Rubella Les Fleurs Précieueses
I'd been in complete awe at the sight before me. It was inconceivable; much like Her Excellency, it would appear the Young Master can also produce song, I pondered. The area we found ourselves in looked like there'd been an earthquake; bedrock protruding from the exposed earth, forestry and foliage piled beneath boulders. It was a grizzly sight, and at the center of it was The Young Master.
"Just who, or what are you, Young Master," I asked, coincidentally, just as I asked, he'd appeared, seemingly out of thin air. The moment he did, however, he'd immediately collapsed. It was clear that the stress of being separated was catching up to him; my only regret was allowing us to be separated. Though, it was the only way I could assure the children's safety, because that's what she would've wanted from me.
"LADY RUBELLA!" I heard a strong and worried, but an oddly familiar voice. When I looked up, I saw the owner of that voice, it was Sir Hikariryushi OguGee. He was accompanied by both Meera Dracoventis and Laith Balasit, but they weren't alone, His Majesty's presence could be felt from over several fields, and it was wrathful.
"Sir OguGee, Lady Meera," I called out, while maintaining treatment on the Empress' wound. "Your Majesty, I have failed you and the Empress; if it is my life that you wish to take in exchange for her, I gladly—."
"—Ruby..." I looked down, and to my surprise and relief, Her Majesty was still alive, "Me not goin nowhere, Me cyan't leave Olodunosuke alone for too long, he become ah crybaby." She let out a strained chuckle as she spoke in our mother tongue, and when I looked into her eyes, I could see it, it was going to take more than a sneak attack to kill someone as loved as Her Majesty.
"Me know," I replied, "Anata-son, me admire your resilience, a perseverance, most worthy of the title of Twilight Crown Rose, the most sacred treasure our family has produced." I cried, more like I was a weeping child, completely overcome with emotions.
"Twyla," His Majesty knelt before us, "My Love, who did this to you?"
It hadn't occurred to me, but the culprit vanished alongside The Young Master once we were all reunited. Even more perplexing, he'd returned alone once everything was seemingly clear.
"Th-they were bad people," Iniko surprisingly stepped in to speak. His voice was still shaky, but I could tell he felt responsible and wanted to take accountability, "they usually where hoods and talk about recruiting kids. I don't know what for, but they answered to someone called an Equalizer, or something like that."
"You mean an Inquisitor," His Majesty corrected, "Rubella, who is this child?"
"Dear, I'd like to introduce you to Iniko Wyllt, our new son," the Empress' smile radiated the entire grim scene. "Olodunosuke, he's been alone, without a name or anyone to care for him." She gazed into her husband's eyes, and it was clear that the two completely trusted each other.
"So, is it true? He's," His Majesty began stammering, "Iniko Wyllt, was it? Well, from this day forward, I'll be your father, which means you're a Wyllt, a Wild One; you're safe with family." His Majesty knelt to meet the boy at eye level, "I promise to treat and care for you as if you were one of my own."
"Your Majesty, it's Myrlin!" Lady Meera called out from where Jade and the children were, "he's unresponsive! We need to get him and the Empress to a medic as soon as possible!"
"We're not too far from Albadorf" His Majesty suggested, "the Chancellor and I have a long-standing friendship, I'm sure he'll be more than willing to help us in our time of need." The other knights agreed and proceeded to gather everyone up to prepare for our detour in Albadorf, which took less than a day to arrive. Once in the city, we were immediately escorted to the infirmary to tend to Her Majesty's wound and to check on the Young Master's current condition.
Regarding the former, Her Majesty suffered yet overcame a near fatal wound that targeted her Cache. Due to this "rupture" in her Cache, she can never use her signature at its fullest potential again.
The news was devastating, and the emperor didn't seem to take the news too lightly, "All that matters is that you're alive, there are ways we can accommodate you in this time." He stood over the Young Master's bed, "and what of my son? What is his current status?"
The medic stepped forward to deliver the news, "Your son pushed his signature further beyond its limits for someone of his age. According to your other children, he over-used his ability to the point of exhaustion; I'm sure they'll both make a full recovery in no time at all."
The words were like weights being lifted off my shoulders; however, Her Majesty was in no condition to enroll the children into school. "Your Majesty, excuse my importance," I began, I'm afraid M'Lady is not well enough to go through with the children's enrollment; please, allow myself and Jade to continue this task in her stead as penance for this transgression." I bowed before him, for it was the only thing I could do for not keeping them under the banner of safety.
"That is fine," His Majesty nodded, "I do, however, need both you and Jade to do something for me before you go."
