s Guild. Position themselves as warriors who are fighting not for glory or money, but for the people. I would assume that after tonight their supporters will start to overlap.

  “Which is why I would like to announce today that the Adventurer’s Guild will enter an official partnership with King Grey!” He announced and you could hear the cheers and claps, mostly from the soldiers and adventurers, less so from the nobles.

  He had purposefully singled out Grey as an individual. SIgnifying that the Adventurer’s Guild is working with Grey personally, not the tri-union council or even the royal throne. A distinction that would only infuriate the already furious royals and nobles.

  Kaspian and Grey continued to speak, bouncing off each other. It was all clearly preplanned, but that mattered very little. But I could barely hear them through my thoughts. I still received important news of Alacryan from reports and from Lady Seris directly.

  And it had only been a few months since Scythe Dragoth replaced his dead Retainer. And while official reports never revealed how the Retainer died, seeing Scythe Dragoth in his state now it wouldn’t be a bad guess to believe that it was Grey or one of his underlings who killed him.

  With a Retainer gone Vechor came under scrutiny of the other dominions. It was common for the dominions to compete with each other, or even go into full out war. It was only a couple of years since the war broke out between Sehz-Clar and Vechor after all. The infighting only stopped when the High Sovereign personally stepped in to prepare for war. Even so, long feuds still simmered under the surface.

  I had heard that Sovereign Kiros was uncharacteristically desperate in his efforts to prove himself in the eyes of the High Sovereign. Perhaps as an act to gain support from the High Sovereign and Central Dominion, lacking a Retainer he would have been the weakest of the dominions after all.

  And now having lost a Scythe, the only dominion to have done so. I could only imagine what Vechor will go through. I wondered if the newly chosen Vechor Retainer was still alive, it was hard to imagine him being alive if he was within Scythe Dragoth during Grey’s attack.

  If true that would mean that Grey had dealt with a Retainer and Scythe at one. Even if we were to take into consideration the aid he would have received from the Adventurer’s Guild I doubted there was anyone who could rival a Retainer or Scythe in strength.

  “Caera.” A hand touched my shoulder and I flinched before quickly composing myself. I turned to see Tessia, she looked worried.

  “Are you alright? You are looking a bit-” Tessia seemed genuinely worried.

  “I’m alright, I think I just ate something wrong. Please excuse me.” I said as I quickly left the ballroom through one of the hallways.

  After I was out of the line of sight of most of the party guests I hastened my pace until I reached the restroom. I quickly entered after making sure no one had followed me. With a touch the mana crystal activated and let out cool water that I washed my face with. It was then when I realized I had been sweating.

  I could feel my entire body shaking, I wasn’t exactly sure why. But there was a creeping sense of dread and death that made my bones shiver. It was then when all of the weight that was above me came crashing down.

  Here I was, with barely any real experience in war or battle, in the middle of a continent we were at war with. And my target was Grey, who is appearing more and more like a true demon than any lesser. You are telling me some random human could rise to the position of king in a couple of years and completely subdue a Scythe? Don’t bullshit me, that was no human.

  One wrong move and I was dead. No, I would only wish I was dead, after they find out I’m a spy I would be tortured until I was begging for the pain to end. They would squeeze any useful information I have to the very last drop and it wouldn’t only happen to me, they would completely clean house and bring everyone I have ever associated with into question.

  Just what the fuck am I doing? Why am I here? My knees felt weak as I dropped to the ground. I had seen what Grey could do back at the academy. He effortlessly cleaved through mages like they were paper. He even brought the Lances to their knees, and he was clearly very effective in the area of warfare as well.

  We have not even made any sizable dent in Dicathen’s defenses. Were the rumors really true? Was Grey some sort of asura? And if so what chance did I have in deceiving him? Perhaps he already knows who I am, only stringing me along for his entertainment. He could be watching me now, watching me squirm like a desperate rat in a trap. Knowing its death is coming but powerless to stop it.

  I bent down as I threw up bile and stomach acid into the sink. My throat and mouth burned but it did little to calm me down as I slumped down into a fetal position.

  I felt around and grabbed the pendant that hung from my neck. Feeling the warmth breath of mana as I channeled my own into it. I found a bit of solace in that warmth, I could feel Lady Seris’ mana as it enveloped me. I took deep breaths as I pushed mana into every part of my body. Eventually the shaking stopped and I got back onto my feet.

  I stared back at myself in the mirror, my set of onyx horns were now visible. I suppose I never really thought about all of this. I had trusted Scythe Seris with my life, it was my duty as her pupil to follow her. And I do suppose I was acting too blindly, and now here I was. Hanging on the delicate edge of life or death.

