Three days after the Battle of the Lost King.
London.
UK.
There was no update from Jaquelin Romarich about the Washington DC battle's progress. Usually, Jaquelin would inform Alisha Romarich by text or phone at night. However, until now, Alisha has not received any news from her husband.
[Inbox]
[No new messages]
Heavy rain with dark clouds covered the city. Alisha, with a face full of anxiety, still looked out the window of her room on the third floor of the Romarich residence, hoping that Jaquelin had arrived in the city and returned home safely.
Morgan Romarich, the only child of Alisha and Jaquelin was standing in the open doorway of her parents' room. He saw his mother's face full of worry, although Morgan never knew why she acted like this.
From the third-floor corridor, Mira Romarich saw Morgan watching something in Alisha's room. Mira, who was Morgan's aunt and Alisha's sister, decided to approach her niece to see what Morgan was looking at.
Morgan turned to Mira with a sad face. His sadness arose because he saw his mother's figure, who was pensive, looking at the raindrops outside the window with a concerned expression.
"Are you worried about your mom, Morgan?" asked Mira.
"Mom doesn't normally act like this. I wonder what made her act like that?" asked Morgan.
Mira knew the truth about Jaquelin, about Alisha's husband going to the US to destroy the world-threatening Golden Crown Order. It was a tough and dangerous task, and Alisha actually forbade Jaquelin from going because reinforcements were not enough. However, Jaquelin was confident and managed to convince Alisha.
"Go to your room. I'll try asking her. Later, I will tell you everything. Do you understand?" asked Mira, Morgan sighed and nodded.
Morgan walked out of the room and back to his bedroom, unlike Mira, who stepped in and greeted her older sister gently.
"Is Jaquelin back yet?" asked Mira.
"Something must be happening to him," revealed Alisha softly.
"Jaquelin is a strong and intelligent man. Maybe he was so busy fighting he forgot to tell you," explained Mira.
"Fighting until night? There's a limit to a person's capacity, Mira. You know about it, right?"
Alisha looked back, staring at Mira with eyes that seemed to reflect the lamplight, teary as if she was holding back tears over the worries in her heart. Mira was startled, so she walked over and hugged Alisha from the side, trying to calm her sister's anxious heart.
When the two women were encouraging each other, a black sedan car seemed to stop outside the iron gate of the Romarich residence. Alisha saw the car coming and hurriedly ran through the floor corridor to arrive at the first floor, then stepped out, ignoring the pouring rain.
Mira tried to chase after Alisha while carrying a black umbrella in Alisha's room. Morgan noticed the noise. Drawn with curiosity, Morgan opened his bedroom door and followed Mira from behind.
One of the house servants halted Morgan's steps, leaving the Romarich's majestic residence. Both eyes of the 16-year-old boy were glued to the front, watching Alisha silent with her head bowed, Mira still trying to catch up while holding an umbrella.
Right before Alisha was Cillian Mason. Morgan knew who the man was. He was his father's best friend and the father of his best friend, Sasha Mason. However, what confused Morgan was Cillian's arrival, which came alone.
"Where's Dad?" Morgan asked one of the maids, but none would answer.
Alisha fell to her knees with her hands covering her face. The sound of the rain made Morgan unable to hear their conversation, as well as Alisha's cries. Cillian, the man in the black suit with the black umbrella, turned his head towards the door of the Romarich residence, looking at Morgan.
Cillian took another step past Alisha and Mira to meet right before Morgan. Cillian's expression looked so indifferent and cold, staring with great seriousness at Morgan until it made him awkward.
"Where's my dad?" Morgan asked.
"That's not important. What's important to you is that your father always loves you, Morgan," Cillian replied coldly.
Cillian's words really sparked high suspicion in Morgan's heart. Because he was an only child, Morgan was very close to Jaquelin and Alisha. Morgan and Jaquelin often spent time practicing witchcraft, sword fighting, and talking about magic that never existed.
