The realm was celebrated—banners and beautiful ribbons fluttered in the summer winds. People were drinking ale and butchering the livestock before afternoon, all in preparation for the grand celebration.
"Hoist 'er up! Good!" A man with stocky muscles shouted as they raised a huge wooden pillar with congratulations to their Duchess on it.
"Long live the Duchess, an ever-healthy child!"
"Praise be to Athea—let her light guide our realm!"
"To Drakur!"
"To Drakur!!"
Everyone was in good spirits—as the day passed, everyone in the entire Dutchy was present, from the distant farmers to the frontier guards, and village folk had flocked to the great city of Drakthur.
This ancient fortress had protected the kingdom of Silvara for six thousand years.
The great city was covered in huge grey walls with stones thicker than buildings and higher than small mountains. It was the pride of the Kingdom of Silvara and helped them defend against the demon hordes of the Frozen North.
After a long period of strife, the war was at a close while the Duchess of Drakur celebrated her conception with her husband.
"My Lord, the Duchess is busy dealing with distant visitors and will soon be ready. Should I prepare you some refreshments?" A maid looked at the handsome male with black hair with a slightly odd look, her eyes almost seeming to contain mockery.
The man was an earl and the husband of the Duchess of Drakkkur.
Asura Fenix was a man who could not use magic but excelled in tactics and intellect, earning the duchess' affection during their time at the Royal Academy together as students more than twenty years ago.
However, it was strange that the pair did not share a bedroom. Not only that, but the Duchess spent many nights drinking wine until the early hours with an eastern delegate from the Nation of Warriors Kuzeng for the past six months, leading to rumours.
Untoward rumours that the kind Asura smiled and ignored completely.
'How could I doubt my wife, who accepted me, when I lack even the core to create magic and the power to carry a sword?' He thought, knowing the gaze the maid was showing, as he replied with a bitter smile.
Asura stood from his seat, the worn wooden chair creaking as it neared the end of its durability, while the Earl opened a small drawer containing a strange piece of black stone and a blood-red sword embedded into it.
"This shall be my gift to Verana as thanks for fathering my child."
"I do not know what magic exists in this small token, but I am certain it is a special artefact that will empower our child."
Asura began to change his clothes with growing excitement. He was used to the maids and servants seeming to forget him despite his title as an earl.
He was old enough to see past their antics and knew that part was due to his inferior physique and lack of ability to use magic.
Asura didn't like to cause trouble for Verana and thus let most of it go because he trusted her, and his mind was more helpful to the realm than a mere fireball or blizzard spell.
'Forget it, today is our big day... Although I cannot quite remember the night we conceived her, my daughter is now growing in Verana's stomach.'
"What an auspicious day! I hope the lady and her child live for a thousand lifetimes so we may prosper under her warm gaze!"
Many of the servants adored his wife because of how hard she worked to balance the realm's finances and crops, thanks to Asura's research into the rotation and ensuring the farmers let the soil rest to recover from the heavy burden of farming.
He never considered it strange that his name was never mentioned because they were married. Asura believed that the realm's benefit came before his ego and desires for recognition.
'It is alright, as long as Verana knows my worth, haha.'
All the hallways were filled with celebratory flowers, representing a good birth, a healthy birth, and a long life.
Asura enjoyed the calming and sweet scent while walking towards the grand entrance hall before noticing that the ceremony had begun.
'Eh?'
'Why has it begun when the father isn't present? And why is Shang Luo sitting so close to my wife?
Asura wasn't stupid or clueless—he felt the same doubts and jealousy that all men would, but he was powerless without magic. Shang Luo was a high-level warrior from the East and could easily cause tension between the kingdoms by causing unwise problems.
However, something was wrong with this situation, as people around him began to whisper and make rumours. The Earl's face became ugly as he stepped forward, only to be stopped by the guards in heavy-plated armour.
'These stupid guards!'