  When Lady Seris sent me away she did show more emotion than she normally did, and I seem to understand now. She was signing my life away, it was fully in my hands now. I was the one who held onto the edge, dangling off of the cliff. Within me was the power to pull myself up and life but also to let go and perish.

  I should be angry, or even feel betrayed. But perhaps it was my deep trust I had for my mentor or something else entirely but I just understood. Her intentions and the hidden message within her actions. Lady Seris had clearly told me that she had plans of her own that didn’t fully align with the High Sovereign, she even seemed to understand that it could lead to her death.

  But she didn’t care. Even through the long-range communication screens I could see the deep seeded conviction and determination in her eyes. If I were to be exposed here she would clearly be under scrutiny or even lose some of her status. And she was placing all of that trust into me, and if she is willing to do that the least I could do was try my best.

  After a couple of more minutes recollecting myself I cleaned myself up and eventually rejoined the party. And as I did so it seemed the main announcements were coming to an end.

  Grey stood at the front of the stage, his usual cold stone-like face was replaced by the one he wore as an assistant director at the academy. Stern and powerful but with a hint of playfulness at the edges.

  “I truly hope all of you will place your trust in me. I extend tonight and these Alacryan elites as a gift. A proof to show what we have achieved in this hard war. And I hope that all of you could take that feeling home with you after today. That I truly love this continent and its people and will do anything within my power to defend it. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the party.” Grey announced. The crowd erupted into applause, even the nobles begrudgingly clapped. While they may hate Grey for his policies even they could deny what he had done. Grey and Kaspian waved at the crowd as they left the stage while Varay just followed behind without any wave.

  As Grey left the stage his eyes swept across the room and for a split second our gaze met. I could feel myself shrinking in on myself. I felt as though I was standing in front of an infinite void, looming over me as it was trying to consume me. Every fiber of my being wanted to scream and run, and keep running until my feet bled. That handsome face Grey wore, that smile he showed to the people. It seemed like it was only a mask he wore, and his true form was something I couldn’t comprehend.

  I had to bite my tongue and claw at my own wrist for the pain to keep me anchored. But as Grey disappeared into the crowd that feeling left as quickly as it consumed me.

  ‘Just what have I gotten myself into?’ I thought to myself.

  “Lady Denoir.” An unfamiliar voice called out to me. I quickly calmed myself before turning around. Only to find some rich noble boy. He was probably around my age, maybe he had also attended Xyrus academy. But I wouldn’t have cared to remember.

  “Do you remember me?” He said expectantly.

  ‘Ah, he was a Xyrus student.’ I concluded as I gently shook my head with a soft smile. Of course I didn’t remember some random noble boy, I had bigger problems to deal with.

  “How unfortunate. But to meet in such a place it must be fate.” He exclaimed with an eager smile.

  ‘No you idiot. Grey clearly invited many of the nobles, and probably invited families who had kids attend the academy.’

  “May I ask for a dance?” He said as he offered me a hand and bowed.

  I pondered for a moment if there was an optimal way in shooing this boy away. I didn’t really want to attract any more attention to myself and if I were to outright refuse I’m sure this spoiled brat would make a fuss. Perhaps the only way was to accept his invitation and shut him down if he were to make any advances.

  Still, getting possibly involved with another noble family was bad. Especially if I were to get on their bad side. I was weighing my options when a heavy presence loomed over us.

  Even the noble boy felt it as his face turned green. Grey slipped in between us as he took me by the hand.

  “Mind if I take her?” He asked over his shoulder as he was already walking me away.

  “N- not at all your majesty.” The boy stammered, but he was clearly pissed. But he dared not stand against a man who had dealt with a Scythe.

  Grey led me along a few paces before I whispered in his ear. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it.” He said back as he led me to another group. Tessia broke off from the group and hurried to me.

  “Caera! Are you alright?” She said as Grey released me. Tess checked all over me as I reassured her I was alright.

  “I’m okay Tess, I just ate something bad.”

  “Want me to deal with the cook?” Grey joked. Well I assume it was a joke but he delivered it in such a dry fashion that I questioned if he was serious about the offer.

  Tess punched him in the shoulders as she reprimanded him. “Don’t abuse your position.”

  “Hey, I was just joking.” Grey laughed.

  “You can’t joke like that as a king.” Tessia said back.

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  Seeing them argue like this now made Grey seem more human. They seemed like an old married couple in some sense.

  Claire and the others eventually joined us. “You’ll get used to them being like that.” Curtis reassured me.

