It was almost dinner time when Arthur reached the gate of Night estate. Apparently, it's not recommended to walk alone in the Firal Woods after sunset. He completely forgot about the nocturnal beasts in the woods.
Fortunately, they were low-level to mid-level CAT 5. So it was easy for him to take care of them. The problem was their numbers.
Night Manor was almost 20 km from the Firal Woods. But Arthur has a lot of endurance. He's much stronger and faster despite his slim frame. He also has enhanced senses. This is also the case for his brother and sister.
One reason for this could be because of their ancestral bloodline. Other than this there is no definite explanation.
Arthur put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He was cold and tired. "I shouldn't have taken that bet.", he said between breaths.
"Wow, you really made it", a female voice said above him.
He looked up and saw a girl in her late teens sitting on the 5-meter-high wall. She had shoulder-length bluish hair, medium fair skin, and a slender frame. She was wearing a maid outfit. Her amber eyes glinted mischievously.
"Sophia. How long were you sitting there?", Arthur asked. He was so tired he didn't notice her. "Oh, for some time. I was about to fetch you when I saw you walking from the woods to the gate. But it looked funny so I sat to enjoy it.", Sophia said laughing.
"Shut up and open the gate will ya.", Arthur rolled his eyes. Still laughing, Sophia opened the huge black gates, and he entered the Night estate. Sophia went over to two horses, living ones, and led one over to Arthur.
He mounted his horse and rode on the stone pavement leading towards the Manor. The Night estate is a 500-acre land stretching 10 km out to the sea.
It is situated on the outskirts of the capital of Lunaria, Lunaris City. The path to the manor is surrounded on both sides by trees providing a canopy.
The Manor sits on a small hill overlooking the sea on the west side of the estate. To the north is George's garden with many varieties of flowers, fruit trees, and vegetables.
To the south, there is a lake. There is even a private beach behind the Manor along with a dock.
The trees around the path eventually parted to show a huge 3 story, Victorian-style mansion made of granite. A warp gate of black marble is sitting on the right side of the Manor.
Warp gates are found in towns, cities, institutions, and other places. They are regarded as public properties. But Arken Families can own their own warp gates for easy travel. Not even nobles have this privilege.
Arthur got off his horse and led it to the stables. Then he and Sophia went to the big front door. Sophia opened it for him and he stepped into the warm and cozy main hall.
The main hall is relatively simple with ornate designs, paintings, and pictures along the walls. The main staircase is at the end of the hall and branches to both sides. A huge window behind the stairs shows a great view of the moonlit sea. The hall is surrounded by the balconies of the two upper floors.
There is a fireplace to the left of the stairs. Above it is the insignia of the Night Family, two crossed swords with a black dragon on their left and a black phoenix on their right.
The fireplace is surrounded by some comfy armchairs. Currently, all of them are occupied. "Hey, Arthur! What took you so long?", Justin asked as he waved his hand.
"Ran into some lower beasts on my way.", Arthur replied as he came to the fireplace. "Ah. Those are a pain in the ass. They don't care if you are stronger than them. They just attack endlessly.", Jack said as he sipped his tea.
"Where's Stella?", Arthur asked. "Oh she's helping mom in the kitchen.", Justin replied.
"Whoa. Aunt Sylvia is cooking?", Arthur asked. Justin nodded. Elven cuisine is one of the best in the world. Arthur looked at Jack, "Should you be drinking tea before dinner?", he asked.
"Drinking tea is a good thing for me. Plus, we were waiting for you.", Jack replied.
"He's right Arth. He's in his fifth cup. We were about to have dinner.", said a young man relaxing in his armchair. He had slightly tan skin, a slim frame, long black hair like Arthur's, and blue lilac eyes. He is Arthur's brother Allistair Night. He's four years older than Arthur. His attribute is shadow.
"You should go clean up, Arthur. You're starting to smell", he said cooly. "I know. You don't have to tell me about it.", Arthur replied and went to the main stairs. "Tell Alice I'm home."
He climbed to the second floor and entered his room. He took a bath and dressed up. There was a knock on the door. "Get in", he said. The door opened and his sister entered the room.
Alice Night is five years older than Arthur. She's a tall young woman with an athletic frame. Her long blonde hair is tied up in a ponytail. She has fair skin and her grey eyes remind Arthur of storm clouds. She's regarded as a real beauty even among the Arken Families.
