''Kilan City, huh?. As I'm one foot in the grave, there are many things I don't remember. This book, or journal, was also a tool for me to not forget the experiences in my life. Even though my memories are fading, however, Kilan City is not something I would forget, I can't forget.''
''Even to me, who has traveled many lands including Aenon Empire as well as Wildlands, Kilan City has a special place in my heart. The small breeze coming from Sea Of Blazes hitting my face, Small waves of the sea striking to the rocky shore, The decently organized city planning as well as the marble tiles covering the ground. Kilan City wasn't the most beautiful city I have seen nor the most crowded. Still, it was one of the wonders of the world I have seen.
To reach the Kilan City, you had to pass through several hills and rocky mountain passages. These roads were treacherous as well as tiring. Magical beasts were everywhere and you wouldn't know when they could attack you. The dirt roads were worse than simple village roads and there were constant dangers of carriage sinking to the soft terrain. Still, after all of the hurdle, it was worth it.
I remember my heart fluttering like a pure maiden who saw her first love When I arrived there. It was magnificent! When I saw the Sky blue Sea Of Blazes, churning with high and low waves, My tired mind suddenly became as clear as the sky. I could see many high towers, seemingly piercing the clouds, and rows upon rows of clean, neat stone houses. The pure-white walls of the city were spectacular. It was truly, Amazing!''
''...''
-Sor Ross, The Wanderer.
'Roads Of The Wildlands.'
*********
''Kilan City, huh?. As I'm one foot in the grave, there are many things I don't remember. This book, or journal, was also a tool for me to not forget the experiences in my life. Even though my memories are fading, however, Kilan City is not something I would forget, I can't forget.''
''Even to me, who has traveled many lands including Aenon Empire as well as Wildlands, Kilan City has a special place in my heart. The small breeze coming from Sea Of Blazes hitting my face, Small waves of the sea striking to the rocky shore, The decently organized city planning as well as the marble tiles covering the ground. Kilan City wasn't the most beautiful city I have seen nor the most crowded. Still, it was one of the wonders of the world I have seen.
To reach the Kilan City, you had to pass through several hills and rocky mountain passages. These roads were treacherous as well as tiring. Magical beasts were everywhere and you wouldn't know when they could attack you. The dirt roads were worse than simple village roads and there were constant dangers of carriage sinking to the soft terrain. Still, after all of the hurdle, it was worth it.
I remember my heart fluttering like a pure maiden who saw her first love When I arrived there. It was magnificent! When I saw the Sky blue Sea Of Blazes, churning with high and low waves, My tired mind suddenly became as clear as the sky. I could see many high towers, seemingly piercing the clouds, and rows upon rows of clean, neat stone houses. The pure-white walls of the city were spectacular. It was truly, Amazing!''
''...''
-Sor Ross, The Wanderer.
'Roads Of The Wildlands.'
*********
Slowly closing the book in his hand, the man put it softly to the table aside. His long, red hair that was like a surging flame flowed from his shoulders, coming to his waist. His face, just like a masterpiece of a sculptor, had the features of a true warrior. Dashing, fierce, sentimental. His long and thick eyebrows, which gave him a furious look were now dropped down. His muscular and well-defined body, his strong and broad back, now looked much smaller.
His eyes, containing the firey red pupils were trembling when he looked around the room. There was nothing special about this room. It was a bit bigger than 10 square meters. There were 4 bookshelves that covered the yellow walls of the room, only leaving the door and a wide window open to sight. Bookshelves were filled to the brim with books, containing all kinds of subjects. Tales, legends, science, magic, family...
Right beside the window was a bed with a chair and a table put next to it. On the table, there were several notebooks as well as pages, filled with handwritings that man clearly knew. These were the notes of his son, who always took the delicate and small details of the books and gathered together. His son always talked about them with a smile, saying that they would be very useful to both of them.
As he was sitting on the chair, his gaze trembling while he looked around the room, the small door to the room opened slowly. With steady and slow steps, an old man entered the room. As the sunlight from the wide open window bathed him in light, The old man bowed while letting out a sigh. His neat and clean clothes were a perfect fit for his body and his full-white hair showed that he was nearing the end of his lifespan. Yet, the vibrant lifeforce radiating out of him indicated the opposite.
''M'lord Patrick, Cardinal Azral is waiting for your presence at the courtyard!'' Patrick, who was sitting on his son's chair, slowly stood up. He patted old man's shoulder and urged him to stop bowing. Lifting his head, the Old man looked at his lord and master. ''Thanks, Edwin. Sorry to trouble you with taking care of his room.''
The old man looked sad as he replied:
''Of course M'lord. Young Master Leonardo will come back in no time, it would be disrespectful of us to not keep his residence in shape.'' Patrick let out a bitter smile as he patted Head-Butler Edwin's shoulder once more and left the room.
Edwin looked at his master's broad back. The always steady and wide shoulders of his master looked quite fragile these days. ''Young master...'' Edwin looked sentimental as he gazed at the room. ''It has been 3 months... He is fine, right?''
*********
As Patrick FireLion walked through the hallways of his mansion with a calm expression, storms were brewing in his heart.
''3 Months. My son may not be the strongest person but I know that he is not weak. He will surely be alright, he will be...'' Even though he told this line himself countless times, Patrick only felt doubt and anxiousness. He knew what their enemy was capable of, so he also knew what his son could suffer given to his son's position as a high-class noble. ''Why I am always hurting him? Why I can't be a good father? Even in the past, I couldn't prevent him from getting hurt...
He was blaming himself. Patrick couldn't help but do so. There were no pillars he could lay his back nor any stick he could hold to support himself from falling. Each day, the worry and anxiousness in his heart tore him, his feelings. He was a strong man, stronger than anyone with few exceptions. Yet, here he was, safe and sound while his son fell into the hands of the enemy in the battlefield. While he was enjoying tea while watching the pedestrians go back and forth in the streets, his son was suffering inside a dark, muddy cell with no companions...