That's why when Cillian said something about Jaquelin, Morgan couldn't stand by and take everything Cillian said. He had to know what happened to his father because he was his son.
"Don't hide anything from me, Uncle Cillian. Tell me honestly, where is my father?" asked Morgan, continuing to urge Cillian.
Not answering Morgan's question, Cillian waltzed away from the front yard of the Romarich residence and returned near Alisha, who was being shaded by Mira. Morgan was annoyed with Cillian's attitude. He tried to break free from the hands of the maids and ran through the pouring rain to make Cillian talk.
[Mid Magic: Typhoon Wind!]
A magic circle appeared in Morgan's hand, creating a vortex with the sharp end pointed forward to strike Cillian. Cillian noticed Morgan's wind magic. The man turned around and blocked the attack with barrier magic.
"You managed to use mid-level magic. Jaquelin would be proud of you, Morgan," praised Cillian, Morgan still fuming with his body and clothes soaked in the rain.
"I won't give up until you tell me where my dad is!" snapped Morgan.
Cillian turned to the side, looking at Alisha, who was still crying bitterly. Alisha nodded in understanding, although it was too early; she had to tell Morgan the truth. She didn't want Morgan to continue to be surrounded by his suspicions of Cillian.
"Morgan," Alisha greeted softly, Morgan turned his head to the side.
Alisha's delicate hands gently rubbed Morgan's cheeks. Morgan's handsome face reminded Alisha of Jaquelin's younger days. If the Golden Crown Order planned to destroy Romarich and take the Ark of Gilgamesh, Alisha would have to fight hard to protect her family.
"Your father... he died in the line of duty, Morgan," Alisha finally said, stammering.
"It's impossible."
"I hate to admit it, but that's the truth. Now, it's just the two of us with Mira. I won't let them hurt you, Morgan!" declared Alisha, pulling Morgan's head to embrace her in the pouring rain on a dark night at the Romarich residence.
Morgan's heart thumped uncertainly, his eyes closed as his arms began to wrap around his mother. He could feel the sadness that befell his mother; losing a loved one was a difficult thing to bear.
"Who killed him, Mom?" asked Morgan, looking cold-faced after realizing Jaquelin was dead.
"You don't need to know. You just need to be stronger than your father," Alisha explained, still stroking the back of Jaquelin's hair.
"I will swear to kill everyone who murdered my father. That's my promise to you, Mom!" declared Morgan, releasing Alisha's hold on him.
Alisha smiled. It was just the words of a 16-year-old, nothing for Alisha to worry about. However, it was different with Morgan. Losing Jaquelin left a deep wound in his heart until the seeds of revenge were created, even though Morgan didn't know who killed his father.
Cillian said goodbye. Morgan turned his head to the side and saw a faint figure of a girl about his age. She was Sasha Mason, standing next to a sedan with a male bodyguard standing over her.
"Morgan," Sasha whispered, saddened by the fate that Morgan and his family had to endure.
Not wanting to show his sadness to his friend, Morgan turned around ignorantly and stepped back into the Romarich residence. Alisha and Mira followed behind Morgan.
Cillian arrived near his black sedan, exchanging a momentary glance with Sasha.
"You have to get stronger also, Sasha. You must always stay by Morgan's side as my repayment to the Romarich family," Cillian pleaded.
"I understand, Father."
Cillian and Sasha got into the car and drove away from the Romarich residence. Morgan also returned to his bedroom, shutting himself inside with the window open. He continued to stare at the night sky, which was still covered by clouds; not a single star appeared to greet him, who was grieving.
'I must know who killed my father. I won't let them live freely!'
***
Nine months later.
The backyard of Romarich's residence.
Time went on, month after month passed. Alisha had been able to let Jaquelin go, considering that the woman already knew the risks of Jaquelin's job as a member of the Trident group, the group that hunted down the Golden Crown Order.