Emporer Garyushi Olodunosuke
The Armed Federation of Albadorf, a dwarven-giant nation that's one of a steampunk-type society, not uncommon with artificers and craftsmen. In fact, Albadorf is known around the realm as the Mecha Mecca, a paradise for all things Magic Tech related. When I was a student at Caliburn myself, I had the privilege to study with the chancellor as classmates. So, it was safe to say that he and I were pretty close, "Chancellor Aldorf, thank you for taking the time to meet with me today."
"Oh Ollie! You're so stiff these days! Loosen up some!!" The Chancellor chuckled while patting my back, "Look I know that the situation is dreary, but your O'Lady's gonna be fine, and that son of yours should be waking soon, if anything, all thing considered, you all got the best-case scenario."
As much as I didn't want to admit it, my colleague was right, this was the best outcome we could have wanted, it was inevitable having an encounter with the Steadfast, and a battle was all but assured; however, no matter how desirable an end result we received, it didn't explain the lack of survivors on involved with the cult, nor does it explain what happened to their leader.
"According to YOung Master Iniko Wyllt," Rubella spoke up, "the leader of this group was called Boss Ringo, and he answered to an Inquisitor."
"Yes, I recall him stating that," I replied, "does he know the Inquisitor's name?"
Rubella shook her head in disappointment, "I'm afraid not, Your Majesty, although, he did say that she was not much older than himself. To believe a child could be pulling the strings behind such a dastardly plot!"
"Ehem, Your Majesty, if I may," Jade cleared her throat, "Young Master Myrlin demonstrated a level Signature and Cache Control that is equal to, if not surpassing a B-Rank adventurer. I'm under the impression that he'll be a pillar of strength for his generation of mages."
I sat on the information, "so, what you're saying is to not rule out the fact that the inquisitor that this Boss Ringo was answering to isa child detour us? If I didn't have such extraordinary children, I'd write that off as a poorly executed joke; however, that line of thinking never was our style. Expect the unexpected."
"There we go!" Chancellor Aldorf exclaimed, "there's that fiery eyed dragon! This meeting was great and all, but I think it's time we end things here, Gaidana just made it home from labor; she had triplets!!" The dwarven-giant was bouncing from wall-to-wall with excitement, "Their names are Atlas, Nona, and Nicoli; Oh, Ollie aren't they just precious! Look, Atlas takes after yours truly, while Nicoli takes after Gaidana, but my absolute prized treasure, the perfect combination of both mine and Gaidana's genes, Nona! Just look at her hair, it's rose gold! And he has my affinity for fire which is a rarity amongst our kind. And—."
"—CLAYTON!" I shouted, trying to maintain a professional atmosphere, "Calm down. We'll have time to see your children, but it's still important to remember that we are world powers, and we must maintain our composure in situations such as this. There's a time and a place for a father to doddle and dote on their young; yes, there is still much for you to learn about fatherhood, Clayton."
The stars in my colleague's eyes reminded me of when we were students, "teach me your ways!"
"—Your Majesty," Rubella interjected; I hadn't realized that I was starting to get consumed with the joyous part of parenting.
"—Oh, right," I cleared my throat, "we'll continue this discussion another time then—."
—KNOCK —KNOCK
"Pardon me," it was a medic assistant, "Honored Guest, I have news that your son has awoken."
In that moment, a wave of relief swept me off my feet, and I cried. It was all I could do, because the fear of not knowing was too much for me to bear; my son would be okay.
"Oh Clay, before we head inside," I stopped just short of exiting, "I had my knights survey the area where Twy and the kids were found."
He turned his head with an intriguing yet worried expression, "and what did they find?"
I motioned him to come closer and whispered, "keep this under wraps Clay. Only my knights and family are privy to this information; regarding the number of survivors, there were none."
Clayton's eyes widened in disbelief, "Dragon Shit!"
If I were him, I wouldn't blame him for not believing me. That base had at least a hundred Lizardmen; it would take at least ten high ranked mages to even hold a candle going against that many foes.
"You mean to tell me that a hundred Lizardmen fell to the hands of a mother and her children?" Clayton questioned, "yeah right, I'm sure you had one of your knights hiding in the rear or something. Or maybe you got your brother to send one of his ninjas to lurk in the shadows!"
"I assure you, no such preparations were made," I said with a shaky tone. It was nerve-wracking delivering this news, but I knew if anyone needed to know what OguGee reported, it was Weapon God, Clayton Aldorf, "according to Jade and Rubella, Myrlin and the other children dispatched all the men. What's more troubling, it would appear my son has awakened a rather dangerous Signature. One that belongs to the Time Aspect."
