It had been over a month since the Daiyu family had visited the Sigebryht holy land…
Their plans were set in place in preparation for a proper takeover of the Elvin Kingdom. Although the Sigebryht and Norville families were confident in their own strengths, it was still the case that the grand elders posed a real problem.
Although the only other Celestial stage expert in the Elvin Kingdom, aside from the missing King and Grand Elder Deryth, was the head of the Sigebryht family: Sinaht, they weren’t comfortable with where they stood.
For one, Elder Deryth, although less talented than Sinaht, was far older. As such, his power reflected this age disparity. In addition, even if Sinaht was his match, Sinaht was well aware that his long-time rival would never allow the Elvin Kingdom to fall to him so easily.
In his youth, Sinaht was the undisputed peak genius of the Elvin Kingdom. He ranked within the top ten for the campaign rankings, his manifestation was both domineering and a perfect representation of the peak of the Sigebryht singularity technique, and he was in serious consideration for kingship.
The reason Sinaht had a chance to rule was because he was far superior to King Acacia at the time. In those days, the dislike of the True Empath ruling system was even stronger than it was now… reason being the ranking tome had named King Acacia a True Empath… but… King Acacia was known as a talentless commoner who hadn’t even managed to manifest his soul at the time…
Usually, the grand elders would write off Sinaht’s chances. After all, traditions were held in high regard… especially considering these traditions stemmed from the life sacrificed by one of the greatest Elves to ever live and the prophecy they foretold…
However, the problem was that decades passed without King Acacia manifesting his soul. Just like Ri had once lamented, King Acacia took centuries to finally succeed. And it was not until then that he was accepted as the rightful ruler.
To the grand elders, this was a sigh of relief. There was no longer a glaring reason not to crown King Acacia… however, to Sinaht, it felt like all of his life goals were crushed by a man he didn’t feel inferior to.
And for what? For a prophecy from a long-dead elf? For a savior no one had ever heard any word of? Why couldn’t he himself lead to elves to glory? To victory?
This obsession reached such a peak that Sinaht purposefully dashed his talent, forcefully cutting away his cultivation to remain at the peak of essence gathering so he could continue to campaign…
However, the ending of that story was clear for all to see. The elves were respected, but they weren’t unrivaled… and worse yet, they remained in this backwater universe. But, to Sinaht, the worst part was that his decision would always put him far behind King Acacia… the man who used to be known as trash.
Now, Sinaht had no way of understanding the level King Acacia had reached. But, he had reason to believe the man wasn’t as simple as being a mere lower celestial expert… it might not even be true that he was stalled at the middle levels… Because if he was so weak, it would have never been possible for him to win the heart of that woman… the woman that made the entire kingdom wary of what the princess would become.
There was no doubt that King Acacia was mighty.
Sinaht broke out into a cold sweat every time he thought of the day King Acacia finally manifested his soul… the day the Acacia family manifestation reappeared in the world… the day that forever marked his life in darkness.
However, things would change for him now. He knew it was a risk allying with such an enigmatic clan… the motives of the Daiyu clan were unknown to him. In fact, much of their movements made no real sense. But, Sinaht still accepted.
If the Daiyu clan only wanted allies to make moves to replace the current Royal God Clan, Sinaht would have no issue supporting them. Mostly because this was the best-case scenario…
But… there was always the sneaking suspicion that this couldn’t have been further from the truth… that this clan wanted more… and that whatever that ‘more’ was… it wouldn’t be good for anyone.
**
Soon, it was the night of the long-awaited banquet.
In a public square near the center of the city, and just out of the range of the castle’s forest, a great gathering was taking place.
The cobbled marble roads were shining under the moonlight, and the accents of jade gave the festivities a gorgeous backdrop.
The public square itself was a large opening amongst the complex streets and odd buildings of the Elvin Kingdom. In fact, this square was often where martial meets between the 3 academies took place. Previously, it had been a special case for the 3 school assessments to take place at the Acacia Academy coliseum… in that situation, there had been no chance to prepare the public square due to the late notice.