Mira was assigned as a special mentor to Morgan. Since the day he learned Jaquelin was dead, Morgan's behavior had become colder, and he rarely smiled. However, his persistence in learning magic was growing.
At his age, he has mastered fire, wind, and light elements. Among the three, Morgan could already achieve high-level magic in the fire and wind elements, while the light element was still at an intermediate level of magic.
[High Magic: Meteor Rain]
Above Mira, a magic circle was created with meteorite spheres the size of basketballs speeding downwards, burning in flames. Mira smiled. He could control the high-level magic of the fire element easily like that.
[High Magic: Barrier Wind Dome]
Mira raised her hand and created a powerful barrier to stop Morgan's meteorite rocks. Seeing Mira busy with Morgan's meteor magic, Morgan cast wind magic to attack Mira from the front.
[High Magic: Spear of Wind's Eye]
A magic circle was created under Mira's feet, materializing four spears created from wind energy floating with the spearheads aimed at Mira from the four cardinal winds. Morgan smiled slightly; Mira would not be able to parry his attack this time.
"You won't be able to defeat me, Morgan!" declared Mira.
Mira pointed one hand downward, forming a wind wall surrounding her body. The spear shot ahead, clashing with Mira's protective wall to create a high level of powerful magical friction.
The mages at the Romarich residence continued to defend the arena from massive destruction with the protective wall they had spawned; 10 mid-level mages were using their mana to create a protective wall in the backyard of the Romarich residence.
"Now, what magic are you trying to cast again, Morgan?" asked Mira.
"Not magic, but this!" Morgan sprinted with the use of physical enhancement, lunging forward. He pulled out a small sword from behind his back, a sword crafted using Aerith, a magic resistance stone.
"What?!" startled Mira, realizing Morgan was about to attack her physically.
Their distance was getting closer by the minute. Mira clicked her tongue. She had no choice but to summon her servant, even though Mira was reluctant.
"You can help me now, Siegfried," Mira told him.
Red flames were created before Mira's body, forming a man with a muscular body and black armor. His hand appeared to be holding a sword with a blade patterned in fiery red, a longsword.
"Servant?!" gasped Morgan.
"Enough, Morgan!" declared the man named Siegfried, a legendary Germanic hero famous for slaying the Dragon Fafnir.
The blade of Morgan's small sword clashed with Siegfried's, but the servant's immense strength sent Morgan's body flying into the protective wall of the arena with a thud, causing all his high magic to disappear.
"Akh!"
'With that kind of power, it can be said that Mira's servant is at rank A,' Morgan said to himself as he stared at the figure of the man with the big sword glowing red.
"He is no longer your opponent, Lady Mira. Be careful of him," Siegfried ordered, Mira clearing her throat at the thought.
"I know. You may leave, Siegfried."
"Alright."
Mira stepped closer to Morgan, who was still whimpering in pain, especially in his back. Mira crouched down before Morgan with her face looking down at her powerful niece.
"There's nothing I can teach you anymore. You've mastered all my skills," Mira explained.
"Servant? What's the rank?" asked Morgan.
Mira looked around, staring at the mages who were beginning to deactivate the arena's protective walls.
"I couldn't tell you when they were here," Mira replied.
"Good fight. Unfortunately, Morgan lost to a servant," revealed Alisha, who had been watching the battle without Mira and Morgan realizing it.
She walked over to Mira. Mira got up and stood tall, crossing her arms. Alisha's eyes were now on Morgan, her son, who had developed well at 16.
"Come with me. Cillian wants to see you, Morgan," Alisha said.
"Please, give me a servant, Mom," Morgan pleaded, bowing his head.
Alisha was left silent. Mira couldn't do anything either because all decisions about servants and their contracts were in the hands of the head of the Romarich family, Alisha Romarich.
"Not yet. You're not able to control a servant right now. Just be patient, Morgan."
"But I can use high-level magic. My mana capacity has also increased, and I can control mana with—"
"My orders are absolute, Morgan. No means no."