I returned to the party after having taken a shower and gotten a change of clothes. It had been a while since I had felt so refreshed, and thankfully, the formal attire of Eloria wasn't too complex. A simple white button-up shirt and black pants sufficed and compared to Earth, it wasn't too bad.
"Feel better?" asked Bruce as he saw me coming down the stairs. I smiled.
"Yea, thanks."
"So," he started, a smug smile on his face, "what's your rank?"
I laughed, not surprised that my father was curious about that.
"A," I responded casually, not mentioning that I was eligible for a promotion. I had no intention of entering the spotlight as an AA-rank, and A-rank was already more than I could've expected at my age.
Bruce roared with laughter.
"You think I don't know you, son? Why don't you want to pass the exam?"
I sighed. I had once again underestimated my parents' ability to read me like an open book.
"I think I'll wait a few years, the promotion opportunity doesn't expire, right?" I asked.
"Yea it doesn't. I don't necessarily understand your choice, but if that's what you want to do, that's fine by me," comforted Bruce.
"You hear the announcement?" I suddenly asked, curious as to what my own parents thought about the return of the Dragonkin.
"I did. It's awesome," he said in amazement. I smiled at Bruce's reaction.
"You okay with it?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" he answered, "the conflict is in the past, isn't it?"
I nodded, a massive weight being lifted off my shoulders. I had always feared what my parents thought about the Dragonkin, and what they would've thought about me if they had ever found out about my genetic alteration.
"So, how exactly do you guys know the royal family?" I asked, the answer never having become evident to me. I watched as Diana played along with Alice, the girl clearly acting like an older sister.
"Pure luck. Diana is the only girl in the royal family, so she enjoys spending time with Alice as an older sister," explained Bruce. He didn't specify any details, but they were irrelevant to me anyway.
Alice gestured at Diana, whispering something into her ear. I watched as the princess made eye contact with me, immediately telling me that the subject of the conversation was me. Bruce witnessed the same thing as me, immediately planning an escape.
"Good luck, buddy," he said as he left the scene. I let out a small sigh as the girls approached me.
"Alice says you're the strongest person in Eloria," she said amusingly, clearly trying to not burst out laughing.
I chuckled, not knowing what to say to that.
"Is there anything you want to do?" I asked, sensing that she hadn't come here just to give me that information.
"Yes. A duel," she announced.
"Why?"
"Why else? To show Alice how superior I am," she said. There was no ill-intent in her words, no actual harm intended, no real need to show superiority. This girl merely wanted to amuse my little sister during her birthday, and I smiled at her kindness.
"Ok, let's do it then."
We made our way to the back, a medium-sized garden acting as our temporary arena. I watched as the girl took out a small wand from an intricate space bracelet, a device that aided binders to focalize their bind onto a single point, hence increasing the potency of their magic.
The wand resembled a simple small branch, but I could feel the flow of bind between the stick and Diana's core.
I stood there, not really knowing what to do. Was I supposed to genuinely fight this? I knew Diana would put up a fight, and if didn't use a decent amount of my power, I would suffer a humiliating defeat. That being said, she was still royalty. Was I supposed to let her win?
I didn't know what would be considered disrespectful. She had challenged me to a duel, so I guess that meant I was allowed to fight, right?
My eyes locked onto something coming at me, my hand reaching out and catching a stick the size of a sword. I looked at the girl, slightly puzzled.
"I like collecting sticks, just deal with it," she said before preparing herself. I laughed at her unique hobby, readying myself.
I had never gone up against a holy user, and the chance excited me. Diana was definitely a double-binder, meaning she was able to manipulate two elements, but the fact that she was royalty intrigued me.
The royal family was said to be an extremely powerful line of binders, a few S-rank adventurers in the past originating from their family tree.
I decided to use this opportunity to practice with elements I rarely used, my mind picturing the endless flow of a river. I opened my eyes, water droplets circling me like small streaks of air.
"You ready?" she asked me. I nodded, preparing for the fight.
ALAN SERLON'S POV:
I stood at the door, slightly depressed that I couldn't witness the friendly duel between Princess Diana and Jay firsthand. Jane had told me to go and watch, but there was no way I could leave my post. If the Cadmium family had entrusted me with planning this birthday, then I would not leave this place until the celebration was finished.
I felt a sudden surge of power from the garden, small explosions echoing from the other side of the house. I sighed.
I had never discovered Jay's true limit, but I sometimes believed that he wasn't even human. Controlling six elements at the age of eight, and now a proficient electric binder at the age of ten. Even amongst the early prodigies, that level of mastery was unheard of in all of Auroria's history, and the fact that I personally knew this child was an honor I would never forget.
I heard a strong knock on the door behind me. I opened the large double door, expecting to see Jane and Bruce returning from their small shopping trip.
Three kids stood at the front door, smug expressions all over their faces. I sighed.
Noble family heirs.
Had they found out about Diana attending the party?
"Hello there, boys," I said warmly, feigning complete ignorance over the situation, "Is there anything I can do for you today?"
A hint of disgust appeared over the boys' faces at the sight of me, a reaction I was used to from the higher nobles. They believed that anything other than human was below them, deserving nothing more than disgust from their almighty eyes.
Even if racism was prohibited within Eloria, it was still a concept that fundamentally existed within the origins of certain families and thought processes. I was thankful that the royal family was extremely considerate about these matters, but the higher nobles still stuck to their racial doctrines.
"Out of my way, Fei," commanded the first boy, his silk olive-green robes sparkling from the intricate craftsmanship required to make them.
Before I could even answer, I realized that there was a lack of noise from the garden, and I immediately realized why. A cold presence approached behind me, a cool aura of anger creeping towards the entrance. Even I could tell Jay was holding back, trying not to alarm the rest of the guests, but I could still make out a dark glow of ill-intent enveloping him
I slowly turned around, Jay approaching the door slowly, stick in hand. I squealed in fear, a face I had never seen before all across Jay's face. I looked back at the kids one final time, realizing what was about to happen.
"I'm sorry, boys," I muttered, praying that they would at least make it out alive. Jay stood right behind me, listening to the insults that could be heard behind the door.
"Alan," he said slowly, his voice sending shivers down my spine, "move aside."