In this world of magic, madness lurked everywhere. The underlying concept of power was—corruption! The saying— 'Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely' couldn't be any more accurate.
The more one walks on the path of the divine, the more the chances of one losing themselves and turning into something else entirely.
Lunacy loomed over the world, as beings that shouldn't be seen—made their appearance, beings that shouldn't be heard—preached, and beings that shouldn't be communicated with—interconnected.
Only the few Orthodox Churches in the world were the last bastion of light!
One of which believed in the Tempest Goddess—The House of Tempest; was the sole Orthodox religion of the Treon Kingdom.
The capital of the Treon Kingdom was known as Stormwatch!
It was almost afternoon and the sun shone upon Stormwatch, painting it with a golden hue. A spherical planetary object oscillated high in the sky, providing a soothing warmth.
In Duchess Akerse's Manor—A young man, with deep black eyes and short matching hair stood outside the Duchess' study, in front of the wooden door.
His physique was lean, his jaw angular, and his nose sharp.
His looks were on the upper side of the chart. He was tall, his face brimming with a burning light—but his eyes were abnormally dark.
He wore a black coat, vest, and corresponding trousers to go along with. A golden compass was affixed to his breast pocket—indicating his faith in the Tempest—although he was a closet atheist, he still had to keep up appearances.
Though he knew he couldn't let his previous beliefs guide him because Gods truly existed in this world, it would still take some time for his opinions to completely subvert.
Exhaling slightly, he got a grip on himself.
To be frank, Kole was nervous beyond belief.
With a sense of foreboding, he went back to his room after eating breakfast.
When he was accompanied by silence, he had a queer feeling he was being "watched".
It was a subtle hunch as if a predator was looking at him secretly.
Maybe it was his imagination...
He didn't know but it still made him skeptical.
After thinking about a while in his room, Kole finally remembered Faneia had mentioned something related to Ascendancy last night!
Recollection of that small event made his heart settle.
However, with his previous terror calming, a new wave of anxiety swept over him!
Gaining power, and becoming a mage wasn't easy in this world!
It was not like wham-bam, and now you can use magic! Instead, it was much more complicated—both in terms of psyche and form.
From the knowledge, he had shared with Alice—the daughter of Viscount Turner, a friend he made recently when she came to visit Akerse's manor due to some work she had with the Duchess; Kole knew the basic power structure of mages and the challenges they faced.
However, knowing how to drive a car in theory, wouldn't land you a driving license!
Still, Kole managed to keep his racing heart under control and tapped on the door twice with his knuckles.
Knock! Knock!
"Enter." An emotionless voice sounded from behind.
Turning the knob of the wooden door, Kole walked inside with a calm smile.
As he entered, Kole briefly glanced at the well-decorated study as he inhaled the aroma of books and records, like the distilled dust of springtime rain to come.
A woman sat behind the desk. She appeared to be in her late twenties with a slim yet curvaceous figure.
She wore a black complicated gown. Her long black hair was combed in a bun with thin braids flowing over her shoulders.
She was—Faneia Akerse.
Faneia was reading some documents placed on the mahogany table and flipped through the pages after taking a glance.
Kole had never asked what her job was—as such he was very confused while seeing his mother just casually skimming through the documents—as if she was reading a boring arc of a novel.
The chambers fell quiet yet the feeling of horror in Kole's heart only appeared to amplify with each passing moment.
Seems like she isn't a talkative one… Kole felt his mouth twitching a little.
After some deliberation and uncertainty, Kole voiced out his thoughts, "Mom, I never asked before but I'm curious what do you do as the Duchess?"
Leaning back in her chair, she closed the document, gently.
Then, Faneia shot him a curious look.
Seemingly understanding, Kole explained with a smile, "Hum… I was wondering what the job of a Duke entails.
"Although I know people like us who gain titles through strength don't get it as a legacy and the next generation needs to prove it to the Kingdom again, now that I will also be embarking on this path, I would like to gain some insight in advance, dear mother."
"Nothing," Faneia answered succinctly.
"Nothing…. Okayyy…" Kole nodded absentmindedly when suddenly he stopped; his pupils dilating.
Nothing? Did I just hear 'Nothing'? The job of Duke is… 'Nothing'? Don't they have important paperwork to go through? In all the novels I read, the busiest people were the ones who stood at the top! They had too much paperwork!
In his confusion, Kole shot Faneia a dubious glance.
Understanding his train of thought, Faneia curved her lips in a small pout and blew gently; a powerful aura erupted from her lithe feminine body.
Her shadow extended covering the entire chamber in a curtain of darkness, which reeked of an overwhelming presence, threatening to destroy the entire city of Stormwatch!
It was at that moment; Kole felt a cold hand gripping his throat. Almost immediately, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
The calm façade of his crumbled like dry leaves.
He felt like he was a twig thrown in the middle of a storm!
A horror, he was keenly familiar with—Death, arrived!
He has experienced it once and he could sense it again! It was too close for comfort. Kole's heart rate accelerated; his back was covered in a cold sweat!
"Beings at our level are true monsters." Faneia's tone became even more emotionless, at the same time, slightly eerier.
"It is pointless for us to do menial jobs… We are reserved for military might."
For some reason, Kole could feel her tone was growing detached like she wasn't a human anymore.
"The job of a Duke compels you to become a monster..." Her red eyes turned lifeless with each passing second.
"The only difference between us and "Banes" is that we aren't corrupted…" Her lips curved in a lopsided grin to the likes of a creature that was looking at prey, "Yet."
Looking at her beautiful yet uncanny appearance, Kole felt his body petrify with unbridled terror!
"Kole Akerse, do you wish to become a monster?"