It was a lively afternoon in the city of Ischuros. It had been a year since Edo and Eva received the gifts from the stars, and in just that short period of time, drastic change has swept the city, which nearly tripled in size. It could no longer be called a mere city-state, either. It was the capital of a proper kingdom, the Haskud Kingdom, which formed a peninsula of almost 10,000 square miles, protruding into the Sea of Non, a massive landlocked sea spanning 60,000 square miles, though no sailor had ever taken the risk of even crossing to the opposite shore, let alone measure its entirety.
The old primitive stone walls, characterized only by their circular shape, had been completely demolished and built anew. The current outer wall was over 45 meters tall, but only 2 meters thick, with even taller towers dispersed evenly about it. The wall's outer shell glistened, the reddish-gold metal material catching the sun's rays majestically, highlighting the diagrams, symbols, and images etched onto the surface. The sunlight appeared to gather and flow like a river through these patterns. The dark clouds that were the staple of the Demon King's Vinetum now skirted miles around the grand city.
The buildings within the city had undergone drastic changes too. Long gone were the basic structures of stick, stone, and mud. The buildings were almost all ornate structures. Some were forged from precious metals or directly carved from different colors of marble, and towards the center rose three towering structures, each eye-catching in their own right; one tower spiraling upwards in such a way it created the illusion it was spinning, a grand coliseum in the shape of a pyramid made from obsidian and lined with silver radiated a strange purple aura all around it, and in the dead center lay the brand new palace.
The palace was more than grandiose, it was like a tabernacle to the bombastic. Surrounding the palace grounds was a high fence made of thick golden bars, and within gardens all around the walls grew flowers, fruit trees, and other various wondrous plants. The palace itself was carved from white marble, with columns in front, roofed by a large golden dome capped by a thin spire. All around the dome where six evenly spaced towers, built so high they pierced the heavens, their tips actually protruding into the stratosphere.
The only exception to this apparent new rule of beauty was the comparably drab slaves quarters, which had only been renovated for greater security.
Currently, streams of people were flowing through the brick-lined streets, past gorgeously decorated small shops, adorable residences, and grand, towering structures towards the pyramid-like coliseum, their exuberant babble echoing through the city.
"A grand tournament? What's that like!?" A young man inquired animatedly of his friend beside them as they jauntily rushed towards their destination.
"It must be something important. King Gel-ad himself decreed any who could attend should." His friend replied, equally as ignorant.
"Pah, you're both fools," a passing stranger who overheard them chided snarkily, "It's just a competition between the students of the Armazel Military & Magical Academy. For us it's nothing serious, just a show."
The two young men scoffed. Who was this person to call them fools? "If it's just a show, then why did the king get involved?" one dissented.
A laugh echoed out from behind the three of them. "To show off of course," an old man in plain robes, with a thick white beard and bright eyes stepped into the fray. "It was the King who authorized the construction of the academy. Now he wants his detractors to see the results for themselves. It's been a year, I wonder just how much those boys and girls could have grown in such a short time." He chuckled to himself, then turned to leave, actually heading in the opposite direction of the crowd.
"Hey, old man!" shouted the rude stranger, "The tourney's this way! Where are you going?"
"Oh, I'm sorry did you wish to accompany me? I'm afraid I have some work to do, and won't be able to attend." The old man amiably replied before vanishing into the thick crowd.
The three men looked to each other curiously, before bounding off in the direction of the coliseum even more vigorously than before.
The helpful old man pulled off into a dark corner, before pulling away his dull brown robes, revealing a smart black and purple attire, lined with gold. It had a tall, sharp collar, which flowed into a luxurious, long robe with sweeping sleeves tied tightly about the middle. He was shirtless beneath, revealing thick, tight pectorals. On his legs were pants shining like gold, and woven with finely crafted metallic threads, curving about in strange patterns.
