The commotion created by Elder Horas died down as quickly as it began. There were still whispers of the gnarly details that an Elder had targetted a junior, but the noise was eclipsed by the ongoing celebrations of Idrytis August. The Demonic Beast Purge wasn't the only festivity planned for the Solaris House's biggest holiday.
Various other festivals and celebrations were prepared for the founder's month, and the people enjoyed every second.
Knights sent on voyages and long missions away from home were given the respite of visiting their families. Children who studied all year long could freely enter carnivals. And workers that rarely got out of their monotone lives were given a good long break from it all.
Idrytis August was a celebration of all things Solaris.
From honouring the famed individuals of years past to celebrating the accomplishments of their Knights. And the crown jewel of this year's Idrytis August was none other than the most prestigious of them all.
The Sword Bestowment Ceremony.
An event that only occurs once every five years, the Sword Bestowment Ceremony brought the attention of eyes from all over the globe. The Solaris House was born from a lineage of heroes. The Solaris Founder who fought against the Dragons during the Great Dragon War. The Solaris Saint who repelled the Demons when they invaded. And an array of heroes who made their mark in history.
All of those heroes left their legacies within the prestigious Sword Garden of the Solaris House.
And every five years… a new generation would get to enter the Sword Garden to receive one of those legendary inheritances.
The younger generation was the hope… the new dawn of the Solaris House.
That was the significance of the Sword Bestowment Ceremony. To let the younger generation carry the torch from the older ones.
And this year's ceremony was especially interesting. Plenty of young talent, each projected to become great Solaris Knights, were all getting their swords today. So it wasn't surprising that it drew numerous eyes and curious participants.
However…
"... are you really carrying all that?"
Amon was rendered gobsmacked by the peculiar sight in front of him. A breathtaking young woman, draped in the finest quality of silk and satin, held over a dozen recording crystals of the highest quality on her sash. All of them were state-of-the-art and highly coveted in the industry. Just one of those crystals was enough to buy a comfortable home in the city.
And yet, the woman held onto over a dozen of them.
"I can't take the chance! Who knows if they will fail on me during the ceremony?!"
"Still… Is there a need for so many?"
The young woman looked no older than eighteen. Her delicate visage shimmered as if touched by the Moon's embrace. It was as if the pinnacle of human beauty had been condensed into one person as she sashayed with the radiance that would attract the entire continent.
Amon would have been left breathless by the dazzling sight of the ethereal beauty if it weren't for her comical appearance.
"Just one is good enough… Besides, what's there to record?"
"My dear Amon, how can you be so naive?!"
An exasperated cry came behind Amon, forcing the young man to turn around. There, a stunningly gorgeous middle-aged lady who looked not a year older than forty grabbed onto Amon's dangling arm and added:
"I don't usually agree with that fox, but she's right! We're about to watch your bestowment! You will only get to enter the Sword Garden once in your life! Shouldn't we do our best to record this moment?!"
An unlikely ally joined in Yue's crusade to obtain the perfect recording. Amon's mother, Maya Solaris, had her cat-like eyes lit up with anticipation while she held onto her precious son.
"Mother-in-law!!!"
"Don't call me that, you vixen! You're not marrying my son just yet!"
"Huh? Then you don't want a recording of Amon getting his sword?"
"T-That… How dare you threaten me?!"
The two women started bickering, going back and forth and creating a huge commotion. Unable to withstand the embarrassment creeping in, Amon hurriedly pried his mother's arms away and walked in the other direction where his father and sister stood.
"Haha, Maya gets along with our future daughter-in-law!"
Amon's father, Aaron Solaris, laughed heartily at his wife's juvenile antics. In his eyes, it seemed like Maya and Yue got along swimmingly, and the rambunctious dispute was no more than a lovely family quarrel.
"How is that getting along?" Arya, Amon's sister, questioned with open eyes.
It wasn't a secret that Yue and Maya had their differences. It was rarer for them not to argue, and if they were both quiet at the dinner table, Yue would raise an eyebrow in confusion instead.
"Haha, enough about them; they're not the main characters of today."
Alas, Amon's father didn't care about the nuisance his wife and future daughter-in-law were making. His interest was steered towards his two children, who were the pride and joy of his life.
"Amon… Arya… Are you nervous?"
"No," Amon replied calmly without hesitation.
Truth be told, he didn't care about the Sword Bestowment Ceremony. As long as he got a decent blade from it, Amon wouldn't complain. After all, most of his swords broke after one or two uses. All he wanted was a durable blade that could withstand his mana.
The same couldn't be said about his sister, though.
"To tell the truth, I'm a little nervous." Arya fiddled with her fingers and shyly replied. "I'm afraid to have so many people watching me."
"It's going to be alright," Aaron reached his hand over his daughter's head and lovingly stroked her hair. "Your brother is going to be right there with you! And there's nothing to be scared of! The Sword Bestowment Ceremony will only give you endless benefits!"
"Uugh."
Rustled by her father's warm touch, Arya could only let out an adorable cry.
Helping ease his daughter's anxious heart, Aaron turned to his tall and mature son, who was already standing at his height. Over eight years had passed since he was first called to Alrock's office with Amon. Over those years, Amon had grown into a spectacular man and an even more splendid Knight.
Pride was an easy emotion to feel whenever Aaron thought of his son.
