'So, that's how house Sung was founded.' I thought with a slight shiver running down my spine.
Then I am even more surprised to hear the sound of clapping?
Dozens young nobles applaud as Jinsung rose and bowed.
"Is that really how the Sungs rose to power?" I asked still in disbelief about the contents of the story.
"Yes, trough the shadows they rose and cut down all their enemies and pored salt on their wounds." Jinsung replied poetically.
"That was a great story lord Jinsung." A familiar blue eyed lad said from one of the couches situated behind mine own.
"Is that John Strickland De Shapaine."
"The only bloke who gave Arthur fucking Lionheart any trouble."
"Shark boy from Persan ey?"
I remember him now the fella that gave Arthur a decent fight.
'`Speaking of which were is my old friend?'
I hear more murmurs around me.
I turned my head to see a young man dressed in a blue surcoat and black breeches enter the room with an aloof expression on his sharp face.
'Why does Arthur's presence feel different?' I asked myself but as my thoughts wondered Diomedes tapped my shoulder.
"Atreus look up because she's..." My cousin sounded awestruck. So I did as he asked and looked up at the projection artifact fixed at the wall behind Jinsung and Charin's couch.
And I go Ice cold as it shows reckless savage Ha Eunbin absolutely destroying the co....No calling it competition is an absolute insult to her sheer dominance.
Unlike me or Arthur who retreat, assess and engage their opponents during battle Eunbin does the opposite she engages her opponents with sheer speed and savagery without paying hid to her defense whatsoever.
She backhands her opponent a young knight one Raon Fischner as if he were nothing more than a mere child. She poses her blade raised towards the sky for dramatic effect. The golden haired young man seems to be in a daze as he rubs his eyes while swinging his blade at absolutely nothing Eunbin like a fox smelling a rabbit struck not from the front but from the back pink light dancing like fireflies on her black martial robe as she delivers the final blow striking the back of the young man's head with the pommel of her plum colored geom.
'Wow...just wow I've got no fucking words.' I thought in pure shock and excitement at how strong some of my friends were I do not even care that I lost control of my own tongue.
It seemed I was not the only one excited as Jinsung and Chaerin could not stop praising my old friend.
"Good job Robin."
"That's it you go cousin." Jinsung said smiling.
"Sir Arthur." I called to my old friend.
"It seems me and you have competition."
'Why isn't he turning his head.' I thought sensing that Arthur has been acting weird ever since he came in the Arthur I know did not hesitate to approach me the day before despite us being strangers at least according to what most people in the world knew of us.
Alexander sighed from beside me one hand covering his face.
"What's wrong brother?" I asked.
"Lord Gu if you could explain to my....ha brother what a grave error! he has made." He said sounding dumbfounded for some odd reason.
"What are you on about Alex?"
Instead of answering Alex chose to maintain his peace.
I turned to Jinsung who was...covering his mouth suppressing a laugh? His iron black eye turned to me apologetic but also greatly amused.
"That's not..." He said suppressing a laugh. "That's not Sir Arthur its his twin sister you idiot."
'Oh.....they were twins Caera and Arthur were twins!!' I thought shocked at the fact that I had forgotten such a simple thing that I had known for my whole life living with everyone in the forgotten city.
'But then again it has been nearly ten years since I last saw both of my red-haired friends.'
I was a boy of eight when I arrived in Pangea now I am sixteen going on to seventeen late of this year.
'Not to mention I am not the scared boy who pretended to be stoic. No I am now Atreus Thyestes grandson of the great storm himself a young man known for being insightful in the matter of the rational animal.'
I turned to my head to apologize to Caera but then the audible chatter of two boys who seemed to be my age caught my attention.
"Fuck me." An Ishinian boy with massy black hair and violet eyes cursed throwing his jacket onto his arm chair.
"Relax T its not like your father is sending you off to hell or something." A boy dressed in a golden martial robe drawled.
'The fellow with the Violet eyes...do I know him?'
"Shut the fuck up Yuseol at least your father isn't suggesting you marry bitch without tits!" The boy called T growled at his brown haired friend.