However, this banquet couldn’t be accused of being ill-prepared.
Hundreds of well dressed and organized tables filled the area, surrounding an elegantly formed stage.
Beautiful Elvin dancers spun in their well-designed dresses. Conservatively dressed, yet still unimaginably appealing to the eye.
Members of the Ualair sub-family played a variety of instruments, from lyres to guqins, accompanying the dancers. This, of course, made sense. The Ualair family was part of the blacksmithing guild and specialized in making high-level musical weapons.
All members of this family had a peculiar elegance to them and their light brown hair and eyes were without a doubt signs of their unique purity.
Watching the youths of this sub-family perform were all of the outstanding members of the Elvin Kingdom.
All 21 sub-families were present, and it went without saying that all 9 major families had made appearances…
However, this only caused a distinct cloud of tension to hang in the air despite the polite chatter because all attention couldn’t help but be focused on Sinaht and Zaltarish Sigebryht. They were the ones who called everyone here today… and everything hinged on their words.
The tension only seemed to rise with each passing minute. But, the amiable smiles and light laughter never ceased.
In one corner of the square, the Sidebryht and Norville families sat together, chatting leisurely.
Zaltarish was partially annoyed the Mithrandir seemed to be ignoring him. His feeble attempts at conversation continued to fall flat and it was beginning to agitate him.
And it only made it worse that Mithrandir was dressed particularly well tonight. Despite the provocative wear she usually had on, and the similarly revealing clothing her mother was currently wearing, Mithrandir had chosen to dress more conservatively tonight. Yet, Zaltarish couldn’t find himself feeling sad about that, in fact, he very much liked this version of Mithrandir.
Although he was fully aware of the desire paths of cultivation the Norville family practiced, Zaltarish wished for nothing more than for Mithrandir to solely belong to him.
Not only was she a genius he believed matched up to himself, she also usually had a playful attitude that he was drawn to. However, it seemed that immature attitude had disappeared ever since the day of the assessments… which only made Zaltarish’s anger burn more furiously every time the face of that human boy popped up into his mind.
But, to Zaltarish, Mithrandir was worth being with still… he had already fallen for her and such a small change was already something he glossed over completely. However, Mithrandir seemed to have no interest in him…
Zaltarish was prideful. He didn’t want the only reason for Mithrandir being with him to stem from a forced marriage. He wanted her to choose him because he was the best… because no other man could provide what he could…
However, despite his best efforts, Mithrandir’s attention seemed focused on something else. And when Zaltarish followed her gaze, he only could only sigh.
Mithrandir’s red eyes were trained on the Aedre family as though she was missing something.
Noticing this, Zaltarish finally said something that made Mithrandir’s eyes light up, “do you want to go and speak with Primrose? I can bring you there… I know she’s your best friend,” Zaltarish sighed again, “I hope my father’s plans don’t strain your relationship too much… I also hope you understand that we’re doing this for the betterment of the kingdom.
In my father’s youth, he didn’t lose out in talent to King Acacia… and yet he lost his right to rule due to weak traditions. He was forced to toil away and erode his potential just for the sake of this kingdom… And when he realized he wouldn’t be able to single-handedly change the fate of our race himself, he stopped suppressing his potential and came back to help raise up the Elvin Kingdom and support the King.
Before the king’s disappearance… my father made no moves against him. He had no schemes. And no ambition. His only goal was to help the Elvin race as he had always wanted to…
And yet, that ungrateful King went as disappeared.
A useless tradition came back to bite us and here we are now… a broken kingdom… buried on the rankings… with little to no hope for the future,” Zaltarish’s eyes shined with a passionate fervor as he narrated the story of his father’s life.
Mithrandir had lost her faraway gaze… and was seemingly looking at Zaltarish with interest as he continued.