  Seeing him now he had grown a fair bit as well. He was resembling his father more and more, appearing like a prince from any fairy tale story. He had that young wild boy look to him that would drive young girls crazy. But in terms of raw mature looks I would still have to give the edge on Grey. He had that mysterious but powerful aura around him.

  “It would seem your little competition won’t be easy Caera.” Claire said with a laugh.

  “Competition? What competition?” Curtis asked.

  “A bit slow on the uptake eh? Even your sister seems to be a part of it.” Claire giggled.

  “What?” Curtis seemed bewildered as he turned to his sister. “What does she mean?”

  Kathyln only responded by slightly turning her head and refusing to see her brother in the eyes. I would have expected for all of the Glayders to hold some resentment towards Grey, but I guess the bond they had formed at Xyrus still somewhat remained.

  Although I’ve seen Curtis side-eyeing Grey on multiple occasions. But seeing as he is only at low yellow stage I doubt he would pose any sort of problem to Grey, at least physically. But politically, he was the heir to the Glayder name and could muster up enough support from the nobles. But in his case it would be the angry nobles propping him up to use as a flag for their rebellion.

  “It’s been a while.” Claire said with a sad looking smile.

  “Since what?” Curtis asked, still annoyed that he was being ignored by his sister.

  “Just us, all here spending time. Like the good old days.” Claire replied with a chuckle as if she even found it absurd.

  “That makes you sound like an old man reminiscing on his life.” Grey replied which in turn earned in a round of laughs.

  “Oh! Come on Caera, there is a dish I just know you will like.” Tess exclaimed as she dragged me and Claire along, Grey only waved us off as he excused himself.

  As we left Tessia yelled over her shoulder. “You still owe me!”

  Tess eventually let go of my wrists when we were far enough away. She led me to a particular dish, it was some sort of animal’s meat coated in an orange-red sauce. I didn’t know what it was but the smell alone was enough for my mouth to water.

  As gracefully as I could I began consuming the meat. As soon as it entered my mouth it seemed to dissolve as the sauce was sweet but also spicy. It was perfect.

  “Good right?” Tessia asked with a proud smile. To which I eagerly nodded.

  “Jeez, are they starving you? I’ve never seen you like this.” Claire commented. And I realized I still haven’t eaten anything all day.

  In between mouthfuls of food I replied. “I was busy today and this is my first meal of the day.”

  Both of the girls gasped in response as they then began to lead me around the ballroom to their favorite dishes.

  Eventually I was so full that even the smell of more food was unappealing. “I swear if someone asks me to dance or something I am going to throw up on them.” I said.

  Claire and Tess laughed again. “I would have never thought such a lady-like woman like Caera had such a side.” Claire teased.

  “I haven’t eaten much all day alright?” I reasoned in between bites of food. I just hoped that my unlady-like conduct would deter at least some people from approaching me. I had dealt with enough of them when I was at the academy, I didn’t need more noble sons hounding for my attention. Although I suppose the closeness with Grey would deter some people from messing with me.

  Still, I could feel myself slowly begin to enjoy this party. Not as a place to scheme and plan about my next move, but a place to further sell my identity as a noble woman. I suppose in a way, in order to fool everyone else I need to first fool myself. These were my friends I have spent precious years with and we were just here to have a good time.

  I pondered what life would have been like if there was no war. If both of our continents discovered each other on more peaceful terms. Perhaps this was the life I could fully have had if that were the case. A part of me yearned for that to become a reality, even if every logical side of me denied any possibility.

  For the moment, I was just glad I didn’t feel like there was a sword of judgment hanging above my head. To hell if Grey knows who I am, if he hasn’t exposed me now he clearly won’t do it now, at least here in front of Tessia and his other friends.

  Alea POV

  ‘Strange.’ I thought. That Caera girl seemed to change her tune rather quickly. It was only a couple of minutes ago when she was breaking down in the bathroom and now here she was. Seemingly enjoying the party to its fullest with her group of friends.

  Gre- King Grey had given me a list of individuals he wanted me to keep tabs on before the whole party had started. Many on the list were of prominent noble standings or famous adventures and soldiers.

  But some on the list didn’t make much sense. In truth not much Grey did made much sense to me. He was the same boy lady Tessia brought along and trained under lord Virion. Even back then he was strange but I didn’t pay much mind.

  Who would have thought that same boy would be the one to save me from the claws of a Retainer. King Grey’s ascension to the throne was obviously a plan between lord Virion and Grey, it was plain as day when you saw the details.