"Why are you stopping me? I am the husband of the Duchess."
Asura growled in a deep voice, but the guards just scoffed and pushed his shoulder back, causing him to feel a painful ache in his bones.
"Ugh..."
They parted, allowing Asura to step past, but the Archbishop and many other priests were already blessing the two sitting on the seat that should have been for the Earl himself as he slowly made his way up the steps.
His eyes were calm, like two ruby jewels looking at the two who ignored his presence and instead focused on the priest and bishop's words. Yet the inside of his chest raged with jealousy and anger.
"Why is the Earl only coming now? He left the Duchess waiting so long?" A female farmer in simple clothes whispered.
"Exactly, compared to the weak and pale Earl, barely able to walk up some steps, unlike Prince Shang. He is so handsome and a wonderful gentleman towards the Duchess—they are a true match in heaven."
The beautiful white walls of the fortress city's grand castle caused the words of these people to echo during the low humming and prayers of the church of light, which served Athea, the goddess of light.
My holy lady, bless the child, granting everlasting courage and magic to your future daughter of light.
The old man with white hair and a golden staff tapped the ground twice as the building shone warmly. The brightest light wrapped around Shang Luo and Duchess Verana Drakkur, though, and Asura did not glow.
This action caused his eyes to widen.
Asura was less than ten metres from his wife and the man who killed his entire family ten years ago in the battle of Val'kerul in the north—disguised as a noble sacrifice to defeat the demon queen and her armies.
However, even the crowd and visitors began to gasp, looking at the trio on the elevated throne in shock.
The golden light would only envelop the children's parents most strongly while sharing luck with all who visited—the fact it glowed so bright for Shang Luo and not Asura spelt out the truth that everyone in the castle knew.
Or rather, he chose to ignore or believe in her.
"Verana. What does this mean?" said Asura.
Asura's fists began to bleed from his tight grasp, his lips trembling as he bit them, tasking the sour copper blood seeping down the corner, trying to hold his anger and avoid a scene.
'I will kill them...'
'How could she do this to me after everything I have done for her?'
Verana looked at him with cold eyes—there was no change in her gaze, even seeing his current state of anger or isolation, or rather, her lips curled into a mocking smile as she leaned against the arm of Shang Luo.
"It is as you see, Asura. I never considered you my future partner and only upheld our family rules and oath."
'The Duke of Drakkur and Earl of Fenix shall be bound in blood until an heir is born... That oath!?'
Asura stepped back, his heart racing to understand the logical reason. He wanted to deny everything and say that maybe he fell asleep in the waiting room, and the bad rumours of the servants made him dream of this despicable and heart-rending plot.
"Did you think someone as talented as me could love a weak fool like you with no core?"
Verana's words were like poisoned daggers, striking Asura where he was weak. All the stupid ideals and thoughts he had in his mind were lies.
This woman had never valued his efforts and mind; she drained him of ideas, claiming they were hers.
'What use am I now, haha?'
As he was feeling lost with an empty void in his chest, a loud voice sounded; it was Shang Luo.
"Greetings, everyone who visited from afar. As you have heard, the poor and hopeless Duchess you all love was forced to marry due to the oath of her beloved father and elders of the destroyed Fenix family!"
"What grace and love she must have for this kingdom and her father up above! To sacrifice her happiness to marry a waste, someone unable to protect her or her lands! A man who stood and watched without power as his entire family was eradicated!"
The handsome Shang Luo looked back at Asura, who listened with a dark face, his hands covered in blood as it dripped down onto the black wooden artefact.
"Now, we may have committed a vile sin... But what kind of sin is true love? As a student, I met Verana many years ago and fell in love before the so-called oath happened!"
He spread his arms like a puppet master, guiding their thoughts and opinions and painting them as the victims of a tragic love...
Most of the females and romantics in the crowd now supporting the new couple—even the bishop and Archbishop—lowered their angered faces and looked at Asura in condemnation instead!
