《Dying in the Middle of a Class Summoning》


 1 Prologue

    It was an average day in the city of Tokyo. Nothing different, going alongside the machinations of society.


    In XX high school it was the same. Spending their youths with their friends not knowing the hurdles they would encounter in the future. Naturally some people with better circumstances will find less or no hurdles at all.


    Today was meant to be an unordinary day for a certain class and the people around them. Within that said class, a commotion was happening


    "Wha¡­"


    "What''s this light?"


    "A circle?!"


    A bright complicated formation of various shapes within a circle was spread across the floor with an unknown language written around it. They seemed like runes of some sort. Within seconds a flash was seen, and everyone disappeared. No one was there, what remained though was just their school bags and belongings.


    Around noon, a flash was seen within a class of 20 yet went unnoticed by anyone else.


    No one paid attention to it until someone discovered the empty classroom. At first, they paid no heed thinking that they were out for lunch seeing as the belongings was still there. Although it garnered some suspicions it was still normal, no one thought something had happened to them, it was a peaceful place after all. It was just that there were sightings of them. More and more people realised that something was wrong as not even the teacher teaching the period before was there. They were all missing.


    Naturally the higher ups were called, and investigations were carried out, but they all found nothing. The city was in turmoil. Quite a few prominent character''s children were in that class so there was an increase in the amount of effort given to this particular case.


    Nothing was found. No group came forward to take responsibility, so everyone was at a dead end.


    It was as if they were spirited away. Time passed as the news of the classroom disappearing slowly died out. Mere rumours were left, and the students were forgotten from memory, even their family members soon forgot that they had a child. Mysteriously everything about the disappearance slowly faded away, it was as if the people and the situation never happened, or rather, never existed. No records were left, nothing was left.


    For the class involved though, they were experiencing something otherworldly,


    "Welcome, Heroes from another world"


    Members of the class were shocked into stupor. There were only 20 figures there including the teacher.


    On the other side of the continents a voice was heard from a being clad in darkness as it felt the fluctuations of space and looked towards the kingdom of humans, Humanus Kingdom.


    "It seems they have summoned heroes"


    An attendant donning a black robe asked its king


    "What shall we do, your highness"


    "Nothing"


    The being replied


    "Just keep to the current quota"


    Within a certain palace miles away from the Humanus Kingdom a certain figure opened his eyes. He was sitting on a majestic throne adorned with bright jewels and rare gems. A dragon''s head moulded by pure gold lay on the head of the throne while its wings spread out from either the side of the throne, as if to protect the emperor. While the figure''s face was covered in a veil., sitting upon his head was a simple yet exquisite crown made of dragon''s claws. With an obsidian gemstone in the front, it had five smaller gemstones above it in a triangle formation pointing upwards as the size of them decreased the lower it got. A total of four claws, two on either side, surrounded the crown while ends failed to meet.


    Looking towards the direction of the summoned heroes, a youthful voice full of authority was heard


    "They''re finally here. It''s been 17 years and my former so-called classmates have arrived"

 2 Transfer studen

    "It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it." Maurice Switzer


    Tokyo, Japan


    XX High School


    Class 2-A


    "Hahah, You little piece of sh*t"


    A student smacked the abdomen of another student. The assailant was an average faced youth that had dyed his spiky hair blonde. His black school jacket was unbuttoned showing of a plain white t-shirt. His cronies next to him laughed seeing the pathetic display in front of them while the another two held up the victim. They all had different hair styles but were dressed in a similar fashion. They looked like the typical group of troublemakers within a school.


    The class was moderately filled as the students kept to themselves and were collectively ignoring what was happening at the back. Some of them had a look of pity, some with indifference and some of gloating.


    Better him than me, right?


    However, no one was willing to get up and help him unless they earned the ire of the assailant. His name was Hosoo Tetsu, son of a minor business, someone who could get his way round minor characters in the school. This was also a detrimental factor that stopped people from intervening unless they earned the ire of him and his father, someone who they couldn''t afford to offend. However, there would always be a mountain above a mountain and someone with a stronger background.


    "What do you think you''re doing?"


    A cold voice interrupted them. The smiling faces of Tetsu and his lackeys instantly disappeared as they recognised the voice. Slowly turning around, they saw a beautiful girl looking at them, long, black straight hair, obsidian black eyes, small nose and small cherry lips alongside milky white skin causing a symphony of perfection. She wore the standard girl''s uniform consisting of a black blazer, white shirt that made it difficult to hide her moderate sized bust and a short black skirt. Knee high socks adorned her long legs with white school shoes. What emphasized her beauty was her cold eyes that gave the girl an icy queen vibe.


    Her name was Shinohara Yuki, the school''s Madonna. Coming from the nation''s largest business corporation she was literally a princess of the modern age. Being able to summon the wind and rain, she was the largest mountain within the school. Yet no one knew her true identity within this school, and as long as Tetsu was concerned, he also didn''t know. What he did know was that she wasn''t someone to be offended after receiving numerous warnings from his father.


    "Nothing Shinohara-san. It''s just that our friend here had a bit of a stomach-ache, so we were just checking. Isn''t that right, Akira-kun?"


    "Y-y-yes"


    Sato Akira was a guy with no background. Everything about him was ordinary from his looks to his grades. His passive personality allowed people to just walk over him.


    Looking at the five, Yuki knew they were lying but she couldn''t do anything.


    "Then make sure you get checked up at the infirmary then"


    Giving a disappointed look she walked back to her seat near the front of the class while making some small talk with the girls around the class.


    "Good morning, Yuki-san"


    Giving a reply she just sat down when the door of the classroom was suddenly opened with a shout


    "YUKI-CHAN!!"


    A petite girl with short brown hair rushed in and jumped at Yuki with a hug. This was Fukuyama Chiyo. Her father was a subordinate of Yuki''s father and was also her childhood friend. She was a small girl with rather large assets, a bubbly personality and a really cute face. Her expression screamed the sun and it felt like nothing could make her cry.


    "Calm down, Fukuyama-san"


    What followed her was Masujiro Endo, son of the police commissioner and a politician. He was the typical Japanese hero guy that would scream Justice. He had natural blonde hair and a handsome face. He was the Prince charming for the girls in this school.


    Seeing Tetsu take Akira away he went up to him


    "Hope you''re not bullying Akira again"


    "No, no. Akira-kun just has a stomach-ache so we are just taking him to the infirmary"


    "Mm"


    Giving a nod, he went back towards Yuki and Chiyo.


    "They''re bullying him again"


    Chiyo looked rather worried seeing the five leave. Looking at Chiyo and Yuki, Endo just replied


    "He needs to walk himself and fight back his bullies"


    Yuki just stayed quiet and just watched them leave. Seeing the lack of response from Yuki, Endo gave a disappointed look and returned to conversing with Chiyo. With Endo''s background he naturally knew the identities of both Chiyo and Yuki. He had fallen for Yuki at first sight and was naturally courting her, although he knew that she was already engaged, he still tried his luck.


    Chiyo noticed this but gave no help and responded like she never saw that look. Time passed by as more and more students entered the class. Tetsu and his lackeys came back and sat in their positions with Akira following after. The last person to come in was beautiful girl that had brown, braided hair. She was like the girl next door, with her calming smile and soothing aura, she was easy to approach. Her looks did not lose out to Chiyo and Yuki.


    "Good morning"


    "Good morning, Suzue -san"


    "How you been, Suzue-san"


    Her name was Suzue Aihara and was Sato Akira''s childhood friend. Her seat was next to him, so she turned to him as she sat down.


    "Good morning, Aki-chan"


    "G-good morning, Aihara"


    Akira rarely talked to anyone apart from Aihara. Aihara saw this and it hurt, she wanted to help him, but she knew that he wouldn''t receive help from her and giving it will just have the opposite effect. She knew that Tetsu wanted her, but she had rejected him countless times. Similar to Akira she wasn''t someone with a strong background, if not for Yuki''s protection she may have already been harmed by him.


    Tetsu saw the interaction between them and a jealous feeling arose within him. A dangerous glint flashed through his eyes when he looked at Akira. Akira suddenly felt a chill down his spine as he looked back at Tetsu who just looked away. Aihara saw this and was about to say something but was interrupted by their homeroom teacher entering.


    "Everyone to your seats. Today we have a transfer student so please be kind and welcome him. We don''t wasn''t bad rumours about how we are not welcoming to spread now do we. Ok Matsumura-kun, please enter."


    "Is it a girl?"


    "If it is a girl, please be beautiful"


    "No, I wish it''s a handsome boy"


    A relatively tall youth entered. He looked completely average, well not that anyone could tell but it was just the aura he gave out. He had relatively long black hair for a guy with long bangs, thick glasses covered his face with a mask covering the bottom half of his face. The skin he showed was a tender white, but no one noticed as they lost interest in him. Well no one apart from Yuki and Chiyo.


    ''''Why does he look familiar?''''


    They looked at each other with clear confusion on their faces. Both of them realised they were thinking the same thing. Endo was oblivious to their reactions and went back to what he was doing.


    After writing his name on the board the youth called out


    "Nice to meet you, my name is Matsumura Toshiro. I''ll be in your care from now on"


    Endo felt that the name was somewhat familiar but didn''t pay any attention.


    The teacher then said to him


    "There is an empty seat behind Akira-kun. That will now be yours"


    Toshiro just nodded and went towards his seat. Seeing this lack of respect, the teacher paid no heed as he remembered the principal specifying him being someone not to be offended. Even he didn''t know how he looked but he just did his job safely.


    As he was walking to his seat, he passed Yuki as she looked up and their eyes met each other. Yuki''s eyes widened in shock as she recognised those different coloured eyes. One being a golden amber colour while the other being a dark brown one.


    ''Why is he here?!''


    Only her childhood friend noticed her reaction and looked at the back of the boy as he sat down on his seat.


    The boy sat down, and one thought went through his head,


    ''So, this is a public school''

 3 First time in a public school

    ''So, this is a public school''


    Clearly, the boy was from unordinary origins. With the way he carried himself and the way he sat had a bit of training found in an ancient general. This didn''t go unnoticed by Chiyo as she tried really hard to remember who it was. A scrutinising look was plastered on her face as she kept looking back.


    "Fukuyama-san, please concentrate"


    Surprised by the sudden shout Chiyo final let it go


    "Hai"


    The rest of the day went normal until break. Toshiro remained quiet throughout the whole morning as he silently observed the classroom. If not for his glasses, everyone would be able to see his curious eyes wondering around with looks of understanding here and there.


    ''So that is a gyaru, they have a rebellious yellow aura, then that group in front is the so-called yankee. Hm they seem unimportant, but the blonde one keeps looking at this guy in front of me with such hostility, he is bathing in a black aura. Looking at this guy''s posture and breathing, he seems to be hurt, probably been bullied''


    The whole morning went like this until break. It was as if he had never been to a high school ever. Break occurred with the sound of a bell and everyone went to their respective groups. A few students came around Toshiro and started a casual conversation with things like what school did he got to before, why did he transfer here and the like.


    He gave small yet pleasant responses allowing others to lower their guard around him. After a small amount of time he got along with quite a few of the people around him. Suddenly the chatter died down as someone came in front of him.


    "The goddess is in front of him"


    Yuki stood there looking at him. She never knew why he was here, but she was angry she was never told beforehand. It was her fianc¨¦ after all. Giving a cold look to the people around him, she was able to deter them, leaving the two alone. As Chiyo was also curious she came up next to him while Endo had to leave to do some errands for the teacher.


    Yuki looked at Toshiro and interrogated


    "Why are you here, Toshiro?"


    The confused Chiyo finally realised who the boy was and why Yuki reacted in the way she did. Toshiro bought his glasses down as he looked at the two girls.


    "A beautiful blue as always, Yuki and a fiery red for our, Chiyo-Sama"


    This caused Chiyo to be flustered as Toshiro turned to her.


    "It''s been a long time, Young Master"


    Chiyo was preparing to bow until she heard Toshiro speak


    "Don''t bow, similar to Yuki, no one knows my identity her and I would like no one to know. Plus, it''s my first time in a public high school, I would like to experience it"


    "Hai"


    This earned a giggle from Yuki as she sat down and started talking. Seeing the occasional smile, a look of relief was seen in Chiyo''s eyes as she also sat down and joined in the conversation. It was rare for her friend to get worked up over something and this was one of those rare moments. Looking at Toshiro a bit of disappointment was present in her heart when she looked at him. She tried not to show it but was already noticed by Toshiro. Matsumura Toshiro a popular name. The first person you think of will be the second son form the Matsumura family. A family of Samurai''s dating its ancestors back to an emperor of Japan. Their linage has survived for hundred years with their presence being in both, the military and politics. If Yuki is the largest mountain in the school, then Toshiro is the moon.


    Anyone can come in contact with a mountain, but only a select few can make contact with the moon.


    The class was surprised that their goddess actually sat down with someone so average. No one would think that the person they were cursing under their breaths was someone so famous. Indeed, why would someone famous be so average. Having a similar name was quite normal in Japan, plus the way he wrote it was different.


    Although the three could guess what the class was thinking they couldn''t care less. Yuki and Chiyo were goddesses in the eyes of the class so no one would approach them so easily, however Toshiro was different.


    At first everyone was cautious but a few members with sufficient backgrounds tried looking into who he was, but no one found anything. With their experience in light novels some people stood up and explained a certain plot. The princess and the commoner. Although some thought it wasn''t that easy, well it was the real world, some weren''t that clever and waited¡­and waited¡­and waited.


    "Why is she still there?"


    Tetsu complained. He was going to take the lead in this, so he was the most frustrated of all. He was incomparably envious. Although he knew that he didn''t have the qualifications for her, how would someone beneath even him would have the qualifications. Endo had long since come back and knew exactly what was happening but chose not to interfere. He didn''t feel envious, but rather jealousy. In his mind, only he had the qualifications for someone of Yuki''s stature. However, it was the first time he had felt like this, so he didn''t attribute it to jealousy but rather him finding Toshiro unpleasant.


    Endo was in a way na?ve, and being his first time feeling this way, clouded his judgement. He may be morally upright but at the current moment he was just another man who felt that his possession was being taken away.


    Endo saw the smile on Yuki''s face and started feeling another strange feeling, hate. Hate for Toshiro, hate for him existing. As dark desires sprouted in his heart it caught the eye of Toshiro. However, he paid it no heed, he didn''t think that it was targeted at him but rather the unfortunate soul in front of him. He had a sort of grey colour; it was as if he was on the border of insanity but was able to keep his mind sane.


    ''Hmm, his name is Sato Akira if I remember, just one push and¡­''


    Matsumura Toshiro was a unique and extremely curious individual since young. He was able to identify the intentions of the people around him ever since he could remember. This had saved his life countless times from assassinations before his parents found out the unusualness of the child. He had a loving family, something you wouldn''t expect from such a powerful family. It was all because of the doctrines passed down from their ancestors that allowed their family to survive till now.


    In that family, even though he was feared by the rest, his parents and sibling always stood by his side. He was a lucky child, as if blessed by the goddess of fortune herself. Experts were called to see into Toshiro''s situation and all of them came up with one result,


    He was able to see a person''s ''aura''.


    There were many names for this condition, but in the modern age it was known as Synaesthesia. This condition was more related to objects, such as one person would have a certain type of food then relate it to a colour or see a number or letter and relate that to a colour. Toshiro''s seems to have taken a step further and was able to see a person''s aura.


    There would have been no issue''s until Toshiro''s curiosity took over


    ''What would happen if I gave it the push''


    He seemed tempted but was immediately bought back from the bell ringing. The rest of the people with the intent of harming him were also disappointed as they watched the teacher walk in. Suddenly, Toshiro could feel those malicious gazes leaving his body. He thought they were targeted towards Akira in front of him, but he seemed to have mistaken their intention''s direction.


    ''Why?''


    This was Toshiro''s first time in a high school, so he couldn''t guess their intentions. Talking to Yuki was normal for him as she was his fianc¨¦, but he knew that no one knew her identity, nor did they know his so he couldn''t see their reason for such hostility.


    ''Why would they direct their hostility towards me?''


    You could say that it was his misfortune in not understanding the class. It was rare for their goddess to pay attention to someone or even smile towards their direction and this transfer student took both.


    After break, classes went on as normal until it was time for their fourth class. History. This was by far Toshiro''s favourite subject, being from such an ancient family he found the wars of old extremely fascinating. So, he read up various art of wars and looked at many historical books.


    Sadly, for him, it was just a normal history session about something that happened in the past. No one paid any attention, apart from the boys who were ogling the teacher. She had black hair and an extremely voluptuous body. Small nose, enchanting blue eyes and luscious red lips that you would just want to take a bite off. She was quite tall, and truth be told, even Toshiro''s heart was stirred but that was all. Her name was Izumo Mikka, a cute name for someone with such a figure.


    "Izumo-sensei, the principal wants to see you and Shinohara-san the student council president wants to see you"


    In the middle, however, for reasons unknown, Mikka was called alongside Yuki. While leaving Mikka''s seductive voice was heard


    "While I''m away, study by yourselves"


    Toshiro suspected something suspicious but once again paid no heed.


    You can now see the inexperience of Toshiro. He was hiding his identity while still keeping the same mentality of a prince. Paying no heed when something happens. This could be due to lack of experience and believing nothing could harm him while forgetting where and who he was currently. His life wasn''t in any danger, nevertheless, it was frustrating.


    As soon as they left, the students stopped revising and started talking to themselves. This time no one came to talk to Toshiro, so he just remained there.


    ''A surprising number of letters are being passed around''


    Toshiro was bored out of his mind and took the initiative to talk to Akira in front. Poking his back, he got the attention of Akira causing him to turn around.


    "Hey, you''re Sato-san, right?"


    "Y-yes"


    "Hmm, you hurt?"


    This shocked Akira but decided to lie instead,


    "N-no, I''ve just got a stomach-ache"


    Toshiro decided not to press further but instead took the conversation to another direction. They were having a pleasant chat until Akira mustered up some courage and finally let it out


    "You should escape Toshiro-san"


    This caught Toshiro off-guard as he replied


    "Why?"


    It was Akira''s turn to be shocked.


    ''Doesn''t he know that he was on most of the class'' hit list.''


    Looking at the masked face of Toshiro, Akira sensed that Toshiro was genuinely confused.


    "Wha¡­no¡­qui¡­"


    His reply was cut short by a shout


    "How dare you talk to Yuki-Sama!!!!!"

 4 Summoning and Death

    "How dare you talk to Yuki-Sama!!!!!"


    Toshiro was surprised by this outburst as he felt something grasp his right arm. Turning to face the assailant he realised that it was a girl that kept looking at Yuki throughout break.


    ''She seems to have a black tint¡­''


    His thoughts were interrupted by another shout as another girl grabbed his left arm.


    "You dare sully our goddess!!!"


    Toshiro finally realised what was happening. He may be na?ve, but he wasn''t stupid. Still he was quite shocked at what was happening. He tried to regain control of his arms but failed to do so, the two girls had a tight grasp on his arm and Toshiro was unwilling to hurt them.


    Chiyo upfront was shocked by this event and quickly tried to get up but was stopped by Endo.


    "Endo, no Masuhiro-san, what are you doing?"


    Endo was surprised by the sudden formal speech but steeled himself when trying to stop Chiyo from interfering.


    "He needs to know how to protect himself"


    This was the reason Endo gave. Even he didn''t believe himself. Chiyo, however, ignored him and looked over to see Toshiro looking over, she noticed the calm look he had and decided to watch with worry evidence in her eyes. Toshiro was happy that Chiyo was concerned but his view was blocked by someone.


    Tetsu and his gang just arrived and had come in front of him. With an evil look he glanced towards Akira and back at Toshiro. Akira, with that look, cowered down and didn''t say anything,


    "Yo, seems you had quite the fun talking to Yuki-san"


    Toshiro just stayed quiet. This irked Tetsu as he threw a punch which Toshiro dodged easily. Feeling humiliated he threw another one, but this time, Toshiro had enough. Instead of dodging he moved his arms causing the girl on the right to get in the way. The punch landed straight on her face and caused the party to fall back down.


    "Kyaaa!!"


    Akira on the side had enough and pushed Tetsu. Getting up he saw the girl who got a punch having a bruise on the right side of her face while she was clutching Toshiro''s shirt. It seemed that the girl on the left had also clutched his shirt causing the buttons to fall off. What was revealed was just a t-shirt, but he could clearly see the outlines of Toshiro''s muscles. Being from a family of Samurais he was naturally trained in their ways, so Toshiro did pack quite the punch.


    However, seeing the actions of the surrounding students, filled his heart with disdain. What Akira did, surprised Toshiro but, nevertheless, caused him to think quite highly of Akira.


    ''Maybe, my judgement was wrong''


    It was the first time that Toshiro questioned his own judgement and realised that he had been putting too much trust into his abilities. With a wry smile he thought


    ''I shouldn''t rely too much on this. Maybe it will allow me to see the world in a different light''


    With all that had happened it was quite natural for Toshiro to judge people from the get-go to prevent himself from suffering any harm.


    Unknown to Toshiro, his mask and glasses had fallen of, which was also the reason for Akira suddenly stopping. Tetsu who was pushed back, slowly got up and approached Akira


    "You son of a¡­"


    Tetsu was also quite shocked seeing Toshiro''s face alongside the two girls who recovered the sense. Looking up that was the first thing they saw.


    Sharp mystical eyes, with one being dark brown and the golden amber, beneath a pair of sword like eyebrows. High cheekbones and a chiselled nose sitting on top of a pair of thin lips.


    ''''''''Perfect''''''''


    This was the thought going through the minds of the four people. It was an extremely handsome youth that had replaced the previous, seemingly average one.


    Looking at the four, a sudden realisation hit Toshiro and brought his hand to his face. Upon knowing that his face was revealed, he felt dissatisfied in his heart. His experience of coming to a public high school seemed to have reached a dead end.


    The rest of the class were still confused into why Tetsu and the others suddenly stopped. His lackeys came up from behind him,


    "Oyabun, what happ¡­"


    More victims seeing Toshiro''s face. Knowing that there was no point in staying, Toshiro got up and created more victims. The confused class was suddenly shocked into stupor seeing Toshiro. Wondering why it was so quiet, Endo turned around and joined the group of victims. All the boys felt despair at his handsomeness, all apart from two. Tetsu and Endo. They felt fear


    ''''I''m finished''''


    They knew what this meant. That name, that look and that face. Only one person came into mind. To think they went against such a calamity.


    * Bang *


    The door of the classroom was suddenly opened as Yuki rushed in with Mikka following behind. It was a ruse that they were called. The principal was confused while the student council president wasn''t even in the school. Looking at the class and looking at Toshiro who had is mask off and shirt ripped open, she finally found out what had happened.


    Mikka was first dazed looking at Toshiro then a furious expression masked her face,


    "What are you guys doing?!"


    No reply was made as everyone realised who Toshiro was. Even the most dim-witted ones finally realised the status of both Yuki and Toshiro, especially after seeing Yuki''s concern for Toshiro.


    With their being no reply Mikka was livid and turned to Toshiro.


    "I''m sorry Matsumura-kun for the behaviour of these students"


    Bowing she expressed an apology on behalf of everyone. Everyone followed after.


    Toshiro''s cold look swept through the class, the ones subjected to this shivered and refused to look up.


    He turned around and started to leave while saying


    "So, this is a public school"


    He had just taken the step through the door, when suddenly a circle popped up from the ground. An intensive light had appeared in the middle of classroom as the students were suddenly engulfed in it. Only half of Toshiro was bathed in the light as a sort of barrier went up on the edge of the circle.


    "Wha¡­"


    "What''s this light?"


    "A circle?!"


    The circle gave out another flash of gleaming light before disappearing. It would have been okay if not for the fact that a half Toshiro remained. As the half collapsed a pool of blood was slowly spreading across the classroom floor. Unfortunately for Toshiro, he had been caught in the formation upon leaving so only the inner half was transported, not the one outside the circle.


    Suddenly, Toshiro''s body lit up alongside his blood as he disappeared in small motes of light as they rose into the air.


    - Toshiro''s POV -


    ''Wha¡­where am I?''


    A penetrating pain suddenly appeared in his head as if a thousand needles were suddenly pushed into his brain. A small girl''s voice was heard as his soul screamed


    "Slowly, elder sister do it slowly"


    "I am. It''s really hard trying to patch his soul after it was split in two"


    A youthful voice was heard replying.


    Suddenly, a shout was heard from the distance


    "I''m trying to rest; can you please keep quiet!!"


    "S-sorry eldest sister"


    Replied the girl''s voice meekly.


    "Don''t worry, she had to interrupt the summoning and pull out his other half. The other summoned heroes are safe apart from this one"


    "Still his soul is so beautiful"


    "Yeah, I haven''t seen one as beautiful as this"


    "Mmhmm yeah"


    "What would you expect form someone chosen by her"


    "Yes¡­"


    "He is quite attractive"


    "Indeed, if it was me¡­"


    ¡­


    Endless chatter was heard as Toshiro''s pain subsided


    ''Chosen by who? Summon? That light was a summoning? And why are they only female voices''


    As the pain subsided, a warm light was felt deep within his soul as it slowly recovered. Feeling this bliss, Toshiro desperately tried to stay awake but to no avail fell asleep.


    As he was leaving, he heard something


    "Goodbye Toshiro-san, hope we meet again"


    "G-goodbye"


    For the second voice, Toshiro imagined a little loli blushing wildly,


    "We should leave a note when he regains consciousness"


    After that various other goodbyes were heard as he fell asleep.

 5 Birth

    - Third person POV -


    - An unknown period of time later -


    Toshiro woke up only to find that he was constricted and couldn''t move his limbs nor feel them. He was able to stay wake but soon fell asleep. His senses were disorientated and couldn''t think properly. Time passed with him being in and out of it until he was able to properly think.


    ''Where am I? There was a flash and then¡­ugh''


    He once again lost unconsciousness. This lasted for quite some time until he was able to properly think. When this happened, a certain voice appeared in his head


    "Testing. Testing. 1. 2."


    "I think it''s already working, elder sister"


    ''Wha¡­What''s happening? Who''s there?''


    Despite Toshiro''s confusion, it seemed that the opposite party couldn''t hear him.


    "I know you''re worried but don''t worry"


    ''What the hell?!''


    "Let me start from the beginning"


    ''Ok''


    "You remember that circle and flash of light, that whoosh"


    ''Y-yes''


    "That was a summoning"


    ''W-what?''


    "You know. Summon to another world as heroes and save it, blah blah"


    ''O-ok''


    "Well you, my belo¡­ahem friend died in the midst of it"


    ''You were about to something different weren''t you. Wait, what, I died?''


    "Indeed, you died, so your soul was basically confused. You were summoned to another world and you died in your world. Your soul got confused which way should it go. What made it worse was that your soul was split in half, so we had to grab both and put it back together."


    ''Ok ok''


    This information was too much for Toshiro, but he was able to get the gist of it once he calmed down.


    "We kind of feel guilty about your circumstances so we decided to reincarnate you. Whatever family you get will purely depend on your luck. Not that you have to worry since you were chosen by her"


    ''W-what?''


    The last part was said in a whisper, so he never heard it properly.


    The woman continued


    "Well it seems you have caught the attention of quite a few of our sisters so, good luck. Lastly, have a great time and once again sorry for your circumstances. We have sent you 17 years before your friends are summoned so, do your best. And if you''re wondering that it will mess up the system then, once again, don''t worry, we feel like it was meant to happen."


    ''Wha¡­ I have many questions? Who are you? And¡­''


    Before he could continue, the woman''s voice was heard once again


    "This is just a recording, so I won''t be able to answer any questions"


    The transmission was cut off and Toshiro could feel it. He had many questions but no one to ask.


    ''It seems I''ve been reincarnated; this feeling means that I''m most likely inside by mother''s womb. What the hell have I gotten myself into''


    Giving out a sigh he decided to find something to do while passing the time.


    ''Wait what does a foetus do?''


    Realising he couldn''t do anything he decided to just pass the time sleeping. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt something within his body. The first was fiery hot while the other was icy cold, both weren''t uncomfortable though. He ''watched'' it flow thorough his body.


    ''Huh? How did I see it?''


    Trying again, he was able to see the two things where his heart was located. There were two formless gases trying to take control over the heart and vanquish the rest. Within there was also a thick gold gas sitting in the middle as if unbothered by the two fighting.


    ''What are they? My bloodline?''


    Thinking of the only explanation he tried ''reaching out'' to control them but failed to do so. Seeing the infighting becoming worse and worse, he started feeling worried. But then something unexpected happened. The golden gas, as if tired by the infighting, slowly surrounded the two and merged with them. The fighting did stop as the two gases slowly merged turning from the their original of red and blue to a golden yellow and silvery white. It was like looking at the sun and moon.


    Time passed and the merging was extremely slow, so Toshiro stopped paying attention. After messing around with his newfound ''perception'', he once more floated off to sleep.


    Time passed as he drifted between sleeping and staying awake. Whenever he was awake, he would mess around with his ''perception'', trying to control it in various ways. At first it was hard, but he was able to slowly gain more control as time passed. As it used up a lot of energy and was the only thing he could do, he always ''played'' around with it until he fell asleep.


    Like this, months passed, and Toshiro was able to hear muffled voices outside. Currently his perception''s range was just limited to just his mother''s womb and couldn''t reach outwards. Still he was quite happy with the events so far. The gases weren''t there anymore as they had disappeared, and he had gained some sort of perception. He never knew where and who he was going to be born to, but these things seemed like perks that would at least ensure his survival.


    Once this thought occurred, he started feeling worried about his birth,


    ''Who would I be born to? I wouldn''t be abandoned, would I?...''


    This was probably the first time he went to sleep worried about his future. This carried on for quite a few days before he concluded that it won''t help worrying and just decided to leave it up to fate. So, he just went back to playing around with his perception.


    - Unknown amount of time later -


    ''It huuuuurts!!''


    Pain, indescribable pain assaulted his body. It wasn''t like the pain from joining the soul, it was equally painful, but this one was inflicted upon the body while the other in the soul. It was like liking an apple and a banana. They were equally good yet different at the same time.


    He felt himself being pushed through a hole, an extremely narrow one as he took his first breath.


    ''Aaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhhhh''


    His maiden breath brought an ice-cold pain which assaulted his windpipe and lungs.


    "Waaaaaa!"


    ''It hurts!''


    His senses were disorientated as he felt himself being picked up and wrapped up in a cloth. Once the pain died down, he felt himself cradled in a pair of warm hands before he drifted off to sleep once more.

 6 New Life

    Year 1463, 9th of Lunius


    Drakonis Empire


    Emerald Palace


    A middle-aged man was rushing through the beautiful halls of the Emerald Palace. Even though he was in a hurry, his regal air and bearings of an emperor flourished to all who saw. His perfectly chiselled face maintained composure yet his golden, vertical slit eyes beget worry. None dared to look at his eyes as they kept their distance. He wore a golden robe with a fiery red dragon depicted on the side and armoured boots. It seemed that he was in the midst of getting ready when he was suddenly called. His dark violet hair fluttered behind him revealing a pair of sharp ears that weren''t found in a human.


    The servants he passed were of various origins. Some had smaller demon-like horns, some had animal ears, and some were even humans. No matter who it was they all bowed to the man passing through.


    Rushing out of the Emerald Palace, he came in front of another smaller palace that had a plaque on the side reading


    - Ruby Palace -


    Entering, he rushed to his wife''s, the current empress'', room only to see his mother, the Empress Dowager, waiting outside a door.


    Rushing to her,


    "How''s¡­agh"


    The Empress Dowager slapped her son''s head as she returned back to sitting on her chair.


    "Calm down"


    Her strict, blue eyes disproved her son''s actions as she calmly waited.


    "My daughter-in-law is a dragon, something like this shouldn''t harm her"


    Her prideful voice caused a sharp glint in her eyes. She had similar eyes to her son but of different colours.


    "After this I''ll be returning to the clan, so I''ll leave the empire to you."


    Her son quietly listened as he also sat down next to her on a chair.


    "Baldrik"


    "Yes mother"


    "How''s the situation?"


    Hearing this, the current emperor gave out a sigh. His child was about to be born but he had to oversee a war. He knew that he had only this one chance to see his child and then he would be occupied with the war, decreasing the time spent with his child.


    "We did get caught off-guard, but it''s something we can handle"


    Silence filled the room as the sound of muffled screeching could be heard from the closed the door. Although, the empress dowager said that and tried to change the topic, she couldn''t hide the worry on her face. Baldrik saw this and couldn''t help thinking


    ''If even you''re like that, then imagine me''


    The screeching stopped, and then the sound of wailing could be heard. A joyous look appeared on their faces as they waited to be called in. He didn''t want to cause any repercussions so he waited otherwise he would have just rushed in. With some chaos ensuing he finally saw the door open and out came a maid.


    "Your highness, congratulations it''s a boy"


    Baldrik was immediately joyous and rushed in. The empress dowager frowned again but eventually decided to let it go.


    ''If it wasn''t for the birth of my grandson¡­''


    Walking in, she saw her son cradling a treasure and her daughter-in-law''s smiling face. Her pale, exhausted face didn''t diminish her beauty, but it did add a charm to her already beautiful looks. Her fiery red hair cascaded down her back as her silver eyes contained immeasurable motherly love. A warm feeling engulfed her heart as she saw this scene.


    Coming next to her son, she took her grandchild in her arms. He seemed to have gotten his father''s hair and both of their eyes.


    ''Wait both?''


    Looking once more, she noticed that his left eye was a golden colour while his right eye was a silver.


    ''Now this is unusual''


    She stared at the boy while the opposite party did the same.


    ''Why is this old hag staring at me like this''


    It seemed that all the pain from the birth was all forgotten as he analysed his surroundings. From what his limited vision could see, he seemed to be in a palace of some sort. It seems like the previous man that held him seemed to be his father while the beautiful red head was his mother.


    ''Hmm''


    The Empress Dowager frowned at the boy.


    ''Is he thinking something bad about me. Nah, probably just my imagination''


    Hearing a stomach rumbling, the baby in her arms started wailing as she handed the boy back to his mother.


    "Lily, feed him and rest well"


    "Yes, mother"


    She then turned to her son


    "You as well. Give her time to rest"


    She left after getting Baldrik''s confirmation.


    Baldrik got close to his wife and kissed her.


    "I''m sorry for being unable to accompany you"


    "It''s okay, when will you leave"


    "In a bit"


    Lily never said anything as Baldrik hugged her and watched their son fall asleep.


    "He''s strangely red"


    This earned a giggle from Lily as she rested her head on her husband and also fell asleep. Although she tried to hide her worries, it couldn''t escape Baldrik''s eyes as he soon left the chambers.


    Taking one last look at his family, he left the ruby palace with determined steps, he had one more person to protect.


    The empress dowager looked at her son and returned to her chambers, she decided to remain and look over her daughter-in-law and grandson.


    Only one thought was going through the mind of our protagonist,


    ''She''s my mother, She''s my mother, She''s my mother, She''s my mother''


    - One Month Later -


    In the ruby palace, Lily had just finished feeding and had gotten back to work after leaving Toshiro, or rather, Amadeus in the baby crib.


    Right, Amadeus was the name given to Toshiro. Amadeus Drakos. Hearing the gossip of the maids that took care of him, he realised that he was born as a prince. He didn''t have any siblings and was the first born of the emperor and empress.


    He hadn''t seen his father since his birth meaning that he had work to do. His mother would also look out of the window from time to time looking worried. This stirred something within him as he started looking at Lily as a proper mother. He had a loving family in the past and it was hard to forget them, but he eventually had to. He had a new family now.


    Turning his head, he saw Lily leaving while a young girl came and started to clean the room. She was a cute girl, probably around the age of 12 and wasn''t human. His curious eyes went to her head where a pair of cat ears rested upon. She wore a standard maid uniform and a tail barely popped out from the bottom of her skirt.


    ''I want to touch them, baby mode on''


    "Uwagauga"


    ''This is embarrassing but need to touch the fluff''


    This certainly attracted the attention of the girl, but she ignored him and continued cleaning. Although, she was curious at what the prince was doing she didn''t pay any attention onto it and continued with her job. Suddenly she felt an intense gaze upon her tail as she quickly turned around only to see the baby prince gazing at her.


    Just at this moment, Lily returned and broke the stare of the cat girl. After greeting, Lily, she returned to cleaning while Lily went to check up on Amadeus.


    Coming close, she was surprised to see Amadeus staring intently at something. Following his line of sight, she also looked at the cat girl here.


    "Eriko, come here"


    "Yes, your highness"


    Lily looked at Eriko walking towards her and then looked at Amadeus as his sight never left her. Eriko felt uncomfortable with the queen but never fear. The current emperor and empress were known for their benevolence. She was happy to have her name called out and came next to her.


    "Give Amadeus your tail"


    "Eh?!"


    "Don''t look at me like that, I''m not telling you to cut it off. Just give him your tail"


    Blushing in shame she turned around and presented her tail to the prince.


    Amadeus'' eyes started shining as she brought her tail in front of him. Reaching out, he grabbed and brought her tail next to him as he rubbed his face against it.


    Eriko was surprised at the sudden pull as she never expected the prince to have such strength.


    "Nyaa!"


    Eriko hurriedly closed her mouth and her face flushed a deep red.


    ''Uwawawawawawa, how could I let out such a sound''


    Expecting to hear the anger of the Empress, instead she heard a giggle from the side.


    "Pfft. Eriko, it seems Amadeus has taken a liking to you"


    Eriko just looked down and never met the empress'' eyes.


    Looking at the cute girl, Eriko dropped another bombshell,


    "Why don''t you become his personal maid?"


    "Eh?!"


    "He doesn''t have one and I couldn''t possibly watch over him all the time. So yeah, you could be his personal maid"


    "Eeeeeehhhhhhh?!"

 7 Orbis

    - 2 Years Later-


    A beautiful child could be seen sitting on the floor of the palace''s library. His face that was full of focus was strange yet charming in its own way. His messy dark violet hair covered his odd coloured eyes as he read over a book about the world. This was Amadeus Drakos


    ''The world is larger than I imagined''


    This world was known as Orbis and was about twice as large than his previous one. Currently he was in the Drakonis Empire and was the crown prince to boot. The world was composed of one large continent with the Drakonis Empire being stationed in the East. It was currently the largest and most powerful nation across the lands taking up a quarter of the continent.


    South of them was the Formosa forest. It was a piece of land that was only about the size of a quarter of the Drakonis Kingdom, around a tenth of the continent. It housed two nations, one of a reclusive and beautiful race known as Elves and the other housed by demi-humans. The forest also consisted of fairies, pixies, dryads and the lot. The forest took up most of their territory, so trees were the norm. While the elves lived deep into the forest with their nation being called the Elven Kingdom, the demi-humans lived on the outskirt where half their territory was outside the forest. Their nation was known as the Bestia Kingdom.


    ''Wouldn''t mind taking a trip there''


    To the North of them was a chain of mountains known as the Mountains of Ferrarius that took up a fifth of the continent housing a race known as Dwarves. It was majorly inhabited by them alongside other monsters as they mainly lived underground and in caves. They had a city where they trade with other nations unlike Formosa Forest.


    ''They''ve been said to tremendous blacksmiths''


    West and South West of the Drakonis Empire were two kingdoms. The Humanus kingdom in the south while the Daemon Kingdom to the North. The human kingdom was mainly housed by Humans while the Daemon Kingdom was housed by beings of ''evil'', courtesy of the humans. These beings were mainly dictated by the seven sins and had races like vampires, werewolves, succubus and many more. They were both around the size of a tenth of the continent alongside the Bestia kingdom. The Elven Kingdom was by far the smallest one.


    ''Humans? Most likely they were the ones that summoned the class. Is it for the war against the Daemon kingdom? Or is it against us? Or for something in the future?''


    Amadeus stopped thinking and continued reading.


    Further than that, it was all unexplored lands filled with tiny motes of civilisations here and there. Things like dungeons were spread across the continent where it contained an equal amount of danger and opportunity. Although some were regulated and watched over, there were still some hidden ones here and there.


    "Your highness, I knew you were here"


    Suddenly the door barged open and a cat girl stepped in. It was Erika, his personal maid. In these two years her young body had grown quite a bit as she was now 14 years old.


    "His highness has returned from the front lines"


    "Father has?"


    His father was rarely home and would come by every couple months. However, due to increase in tension between the countries, he was on the front lines himself for the past year.


    Getting up he dashed out the room and quickly ran towards the Emerald Palace.


    A normal human baby would crawl at the age of six to 12 months or go straight to walking. At the age of two they would be able to barely speak. This sort of common sense was thrown out by Amadeus. He went straight to walking at three months and was able to speak coherently, albeit childishly by six months. By the age of 1 he had the strength of a 10-year-old and by 2 he had the strength of a grown man. This may seem absurdly, stupidly unbelievable however this was the cause of his heritage and bloodline.


    Dragons.


    The royal family of the Drakonis Empire were dragons. His father was a golden dragon while his mother was a descendant of a fire and ice dragon. A rare mutation occurred allowing her to use two opposing elements. Amadeus still needed to awaken his bloodline, so he never knew what his bloodline was but remembering the scene when he was just a foetus, it was definitely something different.


    However, only the royal family were pure dragons. Its citizens were among the various races of the world. Things like slavery and the rest were all forbidden within the empire, all the citizens were equal. Amadeus didn''t find this strange; dragons were amongst the most powerful creatures in the world, what difference would different types of ants make, they were ants in the end.


    Rushing through the corridors, he entered a small room. His mother was already there, and she ushered him over.


    "Come here, my little dragon"


    Amadeus seeing her ran over and jumped in her arms. They were next to the throne room and were waiting for Baldrik to finish up.


    It didn''t take long for him to finish as walked through the doors. He visibly fatigued as he looked at his family with a smile.


    Amadeus, who didn''t notice it, ran to him and jumped up.


    "Papa!"


    ''Have to act the part, have to act the part¡­''


    "Hey hey¡­oof"


    Not expecting the sudden jump, Amadeus went head in and hit Baldrik''s solar plexus effectively knocking him out.


    "Husband!"


    Lily was shocked as she ran up only to see Baldrik''s blissful smile as he got some well-deserved rest. Giving a rub on his head, she gave Baldrik a lap pillow before berating Amadeus for his recklessness, but Amadeus knew that she didn''t really care.


    It was a while before Baldrik woke up only to feel a soft sensation behind his head. He knew it was wife, but before he could say anything a small head covered his vision.


    "Papa''s awake"


    "I know"


    Lily replied before looking at Baldrik


    "Welcome home"


    Baldrik smiled slightly as he replied


    "I''m back"


    By the time they left it was already dusk and made their way to the dining hall.


    It wasn''t an extravagant banquet within an enormous room, it was a small room with a dining table, three chairs and no servants. Lily herself had made the food and wanted them to just have some time together, not as royals but as a family. One by one, sumptuous dishes were placed on the table and Amadeus couldn''t hold back.


    Stretching his hand out he grabbed a leg of some sort and started feasting on it. If it was any other day then he would definitely be reprimanded by Lily for not following etiquette but today he was let off with a light tap on the head.


    While eating Baldrik started talking,


    "So, Amadeus, how''s studying"


    "Ok"


    "Ok?"


    "He drove out another tutor"


    "Another Tutor?"


    Being absent for the past year, Baldrik didn''t know the ins and outs yet. Before Lily could continue Amadeus spoke out,


    "Father, they can''t teach me much, it''s too easy. I want to train"


    Before Baldrik could speak, Lily spoke


    "No, you can''t! You are still young. Training can wait until you awaken."


    "But muuuum"


    Amadeus used puppy eyes; it was ineffective. He could see Lily''s struggle, but motherly love overcame it and a firm determination swept through her eyes. Baldrik who saw this didn''t know what to say, he saw his son''s pout and his wife''s fragile yet firm hand.


    ''Father was right, a dragon mother is really scary''


    Suddenly, Baldrik came up with an idea.


    "I could train him"


    "Huh?"


    "Eh?"


    "Hahaha, thanks papa"


    Amadeus jumped off his chair and hugged his father. Lily who saw this turned to her husband, with eyes ready to spit out fire.


    "Baldrik, what''s the meaning of this?"


    "Ma, ma. I''ll be training him. It will only be lightwork, not too much. Only until he awakens his bloodline and get his status checked. Also, I can spend some time with him."


    Hearing this, Lily calmed down but still gave Baldrik a stern glare while Amadeus acted confused


    "St-statoos?"


    ''This world has statuses"


    "Status son. It gives a brief overview of your strength such as strength, agility and the lot"


    "oh"


    "When will this Status be checked"


    "On your 8th birthday, it will also be the day when you have your bloodline awakened"


    Amadeus thought that it was natural process to have your bloodline awakened. It seemed that a special process was needed, and your bloodline had to be stimulated. His father didn''t tell him about the details, but it looked like it would be a difficult trial. Each race had a different awakening ceremony and apparently, the words of his father, it wasn''t something the other races could compare to. The humans had their baptism while the demons had something related to their individual sins.


    While trying to avoid his wife''s gaze, he told Amadeus


    "Be ready early tomorrow, you will need to get up early tomorrow"

 8 Leaving the Palace

    Early morning of the next day Amadeus was already running towards a certain location. He really wanted to start training. He had tried before, but he realised that there would always be someone looking over him, he never got a chance to train and even if he did start it would raise some questions about where he learnt how to train the way he did.


    Running through the hallways, he got a proper look around his surroundings. The way the Ruby palace was laid out was quite medieval. They didn''t have lights bulbs or the like but rather shining orb, most likely caused by magic of some kind.


    The world seemed to be in some sort of medieval era but with magic they had things ahead of their time. Things that needed technology to run had magic to run them. For example, the sources of light he was seeing now.


    "Your highness, please wait for me"


    Eriko was behind him keeping up. She could keep up, but what was slowing her down was all the goods in her hands. Medical supplies, food and the lot. It was all arranged by Lily while worrying for Amadeus. She knew her husband, although he said that it will only be light work, she couldn''t help but feel uneasy.


    Amadeus carried on running but visibly slowed down a bit. It wasn''t long until he arrived at a big open field where his father was already waiting. He wasn''t wearing his robe but rather a normal black training attire.


    "You''re here"


    His father''s welcoming his voice was heard.


    "I see you''ve already changed. First, we will start to test your limits"


    After testing his strength by lifting weights they moved on to endurance where he had to run until he collapsed. Various other exercises were performed, with each of them reaching his limit. Naturally, there were breaks in the middle with Eriko tending to him. Baldrik had nothing to say about his wife''s worries, as he was also worried. But as a father he had to steel himself and make sure his son doesn''t become some sort of wastrel.


    Dragons had an extremely long lifespan but had a very low birth rate hence the overprotectiveness.


    Amadeus had barely met anyone apart from a few servants and guards. Naturally, his parents worried for him not having friends but due to him being really weak right now, their overprotectiveness won.


    However, the knights who had come to train saw their crown prince''s limits and sweat dropped.


    He was two years old and he his limits were similar to a grown man, albeit someone that hadn''t trained. The average lifting weight for someone like that was 20kg, the longest run they could do in full sprint was 200 metres. With a steady jog, it all depended on the person while the fastest they could run in 100 metres was around 15 seconds. Their prince''s limits were even above that and he was two years old.


    None of them felt that it was weird. The royal family were dragons, so it was natural for the crown prince to be such a freak.


    Days passed with Baldrik training Amadeus in all things from close combat to fighting using various types of weapons. He never focused on one aspect but decided to train all of Amadeus'' attributes, giving him a balanced strength. He could focus on one aspect after he trained.


    It seems that Lily''s suspicions were right as the training was anything but lightwork. Still Baldrik was able to persuade her and now Amadeus had etiquette, history, maths, languages and other subjects filling up his timetable. Amadeus however didn''t slack off otherwise a beating would be waiting for him. One time he tried ditching class and was wondering the gardens when a figure appeared behind him.


    "Amadeus, what are you doing here?"


    Turning around he saw his mother smiling face with her eyes saying something else


    "M-m-moth¡­"


    "Come here"


    She directly lynched him, dragged him to the palace and sat down on a stool. Putting his belly on her knees she pulled his trousers down and smack


    That day the Ruby palace was filled with wails and screams. It was also the day where Amadeus had lost all his dignity and pride in that one moment. He did get a day off though as his mother was really sorry when hitting him.


    He didn''t want to see the sad look she had when hitting him, so he focussed extra hard on his lessons.


    The old hag, which he later found out was his grandmother, oversaw his etiquette lessons. She was there with a stick and drilled into him how an emperor would carry himself. His grandmother doted on him the most yet was also the strictest when it came to him.


    Amadeus slowly warmed up to his family and any barriers he had slowly faded away. He genuinely thought of them as his own family members.


    Before he knew it, it was his fourth birthday. His wish this time was to leave the palace. He wanted to leave on his third, but the country was still in the middle of negotiations with the enemy nation. It was a dangerous time so his mother was adamant on him not leaving but now he could.


    A single carriage was seen riding away from the emerald palace. Amadeus'' small head could be seen looking out of the window curiously looking at his surroundings. The front of the palace was especially beautiful with various fountains and exotic, yet rare flowers properly arranged throughout the front. The occasional patrol of the dragon knights, also known as the imperial guards, was seen, as they bowed when the carriage passed. Any other situation they would have to kneel but what if they kneeled and a member of the royal family was attacked, it would cause a delay in their reactions.


    The palace was quite large and looking back Amadeus could see where the Emerald Palace got its name from. A gigantic palace sat there like a behemoth laying asleep. It was majorly green with gold lines here and there. It was literally something out of fairy tales.


    "Beautiful"


    "It indeed is"


    Suddenly something, caught Amadeus'' eyes. Pointing in that direction Lily also looked,


    "Oh, that''s one of the protectors sent by the clan. He''s also a dragon"


    Amadeus could tell, as a green western dragon could be seen opening his eyes and bowing its head at Amadeus direction before once again returning to its position.


    "It''s a wind dragon"


    "You could barely see it; it looks like a statue"


    "Not it, he, he looks like a statue"


    Amadeus just stuck out his tongue before returning to peruse the surroundings.


    Amadeus was truly in awe of his family. Seriously, having dragons stay as statues just to protect them. Extravagant. Amadeus had heard of this clan many times and when he asked, he was just told it was the home of all dragons. The previous emperor was the current head and managed the clan.


    Travelling for a little longer they came to a massive wall that was also emerald green just like the palace. The watch towers were however black, pure black. It was as if they were sucking the light out of the air.


    Looking at Amadeus'' childlike behaviour as he curiously looked around everything that interested him, a small smile crept up on Lily''s face. She knew that he felt stifled in the palace and this trip was supposed to be a breath of fresh air for the boy. She felt something in her heart whenever she saw him in the lessons with that cute face of focus.


    Finally, she could allow him to be the child he was.


    Amadeus however was thinking something different.


    Ever since he had arrived into this world his curiosity had basically possessed him.


    "What''s this" or "What''s that" was a norm for the members of the palace to hear. They had just attributed it to a child''s curiosity, but Amadeus knew that he was no child. This trip outside was also due to curiosity and the fact that he actually did feel quite stifled in the palace.


