Chapter 1326 - @4

It's been some time yet he's still not able to... Sammy has it hard...

Samantha, her twin, she realized, in some ways had it much harder than her. While she struggled because of Miranda's cold reaction, she could still feel the love there. Raymond, on the other hand, he seemed to downright hate his mother.

Maybe, I would act the same as him... but he could cut her some slack now and then...

It was not Suzanne's place to interfere though. No matter however much she would have liked to vouch for her twin, she couldn't after seeing the overt reaction of Raymond. Suzanne liked being special for him, loved their closeness, and how they missed and cared for each other. She loved it too much to jeopardize it by putting in a word for her twin.

We're the worst, all of us! Too fucking selfish!

***

(Part 6)

The sun was just about to set, and the cold winds had picked up. There was little movement of people in the city dyed pink by the last rays of the sun, presumably because everyone had shut themselves inside their homes. The few warriors who were walking along the road looked tired from the day's work, and maybe that's why they didn't rush to their dwellings.

At that very time, a man stood in front of an empty place. He seemed conspicuous to the precious few passersby as the place had been emptied out during the day and he seemed a little late in coming there. The dark-haired man looked from an affluent family based on the nature of his garb and his silver colored light armor; it was quite fitting on his tall and muscular frame.

He looked lonely the way he just remained there like a statue. He stood unmoving for a long time before he finally went inside one of the larger rooms in the deserted building.

"They do move fast!" Raymond muttered to himself after looking around the bleak room. Only a few days ago this place was so full of life with the troupe's people, and now there was nothing. He couldn't reason why he had come here after knowing that Shania and her group had left the city, but his heart was a little calmer when he came inside.

He had spent the better part of the afternoon with Suzanne, right up until she left. She planned to stay the night in one of their military bases and would leave for her destination, Beltran, at the first ray of sun tomorrow. Quite unlike the hub-hub when Suzanne had arrived in the city, her departure was very low key. Apart from him, there was nobody else from his sister and two cousins who remained there to see her off.

"Well, everybody's busy I guess..."

A large bed, that was the only thing left in the room. He chuckled to himself as he laid his eyes on it. The memory of many a night, and mornings, spent in the same bed in the warm embrace of Shania seemed like a thing of the past. A lot of things changed in the space of a few days, and he felt overwhelmed all of a sudden.

"Tomorrow, I have to leave as well..."

A groan escaped his mouth when he realized that he would have to leave for Ostorth the next morning. The earlier jubilation he felt when he had awakened had since mellowed out considerably. There was just dread and worries left behind. He didn't really like the idea of going to meet his mother. The only silver lining was that Suzanne had told him that Samantha would give him something that would increase his power rapidly.

"I'm just too weak as I am right now..."

Raymond was excited about his drastic increase in power and had pestered Suzanne to tell him what star-level his sister and cousins were at the moment. She had told him that he should ask them himself. He understood why they had always kept it a secret from him; however, he felt that he was more than qualified to know as he had also awakened his attribute. And through all of that, the thing that he had wanted to know the most was how much farther he was from Miranda. He vividly remembered what Suzanne had told him after a lot of begging.

"She's very strong... very!"

He was quite taken aback at the moment. For someone like Suzanne to judge as much means that Miranda was more powerful than he could have ever imagined. Raymond, after coming back from the forest, had wanted to meet her so much that he didn't care about anything else and went straight towards her, but he was having second thoughts about it now. They weren't at the best of terms right now, and he realized the extent of his naiveté.

He had thought that awakening his attribute would bring him that much closer to being a worthy man, brother, and cousin. But it all came crashing down when he understood the difference of power between him and his family.

"Fuck! This feeling of defeat and helplessness doesn't taste good at all..."

Now all his hope to catch up rested on his mother, and that was an equally frustrating thing. He shook his head ruefully.

"I don't know what I was thinking about and decided to come here... It didn't feel any better! This is place has depressed me even more than before!"

As he was coming out of the building he spotted Lily leaning against the main gate and watching him.

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself!" It was a pleasant surprise for Raymond, and a smile came upon his face as he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I came for you."

"Me? How did you know I would be here?" By now Raymond had reached her and took her in his arms. Her soft body felt warm against his chest.

Lily shrugged her shoulders without giving him the reason. And Raymond didn't push for it either. There had been a lot of times when he felt down, and Lily would magically appear in front of him to cheer him up.

"Come with me!" Raymond took her hand inside his own and ran towards a slightly new looking building in the distance.

Lily followed behind silently, a smile on her face as she gazed at the union of their hands.

...

The Inn, it was the apt name of one of the very few inns in the city. A two story building, it hadn't been long since it had been completed. The wooden makeup and the ordinary hip roof made it no different from the others in its vicinity. Ryhor was not a big city, and the inns in the city were mostly used by the traveling merchants and the warriors staying there temporarily. The Inn was one of the less popular ones even though it had good service.

"Welcome, your highness!"

A thin, old man greeted Raymond at the door. The inn owner had an appearance that was quite typical of a resident of Ryhor. Very different from the awakened warriors, who always looked to be young and healthy, the old man, like any of the other residents had slightly chapped lips. His brown hair appeared dry, and there were unmistakable signs of cracked skin on his face.

"Gylfi! I hope you've been well!"

"I have been well. Thank you for asking your highness!"

"Yes, of course!" Gylfi leaped to get a room key after Raymond had signaled with his eyes. This wasn't the first time Raymond had been to the inn with a woman in his arms. Gylfi was well-accustomed at this point and knew not to ask any questions. He did, however, wonder because the girl this time had her face covered, which was unusual to the other times.

"Enjoy your stay, your highness!" Gylfi grinned widely as he handed the keys to the room to Raymond.

Raymond smiled thinly and hastily went up the steps with the 'mysterious' woman in tow. Gylfi watched them go and the grin on his face faded quickly. He narrowed his eyes as a contemplating look came upon them.

Is that by chance... Lady Lily?! I have to report this to Sir Henry!

Gylfi called for his assistant as he recalled the tall, athletic figure of the seemingly demure woman and the few stray strands of brown hair. He then hurriedly went out in the night after giving one last glance at the stairs.

...

The room was big, the biggest in the entire inn. The lamps seemed to have been lit just minutes before and the sheets changed as well.

"That bastard, Gylfi! He's damn good at his job!" Raymond grinned as the words escaped his mouth.

"You come here often," Lily noted as she took off her face cover and left it on the small round table by the shut windows.

"I- I don't..." Raymond blushed slightly as he tried to lie his way out of the awkward situation. It was a little unnerving how Lily said it as a statement rather than a query. He was slowly coming to terms with their relationship and didn't exactly know how to deal with it.

"It's fine."

"Sorry-"

"It's fine," Lily reiterated and added in an understanding tone, "Don't worry! I don't hold it against you, and won't do so in the future either."

"Huh? What is that supposed to mean?" Raymond was confused yet also angry at the same time. He didn't quite like the insinuation in her tone.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Lily acted as cool as possible, but inside she felt quite jealous. Jealous of the other girls who had been with Raymond and some who would...

He closed the distance between them and held her in his arms. His face inches away from her quivering lips, he whispered in a dreamy voice, "I love you! You! Please don't doubt it!"

*Gulp*

Lily attacked his lips with a vengeance. She had been waiting and not just since he took her hand and brought her running to this inn. It was surprising to her how easy it was to forget and forgive after Raymond said those words, those magical words.

Frantically, they got rid of their armors and their clothes. A flame of passion was lit in their hearts, and it burned brighter with each second.

"Mmm..." Lily moaned in her twin's mouth. Their tongues rolled around in one another's embrace, playing, probing. Suddenly she leaned back from him and stared at his naked form. Her heart raced as she laid eyes on his erect manhood.

The virgin woman was no more as she pushed him on the bed and attacked his mouth with vigor. His hard member pulsed against her trembling palm.

"Yes!" She growled.

Raymond felt as if Lily would bite off his lips. He didn't expect this aggression when he met her outside. Incidentally, he thought that it was only him who wasn't able to control his urge to bed his twin. That's why he had rushed with her to the inn.

"Lily! Slow down."

The brunette calmed down a little after his words. A blush came across her cheeks as she realized how wildly she had been acting.

"We have the whole night..."

"Yeah!"

Raymond flipped their positions and kissed her soulfully while pressing his weight on her. Their experience in the cave was wonderful, as was the first time they had committed the ultimate taboo, but this time seemed different, better.

They both wanted to be with the other at this moment. They both wanted to be just with the other. There was no sudden surge of emotions, and nobody sought to release their frustrations of long. They just were.

"You're so fucking beautiful; you know that?"

Lily's lips stretched at those words. She pulled his head to her neck and writhed in pleasure when he placed soft, wet kisses on her collar bone. She wasn't good with words, never had been, but even if she were the world's best wordsmith, it wouldn't have mattered. All she could do was groan and mewl as her twin drove her to unknown heights of pleasure.

"I fucking love this! Love you!"

Raymond screamed in glee as his rod pierced the tight hole. He took his time after the abrupt penetration, conscious of the fact that she may have not recovered from the frequent few impaling after her first time last night.

"I'm ready... come take me!"

Lily tried to goad him into action, indifferent to the slight ache in her mound. She liked that little pain, the tenderness at the back of her swollen lips as his length thumped inside her. It reminded her of her first night with Raymond, an extremely precious memory.

