Areyos Orionis' Point of View
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I was observing Mr. Zaymon closely as he laughed. He seemed to share secrets with Barrios. What intrigued me the most, however, was how close Barrios was to both him and Oredys. Yet, my thoughts were interrupted by a voice.
"Father, there you are! We thought you had already gone to sample Baringer's delicious dishes," said Oredys' mother as she approached with King Elios.
"I couldn't let Barrios slip away; you know how quickly he disappears and for how long," replied Mr. Zaymon. This response confirmed the connection Barrios had with this family. But what kind of connection?
"Greetings, Your Highness Elios. How are you?" Barrios asked politely.
"I'm well, General Barrios," Elios answered curtly before turning to Oredys. "Have you spoken with Prince Eli? Have you managed to build any bonds?"
"I spoke with him, but I find his presence somewhat unpleasant," replied Oredys.
"So, you'd rather keep company with youths of no real worth?" Elios retorted scornfully.
The tension escalated. Sensing the insult aimed at us and our friends, Barrios responded, his voice filled with anger: "With all due respect, Your Highness, I would advise you not to speak of my children and their friends in such a manner. It would be most unfortunate to count the Scourge Lion among your enemies, don't you think?" Fear immediately crossed Elios' face, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Elios! That's enough! Show respect to others," Mr. Zaymon added firmly, trying to defuse the situation.
It was then, after observing the scene, that I stepped forward confidently, a smirk on my face, and intervened:
"If I may, Your Highness, I think it's easy to judge the worth of others when you've never really had to prove your own."
A hush fell over the surroundings, and all eyes turned toward me as I continued calmly: "If you deem someone worthless, it might be because you've never taken the time to understand them. Or perhaps, you fear what they might become."
Caught off guard by my boldness, Elios was momentarily speechless, leaving an oppressive silence in his wake. But I wasn't finished.
"There are two types of royalty, Your Highness: those who are content to wear the crown, and those who truly deserve to bear it. We, the so-called 'youths of no worth,' prefer to prove our value through our actions rather than inherited titles."
Kaiser, Yoko, Oredys, and Nia were stunned by my words, each of them breaking into an admiring smile. Barrios, on the other hand, beamed with pride as he saw me stand up to a king, while Mr. Zaymon flashed a discreet smile.
Elios, his pride wounded, merely clenched his teeth, unable to muster a fitting response.
"Well then, let's see what you're worth," said the queen, determined to salvage her husband's dignity. "Cylfid, test this boy's strength," she ordered one of the guards impulsively. "Words are fine, but actions matter more. Cylfid is Oredys' personal bodyguard. Survive 10 seconds against him, and I'll acknowledge your worth."
"You're in no position to grant me any worth; I already know my own," I retorted, holding her gaze firmly. "And as for what you're asking of Cylfid, he would first need to be able to move."
"What nonsense are you spouting, you worthless brat?" Cylfid barked, reaching for his sword. But before he could draw it, a wound seemingly appeared out of nowhere on his arm, blood immediately trickling down.
"What is this...?" he exclaimed.
"At this very moment, your body is wrapped in thousands of microscopic water threads, woven to block your every movement. These threads are under such immense pressure that they slice through anything in their path. A single flick of my finger, and your neck will become a fountain of blood. I call this 'The Bloody Web,' " I explained confidently.
"When did you set this up?" Cylfid asked, shock evident on his face.
"I simply manipulated the air's humidity to align the droplets into microscopic threads, then pressurized them. Now, it's my turn to test your worth—specifically, your wisdom. You have 10 seconds to admit defeat, or I'll paint your queen's gown with your blood," I said in an icy tone, my piercing eyes locked onto his.
A heavy silence fell, captivating the attention of Mr. Zaymon, Barrios, King Elios, Queen Merea of Sylvestria, and everyone nearby.
"I... I concede," Cylfid finally said, lowering his head and gritting his teeth, realizing his helplessness against my technique.
The king and queen were stunned by this instant victory, though indignation flickered across their faces.
"Wise decision, Cylfid. Take a break and go enjoy the festival. The same goes for all the bodyguards watching over Oredys," Zaymon ordered with a mysterious smile.