He chuckled to himself yet again, "Armazel Academy will certainly grow from this." Grinning broadly, the old man seemed to disappear from the spot in a flash of blue light.
...
In a wood-walled room, lined with all kinds of weapons, armors, and other various equipment, a sturdy, muscular young man much taller than someone of his youth had the right to be sat on a carved stone bench. His name was Anak, and he was Eva's son. Indeed, the very one given her by Azazel. Only two weeks after his conception he was born, in an especially painful experience for Eva.
Due to the contribution of what became known as the 'divine revelations' to King Gel-ad, Edo and Eva were granted the highest positions in his court, answering directly to the king himself. They grew in influence and power, and lived lives of comfort, basking in the respect and admiration of the over half a million residents of the Haskud Kingdom. Naturally, Anak also benefited from this environment, gaining the respect of his peers, never hungering or wanting for anything.
However, more than eating, drinking, and being merry, over the past year as Eva recovered, the demi-star child grew unnaturally rapidly in both body and mind, while receiving the utmost priority in studying and being guided in the revelations. His favorites were the Book of War and the Manual of Divine Weaponry. In these conditions, he grew to his current state, hulking in frame, quick in wit, and lethally skilled, in just one year.
Anak was currently sitting in the preparatory room for the coliseum, awaiting the start of the grand tournament, the first of its kind. He nervously patted his palms on his knees, as he took deep breaths trying to calm down. He was confident in his skill, it was impossible not to be. He was above and beyond the strongest of his peers, and none could compete with him in battle strategy or weapon skills.
Today, however, all those strengths were now working against him. For the tournament, to avoid a predictable and boring outcome, the Armazel Academy arranged for Anak to be the objective. Essentially, he was fighting one against all, as his peers of students would unite in teams of four, attacking him in waves. The ones who defeated him would take the pole position. This seemed categorically unfair, but the truth was Anak was simply so powerful not even teams of four stood more than a thirty percent chance of defeating him. In the event no-one could defeat him, then Anak would take his rightful place on top, and even with all these special arrangements, he would remain the odds on favorite had betting been established for the event.
As Anak closed his eyes, he reflected on his home, especially his mother. Eva held a special place in her son's heart, as all mothers should. He also felt somewhat guilty, because his birth had mandated her to a long recovery in bed, pale and sickly, for as long as he had been alive. He visited her every day after his mandatory classes and training at the Armazel Academy. With every appearance he would be taller, bigger, and smarter, and every time Eva would proudly exclaim, "Oh, Anak!, How you've grown. I'm so proud of you." She would always beam happily whenever he entered the room, never once carrying a hint of blame in her expression, only pride, love, and belief. She called him her, 'little hero,' for reasons Anak couldn't fathom, and would never let him leave without giving him a hug and a kiss.
Edo, on the other hand, basically ignored Anak for his entire life. He would nod if they passed by each other, but he never took the initiative to speak to him, and would reply to any of Anak's prods and queries with simple grunts or a single word. Worst of all, Edo's eyes always carried a bitterness and disgust when they came across Anak. No matter what efforts he made, Anak could not earn Edo's love. Eventually, he came to hate Edo in turn, but in his heart, he still felt the faintest desire for the love of his father. The man who should've been his father, but neglected him out of spite, or the being who was his actual father, but never once revealed himself.
"Anak?" a gentle voice flowed on the wind through the doorway to Anak's stiff ears.
"Mom?" Anak quickly raised his head, his slightly wet eyes wide in joy and surprise as he beheld his mother moving on her own for the first time in his life. "You're here?" He quickly stood up and rushed to her side.
"How could I miss my little hero's big moment?" Eva smiled as she stared up at the tall one year old. "But aren't they being really unfair to you?" She pouted, mostly teasing. She was assured in her knowledge that Anak would be the hero of this age.
"Just you watch, mom. I'm gonna crush 'em." Anak revealed a savage grin as he stared into the distant hall-like entrance to the coliseum center.