"Shhh..."

Raymond smiled at his twin and then shook his head faintly. It wasn't hard for him to tell that Lily was a little uncomfortable due to his size and her relative lack of experience. He expected it and thus had decided to take his time.

"Oh, Ray!"

Lily sighed when he finally started moving. He was slow and careful in his movement as he seemed to not want to inflict any pain on Lily if he could help it, unaware of the exact reason behind her craving.

"So fucking tight you are!"

"Fuck me, Ray! Fuck me!"

Raymond duly obliged to his twin's instructions. He churned his hips against the lithe brunette which elicited a moan of approval from her.

"Good!"

In the dim light of the lamps, he marveled at her beauty. It was still surprising to him how a woman so pretty and strong could want him and love him so much. She was putty in his hands and rather than take advantage of the fact, he just remained amazed by it, content that he could earn her trust and her love.

Leaning down and taking an erect nipple in between his lips, he moaned inattentively, "Love you..."

"Ah, Fuck!"

Those sweet words once again lit her fuse. And the licking sensations to her nipples, as well as the rhythmic stabbing at her love canal, proved a little too much for Lily as she had a momentous orgasm. Her eyes rolled back and her fingers contorted as her whole body convulsed due to the immeasurable pleasure coursing through it.

Lily wished she could bite on to something to get a semblance of reality. Like a glass being shattered, she felt fragile and unrepairable under the storm of pleasure brought about by her brother's inspired lovemaking.

"Ray! Ray!"

She moaned unintelligibly as Raymond resumed the slow, long, strokes to her wet and dripping love hole.

"Ooh..." Raymond groaned after suddenly the grip on his manhood tightened.

Lily opened her eyes to stare at him. She wrapped her arms around his head, pushing him to suck her perky boobs with force.

"Yeeessss!" She moaned when he took the dark nub between his teeth and flicked his tongue over it.

Raymond's hips came to a halt as all his focus turned to her boobs, to love those beautiful mounds of flesh.

"Mmm...."

He licked them madly, slurping at them.

"Ooh... fuck! Fuck!"

Lily squirmed under him, overwhelmed by the tingling sensations. She ran her hands through his dark hair, clutching them between her fingers. Her toes curled as another incredibly wet orgasm rocked her body. When Raymond mashed her tits together and took her two little nubs in his mouth at the same time, Lily felt like an explosion of magical energy had gone off in her volatile pussy.

"Oh Lord!" She screamed hysterically. Her womb leaked and her engorged lips wept love juices in what felt like dozens of gallons a second. The intense aroma of her cum and the reduced friction between his erect member and her inviting love hole made it unbearable for her to ask him to slow down. She just wanted to drown in it, deeper and deeper.

"Ray! More!"

Lily stuck to him like an octopus, her arms and legs wrapped around him tightly, with no room for him to move other than to grind his hips.

"Yes... yes..."

"Oooh, Ray!"

"Yes!"

Raymond's dick was wet with her juices and it made sloshing sounds as it scaled the depths of her pussy. The warmness of her fleshy hole felt so inviting to him that he couldn't have stopped his movements even if he wanted to at that moment.

"Hot... you're so hot..."

But somehow, he did stop. He stopped, hypnotized by her beauty, and bent down so that he could kiss her exquisite face, could press his lips on her flushed cheeks, and could taste the little beads of sweat on her forehead. It was surreal to him, the sheer number of things he wanted to do to her.

"You are so fucking hot!" Raymond screamed all of a sudden, and he swiftly flipped her around on her toned stomach.

"Yes... Do it... fuck me! Fucking... fuck me!" Lily liked his aggressiveness. She wanted him to be like that, to take what he wanted, to take her and want her. "Come on, Ray! FUCK ME!"

Raymond couldn't hold back any longer in the face of that impassioned plea from his ravishing twin.

"Oooh!" They groaned at the same time as he pierced her swollen love hole in one smooth motion.

The warm embrace of his twin sister's pussy and her soft mewls of appreciation drove him wild with love and lust for her.

"Lily, fuck!"

He held her by her thin waist and resumed his heavy strokes. Lily balled her fists and clawed at the bedsheet. The feel of his muscular body coming down on her ass felt like something otherworldly to her. She twisted her neck to make eye contact with him, and a groan of pleasure escaped her lips as she watched the look of an intense concentration and an immense fulfillment on his glowingly handsome face.

*Thump*Thump*

Thumping sounds resonated in the room as the bed struck against the wall by the force of their union. Raymond did not know that being with his twin sister could give him such pleasure. He could have never imagined the fact, nor could he have ever believed that Lily was such an animal in bed.

Now that he understood that Lily didn't mind that little bit of pain, he didn't hold back from really fucking her.

"You like it? Like this?" Raymond whispered near her ear even as he bore down on her with a menace.

"Yeah..."

The deeper meaning of his words along with the crisp impact on her butt as his hips struck her ass made her want to impale herself on his hardness. Lily couldn't get enough of the feeling of being filled by him. The fit between her hole and his manhood seemed impeccable to her, like there couldn't be a better match.

It's as if I'm made for this...

She climaxed as that thought crossed her mind. The idea that she could spend her days, locked in a room with her twin, sent a gush of juices flowing out from her slit. A seedy room, rife with their smell, Lily convulsed as she imagined it. His hold, his strength, it overwhelmed her. She clattered her teeth as she tried to lock his cock inside of her warm, slippery, pussy. The thrusts felt intense and the imagery became blurred. There was only his dick, and the sloshing sound as it fucked her again and again.

"Ahhh!"

"You love this don't you?" Raymond asked as he felt the hold on his dick tighten and watched Lily thrash about in the bed.

"Yes..."

The instant nod of acceptance from Lily left Raymond a little speechless, but he chuckled at the fact that she was just that contrasting in and out of the bed.

"I love it too..." Raymond moaned.

His hands slithered upward and held her tits in them. He massaged her nipples with his fingers while his dick massaged her pussy. Lily kept mewling and pushing her ass back to meet his length with force.

"Fuck!"

"Yes!"

They were in a world of their own, unaware and unconcerned of the world around them, as their bodies rocked against each other. Their youthful love for each other filled them with endless energy as they kept fucking each other.

"Ray, I'm-"

"I'm about to-"

"Cumming!" Lily yelled.

The increased pressure of her hold around his dick and her scream of euphoric gratification proved too much for him to handle and he spurted his seed inside her in jets. The tip of his dick swelled greatly and the opening tingled uncontrollably.

It was relief, pleasure, and freedom all mixed in one. The veins had felt as if they would burst and his soul had felt trapped, eager to let it out, to douse his sister in his semen. He gave one last thrust and drained himself inside that incredibly aromatic hole before pulling out and rubbing the head of his dick over the deep, red, fleshy nub.

"Aah!"

She groaned in rapturous glee as the thick gooey cum flooded her hole.

"Ooh..."

Spent, they fell against each other.

"I love you, Ray..."

Those words were the last ones he heard before sleep overtook Raymond.

***

(Part 7)

In the morning, a loud knock on the door woke Raymond up. He turned to look on his right, but the bed was empty. He smiled to himself as he thought about Lily and the night of passion.

"Fuck! She left me here alone..."

Raymond jumped down the bed and answered the door while taking note to dress himself on the way.

"I'm sorry your highness! There is an urgent messenger for you," Gylfi lowered his head and informed Raymond the reason behind the offensive action of disturbing his sleep.

"Oh! What's the problem?"

"Lady Miranda has called for you at your home." Gylfi shuffled to the side after saying those words while continuing to keep his head lowered.

"Shit!"

There was a sense of Déjà vu for Raymond. The last time he had been with Shania something similar to this had happened not quite later. He hurriedly steadied his clothes and armor and after tossing a couple of gold coins to the old man at the side of the door, he ran down the stair and out of the building.

...

"So?"

Miranda tapped the table after she settled on one of the chairs. There was a loaf of freshly baked bread on the dining table along with a line of various condiments. Raymond, though, was not in a mood to touch any of them. It was the first time since that fateful day that he was alone in a room with Miranda and was sure that no one could disturb them. Miranda had told him as much.

The memory of their kiss and the soft, sexy figure of Miranda kept on playing in his head. However, that was an image far removed from the nostril flaring and sharp eyed woman who sat opposite him.

Raymond glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and thought to himself, she's still so beautiful though...

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

Miranda lifted her right leg over the other one, and her fair skin peeked out from below the brown, long skirt. The greenish, full sleeved blouse was fastened tight to her hourglass figure while she had kept her long hair in a loose ponytail.

"I-I don't understand," Raymond stammered under her furious gaze. He was never good in confrontation with her and frankly, he was unsure of the topic of their conversation, distracted by the impulse to free her hair and stare at it.

"Why didn't you come to see me yesterday? Do you know how worried I was? DO You?"

Raymond was speechless at her sudden outburst. It was plain to see that she was really angry that he hadn't met with her after he returned from the forest. He had wanted to tell her that he did, in fact, come to see her, but she wasn't to be found anywhere, yet the words never left his mouth.

She will kill me if I said that as an excuse...

The fault laid with him, that's what Raymond thought, and decided to apologize just to pacify her a little, "I'm sorry!"

