It is not exactly inaccurate to say that the Paradox Clan Manor was a small royal palace itself. Apart from its dark, gloomy, and lifeless design philosophy, everything was luxurious and grand enough, and more than anything, the existence of a court and the throne-like seat on top raised people's suspicion.
If you understood the Paradox Clan's mindset to an extent, you would certainly begin to question the existence of something that resembled a throne in their very own headquarters. Few people know what it symbolised, nor did they ever figure out who was supposed to sit on it. Never once was a Paradox Clan head found even near it, and if they didn't have the authority, then who dared to claim they did?
About when exactly he came here last, or what kind of person he was at that time, it would be too difficult a question for Arthur Paradox to answer. But when he once again lifted his head to rest his gaze upon the empty throne and the monumental chrysalis behind it, he could not ignore the comfort of familiarity, the comfort of home.
Chrysalis is the Paradox Clan's family crest. It represented a process of rebirth and internal development, but the core lies within the word "process," not the hopeful dreams that were never promised by anyone to happen.
Arthur stood in the vast, empty hall, accompanied only by his own long shadow, and slowly, he knelt towards the throne, lowering his head to a magnitude that his hair could gently brush the icy ground. His shadow shrank before the formless king.
"Forefather Adrian…" Arthur murmured to himself, never meant to have anyone heed or reply to his question, "If you were in my position, would you have agreed upon that man's proposal?"
His lowered head steadily lifted, his gaze cold as stone, but his voice trembled.
"Anything for the longevity of Runalond, I've abided by this commandment for 18 years of my life, and such endurance will not change for my remaining years. Forefather, please look over me, just like how you've been looking over this kingdom. I promise you: Runalond's reign will remain eternal, but eternity comes with a cost that only I am willing to bear."
About when exactly he came here last, or what kind of person he was at that time, it would be too difficult a question for Arthur Paradox to answer. But when he once again lifted his head to rest his gaze upon the empty throne and the monumental chrysalis behind it, he could not ignore the comfort of familiarity, the comfort of home.
Chrysalis is the Paradox Clan's family crest. It represented a process of rebirth and internal development, but the core lies within the word "process," not the hopeful dreams that were never promised by anyone to happen.
Arthur stood in the vast, empty hall, accompanied only by his own long shadow, and slowly, he knelt towards the throne, lowering his head to a magnitude that his hair could gently brush the icy ground. His shadow shrank before the formless king.
"Forefather Adrian…" Arthur murmured to himself, never meant to have anyone heed or reply to his question, "If you were in my position, would you have agreed upon that man's proposal?"
His lowered head steadily lifted, his gaze cold as stone, but his voice trembled.
"Anything for the longevity of Runalond, I've abided by this commandment for 18 years of my life, and such endurance will not change for my remaining years. Forefather, please look over me, just like how you've been looking over this kingdom. I promise you: Runalond's reign will remain eternal, but eternity comes with a cost that only I am willing to bear."
Silence intensified until it reached saturation, and a sigh broke out from somewhere that arrived before Arthur. It felt like the air itself had developed human senses and language, because as perceptive as Arthur was, there was not a trace to be seen of where the voice came from.
His heart dropped back into his throat after a silhouette began to emerge in that location. It was a man, or more accurately, a boy, a boy with polished blonde hair that seemed familiar, but not familiar enough for him to name.
"Seize him!" Arthur commanded deeply. Before the time one breath took passed, shadows from all corners approached the boy like ocean waves. Runes, instantaneously constructed, were pressed onto almost every limb of his body, preventing any form of movement apart from speech.
The boy sighed again, this time to himself. "As they said… Arthur Paradox's eyes are too sharp, even for my disguise."
"Name yourself, and your intention for this unwanted visit," Arthur ordered. It was rare, almost unheard of, that someone would be stupid enough to intrude on the Paradox Clan Manor. Yet Arthur had to say, the boy's Rune Art mastery, at least on a simple concealment, was unexaggeratedly beyond anything he had ever witnessed.
No, it wasn't the Rune Art mastery that petrified him. Conceal was just a simple Rune Art that cloaked the body in a shadow that blended in with the background. For security guards, this Rune Art's power was negligible, let alone the RAPIs that outright detected any heat emitted from life forms; it was impossible for someone to remain completely silent and avoid all light sources that could cast a shadow on the ground.
The boy seemed like he valued his life and replied immediately. There was fear in his voice, but his words were not trembling, the direct opposite of Arthur's demeanour.
"My name… I hope it would ring a bell… is Daniel Whitedawn."
