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2022-08-07 15:49:47He could hear the murmurings of the servants, maids, and guards who lined the walls as he was led to The Viceroy's Court.
He had no way to understand what happened as he had no recollection of those events.
For a sixteen-year-old whose whole life had been dedicated to being the best he could be as he followed in his father's footsteps, this was a massive blow.
His legs paused which led to him getting dragged along until he found his footing again. His mind was blank and his eyes unfocused until he felt the hands holding onto him leave him.
His eyes focused again as he assumed he was standing in front of The Viceroy and that the trial was about to begin but what he saw was unlike what he expected.
In front of him was the figure of a man he had spent his whole life working towards. This was his father, Fraser Tarren.
"Father", he muttered as tears streamed down his face.
His head was bowed as he felt he could not look his father in the face after what had happened but what he got was two strong arms wrapping him up into a hug as a warm voice spoke into his ear.
"Son, you have not been possessed by one of the savages. The reason you were able to kill the savages on your own was that you had subconsciously burnt your primordial blood essence..."
"Primordial blood essence?"
"It's a gift from your mother. Don't worry, you'll eventually recover it. It might take a while but you will. Right now you have to leave this place. Remember, your blood is your most precious asset, do not give it to anyone"
"Not many can find out anything wrong with it but it is better to be safe than sorry"
"If you end up in a situation where death is the only option left, chant your final call and go for it... Help will come, once!"
"Father, I don't understand what you are saying. What chant are you talking about? I don't remember the final call"
"Don't worry, you will when the situation requires it"
"Now go!!"
"Father..."
"Go, I'll hold them back"
He was reliving the moment his father stood with his back to him as he promised to hold back the guards that would be coming to get him due to the uncharacteristic delay when he heard a door open.
"Master..."
"Be quiet, this has to be done quickly. The flawless skin cream should remove all evidence"
Aiden was confused. What evidence was he trying to remove?
The thought had just been completed when he felt something prick his skin. Immediately, his heart jumped into his mouth.
What they meant was collecting his blood and then patching the skin to remove the traces of harm.
"Master, his body is heating up", a voice cried out in muffled alarm but Aiden who was horrified could not hear it as his thoughts swirled around like a disorderly mess.
He was trying to wake himself up when he remembered something he ignored.
His father's words, "You subconsciously burnt your primordial blood essence... You will recover it. It might take a while but you will... Not many can find anything wrong with it..."
These words rang in his head over and over again making him calm his raging thoughts.
"Looks like it is an instinctive response to danger. There's nothing to be worried about. Let's go"
This time, he heard what they were saying. Even though he had calmed down, he was still worried but there was nothing much he could do about it in his unconscious state, so he quickly returned to a state of peace.
"Mother...", he mumbled repeatedly
He did not remember much about his mother. His father told him, she died when he was still very young but he had not told him anything more.
He had asked around several times but he never got any answer he did not already know. It was like his mother did not exist in the mind of the city's inhabitants.
Now, he could guess why it was like that. His mother might not have been an ordinary person. This was the conclusion he got after hearing his father say he had something called primordial blood essence in him; a gift from his mother.
In that case, why was he labeled a fiend, someone possessed by a savage's spirit?
If he and his mother had that one thing in common and his father had warned him not to give his blood to anyone, then what happened to his mother?
Could she have been labeled a fiend for using her primordial blood essence as well?
...
In a luxuriously designed dining hall, a feast was underway with a calming musical score being played in the background.
Many servants were lining the walls of the dining hall and attending to the needs of the participants of the feast.
There was a long table placed in front; this was the main table with smaller circular tables arranged everywhere else in front of it.
The main table had a lot of food spread out over its length. There were many plates each containing a different type of food. It also had some wine jugs placed there as well as beautifully crafted goblets.
There was raucous laughter and a lot of people talking to each other.
Every person who was participating in the feast was dressed in fine clothes that made one feel they were wealthy. The women had beautiful jewelry on them that sparkled subtly in the brightly lit hall while the men had gold threads sewn into their clothes. They also wore signet rings that had different designs.
At the main table, there was a throne with gold and other fine jewels inlaid into it. It was the biggest seat in the hall followed by a similar but smaller one next to it on the left.
On the right side of the throne, there was an empty seat that was also beautifully crafted albeit a little less glamorous than the throne in the middle.
On the throne and the seat to its left, a man and a woman could be seen. Both of them had crowns on their heads, making it easy to guess who they were.
On both sides, there were a few more seats that were elegantly designed but were not as glamorous as the ones the king and the queen were seating on.
The people who sat on these seats were all younger than the king and queen by a lot, and they bore some resemblance to each other as well as the king and queen.
There were two females and three males seated there with the oldest looking like he was at least twenty-five years old and the youngest having a face that was just about ten years old.
The second male who looked like he was almost twenty years old was the prince who brought Aiden away from the roadside where he was found unconscious.