Raymond guessed that Miranda didn't want to keep on scolding him and that he had looked so ashamed and repentant that she decided to forego her anger, "I'm sorry too. I know I could have looked for you myself."

"Here," She extended her hand and took his palm under her own.

Raymond smiled as the clouds of confusion and guilt cleared from over his head. He was never any good at handling Miranda's ire, and this time he had really overstepped his bounds. At the end of the day, to kiss her was no joke. There was the thing that they hadn't actually cleared the air between them, but he was much more at ease. From the way Miranda was acting, he reckoned she had decided to overlook the matter. And he was fine with them pretending that it never happened.

Maybe it's for the best...

Though he couldn't get rid of the myriad of jumbled feelings, when the smiling face of Lily flashed before his eyes his mind became calmer. The soft voice of Miranda and the warm feel of her hand would have his heart racing any other time, but at the moment he pushed those emotions down and tried to keep them away. He decided that the best thing would be to behave like he had always behaved, even if it may seem a little unnatural, and ignore the complicated feelings inside his heart.

"I have something for you." Miranda smiled mysteriously as she stood up, though her expression darkened after she turned around from him. Wistfulness engulfed her whole being, seeing that she had somehow ended up worse than how she had started.

"It will be tougher from here on..."

"Did you say something?" Raymond felt as if Miranda muttered something to him and asked her about it.

"I said to wait right there while I go get it," Miranda spoke without turning back and went towards her room.

After a few moments, she was back with a leather pouch and proceeded to hand it to Raymond as she took her place opposite him.

"Open it!" Miranda coaxed.

"Alright..."

What came out of that pouch was a magic stone of considerable size. Raymond was stunned by its texture and weight. He had never seen a magic stone with such dense mana and of such huge proportions.

Usually, a magic stone was barely bigger than the length of a finger with varying thicknesses. However, the magic stone given to him by Miranda was nearly the length of his palm and wide as his fist. Most importantly though, it was of earth type, incredibly rare and precious one inside their kingdom.

Raymond gulped unconsciously and gazed at Miranda with worshipful eyes. Without thinking, he left his seat and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Congratulations on awakening your attribute!" Miranda whispered to his ear as she tightened her hold on him.

"But I wanted the fire element...!"

"Ha-ha... Did you say that to Lily?"

Raymond smiled sheepishly as he sat back down.

"The poor girl!" Miranda sighed and then added in a low voice, almost as if regretful, "You should pay more attention to other's feelings..."

"Yeah, I think so too!"

Raymond muttered, but all of his attention was on the magic stone. It was a magic stone of an earth attribute beast. A magic stone was the condensation of mana of a beast and could be obtained after processing its dead body. If he could absorb all the mana within it, then his power would surely skyrocket. There was even a chance that he would directly improve his star level.

"It's just what I needed. Thank you!" Raymond grinned widely at the smiling Miranda.

He didn't ask her how she had gotten it or if it would be better utilized by herself. He didn't ask these questions because he was long used to being treated like this by Miranda, being spoiled by her. Miranda had always saved the best of things for him. Even when they were kids and living at the palace, she would secretly take out something precious and give it to him.

It was similar to the time when he had thought about Miranda as soon as he had awakened. He just couldn't explain it, but it felt like the most natural thing to think of her whenever there was ever a happy incidence.

"Now all I need is a new weapon!"

"Why? What happened to your sword?"

"Lily forbade me to use it... She says that since I am an earth attribute awakened, I shouldn't use a sword anymore."

"Ha-ha... I believe she pulled one over on you!"

"Really?" Raymond's skeptical tone changed to overjoyed in an instant, "You mean to say that I can still use the sword?"

"Yeah..."

Miranda chuckled sexily, and her ponytail came undone because of shaking her head back and forth. She took the few loose strands of hair and tucked them behind her ear.

"You should really start to pay attention to others..."

"Hmm," Raymond absentmindedly groaned at her seductive turn and the throaty whisper. He was spellbound for a second and almost repeated his actions of that day, but at the last moment, he checked himself. He decided to escape before he did something really embarrassing.

"I have to leave!" He stood up from his seat and tried to make his way out hastily.

...

"Wait!" Miranda sauntered to him and fussed about his clothes and armor. By now, she had become used to the abruptness of Raymond. He had a tendency to dodge and delay the things he found uncomfortable. She didn't exactly like that about him, but now it didn't bother her as much as it used to do, a few years earlier.

Raymond was brave, she knew that, although not when it came to dealing with his family. However, she had decided to wait. Because, after all, she had an unshakable belief in him; an unshakable belief that, no matter what happened, he would always come back to her. She just had to make sure that it was sooner rather than later.

"I don't know what you will have to do once you reach Ostorth..." Her eyes turned piercingly serious as she concluded her sentence, "But remember this, no matter what happens in the future, no matter how much time has passed, Ryhor will always be our home!"

"Our only home!"

***

(Part 8)

Ostorth, the capital of Gelodesh was considerably bigger than the only other two cities in the kingdom. The streets were wider, the buildings bigger and the population larger and livelier. Moreover, the weather was more pleasant too.

The palace in the middle of the city was the largest, the grandest place in the city. Any passerby would stop for a few seconds to marvel at the structure. It was built in a style that was quite different to the palaces of the neighboring kingdoms and was much more reminiscent of the southern kingdoms.

Golden in color and with tall towers on all four sides of it, it was an airy palace with a good number of windows and a large garden. Considering there was snowfall in the city, even if it wasn't heavy like in the two northern cities, the design was a little conspicuous. Nonetheless, it was very beautiful.

A large carriage stopped in front of the palace and Raymond alighted from it. The first thing that caught his eyes wasn't the grand palace, it wasn't the magnificent artistry on the walls, and it wasn't the palace guards standing at attention for his arrival.

No! It was a woman. It was an alluring woman with fiery red hair and a wide smirk on her face.

"Yo!"

"... Rose!"

***A wooden carriage was travelling on an empty road under the thin forest canopy. The light drifting through was refracted by the misty haze as it illumined the path. It was enough at the moment that no lamps were required, but the light was receding, ever so inevitably. The coachman expertly held the reins of the two horses, his face stern. The distant noises of beasts didn't faze him one bit, and his eyes remained vigilant for any sudden trouble. Four guards on the sides of the carriage rode close to it, maintaining a constant speed.

The carriage could by no means be called huge; however, it appeared large enough for a speedy and comfortable journey if there was only a couple of people inside. Nonetheless, it shouldn't be a concern because the narrow road on which it had been travelling was well maintained, though it didn't look as special as the one in the big cities of the south and the west. Only a few pebbles to its edges were visible and that took a much closer inspection than was necessary. It was a given in this case, as the road was the only one between the two cities of Ryhor and Purvoth.

"Halt!" A stern voice echoed.

The coachman pulled on the reins and the carriage slowed to a stop on the guard captain's command. Apart from the coachman, the three guards, along with the guard captain, dismounted their horses. The guard captain swiftly covered the few meters of distance between his position and the carriage and then briskly knocked on its door.

*Knock*Knock*

"Sir Raymond!"

A minute or so later, when a strikingly handsome young man alighted from the carriage, the guard captain greeted him in a polite tone. The dark haired man, covered in a full-body-armor, nodded as he observed the surroundings.

"Captain Fjord!"

"Reporting! We are a kilometer away from the Purvoth base."

"Hmmm..."

Raymond deeply inhaled the misty air. He had been inside the carriage for quite a while and took time to stretch himself. Bending down, he stroked the slightly damp earth and hummed contentedly as he felt the richness of the soil. Since the day he had awakened to the earth attribute, he had felt a renewed appreciation and connection to the earth and his surroundings. He couldn't explain the feeling itself, but he knew that it felt strangely comforting whenever he made contact with the surface. It was as if he had met someone whom he had missed for a long time.

Raymond straightened his back slowly, his gaze fixed on the patch of earth. The neighing of the nearby horses broke his stupor. He took a cursory glance towards the setting sun before he turned to his left and commented, "we shall stay in the base. If we go inside the city, then we might be late tomorrow."

"Yes, Sir Raymond!"

"We can't be more delayed than this..." Raymond added as he turned towards the carriage.

Captain Fjord acknowledged the command and waited for Raymond to board the carriage before he took his place at the head of the party and signaled to follow along behind him.

...

"Hah! The time passed by so quickly!"

Raymond slumped onto the cushions. His shoulders felt stiff from the long journey. It had been a couple of days since he left Ryhor. The journey to Ostorth proved tedious for him, sitting in that small space and spending last night in the wild. One had to pass through Purvoth if they wanted to travel from Ryhor to Ostorth, and it took two whole days if they rushed their travel. It was on Raymond's command that they had slowed down on the way.

"Fucking infuriating! I couldn't even celebrate my awakening properly..."

Raymond was not at all glad that he had to leave Ryhor to meet his mother. He had delayed it for as long as he could, and his only solace was the fact that he would be getting something out of it. Something incredible, much in the likes of the absurdly big magic stone given to him by his gorgeous cousin.

"Miranda! So awesome..."

He let out a sigh and glanced at the nearly depleted magic stone. Throughout the journey, he had been absorbing the concentrated magic power contained in it to increase his own mana. The effect was far better than he had imagined. He had already become a full-fledged 2-star level awakened warrior, one who was near to evolving his mana pool for the third time.

"Using money to gain power is awesome!"