The face Clayton gave me, coupled with his words, left me grinning from ear to ear, "sounds to me like you're scared he's gonna surpass you."
He wasn't entirely wrong; I did harbor some fear in my heart. In theory, I, the parent would have a well thought out method for raising the best children possible. Having a child that is a prodigy is something every parent strives for; but this is different. Myrlin was approaching a threshold that he wasn't expected to aspire towards.
"And if he does manage to surpass you," Clayton continued, "I'll just have to pledge my tools to him, and craft any weapon he desires."
No craftsman or blacksmith would say those words so fervently, so the fact that he'd willingly pledge his tools to my son without even meeting him; surely, he hasn't gone mad, I wondered.
"You know, nothing can get passed my Analysis Sub-Signature," Clayton reminded, "far superior to the Appraisal Sub-Signature, Analysis allows me to assess the potential in a target; that includes mages. If my Analysis vindicates your feelings, I'll bestow him with a nickname, and you know what that means?"
"Yeah, it means you've given your blessing," I answered, "if memory serves correctly, outside of your wife, you've only given nicknames to me, Shaggy, and Tink."
My contemporary nodded his head, "now, let's meet this prodigy everyone's been praising!"
Myrlin Samael Wyllt
I found myself in a dreamscape of sorts. It was a misty terrain, and it felt like my body was light as a feather. I looked around, and to my surprise, a familiar face accompanied me. It was my grandfather, and he was in his dragon form, "MyrMyr my boy! Good to see you again!"
"Granddad!" I was overjoyed to see him again; I could recall the last time we saw each other, as if it were yesterday. I bolted toward him to give him a massive hug, "is it really you? You're not some near-death fever dream, are you?"
My grandfather let out an enormous huff before igniting into laughter, "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Your sense of humor never ceases to amaze me, my boy!"
But I wasn't joking though, I thought, I'd nearly died in that battle; I acted too recklessly, what's more, Mother was seriously injured... That's right...
—Ba-Dump!
In that moment, my head began to pound uncontrollably, "GYAH! My head! What is this?!"
"A Signature Update, no doubt about it," Grandfather announced, "it was about time for it come, and just in time for school too!"
I grabbed my head, which was starting to calm down, "Update?"
"Not quite an evolution," Grandfather began, "but not quite the same signature from when you awakened it. Tell me, how many times can you use your Stasis Chamber?"
I sat on the question, and thought back to the previous battle, "Well, during the incident, I was able to spam it about sixty times for five seconds each time." Originally, I could use it five times a day for 60 seconds each usage; however, considering I was forced to conserve my Chamber time and stretch the number of times I could use it.
"Indeed, a Signature Update it is," Grandfather let out another huff, "well done, my boy, you'll make a fine mage. Speaking of which, two things," the attitude shift was a bit jarring.
"Uh, yeah," I tilted my head.
"You're going to meet two very important people soon," Grandfather looked me deep in my eyes. "The first person is a bit eccentric and can be a bit of a handful sometimes; however, over time, they'll grow to be a valuable asset to you." The way he spoke about this person, sounded like I was going to have to look after another child, "the second person you'll meet, well... I don't know much about him."
DOHT! Granddad, really?! I whined internally.
"No worries," he'd continue, "the reason why I don't have any information to share is because he hasn't been born yet. You see, MurMur, I once had a Lesser Dragon as a Bara Beast Bond, and she laid an egg somewhere in a dungeon in Avalon; in fact, you'll find the other person in another dungeon also in the area."
A lesser dragon? That's like, inferior to granddad, right? I pondered.
"That's right!" Grandfather replied.
"Hey! I told you I didn't like it when you read my mind!" I lectured.
"Oh, my apologies, grandson!" my hulking dragon of a grandfather started to pout. "I just can't help it, not when I have the answers to all those floating questions you have! Anyways, the egg isn't due to hatch for at least another half century, maybe even more."
—Ba-Dump!
My head began to pound once more. If I had to guess, my reunion with Grandfather was coming to an end.
"Seems it's about that time, Grandson," Grandfather huffed gently. "Head my words wisely, my boy, for the bonds you will forge with the two individuals I mentioned today, will be ones that will transcend Time itself," the words echoed throughout the dreamscape, as my grandfather's visage vanished.
When I finally woke up, I'd find myself in a hospital of some kind. The nurses had something of an uncanny appearance; you see, how can I put this? They were tall, like Avatar-tall; blue, cat-people, not Airbender; however, they I could tell that they weren't used to operating at that height. I can't seem to shake it, but these people seem a bit off, I thought to myself.