“My father hasn’t always been hard on me… In the beginning, he treated us all as a great father would. He was caring and nurturing… he guided my cultivation despite having so many responsibilities as the head of a major clan… but, that all changed.
I want nothing more than to succeed where my father failed. I want to see the Elvin Kingdom rise up… I don’t want us to have to rely on some ridiculous True Empath who can’t even put his own kingdom first.
The one who rules should be the most qualified… not the one who lucks into the position.”
Mithrandir was silent for a long while as she watched Zaltarish grip his drink tightly.
Suddenly, she spoke softly for the first time that night, “if you showed me this side of you from the beginning… maybe it wouldn’t have taken me so long to accept you…”
Zaltarish’s head snapped in Mithrandir’s direction, but she was already no longer looking at him.
But, the faint light of hope had taken root in his heart… so, he smiled faintly, now fully prepared to take on the challenges that lay ahead.
And that smile only got brighter when Mithrandir took the initiative to speak with him, “also… you don’t have to bring me over… I don’t think Primrose came today…”
**
In another corner of the square, Uncle Acacia sat burying a deep rage in his heart.
He had learned a few weeks ago of the death of the princess… and it was clear why someone wouldn’t take the death of their niece too well.
Many looked at him with pity, especially since he sat amongst the members of the broken alliance.
Suddenly, Jade took the initiative to go and speak to him.
She wore her usual pure white dress. Her long silver hair flowed with the wind, and her purple-blue eyes looked like they would be better matched with the sky as moons of their own as opposed to the eyes of a mere elf.
Bowing respectfully, Jade’s voice was soft, “I’m sorry for your loss, Headmaster Acacia… But, I’m sure that Dyon is innocent… I hope you don’t blame him… the fact he isn’t here could only mean something terrible has happened to him too…”
Tears threatened to spill from Jade’s eyes, but, she felt like this was something she had to say.
Headmaster Acacia was snapped out of his thoughts to find a pitiful looking girl standing to his side. He could only laugh bitterly, ‘just how many young women of our race do you plan on taking…’
Headmaster Acacia sighed, “I know little one… there’s no need to apologize… I’ve been prepared for the worst-case scenario for a long time now…”
Jade nodded, “I hope to one day be as strong as you are…” she said faintly, turning to walk away.
**
Soon, they were well into the night… even the grand elders were beginning to get restless.
The serious expressions on Grand Elder Cormyth’s and Kroak’s faces had never left a single time that night.
They had both mutually decided that the Sigebryht family ruling wouldn’t be good for the kingdom… and yet, with this clear power move being played, it was clear the Sigebryht family had something in hand only they knew about… if that wasn’t the case, they’d never be so bold.
But, all they could do was stew as they watched Sinaht Zaltarish leisurely chat and enjoy the entertainment… as though this was nothing other than a regular banquet.
Finally… the suspense reached its peak as Sinaht stood, walking almost too slowly to the stage.
Each of his steps seemed to be another stomp on the hearts of those watching… His movements were smooth and deliberate… no one could deny that he was a true expert.
The members of the Ualair family vacated the stage along with the dancers, sending the entire square into silence.
In fact, it was almost as though the whole of the Elvin City held its breath for this one moment… the only sound was the faint crackling noise the fiery words in the distance occasionally released.
Reaching the center of the stage, Sinaht stood straight and tall, rising to his near 3-meter height.
“I know you’re all wondering why it is we’ve asked you here,” his voice was faint… yet somehow reached the ears of everyone in attendance.
“The first reason is just to socialize. We are a people that should be united. The idea of pitting against each other for something so useless as power has never been the goal of anyone…”
Although Sinaht’s words were vague and roundabout, they clear hit on several key points.
“Those of you of appropriate age are well aware of my actions during King Acacia’s rule… Despite losing the position I dreamt of in a way I found to be ridiculous, I chose to focus my attention on helping the kingdom….
And yet, that kingdom I have given my life for is constantly spiraling out of control. We are overrun with orphans due to the loss of brave souls during campaigns… Our younger generation is on the constant decline… and what has our King done all this time?”