Raymond had completed the second evolution of his magic pool last night after they had halted for the night at a predetermined place. The five people with him were a little shocked when he had started to laugh maniacally in the middle of the night.

"Hmm... but they didn't look as surprised by it as I would have thought..."

Captain Fjord, in particular, had seemed like he was used to such scenes, and that didn't sit well with Raymond.

"He shouldn't have the money for it. The same goes for the other captains in the base, then why..."

Raymond had been in a terrific mood because of his rapid progression. He had always felt weak and out of place in his family of super powerful women. It wasn't because he was the only male, which was quite strange in itself; he had become used to that reality a long time ago. The thing that always haunted him though, was that he was the only one who hadn't awakened and thus was the weakest among them. He couldn't help but feel ashamed, embarrassed, or even unworthy whenever he stopped to compare himself with his sister and cousins.

"Hmmm... maybe Rose and Lily too used magic stones to raise their levels?"

That was a sobering thought. Raymond clenched the dimly shining magic in his fist. He wanted to become strong and do it right then; he couldn't afford to wait any longer. For far too long, he had been the black sheep, and the thought that it would forever remain the same made him a bit despair. He felt like punching a hole in the wall as he thought about the wide gap between his current self and Miranda, his ultimate goal.

"Fuck! I have to become strong at any cost!"

Raymond had a determined look on his face as he gritted his teeth.

"No matter what! I will become the strongest and..."

***

Scene 2

Ostorth: the capital of Gelodesh.

Raymond peeked out from the little window on the side after he pulled aside the curtains. The city was much the same as he remembered it. He hadn't been back in the capital since he left for Ryhor all those years ago. As the carriage passed by a few familiar places, he reminisced, with a smile on his face, about the days of his childhood spent in the city.

"Ryhor is far better..." he muttered longingly.

Obviously, as a city itself, Ostorth was far superior in comparison to Ryhor. The size, the population, the riches, everything was a notch above here in Ostorth. The houses and streets seemed much cleaner, devoid of snow. There weren't as many people wearing armor and wielding weapons. The guards inside seemed a little less vigilant, so did the people in whole, owing to the fact that the distance with the Northern Forest made it highly unlikely for a prime beast to wander inside.

Raymond, though, felt much more comfortable and loved in the smaller of the two places. It was as if he had arrived in an alien place. Although life in Ryhor was extremely tough and, not just for the general public, it was fulfilling. He had some problems, but they had nothing to do with Ryhor. He loved that place, the place where he grew up, found love... the place where he awakened.

"Sigh..."

His heart felt melancholic, and he laughed at that.

"I have only just left there. It hasn't been even a week..." Raymond muttered to himself and tried to cheer himself up by thinking about his recent success in training his magic.

Gradually, though, as the carriage passed through the wide streets and towards the sparsely populated but heavily guarded area, his mood worsened. The palace became visible, and Raymond snorted in derision of its showiness.

"What a bunch of..."

The kingdom of Gelodesh wasn't a wealthy kingdom. The royalty, the nobles and the people accepted that fact because of the harsh geographical conditions and the threat from the Northern Forest. And apart from the few tribes, the residents of the kingdom looked favorably upon their rulers. The rulers along with the noble class also made sure and never tried to exploit the poor people. They did everything to make the life of the people that much easier. The only exception was the large and grand palace, which looked extremely out of place in comparison to the rest of the capital.

"I will never understand what they were thinking when they built it... then again the style of architecture is also very different and glitzy... it doesn't make sense at all!"

The carriage came to a stop just outside the large entrance. The little commotion caused by the greeting party as they gathered near it, was the signal for Raymond to alight from his carriage.

"Yo!" A heavy yet melodic voice resounded which turned everybody silent.

Raymond followed the voice instinctively, and what greeted him was the sight of an incredibly eye-catching woman. She had a mocking smile on her beautiful oval face as she gazed straight at him. Her fiery red hair was tied in a long ponytail and there was a sword fastened to her hips. The brown, leather jacket, draped over her white shirt, fluttered in the gentle wind. Much like her hair, her figure was fiery, big breasts, thin waist, and long legs to die for.

She was sat on one of the pillars supporting the heavy iron gate and had dangled her left leg from it. While the right leg was bent at the knee and held tight to her breast, mashing them sexily. Unexpectedly she jumped down and made a beeline for Raymond. The clacking noise of her boots, matched with the tight, brown, leather pants, was the only noise in the surrounding until Raymond spoke airily.

"... Rose!"

"Yo, Ray!" Rose hugged him deeply before she playfully bopped his head. "Finally awakened huh!"

The happiness that Raymond had felt on seeing her vanished in an instant. He pushed her hands away as he glanced at the dumbstruck surrounding and chided in a serious tone, "Can't you behave modestly? We aren't in Ryhor anymore."

"Ooh! Little Ray Ray got his feelings hurt!" Rose laughed uproariously and then put her arm around and Raymond. She waved at the people, signaling them to disperse as she dragged an unwilling Raymond inside and towards the direction of the audience chamber.

"Just bear with it for the time being. I will bring you to buy a new sword afterwards." Rose whispered in his ear in a calming voice unlike her previous playful self.

***

Scene 3

Raymond stood in the center of a large hall. The hall was airy and well lit by the rays of the sun coming in from the open windows in the three directions. The place was adorned with purple colored drapes. The long carpet running the length of the hall from the entrance right up to the throne, placed on a beautiful dais, was also purple in color. The throne looked as if it was made out of gold, but Raymond knew that it wasn't the case in actuality. All in all, the court looked extremely glorious.

"What a waste of resources!" Raymond clicked his tongue.

He felt a lot of annoyed gazes directed at him. However, as he glanced around the hall and the people averted their eyes from him.

A bunch of pussies! Raymond scoffed at them. Not all of the nobles attending the court were awakened as the number of those were truly too few, although Gelodesh had a higher number of them. Raymond didn't want to mix with those nobles as he didn't seem it worthy of his time. Miranda was next in line for the throne, and he couldn't care less for it anyhow.

He gazed at the two rows of seats, lined opposite to each other and on the sides of the wide carpet, were meant for the nobles and the royal court members. Right now, there were a number of empty seats nearer to the entrance. However, the ones close to the dais were all occupied, and a man who was stood the closest to the dais met Raymond's gaze.

Ian Wilson or Old Man Wilson as Raymond liked to call him, the head of the Wilson family, looked at him with a kind smile on his face. Ian was a powerful awakened of 7-star level, and a well-respected military expert of the Gelodesh Kingdom. The Wilson family had a history of producing long lines of powerful military strategists and Ian was one of the most outstanding among them. He was a very free-spirted man but, was fiercely loyal to the Tygrines and their royal authority.

"Old Man! I see you're in high spirits as always!" He strolled to him and called out.

"Your Highness!" Ian laughed and did a small bow to Raymond. "It's a very joyous day. After such a long time I get to meet you, and you have already awakened your attribute. So of course, I'm in high spirits," he said and then laughed boomingly once more.

Raymond shook his head and acted exasperated. He liked the old man. Although he called him old man, the man didn't look a day older than forty-five-years. The awakened with each increase in their star-level would become stronger, and as a result, their bodies would too. Thus, it was quite difficult to tell their age by looking at their appearance. The higher the star-level, the more youthful and long lived one was, that was a common knowledge in the continent.

"Where is Rose? Have you seen her?" Raymond asked after they went back and forth with each other. Rose, had left him alone right at the entrance of the chamber after dragging him through the hallways. He was a little pissed at her for that. She had left saying that she would take only a minute, but he knew better to believe in her words.

"I think Lady Rose is with Her Majesty the Queen..."

"What!? When did she get there?"

Raymond was confused but he didn't have to wait long to find his answer. Rose sauntered inside the hall and winked playfully before she bumped him lightly as she stood beside him. The arrogant look on her face irked Raymond immensely at that moment.

"What the fuck! Where were you?" He hissed by her ear.

"Little Ray Ray can't handle being alone, yeah?"

"I told you not to call me that!"

"Ooh, Little Ray Ray is a big man now!"

Raymond clenched his teeth and whispered, "Do you want me to show you?"

"Hehe," Rose giggled for a moment. "Now that you've awakened I won't go easy on you..." A wicked aura enveloped her as she said those words. Raymond could only gulp in a breath seeing his cousin like that.

While they were bickering among themselves, the few voices around them fell silent all of a sudden. The people around them had all bent their knees. Raymond hurriedly looked to his front and saw his mother about to take her place at the throne.

She looked as gorgeous and as solemn as ever. Her lustrous, long, blonde hair were fastened in a braided bun and it highlighted the regal look of hers. The royal garbs, a mix of gold and purple, didn't give much hint to her body, however, Raymond knew she had all the traits of a strong awakened. Her face looked a lot like Lily, and nothing like him.

"Your Majesty!" Raymond bent his knee to express his respects. From the corner of his eyes he noticed Rose shaking her head at him. The lamenting expression on her face irked him to no extent.

"Rise."

Raymond and the rest of the people arose and gazed forward. The Queen, Samantha, glanced at them and then gestured to take their seats. Raymond nearly had a mind to kick at Rose who was doing a very poor job of holding back her laughter. In actuality, Raymond didn't need to bow or bend his knee before the queen. As a royalty of Gelodesh Kingdom, though he didn't have a lot of perks, it was one of the few he could enjoy.