"Oredys, you can spend the day with Rey and his friends. Have fun," Zaymon said to Oredys, a smile on his face before his expression turned cold as he glanced at the King of Sylvestria. "I'll have a chat with your father in the meantime," he said, suddenly serious.
"Thank you, Grandpa," Oredys said, full of joy.
"Great! So, we can go see Kaiser play, right Kaiser?" Nia said, an innocent smile on her lips.
"Of course, follow me," Kaiser said, full of pride.
Zaymon's Point of View
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"This young man is very intriguing. He has the soul of a ruler. He fears no one, speaks his mind regardless of who's in front of him. He gave the king and queen quite a lesson with exceptional confidence and calm. He's exactly like you, 'Astarus'. The secret Barrios carries is heavy, but I understand his decision. The turn of events is quite amusing, too. No one has called him 'Areyos' yet, probably out of habit. Oredys, if you only knew that the man you're looking for is right beside you right now," I thought, a smile on my lips.
"But just like Areyos, the time hasn't come for you to know the truth yet. You'd risk being distracted and slowing your evolution, and even Areyos' progress—and worse, lead him to death, if he knew what you know."
I turned my gaze to Barrios, "It must be hard to carry such a secret without being able to share it with the one concerned, isn't it, Barrios?" I continued in my thoughts.
"Stay strong, Barrios, it's not easy, but it's the right decision." I said, placing my hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Mr. Zaymon. I figured you'd realize," he replied thoughtfully. "I feel terrible for leaving this generation with the burden of finishing the hardest part of the work we couldn't complete. I'm doing everything I can to track down our enemies, but they seem to be nowhere on the planet. All I can do now is train the new generation to be stronger than ours to finish the job completely."
"You're not alone. All the members of your team are already laying the groundwork for the new generation. I even heard Miller has decided to become a teacher at Moore."
"Ahahaha, yes, with him, we have nothing to fear for the new generation's mental strength."
"Does he know about Astarus' son?"
"He's so smart that he's probably figured it out."
"Ahahaha, yes, that's true, Miller is like Astarus, we can't hide anything from them," I said, laughing.
"Speaking of Miller, I have information to share with him regarding the situation on the Aegyls' floating continent. I imagine you know what I'm talking about?"
"Yes, I know. The rebel group from the Twilight Order, I assume?"
"We're not sure. But it's highly likely. It seems they want to take advantage of the fact that the Aegyls are neglected by their king to cause unrest and rebellions. If King Elios does nothing, the situation will only worsen," Barrios explained.
"I see. I'll inform Elios. Thank you, Barrios. Goodbye, and take care of yourself." I said, shaking his hand.
"Goodbye, Mr. Zaymon. Take care as well."
Areyos' Point of View
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"Thank you, Rey, it was very brave of you to stand up to my parents. I know how unpleasant they can be, and I apologize for that."
"It's nothing, don't worry about it," I replied calmly.
"Don't apologize for the actions of those who are fully aware of what they do. Otherwise, they'll never learn from their mistakes, nor will they learn to apologize themselves," Kaiser added.
"Well said, Kaiser. I appreciate the advice," I said.
"We can be on first-name terms, Princess Oredys," Kaiser proposed with a smile.
"As you wish, Kaiser," she replied with a slight smile.
"Hey, Kaiser! We were waiting for you to start!" Arwyna called out from a distance, looking slightly impatient.
"It's fine, I'm only ten minutes late, no need to shout," Kaiser answered, his usual nonchalance in his tone.
At that moment, Sorey appeared, walking toward us with his usual enthusiasm.
"Mr. Areyos!!! It's such a pleasure to see you! How are you?"
"I'm fine, and you, Sorey?" I replied.
"I'm doing great!" he said with a big smile.
"Mr. Areyos!? Your name is Areyos!?" Oredys suddenly asked, visibly surprised, before her gaze drifted off into the distance, as if she were lost in thought.
"Yes, 'Rey' is just a shortened form of my name. Why the surprise?" I asked, intrigued.
"No, never mind. It's nothing… I'm looking for someone with the same name as you. But since your father's name was Astarus, it's probably not you," she said, looking disappointed.
"Ah, I understand. It must just be a coincidence then."