  Lord Virion had also told me to trust Grey and his judgement. And he was the reason why every other Lance still thinks I am dead. King Grey had reasoned that a Lance that no one knew was alive would be a far deadly weapon.

  And in truth King Grey’s methods have multiplied my power tenfold. Even now I was not even in the main ballroom. I sat cross legged in a secure room deep within the bowels of the castle. But my heightened abilities allowed me to cast my mental eye away from my body and to sense almost everything within this castle. It felt as though the flying castle itself had become a part of my own body.

  Still, it was a bit insulting. I was still a Lance, a soldier meant to serve the royal family and here I was being reduced to a security system. Still, I dared not question King Grey’s judgement. I had seen him duel the Lance and subdue them without even breaking a sweat. And even with my amplified abilities and senses I still couldn’t decipher what sort of mana arts he used.

  He was a complete enigma. He had made it clear he was no asura, nor was he working for them. That his interests are on the safety of Dicathen and nothing more. And for now he seemed to be doing a good job. The war had played along quite well and according to his predictions.

  The Alacryans haven’t been able to create a proper foothold upon the continent. And with three Retainers and a Scythe down I’m sure the Alacryans would second guess themselves.

  Still, I questioned if trusting Grey was the right choice. He had saved my life, there was no doubt about that and I owed him for that. But for some nobody to climb to be king of the entire continent. There was a reason why some nobles cursed him as the usurper tyrant. And as nobles will do they will create ranks among themselves to organize some sort of entity to oppose the tyrant.

  King Grey was well aware of the hatred he would incur from the nobles. And even knew about the secret council they had formed in order to undermine his rule. He had told me to keep an eye on them as well, with most of them being invited and having come to this party. But he had warned me to leave them untouched.

  At this point I had given up trying to understand what goes on inside his head but he clearly had plans with them as well. But I questioned why this random noble girl.

  Caera Denoir, a noble girl from a well off noble family. They were by no means the pillars of the upper class but they weren’t doing half bad. And Caera seemed to be an above average mage as well. She was the student council president at Xyrus academy and had good grades. She was a dazzling beauty, there was no denying that. But I doubt Grey cares about that, especially when he was Tessia fawning over him since she was young.

  Perhaps Caera was also a part of some cabal. My first thought was that she could have been a spy of some sort. But no person in their right mind would send such a young girl to an entirely different continent. And that would also mean that the Alacryan have infiltrated so deeply that they could plant entire false families without us even knowing.

  No, even the idea seemed too far-fetched. Then why? My thoughts were suddenly violently interrupted as I felt a cold shiver run down my spine and a sense of dread gripping at my heart. I felt an enormous pressure upon me. No, it wasn’t even directed. The sheer presence of it made me gag as the mana was so thick and heavy.

  I felt as though I was drowning in a deep pool of black tar. I could feel beads of sweat appear on my forehead as I tried to ground myself. I pressed forward, searching for what could possibly emit such a pressure just naturally.

  My mental eyes scoured through the entire castle until I finally arrived at the ballroom. It was then when I found the source.

  “Grey of Dicathen.” A voice cut through the silence of the ballroom. He didn’t raise his voice but his voice echoed around the arched ceiling of the ballroom. As from the shadows emerged what took on the appearance of a man.

  Silver hair cut short with pale skin dressed in a deep navy military uniform. With unmistakable eyes that resembled a night sky. I instantly knew who he was.

  He stepped into the middle of the room as people instinctively moved away in fear and awe. He placed a hand over where his heart would be as he bowed slightly.

  “Apologizes for crashing the party but there are urgent matters for Grey to attend to.” He addressed the entire room. Clearly speaking of Grey with just his name. A gesture an asura hasn’t taken with any of the other royal families but Grey was an outlier. Perhaps he truly was working for the Alacryans or even he had his own motives separate from the asuras.

  The entire room was silent, no one dared move or speak in case they offended the asura. Most of them here would have never seen a god in the flesh, only heard of them from others. In truth I never formally met one but feeling his mere presence made me understand why people called asuras gods.

  His intent wasn’t focused or even purposeful. It was his natural strength that was leaking out that was suffocating. As if there was a large boulder resting on my chest. I worried that he would be able to detect my eyes on him, and maybe even recognize me as a threat.

  But it was then when another man separated himself from the crowd. King Grey stepped forward as he unleashed his own intent to match the asuras’.

  “Ah, if it isn’t the Indrath messenger boy.” King Grey said with a small chuckle as he stepped forward. Despite the asuras oppressing aura he still stood strong and defiant. Something the asura clearly noticed but waved it away. No, it was the way of talking that seemed to bother the asura the most.

