Chapter Three
Dulian exits the Hall of Halls in shame, still adorned with the weight of judgment from the gathered houses and dignitaries, none daring to speak lest they face dire consequences.
Entering his deceased brother's office, he is met by a female mage. "Dulian, the dragons grow impatient," she declares.
Turning his chair towards her, Dulian seizes her hand, and he groped her bosom but she halts him, saying, "Consider the possibility of your brother fathering a child outside his marriage."
Her words extinguish Dulian's ardor, and he releases her but she still sat on his lap. "The Queen took her own life upon learning of my brother's demise. It has been years since I saw her," he reveals.
A knock interrupts their conversation, prompting the mage to rise from Dulian's lap, maintaining her composure. "Enter," Dulian commands.
An imperial knight from the House of El entered the office, dragging a woman along with him. "Clandor, who is this?" Dulian inquired.
"This woman claims she has something important to tell you," Clandor explained.
"Speak," Dulian commanded.
"I demand a thousand gold coins before divulging any information," the woman declared boldly.
Dulian's lips curled into a sinister smile as he glanced at Whyte Olin, his mage. Recognizing the signal, Whyte Olin approached the woman and began extracting information from her using her magical abilities.
Meanwhile, Clandor escorted the woman out of Dulian's presence.
Afterward, Whyte Olin relayed the extracted information to Dulian as she enters into a trance.
"She was about to reveal that the Emperor had a son at the time of his death, but the child was taken away. Unfortunately, I couldn't discern who took the child, but the woman is of my race," she reported.
The Aurelian race have a peculiar feature to their being, with the their pointed ears and colourful hairs.
"You remember to say 'former emperor,' because I'm the new emperor," he asserted.
"I don't think the houses see it that way. Firstly, you're about to relinquish control of the second continent under the empire. Secondly, the houses will never accept you unless the solar dragon acknowledges you by giving you the key. And thirdly, you shouldn't sound desperate," Whyte stated bluntly.
Dulian reclined in his chair and pondered, "What do you suggest?"
"It will take time to locate the child we didn't even know existed, so I propose we reclaim the kingdoms on the second continent," she suggested, taking a seat nearby.
"Remember, we made a deal with the Swanian empire," he reminded her.
"Yes, I'm aware. We should offer Swanian race control of the second continent to maintain our influence over its people, and I'll orchestrate a magical spectacle to convince the houses that you are the chosen ruler," she concluded.
Dulian heeded the counsel of his mage. In the initial stages of the war, he had pledged the kingdoms under their rule autonomy and freedom—a strategy that garnered support, except from the Aurielian race, which comprised more mages than Mecha Knights. The former Emperor, Casper Kratia, had married into the Aurielian race.
In accordance with Orielian custom, the heir was mandated to journey across all regions of the continents, excluding the far north and south, to grasp the cultures of its people.
Casper Kratia, accompanied by Zaman, who would later becomes his wife, embarked on extensive travels, venturing as far as the Castar Sea and along the Gore Sea coastline. Their travels also included hunting dragons and giants.
Throughout his journey, Casper Kratia developed a fondness for the Aurielian race and their customs, earning their loyalty. However, not all Aurielians shared this sentiment, as some harbored deep-seated animosity towards the Kamanian race for their role in dividing the elder race in the south. It was during these travels and discoveries that a close friend of theirs, Alex Grande, perished—a loss that ignited the early stages of the war. Alex Grande, a confidant of the crown, hailed from the Kamanian race.
The Aurelian race possessed a unique mastery of internal magic, practicing a silent form that required no words or incantations, making them formidable adversaries to the empire.
Meanwhile, the Suesian race intervened, discovering how to weaponize the Kamanian element known as aeirstone. This element was traditionally used by the Kamanian race to control their inner beast and was applied as tattoos or emblems on their skin from birth, with the exception of the House of Kratia, renowned as the house of dragonborn despite their mistreatment of lesser dragons. Other Kamanian houses were associated with various creatures, ranging from wolves and reptiles to vampires and sybils.
In battle, each Mecha Armor was accompanied by its own Aurelian mage, bonded through the aeirstone element. This bond enhanced the armor's durability and effectiveness in combat, ensuring a formidable force on the battlefield.
The twelve main houses exert control over other houses across the continents.
Dulian achieved his desires when Whyte Olin orchestrated a deceptive magical performance, convincing the houses that he had been chosen by the solar dragon. Consequently, the Swanians seized control of the second continent and embarked on a relentless search for the child throughout the region.
Three years had elapsed since Dulian ascended to the throne, yet the pursuit of the elusive dragon child persisted.
Meanwhile, Tesh is now two years, eleven months, and 29 days old, playing with the neighbor's kid Sasha outside in the early autumn season.
The Alex in Tesh began thinking in his mind how grateful he is to have Sasha being much older than him because that means he will get to lose his virginity faster, he was daydreaming while staring at her.
Sasha noticed Tesh pervy stare and throws the ball at his face which he dodges and it went into the near by barn. Tesh looks at her weirdly and Sasha began laughing at him.
"I told you not to throw it too high," Tesh lamented.
Sasha, older and taller than Tesh, remarked, "I hear your birthday is tomorrow."
Tesh walked into the barn, not responding to her comment. As he searched for the ball, he stumbled upon a heavy covering. Upon standing up, he noticed the ball near the covering and approached to investigate.
"Tesh, what's taking you so long?" Sasha asked loudly.
Reyan emerged from the house; their home nestled in the countryside of the Elen Kingdom. Married to Femi and expecting their first child, they had adopted Tesh, passing him off as their own.
Taking a seat outside for some fresh air, Reyan watched Sasha and hoping her baby could be a girl has she rubs her toamy.
Tesh uncovered a massive machine. He stared at it, feeling a sense of déjà vu, as memories of his past life as an imperial knight battling giants and dragons flooded back to him.
"Tesh, come out now," Sasha commanded.
Observing Sasha, Reyan scoffed, seeing a reflection of her own childhood self in the assertive girl.
Tesh approached the Mecha Armor and touched it, initiating its first movement. Mesmerized, he crawled closer to inspect the controls, filled with enthusiasm and elation. Suddenly, he remembered Sasha might be searching for him.
As Sasha walked toward the barn, Tesh emerged, holding the ball and smiling sheepishly. Passing her, he sensed her suspicion.
The glow from the machines dimmed. A Mecha Soldier from the Kingdom capital detected a signal on their monitor, only for it to vanish. Rushing to report the anomaly to her superintendent, she was dismissed due to past incidents of false alarms.
"I'll investigate it myself then," she resolved determinedly.