"Alex"
Grey's voice was cold as he watched the young man who looked around his age approach him.
Alex stopped a few centimeters away from Grey, staring him in the eye while failing to hide the disdain he had from him.
"I'll see you at the coming of age ceremony"
Alex smirked, walking away from Grey after seeing the sour look on his face at the mention of the coming of age ceremony.
Every other person spectating quickly looked away as Grey turned around, while muttering amongst themselves.
"That was a little too extreme from lord Alex!"
"What do you mean? He was totally right!"
"Yeah! The only thing this shitty presentation of a young lord has is the backing of the Altharion house. He lacks every other thing!"
"A fallen Altharion house!"
Another one of them corrected
"Hehe. You're right. I can't wait to see how much he's going to embarrass himself and the Altharion house at the coming of age."
"Especially now that lord Alex has his eyes on him"
"Enough, you crazy bastards! You are at his party. Have some self respect!"
One of the other guests scolded the group and they snarkled, but didn't say any more.
Grey on the other hand heard everything quite clearly. They weren't far from him and they didn't quite make an attempt to keep their voices down.
The air around him was dark and he took in a deep breath before flashing his trademark charming smile.
Seeing him walk away into the rest of the crowd made those who had just witnessed this feel a little awkward, but even that faded under the influence of the wine and company of friends, restoring the festive atmosphere.
...
"Isn't this unlike you?"
A smooth voice reached Grey's ears and he didn't even need to turn back to identify it as the source of his ruined mood that evening.
Grey ignored the statement taking chugging down a cup of hundred years aged silver burning wine without any care in the world.
The burn from the last barrel ran through his chest making him feel extremely uncomfortable, but he didn't care. Pain was his most familiar companion after all.
"The party is missing its host. Don't you think that's unfair?"
The voice had now settled down beside him on the roof where he looked over the manor which shone brightly and beautifully, showing the amount of effort the workers had put in.
"My uncle is the host and he isn't missing. You should get going Aria. I'm tired of your presence!"
Grey's harsh words came out in a single go as he chugged down the second cup of wine, feeling the effects hit him almost immediately.
One more chug like that and he was going go get knocked out along with injuries, but he didn't seem to care as he filled up the cup one more time ready to take another chug when a delicate but firm hand held his wrist in place stopping from him moving forward, no matter how much he struggled.
"Why are you behaving like this today? I know you were a peice of shit, but you were a proud piece of shit! Not this sulky."
Aria said some harsh words of her own and Grey let go of the cup, watching the contents spill on the roof.
"You should watch what you say Aria! If you don't know anything it's better to keep shut. I'm leaving, don't follow me!"
Grey picked up the barrel and made his way off the roof, leaving Aria lost in her thoughts and when she looked to the side, she saw that there were two cups present and the other one was still filled.
'He clearly wasn't waiting for anyone!'
A moment, later her eyes widened in realization as she remembered something they had all forgotten, something only Grey couldn't forget.
"I see why he was so worked up. It's today. Sigh!"
She covered her face with her palm feeling that she had done something stupid.
Unfortunately, he was gone and he clearly didn't want to be found again.
Back in the dusty room where he had gotten the barrel from, Grey sat on the dusty floor with another two cups in front of him. Both filled to the brim.
"It's been another shitty year!"
Grey said, clinking his cup against the one opposite him.
Resting on that cup was a small picture that could be easily missed especially with its faded colors, but the faint image could still be made out. Especially to Grey who had the image burnt into memory.
"It's been 8 years now, Dad."
"Sigh! I should really stop now, but let me be selfish in these final moments"
He took one long look at the cup in front of him and took a final gulp.
Memories of a man with the same grey eyes as his flashing within his mind. He could remember as his held a wooden spear in his small childish hands trying so bad to imitate the movements of his father.
Grey had no recollection of his mother. According to his dad and uncle, she had died while giving birth to him, but he never felt like he was lacking.
His father, despite his busy status as the head of the diplomatic corps had always managed to make out time for him. He had never ever felt the need for a second parent. He had his father and he enough.
That was how he felt, until his 10th birthday. His father had embarked on one of his long ventures. He had no idea what those were for anyways, his dad had always called them official business.
Those journeys tended to last a for varying lengths, from a few days up to a couple of months, but no matter how long they lasted. His father had always made sure to show up for his son's birthday even if he was going to leave that night.
At times when he couldn't, he always made sure to send a letter to let his son know, an apology, but this wasn't the case this time around.
There was no message and the day was nearing its end with his father no where in sight, only for him to spot a figure approaching the entrance of the manor where he sat in waiting.
His uncle came into view, looking ruffled and shaken, his hand clenching hard on a peice of paper.
"Unvle Nolan? What's wrong, where's dad?"
Young Grey asked noticing something off.
"I'm sorry, kid. You're Dad won't be coming home today....ever!"
Nolan had told young Grey back then, muttering the last part to himself as he took the small kid back into the manor.
Grey didn't understand the gravity of his uncle's words back then. He simply thought he meant it literally, his father wasn't able to make it and he also didn't manage to send a letter too.
He didn't mind that his father had failed to do either of those, but the hard reality hit him when he stumbled on the letter his uncle had been holding that night.
It was a message from the Royal family of Theo. A message from the king himself addressed to the Altharion house, expressing his condolences towards the death of Easton Vaelric Altharion, his father.
Death.
That word shattered his small world. He had lost the only person had stood by him since he could remember. The realization that he wouldn't get to see or hear the words of his father didn't sink in fully even as he stood before his grave which contained nothing but an empty casket covered with earth.
They couldn't even find his body. They said it had been lost during the accident they encountered during the mission his father was on.
Since then, he had been overwhelmed with sorrow, the once smart, outstanding and outgoing young lord who shone brightly bringing a breath of fresh air to everyone who met him, changed.
Becoming the person he was now. Looked down upon by those in the Noble circle as someone who had deviated from the proper way.
Indulging in alcohol and frivolities. He had gained himself the reputation of a broken playboy and quite a lot those who saw him as a stain were waiting for the right moment to attack, and that was soon.
In two days time in fact. The day of their coming of age.
The ceremony that every generation of Theo had to go through when they turned 18 to awaken the power of their bloodline and ancestry.
Everyone was hyped up for this day. Everyone but Grey. His uncle had been telling him not to worry, but Grey for some unknown reason had never been confident about the awakening process.
Looking down on his arms, his eyes trailed across the bright skin which was completely devoid of runes.
"Still dead!"
Even his uncle wasn't aware of the lack of runes on his body, something that occurred naturally in the Theo Race as they neared awakening.
All he had was a small, barely noticeable rune on his back"
"Sigh! Fuck me!"
Grey rubbing his brows as he rested his back on the dusty floor where he quickly fell into the realm of darkness.
....
"You ready kid?"
Nolan asked, hitting Grey on the shoulder as he noticed the nervous state he was in.
"Yeah!"
Grey replied in a way that didn't do much to convince his uncle.
Two days had passed and it was time for the coming of age ceremony!