Erik Frenzel was known for his cruel training methods. In the novel, the soldiers under the first Prince often talked about their horror training days.
["I was young and ignorant." Spoke one of the soldiers. His face was covered by the shadow of the fire, but the prince was still able to see the faintest look of reminiscence mixed with fear. "My father tried to warn me and I should have listened." The soldier laughed and covered half his face as if he had gone crazy. "What I went through in those short three months was more terrifying than any war I have ever fought."]
It made Aether both curious and scared of the man named Erik Frenzel and now that he was living in the novel, he was far more concerned about what he was about to witness.
His father led him to the edge of the training field, right in front of a large double staircase that led to the back of the mansion. Aether had never been to this part of the mansion. Sense being here he had little to no time to take the time to explore the mansion, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't want to be exploring this part of the mansion ever again.
His father snapped his fingers and a person covered in shadows arrived at his fathers side. Aether had only seen these figures from afar, but up close he could see that the person covered in shadows was actually a soldier dressed entirely in black. This one was a female. Her long black hair was tied up into a high ponytail and except for her dark blue eyes her entire face and skin were covered by black cloth and clothes. Her aura was almost non existent and her silent approach made her come off even more intimidating than she should have.
"Chair." His father ordered.
Without a word she nodded and brought over a single wooden chair from the side. One that had some cracks running up its sides. Aether gave both her and his father a questioning gaze as the seat was placed directly behind him.
Without a word his father grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him down on the chair. From the seat, Aether had a perfect view of Leon battling the other seven shadowed figures. It was chaotic and even more ferocious than before.
Although Leon was further away, Aether could still see the bloody gaze in his eyes. There was a gash on his forehead and blood was dripping down his face and into his eyes. Yet, his eyes were still open and there was a strange glint in his eyes. Aether didn't want to believe it, but the small smile gracing Leon's face proved his hunch.
Leon was enjoying this.
He turned his gaze away. For a moment he had forgotten that Leon was just as mad as everyone else in this novel. The novel, strictly speaking, focused on the first prince, but the foundation of the novel was that everyone wanted power and they would do anything to attain it. Leon was no exception.
He bit his lip, he had a bad feeling. "Father?" He glanced up at his father, hiding his worry with a curious smile instead. "Why am I sitting here?"
His father didn't look at him, instead his gaze was focused on the battle before them. The hands on his shoulder tightened just a bit before his father shifted his weight and leaned down until his face was next to his.
"Your brother is going through…a trial of sorts." His father whispered, toying with the word 'trial' as he spoke. "This trial is based on a theory, it is a bit difficult to prove, but not for a Frenzel, never for a Frenzel." His father's voice hardened. "After his little mishap at the Palace this is the least he could do." His father squeezed his shoulders lightly.
"A trial?" Aether mumbled. He didn't remember reading anything about a trial. Wait. "Little mishap?" Aether turned to face his father.
His father ignored him and continued to speak, "You see this theory is rather interesting. It was developed by a member of the Royal Researchers. It states that a unique ability could grow if the person was capable and willing to go through a tedious trial." His father scoffed, "This theory hasn't been proven. Mainly due to the grueling and painful experience that the person has to go through, spineless bastards." He mumbled the last part.
There was another squeeze to his shoulders, "Your brother has all the capabilities to advance his unique ability, but it seems your brother doesn't have the right motivation to break through the last step." He said duly.
Aether had a bad feeling.
His father smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you won't get hurt, but he doesn't know that."
"Wha-!"
With a snap of his fingers the shadowed figures changed their direction, coming straight for him. Aether went to stand up, but he was held firmly in place by the female shadow guard that had replaced his father when he wasn't looking.
Noticing the change in action, Leon shifted his gaze and finally noticed his presence. Leon's eyes went wide and the next thing Aether knew his brother had disappeared.
It happened so fast.
All at once the shadow guards swords had shattered and they each fell to the floor. Sashes appears all over their bodies. Blood gushed from their wounds and they coughed up blood as they tried to stay on their knees. They were smart and stayed on the ground not moving as Leon appeared right in front of Aether.
He was breathing heavily, but seemed calmer than before. He kept clenching and unclenching the sword in his hand as if he were trying to decipher something. The smile on his face was both unnerving and calming.
Aether furrowed his eyebrows and reached forward with one hand, "Are you alrig-"
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP
The slow sound of clapping came from behind him. Their father walked right up to Leon, pushing Aether's hand away. With a ecstatic smile and no hesitation he got straight to the point. "How long?"
Leon glanced at him, his smile fading just a bit as he poke, "A minute."
Their father smiled and patted Leon on the shoulder, "Good, good! Tera!" The female shadow guard from before nodded her head slightly in response. Aether noticed that she too was cut. Her hands that had been holding him down had multiple alterations on them, but that was it. Aether felt a single moment of pity for her, but in a way she should have been glad she didn't end up like her fellow soldiers kneeling on the ground.
