Arphaxad stood up, feeling the weight of responsibility for all who had traveled with him, and began introducing his group. "I am Arphaxad, a Bahamut student who was living in Nannu, these to my right are Eron from the village of Tefa and Draka from Bercuranon and to my left is the little girl named Obelia, we still don't know where she came from, apparently she doesn't talk much and this quiet one here is my friend Kal". The mention of each name drew curious and interested looks from the residents of Hadon's house, especially Kal and Draka, whose features seemed to resonate with characteristics of the seeds of kings.
Adonis, clearly intrigued by the diversity and history of the group, asked: "How did you meet? Was it by chance?" Arphaxad, a little uncomfortable with the question, scratched his head before answering. "The truth is that Hadon found Kal in Nannu and invited him to come to this place, on the way we stopped in the old capital of Tenai and there we met Draka. Kal decided to stay there for a few days and investigate some things."
Aura interrupted Arphaxad as he explained, expressing her discomfort: "Bercuranon, that city gives me the creeps..." Aura's observation reflected the feeling of mystery and danger associated with the city.
Arphaxad looked at her and continued the explanation, revealing more about the circumstances of his encounter with the others. "We discovered that duchy soldiers were acting in that city, capturing and imprisoning all who had the same features as Kal and all of you. It was in prison that I met Eron and Obelia. By the way, since she still hasn't spoken, it was I who named her!" Arphaxad's story revealed a series of fortunate events and critical decisions that had led those strangers to become traveling companions.
Arphaxad's revelations helped weave an even more complex background for the meeting at Hadon's house. The residents could now appreciate not just the group's diverse origins, but also the extraordinary circumstances that had brought them together. Sharing these stories not only increased mutual understanding, but also strengthened bonds between the newcomers and their hosts, establishing a basis of respect and camaraderie amid shared challenges.
As Markel and Aura served coffee, conversation continued to flow in the room. Yorin expressed his dissatisfaction with Bercuranon, revealing that except for Sahara, they were all outsiders who had found refuge there. "Bercuranon is a horrible place for all of us! Of all who live here, only Sahara was born here; the rest of us also came from there!" he said, highlighting the unusual connection they all shared with that troubled place.
Adonis, sensing the atmosphere was conducive to sharing more of their stories and connections, introduced the idea of a deeper discussion. "I have much to tell all of you about why Hadon went out to meet you, but the story is long and it is getting quite late," he suggested. Advising all to go rest, he proposed continuing the conversation the next day, promising a more in-depth exchange of information.
Arphaxad, anxious for answers and concerned for his responsibilities to Suzannah, interrupted to ask about Hadon. "Where is Hadon, since we came a long way to see him?" he inquired, hoping to finally meet the man who might have the answers Kal so desperately needed.
Adonis responded with information that only increased Arphaxad's concern. "Hadon is very busy; he only comes here four times in a whole year!" This revelation made Arphaxad fear their mission could face significant delays, as for him it was crucial that Kal return to Nannu only after directly speaking to Hadon, as per the commitments made to Suzannah.
The weight of Adonis' words resonated with Arphaxad, who became even more anxious about how and when they might meet Hadon. He recognized that while Hadon did not arrive, they were at an impasse, dependent on the mysterious man's sporadic appearances to advance their search. Arphaxad's concern was not just for Kal's safety, but also for the promise he had made to keep Suzannah informed and to return successfully to Nannu.
After Adonis distributed the rooms, Arphaxad and Kal were accommodated together. While watching Kal sleep, Arphaxad reflected on the changes he had noticed in his friend since he had left to investigate the white castle in Bercuranon. For him, Kal had always been a man of few words, but now his silence seemed even deeper, possibly due to the abrupt loss of his arm. Arphaxad, aware of the physical and emotional impact Kal was facing, thought about how he could support his friend and was eager to seek Hadon's help, hoping he could offer a solution or comfort that would help Kal regain his spirit.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, an intriguing conversation was unfolding between Adonis and Sahara as they tended to the nightly chores. The subject was Kal and the notable features he seemed to exhibit, which caught everyone's attention in the house. "Did you see that boy Kal, he gathers all the characteristics, not even brother Set has such strong features. Could he be the son of someone close?" Sahara inquired, her curiosity clearly piqued by the young man's presence.
Adonis, while drying a dish, reflected for a moment before responding. "I noticed too, but we'll only be sure of anything when Master Hadon comes!" His answer was cautious, evidencing that despite speculation, they preferred to wait for Hadon's assessment, who due to his knowledge and experience could provide decisive insights into Kal's origin and potential.