No matter what results from the Sword Bestowment Ceremony, Aaron was already happy with his son's accomplishments and couldn't wait to see Amon surpass him.
"So, what weapon grade are you hoping to get?"
"A Unique-grade at least, and if I get a Fabled-grade, I would be content."
Amon replied without skipping a beat.
Weapons in Hyades were classified mainly into nine tiers. Common-grade weapons were the most common weapons in the world. Weapons of this grade could be purchased at any random blacksmith on the marketplace, and getting a sword of this calibre was as easy as buying vegetables from a grocer.
The two tiers above Common were Uncommon and Rare. These two grades were more challenging to find, but not anything too strenuous. Even regular blacksmiths would hold a handful of Uncommons and one or two Rares.
The next tier up, however, was where the quality drastically increased. Epic-grades were the fourth tier on the scale, and they could only be bought from top-tier blacksmiths and forgers. They could easily cost a fortune, and owning an Epic-grade was enough to make a Knight's career.
In fact, the swords that Amon usually used were all at the Epic-grade. Otherwise, none of his swords would have survived his immense mana pool and would have shattered before he even swung them down.
Above Epic was where the scale became broken. Unique-grades were one-of-a-kind pieces, masterpieces of each skilled blacksmith. Less than a thousand Uniques would be on the market at any given time, and they were all highly sought after. Even Amon and Yue, with all the resources available to them, had to think twice before buying a Unique-grade sword.
As for the next tier up, Fabled-grade, they were Unique swords forged by a fable. Either by a past wielder or the blacksmith who created the sword. It could have been blessed with the mana of a Knight that slain a Great Demon. Or it was made with a divine swordsmith's blood, sweat and soul. A Fabled-grade was what most Knights dreamed of obtaining, and if they couldn't get one, they hoped that their Unique-grade sword would turn into a Fabled-grade once their journey as a warrior was over.
Above the Fabled-grade was the Legendary-grade, a Fabled weapon that had gathered countless stories on its own and evolved into a sword of legend. If a Unique-grade sword had less than a thousand on the market, a Legendary-grade would only have one or two for sale at best. Even then, if a weapon of that grade goes for sale, the cost would be astronomical. It's a thousand times more expensive than any other sword.
As for the last two tiers, these were grades that no one in the modern era would ever see on sale.
The Mythic-grade is the eighth tier on the scale and rarely seen in person. Mythic-grades were weapons that had transcended legend and were practically considered the weapons of Gods. Less than a hundred Mythic-grades were ever recorded in history, and each time they appeared, they were shown to be capable of performing deity-like feats.
And finally, the highest grade of weapons and the rarest of them all…
The Heroic-grade.
Of these, only four have ever been recorded in history, and one of them was sleeping right here in the Solaris House, in the Sword Garden, and the sword Leon was destined to obtain.
The Holy Sword, Ascalon.
Ascalon wasn't the only sword worth coveting in the Sword Garden. The worst sword one could get was Unique-tier, which was already better than all the swords Amon had used until now. If he got anything above that, it would be a bonus.
Luckily, Yue did mention that Amon had received a good sword in her previous timeline. However, she was being secretive about it for some reason, so Amon could only shrug his shoulders and patiently wait for his turn to enter Sword Garden.
"Haha, not that ambitious are you? Given your talent, I think you could pull a Legendary-grade!"
Aaron laughed heartily as he slapped his son's shoulders. Although he was confident in his son's talent, he knew better than anyone that the sword someone got from the Sword Garden was based on luck. It didn't matter if a young Knight was talented; it was all up to destiny.
Sometimes, the best talent of the generation wouldn't even get a Fabled-grade sword. But that wasn't due to their lack of training or willpower; it was bad luck. Nevertheless, those Solaris Knights would forge their path, taking their Unique-grade weapon on the path of greatness, eventually making their swords into Fabled-grade.
That was why the Sword Garden had the largest repository of precious weapons anywhere on the globe.
"A Fabled-grade is more than enough."
"Haha, you sure are humble!" Aaron laughed once more and repeated himself: "Nevertheless, I'm proud of you, son. Even if you get a Unique-grade today, I'm confident you could raise it to Fabled or even Legendary on your own."
"... Thanks, Dad."
Amon cracked a wry smile before turning his attention to the massive gate before his eyes. As time passed, a large crowd began to gather until the vast space didn't seem so significant anymore. Looking through the crowd, he could see various familiar and unfamiliar faces.
Knights he had partnered with, cadets he'd gone to school with, and many other irrelevant figures.
Amon didn't care about any of them. All he cared about were the main characters of [Bright], those that had an actual impact on the story and the future of Hyades.
Gale and Adelia Solaris, Leon's partners-in-crime. If everything followed the same timeline, they would claim Fabled-grade weapons, becoming integral in the battles that followed.
Lydia Solaris was a stand-out figure as well. Her talents had blossomed beyond what Amon had anticipated, so predicting the sword she would claim was also uncertain. However, Lydia would get a Fabled-grade sword if his memory served him right.
And, of course, the main course and the man of the hour…
Leon Bright.
The man who would pull Ascalon from its slumber and shock the planet with his overwhelming talent.
Of course, more young talents were waiting to rush into the Sword Garden right now to claim their prize. Many will get Uniques, few will get Fabled… However, only one will get the coveted Heroic-grade sword.
'I can't wait to see that in person.'
For a brief moment, Amon empathised with Yue's desire to record this historic event. vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv