"Alright, time to head out.."
Sieghart trudged out of his room, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
Corridors of the grand mansion stretched out before him like a catwalk, and even though he'd lived in the mansion for years, he still got lost from time to time. The whole house was like an exercise in minimalist design - white, marble, and glass.
When he finally reached the ballroom where the family was to meet, his father was standing at the door with Sieghart's two moms on either side of him, Martha, the first wife, and Elena, the second.
Greldine looked at Sieghart and smiled warmly.
"You look good, Sieg."
"Sorry for being late, father." Sieghart apologized.
Greldine brushed it off.
"Don't worry, we'll still get there on time."
Elena swooped in for an oppressive hug, squeezing so hard Sieghart felt his lungs become pancakes under the pressure.
Her meaty breasts pressed against his face, and occasionally the contours of her nipples would brush his cheeks.
"Look at you, so handsome," she gushed, her nose in his hair.
Something in Sieghart rattled, and he wheezed, "Mother, you're squeezing me too hard."
Martha looked past Greldine, glancing between Sieghart and his backpack. "Let me take your backpack, dear."
Sieghart handed it over to her, laughing from lack of oxygen and grateful for the rescue of his backpack.
Greldine rolled his eyes at the fussing mothers. "Let the boy breathe, ladies."
Marcus, Sieghart's older brother and the family's second child, arrived with good timing.
"Thanks, brother," Sieghart gasped for air.
He was out of his mother's clutches.
Partial motorboat:
+3 skill points
+5 EXP
Simply from his mother's juicy breasts on his face, he gained some bonus points.
Elena watched Marcus take Sieghart's backpack and went on to compliment Sieghart's attire, sniffing him several times. "You look perfect," she sighed, her eyes glazed over with motherly admiration.
Sieghart shot a look of desperation at Marcus, hoping for a sibling rescue.
And Marcus did just that.
"He's eighteen, Mother, already an adult. Not really a little boy anymore."
Sieghart sighed, grateful for Marcus and his quick wit.
"Exactly, Marcus gets it. Suffocating your son isn't the ideal way to show love."
There were... other ways...
As the family spilled out of the great double doors of the mansion, they were met with the sight of two carriages waiting for them.
The first one held Melvis, the eldest child, an imposing figure at twenty-two years old, dignified and serious beyond his years.
The other carriage held the twins, Luna and Luke, full of mischief and energy, despite being only nineteen years old.
All three were the children of Martha, with their mother's distinctive brown hair.
Sieghart, on the other hand, had inherited his father's black hair.
Marcus, the family's second child at twenty-one years old, had silvery white hair like his mother, adding to the family's already eclectic range of hair colors.
Nevertheless, the family got on well, with no quarrels between the two mothers or among the children.
"Come on, everyone! We're going to be late!" Greldine called out, chivvying them along.
"Yes father," Marcus stepped into the carriage with Luna and Luke.
Sieghart also climbed into the carriage with the twins and had barely even sat down before the twins were on him like a pair of hunting dogs attacking a juicy bone.
"Sieg! Hey, Sieg! Teach us some new magic!"
Luna demanded, practically bouncing in her seat.
Luke nodded along, enthusiastically.
"Yeah, come on, show us something cool!"
Sieghart sighed, a long-suffering expression crossing his face.
"Can't you guys ever just sit still for two minutes?"
In the other carriage were - Greldine, Martha, Elena and Melvis.
Melvis, the model of decorum, was silent throughout this, sitting stoically and staring out the window.
With a shake of his head, Sieghart gave in to the twins' demands.
"Fine, but not today."
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only adult in this family,
I mean there's Melvis who's about as interesting as a rock,
Marcus is the calm and cool older brother,
Luna and Luke are the twins older than me but only physically... mentally left a lot to be desired, well sometimes,
Martha is the sexy supportive step-mother,
Elena is the sexy doting mother and...
Greldine is the man who thought one wife wasn't enough...
...still, he has good taste...
Shortly after, Sieghart rummaged through his backpack, he pulled out a book and flipped it open— a book on magic.
Luna leaned over, peeking at the book that Sieghart was reading and asked, "What're you reading, Sieg?"
"It's just a bit on magic ranks," replied Sieghart nonchalantly.
Luna rolled her eyes. "Magic ranks are easy. Why'd you need to learn that?"
"It's different from the one we're used to," Sieghart explained, his nose buried in his book.
Luke chimed in, "What'd you mean it's different?"
Marcus, their resident magic expert, took it upon himself to explain.
"There are twelve magic ranks, kiddos. Elementary, Progressive, Advanced, Disciple, Master, Grand, Arch, Supreme, King, Emperor, Dragon, and God. And their respective levels are 2, 5, 10, 13, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50."
Sieghart nodded approvingly.
Indeed and each one has the level of mana points they cost...
Marcus knows all of them because he's already in his second year of the magic academy. Luna and Luke are in their first year and they usually only educate students about the lower six magic ranks...