"She's a princess and she older than you didn't you say you prefer older women?" T's friend Yuseol said.
I keep thinking that I know the violet eyed boystrous lad but from where? I don't believe I would be friends with a dilequant would I? Then it hit me like a thunderbolt from the lord of hopes own divine hand
'T,T....short for Tenma! no that's impossible.'
But it all made sense accept for the fact that Tenma was cursing and was speaking with bravado in his voice.
I massaged my temples as I stood. It was good to see all my friends in one place but to many things were tormenting me from the my future marriage to my duties as a member of house Thyestes and lastly my moral purpose.
I need to know who I truly am and what was I born to do? Yes I am the grandson of the most powerful man in all of Pangea but I am not his only grandson so I need something of my own.
"Where are you going Atreus?" Alexander asked while sparring a glance for me but his attention was fully directed to Chaerin.
I sighed
'Slave you have Leona as your lover yet you are not satisfied with her alone? Ah truly man is also the decadent animal.' I thought sagely.
"I am going to meditate." I responded waving my hand and walking away.
'I need to clear my mind I need to forget about the fact that I am being shipped off to hell and most importantly. I need to forget that I once lived in the red hand.'
I am guided to the meditation chambers that house Thyestes has ranted for the during of the tournament.
I opened the door to the place not even caring to observe my environment. I set with my legs crossed on the comfortable met and began refining my mana stars and thinking of the life I've lived thus far in Pangea.
As I felt the connection with my sea of mana deepening I could not help but think about the star system which is the primary magic system in all worlds.
The fact that all the people in Pangea posses mana and the ability to use it shocked me sure for most mana was used for simple tasks such as strengthening one's body with it to toil the fields or to lift heavy mana stones used to construct buildings or any sort of manual labor but most the people who were only capable such things fell under 3star to 2star within the star system. Then there's those who work in a trade such a pluming, tracking and low level artificing such persons usually fall under 4 and 5star.
This is the level of the common folk of this world of magic. Which I personally found to be strange because I was already 5star by the age of eight which did give me a sense of arrogance when all my cousins where all so behind on their progress but I soon found out that I was not some sort of genius and that Mr World was the one who had increased the rate of my progress with his mysterious Arcane magic.
Know one bellow 6star qualifies as a mage in fact when I asked my grandfather why weren't 5star's mana users who had awakened their element qualified to be a mage?
He answered simply.
"Because a single 6star inexperienced mage who has just broken trough can annihilate 100 5stars by flailing about and shooting fire balls."
It was not the revelation that such a thing was possible that shocked me no! it was the flat tone my grandfather had used way he spoke it was as if it was proven fact that everyone accepted.
'Well accept ignorant eleven year old me.'
Then after some time I finally felt it no I saw it.
A sea of red lightning and flames the color of dawn. I stand above the seemingly endless sea with no shore line and no horizon I looked up and saw seven shimmering red stars representing my current stage.
"Its as that fool Agamemnon had once said no man is truly a mage until he sees the essence of their very being within the endless sea. Thus said a fool who was killed by his favorite whore while he was bathing." I chuckled to myself dryly.
I could speak in this strange and mysterious place my body is still in the meditation chamber of course but some how I have a body while entering my mana sea I am dressed in the same clothing my feature are still the same and I fell like well....me.
"Now time to refine my stars."
The process of refining is quite simple the only thing need is to direct one's mana equally amongst the stars in the sky of their sea of mana and begin furiously spinning them.
I pointed my hand toward the crimson stars in the sky causing mana tinged with yellows, oranges and reds to be absorbed into the seven crimson stars then I gritted my teeth and began furiously spinning them.
'Its still hurts! dammit!! I should have used a mana beasts core..."
After 20 minutes or so of pure tor....meditation I left my sea of mana.
I breathed in and out feeling both refreshed and relaxed.
'Now Thyestes have calmed both your mind and your heart?' I asked myself.
I nodded.
'Yes I have.' I answered myself once more.
