' What? '

That was my first impression when a translucent black panel appeared in front of me in my room. Written in gold was :

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{Kaon Haner Aether : lvl 2}

{Age : 15}

{Race : Human}

{Skill : [Appraisal lvl 1] }

{Society Members : 1}

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I was vexed at the panel that appeared. I tried to touch the panel but my hand passed right through.

' What the- '

I scratched my head. Instead I tried to touch the words ' Appraisal ' next and the panel extended, making space for the paragraph that appeared under the word.

" Able to discern the true value of anything" I read aloud. ' What is actually going on? ' I thought as I ran my hand through my hazel hair that match my eyes. ' Why is this brownhappening to me? And what does this skill work '

Turning to the desk I was sitting at, I looked at the pen on the desk. A similar but smaller panel appeared overlapping the pen. I inspected the panel which was different from the first one. The panel didn't have 'skill' or 'race', instead it had 'rank' and 'durability'. I blinked and the panel suddenly ceased to exist.

Being the quick thinker I am, I comprehended the situation. "I can see the value of things I concentrate on using the [Appraisal] skill." I concluded. But something disturbed me, the last line of the first panel.

"Society Members? What does it mean by that? Is the 1 member me? If so, do I need to make a society and recruit members?" I racked by brain for answers.

In the end, I did what do when I meet something troublesome. I pushed the questions to the back of my mind and with the panel disappeared. I sighed audibly and looked around my room.

The room was quite large and had a king sized bed that took up the top left corner leaving little space from the shut window on the left wall. At the bottom, a bit away from the foot of the bed, was the desk I was currently sitting at. Excluding the dressing table in the top right corner and the small wardrobe bottom right corner, there were no other pieces of furniture that needed attention.

Suddenly, the door in between the dresser and the wardrobe opened and a girl in maid uniform entered with a silver tray. The girl had flame orange hair that reached her neck. She had green eyes and was about his age which was quite young for a maid. She was rather clumsy as she tripped and almost spilled the tea and cake from the tray. I remembered her name was Ember.

I watched silently as she set the cake and tea next to the paper I was writing on before the panel appeared. ' Speaking of panel '

I looked in front of me where, once I imagined it, the panel materialized. I turned to look at Ember who was nervously watching him. After seeing no indication that she knew the existence of the panel, I added to my conclusion.

' Only I can see the mysterious panel '

But it was a pending fact as I only tested it on one person. ' I'll experiment it later, ' I thought with a sigh

Noticing my sigh of displeasure, Ember spoke up. " Um. Master. " She said, pausing after each word, " is there anything troubling you? " My train of thought was cut as I realized I had been staring at her. " No, it's nothing." I said as I shook my head and turned to my breakfast. I quickly finished the cake and half my tea when I spoke.

" How is father doing? " I asked solemnly. Ember took a while to answer, as if formulating an answer that would please me, which was most likely the case. "The patriarch is holding a meeting tomorrow between the House of Aether and the House of Zephyr. " Ember said as I finished my tea and handed her the cup. I sighed again. ' The House of Zephyr huh? '

In the Kingdom of Gustan four families were in charge of defence and offence of the kingdom. Namely; House of Swords Aether, House of Assassins Norn, Martial House of Makil and Mage House of Zephyr. Anyone from these families were treated with respect. Except me. Of course.

In Aether House I am the 10th born, 7th son and 11th in the line of succession. It didn't help that my mother passed away when I was born and the fact that I didn't have the the Aether blue hair and gold eyes.

This resulted people calling me names. It also backfired when I learned that I had no talent for swords, which you can tell, is the major calling card since it supposedly ran in the blood. Nor did I have the talent for magic, martial arts and assassinhood.

It was widespread rumour that Im not an Aether so many started to ether avoid or bully me.

Back to the meeting at hand, it was probably to introduce the family children to form relationships for the benefit of the family. '

That's a roundabout way to form friendship instead of talking to each other.' I, to every noble trick for power, disapproved.

' Well it's not like I'll attend anyway. ' I thought since I didn't get along with his siblings being a disgrace and all.

" And master Kaon" Ember continued " the patriarch declared that you are to attend."

What? Did I hear it correctly? I was shocked, astounded even to the point I nearly punched myself. The patriarch who put talent and honour above family. That patriarch wanted me to attend.

First was the panel and second was the party. What the hell is happening with my life? Again I pushed the thought to the back of my head causing another one to resurface. Maybe I can try the appraisal skill a bit more. Like most of my actions, this came abruptly.

He glanced at Ember once again and willed the mysterious panel. This time the panel showed Ember's details.

Level 1...14...human...and [Alchemist lvl 0]? I was shocked. Alchemists were rare and are a national treasure but level 0? Does it mean she has the potential to learn it? That might be the case.

Though the panel was convenient, it was still mysterious. Since it showed the 'state' of things, I called it 'Status'. Aren't I a genius? I boasted inwardedly.

After I dismissed the Status, a low monotone and mechanical voice rang in my head.

{Beginner mission - Use Appraisal to a person other than yourself - has been cleared. Calculating awards....}

I froze for a while as if i was contemplating something. My Status appeared once more. This time Appraisal had levelled up. Making a motion similar to stretching, he pressed the levelled up skill.

[Appraisal lvl2] - discern emotions and loyalty.

It didn't seem much and it was almost useless since he perfectly knew others attitude towards him. How wrong I was.

Little did I know that this one skill would lead to a hell lot of pain, misunderstandings and unlikely connections. Mostly painstakingly encounters.

It all started with that damn appraisal