Floating Royal City Of Thanen.
The whole system has been set ablaze by a scenario that just happened in Azure Mountain City. The Azure Mountain Lord disappeared and the azure mountain saint or devil as he's been called now is dead. Suicide due to humiliation, his last moments and his incriminating recording approved by VHT were uploaded on the infiplex, now the recordings are available at almost every store for coppers. In the history of the Umbron system, it will be hard to find someone as debased as the azure mountain devil.
Azure mountain saint has always been the dream of millions in the system, not recognized for his fighting prowess but for his effort in helping lesser ones. Women wished they were his and men wished they were him. Opinions of him switched faster the moods in the minds of children.
The Atariel name does not stand for anything good in the minds of the inhabitants of the Umbron system.
"Have you seen it?"
"Ya... Tol'ya, no saints in this dogshit world!!"
"Hear... Hear..."
"What 'bout saints?"
"The saint of the azure mountain was no saint, sheeple are just realizing that."
"What??! HAHA... That bitch must feel the world quaking. HAHAHA... The drink's ON ME!!"
"See... Tell ya, the real saints are people like ol' third here. Bring me TWO BOTTLES!!"
Talks like this were rife in the city as people, bought the fast-selling recordings of Vospan's crimes and the authorities were not doing anything to stop the propagation of the recordings. Men that felt envy towards Vospan now disdained him and women in love with him felt heartbreak and betrayal, calling him hypocrites.
'Truly powerful ones do not need to gossip their lesser.', looking at these people conversing on her card, Naj'aree switches the recording to another target to try to gain some perspective from her lesser.
'Learn the perspective of those lesser than yourself but don't immerse yourself in their world.'
"Who knows how long the senile old man will hide for?" She mutters before looking at the door of the private room.
"Enter!" She orders and someone entered the room sitting in front of her.
"Have you found out who accredited the recordings?" Naj'aree asked her cousin, Danari, who was sitting in front of her in hooded clothing just entering the private room Naj'aree was in.
"It's not from my tower," Danari claimed with a face glowing confidently, which soon turn into caution.
"Is this case over our grade? Shou-"
"Oh... Stop it. It isn't over our client's grade. I should be receiving a 'go ahead' soon." Naj'aree cuts him off rudely before continuing, "Who is this 'Unseen' one?"
"Pfft... Haha..." Danari bursts out laughing.
"What?" Naj'aree asked confused.
"Nothing, nothing... He's a nobody." Danari stated before he starts his report,
"He left his clan because he felt inferior to his peers and joined the military. He married after that and had a son."
"He left his family because he thought he could make it big at the raid of Cloude Town."
"During his absence, his son and wife were forced by his clan to become Vospan's playthings. They died soon after."
"He got back and found out his family is dead, sold his soul to some devil..."
"Uh?" Naj'aree was taken aback, experts were not free and not many would take pity on the plight of the lesser.
"Became an assassin..." Danari continued.
"Go on..." (Naj'aree)
"Starts his investigation and carried out his revenge..."
"Hmm..." (Naj'aree)
"He killed his clan by his hands, killed three rankers out of chivalry..."
"He killed Vospan with the help of an expert who helped him suppress the Nascent souls in the town..."
"Hmm..." (Naj'aree)
"His body most likely broke down as we found his remains on the azure mountain... Matches his data and everything..."
"He's dead?" Naj'aree frowned, "Are you certain?"
Powerful ones can destroy planets and systems with thought alone. Faking a body is very easy compared to these feats, Naj'aree is having a hard time believing that an expert would help someone only to let them die.
"As far as we can tell from our equipments." Danari seems to realize, that nothing is as it seems. If what they are thinking is true, then where is Unseen?
Who is supporting him?
Ding!!
Right on time, Naj'aree's card alerted her of an important message during their brooding.
"Speak of the devil!!" Naj'aree muttered excitedly, as she puts her awareness in her card, as her face changes multiple times in the next few seconds going through different expressions. Disappointment, fear, relief, and ecstasy were more prominent and common.