    There was a natural moat around the palace where Amadeus saw serpent like creatures.


    "Those are water dragons. To others they would look like simple fish, but not to the royal members"


    Amadeus just sighed at the revelation before trying to look forward.


    Suddenly as they were leaving Amadeus felt something as they entered the streets. Looking at his mother she just smiled at him,


    "Look like you are quite sensitive to magic fluctuations. We just camouflaged the carriage to look like a normal one. We don''t want the people to feel any pressure seeing a carriage with the royal family''s crest on it"


    Understanding his mother, he just complied while remembering a certain result of hiding himself. Making sure not to show his change of emotion to his mother he started to curiously look at the scenery around him. People of all races were happily conversing together.


    Amadeus himself saw various colours around the people but rarely bad ones.


    The only time he saw a black one was when a couple or so nobles were trying to woo a lady. She was a beautiful one but didn''t catch Amadeus'' eyes nor Lily''s. Lily was watching Amadeus'' every move and was explaining anything that caught his attention. Amadeus was secretly marvelling his mother''s surplus amount of knowledge about the empire.


    Looking at where he was looking,


    "She seems to be a Viscount''s daughter, while those around her seem to be of minor nobility. The stupid looking guy seems to be Earl Smith''s son from the Humanus kingdom. The territory we got was his"


    He was indeed stupid looking. Straight blonde hair that curled towards the end, two gigantic teeth popping out like a rabbit which was anything but cute. Blue eyes that were filled with arrogance and a head that habitually looked up.


    "It seems to be one of the clauses in the negotiations. Deadweight brought from the conceded territory"


    The war that had occurred against the empire was not really a war. A mine of Mithril was found near the borders of the two country. As it was within Drakonis territory, by all right it should belong to the Drakonis empire. But due to the geography, the Humanus kingdom laid siege and tried to take it as their own. Naturally this would lead to war, so the Humanus kingdom was prepared. They tried laying siege on a nearby fortress effectively telling the empire that they had two choices.


    They can keep the fortress and give up the mine, or have the fortress given to the kingdom while the empire takes over the mine.


    So, the empire did neither of them. They kept the mine and the fortress. The thing was, the empire never moved their core forces. This force was known as the dragon army and consisted of dragons and wyvern riders. The water dragons Amadeus saw earlier were part of that army. This army only took orders from the emperor. Wyvern were basically dragons that were half blood and weren''t part of the clan. After reaching a certain stage they would have a chance to become pure blooded ones, but those chances were rare.


    Without even moving these forces, the empire was able to hold off the Humanus kingdom''s attacks. This didn''t mean that the Humanus kingdom was weak, but rather the empire was too strong.


    Facing this defeat, a peace treaty was proposed. At first, upon knowing the birth of the crown prince and engagement with him was proposed but Baldrik didn''t even listen and directly left the negotiations table.


    How can Baldrik not know what these humans were planning, plus, how would he answer to his wife and mother. Although he was the man of the family and his wife respected him for that, anything involving Amadeus was like punching her reverse scale. Not to mention the amount of love his mother had for him, even he thought that it was a stupid idea.


    Although they were magnanimous, they still had their pride as dragons.


    It wasn''t until a few day later where another negotiation meeting was called and this time that topic wasn''t even mentioned. Rather the members of the Humanus kingdom tried to get as much benefits as possible. War costed a lot of money and they splurged it while bringing back no benefits at all, just casualties.


    Baldrik felt sick of these politicians and pity for those soldiers.


    So, in the end it was proposed that the kingdom would concede a territory and that would become part of the empire.


    Although on paper it looked like it was enough, but it just a fa?ade. In the end, the territory had become home to all the injured soldiers of the war and the one in charge was the stupid looking noble. Baldrik however accepted these conditions as he pitied the soldiers. The land itself wasn''t too bad but it wasn''t great either. It was really a group of deadweight, but Lily wasn''t referring to the soldiers but the one in charge.

 9 Nobles

    Amadeus listened to his mother while observing that group. They seemed to be trying to earn the favour of the girl. You couldn''t blame the minor nobles and scholars around the girls as a title of nobility bought a lot of benefits. So, upgrading or becoming one will always be sought after.


    The stupid looking guy went by the name of Jack Smith and was the son of the Earl. He was also one of the guys trying to woo the girl and was the one with the highest rank of nobility.


    The rank of nobility within Orbis went from (highest to lowest):


    Royal Duke/Duchess


    Duke/Duchess


    Marquis/Marchioness


    Earl or Count/Countess


    Viscount/Viscountess


    Baron/Baroness


    The girl was from a viscount family while Jack Smith was from an Earl''s.


    So purely looking at titles, his father''s title was higher than the girl''s father but looking at power, territory size and the rest, it was clear that the girl''s father had more.


    So, although the title may be higher, it didn''t mean that the power was also greater.


    To Amadeus, they looked like clowns trying to impress their audience by showing off their various talents. He could also tell from the girl''s face that she didn''t mind the attention she was receiving.


    Suddenly, a boy ran in front of the clowns while being chased by a group of kids. Behind them was a nun that wore a happy smile on her face. The kids seemed to be from an orphanage by the looks of it and had come out to help their caretaker with shopping. In the midst of that, they must''ve decided to play a game of tag.


    Without looking the boy ran into the girl and caused her to fall on the ground. The girl was clearly surprised by the sudden push.


    "Kyaa!"


    The men surrounding her were clearly surprised as well.


    The guards around them were the first to come back to their sense as they apprehended the boy.


    The one known as Jack Smith got all gentlemanly and helped the lady up.


    "You okay? m''lady"


    "Thank you, Sir Smith. I''m okay"


    After helping the girl up, a few servants were called to help clean her. Jack then turned around to the boy his guard was holding.


    "Ho, why haven''t I heard an apology?"


    Disgust immediately flashed through Jack''s eyes as he saw the dog ears on the boy. This was, however concealed deeply, so apart from Amadeus and Lily, no one else saw this.


    "Sorry"


    A meek voice came out the boy as he looked down. The distinction between nobles and commoners was clear in the world. Although this distance was the smallest in the empire, it was still there. Anywhere else, he probably would have been killed on the spot, but this was the capital city of the empire, Emerald City. No one would dare to do such an act near the emerald palace in case it was seen as some sort of provocation to the royal family. Plus, no noble was allowed to take a citizen''s life without a reason, even in their own territory.


    Only the royal family was allowed to have someone executed on the spot, but no one ever minded this rule. They were the emperor''s citizens and the apathy shown to other races by the royal family seemed natural in their eyes.


    Seeing the commotion, the nun ran up to try and stop the guards from harming the boy. One guard held the boy while the rest moved to protect their masters.


    The nun was not too worried of something happening, but she didn''t want any harm coming to the orphans. She viewed them as her children, so she was the most worried of something happening to them.


    "Be careful next time"


    The guards let the boy go only after giving him a warning while the men around the girl checked to see if she was alright.


    Amadeus knew that it wasn''t the end due to the small possessive light that flashed through Jack''s eyes when he looked at the nun and the dangerous glint in the eyes of the girl. She was the most embarrassed by the incident.


    ''Don''t tell me this will be that clich¨¦ scene''


    Indeed, it was, as one guard was missing after the commotion, presumably to follow the nun and the orphans.


    Although, in the open, something bad won''t happen, you can''t say the same thing if it happens in the dark.


    Amadeus seeing this scene, looked back at his mother who just smiled in return. Knowing that his mother had it all covered, Amadeus decided to confront them later when they made their move.


    They decided to wait a little before they saw the girl and Jack heading into their respective carriages. Once everyone dispersed, the two carriages suddenly met with the girl entering Jack''s carriage.


    Both silently made their way towards the location of the orphanage.


    Inside the carriage,


    "I never expected a noble of the empire to do something like this"


    The girl just scoffed at the man as she looked away. It was a crime to do this, but she wanted her revenge. The girl had been pampered since young and it was the first time, she was embarrassed like such.


    Time passed as they made their way towards the orphanage. Although Jack tried many times to initiate a conversation, the girl opposite didn''t open her mouth. Although she looked cool on the outside, internally her mind was a mess. This was her first time doing this and her father''s warnings kept repeating in her mind. Before she knew it, she was questioning her own decisions.


    ''Shall I do it, shall I not¡­''


    ''He was just a kid¡­''


    No matter what she thought now, it was too late. The milk had been spilled and there was no turning back now. Suddenly, as she was drowning in her thoughts, the carriage came to an abrupt halt.


    "Wha¡­"


    Jack was also perplexed with the sudden halt as he shouted at the driver


    "What happened?!"


    A reply came


    "Sir, there is a carriage in front, blocking the way"


    "Then tell them to move"


    "But¡­"


    Giving out a sigh of frustration, Jack smiled at the girl and got off the carriage. The sun was currently setting as its last rays elongated his shadow.


    He stepped onto a cobbled road in between a line of houses. This was the resident district where most commoners and lower level officials lived. They were in the side streets, so the road was quite narrow. Only enough for one carriage to pass without harming anyone else. They were currently before an opening where the orphanage was just in front. One of the lights was on meaning that the they were yet to go to sleep.


    What currently stopped them from their goal was a lone, ordinary carriage. There was no rider and the horses just stood there.


    "Hello, anyone there?"


    There was no response given out no matter how many times he called out. Stomping the ground in frustration, he ordered a few of his guards to move the carriage. Due to it being astonishingly heavy it took the men quite some time before they cleared the road. During this, Jack tried to find any clues to the owners of the carriage but came out empty handed.


    Once more they embarked towards the orphanage. Arriving at its entrance, the guard that had left to follow them came towards them and bowed.


    "Young master, here is the orphanage of that kid"


    "Mmhmm, any strange things"


    "No, there were a couple of visitors that have yet to leave but none so far"


    Although Jack was suspicious, he never minded it.


    ''Will just have to silence the witnesses''


    Thinking this he turned to look at the orphanage. The first thing was that it stood out. Unlike the multi-storey buildings around it that housed numerous apartments, the orphanage was just a two-storey building with a triangular roof. The second floor was the house''s attic where a circular window was present.


    Jack then turned to a guard and gave a nod. The guard then proceeded to break the front door and storm inside with his comrades behind him. They first went through a hallway and broke through a door where light was coming out of.


    A few screams of surprise were supposed to be heard but no sound was out. Jack and the girl who were waiting outside felt some trepidation but ignored it. Jack started walking in and shouted at his men,


    "Oi, what''s happening?''


    The girl followed behind only to see Jack frozen in his place. His eyes were expressing shock as he looked into the room.


    "What''s happ¡­"


    She was unable to finish her sentence as she came across an odd set of eyes staring at her from within the room. One was gold while the other silver. What was most unusual was the vertical slit in its eyes. She couldn''t clearly see the individual''s face due to a veil but from his stature it could be seen that it was a young child, a really young child. The child could be seen playing with toys that someone around his age would play with but was currently staring at the intruders.


    Looking down, the four guards that had entered were lying unconscious in front of them with dented helmets and bruised faces. It seems they were taken down in one hit. Chills were sent down through her body as she looked at the cause. Blood red samurai armour with the royal family''s insignia depicted where their heart is. A sword with two roaring Chinese dragons coiling round it. On the back of these dragons were a pair of wings that vaguely shaped it into a coat of arms. Only their vertical slit eyes could be seen as the front of their helmet depicted a dragon roaring forwards and they had a blank mask covering their face from the nose downwards. She could feel the threatening gaze of the soldier as he looked at her, daring her to move.


    The imperial guards.


    Worst yet, the blades.


    Even among the dragon knights there were a special group, the most elite soldiers in the kingdom. Their only duty was the protection of the emperor, empress and the crown prince. Only these three, no one else.


    The presence of even one of them meant one thing, someone from the royal family was here. Suddenly, a flash went through her mind in the shape of two oddly coloured eyes. Looking back to the kid she saw the clothes he was wearing. A long black robe covered his body with a golden dragon depicted on it. The dragon had four claws and was coiled around the side. The seams were inlaid with gold and overall the robe looked really expensive.


    Seeing this only one thought went through the mind of the girl,


    ''The crown prince''

 10 Turn of events

    The girl sweatdropped at this revelation and knew that she had somehow willingly entered the dragon''s maw, quite literally.


    Jack didn''t know this, but seeing his guards so effortlessly taken down by one guard, he knew that the opposite party was someone that he couldn''t offend. It hadn''t been long in the empire for him so he was still relatively new to this. The girl, however, wasn''t. She knew that they had been found out.


    Suddenly, she looked up and started looking round the room. If the crown price was here, then¡­


    Her guess was spot on as she saw a lady sitting on a chair behind a dining table. She was just calmly staring at them as if watching a show. Though a veil also covered her face, one could tell she was extremely beautiful just by the way she carried herself. Her piercing silver eyes stabbed into the two, seeing what actions they would take now.


    Before Jack could react, the girl immediately kneeled down while coming in front of Jack and shouted,


    "This subject greet the empress and crown prince"


    Upon saying this she immediately looked to the floor while not daring to look up. Jack, who heard this, immediately paled as he also kneeled down behind her. In front of the royal family he wouldn''t put on any airs. Yes, in the Humanus kingdom, humans made themselves superior to other races and looked down on the others. But they never got a chance to look down on dragons. No matter if it was magic, strength or even wisdom they were far inferior.


    Jack maybe an idiot but he was still smart enough to know why the royal family was here in an unassuming orphanage just when they wanted to secretly attack some people. Before they could think any further, a melodious voice sounded out


    "What are you doing here, Amelia"


    Amelia trembled at her name being called out as brought her head up, intent on replying. However, upon seeing those silver eyes, she immediately looked away and started stammering,


    "I¡­I¡­I¡­"


    "I what?"


    "I¡­I¡­just came here to help the orphanage"


    "This late"


    Amelia felt the coldness in the voice but still ended up lying. There was also a chance that they never actually knew what they were up to. Thinking up to here, she started planning out various lies but a child like voice doused her with cold water.


    "Mother, she''s lying, I don''t like her"


    Amelia was shocked by the sudden voice but palpitated with fear upon hearing the last four words. To earn the disfavour of the royal family, her father would be furious upon hearing this. Plus, this was none other than the crown prince, so he''d most likely be extra furious.


    Jack, behind her also turned pale from fright. He may be from another nation but he did know the consequences of such words from the future leader. If it was another nation and you had enough power, a rebellion would be better but not in the empire.


    The royal family held absolute strength and power in the empire. None dared to go against it.


    Suddenly, Lily started to cough violently and eventually collapsed. Amadeus was shocked when he saw this and was instantly worried.


    "MOTHER!!!!"


    With a scream he ran towards her and held her. Picking her up he ran towards the door sending a kick towards Jack as he was in the way. Jack was surprised by the speed shown by the four year old and was too late in reacting. A foot planted on his face as he was sent hurtling outside the orphanage.


    "GUARDS!"


    The blade member behind Amadeus instantly turned into a green dragon as he got in front of him.


    "Calm down your highness, we must make haste to the Emerald Palace. Climb on top, we''ll fly towards it"


    Amadeus quickly jumped on top as he looked at his mother''s pale face. He could care less that he was currently about to ride a dragon.


    With a roar the dragon took off. The roar was a roar for an emergency and was heard throughout the capital. The gates into the capital were instantly shut as many dragons flew towards the blade member. The sky was filled with dragons as they moved to a protective formation around Amadeus.


    All the citizens instantly returned home while guards patrolled the streets on high alert.


    The Emerald Palace came into sight as the dragons dispersed around the palace walls and kept a look out.


    Following this was pure serenity, no noise could be heard in the original bustling capital.


    Suddenly, many joyful roars were heard around the empire. The citizen''s were oblivious to the reason but found out the next day.


    The Queen was pregnant.

 11 An old man

    Baldrik was extremely happy with this situation. He was having a second child only after 4 years of his first one.


    For a dragon, having a second child was extremely rare especially one so close to one another.


    Amadeus was also delighted when this news came out. He never did have a little sibling as he was the youngest of the children in his previous world.


    Amidst the joys of pain and various lessons, time passed really quickly for the royal family. The queen''s belly got more and more bigger while Baldrik''s worries got more and more. He remembered stories from different countries of how siblings would kill each other for the throne.


    ''Would Amadeus kill his little sibling. No, no, no, he is a good child, he wouldn''t do such a thing, wait what if he is¡­''


    *Thwack*


    "Mother!"


    "You idiot of a son!"


    Being his mother, she knew exactly what he was thinking


    "Don''t lump us with those inferior beings¡­"


    Atia, Baldrik''s mother, had pride in her eyes. She had the dragon mentality of looking down on other races. Amadeus who was holding her hand was confused at what his father''s worries were. Seeing him cutely tilt his head with his innocent eyes, Baldrik started to feel immense guilt inside of him.


    Picking him, he started cuddling him and rubbing his face,


    "Sooo cuuuute, papa''s sorry for having suspicions"


    Amadeus tried fighting back but immediately failed. His first true defeat where he put in all his strength but was harmed by his father''s stubble and fatherly love. He tried his best to push his father away, but how much can a four-year-old do against an adult dragon.


    They waited outside while his mother''s screams were heard outside with the occasional roar. Amadeus, who was being cuddled by his father, could feel his father shudder with ever roar so he thought it was due to him worrying. Patting his father''s hand, he looked up and gave a reassuring smile. Suddenly, he was surprised seeing his father''s ''aura'' being white. It was the colour of fear.


    Although Amadeus'' smile reassured him a bit, he still remembers her wife''s wrath when he first came back from war. Expecting to see a loving wife, all he got was punches for the pain she felt when giving birth.


    Hours later, a maid came out and said the exact same thing she said when Amadeus was born,


    "Your highness, congratulations it''s a boy"


    Baldrik was happy then immediately sweat dropped as various stories past his mins, first prince kills siblings and ascends throne¡­


    Giving her son another smack, she held Amadeus'' hand and walked in. His mother was there cradling a little treasure. Seeing this Amadeus ran towards her and looked at the baby in her arms. He had his mother''s hair and red eyes. A natural heat radiated from him as he peacefully slept. Amadeus'' eyes started shining brightly as he looked at his little brother.


    Baldrik, seeing this also calmed down and realised he was overthinking it. Looking at Amadeus, he understood that his worries were for naught. Also, he knew that the bloodline of a golden dragon wasn''t prominent within his second son due to his features as, unless something happens, only golden dragons can ascend the throne.


    It''s been a tradition since ancient times as from all dragons, the golden dragons were the strongest.


    It seemed that an extra chair would be needed with their dining table.


    Time passed with Baldrik handling the kingdom''s matters and keeping Amadeus next to him. Amadeus would often butt in and give some childish remarks when they had an issue which would target the core issue. Unknowingly this helped Baldrik and Amadeus got a lot of praises from the minister''s present in the room.


    His little brother grew up ''normally'' compared to Amadeus. Although not as heaven defying as his older brother he started to walk at the age of four months and was currently able to speak broken words six months in.


    Today was a surprising day for Amadeus when he was training. Training alone, an old man walked out of the nearby trees. He had an ancient regal air to him as his long white hair flew behind him. He was waking with the help of a seemingly ordinary wooden stick giving him a frail look. However, his gold eyes said something different with their vigorous look. Although, he didn''t have any wrinkles on his face, his long white moustache and beard said something else.


    Amadeus was too engrossed in his training too notice the intruder. The man had hidden his presence deeply that even if he wasn''t training, Amadeus probably wouldn''t have been able to catch on. Suddenly, the old man took a swing at Amadeus which caused alarm bells to ring out in his head. Barely dodging, he immediately twisted his body and faced his attacker.


    He never had time to think when another attack came, and he was barely able to respond. From all the weapons, Amadeus had taken a liking to the Chinese halberd, so he was currently using a long stick as a training tool. Each time his training weapon came in contact with the old man''s walking stick, it would show signs of cracking until it eventually broke.


    Before he knew it, the walking stick was in front of him and then he blacked out. Seeing this, the old man muttered something under his breath,


    "Oops, guess I went too far¡­hmm¡­"


    His thoughts were stopped by the sound of small footsteps. He could tell that those footsteps belonged to a small child and only when he came to view was it confirmed.


    Amadeus'' little brother was joyfully running to his older brother''s training grounds. He really liked playing with his brother while his brother would also teach him things. Running to the open field, a childish voice left his mouth


    "Oni-tan, I''m her to pla¡­"


    Suddenly seeing the scene in front of him, he stopped gobsmacked.


    "O¡­ni¡­-ta¡­n¡­"


    Tears threatened to come out of his eyes as he saw his brother lying unconscious in front of an old man. The old man tried to diffuse the situation,


    "Hey, kid, it''s not what it looks like"


    One could tell that he didn''t have much experience with handling children,


    "ONIII-TAAAAN, WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"


    A heaven breaking cry was heard within the palace.

 12 Seven Years Old

    "ONIII-TAAAAN, WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"


    Lily was going over the documents when she heard this cry. Recognising the voice and contents of the cry she jumped up and ran towards the voice.


    ''Arius''


    Lily wasn''t the only one making her way towards the cry as she met Baldrik and Atia on the way. Behind them was a patrol of guards that got bigger and bigger as more joined in. Running to Amadeus'' training room a crying child, an old man appeasing the said child and an unconscious one came into view. The scene was quite comical if an unconscious Amadeus did ruin it.


    ""Amadeus!!""


    "Father!!"


    Atia and Lily made their way to Amadeus as Arius jumped into her bosom. Baldrik dismissed the guards as only the smile was left. Seeing the bruise on the unconscious Amadeus'' head, Atia switched as she turned to her husband,


    "Caesar, what the hell do you think you''re doing, you piece of-?!"


    "Mother!"


    Lily quickly halted her mother as Arius could hear what they were saying, she didn''t want them to learn any bad words. Realising her mistake, Atia stopped before continuing,


    "Why were you so heavy handed? What if you had damaged his beautiful face?"


    The previous dragon emperor tried to explain himself but Atia didn''t let her,


    "What would you have done if you killed him? ''Draconic empire''s crown prince killed by own grandfather'' What the hell were you thinking?..."


    Atia went on and on as the previous emperor''s presence got smaller and smaller. It wasn''t until Amadeus showed signs of waking up, did she calm down,


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    "Mother."


    Amadeus opened his eyes and Lily was still there. He slowly got up and looked round. He saw his family surround him as he saw his grandmother scold the old man that attacked him. A mischievous thought flashed through his mind as Baldrik came closer. He looked at his mother and winked before looking at Baldrik,


    "Are you okay Amadeus?"


    "Who are you?"


    Baldrik stopped in his tracks as he was shocked by the question,


    "What did you say Amadeus?"


    Amadeus didn''t reply, but cutely tilted his head sideways showing a confused expression. This didn''t go unheard by the old dragons as Atia got more riled up and Caesar had cold sweat pouring down his face. Amadeus had heard that apart from having great strength, his grandfather wasn''t very smart, and his grandmother had basically run the empire.


    "Look at what you did¡­"


    Atia went on another scolding episode as she started beating him up. It wasn''t until a few bones breaking was heard before she was stopped by Amadeus. Looking down at her grandson who was tugging her dress, a look of pity was seen. Picking him up,


    "Doesn''t matter Amadeus, grandmother will help you recover your memories"


    "No, it''s okay, I remembered everything hearing grandmother''s voice"


    Seeing Amadeus'' innocent smile, Atia felt a tug in her heart string as she hugged Amadeus


    ''Soooo cuute''


    After settling down, Atia looked at Caesar,


    "Well, what are you doing?"


    "An old man can''t come to look at his grandchildren, plus I wanted to test out the future emperor."


    "Why?"


    Atia was confused along with the rest. Arius had fallen asleep due to the crying while Amadeus listened carefully.


    "Because I wanted to"


    Caesar started laughing while Atia and the rest were stumped with the thought process of the old man. Caesar suddenly stopped laughing as if coming to a conclusion,


    "I''ve decided, I''ll be training Amadeus from now"


    """"Eh?!""""


    Atia just sighed at her husband''s whims as she had long since got tired and used to it.


    From that day, Amadeus'' training went up a notch with the old man''s intrusion. His father returned to handling the Empire, so Caesar had taken over all his training routines and Amadeus found it hell. His mother became in charge of training him in information gathering and how to notice small changes within a report. It was like she was training him to be spy. His grandmother would train him in everything about general knowledge while he would accompany his father in seeing how he ran the kingdom.


    And before they knew it Amadeus was seven years old.


    He was currently riding a dragon with Baldrik who had a smile plastered on his face. His worries seemed for nought as Amadeus and Arius got along really well. Amadeus always protected his little brother and was like half a teacher to him. Many of the things he learned was from Amadeus and Arius seriously looked up to his big brother.


    Amadeus behind him had also grown up well, he was and looked like a healthy seven-year-old, albeit with muscles here and there.


    He was currently wearing his normal training attire and had a Chinese halberd propped up on his shoulder. It looked extremely out of place with the kid but the way he was holding it made it seem weightless.


    "Ok Amadeus, here is the first part of your trials, survive here for three months"


    With this he pushed him off,


    "Eh-?!"

 13 First Battle

    Amadeus wanted to scream but he couldn''t, he was too disorientated. With the sudden vertigo and dose of adrenaline all he could see was green then blue. Finally steadying himself, he turned around only to see his father fly away while smiling and waving at him.


    ''Shitty, old man!''


    With this thought, Amadeus looked backed down at the greenery he was approaching. Amadeus then gave it a quick look round before once again focusing at the trees. Time seemed to slow down as he looked for a place to land. He knew that his father wouldn''t have given him any sort of safety measure as he was just like his grandfather all brawn no brain, well a bit of brain.