'Like it's all a play. They are just here to make Shang Luo shine.'
"Thus, when we met again, she was married. I knew she was! But I love her more than the sky loves the sun and moon, and we made an unforgivable mistake. That mistake was creating our beloved miracle of a daughter."
"The very daughter you honour today!"
The visiting commoners were fools for romantic stories. Somehow, the ones who had committed a grave sin were now supported by a standing ovation and cheers from almost the entire crowd.
Asura's mind broke, and his heart shattered into pieces.
'Why are you cheering?'
'What is this madness?'
'Didn't my invention that purified the water save your young and families? Why! Why! WHY!?'
He urged his weak body, gritted his teeth, and tensed his muscles, desperate to cast magic. If he could just cast magic once, wouldn't everything be fine?
'Why won't you collect?'
'Fire spirit salamander! Grant me your blessing. Let me show my worth and take back my beloved wife!'
Not even a gust of wind, the spirit ignored his plea.
'Spirit of Wind, Sylphie! Please bestow on me a speck of your boundless grace!'
A pitiful spec of green aura danced around his fingertip before it dispersed like a cruel joke to mock him further. Verana was watching, her divine eyes able to see the mana in the air like one would see a person.
Her lips once again curled into a sneer.
'Don't look at me like that!'
'Did nothing we had ever mean anything to you?'
'How dare you judge me after all I have done?'
Asura's tears now drowned his cheeks, and his trembling lips were all but embarrassing as he stumbled forward with all the power his weak, crippled body could muster—he stepped forward and punched at Shang Luo.
Weak.
Feeble.
Lacking in power and grace, the martial genius snapped his arm, crushing the bones of Asura's arm with a single swipe and then with a single palm to his chest.
"Arggh!?"
He sent Asura flying across the room, smashing into the stone chair he used to sit on like it was natural. Instead of warm eyes, he now had cold, judgmental eyes.
'How...!?'
"Kuha..."
Blood oozed from the mouth of Asura as he flopped onto the throne without power, his dull blue eyes slowly turning a dull crimson while watching as Shang Luo stepped towards him, swaggering with pride and a victorious face.
Asura felt his bones breaking and couldn't move an inch—the intense pain in his abdomen was unbearable as he held down the urge to scream and tremble in agony, not wanting to humiliate himself anymore.
Shang Luo leaned close to his ear with a smirk before he whispered.
"Your wife's body was so sweet and ripe. Imagine you hadn't tasted her and thought the child was yours. Foolish cuckold."
As his life faded, those were the last words Asura heard, a final insult to his devastating injury.
In his last moments, Asura thought of the thing in his life that caused him the most pain.
The deaths of his family and his twin sister and not using the artefact he discovered made his heart teem with regret, and he wished he never met that woman who betrayed him or trusted Shang Luo as a friend.
'I should have tried harder... Looked for better ways to replace my core!'
'Who am I kidding? I walked until I bled! I studied until I became sick—why do I have to suffer when all I did was try until my body fell apart? To match everyone else without magic!'
'I curse you all! Those who insulted me pushed me around!'
'You bitch! I gave everything to you, and you slept with this bastard. Hahahaha, I swear to the heavens that if I get another chance, I will destroy everything you hold dear!'
'NO MATTER HOW EVIL OR DEPRAVED I BECOME!'
A strange whisper sounded in the darkness. Asura believed himself dead and ignored it before it repeated as if waiting for his acknowledgement.
"Do you mean that? No matter how despicable others might see your methods?"
'AH! If I can get revenge, save my sister, and kill the entire Shang clan's Nine Generations!'
"Hohoho, then I shall take something of equal value in return! Do not blame me, young boy!"
"Now go."
"Go and ravage them with your depraved retribution!"
Asura Fenix... A man who would always remain a secondary character in the world's future due to the discrimination that lingered with his name.
Could he change this disgrace in his next life?