"Turns out he is above our pay grade." She said once she finished reviewing the message.
"We are to use the rulers of the system to tire him out, an quasi supreme saint assassin would finish it."
"And..."
"Who is the prophet?"
...
...
A young man was walking through a corridor, exuding authority and calmness that befits a king. His golden-red robe matches with his flaming red hair which seems to have a tint of gold developing on it, this also matches with his golden trimmed wings behind him. His aura was developing very fast as he already possess the kingly aura, necessary for all kings especially one befitting the king of birds.
The servants on the way all got on their knees as he passed by them before waiting for him to leave their presence before they could continue with their chores. Reaching his destination, the royal study which is the first chamber in the King's quarters with the bodyguards in front of it, he stopped.
"Enter..." A voice full of authority and majesty sounded as he was waiting, with the doors swinging open, presenting the view inside.
His father, Hanix Thanen, seems to have made no progress these years as if being stuck in the same spot. Despite still being very young for his cultivation, Hanix was greying in parts where he was golden, it seems the time is coming for him to take over the post. Hanix is barely 700 mortal years old, which means he has over three hundred years of the ruling left for him, as most would try to become a saint before their real middle ages which is two thousand five hundred for Hanix.
"Report," Hanix ordered as soon as Osian entered the room.
"Azure mountain lord is dead, the position for the city lord is wide open as the cats are also out of commission. The prophet's pawn seems to be incognito, making our representative the next to take over the position." Osian briefly recounts the basic facts as it represents their family to his father removing distractions from the whole drama.
"Good. How is the recording spread throughout the system?" His father asked again, knowing his father uses matters like this to test him and teach him how to become a better ruler.
"The first people to get the recordings to seem to be from the prophet's people as it seems the prophet is helping the Unseen one privately."
"It would seem that we were blindsided by the prophet when he released the prophecy against the Atariel family," Osian replied but with doubt tinged in his voice as if he could not understand why the Prophet would help someone rebelling against the system that brings him benefits.
"He is a recluse, so he isn't truly a part of the system as such any system benefits him." Hanix said while still reading a document on his table, "His whole network had gone incognito as of this morning. What does that mean?"
"Does it have something to do with the Roc matter?" Osian said quietly.
The atmosphere in the room changed drastically as the temperature in the room seem to have decreased. Hanix, stopped reading the document, stands up and moves to the window to let some fresh air in.
"It is," Hanix said softly but Osian was not disillusioned about this and knew, his father is feeling rather upset.
Since the void hour, his father had started descending into debauchery. He had a Harem now, a fact Osian relates to his mother's death but it seems like he's stopped cultivating daily now because there's no way his hair would grey if he cultivates diligently.
"For that Roc, it would seem like the prophet turned his back on Umbron."
"What did he see? to cause his actions."
"That's the question."
...
...
Four men were eating at a dining table for about fifty people, making four people seem too small for it but the dinner tonight didn't feel like so as the table seem to be made for just the four of them to dine and any additional person would spoil the arrangement. Or an additional person unlike those already seated.
The people seated looked like angels on earth, eating with the class heavenly nobles are required to have. They all have golden hair and golden eyes, white faces that made all sitting on the table quadruplets as they look to be around the same age.
"Your uncle requested help from us?" The one to open the talk wore white suits with golden trims around them. Not taking his head away from the table as he eats, he seems the most ordinary of the four as he does not have an extraordinary aura apart from his look and the way he carries himself, his face is also clean-shaven. He is the Emperor of Umbron, Randilus Daario IX Umbron, the Golden.
"That disgrace?" The one who spoke had his golden eyes moving about curiously as if everything is new to him, he sported a beard on his chin alone. Youngest Prince Varys Syrio IV Umbron continued, "He was never going to exceed Rank 3 anyway."