    Amadeus could feel his blood pumping and heart thumping as he got increasingly closer to the trees, with his perception getting slower and slower. His golden and silver eyes continuously looked at places to land as he inched closer.


    Ba dum¡­Ba dum¡­Ba dum¡­


    ''There!''


    Time seemed to regain speed as Amadeus veered towards a spot that had gigantic yet densely packed leaves. He then positioned himself to land as the first impact came, however, sometimes looks can be deceiving. Although it looked densely packed, that was only the top as there was nothing to cushion his fall beneath the first section of trees.


    Seeing no alternative, he grabbed his halberd and stabbed at the tree next to him slowing it down. Yet it wasn''t enough; as he ever so neared the ground, Amadeus kicked the tree, giving him an angle to land rather than just falling straight and be crushed by the ground. He then made contact with the ground, slid and rolled for a few metres before coming to a stop by hitting another tree.


    Groaning a bit, Amadeus calmed down and immediately got battle ready. His instincts kicked in as he looked around him with his halberd up to support. Seeing that nothing was coming, he immediately relaxed but kept his guard up.


    ''He should''ve just dropped me, why the hell did he push me?''


    High up in the sky, at a certain distance, Baldrik could be seen standing there with a worried look in his eyes. He was worried for Amadeus but knew that he needed to face countless trials and hurdles if he wanted to succeed him as the next emperor.


    Giving one final look at the place where Amadeus landed, he left. They had kept a tracker on him, which only told them two things, his location and if he was alive or dead. Nothing else.


    Amadeus'' started putting all that he learned into real life. Well first things first, find a territory and claim it as your own. It was different from wat he heard in his previous life of finding water and shelter, but he decided to put two and two together and find a territory that had a source of water.


    Searching round, he tried to look up at the sky and determine his position with the stars. Looking up he realised that there were no stars as it was still daytime. He looked at this world''s sun, luckily it was called just sun, not something else. The moon was also just called the moon.


    Strangely, it didn''t hurt his eyes, but rather warmed it, he just attributed it to him being a dragon.


    Looking round, and not knowing the direction to walk Amadeus just picked up a stick lying next to him and threw it in the air. He would just go whichever direction the stick pointed. As the stick landed, Amadeus realised that it had two ends, so it pointed in two different directions. Now determining which part is the top, he threw it in the air once again and followed the direction it pointed towards.


    Walking cautiously, Amadeus'' senses were extremely heightened as a rustling noise made its way into his right ear. Turning towards that direction, his vertical split eyes narrowed even further as he concentrated where that noise came from. A bush some distance away moved slightly as a cute creature came out. It had glistening white fur and gem like red eyes. If there were any little girls here, they would immediately drop whatever they were doing and cuddle the living shit out of it. Sadly, there wasn''t a little girl here and the critter didn''t even know what hit him when a large halberd chopped off its neck.


    Humming a little tune, Amadeus made a makeshift campfire and slowly roasted the rabbit. It wasn''t that he was ignorant of the dangers surrounding him but was confident in his abilities.


    After finishing his first meal in the wild, he looked round as he saw various sources of colour slowly surround him. It seemed that his eyes had an upgrade as he could now tell the intentions of another being towards him without actually seeing them. Still, what was surprising was that no matter how much he listened he couldn''t hear them, all he heard was the normal sound of leaves being rustled by the wind¡­wait, wind?


    Amadeus then realised that there was no wind, rather it seemed that the approaching foes made use of the wind caused by their own movements to cover their tracks. Slowly, as they got closer, he heard the faint sound of breathing and which also came to a halt. Yet there was one thing they couldn''t hide from Amadeus'' ears; it was their heartbeats. No matter how slow they made it, it still needed to beat.


    Amadeus got into a battle-ready stance, propping his halberd next to him at waist level, he waited. They also waited; they didn''t show their figure but just waited for the chance. Amadeus'' loose dark violet hair fluttered due to small gust of wind, when a figure flashed behind him. However, the figure had any chance of attack, a halberd appeared and stabbed right through its torso.


    Before, Amadeus could get a proper look, his instincts kicked in as he dodged to the side where another figure showed up. Looking up, he saw two pure black hyenas, where one was dead while the other stood in front of him. Unlike in the stories, Amadeus had read, no other animal came out, it seemed that they were also looking for the perfect chance. At first, Amadeus felt around a dozen presences, so it means that the others won''t come out until they see a chance.


    Amadeus hadn''t been introduced to levels of strength or levels of danger as his grandfather felt that knowing something like this may cause him to get arrogant after on kill. Imagine Amadeus not being a reincarnated individual, and him finding out that he, as a seven-year-old, killed an extremely powerful monster. There will be a slight overconfidence that may cause him to make a mistake in the future. It doesn''t even matter if Amadeus was reincarnated or not.


    So right now, he didn''t know what part of the food chain the hyenas were in, higher? Lower? Or in the middle?


    Seeing that the one in front charging up, Amadeus swept his halberd and cleanly cut off his head while two others jumped out of the bushed in two different directions. For the one behind, Amadeus used the blunt end of the halberd and hit it straight at the end, causing the hyena to stagger back. He then thrust his halberd forward, stabbing the one in front while sweeping it and finishing the one at the back.


    This, however, wasn''t the end. Another three jumped out and Amadeus tried deploying a similar tactic, but it went different to what he imagined. The first Hyena dodged his strike and immediately clawed his back, with the other following close. Seeing that he was injured, more hyenas came out of the bushes and attacked him.


    ''Crap!''


    Right now, a total of seven hyenas surrounded him and went for the attack. Swiping his halberd to deter them, he bolstered himself up and kicked the nearest hyena by using the halberd like a pole. The kick contained enough force to twist the attacking hyena''s neck and shatter its spine. The rest of the hyenas saw this but didn''t hesitate to attack. They knew that they were at the point of no return as they had made themselves known.


    Once again going into a stance, he thrust forwards piercing the hyena in front before swinging it upwards and throwing the stabbed hyena into the air. He then brought it down slicing another in half while another hyena took its chance and lunged at him. He quickly brought the halberd in front of him horizontally and the hyena bit into the shaft. The two looked at each other in the eye as saliva poured out the hyena''s mouth, finding it difficult to bite through the shaft. The hyena thought that it would be able to push the child onto the floor with its momentum, but reality proved otherwise. Not only did he not get pushed but the child threw him with a swing at another charging hyena and swung at another, decapitating it.


    One hyena saw this as a chance and threw itself at Amadeus when the dead hyena that was swung in the air came crashing down and struck it. Amadeus was shocked by this as he never expected this to happen. The last two hyenas were still disorientated when Amadeus made quick work of them.


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    Finally, his first battle had come to an end.

 14 Water

    - Emerald Palace -


    Baldrik had just returned from sending Amadeus to his trial and was currently sitting across his father drinking some tea while his father was chugging down an alcohol bottle.


    "Hahaha, so you pushed him off the dragon¡­"


    "Shh, father Lily shouldn''t hear of this."


    "Yes, hahahaha, I remember when you had your trials. I left you naked and unconscious in the outskirts of the trial grounds. You, hahaha, you pushed your own son off a dragon¡­haha¡­in¡­haha¡­"


    Caesar was having difficulties finishing off his sentence as he couldn''t stop laughing. Baldrik was embarrassed by having one of his most traumatic experience remembered. Just because dragons looked down on all other races, didn''t mean that they were different. They still had feelings. Imagine waking up naked in a forest of vicious and ferocious beasts out to get you. The despair he felt protecting his little brother was something else.


    The door opened with a calm Lily walking in. She had a smile on her face yet her narrowed, vertical slit eyes radiated immense anger. The two looked at her as Caesar quietened down while Baldrik felt shiver down his spine. They didn''t get a chance to speak when a sweet terrifying voice left Lily''s mouth,


    "Father, something has come up that needs Baldrik''s immediate attention."


    Not listening to any of her husband''s protests, she dragged him out amidst Caesar''s eyes of sympathy. Looking at his son being dragged off, Caesar remembered his grandson,


    ''Hopefully he awakens in these three months¡­''


    What Amadeus didn''t know was that there were two ways of awakening, a natural one through battle and an artificial one through the use of many treasures and items. Naturally, the first one was the better one while the latter was fraught with many issues and was only a partial awakening.


    Caesar gave a sigh remembering his abnormal grandson. He had never seen anyone absorb knowledge like his grandson did. It was one of the reasons why his trial period was halved to three months from the usual six months. It was so Caesar could train Amadeus for an extra three months and he believed that three months were enough for him to awaken.


    ''I hope I''m not wrong as he did show signs of awakening¡­He may need to take up the throne at an early age.''


    A worried look plastered his face as he thought of something else before a scream filled with despair brought him out of it,


    "AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!"


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    Caesar smiled as he shook his head,


    ''It seems he will now have another trauma.''


    - Trial Grounds -


    Amadeus had quickly left the area where he fought the hyenas. He still needed to look for a water source and the smell of blood would attract the surrounding beasts. That fight had taught him a lesson that brought his ego down a notch. He shouldn''t underestimate anything he came across, especially with his lack of knowledge on the creatures here.


    The injury on his back had already healed as the only thing left was a ripped section on the back of his training attire. He needed to find a place to rest for the night. Just as the sun was setting, he heard the sound of running water. A gleeful smile appeared on his face as he rushed towards the noise only to come across a deer taking a piss. Seeing the intruder, the deer shot off with a terrified face and still in the middle of his leak spraying it all over the place.


    A disappointed look plastered his face as he continued walking through the forest. Realising that he needed to rest he climbed a nearby tree and laid to rest on one of its branches


    The next morning, his search carried on as he encountered another type of rabbit. This one was larger yet looked similar to what he killed yesterday but with a more ferocious look in its eyes. The conspicuous difference was the horn jutting out its head and the jagged teeth protruding out its mouth. Amadeus could still see fresh blood dripping down from it, indicating that it had just finished a meal.


    Amadeus recognised it as a demonic beast, unlike the ferocious beasts he encountered before, this one was a ferocious beast that had somehow absorbed demonic energy. Although he didn''t know the strength of each beast, he knew about the three different types of beasts. Ferocious, demonic and Magical. Ferocious beasts were like the hyenas and the rabbit he encountered before, they were just normal animals and would be a threat to villagers but could be taken care of by normal trained soldiers and the weaker adventurers. Then were demonic ones that had evolved from a ferocious beast by absorbing demonic energy. They would be attributed an element and would gain some magical prowess. These beasts would be a threat to soldiers and would need a company of soldiers, and/or an average adventurer or a team of them. Lastly were the magical beasts, these were demonic beasts that had gotten some form of intelligence and were able to speak. These beasts were part of the ultimate top of the food chain and would require extremely strong individuals to kill.


    Crouching slightly, Amadeus slowed his beating heart and masked his presence with the surroundings. Taking a page from the hyena''s book, he covered his steps by the natural sounds made in the jungle. He had started training in this after his battle yesterday and could only be considered a beginner at best.


    Still it was enough, the demonic rabbit didn''t even know what killed it when Amadeus struck. He then wrapped it up with vines and made another makeshift campfire. Roasting the rabbit, Amadeus started feeling a slight thirst as his throat showed signs of drying up. Over the years, he had realised that there were longer intervals for a dragon needing water than a human, so it was only now that he had started feeling some sort of thirst.


    Knowing the predicament he was currently in, he quickly finished of his meal before leaving. On his way, he encountered many different beasts ranging from demonic beasts to ferocious, some hostile, some not. Yet all the ones that attacked were weaker and he hadn''t encountered anything really strong. As time passed on, Amadeus'' thirst started to grow as a sudden show crossed his mind. A man was stuck in a desert and had resorted to peeing in a snake''s skin he had killed earlier only to later drink it.


    ''Nonononono''


    Amadeus didn''t want to remember that as he tried to delete that memory, but it kept coming back as his thirst grew. Fortunately, Amadeus realised that the lushness surrounding him started to increase the more he walked indicating a water source.


    Finally, pushing some large leaves out of the way, Amadeus emerged only to step on a clearing with a crystal lake in the middle. This place seemed to be a safe zone as predators and preys alike, drank water.


    Still Amadeus never dropped his guard as he slowly made his way towards the lake. Upon noticing no danger, Amadeus crouched down and started drinking with one hand while the other kept hold of his weapon, ready for an ambush.


    He took small sips, just enough to quench his thirst before retreating. After some time, there were no hostilities towards him, so he created a base near the water. He would have tried to make this his territory, but the lake was too large for just one being to take control of. Plus, Amadeus felt that all the surrounding animals would attack him at once if he tried to make claim to this lake. It was not something he wanted to do.


    Time passed by as Amadeus carried on his journey through numerous amounts of fight. Dragons were a warring race and found lust in battle. The same could be said for Amadeus as he continuously tried to look for stronger opponents to defeat. Each time he fought a strong opponent, he could feel his blood heat up but couldn''t just break past that last barrier. He just knew that it was something he wanted, and once it did break past that last barrier it would be something tremendous.


    Once he tried to elongate the battle but proved to be useless. So, Amadeus concluded that he would just need to throw himself in danger and hope for a life and death situation that breaks that barrier.


    Due to this he encountered various races and species of animals and plant. Fire breathing plants, Water spitting lizards, Insect eating spiders and many more. However, one week later, that opportunity he wanted came.

 15 Awakening

    Amadeus swiped his halberd and opened a path through a few bushes and hedges, looking for a prey to fight. He seemed to have completely blended in with his surrounding, as a few rabbits would pass by his feet unknowingly. Yet, Amadeus paid no heed to them as he continued looking round finding a prey. What he didn''t know was that he was already being targeted by a being that considered him a prey.


    Amadeus had an uneasy feeling in his heart as he looked back now and then but failed to spot any creature that may cause him harm. Like this he continued his journey, all the while feeling as if something was about to jump out.


    At first, he tried to shake the feeling off by trying to run at a faster pace, but the feeling remained. This time he was sure that something was currently eyeing him, at first, he thought it was some sort of bird as he couldn''t hear anything but seeing the large trees, he discarded that idea. The trees were clustered around him, so it made the approach to attack him difficult while large leaves covered most of the sky, leaving only a few openings in which Amadeus didn''t see a bird either.


    Making his assumptions, Amadeus realised something, he didn''t know where he was. It seemed that he must''ve gotten off track somewhere down the line when he had tried to shake off that feeling


    All of a sudden, alarm bells rang out from within his head as he hurriedly dodged to the side only to see a large flash of green shoot through his previous position. The figure landed in the middle of a small clearing and quickly coiled its body.


    Amadeus got up and two reptilian eyes looked at each other, one pair of yellow ones and the other being an odd pair of one gold and the other silver. Both of their pupils narrowed into thin slits as they focused on each other.


    The snake hissed and got ready to pounce while Amadeus readjusted his grip on his halberd, shortening the distance between him and the blade. It was a tricky opponent, seeing the speed before, he knew it was nothing to scoff at. A longer reach will only prove to be harmful due to the halberd being a weapon originally for cavalries.


    He could tell that the snake was poisonous, not due to him possessing a heaven shaking intuition but seeing the drips of unknown liquid falling onto the nearby plant life, killing them in a short few seconds.


    The more he observed, the more cautious he got. What currently opposed him was a beautiful green viper with yellow eyes. Unlike the vipers from his previous life, this one was larger than he imagined. It seemed to be in the middle of being evolving into a demonic beast. Amadeus knew that if it succeeded then he wouldn''t be able to defeat it, so he needed to either kill it quickly or escape.


    Naturally, escaping was out of the question as a menacing grin found his lips. He didn''t have anyone to talk to in the past month so, instead of talking to himself a lot, he found bliss in silence. Looking at the body that stretched a few metres, Amadeus roughly guessed that the viper was reaching the two digits. Yet its body wasn''t large width-wise, rather it was just a little bigger than usual. He knew that some vipers reached tens of metres, but seeing its features reminded him of a specific one. A flat triangular head with a cream underbelly, a thick body and extremely long fangs, reminded him of the death adder. Death adders were usually a snake composed of bands of red, brown and black, but the one in front of him was formed of different shades of green.


    Hissing slightly the snake made the first move as it shot straight at him. Amadeus didn''t panic as he also thrust his halberd forwards while a hint of disdain flashed through his eyes.


    ''Such an amateur move, seems like I¡­''


    His thoughts were bought to abrupt halt when he saw the miraculous move by the snake. Although it was in mid-air, it was able to easily bypass Amadeus'' attack by shifting its body slightly to go past the side of the blade. Seeing this, Amadeus'' eyes widened in shock while the viper opened its mouth, ready to bite. Halting his strike, Amadeus twisted his halberd and brought the back of the weapon straight towards the snake. This time the snake wasn''t able to dodge, and Amadeus was able to smack it away from him.


    Calming his raging heart, Amadeus took another careful look at the snake while the latter had a despondent look seeing its surprise attack fail. Amadeus felt lucky that he was trained in most of the weapons, allowing him to use both sides of his halberd. Thinking of this, Amadeus had a fleeting thought,


    ''Why did my mum say that I can only train once I''ve awakened, if this is my trials¡­?''


    Amadeus stopped his mind from wandering due to the snake making some sort of movement. The snake looked towards the left and hissed lightly as a figure came out of the bushes. Amadeus followed the snake''s line of sight, only to see a humanoid figure stand petrified there.


    The said figure had short black hair and was wearing a piece of leather armour. It looked fairly new indicating that it was just brought. The same could be said for it''s simple and shiny iron dagger that was currently trembling non-stop.


    However, the snake lost interest on the intruder and focussed its gaze back at Amadeus. Amadeus also did the same as he tightened his grip. What the two didn''t expect was that the figure wasn''t alone but had companions as another few figures came out. They also had similar equipment and the same reaction when they saw the snake.


    Their party seemed to consist of a heavily armoured tank, a swordsman, a bow wielder, a mage, a priestess and a scout. Although the bow wielder took aim, it seems that sweat caused her fingers to be slippery and let an arrow loose, hitting the snake. Rage filled its eyes as the snake whipped its head at them and hissed threateningly.


    The whole party took a step back as the priestess fell back with a shriek,


    "Kyaa!"


    "Eva!"


    The mage looked at her friend and hurriedly tried to pick her up while the swordsman and tank, got in front of their party with a courage filled face and fear filled eyes.


    The snake lunged at them while the priestess started chanting after getting up. After saying a series of incomprehensible words, she shouted while pointing her staff at the tank,


    "Defend!"


    A light glow surrounded the tank as he came in front of the snake and set his heavy shield, that was the size of him down. His steady look gave Amadeus of an impregnable¡­


    *Crack**Clank*


    ¡­paper mountain.


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    The shield didn''t even last a few seconds before it was crumbled to pieces. The swordsman seeing this, came to protect his friend while the priestess did another chant and shouted,


    "Haste!"


    The mage on the side also finished her chant and shouted,


    "Fireball!"


    While the bow wielder shot few arrows in quick succession. The scout also took out a set of throwing knives and did the same.


    This still wasn''t enough though, as the snake simply warded of the physical attacks while dodged the magic one. Finally seeing its opportunity, it dove straight at the downed tanker who was the closest and the current weakest prey.


    Just as despair filled their party, the snake halted and moved its head back, dodging Amadeus'' blade. Amadeus had quickly made a makeshift mask because it was one of the many things his mother had told him to do when he was just a young child. Hide his identity in the presence of others.


    Ignoring the shocked look on the party''s faces Amadeus didn''t stop in his attacks as the two once more got into a heated battle. Seeing a child younger than them face off against a beast that put them in a hopeless situation shocked them to the core. Although they didn''t see any of his features, his dishevelled yet luxurious hair, and the air around him told them that he was not off a normal upbringing.


    Back to the fight, Amadeus tried his best not to let the snake get close to him so it can have a chance to take a bite. He was using both ends of the halberd while also tried to constantly be on the move. His tattered training clothes didn''t help either as some of the loose ends started coming in the way.


    It wasn''t until a short time later that he was able to land a hit with the bladed end of the halberd. It was the first time but also the most crucial one, the bladed end didn''t just bounce off like the party''s weapons but rather cleanly sliced the snake in half.


    After seeing the body slowly writhe to a halt, Amadeus finally let out a sigh of relief before his eyes turned cold and pointed his weapon at the party. The initial happy party all had their happiness sucked out as a despondent aura filled their surroundings.


    Looking at Amadeus vigilantly, the group got into a stance while the tank had somehow got a hold of a two-handed sword. Looking at the opposite party, Amadeus opened his mouth to say something while all that came out was a yelp of pain.


    Looking down, it seemed that the supposed dead snake had bitten Amadeus'' foot. The snake had played dead and had got his revenge by biting Amadeus''s ankle. This opportunity only presented himself when he was occupied with the other party.


    Although this time Amadeus saw the eyes of the snake lose lustre, he was extra cautious and smashed the snake''s head into pieces. He then vigilantly looked at the party felt his throat dry and vision deteriorate. Unable to say anything, Amadeus collapsed among the shocked gazes of the group. The day had been a hectic one for them, first the snake and now the dying noble.


    The group didn''t know what to do as the swordsman went to approach Amadeus. He had only taken the first step when a pure black dagger found his throat and a group of assassins surrounded the party incapacitating their movements. A group of blades made their way through the trees and surrounded Amadeus. The priestess tried saying something but all that did was bring the dagger closer to her throat.


    The blades went forward to pick Amadeus up but were thrown back due to a shockwave released from him. Suddenly, a prehistoric roar left his mouth and Amadeus'' eyes shot wide open.

 16 The Golden Dragon of...

    Amadeus found himself floating in a vast expanse of space. He had his shivering body curled up in the darkness as he slowly got up, still shivering due to the poison wrecking his body. The first thing he saw was two ginormous entities slowly revolve around him. He recognised them as the sun and moon, one giving off a warm, familiar heat while the other giving a nice cold one. He could tell that both of them were the epitome of their elements with one being the hottest of hots and the other being the coldest of colds, but, for Amadeus, they felt familiar, like they were a piece of him.


    They felt familiar and he could feel that he could use their strength. Pointing one had to one entity, he saw energy reach out to him and allowed themselves to be absorbed by him. He felt his blood boiling and the heat and cold destroy the poison within him. He felt his body being restructured into another being while he slowly and surely absorbed the power of the two. Off to the side, he could see the flames of the sun, destroy space itself while also give life to many plants while the moon freeze time itself, but also shine its light for the lost. The feeling of incomparable arrogance radiated from them.


    He didn''t know is it was a coincidence, but the power of the sun was absorbed into his left hand, where his left eye was golden, while the power of the moon absorbed into his right hand where his right eye was silver.


    After the absorption finished, he could feel himself have his own baby sun and moon within him. This was unique for him as this meant that he had three sources of mana. Mana being the tool to allow an individual to use magic. All dragons had it, but Golden Dragons would usually have two and Amadeus had three. His mother was a fire and ice dragon, but she had only one dual elemental mana source. Golden Dragons like Baldrik had two, one for pure magic energy allowing them to use all elements, he had another one for his unique power, strength. His second mana core strengthened his body allowing him to unleash pure strength onto his enemies.


    Like others Amadeus should have one that had both energies on it, but it seemed that because the two were already so powerful, they created their own individual mana source, increasing the amount of mana they can use.


    His previous damaged soul due to being split in half was now fully recovered as a set of memories infiltrated his head. He didn''t lash out in pain but rather accepted it. It was all techniques that was inherent within every dragon when they awaken with the basics of using their strength.


    Finally, after everything calmed down, he felt himself trying to break out of mortal shell and he immediately knew that it was him trying to take form of a dragon. Pulling himself out of his inner world, he opened his eyes when a prehistoric roar involuntarily came out.


    With a large magical explosion, Amadeus'' body started to slowly rise up from the ground while a ball of golden/silver light started encompassing him. All the dragon''s around had the urge to kneel when they felt Amadeus'' pressure being released and looking at the ball of light. The non-dragons could only look down and didn''t have the courage to look at it, dropping to their knees. The circular ball started to thump aligning with Amadeus'' heartbeat.


    It was as if all that existed in the world was that heartbeat, nothing else. The surrounding dragons then saw a crack appear on the light, and with a flash of light accompanied by a roar, a large figure shot out from the top.


    Amadeus couldn''t get enough of what he was feeling right now. Power was brimming to his very being as he shot into the sky. He felt free and unrestrained. He was flying. It was a human''s life-long wish to fly themselves, not via planes or helicopter and the like but rather by themselves. So currently, Amadeus was living the dream and a huge smile plastered his face. He ignored all the people that came to get him and flew away himself, towards the lake that he used to reside next to.


    Flying seemed instinctive for Amadeus, similar to walking, he had to get used to it at first but was able to properly control this new form of his.


    The beasts that would usually surround the area had hidden themselves due to fearing Amadeus'' aura. Amadeus looked at his reflection and saw his eastern draconic body in full glory. His body was covered in golden scales from head to tail, shining with a silvery yet menacing colour. His eyes were the same colour but were more snake like and no sclera could be seen. He had two budding horns but were extremely small and he could see two strips steam come out of his nose, whenever he breathed, one being cold and the other hot. He had two three-fingered claws resting beneath him that each had a peculiar shine, telling onlookers that it was not to be underestimated. There were small hints of whiskers on his face but overall, he looked like a rather young dragon. Grinning slightly, he showed the world his razor-sharp teeth before something caught his eye.


    A shadow seemed to move within the lake and kept on getting bigger and bigger. At first Amadeus was confused but saw the water slowly rise at several locations, before extremely large tentacles sprouted the water one by one. Counting a total of eight tentacles, Amadeus concluded it was an Octopus, but he had no time to think.


    Amadeus had just turned into a dragon and didn''t have an ounce of experience in fighting with this form and he also didn''t have time to digest all the memories and techniques that had been installed in his head. Plus, the tentacles were extremely fast and were close to binding him when he saw instinctively moved and cut the approaching tentacles. Surprisingly after the cut, the wound would either freeze up or burn the tentacle. Depending on which group of claws he attacked with, it would have a different after effect.


    Amidst his cutting, an enraged roar left the waters as a massive head surfaced. Seeing the circular head, it was confirmed that he was facing an octopus. In the middle of that massive head, was a single bead, the size of a ma''s palm resting there. Knowing that he had encountered a Demonic Beast Amadeus felt himself getting more excited as steam began to pour out of his mouth. A short while later, his whole body was covered by a massive cloud and only his eyes could be seen form it.


    Amadeus then felt a gathering of mana just above his throat. It seemed to be clogged up and just needed one nudge for it to open. Opening doors to that source, Amadeus opened his mouth and let out a roar. What followed was a massive pillar of golden/silver energy pour out of his mouth.


    "ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!"


    Panic filled the octopus as it tried to submerge himself, but a little bit of water was nothing against the might of the sun and moon. With the pillar making contact with the surface of the lake, the expected explosion didn''t happen but rather silence followed as one half of the octopus was frozen while the other had been burned to ashes. Half the lake had frozen while the other half had wiped out of existence and was slowly being filled with water. From now on, this lake would be larger than it was before, but one side would remain frozen, for time to come.


    The damage still hadn''t stopped there though, the plant life surrounding the lake were either frozen and had frost covering them or had completely burned to ashes and had burn marks over the ground.


    Amadeus looked at the destruction with happiness as he knew that he wouldn''t see this kind of destruction for some time. The effects would be the same, just the scale would be smaller. A dragon''s first roar was important, and he was satisfied with this. He knew that he had just awakened his dragon form and it only stretched to about a dozen metres. A teenage golden dragon would reach a hundred metres and had his horns fully grown, an adult golden dragon would be five hundred metres and have an extra claw and the next stage would be an ancient golden dragon otherwise known as the dragon king who would be over a thousand metres and have a total of five claws.


    Different types of dragons had different types of evolution methods. The ancient golden dragon was known as the dragon king because they would rule over all the dragons, which was currently his grandfather. There would only be one golden dragon per generation, it was like a law set by the world. There could be other dragons at that stage, but they would always follow golden dragon.


    The reason was just in front of him, all the people that had come to collect him had either awe or respect in their eyes. Information of how other looked at him would just appear within his mind and he wouldn''t have to judge their intentions through the colour surrounding them.


    This awe and respect weren''t due to his strength as it was still weak, but it was due to his potential. The destruction caused by that one roar was unprecedented and showed why the Golden Dragons were the rulers of the dragon race, it was simply because they were the most powerful.


    Amadeus then saw a few figures appear within his vision. They were respectively his grandparents; his parents and Arius being carried by his mum with an expression full of admiration for his brother. The other four had proud smiles on their faces while another old couple accompanied them.


    The man had a cold and strict look on his face while the woman had a motherly smile. It was the opposite of his father''s parents in which the man had a goofy smile and the woman had a cold one. Yet in those strict eyes and the motherly ones, there was a hint of pride flashing thorough them. Seeing the resemblance between his mother and them, he realised that they were his mother''s parents.


    "Oi! Brat, how long are you going to keep us standing for?!"


    Caesar''s voice bought him out of his thoughts, as he flew down. Before he could even meet his other grandparents let alone transform into his human, Caesar was all over him like a child,


    "So, so. What is your power?"


    Amadeus just smiled and transformed back into his human form. He was rather reluctant to though as he thought he would appear in his birthday suit. But surprisingly what followed was his scales turn into a set of clothes for him, maybe it was due to him hoping he was covered. While Amadeus was surprised, he was also secretly happy over him not appearing naked. The others didn''t find it weird and attributed it to his talents while Arius still had his face full of admiration.


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    Caesar didn''t wait for his grandson to speak as he immediately put his arm on Amadeus'' shoulder and observed within. Even if Amadeus could hide his power, he doubted it could escape his grandfather''s eyes mainly due to their power difference.


    Suddenly Caesar''s body trembles and he stumbled backwards while pointing at Amadeus with eyes full of shock,


    "¡­the sun and moon?!"


    ********************************


    Author''s note


    At least he is not the chaotic dragon of the void or something like that. It would have been cool, but too OP.


    Anyway think of a name better than


    "The Golden Dragon of the Sun and Moon."


    otherwise I would just use that.


    It should go like,


    "The Golden Dragon of..."


    Create your own, like someone else''s suggestion or just like my comment. As for paragraph comments, been having an issue with my phone so I won''t be able to see them so if you do write something then there''s a chance I wouldn''t see it. Just write it in the chapter comments.

 17 Stats

    Amadeus was immediately rushed back to the palace.


    "Father, what happened?"


    "Your son has the sun and moon inside of him..."


    """""What?!""""


    Everyone was shocked, yet Caesar brought down another bombshell,


    "¡­and one more magic core."


    Everyone''s eyes widened in shock, as they looked at the heavenly genius next to them carrying his little brother. Arius didn''t understand but understood his brother was awesome as he hugged him tightly. They were then rushed into the throne room where a crystal was already ready. This was the first time that Amadeus had seen the throne room and only one word came to mind, it was magnificent.


    This was the most important part of the palace, the second was the conference room, where his father had taken him to give him an idea what it was like. He thought that room was full of seriousness, but that room couldn''t even hold a candle to the solemnity present in the throne room. A beautiful gold throne sat there above countless steps. The throne room wasn''t extravagant like the movies, but it was more of a reserved one. Everything from the flooring to the ceiling was created by rare and expensive materials. It was like the dragons didn''t want to show off their wealth but also wanted to show it off.


    Amadeus couldn''t tell how large it was, but the length of the two sets of pillars connecting the floor and ceiling was at least in the three digits in metres. Further on was a wall littered with torch like objects that barely lit the place. It wasn''t the brightest of places, but it did add a piece solemnity to the air. A dark purple carpet with gold lining led to the throne while the pillars had the flags of the empire. There was a total of ninety-nine steps before the throne which was elevated by one more. The blades lined the sides as they kept their bodies straight like swords ready to be unsheathed at any signs of danger.


    A small crystal ball, about the size of a basketball, was there before the steps surrounded by ministers of the empire. Amadeus saw various races amongst them from cat people to the elves.


    "Leave!"


    Baldrik''s booming voice filled the room as he swept his piercing gaze over everyone that was present. Silently, one by one, everyone left with faces of reluctance. They wanted to see their crown prince''s status, but it seemed that they wouldn''t be able to see it.


    All that was left was the crystal ball in the middle in which his grandfather stood next to it. Caesar started powering up the device which would bring out his status plate and looked towards Amadeus.


    "Just put both your hands on it and let it do the rest"


    Amadeus nodded and extended his hands. Placing it on top, he felt his mana get sucked into the crystal ball as it started to shine in a plethora of colours, some he had never even seen in his life. This went on for a short while, before it calmed down and his grandfather picked up a card.


    "Now spit on it."


    Amadeus was confused but was ready to do it when Atia''s cold eyes interrupted him,


    "Stop messing around Caesar!"


    Turning to Amadeus she lightly said,


    "Put a drop of blood on it to bind it to you."


    Amadeus nodded while blushing slightly at the fact that he was about to do what his grandfather had told him. Atia took out a pair of exquisite daggers. They had draconic carvings surrounding their straight single edged blades. They were both of differing lengths as Amadeus realised one was a Tanto while the other was a Wakizashi. The tanto had a pure black blade that was about 20cm long with a black handle. The Wakizashi''s blade was twice that, reaching 40cm long and was similar in colour. Amadeus could tell they were a pair and came from the same forge, made by the same blacksmith. Amadeus'' initials were crafted onto it in the ancient Draconic language.


    Looking at them, a wide grin found his face as he hugged his grandmother. He then placed the Wakizashi on his waist while he cut open his skin with the Tanto. He had to reduce his speed of regeneration so one drop of blood would come out. It had barely come out before the wound closed as he just smudged it onto the plate. He then put his Tanto within his robes hiding it from view.


    By the time he was finished, words had appeared on the status plate.


    ---------------------------------


    Name: Amadeus Drakos


    Age: 7


    Race: Golden Dragon


    Title: Crown Prince of the Drakonis Empire, Celestial Dragon of the Eclipse, One who harbours the sun and moon, Admired by all of the goddesses, Loved by the Goddess of Faith and Luck


    Class:


    Mana: 1500 (3000)


    Strength: 210 (420)


    Agility: 215 (430)


    Vitality: 500 (1000)


    Phys. Resistance: 1000 (2000)


    Mag. Resistance: 1000 (2000)


    Active Skills:


    Eyes of the Truth


    Dragon-Human Transformation


    Flight


    Dragon''s roar


    Flames of the Sun


    Ice of the Moon


    Passive Skills:


    Dragon''s natural shield


    Dragon''s regeneration


    All elements aptitude


    Weapons combatant


    Halberd expert


    CQC combatant


    Etiquette


    ¡­


    ---------------------------------


    The rest were just miscellaneous skills like sneaking, mathematics etc. As for the fighting levels it seemed to go from beginner to combatant, expert and lastly master. The stats next to original were his when he was in his Dragon form. After this, he was told the general idea for the stats of certain people.


    An average human would have their stats at 10, a guard and a beginner adventurer would be between 10 ¨C 100 A common soldier and low ranked adventurer would be from 100 to 200. An elite soldier and medium ranked adventurer would be from 200 to 500. A general and a high ranked adventurer would be from 500 to 1000. The most elite of humans and heroes would be 1000+


    For dragons, it was a different story. A child dragon, a recently awakened one and what Amadeus was now, was around 100 ¨C 300. A teenage dragon was around 300-1000 while an Adult one was from 1000 to 5000. An ancient dragon was above 5000. Naturally, this was in their dragon forms meaning that Amadeus had the strength of a teenage dragon while being a recently awakened one.


    There were legends saying that Gods were said to have their strengths at over 10,000 but what made them different was that they had control of one of the worlds forces. It was also said that the strongest of dragons were able to contend against the gods of the world.


    What shocked Amadeus the most was the last title ''Loved by the Goddess of Faith and Luck.'' He remembered his two lives and realised that he was really lucky in everything. Luck was a formless power, sometimes he can get extremely good luck sometimes a bit of bad. It was never extremely bad, he always thought that karma seemed to go easy on him.


    Now it seemed that it was true as he was loved by the goddess of faith and luck herself. His family looked at his status card and more shocks were created in their hearts. However, being a family of dragons, they reigned in their shock as the card disappeared in Amadeus''s arm. It then turned into the crest of the Drakonis royal family and printed it on his arm. Now whenever, he needed to check on his status, he could just bring it out with a thought. Playing around with it for some time, Amadeus thought about his class when Caesar''s voice brought him out of his thoughts. With a normal voice Caesar looked at his family,


    "I''ll be returning to the clan as I''ve left it for too long. I will be back later to see what class Amadeus gets and start Arius'' training."


    He looked a bit sad and Amadeus felt a bit pitiful for him, but it was all thrown out the next second,


    "Aww! My grandsons, your grandad is going to miss you¡­!"


    Raining in a lot of kisses he finally left, not before a slap from Atia for nearly suffocating Amadeus and Arius. Seeing the previous emperor leave, Amadeus then turned his attention to his other grandparents who were talking to his mother. He hadn''t even had a proper introduction with them. Feeling a gaze, the three turned around and his mother beckoned for Amadeus to come over. Jumping in his mother''s arms, she lifted him up before introducing her parents.


    "Ama, this is your grandfather, Silas Glacies and your grandmother Aurora Glacies. They''re my parents."


    With a cute smile, he greeted them with a bow,


    "Hello, Grandfather, grandmother."


    Aurora''s smile widened as Silas gave a nod. He carried the demeanour of a general while Aurora had a grandmotherly smile on her face. Aurora then reached out her hand to carry Amadeus. Amadeus was surprised at first as he was easily lifted by such weak looking old woman but just ignored it remembering that she was also a dragon.


    Amadeus then spent his time with them, until they had to leave in the evening. After they left, the five made their way into the place to their residence. Lily had returned from putting a sleeping Arius away as the room''s atmosphere became serious. Amadeus felt this and also became serious, waiting for his elders to speak.


    The residence was like a living room but bigger and more extravagant. There was one large sofa, a table in the middle and two chairs on opposite ends. Amadeus sat on the middle of the sofa with Lily hugging him while Baldrik and Atia sat on the chairs. Baldrik turned to Amadeus,


    "There is something we must tell you, son."


    Amadeus'' ears pricked up while Lily''s hug got tighter.


    "You would need to take the throne in a couple, maybe few years."


    This news was a shock to Amadeus as he looked at his mother who nodded and to his grandmother, garnering a similar reaction.


    "But, why?"


    This time it was Atia who spoke,


    "It''s written in an agreement that the emperor must abdicate the throne when they''ve reached the ancient dragon stage. Your father has held back his evolution for some time as there was no heir, but luckily you came along. He is also nearing his limit"


    "B-but-"


    "No buts!"


    Atia''s voice had stopped all of Amadeus'' protests as she continued,


    "I will be returning to the clan soon."


    Baldrik looked at his son with caring eyes,


    "I will stay for as long as I can to get you ready for the position. Once I''m gone, your mother would stay behind to make sure everything goes well."


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    ***************************************


    Author''s note


    Well, I just went with it. Was thinking of doing yin and yang or duality but decided not to. It was too long. As for duality, well it didnt exactly say what it was being a bit vague in my opinion. For celestial dragon, well I thought it sounded better. At first I was going to title his race as golden dragon of the... but thought nah so resulted in this. It''s also my first time with the stats so help me on that, didn''t know how to do it. Need to work on the power rankings, like s, a, b, c etc. or something else.

 18 Class

    The next day Amadeus was brought out of the place and brought to a temple behind the palace. It wasn''t a large temple, but it felt right, not too big and not too small. It was covered in white jade tiles, with inscriptions of dragons here and there. There were two dragons that guarded the entrance with solemn looks on their faces. They bowed slightly at Amadeus and his father, letting them through.


    Caesar was already waiting for them alongside another old woman. She had a hair full of white hair and wrinkles covering her face. Her cold eyes increased the stoic look on her face, looking like it wouldn''t even change if the sky collapsed. She had a simple wooden walking cane to support her and she seemed to blend with her surroundings.


    ''I''ve met a lot of old people¡­''


    Caesar immediately picked Amadeus up and showed him to the old woman like a trophy.


    "What do you think of my grandson?"


    He had a silly smile on his face like a child showing of their parents something they won. Amadeus then went along with his grandfather and gave his trademark innocent smile. The woman''s look seemed to warm up with it before sending her cane right beneath Amadeus'' family jewels and hitting Caesar''s stomach, throwing him right out the temple. The guards outside, sweat-dropped a little before averting their eyes, they couldn''t see such a character''s pathetic display.


    Amadeus just felt a slight breeze between his leg before a sense of weightlessness. Before he could drop onto the floor, the old woman waved her walking stick at him and brought him closer. Amadeus couldn''t think why he was slightly levitating of the ground as the old woman opened her eyes, revealing her pure white eyes.


    She seemed to be blind, but Amadeus could feel her gazing into his very soul. Before anyone could do anything, Caesar dragged his body back before shouting,


    "Ancestor! How could you be so mean?!"


    Surprisingly, this woman was Amadeus'' ancestor. Looking at her, Amadeus didn''t know what to say as the woman looked at her most lacking in the head department descendant then back at Amadeus,


    "Just call me Granny."


    Amadeus nodded while nervously complying,


    "G-granny¡­"


    Hearing that, the aura surrounding her warmed considerably before it returned to a stoic one.Nodding, she everyone apart from Baldrik and Caesar ordered,


    "All of you leave, I''ll be personally getting Amadeus his class."


    They all seem shocked hearing that but didn''t say anything and left with wide smiles. It was the same for the other Caesar and Baldrik, they were first shocked which was then replaced by a joyous smile.


    She then set Amadeus down,


    "Follow me."


    Giving a simple instruction, she started walking with Amadeus following. Before he knew it, they were in front of an alter with a gigantic statue of a golden dragon. What was different was that it had two more horns on its head and Amadeus could see the lights of the statue flickering. As he was gazing at the statue, Granny''s voice brought him out of his thoughts,


    "I''ve only got someone''s class for one person, that was for the first ever golden dragon, my husband."


    Amadeus was shocked by this as he heard this revelation. This woman seemed to be really old. He turned to look back and saw the two emperor''s goofy smile and realised that they hadn''t heard anything. Before Granny could continue, Amadeus saw her eye twitch before the cane was brought to greet his head. Rubbing his head, he looked up all teary-eyed seeing Granny''s stern eyes,


    "Thinking something bad about me?"


    Amadeus shivered at the old woman''s intuition as he just remained silent,


    "Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, you would be the second person that I would be doing this."


    This explained everyone''s shocked faces. Amadeus looked at her,


    "Why?"


    "The idiot Caesar reported your status at the Altar back at the clan and my husband immediately sent me to give you a class."


    Seeing Amadeus'' confused look,


    "My husband is the current Dragon God. Back then, although dragons were the strongest of all the races, we were still hunted by the gods for trophies. Although there were strong ones among us, we were too scattered. Every part of our body was extremely valuable, from out whiskers to the scales on our tales, everything. Some of them wanted it for their collections while others wanted it for armours and the like. Seeing this brutality, your ancestor rallied the dragons and warred the gods for a total of a hundred years. Many gods and dragons died then but ultimately, we won. He got a seat next to the major gods and has protected our race from the gods since then."


    It took some time for Amadeus to digest this information, but it seemed that Granny had no intentions of stopping,


    "Now the only way for gods to get their hands on dragons is through their believers but that has come to an all-time low since the kingdom was established. However, suddenly, one day, all the goddesses made visits with all the dragons remains they had with gifts of apologies. My husband was first confused but let it be, he was happy seeing many of our brethren''s remains returned to them. It''s not like we could forgive them, but their sincerity left no other choice. What followed was for his confusion to return until we got your grandfather''s report. Finding out the reason, he immediately sent me for you to get your class."


    Looking at the statue, she hit its eyes and Amadeus could swear he heard a scream of pain.


    "A pact was made that stopped gods from directly interfering with mortals. Also, we are currently facing an outside threat, so gods are needed to make sure that the gods from that place won''t interfere with the fights of mortals."


    Amadeus was even more shocked,


    "Outside threat?"


    "Yeah, we are not alone in this vast universe of realms. While this realm belongs to us, doesn''t mean we are safe from the attacks of other realms. That''s why you will be talking the throne early, ancient dragons are needed immediately if the situation takes a wrong turn, hence the agreement."


    Amadeus just nodded trying to sort out his chaotic thoughts.


    "This is one of the reasons, and you would have received countless benefits receiving all the goddess'' blessings."


    Amadeus felt like a robot whose job was to just nod at everything Granny said. Granny stayed silent for a brief period before continuing,


    "That agreement has, from hereon, been voided. Even if you turn into an ancient dragon doesn''t necessarily mean that you would be forced to abdicate, but we would prefer, if you stayed on your throne for some more time, seeing an invasion is just over the horizon."


    ''So, a war is nigh.''


    Amadeus just deeply exhaled, as he felt a massive responsibility weighed down upon his shoulders. Although he was from a family of general''s in his past life and he loved reading about historical wars with cold weapons, he still had doubts if he could lead an army. He knew that he would be sending men to their deaths and they would gladly follow as they were soldiers. He realised that the crown came with a burden no man can think of, except for the ones that sat on the thrones. Not those false ones that thought it as a glory and used it for nefarious purposes, but the proper ones that cared for their populace.


    Amadeus was no doubt the latter and he knew that war was cruel, he would have to make difficult decisions. But that was all to come. At that moment, Amadeus made a choice, he would fight on the frontlines and lead the army himself, rather than just sit back and give orders. Why, because he was a dragon. It didn''t sit right with him.


    Seeing the look on Amadeus'' eyes and the slight grin that radiated adrenaline, Granny gave a nod of approval at the seven-year-old. She then walked forward and ignored the look of appreciation on the dragon statue''s eyes as she activated a formation. Amadeus was brought out of his thoughts when he saw a pure white door open.


    "Step in and choose your class. It would radiate with your soul, and you can only pick one, so choose carefully."


    Amadeus nodded and stepped into a blank world that was the definition of purity. The was a light blue sky that shined brightly, looking down, he seemed to be stepping on a water like surface, that rippled every time he took a step. Surrounding him were countless orbs of lights that swarmed over and revolved around him eager to be chosen.


    When he looked closer, he saw the class name and a brief description of what it entailed. Realising that they were classes he started looking through them. There were two colours, one for normal classes and the other for unique ones. Unique ones weren''t necessarily stronger than normal ones, but there could only be one of each at any given time. The latter shined in a more goldish colour than the normal that shined white.


    Amadeus was spoilt for choice:


    Magic swordsmen: One who mastered the art of sword and the manipulation of elements


    Magician: One who manipulates the elements to one''s will


    Knight: One who walks the path of justice


    Assassin: One who lurks in the shadows


    ¡­


    There were even support classes,


    Healer: One who heals the wounded


    Blacksmith: One who sculpts weapons and armours


    Alchemist: One who created potion to help or to destroy


    ¡­


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    There were even unique ones though, either ones that he was suitable were already taken or he just wasn''t suitable for them. Amadeus looked through all of them but couldn''t find the right one. There were none that he felt resonated with him. As he was looking round, he felt a tug in his heart and looked in a certain direction.


    There it was, a lone pure golden class orb just stood there, exuding majesty. It felt beneath itself for throwing himself at Amadeus'' feet like the others. It just hovered there, waiting for Amadeus to approach. That was indeed what Amadeus did and extended his hand, inspecting the orb. There was only a single word, no description, but just one single word,


    Sovereign


    It needed no explanation as the explanation was the class title itself. Amadeus felt his soul resonate like nothing before, he knew it was the right class, he just knew it. The other class orbs didn''t approach the two and hovered back to place. They were only slightly sentient but had nothing like emotions. If they think that they have found the right person to assimilate with, then they would approach them. They would leave if that person chose something else.


    Amadeus saw the golden orb slowly fly into his chest and immediately felt himself getting stronger. A change in quality is what it was. His bloodline got purer, his soul was purer, everything changed right down to his roots. He even felt like he had become more good looking.


    Seeing the door open, he went through with confident steps, unlike his steps before, these ones brought with him an aura of majesty. His eyes radiated confidence and proudness, with a hint of arrogance. Walking out, what followed wasn''t a look of awe from his elders but rather a walking stick.


    Granny immediately felt the arrogance exuded by the youngster and brandished her walking stick. With one walking stick hitting the back of his head, causing him to fall forward, a quick succession of hit followed in greeting his bottom. At first, his pride was wounded deeply and immediately turned into a dragon, but the exact same thing happened, he was beaten black and blue. He scales were torn off with the hits and blood poured out spreading across the floor. His regeneration kicked in as his scales and blood started returning to his body, but if one scale followed, two would be broken off and if one drop of blood returned, a bucket full would leave his body.


    His father and grandfather turned away from his howls of misery and admired one of the painting depicting the war between the dragons and gods. Outside of the temple, it was the same situation as his mother and grandmother looked worried but they weren''t allowed in due to the orders of Granny.

 19 Sovereign

    After a round of beatings, all that arrogance had disappeared and replaced by sadness. Amadeus quickly regenerated but mysteriously, all the beatings stayed on his body in the form of bruises in his human form. Looking at him, Granny''s stern voice was heard,


    "Arrogance is good, only if you have the strength. Even then, there is a still a limit. This doesn''t mean you should have humility; it means you should be a proud dragon yet not let it get to your head. Show me your status card."


    Nodding slightly Amadeus summoned his stats,


    ---------------------------------


    Name: Amadeus Drakos


    Age: 7


    Race: Golden Dragon


    Title: Crown Prince of the Drakonis Empire, Celestial Dragon of the Eclipse, One who harbours the sun and moon, Admired by all of the goddesses, Loved by the Goddess of Faith and Luck


    Class: Sovereign (20% increase in all stats)


    Mana: 1800 (3600)


    Strength: 252 (504)


    Agility: 258 (516)


    Vitality: 600 (1200)


    Phys. Resistance: 1200 (2400)


    Mag. Resistance: 1200 (2400)


    Active Skills:


    Sovereign''s Eyes of the Truth


    Dragon-Human Transformation


    Flight


    Dragon Sovereign''s roar


    Flames of the Sun


    Ice of the Moon


    Passive Skills:


    Dragon Sovereign''s natural shield


    Dragon Sovereign''s regeneration


    Dragon Sovereign''s aura


    All elements aptitude


    Weapons combatant


    Halberd expert


    CQC combatant


    Etiquette


    Leadership


    ¡­


    ---------------------------------


    All of his stats had an increase of 20% while everything that was dragon''s¡­ had become dragon sovereign''s. His eyes of the truth had become Sovereign eyes of the truth and it seemed that one would feel the pressure upon being looked at. Amadeus saw Granny look at it calmly before giving a nod of approval,


    "Your grandfather was speaking the truth and no wonder you were filled with arrogance"


    Amadeus meekly nodded as Granny once more tapped the walking stick on his head causing him to flinch slightly. This time though, all his bruises were healed, and she looked at him with care in her eyes. He was still one of her descendants.


    "The world will be embroiled in war and would need someone of your calibre. My child, I''m sorry for putting all this responsibility on you but it is what it is. You were born in these times and these times needs people as figures of hopes. And you would be one of them. This is my present for you."