"So clumsy! Why do you insist on making a fool of yourself?!" Rose's whisper evoked some gloomy and lonely memories. He already didn't like the stuffy atmosphere in Ostorth and the weirdness of his mother, who had yet to meet his gaze or say any words to him, added to it.

She's just a lesser version of Aunt Suzy...

Raymond comforted himself with that thought. They were twins, Suzanne and Samantha, and looked quite similar to each other, unlike Rose and Miranda. However, Raymond always felt that Suzanne was the more beautiful, sexy, capable and warm of the two. Turbulent, couldn't begin to describe his relation with his mother, and he had given up on remedying it.

"Son, it's wonderful that you have awakened your attribute..."

"Thank you for the kind words, your majesty!" Raymond replied stiffly. He gazed at his mother there was slight hint of joy on her face but nothing more than that. It was a stark contrast from the reactions of the rest of his family, Rose included.

Even now, her vision seemed to be more on Rose to his side than him. It was as if she was purposefully avoiding facing him, and he couldn't understand the reason behind it. Nevertheless, it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would. Although he would've liked it very much if his mother would treat him as well as she did his twin or his cousins, he had outgrown her at this point.

"Rose, I expect you to handle that thing..." Samantha said with a smile on her face.

"Leave it to me, Aunt Sam!" Rose loudly answered as she nodded and thumped Raymond's back. It would've been far unusual or horrible if it was other than Rose who had acted disrespectfully like that, but the people in the hall were used to such scenes.

Raymond understood that it was an indirect signal for him to take his leave. He wryly smiled to himself and did a quick bow. "Your Majesty!"

Without sparing a glance to his mother, he turned around and walked out after that, and thus missed out the complicated gaze that streaked through her eyes.

...

Raymond, a little distracted, was just about to exit the palace gates when Rose rushed in front and glared at him.

With her arms on her waist, she spoke in an admonishing tone, "why can't you be a little less stiff?! You are an awakened now! Miranda spoiled you too much!"

Raymond returned her glare with a ferocious look of his own. He was beyond pissed off by her constant egotistic acts. Before he could launch into a furious rant though, Rose sighed heavily and hugged him close to her breasts.

"Forget it... I'm sorry! Let's go, we have a lot of things to do!"

***

Scene 4

"Henry Trading Association, huh?" Raymond muttered. He sighed contemplatively as he gazed at the impressive and imposing nature of the shop. Rose had brought him here and he was looking forward to what she'd had in mind.

It had been a few hours since they had been messing about and roaming around in the city. He was in a fine mood. Rose was extremely fun, and he sometimes forgot how entertaining and enjoyable it was to spend time with her.

However, he hadn't forgotten about the purpose of his visit to Ostorth. In the few hours together with Rose, he had pestered her to no end. Although she refused to reveal anything about it, by the impish look on her face, he guessed that it was definitely something special. The jealous grumbles she let out from time to time, reaffirmed his thought.

At least mother didn't skimp out on it, so there's that... Raymond had been apprehensive to see his mother. He was a little disappointed after their public meeting but wasn't all that surprised by it.

"Hey!" The loud voice beside his ear, cleared his mood.

"Why are you standing there like an idiot? Come in, quick!" Rose spoke shaking her head. She grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the entrance of the shop. "You can buy whatever you want! It's on me!"

"Really?!" Raymond asked surprised.

"Of course! You've finally awakened your attribute! I was so excited when I got the news, I couldn't catch a wink these past few days."

Raymond arrogantly hummed, feeling quite pleased with himself. With a wide smile on his face, he asked, "Why were you excited though?"

He expected that Rose would say that she was so excited because of the sheer joy she'd felt for him, or something along those lines, but he almost stumbled to the ground when he heard her answer. "Why? Obviously, it's because I won't have to hold back in our spars anymore!"

"You! You, violent freak!"

"Ha-ha..." Rose laughed noisily and then suddenly brought her dazzling face close to his. In a wicked tone, she asked, "You're not scared, are you?"

Raymond gulped as her hot breath hit his face. He sniffed her alluring scent and grunted before pushing her away, "Who's scared of whom?!"

"Ha-ha... Little Ray Ray is scared!" Rose teased and ruffled his hair.

"I told you not to call me that!"

...

"Lady Rose! Sir Raymond!" A handsome, middle aged man greeted and welcomed them inside the shop's lobby.

"Huh?" Rose started looking at him and then questioned, "Uncle, didn't I see you in Ryhor only a week back? When did you arrive here?"

The man smiled jovially and then explained that he had arrived the day before since he had some business in Ostorth. He then turned to Raymond and congratulated him, "...Tygrine Family had gained another scion in their ranks!"

Raymond was a little surprised that he would encounter Theodore Henry here in Ostorth. Theodore was the president of the Ryhor branch of the Henry Trading Association, and a very busy man. Nonetheless, he didn't pay much mind to it and decided to politely accept the few words of praises. Quite typically though, Rose cut in before he could respond.

"Why, of course! Raymond is a scion of our family, after all..." After a moment's pause, she waved her hand and remarked joyfully, "Well, whatever. Now that you are here, I can get a great deal!"

"I'll do my best..."

"Come, Ray! Let's look at some swords!"

Raymond followed her excitedly. He could finally get his hands on a magic sword, one which could multiply his power by many folds.

***

Scene 5

"I can't believe you bought this for me!" Raymond's eyes glimmered as he appraised his new magic sword. He had also purchased a new armor, wrist guards, along with a few other equipment, however, his mind was occupied with the sword.

The new sword was heavier and longer in reach than his previous one. It also had a magic gem embedded in the base of its hilt, carefully crafted to increase the mana circulation of its wielder and amplify it by three times. Obviously, it had costed a lot, nearly three-years of his allowance worth.

"You can't just have shabby equipment anymore! It would be embarrassing for me..." Rose deflected his heartfelt words with an easy tone. As an awakened, she had significantly larger allowance than Raymond, as well as having other sources of income. Still, it was a huge investment.

"Did you learn any spells yet?"

"Only a few... Lily taught me..." Raymond absentmindedly answered, all his focus elsewhere at the moment.

"Oh yeah..." Rose abruptly snatched the sword away from him and glared at him. "Don't you ignore me, Ray!"

Raymond was shocked speechless for a whole minute before he muttered, "I'm sorry. Please, can I have it back?"

"Hmph!" Rose snorted and handed it back to him.

Raymond knew she had a fickle temper and in all honesty, he always thought that she was a bit of a loose cannon. Moreover, she had been very nice to him so he decided to look over the little things, only if to keep peace for the time being.

"Okay, can you please tell me what is the secret thing? It's a magic stone right?"

Rose flashed him an innocent smile. "You really want to know?"

It was exasperating at this point, but Raymond played along, "Yes, I want to know."

"Hmm," Rose put her finger to her lips and pretended to be deep in thought. After a few seconds of holding that pose she asked in a serious tone, "You want to try out your new gear?"

A little skeptically, he answered, "Yes, but what does it have-"

"Come with me!"

Rose grabbed his arm and dragged him with her.

...

Raymond panted as he glared at his cousin. She was arrogantly looking around, observing the training grounds. It had taken them a good thirty minutes of hard running to get to the military base of Ostorth from near the lake they were at earlier.

He huffed while his breathing gradually returned to normal, "You, crazy woman! Why did you bring me here? And will you finally, for the love of lord, tell me what it is?"

"Fine! You're such a crybaby!" Rose brought a leather pouch from lord knows where and pulled out a shiny magic stone, with a tiny murky spot in the middle of it.

Raymond's eyes glimmered with excitement. It was just as he had thought, a magic stone of earth type prime beast, not any smaller than the one he got from Miranda. He tried to snatch it from Rose but she was like a cat.

"Tsk-Tsk," Rose tutted. "Little Ray Ray is a naughty boy, isn't he?" She laughed heartily when he glared at her menacingly. "Fine, fine..." She paused to put the magic stone back in the leather pouch and concluded with a playful wink, "you can have it if you win!"

"Win?" By now their commotion had drawn in the nearby soldiers who were staring at them, more accurately at Rose. Raymond unmindful of it questioned, "Win what? Against whom? You?!"

"Ooh... that would be going too hard on you!" Rose glanced at the soldiers, who had all puffed out their chests. She pointed at one of the more handsome looking one and remarked, "Against him! Yes, defeat him and it's yours!" She suddenly brought her lips close to his ear and whispered, "Or you can just beg for it!"

...

"Sir Raymond!" Emil Gudmundsson slightly bowed his head at Raymond and then turned towards Rose. Time seemed to stop for him as he gazed at that stunning face. With a deep longing evident in his voice, he greeted, "Lady Rose!"

"Emil. I hope you've been well."

Her voice sounded sweet as always, like it was the call of lark. It had been more than a couple of years since that time in Purvoth. He still remembered that steamy night, the best night of his life. They had met while she had come to see her mother and discuss some business. He had been tasked to show her around the base, not that she needed him to, but it was her request. After that, the next two days were the best days of his life. Those fiery hairs and that mesmerizing ass, they were never far away from his thoughts.

"Uhhm..." Raymond cleared his throat and that broke Emil's stupor. He apologized immediately, "Please overlook my rudeness, I was just a little taken aback..."