In the dining hall, everyone was either drinking or eating something when a twinkling sound rang through the hall.
At the main table, the king had picked up his crystal goblet and was tapping its side with a spoon. The talking and the music died down as all eyes turned to face the king who was now on his feet.
"I am happy to have you all respond to the invitation to my daughter's birthday celebratory feast"
"She had turned sixteen about half a month ago but the celebration of her birthday had to be delayed since it coincided with the capital's awakening ceremony"
"Of course, she did me proud. An arcana of the space and time elements with the highest affinity rating ever recorded in the nation"
Clap! Clap!! Clap!!!
There were sounds of approval and surprise echoing through the hall and the clapping only ceased after the king raised his hand, gesturing for them to stop and settle down.
"Even though the celebration was delayed, it takes nothing away from the joy of this moment. With this in mind, I shall present a gift I am most proud of, but before that, I have a surprise..."
He gestured towards the entrance and the doors were pushed open.
An aged man walked in holding in his hands a slender box whose length was just half an average man's height.
"Everyone, please welcome with me, The Legendary Arcana, The First Guardian of The Empire - His Eminence, Lord Ajax - The Keeper of Time who has come on behalf of His Imperial Majesty"
The entire hall was first thrown into silence before they all stood up and clapped, bowing their heads in respect to the aged old man.
"Your Majesty", he slightly bowed his head.
"Lord Ajax, we are happy you graced us with your presence. Welcome"
"Thank you, Your Majesty", he replied.
"I greet Her Majesty"
"It is a great thing to have you with us, Lord Ajax"
"Your Highnesses"
All five of the children stood up to greet the aged old man immediately. Three gave a neat bow and the other two gave charming curtsies.
"Princess Diane, it is an honor to have you join the ranks of the arcana in the kingdom. For this reason, I brought you a gift from His Imperial Majesty. I believe it will serve you well"
He walked in front of Princess Diane and handed the box to her.
The gift an emperor gave could not possibly be a simple thing, so everyone waited in silence, full of anticipation.
She opened the locks on the box one at a time before lifting the lid.
Inside the box were two slender swords. Both of them did not look similar except in length but they looked like they were made to be used together.
One of them seemed to warp the air around it as Princess Diane picked it up while the other seemed illusory as it partially faded in and out of existence.
Both swords had distinct features that made them different. The first had a relatively large translucent gemstone embedded in its Quillon[1] while on the illusory sword, there was a small timepiece embedded instead.
Holding both swords, Princess Diane seemed to have turned into a heroine to be looked at with respect.
"Both swords have the affinity of space and time respectively. They are called The Space Traveller and The Time Seal"
Both swords were built to be elegant, lacking the conventional bulky feel of a sword. They were perfect.
All eyes were fixed on the two swords with many showing a hint of envy until Princess Diane put both swords away.
"Thank you, Lord Ajax. I am grateful for His Imperial Majesty's favor. I will try to use these swords to the best of my abilities"
She curtsied once more.
"Lord Ajax, your seat", the king said with a wide smile on his face.
After Lord Ajax had taken his seat, the king gave a gesture for the hall to sit as well. He remained standing as he cleared his throat.
"His Imperial Majesty has given a great gift which I am thankful for but I wouldn't be a good father if I did not give my daughter a gift"
"The road as an arcana is long and arduous and many possibilities exist but I believe a great start will reduce the risk of falling along the way. With that said, I believe no better help can be given than a solid foundation"
The door opened again.
Every person turned their head to look at who was coming.
This time, it was a well-dressed middle-aged man who entered. He carried a small box in his hands which he handed to Princess Diane after bowing to the king, the queen, Lord Ajax, and Princess Diane.
"Personally crafted by Artisan Duffel. This artifact should prove a valuable asset in your journey as an arcana"
She opened the box to see a pendant with a green gem embedded in it that gave off a calming aura.
With the initial impression she got, it was clear what the pendant was for.
It was meant to serve as a soothing balm that kept her mind in an optimal state as she trained as an arcana.
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"Three days?!", Raven started."Oh, don't get worked up, it was more like two and a half days", Princess Eleanor chipped in.Unfortunately, this did not change the reaction Raven had; in fact, her reaction got worse at that moment as she got frantic and almost lost her mind as she looked around."Calm down, Raven. Things are not as bad as you think. We are out of the grassland maze; of course, we had to wait for everyone to de-petrify before we continued…", Deirdre explained."So, what trial do we have now?", Raven asked and immediately got a response."Oh, the long rope bridge, strung across the chasm that has a tentacled beast living in it", Deirdre responded like that piece of information was of no consequence.Raven was silent as she stared off into space for a moment. When she got her mind back, she asked almost immediately… "Are we crossing now that I am awake?"A question to which Princess Eleanor answered in a snarky and sarcastic tone… "Hopefully". Her comment got a few gazes