The question hung in the air. Smothering much of the momentum the old alliance thought they had.
The words rung very true… Although they had once formed an alliance due to the importance they placed on tradition and the prophecy, where was that taking them now? Were words written hundreds of thousands of years ago really meant to dictate the current day?
Uncle Acacia felt his heart grip… he could only bitterly smile… he had no idea why his brother had disappeared. Nor did he know if he would ever come back… he simply had a blind faith that his brother would never do anything to harm the kingdom… but how much of that was based on fact? Versus how much of it was based on emotion?
Sinaht continued, “It was this king who disappeared without a trace… it was this king who left our kingdom in such a sorry state… It was this king who decided to continue that barring entrance into dead kings valley… without these resources, how are our young ones meant to compete?
The techniques we have access to are crude ones we ourselves have formed. The weapons we have access to are crude ones we ourselves have formed. The pills we have access to are crude ones we ourselves have formed… we are as a race of people with no ancestry… no lineage… no backing… and yet we harp on traditions as if we do?”
The hearts of everyone in attendance began to beat wildly.
Sinaht was truly made to lead… he had not used a suggestion technique, and yet the hearts of everyone began to sway towards his views…
“Today… I will repeat myself in saying that we asked you here to first and foremost socialize…
Today is but a showcase… I do not wish to rule the Elvin Kingdom… I wish to stabilize it, I wish to nurture it, and I wish to hand it before my death to qualified youths…
Not only do I wish to implement a system that decides the next rulers based on merit rather than luck, I wish to also showcase why my son is also very much clearly suited to be the one to start this new tradition.”
Everyone, whether it be planned or coincidence, seemed to turn their gaze towards the fiery words in the sky:
‘You Don’t Qualify to Name Me’
Suddenly, a seemingly gentle but stifling pressure filled the square as Grand Elder Deryth spoke.
“your words are persuasive; however, did you think of the opinions of others before you decided on doing this?”
Sinaht turned a calm gaze towards Grand Elder Deryth. It was indeed true that had Sinaht had no backing… dealing with Grand Elder Deryth would be difficult… but that was only if.
“I hope your esteemed grand elder will consider reason. As I’ve said, we are one race and one people. Conflict isn’t something I want.”
“But?…” Grand Elder Deryth’s voice was unyielding, seeking to probe Sinaht.
“But, if you insist on running a Kingdom I love into the ground, I will use any means necessary.”
Silence.
The pressure in the square mounted higher and higher.
When suddenly… it was cut through instantly.
“you know… it’s almost kind of sad watching all of this happen…”
The eyes of everyone snapped up to the sky.
Uncle Acacia trembled, tears falling from his eyes, “good, good…” he said again and again.
He felt like a weight had been completely taken off of his heart…. Because there, before everyone to see, Dyon stood in the sky finally wearing something other than his usual sweat pants and a white shirt.
Going for a more human world type style, he wore a sky-blue dress shirt matched with sleek black pants. He couldn’t stand to be so formal, so, the sleeves were rolled back to his forearms, revealing the twin wristbands that he never took off.
However, what was most shocking was the fact on either side of him stood two girls…
On one side, Ri stood faintly blushing. She wasn’t used to holding the hand of a boy in public. She sent glances towards her father, but only noticed endless gratitude in his eyes rather than the constant teasing she knew would be coming later.
She wore a minimalistic blue dress, and somehow despite her normal appearance, she seemed to outshine everything.
Her blue-silver hair waved gently under the urging of the night’s wind, and the shy expression on her face made everyone feel a slight pinching in their hearts.
And yet… there was still one other shocking thing… something that sent the members of the alliance into a shock.
To Dyon’s right, wearing a silver mask that could hardly hide her extraordinary beauty, stood a girl with long deep blue hair and eyes.
Because before the eyes of everyone, the Princess of the Elvin Kingdom had returned.