"Looks like you're not the only one!" Raymond's tone was full of ridicule and his eyes cold. Emil was confused by the sudden hostility, however, it was not his place to question Raymond.

"Lady Rose, you've called for me?" With some hope, Emil asked. He was not stupid so as to believe that there would be a repeat of that time, still, he believed that if he could somehow impress her enough, she would give him a chance one more time.

Rose glanced to her side, at the frigid face of Raymond, and a smile bloomed across her face. "Have a spar with Raymond here!" She paused and when she was convinced that she had his complete attention, winking playfully, she added in a low voice, "If you perform admirably, I would be very happy..."

A fire of want burned inside Emil. He was reminded of that ethereal night and could only stare blankly at her. It was hard to look away from her. As a soldier and an awakened, he was always taught to be alert at all times. However, he didn't mind being in a daze if the cause of it was Rose.

Miranda and Rose, their existence in Gelodesh was akin to two fairies. The difference being, Miranda was like an unattainable goddess residing high in the sky. Whereas, Rose was like an angel who would sometimes come down to play with the mortals. He was one of the lucky mortals.

Emil spluttered, "Yes, as your wish..." He couldn't believe that he was doing it again, staring at Rose. from the corner of his eyes, he noticed that with each passing second, Raymond was growing more and more annoyed. "Sir Raymond, shall we?"

Raymond snorted and followed Emil.

"Ray! Don't embarrass me!" Rose's voice sounded behind their backs.

...

In the widest training arena, the two men stood facing each other. The distance between them was nearly 20 meters. It would see a little too far away, unless the abilities of awakened were taken into account. The arena was a flat surface with a very little amount of snow and sand mixed in patches. It was done to take into account the environment of neighboring kingdoms.

Surrounding the round arena were a few of the soldiers. Rose on the other hand was stood inside it. The arena was big, big enough that there was at least ten meters of space left behind both men. So Rose, who was cautiously watching them from one end of it, wasn't to be a hindrance. She had a sharp look in her eyes and there was an aura of alertness around her. Fights between awakened were always dangerous, even if it was a friendly spar.

Moreover, Raymond appeared extra motivated. She didn't know if it was because he was eager to test out his new power or something else. One thing was clear though, he was extremely serious about it. He held the same stance when he had fought her previously. Still, there were minute differences. His knees were bent in an angle slightly larger than before and the grip of his left hand on his sword, held vertically parallel to his gait, seemed a little looser. The new sword was lighter and sharper so he could definitely afford to swing it with one hand, but she was sure there was another reason for this change.

...

"Sir Raymond!" Emil signaled his readiness as he drew his twin daggers from his sides. He glanced at his left towards Rose, and was disappointed to find that she wasn't paying attention to him. However, he didn't dwell on it. His gaze turned serious and the air around him changed. He no longer seemed like a love-struck fool instead a veteran warrior.

The tension in the atmosphere was palpable. It was eerily silent, only sounds being that of heavy breathing and the drops of sweat hitting the ground.

"Huh!" Raymond grunted and his voice echoed in the silent environment. In a burst he halved the distance between them.

Emil brought his dagger in front of his face and bent down to receive the impact from his sword. He had known about Raymond's fighting style and how he liked to attack with heavy blows from the front. Although he believed he was well prepared, he was wrong in this instance.

"Petra Vlastos!"

A large projectile made of rock flew towards Emil's face. Shocked by its size and speed, he hurriedly rolled to his side. Raymond was over him by the time he had dodged it.

Before Emil steadied himself, Raymond's left hand, which had shot the stone projectile, gripped the sword and brought it down two-handedly. The sword made a beautiful curve as it arced towards Emil's head.

*Tong*

Sound of metal clashing reverberated. Emil felt the full brunt of Raymond's power. He was shocked by the sudden spell and his opponent's strength. The twin daggers in his hands were magic equipment, he shuddered at the thought of them being ordinary iron ones...

Raymond sneered as he looked down, "Be serious, loverboy... you won't get a second chance in a real fight..."

Emil kicked on the ground and extended the distance between them. His expression was a little foul at being embarrassed. He peeked at Rose who was still focusing on Raymond. Inwardly, he shook his head and wiped the sweat stuck to his blonde eyelashes.

"You are very powerful, Sir Raymond. Although I never meant to do it, I apologize for unintentionally misjudging your ability..."

The truth was, Emil was more than a little surprised. Raymond had only just awakened his attribute, and by normal sense he shouldn't be this powerful and proficient with his spell casting. Then again, nobody was normal in the royal family. There was a particular rumor in the kingdom about how Raymond was exceptionally talented with mana, yet mysteriously he failed to awaken. Emil, now, believed in it somewhat.

"I won't hold back... Here I come!" Emil dashed. He was much faster than Raymond and was upon him in an instant.

Emil slashed upwards with his right dagger, and in the same breath he brought down the other dagger downwards from opposite angle.

*Clang*Clang*

Raymond deflected both of the daggers with his sword as his body backpedaled by the force of Emil's strikes.

"Huff!" Emil grunted as he unleashed a flurry of strikes. The twin daggers shone beautifully as they reflected the light. Raymond continued to retreat towards the arena wall as he deflected each of his attacks.

"This is nothing!" Raymond shouted and kicked at him when there was a slight window of opportunity. Emil skillfully dodged to the side, though Raymond had increased the distance between them in that moment.

"Is this all you got, loverboy?!" Raymond sneered.

Emil furrowed his brow at that. Raymond was pretending to be unfazed; however, he could see that Raymond's hands were somewhat shaking. Emil was impressed that it was only to that extent and Raymond was still standing scot-free. He hadn't held back this time and had used his full force.

"You're very impressive, Sir Raymond!" Emil commented calmly. Though he didn't have the raw power of an earth element awakened such as Raymond, he had complete confidence in his speed being a wind element awakened. What had impressed him the most was the technique of Raymond. There weren't much openings he could aim at and he had been deflected quite proficiently even if had the advantage of quick strikes.

"Again!" Emil dashed and stabbed with his right hand straight towards Raymond's heart.

Raymond smirked and single-handedly brought his sword downward aiming at Emil's neck, confident because of the longer reach of his weapon. However, the stab was a feint and Emil changed it to a slash at Raymond's wrist. While Raymond tried to pull back, Emil bent sideways to get out of the scope of the sword and increase the force of his slash. At the same moment, he thrust his other dagger at Raymond's throat.

"Hooh!" Emil grunted. He was sure that this would be the end of the spar. Raymond was stuck, as the momentum due to the downward strike of the sword had made it impossible to pull back the sword and dodge the thrust to the neck at the same time. If Raymond had waited just for a moment longer, he wouldn't have tried to pull back his sword and wouldn't be stuck in this situation. However, it was for that tiny opportunity alone that Emil had employed this tactic.

The second dagger was very fast, enhanced by his wind magic spell it was faster than the one in his right hand, and would reach Raymond's throat in less than a second.

"It's over..." Emil whispered to himself as he saw the panicked expression on Raymond's face.

He guessed that Raymond would prioritize saving his wrist. It was a given, after all. It was a spar and not a life-death encounter between enemies. He had planned to stop his thrust just before it could actually injure Raymond. With a dagger at his throat He was completely confident in his victory and relaxed his hand. Abruptly, though, the situation changed.

"Petra Vlastos!" Raymond screamed. A round stone, size of an infant's fist, explosively shot from his free hand and struck square on Emil's armored chest. The large and revolving projectile instantly pushed Emil's body backwards, making his legs airborne. In that split second, Raymond changed the grip on his sword and let it strike against the dagger.

"Petra Vlastos!" Another, much larger, projectile blasted out from Raymond's hand and crashed on Emil's chest.

It blew the blonde man away. His body slid on the hard surface for a few meters before coming to stop. When he stood on his feet, a trail of blood seeped through his lips. He wiped it with his empty hand, his dagger lying on the ground by Raymond's feet.

"What? Did you think it was over? Did you think it was enough to defeat me, lover boy?!" Raymond sneered.

Emil glanced around to find that there was a lot of admiration among the spectating soldiers' eyes. He heard praises for Raymond's quick-wittedness and technique to not only get out of an extremely sticky situation, but also reverse it.

"I honestly can't deny it..." Emil nodded. He couldn't quite believe the extraordinary battle instincts of Raymond. It was as if, all his moves were seen through and he had been lured into a false sense of victory, only to be blown away, literally.

"Idiot! Is this how the captains of our Kingdom's military taught to act?!" Raymond commented disdainfully.

Emil couldn't argue against Raymond's word. He felt quite idiotic himself. The first rule of any fight was never to underestimate one's opponent, and he had done it twice. Judging by the strength of his spells, the number of times he had used them, and the force of his sword to knock away the dagger, it was almost unbelievable that it was a power of 2-star level awakened. Even if the difference between their equipment was vast, and he had miscalculated Raymond's strength, it was absolutely insensible to not recognize that Raymond was a 3-star level awakened.

"Congratulations on progressing to 3-star level, Sir Raymond!"

Emil hadn't, for a second, thought that in nearly a week of awakening, Raymond could have progressed to 3-star level. One required great luck, riches, and talent to accomplish it. Raymond was quite late in his awakening and might very possibly be the least talented among his sister and cousins, nonetheless, he was a Tygrine. For an awakened, money was as important as their lineage and talent, and the royalty, of course, had their ways and secrets.