"Deal with this." His father gestured to the shadow guards on the ground and the training ground that was in complete disarray.
"Leon, Aether, with me." Their father turned and walked away briskly. Leon glanced down at Aether. He opened his mouth, but then closed it tightly. Without another glance he followed their father into the mansion.
Aether deflated. 'What the hell is wrong with them.' He thought. He knew that his father meant him no harm and for a moment he had believed him, but the killing intent coming off of those people was too real for him.
'Who are they?' Aether glanced at the eight people covered in darkness. They were silent and didn't flinch or groan in pain even though their wounds were bleeding. They were tending to the training grounds, fixing it up without batting an eye at their wounds. A select few were struggling to stand up and Aether was ready to go and help them, but he was unsure.
They moved like soldiers, but looked like assassins.
Aether narrowed his eyes, 'Did the novel ever mention shadowed people under the command of the Frenzel household?'
"Young Master, let's go." Mina interrupted his thoughts. She gently grabbed his still shaking arm and led him to the stairs, nudging him to follow Leon who was standing at the top of the stairs like a statue.
Aether had a hunch that he was standing there waiting for him. His hunch was proven correct when he was only a couple of steps away from Leon. Leon glanced at him, his eyes landing on him. Aether could see a faint ripple of unease in his eyes.
'He must still be worried.' Aether thought to himself. Leon was undoubtedly stubborn and hard on himself. It was as easy to see in real life as it was to see in the novel. He wasn't a fan of losing and often took the hit hard if he did. Aether couldn't do much when it came to his brother's self criticism, but the least he could do was reassure him that he was fine.
He smiled and only then did Leon turn to enter the mansion. Aether rolled his eyes after Leon turned his back on him and made his way into the mansion himself.
Aether was unsure of what he was going to see when he entered the mansion. So when he found himself in a giant circular room with a high ceiling he was, for lack of words, pleasantly surprised.
There were countless circular objects dangling from the ceiling. The ceiling itself was separated into five panels, each depicting a different painting. He couldn't see exactly what was on each painting, but he knew that they probably held an importance to the Frenzel household.
"Send this off to the Palace, make sure that the King reads it while in the presence of those imbeciles." His father passed off a sealed letter to a butler who was standing off to the side.
"Yes sir." The butler bowed and hurried out of the room.
"Aether, sit."
Aether didn't have to be told twice and quickly moved to sit in the one empty seat in the room. Their father sat across from them, piles and piles of papers lay on the desk. Aether briefly glanced over at them, only catching a few words like Gelani and assassins.
'It seems Erik Frenzel knows more than he ever let on." He glanced at a paper on the far right corner, buried underneath multiple papers that each contained the word Gelani on it. Aether frowned.
'Are they preparing to attack the Gelani Empire? But, it's too soon. The plot line of the book hasn't even started. Or did the Gelani Empire infiltrate the Soline Empire prior to the start of the book? If that was the case, then could the assassination of the noble families be prevented?'
"Does something interest you Aether?" His father's words snapped him out of his thoughts. Aether startled for a moment then shook his head, giving a gentle smile as reassurance, though he was certain that his father wasn't buying it. His father's eyes narrowed, but he changed the subject much to Aether's relief.
He threw some papers out in front of Aether, a look of aggravation in his eyes as he did so. "It seems that the Royal Academy was made aware of your special intellect."
Aether picked up the papers, reading it over a couple of times while his father kept speaking.
"It seems you have been moved to the uppermost classes. Thankfully the classes are the same ones Leon is currently taking."
Aether gulped. He wasn't at all happy with this development. These classes were the deadliest classes to take which meant that more harm than good can come out of this. It was comforting to know that his brother would be in all his classes, but would that alone guarantee his safety? Or would he become a target?
"Aether." His father's voice was firm. He was leaning on the table with his hands linked in front of him with a deep look in his eyes. "I know that these classes may prove to be simple for you, but I don't want you going around solving problems that are only heard of in theory. Understood."
"Yes, father." Aether smiled, his fist clenching underneath the table. It seemed that his father wasn't too keen on the idea of others taking credit from the Frenzel family.
"Leon, I expect you to watch over Aether while at the Academy." He paused his eyes darkening slightly, "And keep those wretched pest away from him at all times. Knowing them they…" He trailed off.
Gritting his teeth he gestured towards Aether, "Go and get some rest. You head back tomorrow. A new school uniform and required material has been sent to your room."
Aether nodded and stood up. Mina had entered through a door in the back, her head was lowered and her eyes were cast down. Aether sighed in relief when he saw her and bid farewell to his father and brother. His eyes lingered on their figures for a couple of seconds.
'They are staying behind to talk? Are they going to be talking about the Gelani Empire and their infiltration?' He shook his head and followed Mina out of the room.
'No sense in worrying over it now, I'll ask Leon about it on the way to school tomorrow.' He thought to himself, completely missing the suffocating atmosphere developing in the room he had just left.