The interaction between Adonis and Sahara revealed not only the household's curiosity and interest in Kal, but also the dependence they all shared on the mysterious Hadon, whose influence seemed to be the axis around which many decisions and discoveries revolved. This wait for Hadon's arrival was filled with both anxiety and expectation, as everyone in the house seemed poised to learn more about the mysteries surrounding the visitors and especially the enigmatic Kal.
At dawn, Hadon's house was already buzzing with activity, with all the young people moving quickly to prepare breakfast. Arphaxad, abruptly awoken by the noise, immediately noticed Kal's absence from his bed. Upon leaving the room, he saw Draka helping in the kitchen with the same ability she demonstrated while working at the "Silver Donkey" inn. Draka's familiarity with kitchen chores did not fail to surprise him, and at the same time brought a certain relief to see that she was fitting in well.
Concerned for Kal, Arphaxad went straight to Markel, who was busy preparing the coffee, and asked about his friend. Markel informed him that Kal had gone out alone very early, intensifying Arphaxad's concern. Without hesitation, he left the house searching for Kal, fearing something bad may have happened. After a few minutes of searching, he found Kal sitting in a meditative position by the stream near the house. The scene was peaceful, but Kal's expression was of deep concentration and, perhaps, frustration.
Kal had been trying to access his inner sanctuary for hours, a practice that normally brought him clarity and peace. However, since his spiritual connection had been severely damaged by Spartan, he found himself unable to reach that deep state of inner communion. Arphaxad, perceiving Kal's inner struggle, kept his distance, respecting the space his friend needed, but always watchful.
At that moment, Adonis approached Kal with a serenity that seemed to counter the tension of the moment. "I have revelations to make," he said calmly, suggesting they return for breakfast before continuing their much-anticipated conversation. Adonis understood the importance of nourishing the body before nourishing the mind with information that could be transformative.
Kal, albeit reluctant, knew he could not ignore Adonis' call, especially if it meant obtaining answers about the circumstances that had led to such drastic changes in his life. So he stood up and, along with Arphaxad and Adonis, headed back to the house, mentally preparing for what was to come. The promise of important revelations created an atmosphere of anticipation but also caution, as both Kal and Arphaxad knew the answers they sought could change their path in unpredictable ways.
As Adonis spoke, everyone's attention was completely focused on him. Seriousness had taken over the room, marking the change in tone of the conversation. All present felt the weight of the story being unveiled, a story that directly connected to the legacy and destiny of them all.
Adonis then began to speak: "Not long ago these lands were one kingdom, the kingdom of Tenai. This kingdom was erected and controlled for centuries by the Arkon family, who claimed to have descended from the first men to set foot on Earth. The books say they were not originally from Gallea, but from another continent called Ember to the east, and they came to this continent after a prince named Temur received a prophecy saying that from his lineage would come those who would change the world, neither Temur nor his other children took that prophecy seriously, except one, Temur's fourth son, Alister. He became obsessed with that prophecy and a few years later moved to Gallea with his son and men..."
Adonis continued: "Alister was a man of vision and determination. Upon arriving in Gallea, he and his descendants established what would come to be known as the kingdom of Tenai. Over the centuries, the Arkon family ruled these lands, maintaining peace and prosperity. However, despite apparent success, the prophecy never left the minds of the Arkons, echoing through the generations."
He went on: "In the book I read when seeking information, it said they settled on a small island to the southeast of here and named it Juramin, the Island of Prophecy, in the ancient tongue. From there they conquered territories, it was almost 400 years until they unified all the small territories and founded the kingdom of Tenai. The first king of Tenai was Edelbran who managed to finalize the conquest initiated by his ancestors centuries earlier, he also inherited Alister's obsession and believing that powerful beings would come from his blood, to keep the strongest bloodline, he asked that his servants return to Ember, homeland of his ancestors and seek for him a bride with the purest lineage possible and they did so, Edelbran had only one son, Falker..."
"He was the second king of Tenai. Unlike his father, Falker did not care for prophecies and mystical things, when he turned 16, his father ordered that another young woman of the same lineage as them from Ember be brought so that his son could marry, but received word that there were no more with pure lineage, thus existing only the lineage of Edelbran as the purest of the Arkons..."
"Immersed in his studies, Edelbran read about eugenics." Adonis realized the confusion among those present upon mentioning "eugenics", a concept that was clearly unfamiliar to all there except Eron. Seeing the need for clarification, he paused to explain: "Eugenics is the science that seeks to 'improve' genetics through genetic combination. That is, making people with strong characteristics breed with people with other strong characteristics to produce more 'complete' beings." He observed his listeners' faces to ensure they were following before continuing.
"Please allow me to continue the story, and you all will understand in the end," Adonis said, resuming the narrative thread. "When King Edelbran, who was already older, decided to put that into practice, his son Falker was killed in battle, quelling a rebellion, leaving only his 3-year-old son Yorion. Edelbran then educated his grandson to focus on this and generate, through genetic combination, increasingly powerful sons and daughters..."