    She looked deeply at him with caring eyes and kissed his forehead before vanishing in front of their eyes. Amadeus felt a sixth sense developing within him as he began to feel his elders walk to him. Looking at them, he realised that they were a step behind and felt it was wrong. But then he felt his mother and grandmother enter the temple, but he could see them. Only a second later, did they enter throwing all his suspicions out of the window.


    His ancestor seemed to have blessed him with a type of clairvoyance. He kept silent about it and just waited for his mother to check upon himself. He then sowed them his status plate to them garnering their praise. They all left for the palace while Caesar and Atia left for the clan only after smothering his grandsons with kisses and getting dragged away by Atia.


    Now it was only the family of four left while an additional training regime was added onto Amadeus'' training schedule, training with his draconic formation. Now, Amadeus had an extra three budding horns on his head, one more than the first dragon. Two were next to his previous ones while one was in the middle between his eyes and just above his snout. He had also frown to twice his size from before and was now about 30 metres long. His scales looked tougher while his claws and teeth looked sharper. He had more control over the sun''s flames and the moon''s Ice as he could now use them separately rather than together. Although using them together would cause more damage, there would be situations where only using one of the elements at one given time was more beneficial.


    Amadeus looked at his father in his dragon form as this was his first training session. His father looked at his son with pride in his eyes,


    "It looks quite menacing."


    Amadeus gave a smirk and waited for his father to also transform.


    "Gooo! Oni-tan!"


    Arius'' voice could be heard from the side as he sat there looking at them with the protection of their mother. Baldrik had a frown on his face because Arius wasn''t cheering for him.


    "Tch."


    With this, he immediately transformed and hovered in front of Amadeus. The latter was gobsmacked because this was the first time seeing his father in his dragon form and what a sight it was. He looked like the standard golden dragon, but his body reached a thousand metres. Amadeus would''ve thought that he was already an ancient dragon, but his four claws told him otherwise.


    Arius'' voice was once again heard,


    "Gooo! Papa!"


    Amadeus felt betrayed while a smirk found Baldrik''s mouth.


    ''Damn, traitor.''


    Seeing Baldrik''s face ticked him off, and immediately attacked with, lunging at his father. Amadeus thought that due to being smaller Baldrik would have difficulties hitting him, but how wrong he was.


    Baldrik immediately appeared in front of him and lashed out with his tail. He was by no means slower. Amadeus was barely able to dodge it as he saw Baldrik attack him with claws. The claws were even bigger than him. Barely dodging it once more, Amadeus knew he couldn''t approach Baldrik, so he just opened his mouth and roared.


    "ROOOOOAAAAAR!"


    Baldrik saw his son''s roar directed him and immediately freaked out. He knew of how devastating his son''s powers were as he immediately dodged it. No matter how strong he was, he wasn''t confident of going against the power of the two celestial bodies. Although he knew that it wasn''t as hot as them but, just a weakened down version, it was still something to guard against.


    Amadeus was satisfied seeing his father dodge, but the latter''s experience caught him off-guard. Just at the corner of his eyes, he saw something enlarge and directly impact him head on. He was shot into the ground causing a large explosion and dust to cover the air. Baldrik took back his tail causing the dust to clear up and see an unconscious Amadeus recovering from his wounds. He then turned back into his human form and carried him by his still developing whiskers. Amadeus was still in his dragon form and the three left him like that until he woke up.


    Once all his wounds were healed, he finally woke up a short moment later only to see Arius pulling on one of his whisker''s hard. Seeing the dragon''s eyes open Arius started shouting,


    "Oni-tan''s awake!"


    This brought the attention of the other two as his mother called out to him.


    "Quickly turn into the other form, time to eat."


    Amadeus nodded absentmindedly and changed forms. Sitting next to his family, they had a picnic while watching the sun set. Baldrik turned over to Amadeus,


    "Enjoy this peace, from now on this is going be extremely rare for you."


    Amadeus nodded while Arius'' voice destroyed the serious atmosphere.


    "Mama, Papa. I also want to train!"


    With a determined look and his chubby had balled up into a fist, he threw his arm in the air. The three just laughed while Amadeus could see his father contemplating whether to train him or not. Mother saw this but this time nodded at his father.


    She and Baldrik both had the general idea of what was to come. Her eldest son had the responsibility of overlooking the kingdom during the troubling times to come. It was no guarantee that her youngest son would be safe so this time, albeit reluctantly, decided to comply with Baldrik training Arius.


    Even if she would stay within the castle walls, she couldn''t protect him forever. Both sons were ultimately dragons and would need to soar some time or another. Call it a mother''s intuition but she felt that her youngest son would also face perils in the future. She doesn''t know how and when, but it uneased her thinking about it.


    Arius was extremely happy seeing upon learning that he would train with his older brother.


    The next day, their extreme training started, well Amadeus'' extreme training. Arius'' training was still one for beginners. While Arius did his runs and tests, Amadeus was put against soldiers from the imperial guards. These guys protected the palace and were the cream of the top, the weakest had their stats in the 500s. All Amadeus could do was build up his experience fighting one on one, or multiple combatants. Being elites, they knew how to limit their strengths.


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    His maid, Eriko, was taken by his mother. It seemed that she wanted her to be the head of the secret corps under her command to answer only to Amadeus. As Amadeus would be taking charge of imperial matters, he couldn''t always do everything together. So, she picked out a group of maids, tested their loyalty, and started training them in sabotage and the like. She would train Amadeus in information gathering and the exact same skillsets, but it wasn''t as much as she did to the maids. Therefore, Amadeus would get his own combat maids.


    His father had introduced him to the head of the imperial guards. His was known as Leon the mighty. His full name was Lionel Braxton. Surprisingly he was a human. His class was a knight and had joined the imperial guards due to his dissatisfaction with the corruption in the Humanus kingdom and the fair policy they had within the Empire. The other reason was due to Baldrik''s strength.


    When Amadeus saw him, he radiated justice. It wasn''t the hypocritical ones but one where he would jump in front of a civilian in danger to protect them. He was of a humble birth his spiky black hair and brown eyes, and medium built. He was definitely one of the strongest humans currently breathing in the world with his stats in the thousands. He had currently turned 25 this year and was a married man with a child of Arius'' age.


    Amadeus and Baldrik ended up training the two together to increase the brotherhood between them. Amadeus was alright because the blades would be constantly protecting him, but it wasn''t the same for Arius. Because he was royalty, they were able to assign him one blade, but it did end up going against the rules of the blades. Only protecting the emperor, empress and the crown prince.


    It was an ancient covenant made by the warriors who fought alongside the first golden dragon. It was something that the royal family respected.


    However, utilising a few loopholes, they were able to get one guard to overlook Arius.


    Amadeus felt his peaceful life coming to a complete end. He may have had some free time before but now, he rarely got to meet his brother. He was constantly occupied with shadowing his father when he worked. He was often seen with him in important meetings alongside various ministers.


    Like this Amadeus learnt the inner workings of the kingdom and met various powerful people that overlooked the kingdoms matters. Before he knew it, it was his eighth birthday.

 20 Eighth Birthday

    This was the first time where Amadeus would show his face to the populace as the future ruler of the Drakonis Empire. Later on, there would be a ball where Amadeus would formally meet the nobles and the ministers of the empire. Currently Amadeus had woken up as soon as the sun rose. It had become a habit for him to do so when he spent time with his father. Like on cue, a group of maids entered the room with nervous yet stoic faces.


    No matter how much they had been trained, they still couldn''t resist the charm of Amadeus and the only reason why they could hold themselves back was due to Amadeus still being eight. Only Eriko was able to look unperturbed as she had spent the most time with him and was currently his head maid. Like robots, they undressed Amadeus and led him for a bath, where they cleaned him. Eriko was in charge of the important bits as she didn''t hesitate when doing so but a slight blush could be seen on her face. Amadeus would stroke her tail out of habit, so she was barely in control


    What followed was him having breakfast with his family and him going on to accompany his family. They never talked about Baldrik''s future separation but just talked about miscellaneous stuff.


    The one who did the most talking was Arius, mostly talk about the things he did with his friends. Hearing the word friends, Amadeus sighed. Friends was such a foreign topic for him as he never had any. Barely leaving the palace, he would soon face the responsibility of shouldering the burdens of the empire.


    Even in his previous life, he only had a small number of friends that stayed with him. Most just feared his ability to see through people. His parents saw his dropped mood but didn''t know what to do. He was too mature for his age and his accomplishments blinded them of his loneliness. Arius felt his brother in a despondent mood as he jumped of his chair and made his way to Amadeus. Tugging his clothes, he looked up with a finger on his lips,


    "Oni-tan, you okay?"


    Seeing this, Amadeus felt all his loneliness wash away due to that cute look. Rubbing his head, he hugged his cute little brother,


    "I''m okay."


    Arius regained his joyful look and returned to talking about his antics.


    His parents smiled at tis but knew that there was nothing they could do. They couldn''t give him friends; the true friends would be those he found himself. They knew that he couldn''t be exploited due to his eyes of the truth, but they still felt a bit worried and would see anyone that would approach with evil intentions.


    The rest of the day went peacefully as all the populace gathered round to see the Crown Prince. Many people had set up stalls while many travelled great distances just to see. The capital was crowded, and the inns fully booked. Dragons could be seen patrolling the skies and the city guards were vigilantly looking round. Still there were no major fights.


    They all had one thought in mind,


    ''What if start a fight and a dragon steps in.''


    They weren''t worried about getting killed but jut facing those apex predators was enough to let their bowels loose. Enemies would see each other in the crowd and turn the opposite way or would pass each other with smiles. Business was booming while the whole capital had a festive atmosphere.


    While this was happening Amadeus was getting ready, with the maids shuffling about making sure everything was perfect.


    After dressing him up, Eriko looked carefully at Amadeus and nodded. He would grow up to be a lady killer. Amadeus conscious was still hazy but was mostly awake due to the bath. He had gotten used to maids dressing him up and washing him. At first her mother wanted butlers to do it, he would rather have pretty girls rather than men to do it.


    Amadeus looked at himself in the mirror. His violet hair had been donned into a high ponytail and his fringe split into the middle dropped onto the side of his face while one covered his right silver eye. He wore a purple robe with golden straps and the logo of the Drakonis kingdom on his chest. He also had a dark purple overcoat on top of that that also had golden linings and a roaring golden dragon with four claws sewn on the back. He wore black fingerless purple tekkos on both his hands while he wore black pants and boots beneath his robe. His tanto was placed within his robes while his wakizashi was placed on his waist.


    Simple yet elegant with his favourite colour purple. After he was fully dressed, he left and met his family who were also dressed up. His mother crouched down to properly check him,


    "You look very handsome."


    Amadeus looked back at the eyes filled with motherly love as he gave a smile,


    "You also look beautiful, mum."


    Baldrik cleared his throat to get the attention of the two. Looking at him, he looked away, slightly posing with a hopeful look,


    "You look okay, dad."


    Lily just laughed at the crestfallen emperor while Arius gave a cute shout,


    "What about me? What about me?"


    """You look cute."""


    They answered his wishes and sat in a carriage that took them to the walls. The walls had a balcony where it was only used in times like this when the royal family would need to address the populace. Today was such a day and the imperial guards had been replaced by the blades and dragons. A group of blades surrounded the carriage while they were led to the walls. The imperial guards would be manning the bottom of the walls to make sure there weren''t any trespassers. When they finally arrived, they flew to the doors behind the terrace.


    There were no stairs to the balcony, and one had to fly there. So, if one couldn''t then they won''t be able to get there unless the found other means. Arius was carried by Lily while Amadeus flew behind Baldrik. Golden dragons were able to fly without wings, so it was natural that Amadeus was able to do it in his human form.


    Landing in front of an opened set of doors. Four blades commanders stood there with Lionel also there. Amadeus tilted his head in confusion when Lily spoke to him, he was thrown here. Amadeus nodded when he saw Lionel and waited behind his father who started walking to the terrace.


    Whereas a normal kingdom would use horns to alert the populace, Drakonis used the two dragons that flanked the terrace.


    ""ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAR!!!""


    With a loud roar, the citizens stopped clamouring and immediately descended into silence. They cheered when Baldrik made his appearance but quietened down when he started his speech. Amadeus started playing with Arius as he got bored listening to the speech when Lily nudged him.


    "It''s now your turn."


    Hearing this he looked towards his father who said,


    "¡­Drakonis'' Crown Prince, my eldest son, Amadeus Drakos!"


    Amadeus got up, dusted his clothes and walked to the balcony. Seeing a figure appear, the started cheering until they saw who it was, they immediately silenced. Amadeus could physically see heart shaped eyes sprout on most the females and some males surrounding the area. He could see the back of projections of the balcony further into the distance, as there was a silence in the whole capital.


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    This seemed to be a record as to the quietest the capital had been ever. Time seemed to stop moving and the world lost colour in the eyes of the people. Amadeus didn''t know what to do when a mutter from his dad reached his ear,


    "Smile and wave, boy. Just smile and wave."


    Hearing this, Amadeus gave an awkward smile as he started waving. Instantly the capital was engulfed in cheers as Baldrik could see the loyalty of the populace go up a notch. The noise and clamour caused a faint earthquake that went largely unnoticed due to the hype.


    Arius behind was in awe of so many people and had an excited look on his face. The family of four stood at the balcony as they just waved at the populace. Reports flew back to their kingdom explaining Amadeus'' appearance, but they were all just different ways of expressing his good looks.


    It wasn''t until some time that the family returned to the palace, still able to hear the commotion outside. A while later, all the servants prepared the main hall for the ball and banquet later on. Once all the people had cleared various carriages started making their ways to the palace. All the nobles were invited and were slowly making their way to the palace. The gates were opened and was heavily guarded. They were only let through with a thorough inspection, an invitation card and proof of identity. The scale was massive.


    Once they hall all gathered, the hall was lit to the max. people were chatting with everyone, yet schemes were thrown around. Some were having friendly conversations while some were setting up marriages for their children. All in all, there were various groups with some manoeuvring from group to group some avoiding others.


    To the side was a small gathering of people that was left alone. No one went near them while some looked in fear in that direction. Many people tried but couldn''t muster their courage. A group of four were stood in a circle where three of them were surrounded by their significant other. They were all middle-aged and had four distinct hair colours. Blue, red, black and green.


    They all had vertical slits for eyes, signifying their race as dragons. They were all merrily talking with each other and was one of the rare groups that had no schemes between them.


    These were the four dukes of the kingdoms. Each protecting a cardinal direction of the empire. The blue haired man with a lean body was Gaius Glacies. He was a water dragon and the current duke of the east. He was also Lily''s brother. His father was a rarely mutated ice dragon, but they were all from the water dragon''s lineage. His sister had inherited her father''s ice, but he hadn''t, however he didn''t care.


    Water dragons cared the least as their motto was to just go with the flow and boasted an equal defence and attack. His wife had black hair and was an earth dragon. Her name was Urania Terra and had a gentle look on her face and a voluptuous body.


    The man with Black hair was Quyen Terra and was also Urania''s brother. He had a rather large muscular body and towered over most of the group. He was like the big friendly giant with the gentle look on his face. He was the current duke of the north. Earth dragons were the gentlest and boasted the strongest defence.


    His wife was a green haired rather petite lady. The two were the exact opposite with her energetic look, as she talked non-stop. Her name was Rada Ventus.


    The third man was a rather tall man that looked skinny. He was Yaalon Ventus. He was the current duke of the south. Being a wind dragon, boasted the fastest speed alongside the rarely mutated lighting dragons.


    His wife had fiery red hair and a voluptuous body second only to Urania. Her name was Paloma Ignis and she had a cold look on her face, opposite to her nature.


    The last man was someone with fiery red hair and a muscular build. He was Adelmo Ignis, the current duke of the west. Naturally he was a fire dragon and boasted the strongest attack. His wife had violet coloured hair. Unlike the Amadeus'' or Baldrik''s this was more of a bluish, purple colour.


    She was a rare lightning dragon and her name was Vesta Ventus. She had a lean and modest body. The whole group was either beautiful or handsome in their own rights.


    Looking round Rada looked round,


    "Where are the kids?"


    The rest also looked round before Urania spoke,


    "They seem to be in the garden."


    Being an Earth dragon made them more sensitive with the vibrations within the earth and were able to naturally locate their children.


    "Let them play, it seems that everyone had arrived. Where are they exactly?"


    Adelmo was getting slightly impatient. Quyen tried to calm him down,


    "Mah, mah, they''ll be here."


    As if listening to him, a group of blades marched out through a pair of doors. They stood attention on each side of the hall, while a voice was heard throughout the hall.


    "The Emperor Baldrik Drakos, Empress Lily Drakos, Crown Prince Amadeus Drakos and Second Prince Arius Drakos have arrived."

 21 First companions

    Everyone in the hall kneeled as the family of four made their entrance. With Baldrik telling them to stand up, he addressed everyone in the hall. During this time, he looked round the hall and saw various races all gathered together. There was also a familiar female human, but he just ignored her. The group that stood out the most was the four dukes.


    Most of the females were drawn towards Amadeus while they largely ignored Baldrik''s speech. Smiling bitterly, Baldrik ended his speech early and bought Amadeus to meet various people. One by one, starting from minor nobles, all paid their respects to the royal family. To greet them last were the four dukes and their families.


    The first to speak was Adelmo,


    "You guys took your time."


    Amadeus'' parents just smiled as they started talking to each other. Quyen turned to Amadeus and picked him up with gentle smile,


    "You''re quite the cute one, aren''t you?"


    ''Ok, calm down Lenny.''


    Amadeus just nodded as all the others attention was drawn to them. The others nodded in agreement with Rada pointing it out,


    "It''s like he got both your good parts and they were enhanced further."


    Urania came next to her brother before moving his fringes to the side,


    "Why do you keep hiding one of your eyes? They''re both beautiful."


    Amadeus was slightly embarrassed by the compliment while Gaius grabbed him.


    "Let me see my nephew."


    Placing him down, Gaius carefully looked at him when he was pushed aside by Adelmo. He bent down and bought his face right in front of Amadeus. One hand was holding his chin while he had a thoughtful look,


    "Your highness¡­"


    Calling out to Baldrik, he questioned,


    "¡­is his innate ability related to fire-"


    Gaius chimed in,


    "-And water."


    Baldrik nodded and explained to them.


    "I''ll tell you later."


    Baldrik trusted these four the most in this empire. They were all one big family and were the four commanders to the dragon corps.


    Amadeus excused himself and left the banquet. He knew that it would be beneficial for him to start making connections, but he didn''t like gatherings like such. Taking a stroll, he saw that the sun had started its descent to end the day while the moon was peeking over the opposite side of the horizon. He didn''t need to see it, but he could just feel it. There was now a faint connection between him and the two celestial bodies.


    Finding a bench, he sat down and looked directly at the sun. He started reminiscing about the time he spent in this world. He thought back to his previous world, what was it like there? Were his parents grieving his death now? Or was it his missing status? His thoughts then went towards the class. There were still nine years left until the class got summoned so this meant that the war would start around then or maybe earlier. It did give Amadeus a sort of benchmark to work towards and get ready for the upcoming war.


    While he started planning for the future, he suddenly felt something and immediately turned his head.


    "Who''s there?"


    A rather large child walked out. He had fiery red and purple hair with red eyes. He seemed to be a bit older than Amadeus but felt like an all brawn no brain lad. He said only one thing,


    "Let''s fight."


    Amadeus looked with a confused face when the boy attacked.


    "Wait, wait, wait."


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    "What?"


    The boy looked annoyed,


    "My mother loves these flowers; we should go to the training ground."


    The boy nodded with a simple look. Amadeus concluded that the boy already knew his identity while it was also the same for Amadeus. The boy was most likely the son of Adelmo and Vesta.


    The two then made their way to the training grounds where they stood in front of each other. The two looked at each other and, as if they had confirmed it, shot towards each other. Two fists met in the middle where the boy was sent flying back. The boy then shouted,


    "I can''t do this alone!"


    Another figure appeared behind Amadeus and swept their leg at Amadeus. With the help of the skill received by his ancestor, he was able to see it and dodge, while also sending his own kick. The impact caused the figure to be shot back. Another two figures appeared either side of him and sent a punch with immaculate timing. It seemed as if they were both of one mind. Crossing his arms, he blocked both their punches, The one on the left with his right and vice versa. When he did this, another figure appeared behind him sending a punch while the boy and the other figure returned while sending attacks of their own.


    ''''''''''Checkmate!''''''''''


    The same thought went through their hearts while the draconic adults in the banquet all looked in their direction. They then looked towards Baldrik who just gave a sheepish laugh while rubbing the back of his head,


    "It seems that Amadeus got excited, hahaha..."


    Vesta just told the rest of them,


    "Let the kids have fun, they rarely get to meet their match, especially one that causes them to attack together."


    The others nodded as they returned to chatting.


    The ones that had occupied Amadeus'' two hands both saw an excited grin on his face and felt a bad premonition in their hearts. They felt a sudden pull and found themselves flying towards one of their comrades while Amadeus jumped up the last one. He then put some distance between them. Getting a proper look at them.


    Apart from the boy were two twin girls that had black hair and black eyes. They both had ponytails one had it on the right side of her head while the other had it on the left. They were both petite and were extremely cute.


    Next to them was a slightly budding girl with long blue hair and a leisurely air surrounding her. She also had blue eyes and kept her hands folded propping up her assets.


    Lastly was a smart looking green haired boy with glasses. One would relate to him with an intellectual and someone with a stick up his¡­ He just looked like someone who was really strict to not only oneself but on others as well.


    Suddenly the first boy had one fist covered in fire while the other in lightning, the twins had their fists covered in rocks, while wind covered the green haired boy''s leg and water twisted round the blue haired one.


    Seeing this, Amadeus'' excitement only went up a notch as his left hand glowed golden while the other silver.


    In the banquet everyone was chatting rather leisurely when a body flew through the window. Getting up the boy with red hair and violet hair got up only to see everyone looking at him with wide eyes. Straightening his suit, he bowed and said sorry to everyone before quickly leaving through where he came from. A short while later, two figures smashed through another piece of glass. This time it was the twins as they did the same thing and quickly left. Following there were two more instances where a blue haired girl and green haired on flew through.


    After that nothing happened, and it all returned to normal. Back in the training grounds, Amadeus was breathing heavily as fighting the five had proved to be taxing. The five had Amadeus surrounded and suddenly nodded to each other. Amadeus was first confused but realised that they were about to transform. Seeing Amadeus was also about to transform when a familiar walking stick made its existence known. Hitting the six children on their heads, all their transformations were forcefully halted as they fell down.


    "You kids have been up to a lot of mischief."


    A familiar old voice was heard as Amadeus and the other five huddled together.


    "G-g-gran-granny!"


    Before they knew it, they were sitting on their knees with weights on top of them. A bowl of water was placed on top of their heads and one order was given; one drop of water meant one stick. The red and violet haired boy had at first stood up to the unreasonable violence, but he was currently sitting there with a bruised-up face.


    "Anyway, I''m here to give you your birthday present."


    Amadeus previously depressed mood made a 180 switch as he knew that it wouldn''t be something normal.


    "Here."


    Putting her hand out a young colt appeared in front of her. Amadeus was barely able to follow it with his eye as Granny fed something to it. It was a pure black horse with demonic red eyes and flames for a mane and tail. It wasn''t a normal fire but rather a blood red one. The fire wasn''t the only non-normal thing about it, with a sharp red unicorn horn to boot, it had eight legs. It didn''t make it look weird, rather it made it look majestic.


    Amadeus could see the colt''s muscles and it wasn''t the bulky sort, but rather the one that expressed agility and speed.


    "I don''t know what it is, but it is our gift from up there. The god of war reared it which basically tells you what it specialises in."


    She then pulled out a bag,


    "Feed it this every three months while letting it snack on a demonic or even a magical beast when it wants to. Remember, in the upcoming tumultuous times you will need all the strength you can. Also, take care of her, the god of war looked really reluctant when we took it off him."


    Amadeus got up and stood in front of the colt. After eating the things from Granny''s hand, it then turned towards Amadeus. Man and beast looked each other in the eyes, and as if knowing his future owner, the horse walked forward and rubbed his head on Amadeus. Laughing a little, Amadeus started to play with it and pet it. Granny who was looking at this, also smiled,


    "It seems you like our present. Anyway, this is the last time I will be descending for now until something comes up."


    While saying this she just vanished into thin air and left the six kids and the horse together. As she vanished the other kids also gathered round and started playing. The colt was close to the size of many horse despite being only 4 years of age indicating that it will be larger than them when it had fully grown.


    Before they knew it, they started laughing together as they sat down while the horse started running at impeccable speeds round the training ground.


    "Don''t you want to reign him in?"


    The red and violet haired boy said with some envy in his eyes. Amadeus just shook his head,


    "Why would I tie such a majestic horse and leave him in one place."


    The boy then turned to Amadeus and bowed,


    "Sorry for earlier, your highness."


    The green haired boy started speaking while pushing up his glasses.


    "We wanted to see if you are worthy for our loyalty¡­"


    Amadeus just shook his head and cut him off,


    "I know one''s intentions when I see them, it''s both a blessing and a curse."


    The others were just silent as the blue haired girl coughed to break up the atmosphere.


    "We should all introduce ourselves to the prince."


    Everyone nodded while she went first. Getting up, she made an aristocratic bow,


    "it''s a pleasure to finally meet you, my name is Veronica Glacies, the heir to the duke of the east."


    Veronica was like her father with a leisurely air surrounding her. She seemed to not have a care in the world and a warm smile was always present on her face. Amadeus found out that she was 13 years old, the eldest in the group.


    The green haired boy went next,


    "My name''s Celer Ventus, heir to the duke of the south."