"Yes… maybe," she replied, a lingering doubt in her voice.
"Uh, Sorey?" Kaiser asked, looking at him. Sorey seemed truly in his element, until his gaze fell on Oredys, who stood there, radiant, with a natural grace that effortlessly drew everyone's attention. Her smile, gentle yet sincere, added warmth to her already captivating beauty.
I watched as Sorey froze, blinking multiple times, as though trying to convince himself she was real. He remained still, his eyes wide, completely fixated on Oredys, as if the world around him had ceased to exist.
"Ah... uh... hello... um, hi... I... I'm Sorey…" he stammered, clearly flustered.
Oredys, as polite as ever, smiled and replied softly, "Hello Sorey, I'm Oredys, nice to meet you."
At that moment, I had a hard time suppressing a smile. It was amusing to see Sorey completely lose his composure. He was clearly no longer in control of his faculties, caught in the simple brilliance of Oredys' gaze.
Kaiser cast a glance at me, and I could see he was also holding back a laugh. Sorey was completely mesmerized.
"Are you okay, Sorey?" Yoko asked.
"Yeah... uh... Yeah, I'm fine... I was going to say—" he stammered again, shaking his head. This didn't fail to make us laugh.
"Ahh, boys..." Arwyna sighed, a faint amused smile floating on her lips. "Areyos, could you lend Sorey your saber so we can get started?"
"Hmm. Don't forget to return it, Sorey," I said, gently drawing Dawnbreaker from my signet ring.
Sorey stepped forward to take it, but before he could grab it, Oredys, who had been watching the scene with an intriguing calm, exclaimed, "But that's…!? The sword of Thaleus Sendaris!"
"Exactly," I confirmed, glancing at her. "General Barrios gave it to me."
Her eyes fixed on the sword with a palpable fascination. "You're lucky to have something that reminds you of Thaleus," she said in a thoughtful tone, as though lost in her own memories. Then, snapping back to reality, she asked, "Could I take a closer look, please?"
"Of course, here." I handed Dawnbreaker over without hesitation, curious to see what she would do with it.
Oredys took the sword with a natural grace, her fingers brushing over the intricate engravings on the scabbard. The ambient light seemed to reflect off its surface, accentuating the finely sculpted details.
"So, do we have to wait for Professor Miller to draw it?" Sorey asked, glancing at Oredys, who continued admiring the sword in a thoughtful manner.
"I saw him leave with General Barrios. He said we could start and not wait for him," Kaiser added.
"Yes, but who will draw the saber?" Arwyna asked, her brows slightly furrowed.
"Is there a problem with the saber?" Oredys asked, finally looking up at us.
"Yes, no one can draw it except my father and Professor Miller," Kaiser replied, a little embarrassed.
"Ahh, I'd forgotten about that detail. If that's all…" she began, and before we could react, she grabbed the hilt of the sword with a firm hand.
Time seemed to slow down. Every movement of Oredys was imbued with an unshakable serenity. Her fingers tightened around the hilt, and in a fluid motion, she slowly drew the blade from its scabbard.
A heavy silence descended upon us. The blade, dark and gleaming, emerged with a metallic hiss, releasing a cold energy into the air. The ambient light reflected off its black surface, creating almost supernatural reflections.
We were frozen, unable to tear our eyes from the scene. Thaleus's sword, an artifact that only those with an exceptional psyche could wield, was now in the hands of Oredys, a mere princess… or so we had thought.
A chill ran down my spine. Oredys's expression remained calm, as yet another mystery was added to the many surrounding her.
"How…? How is this possible?" I asked, my voice calm but filled with astonishment. Oredys gave me a charming smile before answering:
"Let's just say that Dawnbreaker knows me."
"Knows you? What do you mean by that?" Kaiser asked, clearly intrigued.
"This sword is aware of its surroundings," she replied. As soon as she spoke those words, I had a flashback to the moment when the Peacock King had attacked us. Dawnbreaker had saved us and then shared Thaleus's memories with me. But that raises so many questions: when, how, and why does Oredys know so much about Dawnbreaker when Barrios hadn't drawn it since Thaleus's death?
"Tell me, how old are you, Oredys?" I asked, intrigued.