Elementary costs 5-10 MP
Progressive costs 15-20 MP
Advanced-class costs 30-40 MP
Disciple-class costs 50-60 MP
Master-class costs 70-80 MP
Grand-class costs 100-120 MP
Arch-class costs 150-180 MP
Supreme-class costs 200-240 MP
King-class magic costs 300-360 MP
Emperor-class magic costs 400-480 MP
Dragon-class magic costs 500-600 MP
God-class magic costs 1000-1500 MP
I haven't found a way to cross the borders of Grand magic, however, Celestia did suggest a way I can get stronger, but I'll address that another time... I'll focus on this debut party for now I guess.
Then, he looked out the small window of the chariot.
Luke's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That's insane! I thought Grand magic was the highest anyone could go."
Marcus chuckled.
"Well, that's usually where most court mages cap off. But there're a select few that reach the top."
Sieghart, who had been quiet all this time, looked up from his book and rolled his eyes as Luna and Luke stared at him in awe.
"Why are you guys looking at me like that?"
Luna giggled.
"Well... you could already use Grand magic at the age of 11."
Sieghart chuckled, running his fingers through his hair.
"I inherited good genes, Luna. That's all."
Marcus nodded in agreement.
"Sieghart is indeed talented. But don't worry, you'll all get there someday."
The twins were a year older than Sieghart but were never jealous about the fact that he had better magic aptitude than them. Martha was a good mother and so was Elena, both trained their children in different ways that still involved a lot of care and affection.
Luke turned to Marcus with an eager expression.
"Can you tell us more about the magic ranks?"
"As a matter of fact, I can," said Marcus, beaming with pride. "But that'll be later, we're almost at our destination."
"Awesome!" Luna and Luke exclaimed.
After a few minutes of bumpy traveling, the Zegion family finally arrived at the majestic mansion of the Duke of Goldcrest. There were several carriages parked outside, indicating the grandeur and importance of the occasion- the coming of age party for the Duke's sixth daughter. As expected, many influential people from the Goldcrest territory had shown up. Although attending this function wasn't mandatory, it was an unspoken rule between nobles that failing to show up would be detrimental to their relationship with the Duke.
The family members alighted from the carriage, and they couldn't help but marvel at the sheer magnificence of the building in front of them. The mansion was a sight to behold, towering over the surrounding landscape with its ornate architecture and grandeur.
Sieghart, on the other hand, was still absorbed in his book and didn't step out of the carriage.
"Sieghart!" Marcus shouted.
Sieghart smiled, closed his book, and carelessly tossed it back into the carriage before running to join Marcus.
"Sure, gimme a sec!"
"Come on, slowpoke!" Marcus teased, holding the door of the mansion open for Sieghart, "We don't want to keep father waiting."
As they made their way inside, Sieghart felt uncomfortable.
I don't like attending all these occasions.
They're always the same.
Classy music, snotty nobles, fancy wines and food that looks like something you'd find on a farm...
He was eighteen years old and was surrounded by the who's who of the Goldcrest aristocracy. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light inside, he took a moment to appreciate the Duke's mansion. The walls were adorned with intricate paintings, the ceilings were high and intricate chandeliers hung from them. The air was thick with the scent of expensive perfumes and the sound of laughter reverberated through the hall.
Speechless, Luna whispered, "This place is amazing."
"I know, right?" replied Luke, in an equally awe-inspired voice.
Melvis, who had been to the mansion countless times, was familiar with every nook and cranny of the building.
Marcus turned to Sieghart, Luke and Luna, "You guys haven't seen anything yet," he smirked. "Wait until you see the grand hall. It's breathtaking."
---
In one of the lavishly furnished rooms of the grand Goldcrest Mansion, Velice Goldcrest, the Duke's sixth daughter, was seated on a plush chair, while her maid Nune was dressing her up for a special event.
Nune was fitting a beautiful scarf on Velice's back, which concealed a peculiar blue insignia on her skin.
Velice, a girl who had crystal-blue eyes and long, flowing blue hair.
"You look breathtaking, Miss Velice," Nune gushed.
Velice tried to force a smile, but her eyes betrayed her underlying sadness.
"How many people will be at this gathering?"
Nune paused for a moment, "It'll be a packed event, Miss Velice."
Velice's face fell, "I don't like being the center of attention, Nune. I... it's overwhelming."
Nune tried to reassure her, saying, "It's only natural for people to flock to someone who wields as much power as the Duke of Goldcrest."
"But will they... like me?" Velice questioned.
Nune tried to soothe her fears, "Of course, they will. No one would dare treat the Duke's daughter with anything less than respect and admiration."
Velice looked anxious and lowered her voice.
"That's not what I mean. Do you think they'll accept me?"
Nune hesitated for a moment, then decided to sidestep the issue, "Let's talk about that later, Miss Velice. It's not something we should discuss before the guests arrive."
Velice accepted Nune's response, her expression reflecting fear and loneliness.
"Okay, Nune."