    Celer had the air of a tactician and strategist. He looked like a bookworm that didn''t have many friends. He seemed to always stick to the rules and would be the first to call you out when you break them. He was the second eldest in the group, also being of 13 years of age, he was a few moths younger than Veronica.


    Next were the twins,


    "Chandra Terra."


    "Selene Terra."


    They didn''t speak much and reminded Amadeus of cats with their petite bodies. They looked around his age, despite being 12 years old. No further introduction was needed. Apparently, the both were the heirs because they couldn''t decide which. The two sisters did everything together resulting in Chandra, the older twin, to tell her father that she wanted Selene to be an heir as well.


    Quyen being the gentle one, accepted it and now both of them were the heirs. They were inseparable.


    The blue and violet haired guy went last. With a simple smile he walked up to Amadeus and put his hand out,


    "The name''s Milo Ignis. Heir to the duke of the west."


    Milo was just like his father and what Amadeus thought when he first saw them, a fiery personality and all brawn no brain. During the fight, he did seem to have an intuition that surpassed most and was able to calculate his next moves. Amadeus could tell he had a simple heart. He was the youngest of the five and was ten years of age.


    This meant that Amadeus was the youngest from the six.


    A neigh was heard behind them as the colt walked up next to Amadeus who could tell that it was asking to be named. The name seemed important to the horse and Amadeus knew exactly why. Once Amadeus named him, it was like binding a contract, the horse would be his and would only leave his side upon death.

 22 Presents

    A name immediately popped up in his head. Sleipnir. The horse that belonged to the Norse king of gods Odin. One of the best horses, it was a fitting name for the one in front of him. Being bred by the god of war himself while also being reluctant to part with it must mean that it was his best creation.


    "Sleipnir."


    He started stroking the horse as it neighed in acceptance. Seeing the joyful look on Sleipnir''s face, it seemed really happy of its new name. Crouching slightly, it indicated for Amadeus to get on top while the others watched.


    "Does the fire hurt?"


    Amadeus shook his head as he was currently in control of, what he thinks, the most powerful flame. While the others were curious, they didn''t get close as they felt their instincts go wild when they neared the flames. Amadeus then mounted the horse who immediately took off with a cry. Amadeus had to take hold of the horse''s neck to avoid falling off. Before he knew it, the horse started to step in the air and took off towards the skies.


    This feeling was different from when he flew in his dragon form. That was more like he was in control while this felt more reckless. He had always loved riding horses, but this was a whole new experience. Looking behind, he saw the trail left by the horse and knew that it to the spectators, he probably looked like a comet. Amadeus knew that, even for a warhorse, it was swift and with an extra set of legs allowed him to carry more weight. And from what he was currently experiencing, it was the best warhorse that he had ever seen.


    Even the prided ones he had trained on, couldn''t hold a candle to Sleipnir. What came next surprised Amadeus, Sleipnir had taken him to such a height that allowed him to see the whole capital and the setting sun over the horizon. It halted and reared itself and breathed out fire. This surprised Amadeus as he realised, he now had a flying, eight-legged, horned, fire breathing horse that looked like a comet when it runs and had hellfire for a mane and tail. It was like all the best horses from his mythologies in his previous life joined together to make one symphony of perfection.


    What ruined this moment was a figure flying towards him. It was a rather large western dragon that appeared next to him,


    "Eh?! Your highness, what are you doing here?"


    A rather smug looking Amadeus replied,


    "Testing out my new horse. What do you think of it?"


    The dragon took a careful look at the horse,


    "It is a fine steed, probably one of its kind."


    "It indeed is. Hahaha!"


    With a laugh, Amadeus descended back to the palace with the Dragon following and notifying his comrades that it was just the crown prince. Amadeus directly went down towards the banquet hall and smashed through its window. The classic elegant party had once again been obstructed by the sound of breaking glass.


    This time though, screams followed as everyone dodged the flying flaming horse. With a neigh, Amadeus landed next to his family with a proud look. Everyone looked horrified seeing the majestic horse and their crown prince on it.


    Baldrik looked horrified at it but maintained his composure. Looking at all the guests that had wide eyes, Baldrik decided that it was time to end. Clearing his throat, he addressed everyone,


    "I think it''s time to now end this special evening. I thank everyone in attending my son''s eighth birthday¡­"


    Everyone got the message that it was time to leave and started leaving one by one, not leaving without glancing at the steed their crown prince was riding in envy. Some also left knowing that the presents they had chosen with such great care was nothing compared to the horse that was gifted to Amadeus. Anyone that was slightly clever knew that it was a gift from someone otherwise they would have known. Amadeus didn''t mind the looks of envy and happily showed off to his parents.


    Baldrik allowed the dukes to stay behind as they also admired the horse. Their children joined them later. Once everyone had left, Baldrik turned to Amadeus. He didn''t mind the early commotion as that was in a way showing the power of the royal family causing people to wipe out the nefarious ideas they had.


    "Who gave you this?"


    Amadeus immediately replied,


    "Granny did."


    "Granny?"


    Milo''s voice rang out,


    "It was this old woman that said she got it from the god of war."


    The others were even more confused so Baldrik had to clarify the situation. Upon receiving his explanation, they all gave looks of wonderment towards the horse that was given to Amadeus. It was as if every cell was shaped to perfection as its hooves gave out slight sparks of fire.


    Arius who was carried by Lily wanted to ride on it eagerly. Amidst the envious gaze of his father, Amadeus picked his little brother and went for a ride with the latter''s excited scream. Mid-ride, Arius turned to his older brother,


    "Oni-tan, I want one, I want one."


    Hugging his brother Amadeus shook his head,


    "I feel like it is the only one of its kind."


    This caused Arius to have a cute pout which was then washed away by the excitement he felt.


    - In the God''s Realm -


    "WAAAAAAA! MY BABY!!"


    Granny who had just returned was welcomed by the horrifying sound of a grown man crying. What was worse, was that this man was extremely muscular and stood at around 8 feet tall. His veins looked like they were pythons streaking across his body and his muscles looked like they were made of stone. He had an ox head and a ring on his nose which was currently covered in snot and tears.


    An annoyed voice was heard,


    "Someone shut him up!"


    Granny just sighed at this and returned to her residence, while feeling an itch that carried her walking stick.


    ''It''s just a horse, why is he crying so much?''


    All dragons were unreasonable at times.


    - Orbis -


    Amadeus had put Arius into bed as the boy had fallen asleep due to exhaustion. He had specially requested for Sleipnir to remain free and not be bound to anything. After constantly warning, Sleipnir not to damage any of his mother''s flowers, he let the horse free.


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    After, going through all the presents, he found them lacking compared to what he got from the horse. Yet it didn''t mean that they were not valuable, but they weren''t as good as Sleipnir. He felt bad comparing them to his one of a kind horse.


    Going through, there were some rare materials, weapons even specially made toys surrounding them. Lily looked at it and realised that they would most likely go to waist. Suddenly an idea popped up in her head,


    "What if we extract all the good materials and give it to the blacksmith who can probably find some use when he will be creating the horses armour and saddle."


    Amadeus knew that creating those items was a waste and that the horse was likely to grow even more. But, when including some draconic magic, they were able to add a function that adjust itself to suit the wearer. It was similar to the magic Amadeus used when he turned into a dragon and was able to keep his clothes safe and wear them back when he returned to his human form.


    After extracting the important ones, he set the toys aside for Arius and looked at the remaining materials. First was a branch of tree that radiated life force while the other was a black material that gave of cold and had a bluish glow. Next to it though was a scarlet metal that looked like it was on fire. The others were either good subsidiary materials or scraps at best. All the weapons and armour were given to the blacksmith to find some use.


    If it was any other time, then they would have just put them into the treasury but as war was approaching, they had to make use of everything. Lily also looked at the branch and gasped.


    "This is!"


    Picking it up,


    "This is a branch of Yggdrasil, the world tree."


    Amadeus also gasped in shock. It was said that the tree was the first to come into existence alongside the sun and moon. There were rumours that the branch was able to hold itself against the fire of the sun and ice of the moon.


    Amadeus felt his title ''Loved by the Goddess of Faith and Luck'' play a part in this as it was the perfect material to use for his weapon. Amadeus had tried many weapons, but none could handle the heat and cold from his innate ability. They would always show signs of being destroyed at some point.


    Lily looked at the unknown black material and once more gasped in shock,


    "Meteoric Mithril!"


    This was something that even Amadeus had never heard off. He knew there was meteoric iron in the world from his previous life, but this was something different. As for its size, it was as big as an adult''s fist but according to Lily, it was enough for his weapon and his armour. The two daggers given to him by Atia were made from an alloy consisting of three different metals. Mithril that was famed for its lightness and its properties of nullifying magic, Orichalcum that was famed for its sharpness and strength, and lastly, Adamantium, famed for its resilience and magic resistance.


    Meteoric Mithril was a few stages above normal Mithril and was obviously rarer. What made it stand out more was that it carried properties of the ice from the moon. And lastly, Lily looked at the last scarlet metal and gasped of shock, nearing the point of fainting.


    "Hihi''irokane!"


    This was also a new name for Amadeus. Apparently, this was as rare as Meteoric Mithril and had the opposite properties. It was said that it would form within the flames of the sun and came from the same metal family as Orichalcum but obviously was a few stages higher that the latter.


    With these three materials, Amadeus'' felt the situation unbelievable. Feeling suspicious, Lily enquired about the origins of these three materials and found that, apart from the branch which was presented by an emissary from the Elven Kingdom, the other two material were from unknown origins. None of the servants remembered taking these metals from anyone. It was as if they appeared out of thin air.


    Amadeus went to touch the two metals, when Lily tried to top him before remembering his powers. She watched Amadeus hold the two and close his eyes.


    As soon as Amadeus held the two metals, he immediately felt a familiar feeling. He felt a bit of the sun''s essence inside the Hihi''irokane and the moon''s essence within the Meteoric Metal. Immediately, he felt his vision turn black and he appeared from in between the sun and moon. They would give off faint flashes as if saying,


    "Did you like out present?"


    Amadeus faintly smiled and nodded his head. Opening his eyes, the smile remained as he turned to his mother,


    "No need to find out. I know exactly who gave it to us."


    Lily was perplexed but nodded, trusting Amadeus. She then gave him a note with a slight grin. Amadeus looked at it and saw it was a letter, the letter stated:


    Dear Crown Prince Amadeus,


    Congratulations on your eighth birthday and awakening. I regret to inform you that we don''t have the right birthday present to give as you dragons are wealthy enough.


    I, Varrulir Ferrarius, the current chief of Dwarves and the descendant of the God of Forge swear upon my name, that I would create my best weapon with the materials I provide for you. Or, I would create my best Weapon and my best Armour with materials you provide. However, the second option is only valid if you provide the best materials anyone in the world has to offer.


    Yours Sincerely,


    Varrulir Ferrarius.


    P.S. a keg of the best draconic wine would allow us to perform out best.


    Amadeus got the same grin, lily had to the letter. It was as if everything was a jigsaw puzzle, falling into the right places making it complete. Lily had an epiphany and ordered all the blacksmiths to stop the process of making a saddle and armour for Sleipnir. Considering that this pie had just fell out of the sky, might as well make the most out of it.

 23 Journey

    The next day, a havoc was created in the horse industry. Many people wanted to know how to get Amadeus'' horse. This caused all the other nations to learn of the crown prince''s mighty steed. A young looking beautiful black colt nearing the size an average warhorse. Blood red fire for its mane and tail, ruby red eyes, dark red hooves and a sharp red horn. Eight legs carry the horse allowing it to flight. This was the general description, but no records were found of that specific horse.


    This indicated that it was a new horse that had just been bred. They then tried to find out breeding methods and horses that met at least one of its descriptions. Yet, it was to no avail. What scared them though that one of the horses that had a similarity was a unicorn, a magical beast. One by one they found records of horses that met at least one condition and started to sweat drop. Each one of them was an extremely powerful and rare magical beast.


    They now started wondering on how the dragons landed their hands on these mythical horses when another troubling news was heard. More than half these beasts were stated in various scripts that they could only be found in one god''s domain, the God of War. This led to many speculations, but the main character of these speculations was calmly walking alongside a carriage.


    That very carriage was seen leaving the palace. It wasn''t a luxurious one but was one of the biggest. It was pulled by a pair of wingless earth wyverns. Wyverns weren''t considered part of the pure-blooded dragons rather they only had a bit of dragon blood. Other than that, they were just normal albeit special demonic beasts. A wyvern can evolve into a dragon but that is extremely rare.


    The wyverns that were dragging the purple carriage had a familiar build to the stegosaurus but covered in brownish black scales. The carriage had beautiful golden designs surrounding it and had 4 rather large wheels. Inside it was an excited Amadeus as this was the first time he was leaving the palace alone and the empire altogether. He was going to the Mountains of Ferrarius to meet with the Dwarf chief. It was a trip that spanned half the empire due to the capital being in the middle of the empire. The simple yet elegant carriage was only flanked by Sleipnir.


    Although they could fly there, Amadeus didn''t want to as he wanted to experience how to properly travel. While they were walking, two squads of blades sitting on top of warhorses surrounded the carriages. There was a total of 100 blades surrounding Amadeus. All of their armours had a strap on their right arm indicating their rank. The leader three stars indicating his rank as the commander of these 99 blades. He walked on the other side of Sleipnir. While Sleipnir walked on the left side where the door was, the commander rode his horse next to the window on the right.


    Looking out the window, Amadeus questioned,


    "How long will it take to get there, Eras?"


    Eras, the commander replied,


    "It should take us a week to get there if we travel like this the whole way."


    Amadeus nodded as he returned inside.


    "Let me know when we leave the capital."


    "Yes, your highness."


    Amadeus reigned in his excitement as he took a seat and remembered his hurried leave. He had to leave before Arius woke up otherwise the young lad would cry a lot. Eriko who was sitting in front of him closed the curtains as Amadeus lied down. His group of maids started taking care of him as the carriage went past the walls.


    The convoy instantly attracted attention especially the royal family''s crest on the carriage. As for who was in the carriage, seeing Sleipnir on the side of the carriage answered their questions. Sleipnir instantly attracted the attention of many onlookers while the females started tip toe and try to peek inside the carriage. The formation set up by the blades allowed no one to come even close. Plus, their aura was enough to deter anyone trying to approach. Looking up they saw two dragons circling, looking out for any troublemakers.


    Amadeus once more looked out the window and saw that they had left the inner circle and entered the outer one. The inner circle was full of government buildings, noble''s residences, academies and schools. There were schools littered round the capital with free education teaching the necessities like reading and writing.


    He had now entered where most of the commoners lived. Looking out he saw them bow to the carriage and carry on with their daily lives. He saw the carefree smile they had on their faces and the joyful ones on their children. He wouldn''t mind this lifestyle, rather he craved it, but he knew that it was impossible for him. As a dragon and the crown prince he had a duty to protect them.


    Seeing their faces, a rather simple saying entered his head, ignorance is bliss.


    The convoy came to an abrupt halt causing Amadeus to fall forwards, only to caught by Eriko. Straightening himself, Eriko shouted at the driver,


    "What happened?!"


    "A group of kids just ran in front of the convoy, ma''am."


    Outside, the group of kids looked fearfully at the lead soldier who had an awkward look on his face though no one could see it due to his mask. He didn''t know how to proceed as he got off the horse, hesitating what to do. He seemed to try and calm the kid down while keeping his hands back, but they just started to cry. The rest of his comrades found this situation funny as they gloated at his misfortune.


    "You kids, okay?"


    Seeing the scary armoured man get closer, all the kids started bawling stopping the blade from getting near them. This had attracted quite the crowd as onlookers looked at the scene. Inside the carriage Amadeus heard the crying,


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    "What are they doing?"


    The driver''s voice was heard,


    "The lead blade tried to check up on the kids, but they seem to find his scary, your highness"


    Sighing lightly, he turned to Eriko with hopeful eyes, who in turn just gave a helpless smile,


    "I''ll take care of it, your highness."


    Seeing the carriage door open, everyone was tensed thinking that the Crown Prince was about to come out. Much to the female''s disappointment it was just a maid that attracted the gaze of the males.


    Eriko had grown into a beautiful slender lady. She was now 20 years old and had grown perfectly. Her white cat ears and tail glistened in the light, with her maid outfit causing it to stand out. No skin was shown from below her neck causing her maid outfit to be rather tight. Her white hair was pulled back into a high ponytail showing off her tender nape.


    Carrying herself with dignity, she came in front and crouched down to eye level with the kids. Seeing the beautiful onee-san they slowly stopped crying and sunny smiles were plastered on their faces soon. Eriko seemed to be able to calm them down and make them laugh.


    A messenger was sent to locate their parents as it seemed they had come a far away from home. Amadeus started to get bored within the and made everyone know that he was leaving. The blades immediately straightened up and had their weapons ready as they started to vigilantly look round.


    With a bit of change in the formation, even the one that had gotten off had come back and readied himself. Everyone noticed the commotion as Sleipnir whined a little and trotted to the carriage doors side. Everyone was about to kneel when they heard a beautiful voice resound in their ears,


    "No need."


    Amadeus exited the carriage and immediately sat on top off Sleipnir while the crowd halted and got back up. They immediately looked up, only to see a veiled Amadeus. Disappointment was written on the girl''s faces as they tried to bend down and get a glimpse to no avail.


    Suddenly a black streak flew towards Amadeus from the back. Amadeus noticed this but didn''t dodge as that meant that he would put the kids in danger. And it was also because he didn''t need to dodge. With a shout, Eras was already in front of it and struck the projectile mid-flight to the side while screaming,


    "Assassination! Protect his highness!"


    Immediately all the blades tightly surrounded Amadeus.


    "ROOOOOOAAAAAR!"


    "ROOOOOOAAAAAR!"


    The two dragons saw what had happened and gave earth shaking roars. Hearing this, a few more roars were heard in the distance. Before he could do anything, Amadeus was pushed back into the carriage despite his protests and his carriage was heavily surrounded. Eriko was also thrown in a rather unsightly manner as the surrounding onlookers scrambled.


    Before they could even move, various portals appeared with the imperial guards exiting.


    Inside Amadeus didn''t know what was happening outside as the formations within the carriage had activated. Amadeus wasn''t allowed near any of the carriage''s openings and all he could hear was various shouting and people running about.


    It wasn''t long until Amadeus was allowed out, and when he was no one was around. The kids were gone, and everything was back to normal, except for the now deserted trip. Eras looked at Amadeus,


    "Your highness. Do you want to continue the trip?"


    Amadeus nodded. He wouldn''t let this little setback disrupt his plan from getting his weapon and armour made from the best blacksmith currently alive with the best materials anyone could find. The assassin was found dead and he knew that his father would take care of the rest.


    Amadeus did feel slightly useless in the previous assassination attempt but knew that he just needed time to get stronger. So, with renewed determination, he started to go through all the basics he received when he awakened.


    By the time they left the capital, they had garnered everyone''s attention as well as the higher ups of the other nations. Upon knowing that the surroundings were safe, Amadeus was let out the carriage so he could train and ride Sleipnir. This resulted in him barely spending time in the carriage.


    Amadeus would start riding on the horse and train his stability while on it, he would then spend training his powers whenever they stopped to rest. Whenever there was an abundance of trees, he would ride Sleipnir in between the trees to improve his horsemanship and spar with the blades on horseback.


    At sun set he would train both his powers while at midnight, he would train his ice abilities. When the sun rose, he would once more train both his abilities and train his fire abilities at midday. This had slowly become more and more of a training journey and it wasn''t until the second day that they encountered something,

 24 Mercenaries

    The convoy were moving forwards like usual when Amadeus saw something up ahead. A breeze brought the smell of fresh blood and an upturn carriage entered his view. Bringing the convoy to a halt, Amadeus brought Eras and another blade to check upon the situation up front. With Sleipnir in the lead, Amadeus and the other two got to the carriage only to see blood covering the ground and no signs of the bodies.


    While Eras and the other blade looked through the surroundings Amadeus walked towards the carriage. He found the door to be opened and it was mostly empty when he looked inside. Useless goods that would slow a convoy down were left behind. The owners of the carriage seemed to have taken all the valuable things and left the extra weight.


    While he was inspecting the goods, Eras'' voice called for him.


    "Your highness!"


    Coming out of the carriage, Amadeus saw Eras standing above an uneven ground. It was a spot to the side of the road, and traces of it being dug up was seen. Eras inspected the ground and turned to Amadeus,


    "It''s a grave, your highness."


    Putting two and two together, the grave should contain the victims of the attack that had most likely occurred here. Amadeus nodded while the other blade''s voice rang out,


    "Your Highness! Sir!"


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    Following the voice, they were called further off the road where they saw the blade standing next to a pile of dead bodies. These bodies had rough, damaged armour and weapons surrounding them with clear traces of blood on them. On the parts, there were countless bite marks and pieces of flesh missing. It seemed that before the blade got here, they were currently being feasted on by animals. It was truly a horrifying sight, seeing dismembered body parts all clustered onto one pile.


    When Amadeus looked at it, he felt nothing surprising him. It was the first time Amadeus had seen dead bodies of a humanoid race. He expected it to disgust him but looking at him made his feel slightly unsettled but that was it. It seemed that being a dragon and awakening had made him lose the humanity he had in him, making his disposition more like a dragon''s.


    Inspecting the bodies, they had lost their heat and most of their blood. Looking at their armour Amadeus found a tattoo of a wolf on their necks. Proceeding further, he found the same tattoo on the other bodies. Some on the neck, some on an arm and the like.


    Turning to Eras he asked,


    "These Tattoos where are they from?"


    Eras looked carefully at the tattoos and came to a conclusion,


    "They seem to be from the mountain wolf bandits."


    "Bandits?"


    Eras knew what he was thinking,


    "Yes, your highness, bandits do exist. Although, the empire regularly cleans these bandits off the map, there are always new emerging ones that take their place. At first, they commit thievery, and something goes wrong causing them to escape the cities. With nowhere else to turn to, the result to becoming bandits."


    Amadeus nodded,


    "So, wherever there is light, there will always be shadows."


    Eras looked surprised before nodding in turn,


    "Indeed, your highness."


    The blade then found traces of footsteps near it. Looking at them Amadeus deduced,


    "That footstep is deeper than the other meaning that the person must''ve been injured when he walked away from here. He didn''t cover his tracks, possibly because he was in a hurry. Either escaping from something, or to quickly report their failure¡­"


    Looking around some more, Amadeus continued,


    "Seeing that it was the only track, balancing the probability, it seemed that it was the latter. Otherwise he would be escaping from something that doesn''t walk on the ground to move about."


    The other two nodded, while Eras looked astonished.


    "It seems your observation skills have improved, your highness."


    Amadeus coughed to cover his proud look before he started to look through the bodies and the traces of blood. Concluding that the bodies could only have been dead for about a day, the party made their way back to the carriage and carried on their journey. They would most likely encounter the bandits further on, if that escaped bandit made the report.


    Further ahead of the party, a convoy of about six caravans had just halted their journey to rest for the night. The atmosphere surrounding the caravans was heavy as all of them had tired expressions. Alongside, some had eyes that had lost hope, and some had grieving ones.


    They had found a clearing and had surrounded themselves with the caravan. Armoured men took patrols round the campsite while some others tended to the injured. The leader of the caravan was a short fat man that wore lavish clothes and was filled with jewellery from head to toe. Judging from his constant sweat and pig like ears, it was easy to tell that it was a pig demi-human. Currently he was barking at an armoured middle-aged man. He had black hair that was whitening on the sides and one black eye. The other eye had a scar running long from the top of his head to the top of his cheek. His average face spoke of the various experiences that he had gone through in his life alongside the many hurdles the man had to overcome.


    The emblem of a sword and spear crisscrossing behind a skull was plastered onto his armoured breastplate, just where the heart was. The faint scratches and scars on his metal armour dictated the many fights he had gone through. Overall, he was a veteran of the battlefield.


    "What do you mean that they will be back?"


    "I didn''t say that they will, I said it is a possibility-"


    "I don''t care, you do what you have to do to protect me! I still haven''t forgiven you for abandoning a carriage¡­"


    What followed was a series of complaints as the armoured man took the brunt of the pig demi-human''s grievances. It wasn''t until half an hour later that he was able to leave. Leaving the man behind, the veteran returned to his post.


    "You okay, captain?"


    A much younger armoured person called out to him. The man was the captain of the mercenary group that was in charge of protecting the caravans. Mercenaries were just adventurers but also different. Mercenaries had their own guild and also took on requests for money, but their job was mostly things like protect this caravan or help fight alongside an army. Mercenary groups numbered in the tens and it was very rare to come across a group that had less than ten and even more rare were the solitary one.


    Mercenaries had more freedom and could take on any job they could find as long as it didn''t hurt the interests of the guild. While most adventurers were either solitary or a team comprised of a few individuals they had more rules and regulations. They couldn''t take on certain jobs and was orientated with fighting monsters or exploring caves.


    This basically meant that mercenaries were mostly hired to handle situations where the opposite army is a fellow individual while adventurers explored the unknown and fought of monsters. This didn''t mean that they could only take those kinds of jobs, sometime adventurers would take on caravan protecting mission and the like, but they were forbidden in meddling with a country''s affairs, unless there were special circumstances.


    The mercenary group that he was captain of was called The Black Skulls. He was known as Leonard the Skull crusher due to the rather large great sword he carried. It was of a simple design that put usefulness and efficiency above design.


    The younger looking mercenary gulped when he looked at the sword behind Leonard. He remembered how the captain had swung the sword around effortlessly, reaping lives as if harvesting crops. Nothing seemed to stop a swing of that sword. He had heard that if the captain wanted to become and adventurer, he would easily be able to be a high ranked one.


    Leonard had tiredness in his eyes as another guard came up next to him.