"I'm 16, soon to be 17."
"You're a mine of mysteries," I said.
"We all have our little secrets, don't we? Some heavier than others," she said, handing the sword to Sorey.
Barrios couldn't have given Dawnbreaker to Oredys. If she's only 16, that means Thaleus had already died when she was born. And since Dawnbreaker had stayed in Thaleus's sheath all this time, the only way for her to have any connection to that blade is if she had been there while Thaleus was alive, which is impossible.
"Everyone on stage. The rest of you, please take your seats in front of the stage," Arwyna shouted.
"Hello, everyone," Corvus greeted as he arrived.
"Ahh... C-Corvus, I hope you're doing well. I've prepared your outfit. Let me know if you need anything before you go on stage," Arwyna suddenly softened her tone.
"I'll be fine," Corvus replied in a disinterested tone.
"It looks like she's in love with the guy who just arrived," Nia whispered loudly to Yoko, making her laugh.
"Don't talk nonsense," Arwyna shouted.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Nia apologized, frightened, clinging to my arm.
We settled into the seats in front of the stage, and soon a large group of people gathered, eager to watch the play.
"I'm so nervous, Mr. Kaiser, how are you so calm?"
"Relax, it's not like you're in front of a jury, just have fun," Kaiser advised.
The play began. Clearly, the preparation from the previous day had paid off; everyone was in character, almost as if they were living it, despite the initial nerves. I was watching the performance when suddenly an arrow flew toward me through the crowd. Thanks to my reflexes, I caught it mid-air between my index and middle finger, and my eyes immediately locked onto the place where the arrow had come from.
"Erina?" I murmured. She was standing under a tree in the shade. She then gestured for me to come closer.
"I'll be right back," I said to the others as I stood up. "I'll grab this on the way," I added, grabbing a cookie from Yoko's plate, skillfully dodging her punch before leaving.
"Grr AREYOS!" she yelled behind me, making Nia and Oredys laugh.
"Are you stealing from others' plates now, Rey?" Erina said with her usual smile.
"It was a package, not a plate," I retorted proudly.
"You always have a comeback," she said, chuckling lightly.
"So, what's new besides the fact that you almost poked my eye out?"
"Don't talk as if you have normal reflexes, Areyos Orionis," she replied.
"You've got a point," I said, smiling, hands in my pockets.
"Anyway, my brother has restricted my Magias because of what happened yesterday. I can't use the celestial energy anymore."
"But why?"
"He says having celestial power right now would ruin my combat experience. And he got a bit mad that I put myself in danger yesterday. Luckily, the Peacock King was summoned, not released."
"Summoned and not released?"
"Yes. Divine beasts live in another world. If they're brought into ours by summoning, they usually can't go beyond 2% of their power to avoid killing their summoner. But if they're released through a portal connecting our worlds, it would be a disaster that only a small group could handle, like Barrios, my father, or my brother," she explained.
"2%! Are these divine beasts that powerful?!"
"Yes. Some of them, like the Peacock King, could kill a demon king if released, according to my brother."
"We were lucky it was summoned then," I said, relieved.
"You're right. But anyway, that's not the point. I have news about Reiner Fox."
"Ah, news already? You're quick."
"I know, I know. Two days ago, my informants saw Reiner with someone dressed in all black on the road leading to his mother's house," Erina explained, locking eyes with me.
"Who was the person in black?" I asked, already having an idea of who it could be.
"Valtor Nerrim."
"I thought so. That's valuable information. So those two are connected, just as we imagined. I think we can get more info at Lieutenant Reiner's mother's place."
"What are you thinking?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
"If we manage to talk to his mother, we can find out if Reiner has changed. Mothers are good at recognizing their children, or so they say," I replied.
"You're right, if anyone can tell if the current Reiner is an imposter, it's the real Reiner's mother. And good news, today all the army members are on duty all day."
"So this might be our only chance to go," I said, glancing at Yoko and the others.
"Aren't you calling your friends?" Erina asked.
"No, let's let them enjoy a normal day. Plus, if there's a problem there, I don't want them leaving any traces unconsciously. The assassin could track them down since they're not as careful as we are. Also, the more people we have, the easier it'll be for them to make connections and find us."