I have made a fool out of myself... Emil mused. He dared to take a quick glimpse of Rose's face, and his heart tightened after he did. Rose looked incredibly proud as she gazed at Raymond. Emil felt aggrieved as if he was set up by the cousins, one of whom he absolutely adored. However, there was also a slight hint of surprise on Rose's face, and it made him realize that it was his fault, not theirs. He inwardly cursed for neglecting the possibility of Raymond being at 3-star level until this moment.

"Oh, so you finally noticed? Bit of a scatterbrain aren't you?"

Emil felt pissed off after that particular comment. He was already feeling ashamed of his terrible performance in front of Rose. He had seen her around countless of times, not least in the past few days, but this was the first time she had talked to him after that night. His heart beat had quickened when she had called for him, and all he had wanted was to leave a good impression.

There's a limit... Emil couldn't hold back his anger at bay to any further extent. He knew Rose hadn't chosen him just because he was strong and could provide Raymond with an ideal sparring partner. It was also due to his reputation as a calm and sensible commander. That's why, when Raymond continued to hurl insults at him he had chalked as an agitation tactic, cheap provocation. Right now, he felt really provoked. Raymond might just have been doing it so that he would not hold back his powers and fight with all his strength, or there might be some other reason. Still, it was quite grating to constantly put up with it, especially in company of Rose.

"Sir Raymond! I understand that you want to test the extent of your powers..." Emil began and unleashed the aura of a 4-star awakened before he added, "It's enough, there isn't any need to carry on with it."

"Be prepared!" Emil shouted and then flashed ahead Raymond.

Raymond couldn't even blink his eye before he was blasted backward by wind pressure. Emil was supremely quick, nearly invisible. He instantly caught up with an airborne Raymond and slashed diagonally with his dagger. Their eyes stared at each other as Emil's dagger travelled in an arc, aimed straight at Raymond's mouth. Emil hadn't held back or underestimated Raymond this time around. He had used the full powers of a 4-star. The dagger was incomparably fast, there wasn't enough time for Raymond to perform any action.

Raymond looked haughty and smirked, appearing completely calm. "You're strong to survive the previous combo, even if the armor had negated most of the impact... You won't survive this one though!"

"Edafos Petra Kano Skoni" He chanted and pointed to Emil's feet.

Emil stumbled and nearly fell face first, only saved by the nick of time as he cast a small wind spell to keep himself upright. He looked to his feet and they were trapped inside the sunken ground. Any effort to free himself ended in vain. His dagger had also gotten knocked out of his grip due to the sudden change.

"Shit!" Emil cursed.

Raymond dashed towards him, his sword thrust forward. He didn't smirk or smile anymore, even if it looked as if victory was in hand. Emil was amazed by the display of concentration and willpower. It hadn't been more than a few seconds from when he blew Raymond away and then gotten himself trapped. It seemed to him that he had been fooled by Raymond from the very start.

He has great instincts. Emil praised inwardly. Although he was impressed, he didn't understand the need to go through all this charade just to earn a victory, or why Raymond had constantly insulted him like a jealous ex, he couldn't give up at this point. Specially not when Rose was watching.

"I didn't want to do this..." Emil sighed even as Raymond's sword was inches away from him. He prepared his spell, it only took a second to do so. Like he had underrated Raymond time and again, Raymond, too, had underestimated the difference of power between a four-star and a three-star awakened.

"Fysima Anemos" Emil chanted.

...

Raymond felt as if he was flying. He was inches away from piercing his sword inside Emil's shoulder and then suddenly his feet were in the air, some 20 meters away from his opponent. The next thing he knew; he was in pain. Incomparable pain assaulted his body as he hit the ground and bounced around messily. All the bones in his body felt as if they would get bent and broken. Blood spewed from his mouth and red covered his eyes as he groaned, "Fuck..."

A stunned red-head on the verge of tears calling for him, it was the last thing that registered in his brain before he passed out.

***

Scene 6

"Ray..." Lily softly whispered by his ear.

Raymond turned to his side and stared in her brown eyes. Earlier, they had pulled the curtains and blown off the lamps; all but one lamp kept in the corner. The dull sound of falling rain and the steady deep breaths kept them aware in the dark night. In the dim room, the twins' eyes remained locked for a long time before Lily looked past him and towards the window.

The mystique and the silence, a result of not being able to see her properly in the dim, quiet, room, added to her profound beauty. The silhouette of Lily, deep in thought as she gazed into the void, made Raymond want to squeeze her tight and never let go. He shifted towards her and the few inches between them faded with that. The bed was not so small that they would have to huddle together, neither was the weather so cold that they couldn't do without the heat of their embrace. They just needed it; needed this closeness to satisfy the desperate need for the other.

"Lily!" Raymond moaned her name dreamily as he ran his finger through her slightly damp, dark-brown hair. His other hand, busy behind her back, caressed her soft skin. Raymond was still lost in the feel of her warmth, the hypnotic aroma emanating out of her, when Lily focused her gaze to his eyes.

"Ray... I... can you-" Lily shied away before finishing her words.

He smiled at her clumsiness. In the grey room, he could not make out if it was true, but he was sure that his twin had a slight blush at the moment.

"Tell me," He said and gently pressed his lips on her wet, quivering ones. Lily pressed back invitingly, but leaned back all too soon.

Gingerly, she asked, "Ray... Do you..."

He coaxed her soothingly as he traced her spine with his hand. "Say it. Do I, what?"

"Do you really love me?" Lily asked in a shy tone, her stare searching.

"Of course, I do," Raymond replied domineeringly as if there was not to be any shadow of doubt on this matter. "I love you, Lily!" He placed soft kisses on her neck.

"I love you!"

Lily, at those declarative words, suddenly pushed her head against his wide chest and hugged him tight. He could hear her racing heart starting to calm down as her grip gradually lessened from the suffocating hold to being a tranquil embrace of lovers.

"... that is enough..." Lily hummed airily and then she closed her eyes with a sweet smile on her face, a look of love and contentment.

"Huh?"

"Did you say something?"

Raymond sluggishly stroked her hair and pressed on drowsily when Lily kept mum, "What is enough?"

"What do you mean?" He asked again, his words drowned in lethargy.

"It means... you should follow your heart and not worry so much because this... this is enough for me."

"...Okay..." Raymond mumbled sleepily, unmindful of her words.

***

Scene 7

Raymond groggily opened his eyes. Looking around, he realized that he was in the infirmary of the palace.

"Finally awake, huh?" Rose mumbled from his side.

"What are you doing in bed with me?"

"Well I was sleepy, and this seemed like a good place for nap..." With a sheepish look Rose replied and then put her hand to his forehead. "Doesn't seem like you have a fever anymore..."

Raymond rolled his eyes at her antics. The infirmary was empty and Rose also had her own room in the palace, so it was beyond him why she was making such a terrible excuse.

"How long was I out for this time?"

"A day, more or less."

"Hmm..." He still felt dizzy and wanted to go back to sleep. The pain wasn't as intense and there weren't any bandages on his body anymore, though he still felt very weak. He tried to circulate his mana but was interrupted hallway.

"Hey, Ray!" Rose screamed and cripplingly shook him by his shoulders. "What the fuck are you doing you, idiot?!"

"Ahh! Pain..." Raymond foamed at his mouth and collapsed. After a few moments, when he could make sense of things, he groaned again, "Pain!"

"Serves you right." She glared at him. "Idiot! Don't you know that using mana in your condition can be fatal? Are you stupid... Arggh! You make me so mad!"

"Sorry..."

Rose huffed while giving him a death-stare. Gradually, she calmed down and her gaze became a lot softer. "Why are you so in rush? Why don't you try to be a little patient? You don't have to be..."

"I- I just-" Raymond choked up. A million thoughts ran through his mind, none of them suitable to be revealed. The dream was only a dream, after all, he couldn't use it as an excuse and hide behind it. He sighed and turned on his side, away from her. "I don't know..."

"You are such an-" Rose snuggled with him. Her hand spooned him lightly, while the heat of her body gave him warmth. They remained silent in that position.

Raymond thought about the last week, and sighed once more. After his "spar" with Emil, it had taken him a complete day to recover. He had been grateful that there weren't serious injuries and all his bones were intact. Emil had held back, even at the last moment. There was also the difference between their gear.

Though the kingdom sponsored all the awakened warrior that had pledged their loyalty to it, the expenses of an awakened warrior were too many to count. It was only the awakened who were from old nobles or from wealthy families who were able to purchase the best of magical equipment. Even Raymond had a set of below par armor, before Rose bought him the new thing. Gelodesh was a poor kingdom, and the rules were strict even for royalty.

So pathetic, I'm so pathetic... The pain faded away quickly, the humiliation not so much. Raymond brooded over the whole episode, tried to imagine different scenarios and how he could have defeated Emil. At the end, he always reached the same conclusion, he couldn't. He couldn't have defeated Emil, no matter how much he tried to be sly or creative. He just didn't have the answer for that last spell.

It was amazing... Raymond recalled that sensation; it had been like he was in the middle of a snowstorm. He had no control over his body and it had all happened so instantly that he couldn't have dodged even if he had known about it in advanced. The sensation of defeat was real and overwhelming. He had regularly tasted defeat, whenever he sparred with Rose, she made sure that he knew who called the shots between them.