He continued, explaining how Edelbran's obsession with eugenics shaped the future of the kingdom and the Arkon family. "Edelbran believed that by intensifying the desirable characteristics of the Arkons, he could eventually create a lineage of supreme rulers capable of fulfilling the prophecy that said those from their lineage would come who would change the world."
"The only characteristic the Arkons maintained over all those years until Yorion was the golden eyes, I believe that to be the most sacred Arkon bloodline characteristic, but before dying the very old King Edelbran asked his grandson Yorion to always keep the Arkon characteristics alive. Yorion ascended the throne at 16 years of age and had many concubines with great potential, he created the analysis division, and with his mad mages created a kind of genetic selection, where after various tests and checks, those considered weak or not carrying the Arkon blood characteristics were 'discarded' and only the 'pure blood' survived..."
"Yorion became known as the 'Blood Father,' he discarded countless sons and daughters and sought strong partners, until he found a silver-haired elf with great vitality named Inurie, with her, he generated a silver-haired son with golden eyes as bright as the sun, and named him Temur in honor of his ancestral who his lineage descended from. It was at this time that Inurie was called the 'White Mother.' Temur was raised under his father's tutelage learning about his ancestors and how he had to continue improving his genetics so that his much prophesied descendants could be the most powerful in this land..."
"The same process continued with Temur who had various concubines until his mages found a human woman who was part of King Karastea's court called Talla 'Brightlight,' who possessed a powerful and pervasive spirit. History says Temur became enamored with her, and with her he tried to generate the perfect child, they say that for each day Temur spent with a concubine he spent three with Talla and, with her, he generated sons and daughters, but only one son was considered 'appropriate,' he was called Lucion, the fourth king of Tenai..."
"They continued killing children who did not serve for another 3 generations until a man named Ruar Sergal intervened, he was from a noble family and his sister Perona Sergal was chosen to be one of King Astarion's concubines, when she became pregnant with her first child, Perona almost died in childbirth becoming cadaverous and emaciated, when her son was born, unfortunately he was born with characteristics similar to the Sergals and not the Arkons, so he was condemned to death; However, Ruar saved the child by taking him far from Bercuranon to his summer home, this house we are now!" Adonis concluded, leaving everyone impressed and intrigued.
"From then on he tried to save as many rejects as possible, but it was almost impossible to save them all. They say that for every one he saved, three were killed by the Arkon mages. Ruar raised and educated the child as if he were his own, hiding his true origin, that was easy enough, because the boy had the characteristics of Ruar and Perona's family and not the Arkons, so the boy passed himself off as Ruar's son without any problem, but when someone was born whose physical appearance condemned them, Ruar could not save..."
"He distanced himself from the summer house so that it would be forgotten and thus be able to bring here whoever he could save regardless of hair or eye color. Time passed and the grandson of that boy inherited the summer house, that grandson is our master Hadon who became the leader of the noble Sergal family!". This revelation left people more intrigued and perplexed by what happened in that country.
"Some years later the mages discovered a spiritborn woman named Fae who had pure genetics, the mage leader alerted King Harnon at the time that she could create a lineage of clean, pure genetics allowing him to marry his children without the genetic problems it could bring. And so that king did, he married his children, the beautiful and spotless Princess Estella 'Morningstar' and her younger brother Oberon..."
"And as the mages' research predicted, the two siblings' children did not receive genetic problems, thus ending the era of eugenics and beginning the era of incest. However, Oberon and Estella did not love each other as man and woman but only as siblings; Estella loved flowers and remained among the flowers all her life, while Oberon sought love in other women, and it was in this search that Oberon met Yuria, mother of our brother Set and grandmother of Yurin here, and later met Jeyn, my mother and Aura's..." Continued Adonis.
"We all here have some blood connection to the ancient kings of Tenai, we came from children who were 'discarded' by those horrible practices they had and saved by Hadon and his family, so we are all known throughout Tenai as 'Seeds of the Kings,' those who have some tie to them..." The whole history told by Adonis clarified the origin of Kal and everyone there. Kal, even in a catatonic state, heard the whole story, understanding that his mother Ella had likely taken him from Tenai to the village of Suri in Nannu to escape the purge, since he too was a 'seeds of the kings.'
Listening to the whole story, Arphaxad was impressed with everything, and stood up asking "So anyone with these characteristics is somehow a descendant of the ancient kings of Tenai?". Adonis just nodded his head positively, while young Arphaxad asked again "And what does Salazar Saladon have to do with this? Why is he capturing the 'seeds of the kings'?" Before Adonis could say anything, Sahara stepped in front and said, "Now it's my turn to tell you a story!".