SHADOW AND LIGHT (CHIAROSCURO)

WHAT IS AURA?

The silver armoured knight with his loud and smoky voice, addressed the people once more, “Have you all lost your heads!? You stand before a prince of the royal family!”

The knight concluded with a loud stomp on the wooden platform, “Do you all wish to have your heads on a pike for treason!!?”

After hearing him out, the people's attitude changed from disapproval to respect at that moment. However, once the noise had subsided the honourable knight's words were rebutted by another knight to my left.

The knight had a soft yet egotistical voice and spoke like a noble, “And why should they not lose their heads!? These... 'commonfolk' just received a royal decree spelling their demise...!"

He walked to the other side of the platform, facing the people as if he was addressing them and not the knight, and he continued, saying, "Why should they not panic? These PEOPLE have been handed with unjust cause to the infamous Incompetent Prince!”

The knight stood tall after his short speech, he was just as tall and burly as the silver-armoured knight. He was clad in full golden armour; a golden breastplate, golden gauntlets, golden polyenes, and even golden sabatons, all except for a helmet.

He also had a golden sword with a sheath on his waist. Apart from his golden armour, he had a handsome face, fair skin, green eyes and red hair and a goatee.

I hadn't noticed him on the stage before, which meant that he must have just arrived in the state today and must have waited to ambush the announcement.

“This was a set-up,” I thought. But I wasn't sure who and why? Could have been the nobles of the town, the former lord, or...?

“It seems you came from the capital, Sir Knight,” I called out to the golden knight, noticing the crest of Gladia on his breastplate – a flaming sword.

The golden knight kneels gracefully before me, almost mocking me with his knightly etiquette, then says, “Ah... My apologies, your highness! Forgive my late introductions. This humble knight's name is Sir Cassian The 3rd. I am at your service, my liege.”

I hunched forward, squinted my eyes, adjusted my glasses just a bit to get a better look at him, and then I crossed my fingers over my lips before speaking.

“I see... You may rise, Sir Caspian!” I taunted him a bit by intentionally mispronouncing his name.

He stood up, trying to correct my pronunciation of his name, “It pronounces ‘Cassian’, your highness.” His reaction to the taunt put a lovely smirk on my face. I didn't think he would actually fall for such a childish taunt.

“I just stated it, Sir Caspian. Caspian!” I taunted him some more, I chuckled halfway after. It was a bit difficult to hide my amused expression.

“Your highness, please stop with the jokes lest your subjects may think that your highness is of a commoner's wit as it seems you are not able to pronounce a simple name,” Sir Cassian chuckled mockingly, he had just pronounced me as an illiterate commoner under his words.

All of a sudden, without warning, a sword was drawn against the golden armoured knight. It was the silver armoured knight that spoke on my behalf before. He had struck his steel sword against Sir Cassian who had blocked the attack with his golden sword.

“A silver knight versus a golden knight, who would win in a one-on-one battle,” I wondered in delight.

“Hahaha, I see that we have a tyrant amongst our kingdom's knights!” Sir Cassian laughed as he glared at the silver knight.

“You dare! If there is a soul that is a tyrant, then it is you, Sir Cassian. How dare you address the first prince in that manner!? This is treason!!” The silver knight changed his stance and slashed with precision once more.

The battle was intense and insightful, it was like watching sparks fly with every sword struck between them.

However, the silver knight was clearly outmatched. Most of the people even the silver knight couldn't see it, but Sir Cassian was using aura to strengthen his body as well as his attacks.

Sir Cassian dodged and retaliated with an aura sword strike. I immediately notice the light blueish glow surrounding his golden sword, they were like blue flames surrounding the sword's golden blade.

It was an impressive battle as well as deadly, I could see that the silver knight may not be capable of surviving any more strikes from such an enhanced blade even if he was capable of blocking it with his silver sword. It would just shatter his sword's blade. It was already impressive that the silver knight had lasted this long.

“Well, that doesn't seem fair...” I thought so I casually stood up from my wooden throne.

Just before their swords made contact, I took a deep breath, listen deeply for my heart beat shouted then focused some of that blueish air called aura into my throat specifically my vocal cords, then roared...

“ENOUGH OF THIS FOOLERY!!” My voice shook the entire town square. Even the birds in the sky felt the sound waves.

That was the power of a royal – one born of royal blood.

I may be 'The Incompetent Prince' but I was still a prince, a royal noble of royal blood. And it was made clear by my roar, no one in the entire town could dispute what they felt or heard from my roar.

Truthfully, this was only possible due to what circulated the royal blood in my heart, veins and arteries. It was a special kind of aura known as Royal Aura – the purest of all aura in this fantasy realm.

In this fantasy realm of Areth, the aura is known as the atomic properties that exist in every living thing in the world. A kind of special chemical element that thrives in the air we breathe and the food we eat. The control of such an element is only granted to a few blessed by nature and those so-called blessed people are called Aura Benders.

Aura Benders, on their own, are already uncommon in the kingdom of Gladia but royals with aura are extremely rare due to the purity of the aura they control and produced. However, when found, they are very much incapable of passing the level of Aura Master – a hierarchy of aura benders, lower than Aura King but higher than Aura Lord.

In my case, since I am weak, I'm incapable of producing much more aura than that of an Aura Apprentice — the first level of an aura bender. Just this amplified shout took half of my strength away, but I didn't show it lest I look weak.

One way I've come to overcome that disability is control of quality, over quantity. Thus what I lack in quantity, I make up for it in quality.

They both lowered their swords under my command and proceeded to kneel on one knee, simultaneously saying, "My apologies, your royal highness."

Due to my curiosity, I asked, "Your name, silver knight, I haven't heard it yet. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Uh-uh... Of course, my lord, I shall tell you at once. Ahem! I am Sir Dustin George, son of George The Butcher, your highness!" Although he stuttered a bit at the beginning, it was still a prompt and respectable response to me.

I stroked my chin and uttered, "That sounds familiar..." I remembered knowing someone else by that name but it must have slipped my mind right then.

"Sire?" Sir Dustin reacted to my uttered words.

"Oh, never mind. Just thinking aloud," I nonchalantly said.

"Very well... You may rise, knights of Gladia, I have seen both of your strengths, now I should show mine," I stated.

"Your highness?" though they responded in unison, Sir Dustin looked confused while Sir Cassian seemed threatened.

"Oh worry not, I simply want to show off my sword skills just a bit," I assured.

Sir Cassian asked, "Forgive my words, sire. But how? Your highness has not studied the way of the sword."

"Worry not, it's a bit different from your usual swordsmanship, so how about it, Sir Cassian," I looked towards Sir Cassian.

"Pardon, your highness?" Sir Cassian said in confusion.

"How about you and I spar a little?"

"But, sire-"

I interrupted, "But sire nothing! You came to my announcement, spoke against my competency and even had the will to compare me to a commoner, me, a royal prince!" The more I spoke, the more I approached Sir Cassian slowly pushing him to the edge of the wooden stage.

Sir Cassian was now hanging at the edge of the platform.

I faced him with my glasses reflecting light into his eyes, then finally stated, "Thus! It is already clear that you have challenged me, Prince Philip of Gladia as well as the lord of Sterilia!!" Sir Cassian was so startled by my majestic words that he slipped from the edge of the stage and fell to the ground beneath me.

I looked down before him, and stated one last thing, "We battle at dawn! Sir Cassian, don't be late..." And with a slight smirk, I left the stage and headed for my estate on my black stallion, Moonlight. My attendant's followed behind.