"Whitedawn," Arthur repeated firmly, "Nathan Modernson's henchman."
"Say that if it suits you." Daniel looked at the Paradox Clan's guards apologetically and placed his hand where it could be seen. "But, when it comes to my family name, that alone shouldn't cut it for you, right?"
"Undoubtedly," Arthur said. "To sound vaguely judgmental, one of the few aristocratic families that held more intellectual capability than detrimental pride. Though I can't say the heritage continued through you."
"That's a bit disrespectful," Daniel tried to sound relaxed, as if he were talking to a friend. "The reason why I chose this way to visit your household is not that I wanted to spy on anyone; that is your job, unprecedentedly. I came with the intention to show off my skills to my future mentor, to show that I'm worthy to become his apprentice."
"I've got all day," Arthur Paradox sneered and stared Daniel down. The latter evaded his gaze by lowering his head and raising his voice.
"People told me that the Paradox Clan possesses an organisation of agents that overlooks every corner of Runalond," Daniel continued smoothly. "Parasites! That's the name."
"I was wondering if… I could learn a couple of tricks here?"
Arthur could not believe his ears. This was a request that shouldn't have even visited anyone's mind. To learn Rune Arts from the Parasites, someone must be deeply out of his mind, let alone one of Nathan Modernson's closest companions. Even if Daniel's infiltration skills were almost unheard of, there was no reality in which he would agree to that request.
"What qualifications do you…" He hissed, but before finishing his sentence, his pupils widened at a mark of dark shade on the ground between him and Daniel. Like every time the shade on the ground had appeared, gloom rose up and took shape, but this time not a humanoid projection, but a real, living human.
"Parasite 0, in charge of the Paradox Clan, greetings to you all." The man spoke fluently, yet the spirit felt barren. The same could be said for his appearance. He was strikingly handsome, almost perfect, but he looked far from human, or perhaps even any sentient animal. Arthur, who had known him since he could remember, never understood how someone could not have any emotions, or even understand what the concept of emotion was.
"He does indeed qualify to be an apprentice of mine." He lowered his head in empty respect. "For his skills, and for his identity as a servant of the Modernson Clan."
"Servant?" Daniel questioned instantly. "I'm not a servant."
"And what shall you teach him?" Arthur's voice became less controlled as he stared into Parasite 0's hollow eyes. "Your Personalised Rune Art?"
Parasite 0 did not seem to be in a rush to reply, nor was he even slightly aware of Arthur's undertone of fury. He turned around to survey Daniel's waist and concluded after a short pause. "Unfortunately, not. He is a mono-element Rune Artist, marking him unable to study my Personalised Rune Art."
"Do I no longer have authority over you Parasites?" Arthur replied with another one of his questions. His fists clenched so hard that the veins on the back of his hand were thumping.
"You never had authority over us," Parasite 0 replied calmly. "In case you have forgotten…"
"The Parasites never belonged to the Paradox Clan."
"Would you like to repeat that?"
"If you want, of course. The Parasites never belonged to the Paradox Clan. You look angry, Mister Paradox. May I ask why?"
The guards that surrounded Daniel Whitedawn finally shifted their attention away from him to their young master, who was already reaching towards his wand. Daniel himself tried to lift his hand to give him a peaceful gesture, but quickly realised it was probably unwise.
Just when everything was about to break apart, a soft yet commanding voice froze Arthur.
"Arthur, what Parasite 0 had said was simply the undeniable truth; there was no need to have emotions dictate your actions for such a matter."
The guards released Daniel, leaving only wavering Runes that were already beginning to fade in colour. They bowed down towards the small figure at the far end of the court, voicing out in an unsettling harmony:
"Humbly at your service, mistress."
Parasite 0 waited for the echoing of their voices to finish before greeting her in his own way. "Madam Paradox, how are you?"
Perhaps under the influence of her height, Agnes Paradox's appearance barely changed at all from 20 years ago. Her hair was still wavy, sleek, half-white and half-black, and her eyes carried the Paradox Clan style of coldness that forced people to look away. This is what the head of the Paradox Clan should look like, Daniel thought silently.
"Been a while since I last met you personally, my son, a lot has changed about you, though I'm not willing to call all of them good," Agnes said, without Arthur's aggressive and controlling authority, but hyper-focused on a sense of unreadableness. "Remember, our clan has none but one enemy…"
"Our own emotions." Arthur interrupted his mother's words by finishing off the sentence he had heard countless times.
Agnes nodded without satisfaction and turned her gaze to Parasite 0. "It seems that you are willing to take in this boy as an apprentice."