"You're right. Let's go then."
We flew to Reiner's mother's house, a bit away from the other homes. The place, though modest, gave off a strange atmosphere, especially due to its proximity to the forest, as if something was off.
Without wasting time, Erina knocked on the door, giving me a conspiratorial glance.
"Hello, Mrs. Fox," she said cheerfully, almost too friendly to be sincere. "Sorry for the unexpected visit. We're new recruits from the army, and we were supposed to meet Lieutenant Reiner Fox here at his home."
Reiner's mother frowned, her distrust palpable. "He didn't tell me anything about this. He's at the opening ceremony of the festival."
"Yes, we saw him there," Erina replied with a reassuring smile, perfectly hiding her intentions behind her words. "He asked us to stop by here to discuss some details." The old woman hesitated, eyeing Erina carefully before slowly opening the door. "Come in… but I haven't prepared anything to eat."
"Oh, that's not necessary," Erina responded, a deceptive gleam in her eyes. "We're just here to chat."
I followed her inside, glancing around discreetly. Everything seemed in order, but something in the air felt strange, almost oppressive.
As we sat down at the table, I noticed the slight trembling in the old woman's hands as she served the tea. Was it a sign of nervousness? Or just the effect of age?
"Your son is a true hero," Erina said with a warm smile. "He must be a great source of pride for you."
"Yes, he is," she replied, her eyes briefly flicking to Erina before settling on me. "He was part of the elite unit… under the command of Megane Belserion."
I frowned, feigning ignorance. "Megane Belserion? I've never heard that name."
"Come on, you should read more often. She was the youngest captain of the elite unit, and she died during an unofficial mission," Erina interjected, playing her role of the new recruit perfectly.
"Books are for you. I prefer action," I sighed, playing the role of the somewhat simple soldier.
The old woman gave a small smile, but there was something odd in her gaze.
"Why did Reiner leave the elite unit? All the new recruits are wondering," Erina asked, her tone more direct but still warm. "Was it because of the danger of the missions, or because of his captain's death?"
The mother fell silent for a moment, her gaze hardening. "I don't know… he never told me." Though her answer seemed innocent, it betrayed a certain reluctance.
"It's strange," Erina continued, her tone thoughtful. "That he survived when Megane and her entire squad didn't… no, it's almost impossible, isn't it?" Erina asked, letting her piercing gaze settle on the old woman, like a predator sizing up its prey.
"He never said anything about it," she replied, this time avoiding Erina's gaze.
"Where are my glasses?" the old woman asked suddenly, feeling around the table.
"No idea," I said with a slight smile. "But it's not important, is it? We're just having a chat."
She hesitated, her eyes lingering on us longer than necessary.
"Alright, it's fine… um, to answer your question, my daughter, Reiner never told me about that either," she responded mysteriously, her distrust growing more palpable.
Erina had likely snatched the glasses using her bending of glass, a skill she'd shown me before alongside her bending of explosions. She placed the glasses on a drawer across the room. Given the thickness of the lenses, the old woman was likely severely myopic. She wouldn't be able to recognize our faces without them.
"Ah, too bad. That would've made a nice story to tell the other recruits. Anyway, we should go. I think the lieutenant sent us off so we'd leave him to enjoy the show. He got us, Dave," said Erina, standing up.
"Ah, yeah, he probably won't come back now since all the army members will be busy all day !," I exclaimed, feigning surprise.
"You're slow on the uptake," Erina said, hand on her forehead. "Please tell Mr. Reiner that we really did stop by," she asked the old woman.
"I'll do that. What are your names?" the old woman asked in a calculated tone.
"Nala," Erina replied with a smile. "And this is Dave."
The old woman carefully wrote down the names on a scrap of paper, her trembling fingers barely visible. "I don't have a good memory for names, so I prefer to write them down," she said with a smile.
Once outside, I felt the old woman's eyes on us until we were out of sight.
"This is a good start. She's hiding something. We'll need to dig deeper," Erina murmured, her lips curling into a smile.
"Dig? You couldn't have chosen a better word,. She's not hiding something, she's hiding someone," I replied, a mysterious smile on my face.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked, giving me a curious look.
To be continued…