  “That is Lord Indrath to you.” The dragon sneered. Clearly King Grey had no intention of being on friendly terms with this particular asura.

  “Oh? Is he now? Last I knew Kezess was only the ruler of Ephetous and not Dicathen. That would place me on the same standing as him would it not, messenger boy?” Grey said, his smiles and chuckle now complete now. Replaced now with an icy cold tone of voice that sent shivers down my spine.

  Each letter of every word was dripping with the taste of death and destruction. As if King Grey was holding back a tide of fury that would annihilate this asura.

  King Grey and Windsom now stood face to face. Both of them were of similar height so they eyed each other as their mana clashed in the air. An invisible battle to decide the pecking order. Wisdom eventually relented as several nobles fell to their knees completely knocked out from the pressure.

  “I shall ignore your words for now. Just know the only reason you are alive is because of your bond with Lady Sylvia’s-” Wisdom said as he straightened his clothes but King Grey interrupted.

  “It was I who raised and trained her from infancy. She only shared his blood but she is my daughter in every other sense of the word.” King Grey said, his anger was evident. So it would seem the King’s dragon was no ordinary dragon. But held some importance among the asuras.

  “It was also me who has been dealing with Agrona in your lord’s absence. You should be the one thanking me that Dicathen hasn’t fallen into that basilisk’s hands.” Grey added in an accusing tone.

  “A mere lesser like you.” Windsom hissed under his breath, clearly vexed. “I was tasked to convey a message and was going to be polite but you need some humbling.” Windsom said, his mana flared up reflecting his rage as the partygoers all backed away further until they were pressing up against the walls.

  “Kneel.” Windsom commanded as the mana all condensed around King Grey. The entire castle shook from the force. But when Grey was completely unaffected Windsom seemed bewildered.

  But it was only for a moment as Grey spoke once more.

  “You dare command a King to kneel in his own castle? If I were a more vain monarch I would have had to killed for this transgression. But I suppose I shouldn’t kill the messenger right?” Grey remarked. From the way he spoke he clearly knew who Windsom was and perhaps even shared history with him. But Windsom on the other hand seemed almost dumbfounded how a lesser like him was able to stand up to him.

  “Here, let me show you how it is done.” Grey said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

  The sudden and ridiculous force I felt was disgusting. I fell forward and barely caught myself as I had to swallow back vomit. My entire body felt as if it was going to explode but my detection spell still held strong, for now.

  The entire world seemed to cave in around the asura. The castle wasn’t shaking, no it was the space around the asura that was shaking. Completely separate, breaking any kind of logic or reasoning. The very mana around Grey screamed and roared as Windsom was brought crashing to his knees.

  King Grey’s spell or attention wasn’t even directed at me but I felt sick. Every fiber within my body screamed at me to run. To get out of here, just anywhere it didn’t matter. Just to fly as far as I could go away from this demon with a human form. I had to take a couple of deep breaths as I calmed myself. The mana rushed from my core to strengthen my body as I felt the warmth of the mana and let it consume me.

  ‘No, if he was really that powerful enough to bring a god to its knees then what would running away do?’ I reasoned.

  “What are you?!” Windsom cursed through gritted teeth. He was fighting to stand up, his entire body strained as his clothes and skin glowed with raw mana. But he was making no progress, only creating cracks in the ballroom floor.

  I could see several more people had fallen over, completely knocked out cold. Only a few notable mages with experience and enough strength were left standing and even they looked completely horrified by Grey’s power.

  King Grey took a step forward. Clearly unaffected by Lord Windsoms natural pressure that had frozen the entire ballroom.

  “What I am does not matter. But you, you have come barging into my castle, into my little party and commanded me to kneel? I am merely showing you what happens when you disrespect a king in his own castle.” Grey said, every single word struck me like a spear.

  Grey bent down as he spoke in a firm but still cold tone.

  “I know you are watching Kezess.” Grey said.

  “That is Lord Indrath to you-”

  +Silence.+

  King Grey’s words echoed in my head as I felt as though I was mentally struck by his words alone. Each letter felt as if it was seared into my mind directly as even Windsom closed his mouth.

  “I know you placed a reconnaissance spell on your little messenger bird over here and I know you can hear me. I know you have interest in me but my first priority is Dicathen and this war. Think of it as me having to deal with Agrona in your stead.” King Grey said as he looked down at Windsom, no he wasn’t even looking at him. He was looking over him, towards someone else that I couldn’t see.

  “So if you want to converse with me don’t send your little messenger boy. Next time, come talk to me, as king on king.”

  Author's Notes