Whoosh!
The cold wind lifted his hair, causing it to flutter before settling back. Fog hindered his sight and it seemed as if the skies lacked any source of light.
Grr!
The soft growl of a predator fell into his ears. As he turned, his dull golden eyes met with a pair of cerulean eyes; they were the eyes of a white ice tiger, a low-grade mythical beast that could still be found in some dense forests.
Some nobles used them as a symbol of power and luxury.
The tiger’s stripes were dark blue and its claws sank into the dark brown soil that was wet from the morning dew. That was right; this fog was dew.
It was dawn!
Flap! Flap!
The wind came again and Asher looked up to see a massive pair of wings and an iconic long tail. The creature had a long neck like that of a crane, the head of an eagle and claws attached to the ends of the wings like that of a wyvern.
It also had two hind legs with similar claws and a long tail.
This strange bird was known as the Swiftwing, a ferocious creature that could be used as a battle mount for an air force, one so powerful that other forces would tremble.
This was the Intis Kingdom’s iconic force and the reason that they were respected despite their silence.
Both creatures had their eyes on him!
‘Asher!’
He heard a whisper.
The moment he heard that voice, he looked at the Mortal Blade in his hand and at the prowling tiger.
‘Unsheath Euodias…’
The whisper came again.
Roar!
The tiger lunged toward him as did the Swiftwing swoop down, its claws brandished to pierce through his flesh.
At this critical moment, he drew his left leg backward, wrapped his fingers around the sword and pulled it out of the sheath!
Shing!
Swoosh!
A blue light billowed off the blade and Asher did not have time to even see what it looked like when the head of a spirit behemoth came from the sword and lunged toward him.
It was right before his eyes when…
…
Ha~ Ha~
A pair of dull golden eyes snapped open and he sat up, breathing like a man that ran a marathon. Sweat covered his entire body, even soaking his white tunic!
“What in the world was that?”
Almost instinctively, he turned toward a corner and found the Mortal Blade. A faint blue light could be seen around it but the light vanished before he could make heads or tails of its source.
Asher left the bed. He grabbed the sword and scrutinised it.
“Is your name Euodias?”
When he held the hilt, there was a slight vibration causing his eyes to widen.
‘This sword is definitely not normal.’
After saying that, he looked at where the hilt connected to the scabbard, which hid the blade. What happened in his dream flashed through his eyes for a split second.
He proceeded to destroy every thought about unsheathing the sword.
And he dropped the sword.
‘I felt hate.’
He mused inwardly.
Truly, he felt hate from the beast spirit in Euodias, the mortal blade. It seemed as if the beast had been killed by one of his ancestors and it could sense he was a descendant.
After pondering for a while, he walked to his window and swung the curtain to the left, revealing the foggy view of his stronghold.
…
By the time the sun had risen and cast down its radiance upon the stronghold, Asher and his BloodBlades appeared after a burst of radiance from a round platform. He looked at the bustling view and walked down the stairs.
Two guards, upon seeing Asher’s Bloodblades, looked at him deeply but did nothing. This was the Eternal Imperial City, one of the biggest cities in the continent, housing over 700,000 civilians and 70,000 garrisoned imperial troops.
The walls were known to be 100 meters tall! Built by dwarves and giants about 500 years ago, this great wall was impregnable and not even mages could bring it down!
It was also rumored to have mechanical defences that denied anyone from scaling the wall without being split into two and over 20 catapults and trebuchets could be found on it!
No noble in their right mind would send his men to conquer this city, as that would just be a waste of that troop.
All of them would certainly perish.
Although Asher was far from the Imperial City Square, he could see the gigantic statue of the first Eternal Immortal Empire’s ruler. Rumors had it that it was made from great stones and molten gold was poured from the crown of its head to the soles of its feet.
The golden statue looked valiant. It was of a man with his sword pointing toward the sky.
Both Alex and Nero were awed by the magnificent city.
“The Second Highness and the Third are still at war. There was a confrontation outside my shop yesterday.”
Asher turned to the women inside a carriage, talking to themselves. Their voices grew fainter and fainter until he could no longer hear them.
Asher furrowed his brows.
He got a carriage that took him to the administration building, a 4-story building located in the city square, right where the statue was.
The moment Asher walked in with his BloodBlades, the officials there instantly recognized him as a noble.
“Welcome, Milord.”
A young woman lowered her head while wearing a professional smile. She adjusted her glass.
“You are?”
Asher smiled.
“Asher Ashbourne.”
Upon hearing the name Ashbourne, her eyes widened. She looked at his gray hair and his golden eyes and her eyes widened even more.
“You’re the descendant of Duke Zenas Ashbourne. The Ashbournes are still alive.” She gasped.
“I want to increase my title. I believe it can be done here, right?”
“It can but only to the level of a viscount. However, there is a record concerning the Ashbournes. By the grace of the first emperor, all descendants are granted access into the palace. You can meet His Highness and be enfeoffed. It’s higher than the merit system.”
Asher never believed Zenas was that close to the emperor. It seemed like they were best friends.