She is highly skilled with the longsword. She can do both attack and healing with her light attribute.
She's wearing casual attire consisting of a loose shirt, and a knee-length skirt. "Hey, sis. I haven't seen you wearing casual clothes for a long time. I bet you feel relaxed.", Arthur waved cheerfully but stopped when he saw Alice's face.
She didn't look relaxed at all. Her arms were crossed and she was giving Arthur her signature stormy glare, "Justin and Stella told me what happened in the Firal Woods.", she said in a cold voice.
"Oh.", Arthur's face paled, "Uh I...I can explain.", he said with a nervous smile. Alice took a deep breath. "Oh shit.", he tried to cover his ears.
*******
Meanwhile, downstairs.
Allistair was helping George set the table. The others were watching Sophia juggle fireballs when suddenly.....
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF ARTHEMIA WERE YOU THINKING? YOU IDIOT!", Alice's voice shook the whole Manor. Sophia almost dropped her fireballs in surprise. Allistair looked above.
"Wow. She even called our ancestor. Alice is really mad.", he said. "Big sis Alice is scary", Justin shivered. He and Stella got an earful from her when they came back.
Allistair was not surprised. Justin is one of the most fearless people he knows. But even he trembled in the presence of Alice. He smiled. His sister is on another level.
"Do you know what's scarier than Alice?", he asked.
Justin shook his head, "There is something scarier than big sis?", he asked.
Allistair nodded, "Uncle John singing.", he said in a grave tone. Everyone in the room, including Jack shuddered. "I remember my mother asking lord Night to sing a song during a visit. I had recurring nightmares that whole week.", he recalled.
"Dad likes music. But he's tone-deaf as hell. Even mom gave up trying to fix it.", Justin sighed. Aunt Sylvia is one of the best singers in Elvenglade.
*******
Alice's scolding lasted for half an hour. She stopped to catch her breath. She looked and saw that Arthur had a dazed look on his face. She punched him on the head. "Ow! I told you I'm sorry. Jeez, Alice. Hold back on your brother.", he said, rubbing his head.
Alice sighed, "Honestly. I got worried when I heard it from Justin. What would've happened if Jack hadn't come? Go apologize to him for causing him trouble."
"Jeez, sis. Jack wasn't troubled at all. He easily finished off the alpha. It was pretty one-sided."
"But still!", Alice said, her face wavering. Arthur noticed this. He smiled mischievously, "Alice Night. You become fidgety whenever Jack is mentioned. Hmm. perhaps you li....."
"It's not like that!", Alice exclaimed, cutting him off. Her face became red, "We... we are fellow squad.....squad captains and our relationship is strictly professional.", she stammered and nodded her head, as if convincing herself.
"I think you forgot to say, childhood friends. Come on Alice, both of you are of the same age.", Arthur pointed out smiling. "Shut up. I have a responsibility as a captain and a Family Head.", Alice replied, still red in the face.
"Jack will become a Family Head soon. So both of you are basically on the same boat.", Arthur said. "Bo....both of us in the same boa.....boat?", Alice stammered. Arthur swore he could see smoke coming out of her ears.
"Damn Alice. You should be honest about your feelings. You're not a machine. If you don't speak up then I'll tell him.", Arthur smiled. He found Alice's weakness. Better tell this to Allistair.
He was about to open the door when a hand grabbed his shoulders. He turned around and saw Alice giving him the death glare. "Don't you dare.", she whispered. 'Looks like I went too far.', Arthur thought as a fist came at his head.
Arthur rubbed his second, bigger bump. Alice finally calmed down. "If you tell a soul about this, you'll get a taste of my light needles.", "Yes ma'am.", Arthur whimpered. There's nothing fun about her light needles.
Alice sighed in relief. "Well. I didn't come here to just scold you. I have another thing for you.", she said and reached into her pocket.
"It better not be a light needle."
"Of course not.", Alice pulled out a sealed silver envelope. The seal shows a sword and a staff crossed with each other. The first five elements surrounded them in a ring. It's the symbol of the Cardinal Knights. Arthur's mouth fell open as he held the envelope, "Is this a joke?"
Alice smiled, "Nope. It's genuine. Congratulations little bro. You have been selected to attend Cardinal Academy."