It's different, so fucking different. He was an awakened now, not just a magic warrior. He could use spells; his body was stronger... It was impossible to accept that he would lose to someone outside of his family. Even if there was a difference of whole level between us, I shouldn't have been so helpless...

"Is there such a divide between a 3-star and a 4-star?" Raymond mumbled hoping for a reassuring response from Rose.

"Yes, there is," Rose muttered and prodded him in the back. "Why do you think it's so hard to progress from a 3-star level to a 4-star level?" She continued without waiting for an answer, "Even if you have the money to buy an infinite number of magic stones, you would forever be stuck in that level unless you have the talent for it!"

"Is that so..."

She lightly poked behind his ear and remarked, "Yes, and that's why you are an idiot!"

"But I didn't know- I didn't know that something like this would happen..."

"Oh yeah?" Rose turned him around on his back, and then climbed over him. She settled there, over his legs, and gently took his head in her hands. Her glossy hair dropped down and blocked his vision from anything else other than her worried face. "It was your luck that nothing more happened than an injury to your mana pool and mana circuits. Please, don't be so hasty!"

"Okay..."

"You have to wait before you go from 3-star level to 4-star level, it had been only over a week since you had awakened," Rose explained patiently. "And don't worry about wasting the magic stone, mom should have another one..."

"Huh? Aunt Suzy? What?"

"Haha," Rose laughed as she fell down beside him. She ruffled his hair and laughed some more until she was in tears.

"What is the deal with you?"

"... Little Ray Ray is going to Beltran!"

***

Scene 8

Novatil. Capital of Beltran Kingdom

"Hey, Raymond!"

Raymond opened his eyes to see that a woman was observing him. His mind felt groggy and he couldn't make out the identity of the person.

The woman was a blonde with the end of her lustrous hairs in ringlets. She was considerably busty and had a very gorgeous figure. Her round face looked innocent and the sweet smile on her wide lips made her that much beautiful in its simplicity. Her white robes loosely draped her body and came up from behind her ears and covered her head. The light from the window shone on her back, giving an impression as if she had wings.

"Angel?" Raymond murmured.

The woman started and then a slight blush crept up her round cheeks.

Raymond's blinked his eyes. "Angel... blushed?"

The woman's face became red in an instant. Before Raymond could carry on with his sleepy mutterings a hand nudged him in the chest.

A giggle sounded followed by, "Sweetie, stop it! Your angel can't handle it anymore!"

"Suzanne!" Ingrid playfully swatted.

"Aunt Suzy! I missed you!" Raymond was beyond himself as he laid eyes on his aunt and instantly sat upright on the large, cozy, bed. He realized the complete picture after that and slowly turned towards Ingrid to give her a sheepish smile. "Sorry! I was feeling dizzy..."

"It's fine." Ingrid's voice was even as if she had already put the little gaff behind her, though there was a hint of red on her cheeks.

"How are you now Sweetie? I was worried sick for you." Suzanne gently embraced Raymond. Her hands lightly stroked his hairs and back. She gave him a comforting smile and added, "it's good that you're here now. Ingrid will fix you right up!"

"I missed you..." Raymond buried his nose in Suzanne's violet hair. He breathed in deeply and tightened his hold around her. He had slept the whole way from Ostorth to Novatil, scared and lonely. The thought of being magically crippled for the rest of his life, frightened him.

It wasn't so bad in Ostorth, Rose was there and his mother had also been attentive, which was positively weird, yet he couldn't let his heart relax. It gradually worsened during the time he was alone, until now that is. It was quite magical how quickly Suzanne helped calm down his anxious heart.

"It's fine, Sweetie. It's fine. Ingrid can even regrow your limbs..."

"Really?" Raymond asked skeptically.

Suzanne just winked at him without giving an answer. Unconvinced and insistent, Raymond turned to the silent Ingrid. "Um... Ingrid- lady Ingrid, is it true?" He was a little unnatural in speech, having never had talked to her such laid back manner and openly.

Ingrid smiled sweetly as she said, "Ingrid is fine. There's no need to be so polite." Her hand played with her ringlets as she began, "As for growing limbs..." She blushed a little and admonished Suzanne with her gaze before she resumed, "it has a lot of conditions. So don't count on it."

"Oh. Ah-Ah!"

"It's alright, Sweetie. You will be fine in just a few moments." Suzanne carefully made him lie down on his back. She lovingly stroked his hair. "Ingrid is going to take care of you. I will be just outside..."

"Alright." Raymond muttered as Suzanne waved to him before she shut the door behind her.

"Raymond- Hmm... can I call you Ray?"

"Of course."

"Thank you." Ingrid smiled and then gestured toward his shirt. "Please take it off."

"Take it off?!" Raymond raised his eyebrows, questioning if he had heard her correctly.

"Yes, it will be in the way..." Ingrid didn't seem perturbed and stated it as a matter of fact. Raymond shrugged and took it off without saying anything further.

"Wow!"

Raymond, taken aback by the whisper, gazed at her face. Ingrid blushed a little as she cleared her throat, "Um- Your body is... I meant, you are very handsome..."

"Ha-Ha, thank you... You too. I mean beautiful, you are incredibly beautiful."

They awkwardly stared at each other for a while before turning their eyes away. Raymond coughed and apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, you know, offend you..."

Ingrid shook her head. "It's I who should apologize."

"No, no. You don't have anything to-"

"Let's stop, else we would be stuck." She interrupted and lightly placed her hands on his chest. The soft sensation of her skin felt fantastic to Raymond. He moaned appreciatively which made her flinch.

When he was about to once again launch into an apology, she shushed him. "I'm about to begin now, don't be distracting!" Raymond was surprised by her choice of words, nonetheless, he smiled and nodded to show that he had understood.

Raymond watched her work. She was serene and seemed amazingly focused. He reached over and wiped the little beads of sweat on her forehead that glistened due to the sunlight.

"Thanks." Ingrid offered him a quick smile.

The weather in Novatil was not as cold as Ostorth, and certainly a lot more pleasant than Ryhor. However, the warmness he felt want only because of the sun.

Ingrid's hand emitted a warm light as she rubbed them across his naked torso. The sensation was extremely unique and pleasant. Raymond had to hold back a groan of pleasure when her fingers passed over his pectoral muscles.

"Light element?"

"Yes," Ingrid replied after a moment while she continued to treat his injuries over his skin. A lot of attributes could help heal a person but light element was the most effective and efficient for it. Raymond was wowed by the brilliance of Ingrid and her control in her techniques.

"So beautiful..." He mumbled, too relaxed to care. Ingrid didn't reply to his comment, she just poked his side a little, a sweet smile on her face.

In that white garb of hers, she looked exceedingly pleasing. Her gentle aura and the softness of her touch, took his pain away. Raymond felt blessed to be able to enjoy this little moment of peace and restitution.

It's so good. Raymond felt a little drunk as, under Ingrid's careful ministration, his mana circuits healed and strength gradually returned to his body. His fingers unconsciously went to her blonde hair and he begin to play with her ringlets.

"Ray!" Ingrid shyly called out.

"I think I'm in love!"

Ingrid blushed and poked his cheek. She giggled lightly as she responded, "It's just the side effect you are feeling... you don't mean it."

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Really now?" Ingrid asked with her lips stretched wide. Her eyes were disbelieving yet Raymond sensed a hint of humor in them.

"Believe me! I don't lie!" Raymond pointed downward and stated, "at least that doesn't!" His dick had stood in attention. Hard and pitching a tent in his pants. He laughed when Ingrid became paralyzed after looking at it.

He sluggishly boasted, "see, I told you! It's not every day that it gets up like that. You should take responsibility for it..."

"What?"

Raymond carried on as a bashful Ingrid met his eyes, "Impressive, huh?"

"Indeed..." Ingrid's voice sounded distant and low. The drowsiness deepened and his eyelids became heavy. He could barely catch her words.

"You don't have to apologize or feel bad, it's normal. Everybody reacts differently to this kind of treatment..."

"I love you!" Raymond mumbled once last time before he fell asleep.

...

"Fuck! How embarrassing!" Those were the first words out of his mouth as he regained consciousness. Unsurprisingly, the memory from a few hours ago was crystal clear. "It was quite funny though..." He muttered and tried to laugh it off.

"She did say that it was normal, so she shouldn't be that mad..." Raymond mused to himself as he exited the room. "Nah, I should still apologize. Just in case..."

The evening sun was about to set and he hurried towards Suzanne's room. He only knew directions for that place in the small villa. Outside, he spotted a few guards and sentries, as well as the soldiers from Ostorth who were huddles together and resting under a shade. Other than that, the place seemed to be empty, as he didn't encounter a single soul during the short walk.

"Is she not in?" The door to Suzanne's room was ajar and he pushed it open. There wasn't anyone inside, and after waiting for a few minutes, he went looking for her. He roamed around aimlessly, opened a few rooms, when eventually he heard Suzanne's voice.

"There she is!"

Raymond sauntered towards it, relieved to have found her. He was just about to knock when he heard his name being mentioned. It seemed like Ingrid's voice, but he wasn't sure.

"What the... Are they talking about me?" Raymond was wavering on his next action when he heard it the again. Though it wasn't entirely clear the first time around, he was certain this time. Against his better judgement, he chose to listen in. "Only for a bit..."