'Good. Now get up slave the are duties for you to do out there.'
I rose after motivating myself.
"A leopard relies on itself and itself alone not just for food and water but also for the ability to get up every morning in order to face the world without any motivation from anyone!" I said in a low voice as I opened the door only to be crushed into by a red-haired figure not expecting anyone to be outside I stumbled slightly nearly falling on the met but I quickly grabbed onto the wall next to the door handle.
I try to move but something holds me in place against the wall.
'No not something someone. And damn their strong' I thought struggling to push the person away from me.
And then I heard the sound of the door clinking shut and the sound of it getting locked.
'So fast.'
It all happened so fast.
"You have no idea who you're..." I trailed off as the person who was holding me against the wall drew back.
In front of me stands a girl who looks to be my age and nearly stands as tall as I. Her golden eyes inspects my face especially my eyes with curiosity.
"C-Caera?" I said sounding dumbfounded even to myself.
"Aye." She replied brushing her now short blood red hair to the side. "So, I no longer look like bloody Arthur to you mate?"
"Mate?" I asked unfamiliar with Britannian slang.
"Oh I forgot that me and you are from different continents and cultures entirely." She said aloofly with a smooth Britannian accent.
I find myself speechless while staring into her golden eyes its been so long and yet we've both changed firstly we are now teenagers and we are both nobles from great families raised in different cultures in lands separated by miles of ocean.
'But me and her are old friends who survived hell together.' I thought my heart feeling warm.
I smiled and said.
"Its nice to see you again old friend."
She smirked like she did when we young her arms spread for a hug.
I groaned but I hugged her formally like one would hug a respected figure.
"You can let go now old friend." I say to her because although we've pulled apart her hands are still on my shoulders.
But she shook her head defiantly.
"Can you blame me? Its been eight fucking years Alpha and when did you get so...stiff?"
"I am not stiff." I said. "I am just stoic."
"Stoic....you? I've seen you scared crying and shaking in your boots when we were young." She said in her aloof tone.
'When did she become so aloof?' I asked myself.
I sighed.
"This wonderful and all but should we really be talking in a place like this?" I asked with one brow raised.
"What do you mean a place like this?" She asked raising her red eyebrows.
I sighed once knowing that I would have to spell things out for her.
"This a small meditation chamber sound proofed with one met and the room is enough for to people." I say emphasizing the word sound proofed.
She still looked unconvinced.
"For hope sake! Caera we are both nobles from great families if we're seen leaving this place together people will talk." I said frustrated.
Her eyes widened in understanding but she merely chuckled.
"You're afraid that people will think that....we're shagging? Pfft you are such a green lad Atreus."
"I am not green I am Atreus of house Thyestes grandson of Lorn man of....."
I am silenced by the feeling of something silky soft against my lips. It takes five seconds for it to dawn on me that Caera's lips are on mine.
'Stay calm stay calm you the son of....' The thought cut of as my hand moved on its own but before it wrapped around Caera's thin waist I drew it back.
'You cannot afford to be decadent!!' I inwardly screamed at myself.
She drew back smirking at me all I could hope at that moment was that my face was as stoic as ever however I doubted that.
She unlocked the door still smirking.
"Oh and by the way don't ever get me mistaken with that idiot Arthur. In fact your earlier fumble is why I got a hair cut. I can't go about with myself knowing that some lass that likes him might confuse me for him."
Then she swung the door open and left.
I stay standing the for a few moments then I came to a conclusion.
'Caera is mad and I should stay as far away from her as possible.'
I stepped out of the meditation chamber only to realize that my red toga was gone and that a shocked browned skinned young man dressed in white was standing outside covering his mouth in shock.
I walked up to him casually and placed one arm on his shoulder as I spoke low.
"If you say anything about what you saw I will hand you from the highest window of Sinbad's palace do you register man."
He nodded terrified.
"Ye-yes my lord I will be as silent as the unspoken sisters." The young servant stammered.
"Good!" I said patting his shoulder.
I walked back toward the lounging area full of sycophants and mad lioness's.