"True, the only valuable thing in their line is dead anyway." Stannis Melario III Umbron chimed in as he was the eldest and also the crown prince he had to offer his own opinion. Sittings like this weren't common even among the imperial family, they only meet up like this whenever something important was going to happen. This is the third time it would be happening in his life and the last time was when the youngest was about to awaken his bloodline about ninety years ago, not counting the death of several of their ancestors ten years ago.
Gazing at his younger brothers, Solas Drogo Umbron was a bit disappointed, thinking to himself.
'This life is too boring indeed, only magic makes sense.'
The matter his father brought them to the diner for was more intricate than his brothers were thinking. The first time this meeting was called was when he announced that he was going to focus on magic alone, forgoing his position as the crown prince and becoming the second born, that period was when the envoy was visiting 200 years ago. It would be too stressful to arrange for a guest of that calibre.
The second time was when the youngest decided to forgo the magic in his blood to awaken as a King knight.
The last was about ten years ago. The interval between imperial dinner is getting shorter and Solas felt that danger is nearing.
'I guess it's time to start preparing to leave this system.'
'Where do I go? This sector should be ruled by elves, should I go to the dragons?'
"What do you think, Solas?" the Emperor turned to Solas.
"Huh?" the three princes were startled.
"Your opinion?" The Emperor repeated something he rarely does.
"What did he offer as payment?" Solas asked after pondering for a few seconds.
"He is already refining a blood burning certificate." The king replied.
HISS!!!
The princes gasped in shock.
Their bloodline is very different and it seems to have come from a celestial, making them very powerful as they rarely have bottlenecks but their growth cycle is also slower than others as the energy needed for each level is multiple times others at that level. In their memories, there are many techniques but one of the most important techniques they have is a forbidden technique called blood burning.
Using this technique on other races just siphons energy for them. Using it on their brethren would fuse both beings permanently leading to both dying while surviving at the same time as a new being would be formed from equal parts of both of them and the new being's bloodline would be a level higher and a level stronger. Of course, doing it multiple times would lead to madness or death. It might lead to instant death during the first fusion.
The blood-burning certificate is a way to circumvent that aspect. The conjurer of the certificate would use his blood to refine himself into a living contract waiting for the person who could fulfil the conditions on the certificate to come to claim it. Any race could claim it with minimal side effects on them but only their race could use it to evolve their bloodline with certainty.
For Desnix Atario III Umbron to make such a decision that would dissipate his soul thoroughly with no chance of reincarnation shows his resolve and hatred for Unseen and those behind them.
"I've read about the situation before coming here but what I can't understand is why the Prophet would give up his blessed land and all his belongings just to go against us." Solas continued after he was calm.
"Did he go against? He might be dead right now, why not think in that direction." The Emperor said seemingly impressed with the replies Solas has been giving him. The other two princes just watched the conversation between the two with varying degrees of envy and shame.
"The prophet should be able to see an instance of him dying or falling into enemy hands. If he knew that, he would inform us based on our previous interaction."
"If he really couldn't even predict his death and died like that, then this Roc is someone we shouldn't mess with without ascertaining his strengths," Solas said after thinking for a while.
"Why do you assume the Roc is behind this?" The Emperor pressed, thoroughly impressed.
"He is the only variable big enough to cause such a ruckus," Solas replied.
"Bravo! Bravo!! Hahahaha!!!" The Emperor clapped hard at Solas's reply, causing the two princes to join in the action.
"I don't believe the prophet didn't see his falling, he made a bunch of prophecies before his disappearance which was very unusual of him." The Emperor said, looking at Solas with praise evident in his eyes.
"I'll be giving missions, starting from Varys." The emperor continued looking at his youngest son, the one with an only chin beard, "You will track down the one who killed your cousin. Take some of my power scrolls from the armoury, as much as you feel comfortable."
"Stannis, you will be in charge of the prophet. Investigate what happened to him."
"Solas, you will go to the dragon sea in Thanen and coordinate with your elder brother. The prophet predicted an event happening in the sea."
After saying this, he stood up moving towards the entrance, "You can visit the armoury for space rending and power scrolls."