Parasite 0 nodded. "It's only my responsibility."
"And you, Daniel, want to have him mentor you in Rune Arts?" Agnes nodded and turned towards Daniel.
"It would be my dream come true," Daniel replied sincerely.
"Then what rights do we have to decide for them?" Agnes finally turned back to Arthur after a whole loop. "To form a mentorship isn't illegal, nor is anyone hurt during the process. If these two requirements are met, then the Paradox Clan shall not intervene."
"But…" Arthur argued.
"But what? But it would send Runalond down a path of destruction?"
"…Not that either."
"I see, it had to be a personal quarrel," Agnes concluded. "Arthur, then how about we keep that quarrel on a personal level?"
"Every one of you, apart from Arthur, you are dismissed."
"At once, mistress."
"As you wish, Madam."
"My gratitude cannot be merely expressed, Mrs Paradox."
As the guards disappeared at the same lightning speed as they rushed towards Daniel under Arthur's command a while ago, Parasite 0 gestured for Daniel to follow him outside. Daniel released a deep breath of relief, not only at the fulfilment of Nathan's promise but also at how he could see the sun for at least another day. He did not yet know how significant this decision was to the future of Runalond, but there was one thing that even Arthur Paradox did not know that he was sure of: the identity and origin of Parasite 0.
"Can I call you my mentor now?" Daniel asked carefully.
"Of course, I'll do my best to teach you. In this world, you are the only one who could match my skills in the field of stealth," Parasite 0 commented without looking at him, but his words were more reassuring to Daniel than any smile, considering that whatever came out of his mouth had to be logically genuine.
"I heard that you are…" Daniel inhaled deeply.
"…the first artificial human Viviana Modernson had created, right?"
To Daniel's sheer surprise, Parasite 0's steady steps broke their momentum, freezing his body in place. For a moment, it appeared to him that an expression of uncertainty and reminiscence visited the face that wasn't designed to have any emotions.
Back at the court where Agnes and Arthur stood solitarily, the atmosphere wasn't as tense as one outside would have imagined. Agnes's features softened, and Arthur's face no longer carried the same pressure.
"You are still growing taller, Arthur, now I'll have to lift my head to look at you."
"Mother, I remember that you've always needed to lift your head to look at me."
"Wow, thanks."
Agnes chuckled at her son's joke that removed all the pretence of seriousness before others outside the household. Few to none ever dared to mock her height, perhaps only ever Arthur and Eric Runaria 20 years ago. To her, it only brought people closer to a sense of equal relationship that she rarely experienced.
"It's quite a shame that our reunion ended up being disrupted by that dispute. I have to compliment you, the anger you displayed was convincing enough. You might as well go easier on the boy born to Viviana, our family…"
"…owes her a huge debt." Arthur once again finished his mother's sentence for her.
Agnes was not mad at all; she had long gotten used to her son rushing to prove himself.
"All these aside, you've done exceptionally well in your time as the Student Council President. Amy Blanc, Jonathan Schwarz, and Nathan Modernson, who came after, were perfectly dealt with. You know the path forward better than I, and I will leave myself out of your matters."
"Not so much, I'm afraid," Arthur's stare turned cold. "Mother, there is a reason why I decided to pay a visit, to ask you a question that has been bothering me."
"Ask away." Agnes squinted her eyes; her instincts signalled danger.
"King Runaria had a twin brother."
Agnes remained silent and nodded.
"He is Nathan Modernson's father."
Agnes remained silent and nodded.
"He was the crown prince who was supposed to succeed the throne."
Agnes remained silent and nodded.
"They swapped identities so he could be together with V."
Agnes remained silent and nodded.
"And you were the one who helped them."
Agnes remained silent and didn't nod.
"Mother, I'm not in a position to condemn you, but I want to hear your reasons."
"There wasn't a reason." Agnes walked towards the entrance and looked up towards the sky. Her eyes reflected the sunlight back to a moment in time she could never forget. "I wanted to help a friend, nothing more."
Arthur paused and lowered his head. "The Paradox Clan's greatest enemy is our own emotions. You were the one who taught me such. Why did your actions contradict it?"
Agnes sighed; her gaze remained upwards.
"But have you ever wondered who taught me?"
Arthur froze completely, not knowing how to answer this question. For some reason, someone as thoughtful as he had never considered the weight within the saying he was most familiar with.
"Some things in life can only be learned by yourself," Agnes talked to herself. "I sometimes wonder, if I didn't help him back then, would my life, and Runalond's fate, be different?"
"Arthur, since you asked, let me paint the picture of what happened 20 years ago."