—KNOCK —KNOCK
"Myrlin!" In burst my younger sister Minerva, along with Jade, Rubella, and the rest of my siblings. Their eyes were filled with tears of joy and relief at the sight of me, and I had to admit, I felt equally relieved that I'd finally woken up.
"Young Master! Thank the Mother you're alright!" Rubella praised as patted my head, "you mustn't act so recklessly. It's been nearly two days since that little stunt you pulled; although, I must admit, had it not worked, I'm sure your mother wouldn't have made it." The room grew heavy and still, almost as though Rubella spoke an omen.
"Now, that would be out right impossible," a familiar voice rumbled the room we were in, it was Father, along with a man that had the same uncanny height as the nurses. "After all, one of the reasons we're even married is because our souls are linked to one another," Father's voice was soft, as soft as I've ever heard it, actually; it was as though he meant those very words he spoke.
"Anyways, Myrlin, I'd like to introduce you to someone," Father approached me along with the man with the strange height. "This is Chancellor Clayton G. Aldorf, and we're currently taking residence in his country, Albadorf, The Dwarven-Giant home, The Mech Mecca," Father motioned the man toward my bed. He was a brawny gentleman, with striking red hair and a bushy beard to match. His eyes were crystal-like blue that stood out against his vibrant hair.
The Chancellor approached me, and gave me a warm smile before exclaiming, "I LIKE THE LOOK IN HIS EYES!! OLLIE! I'VE GIVEN YOUR SON A NICKNAME!" His voice was booming and judging everyone else's reactions; this wasn't something new.
"Is that so, Clay?" Father questioned, "Pray tell, what esteemed name have you've given my eldest bundle of joy?"
The Chancellor looked at me and smiled, "You're going to weave plenty of masterpieces, aren't you, Opus?"
When he said that name, I felt my heart practically skip a beat, almost as though no one else, who ever lived could have that name, but me. I felt a sense of wholeness when I heard it, and my eyes, they filled with stars as I geared to answer his question, "Oh you bet, Sensei!" And the name I'd given him was like I'd been calling him that my whole life.
"Hey now, don't you go stealing my darling Myrlin away from me!" Father pouted, "besides you've got your own kids in the other room."
We all shared a laugh as the adults made their way to visit the Chancellor's infant children. Left behind was Minerva, Monspeed, Meliodas, Jade, and someone I'd never seen before. He looked like he was around my age. He was bald, rather, his head was shaved; it looked like he wasn't used to interacting with people, considering he was in the furthest corner of the room. Nevertheless, I still noticed him, and I was sure that his being here had its merits.
"MurMur, t-I mean, Young Master," Jade cleared her throat and beckoned the boy to my bed, "there is someone your mother and father wis you to meet." She placed a hand on the boy's back; he looked like he was going to explode with embarrassment. "This is Young Master Iniko Wyllt, your new brother," Jade gave the young boy a gentle push toward me. "Your mother and Big Sis Ruby—I mean, Ms. Rubella, found Young Master Iniko in the base, shortly before we found it. He aided in your mother's and Ms. Rubella's escape from the Lizardmen. Had it not been for him, who knows what would have happened."
Iniko Wyllt, so he's the one that helped get Mom to safety? I sat on the question for a few moments before sticking my hand out, "Can I call you Niko? Thank you, thank you for helping Mom." It was instinctual, but I let my body at on its own and I hugged the boy, tears rolling down the face.
•••
A few hours passed, and Father and Mother were getting ready to head back to our home. Father left our enrollment in the hands of Rubella and Jade and promised that they'll be present for our first school festival.
The distance between Albadorf and Avalon wasn't too far; however, it would take roughly a day and a half to make it there, and we were expecting to be there a day prior. It would be at this point where Jade's Signature would shine, naturally. Upon her Signature's activation, it was like the winds of freedom raced through the coils of my hair. We didn't have any time to enjoy the scenery, but I'd be lying if I said we weren't in awe.
"Woah! Look! There's some kind of barrier!" Meliodas called out, "are we here?! Did we arrive?"
The city of Avalon, rather, The Coastal Federation of Avalon, a multicultural hub for scholars and home to two of the most prestigious schools in the realm, The Caliburn Institute for Young and Gifted Mages and the renown Avalon Academy. These two schools' pride themselves for producing battle-ready mages as well as setting a standard emulated in every institution in the realm. Students are expected to complete their thirty-year enrollment with high marks in all their classes, take part in practical dungeon dives and adventuring missions, and every isekai's favorite trope, tournaments.
I've only ever imagined myself being in a fancy magic school and having the ability to conjure the elements, but I never would have fathomed it becoming a reality, I mused. The wonders and mysteries of what's beyond those doors ahead, I'm sure will be ready to take them on!