Patrick shook his head. He knew that no matter how much he blamed himself, his son wouldn't come back. He didn't need any words, he only needed action. This was the reason Cardinal came today. Today was his chance. Today, there was a chance to save his son. Patrick patted his cheeks, just like how his wife was doing it. She always told that it was good to regain your confidence. Of course, Patrick trusted his wife.
Feeling his spirits lifted, Patrick plastered a small smile on his face. It was a facade, a strong one. His weak and small shoulders regained their strength. He let go of his restrictions as the brewing storm of Qi inside his body spread out like wildfire. A huge pressure spread out of his body, Much stronger than even the pressure of the Division Leader of Steel Veins.
His eyes, which were trembling became steady and a fierce glint appeared in his eyes. He straightened his posture and with a strong step, disappeared from his place, appearing right before the eyes of several people inside a courtyard.
*********
'He must be the rumored Patrick Fire Lion.' Cardinal Azral thought in his heart as a man directly appeared in front of their eyes. Azral sized up Patrick as a sliver of amazement appeared on his face. 'He is strong, very strong! Such Confidence, Such Dominating Aura! He is truly fitting to the praises of his Majesty and Holy Father. He is on par with... no, he is superior to the Tiger Of South.' As he was evaluating the Patrick in his mind, Azral stood up.
''Welcome, Cardinal. Sorry for my lacking hospitality, I was working on something.'' Patrick said with a slightly apologetic tone but the dominating aura around him got even stronger, like challenging the Cardinal! 'He is truly living up to his position but today what matters is not his aura, his capability!'
''Don't worry Sir Patrick, We only arrived here after all.'' With a slight smile, Cardinal shook hands with Patrick. ''Then it's a relief for me,'' Patrick said with a confident smile and beckoned them to sit down. When Azral saw Patrick sizing up his 2 guards, his fondness of Patrick increased by another notch. 'He is cautious as well as observant. He is not just some arrogant or narcissist noble. Today will be a tough day from the looks of it.'
''Now, I don't want to bore you with unnecessary pleasantries, so I'll just get to the point.'' Azral smiled as he nodded. ''A wise decision, Sir Patrick. It would be better if we finished this quickly, as I still have to report some things to the Holy Father.'' Actually, that was not the case. Azral wanted to test the patience of the Patrick by letting out a bait, saying that 'There are other urgent matters to do, some even more important than yours.' Both sides had respect for each other, for both capabilities as well as positions of the other side. But, this didn't mean that they would have an amicable relationship.
The Nobles and Church Of Piety were always against each other's throats while Church Of Axi was neutral, only interfering with the affairs of war. So, of course, Patrick requested help from Church Of Axi. His son was in the hands of an enemy and there were several divisions who were currently fighting at the front lines. Aenon Empire started a full-charge without any notice and currently, albeit not in a dire situation, Lore Kingdom's armies were short on both supplies and men. Because of it, Church Of Axi started to move so Patrick reached out to them with some offers. Actually, Patrick's position was high above the Cardinal Azral, only short to the several people like King, Pope, Princes, and Princesses.
Understanding these situations as well as knowing that the other side has lost his son to the enemy, the Pope gave out one, simple order. 'No matter what, you need to involve him in this war!' Azral, in his 67 years of service under the church of Axi, never saw the Holy Father this serious. As one of the high standing people of this Kingdom, even he didn't know the reason for it. Pope himself chose to not explain and said that this was a trial for him, a trial whether or not he was qualified. Azral had some doubts in his minds about what this 'Qualification' meant. Yet, the biggest possibility was the thing that made him excited. ''Qualifications For being a Pope''
Pope was already over 160 years old. Though it may seem like a huge number for the common people, who had an average lifespan of 110 years, this was not a big number to Holy Mages like them. Mages had strong souls, the reason being their advanced fusion and understanding of nature, so they also lived much longer. The longest a person lived in the history of Lore Kingdom was the old Ancestor of Royalty, who was now nearing 350. So, the pope should also have a long time in front of him. Yet, this was not the case.
Current Pope, Andrew Canmore, was gravely injured in a fight when he was young. His soul was at the brink of dispersing and his 2 limbs were completely severed with numerous broken bones. With such grave injuries, it was impossible for him to survive. Yet, a miracle happened. The main deity of Church Of Axi, Deity Of War and Family, sent a sliver of his consciousness to the young Andrew.
The lights were so blinding that even the sunlight was suppressed. The whole world was dyed white and a tremor shook the whole continent. At the center of the event was, of course, Andrew. In a matter of seconds, Andrew's whole injuries were healed and he was even much stronger than before. But, the price was steep.
God took half of his lifespan. He was granted a second life, albeit a short one. Still, the person named Andrew Canmore was very content with this second chance and spent his whole life in a fulfilling manner. With countless efforts and sweat and blood, he managed to reach the top of the Church Of Axi and became the pope at the age of 58, becoming the youngest Pope ever in the history of the Lore Kingdom.
Not only he was the youngest Pope, he was also one of the most capable of them. So, to take over his position, one had to have a proper talent and level of strength as well as capability. The qualifications were sky high and Pope Andrew had no mercy. He had an absolute authority over 6 Cardinals as well as the majority of the Kingdom, only second to King, so no one had the right of complaint.
So, Azral was quite excited and worried at the same time. This mission may be his lead towards the position of Pope, Holy Father, or to his demise. If he were to fail, there may not be a second chance to get a promotion for him. After thinking along these lines, Azral's eyes started to brighten. 'I will grasp this chance, no matter what. I'll show that old Cardinals what I'm capable of!'