    "Sir, your shift''s over, get some rest."


    Leonard nodded slightly as he returned to his tent to catch some sleep. Although he could effortlessly swing the sword around, he would still be exhausted after continuously using it. Entering his tent, a melodious voice was heard from inside,


    "Father, you''re back."


    "Yes Velia. How''s your day been?"


    "It''s been ok,"


    Leonard sighed lightly thinking why he even asked that question. He was the one that had forbidden her from leaving the tent. It was lucky that the previous attack didn''t disclose her identity as he didn''t want any harm to the girl that he called daughter. Although they weren''t blood related, he considered her a daughter.


    He had found her when she was just a little child, all alone on one of his missions. She was cold, abandoned and hungry when he took her in. At first, she was wary of him but slowly warmed up to him and started to call him ''father''. Although he didn''t tell anyone, this was his last mission, he wanted to find a rural area so she could grow up peacefully without repercussion of her identity.


    Looking towards her, he marvelled at her beauty, wondering how someone could be born beautiful. There were no lustful thoughts in his head as he looked at the odd Harpy in front of him. She looked to be around 10 years of age with waist-length, pitch black hair and deep onyx eyes that stood out compared to her pale skin. She looked like a normal human but with slightly pointed ears and two black wings sprouting from her back.


    Harpy''s were known to have light coloured feather, from silver, grey and white. Leonard had never heard of one with black feathers and his intuition told him that her existence was feared by others. Still, he didn''t care as she was his daughter and he would go to any lengths to protect her. He had given her an artefact in the shape of a necklace to hide her wings.


    Finally lying down, Leonard immediately fell asleep, rather unwillingly. He couldn''t help it; he was just too tired from the attack and the escape. Velia saw her father fall asleep as she looked at him with a sad expression. She had remembered when she hatched from her egg, how the other''s reacted. Although she looked like a ten-year-old, she was actually five. Harpies were born from eggs and came out looking like five-year olds.


    She had seen how everyone looked at her with fear, not fearing her power, but fearing a being that was the same yet so different, fearing something unknown. Her being the innocent one, was happy seeing her mother who in turn looked away and isolated her. She wasn''t just isolated by her mother, but rather the whole community. She got the least food and stayed alone. The only reason that she wasn''t killed was because she was still one of them, no matter how different she looked.


    Looking at all the other children happily playing, she wondered why she received such different treatment. Looking back, she realised that it was her wings, her pitch-black wings. Slowly she came to hate these very wings. They were the cause of my misery. They were the cause of my isolation.


    However, within she knew that these wings were untouchable, they were her pride. Ironic that something she hated were the cause of the prideful feeling in her heart. Harming them was like someone harming a dragon''s reverse scale.


    One day, she woke up to find that the nest had migrated. She had been abandoned. She was stuck on the ground as no one had taught her how to fly. She cried that day, cried at her misfortune, cried at her weakness. She tried flapping her wings to no avail, she would lift off a few feet but fall right back down.


    As all hope had been lost, she had encountered a being. A being like her but with more round ears and no wings. It was an unusual creature that hid her despicable wings from others, trying stupid things to make her laugh. Slowly she had warmed up to him and after reading a book, started to call him father. She remembered the first time she said it had brought a happy smile onto his face, it was the first time she had seen such a face.


    Yet now she was looking at the same smiling face, the same smile that brought her incomparable happiness. The same smile that brought warmth in her heart, slowly collapse in front of her. Her whole world immediately lost colour as time slowed. She looked at those eyes that held love and warmth for her slowly drop down due to a wound to his back from protecting her.

 25 Attack

    "Are you okay, young lady?"


    A much younger Leonard looked at the ragged child in front of him. She wasn''t wearing anything, and her black hair, eyes and wings stood out alongside her sickly pale white skin. Her scrawny body and her vigilant eyes full of distrust indicated the maltreatment she received. Despite the constant rumble of her stomach, she didn''t seem to be embarrassed about it but rather look around to see if he had any accomplices.


    Hearing her stomach, Leonard immediately went through his backpack and took out a stale bread. It wasn''t the best, but it was good enough for the work he did. Stretching his hand out, he tried to give her the bread, but she just took a step back. The closer he got, the more she would retreat.


    It was only until much persistence that she dropped her guard and took the bread from his hand. Sniffing a little, she found that there was nothing wrong with it and immediately dug in. Giving out a satisfying sigh, she realised that she was still in front of a stranger. She immediately jumped and got back her previous vigilant posture.


    "Hahahaha!"


    Seeing this, Leonard started laughing as he found it cute that she was embarrassed like such. The girl, on the other hand, felt a blush out of embarrassment surface onto her face.


    ¡­


    "My name''s Leonard, what is yours?"


    The girl didn''t know how to speak as she cutely tilted her head.


    "Don''t tell me you can''t speak."


    Still getting no response, it was pretty simple for Leonard to tell that she didn''t.


    ¡­


    "That is a squirrel."


    Pointing at a picture of a squirrel he turned to Velia to pronounce it.


    "Sq-squiwwel."


    A determined look was on her face when she repeated after Leonard, striking him in his heart with her cuteness. Leonard had given her the name Velia when he found out she didn''t have one.


    ¡­


    *Bang!*


    Velia rushed through the inn door and looked towards Leonard. Calming her breath, she said one word that brought a happy smile to the latter''s face,


    "F-f-fath-father."


    ¡­


    "Keep your posture steady, regulate your breathing¡­"


    In a training field, Leonard instructed Velia in using a great sword. It wasn''t a real one, but a wooden one for the purpose of training. Leonard wanted her to train in another weapon, but she insisted on learning this because he used it.


    ¡­


    Memories of her father flashed through her eyes. When they laughed together, when they cried together. He had bought colour into her original dull world and now that same dullness slowly crept into her heart.


    Inside she felt something awakening from the depths of her body. She felt something that wanted to be released. Something thing that had been caged since time immemorial. She couldn''t stop it as she felt it cover her marrows, her organs and slowly seeped to her skin.


    Everyone was surprised seeing the girl in front slowly have a black miasma surround her.


    - Earlier -


    Leonard woke up just before sun rise due to his natural alarm clock. Looking around the tent, he saw Velia sleeping peacefully and got ready. Making his way outside, he felt the morning breeze and how some people had also started waking up to get moving. By the time the convoy had started moving, the sun had already shown itself over the horizon.


    The carriage travelled peacefully throughout the day, having their lunch on foot to quickly get out of this area. A hooded Velia was walking next to Leonard when she noticed something far ahead of them. She didn''t think much of it but the closer they got, the more unsettled she was. As the feeling grew, she told Leonard who in turn had just barely spotted them.


    "Too late now. Look, they''ve already seen us and are coming here."


    Seeing he dust cloud up ahead, Leonard ordered everyone to get ready. The first wave of bandits stopped in front of them halting the convoy. A second wave surrounded them, and the pig demi-human was already shot dead for trying to reason with them. They now naturally knew that it was do or die, mainly for the men. A worse fate awaited the females of the group regardless of their age.


    Leonard immediately sent for Velia to get cover and hide herself until this ordeal was done. However, as time passed engaging the enemies, Leonard felt the hope in his heart slowly seep out and aa scream shattered the remaining pieces left.


    The bandits were relentless in their attacks, tiring him out using quantities. Although he had killed many, more were slowly surrounding him. That scream was from an all too familiar voice and as he turned around, he saw the extent of the damage caused by the attack. More than half of the mercenary group were laid to rest and their souls on a journey to the River Styx. The remaining ones were trying their best to hold on for dear life.


    Leonard felt his heart bleed seeing their numbers cut down, they were his brothers in arm, people who had travelled with him through thick and thin, yet they were either dead or on the verge of losing their lives.


    What worried him more was his adopted daughter; it was naturally her scream that pulled his attention. Just then he saw Velia running away from a bandit who had a lustful smile. Her hooded robe that covered her was only left with a hood covering her face as she desperately escaped from her attacker. Yet her small, weak legs couldn''t take her far and she was quickly apprehended.


    "No! Let me go!"


    She bit the hand, but another came and smacked her across the face. This resulted in her necklace falling off and her features shown to the entire world as she fell headfirst on to the ground like a sack of potatoes.


    Her black wings started to frantically wave about as she got up trying to escape but the astonishment from the attacker was quickly replaced greed. Gone was the lustful look, he knew that the money this could bring was unthinkable.


    "Looks like we hit the jackpot boys!!"


    The other bandits started laughing as their attacks got fiercer. Soon they lost one more person and the other''s started to feel weak from the pressure.


    "Nooo!"


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    Hearing their laughter, blood filled Leonard''s eyes, and with a roar he swung his sword around decapitating the nearby enemies. The pressure the others were facing, lessened slightly as the bandits started to concentrate on their attacks on Leonard. This didn''t impede Leonard though as he took one step at a time reaping lives left and right. One step, one swing, and at least one head would fall.


    This naturally left him in a terrible state, but it seemed that the anger got to his head as he ignored the wounds. Before long he was in front of Velia''s attacker and swung his sword splitting him in half.


    He turned to Velia with a smile as he quickly looked for any injuries. There seemed to be nothing as he let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly her shout brought him out of his thoughts,


    "Father!"


    Looking at her horrified look, he saw a bandit appear behind him through the reflection on her eyes. He tried to turn around but realised that his body wasn''t able to. He was too tired; wounds crisscrossed his body and exhaustion filled his mind. Lifting a finger was harder than ever and before he knew it, he felt something entering his body and leaving it. He saw the sword come through his torso before it was quickly retracted.


    It was one of many wounds and wasn''t the most painful as the pain from the others drowned it out. It was however the most vital one and strength was lost in his legs. He saw the face of despair on his daughter''s face as he tried giving her his signature smile of not to worry. It was probably the most crooked one he had ever done.


    It wasn''t the same for Velia as it was the same as ever.


    She was unable to hold back the entity that was inside her. It told her,


    ''Kill¡­Kill¡­Kill¡­''


    The more it was released the more frenzied the voice got,


    ''KILL¡­KILL...KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!''


    She didn''t know why she was holding it back. As a menacing smile plastered her face, her eyes turned a full black and her pure black smile reached her ears.


    The bandit that had gave the last attack on Leonard went to finish him off when he suddenly felt danger. It was the last thing he felt as his body was pierced by many black arrows. What followed was a massive explosion of mana attracting everyone''s attention. They all turned to a hovering girl that would flap her abyss like wings in the air. Looking into her eyes was like looking into the abyss as was her smile. It was the most terrifying thing they had seen in their lives as many felt themselves lose their bowels and other couldn''t stop trembling.


    A distance away, another bandit with a more luxurious armour was looking at the events unfolding. Seeing Velia act like such he started smiling,


    "It seems we have really hit the jackpot."


    Saying his piece, he immediately whipped his horse and made his way towards the caravans. An especially organised group of bandits followed after him.


    ON the other side, Amadeus'' party also felt the mana explosion and looked towards it. They were still far from the location but as dragon''s they were more attuned with magic so most of them could feel the explosion. The non-draconic members were strong enough to feel the explosion.


    Knowing that it would be a proper fight, armour started to appear around Amadeus out of thin air and latch onto his body. It was just like the blades'' samurai armour yet more luxurious and purple with gold lines. The dragon on the helmet had two hands growing beneath it with four claws and looked life like. Mounting Sleipnir, Amadeus took out his favourite weapon. A Chinese Halberd, more specifically, the Hsu Quandao.


    It was about two metres long and a crescent moon shaped blade was placed onto the top. The blade had another smaller blade emerging from the middle of the inner curve. At the other end of the pole was a rather smaller dagger like blade. Both the armour and weapon were stored in a ring he was wearing and with a little manipulation it took just a thought to have it equipped at a moment''s will.


    Standing in front, the only one that didn''t have armour was Sleipnir but currently it didn''t matter as he felt that normal weapons won''t be able to harm the horse anyway. Standing in front of all the blades, Amadeus felt excitement within his bones. He was living the dream. It wasn''t exactly the cold weaponry war he was imagining but where else would there be an eight-year-old leading a cavalry to charge. Not exactly cavalry but it was still similar.


    Standing in front, Amadeus didn''t know what to say and j roared,


    "Charge!"


    "Bu-"


    "Shut up! Arrow Formation!"


    Blurting out a simple formation designed for piercing enemy lines he took position as the tip of the arrow and sped forwards. Behind him, was a rather reluctant Eras and the blades who didn''t want Amadeus to take the lead, but they couldn''t do anything else. He had taken charge and had also overwritten Aras'' command and all they could do was listen to his commands. Amadeus didn''t know it yet, but a slight regal aura befitting an emperor was unintentionally released when he screamed.


    It was unbelievable but what was? Right now, he as an eight-year-old was leading a cavalry, who were composed of powerful dragons, while holding a two-metre-long weapon on an eight-legged, horned, fire breathing, flying horse. It seemed that just due to Amadeus'' existence that the common sense of the world started to question itself on what was happening.


    ***********************************


    Author''s note


    Changed Sylis to Velia.


    For her power, imagine Frankenstein''s power from Noblesse, just pure black and more smoky. Not like his that''s like a liquid and attaches itself onto him.


    For his weapon, just google Hsu Quandao.


    As for plans on romances, I don''t know. I know the general idea of the story but have nothing specifically planned ahead.


    Velia didn''t even exist in my mind until Leonard entered his tent. That''s the type of author I am, but I like it. I can read your comments and plan the future out. I wont take your suggestions word to word but some do inspire me, some don''t.

 26 Destroying Bandits

    The sun started its descent as it left its pinnacle position in the skies. Hundreds of men ran towards the now berserk Velia in an orderly manner behind the bandit leader. The leader was a rather large yet lean man that had overgrown sideburns. A wolf pelt rested on his shoulders as two massive scimitars hung on either side of him. He sported a rather large nose and fierce grey eyes while a wolf''s head was tattooed on his right cheek. A grin plastered his face as he looked at Velia like she was a treasure chest full of gold.


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    The latter though seemed to have lost all sense as she started killing all the bandits. She seemed to be dead set on taking out anything that looked like the first bandit she killed. There was a total of around 200 bandits that had attacked the convoy and only about 70 of them had suffered casualties before Velia''s awakening. This number had reached 100 when the bandit leader arrived. The reason why Velia only killed around thirty of them was because the bandit leader and his group weren''t very far from the convoy and that Velia took her time killing. She didn''t attack all the bandits at once, but she slowly killed the bandits one by one. Slowly killing them felt better than killing them quickly together. Plus, it had more of an impact.


    The remaining 100 then regrouped with the newly arrived ones as the remaining mercenaries lost all their hope. However, they were extremely loyal as the ones that had tried to escape had long been caught and killed. Inching backwards, they had Velia and their captain''s body behind them while in front were their enemies. There tattered armoured and chipped weapons were all they had to survive.


    As Velia once more went to attack, a groan was heard next to her causing a jolt to flash through her body. She immediately turned back to normal and went to check upon Leonard who was still unconscious. She checked and found that he was still breathing albeit faintly. The wounds were too dangerous and needed to be checked upon soon if there was any chance for him to live.


    The mercenaries surrounding them also heard the groan as they looked back to see their captain still alive. They quickly turned back only to see the bandits looking confused wondering why they were not attacking. One by one, they looked at the leader who had his eyes furrowed.


    There was a bad premonition in his heart as it grew bigger and bigger. He looked at the girl but realised that it wasn''t her, she didn''t have the same dangerous feeling from before. It wasn''t the heavily injured, unconscious man either, nor was it the mercenaries in front. Then what was causing this feeling?


    His instincts had never betrayed him but seeing the eager look on his subordinates and the big walking bag of money in front, he had to make a choice. So, for the first time in his life he went against his instincts and looked towards the group in front.


    "You have two choices! Surrender and drop your weapons, we will let you live or¡­"


    The leader didn''t finish it off but indicated their fate by unsheathing his weapons. Even he didn''t believe his words what more to say the veteran mercenaries in front. Sensing the atmosphere, Velia was about to change into her other form. The mercenaries got ready to defend while the bandits got excited.


    "It seems you have made your decision! So, you choose the path of death!"


    As soon as he finished, the bandits shouted and were about to charge towards them when they all came to a halt.First it was one then the others followed with the leader also halting his charge. The mercenaries looked confused while Velia also stopped transforming and looked behind them. The mercenaries felt the ground shaking a little with the pebbles on the floor jumping around. A faint dust cloud entered Velia''s vision accompanied by a rumble. The leader also saw this as his instincts started ringing again but this time with more vigour.


    All they could see was a dust cloud getting closer until they saw hints of red within it. The closer the dust cloud got, the clearer it was.


    Until it was fully clear. While fear emerged in the eyes of the bandits, hope reignited within the mercenaries while confusion was plastered on Velia''s face. If it was a normal army then the bandit leader had confidence in escaping but what had appeared shattered all his hopes.


    Blood red armour that carried the faint smell of blood and the aura just radiating from one weakened his knees. They felt like an ant caught in the middle of a pack of wildebeest rushing over them, they couldn''t do anything but wait until they left. But these guys seem to be here from them so he couldn''t just wait for them to pass.


    What scared the bandits even more was the massive carriage that was right behind them and didn''t lose out to the speed of the group approaching. Seeing the two dragon-like creatures pulling the carriage frightened them even more until they saw the odd one out of the group of armoured warriors.


    Judging by size of the armour alone, it looked like a little kid but seeing what it was carrying as a weapon and the monstrosity he was riding made them question their decisions in life. It seemed that just by seeing the charge, made them fall back onto the right path, but by the time they decided to ask for forgiveness, the group of armoured warriors were already upon them.


    Most of them had tried to escape various directions but some of the blades jumped out and landed in front of them in their dragon forms.


    "ROOOOAAAARRR!"


    Scaring the living daylights out of them, the cowards just fell unconscious while the ones that remained in their positions, braced for the impact. The leader tried to send people to impede their charge, but none followed. Some people directly threw their weapons down while some still tried to escape. These were the ones that did the more vicious things and knew that what awaited them was death even if they surrendered.


    "I''m going ahead."


    Picking up speed, Amadeus left the other blades as he felt his grin widen, lowering his body and he pointed his weapon at the first victim. Swiping his blade, he chopped of the head of one who still hadn''t surrendered and continued moving forwards, killing anyone that came in his way. Some tried to fight back but they couldn''t even touch him. He was on a horse while they were on foot, he had the natural advantage.


    Amadeus just continued straight when he reached the middle where Velia and the other mercenaries were. He didn''t even stop but just directly jumped over them, continuing his assault on the defenceless bandits. Only one thing was in his mind, it was the bandit leader. Just then, the blade had reached the bandits as they finished off some that Amadeus had left. It was a weird feeling for them, picking off the leftovers, they felt that it wasn''t the first time where they would have to pick off his leftovers.


    Velia looked at Amadeus with sparkly eyes as she watched him reap lives whenever he swung his halberd. Amadeus just continued to attack anyone with a weapon, refusing to hear anyone out. Now, a normal attack against bandits like this would go differently. Firstly, the soldiers would shout for surrender, then the bandits would either reply by fleeing or, if they were confident, throw a few remarks of their own. What would follow was a fierce confrontation where most of the bandits would surrender, some would have successfully escaped while some would be killed.


    With Amadeus in the lead, the first two steps were completely negated while he jumped straight to the last one. From the perspective of the bandits, it was completely unheard of because as soon as their attacker appeared, they didn''t even hear a single word from him. If you were holding a weapon you would have to say goodbye to your life. The ones behind him seemed more reasonable so they quickly made their escape from Amadeus towards the blades.


    Amadeus didn''t notice this as there was only one person in his eyes. Seeing his rather shocked eyes he jumped straight at the leader who also replied with a swing of both his scimitars. The three blades clashes causing wind to be blown outwards as Amadeus'' charge finally came to a halt.


    The two looked at each other as Amadeus judged the leader''s strength,


    ''He must at least be in the ranks of high-level adventurer.''


    The leader was able to black Amadeus'' strike while he was in the middle of a charge, halting Amadeus and Sleipnir easily while he himself was stationary. Although the leader looked fine, he realised that the horse he was sitting on was now injured. The impact needed to travel somewhere so while Sleipnir looked fine the horse the leader was sitting on did not fare well.


    Jumping off, he saw his opposition also do the same and they stood a few yards away from each other. Seeing his opponent do the same sent the leader''s thoughts into chaos,


    ''Is he underestimating me? Is he confident enough to go against me?''


    While the leader was occupied by his thoughts Amadeus felt his blood pumping through his body. Adrenaline had long kicked in as excitement filled his marrows. Not waiting for the leader to sort out his thoughts, Amadeus made the first move and thrust his halberd forward.


    Amadeus knew that the leader''s strength and agility should be twice his while the rest of the stats like the resistance ones should be below his. Seeing the lack of strength from the kid, confidence grew within the leader as his attacks got more and more fiercer. Yet Amadeus was barely able to block his strikes and counterattack using pure technique and skill. While the leader had advantages over stats and experience, Amadeus was able to match him using techniques. This just meant that the things he was taught when being trained be Caesar were no normal technique.


    Amadeus had confidence in killing him instantly, but he wanted to hone his instincts and sharpen his experience. The leader started to feel that more of Amadeus'' strikes started to land on him, while Amadeus started to get the upper hand. As soon as all the bandits were rounded up, Amadeus finished his fight with the leader by decapitating him. Swinging his blade to the side, he threw off the blood on the blade as he looked back and fell forwards.


    "Your highness!"


    The blades immediately rushed to Amadeus and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that he had just passed out due to exhaustion. The unconscious Amadeus was sent into the carriage while a messenger bird was sent to nearest city.

 27 Velia and Leonard

    Only when the group of soldiers arrived to take the bandits away, did Amadeus wake up. He slowly opened his eyes only to see him lying on a makeshift bed with a group of worried maids nursing him. His wounds had already healed but the scars on his now broken armour were still there.


    His armour had long since been taken off and he came out sporting a rather simple violet robe. Looking at the all the bandits rounded up and cuffed, he ignored them and went to where the mercenary group was currently staying.


    Walking in that direction, many blades surrounded him while the city guards and the others kneeled. He wasn''t wearing his veil, but none dared to face up and look at their future emperor directly. Still with the blades surrounding him, one could barely see the eight-year-old surrounded by the grown men.


    Reaching the area where the mercenaries were, only the black winged girl could be seen standing next to the body of a middle-aged man. A doctor was tending to his injuries while the girl carefully looked with a cold face yet gentle look. Feeling a presence behind her, she turned around only to look at a set of gem like eyes. Although she was temporarily dazed, a cold look immediately replaced it.


    Amadeus didn''t care for it; he had long known that not everyone would be enchanted by his beauty and it was a relief finding someone that wasn''t. Smiling slightly, he carefully looked at the girl up and down then, she was really a beauty. Amadeus didn''t feel lust after her but interest,


    "Who are you?"


    "Velia, I''m a Harpy."


    Her cold voice was quick to the point. The other mercenaries were surprised hearing the cold voice as it showed some lack of emotions.


    "You''re not a harpy. There is no such thing as a black-winged harpy."


    "Bu-"


    Amadeus cut her off,


    "I have a faint idea of what you are¡­"


    "Then tell me!"


    This time Velia cut Amadeus off as she came extremely close to Amadeus. The two were unperturbed by the distance while Velia instinctively felt that Amadeus was telling the truth. Amadeus''s smile became more scheming as he looked at the innocent eyes of the girl,


    "No."


    He turned around, only for him to hear a thump from behind him. Turning back around, he saw Velia kneeling as a small plea was heard,


    "Please¡­"


    Amadeus continued to look at Velia before walking next to her. Bending down, he whispered into her ear,


    "Follow me."


    Velia was shocked as she looked back at Leonard then at Amadeus and was about to shake her head when Amadeus spoke up,


    "It will be better for him too, you will attract trouble, lots of trouble¡­"


    Velia got the faint idea before nodding. Amadeus stood back straight as held out his hand,


    "So, Velia, are you willing to follow me, Amadeus Drakos, Crown Prince of the Drakonis Empire?"


    What Velia did next shocked Amadeus. She brought her wings close, plucked out her feather and placed it on Amadeus'' hand while later grasping it with hers. Although, Amadeus knew she wasn''t a harpy, but going by their traditions, this was the sign of utmost loyalty.


    A joyful smile replaces his shocked look as he brought the girl up and looked at the metal like feather. It was pure black and Amadeus wondered where he should put it. His eyes widened slightly when he found the perfect place as he placed it on his ponytail. Now a feather was present where his hairband was holding his hair up.


    Leonard, who Amadeus presumed to be her carer, started waking up. Seeing the agitated look on Velia''s face, Amadeus patted her back and left alongside the blades.


    Leonard woke up, as his fuzzy mind cleared. A sharp pain helped as he tried getting up, agitating his wounds.


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    "Take it slow."


    A calm voice entered his ears as he looked up, only to see a gentle old man with a monocle packing his things which he assumed were his medical equipment. Nodding slightly, he looked around only to see Velia standing next to him. A smile surfaced only to see her eyes full of tears.


    "What happened?"


    Velia just nodded as she started crying and hugged Leonard. It hurt the latter, but he just kept it in. Only then was he able to see what was happening behind here. Looking past the mercenaries, he saw the bandits being taken away and a heavily guarded carriage off to the side. Looking at the crest and armours of the guards a shocked look plastered his face,


    "Tha-that-¡­"


    Words were difficult to come out at that moment, but a fellow mercenary answered his questions,


    "That''s the crown prince, he saved us."


    Nothing was said after that as Velia slowly started to stop weeping. Putting up a sad expression, the others got the impression that they two wanted to be left alone. Leaving the two, Velia started speaking amidst some chokes and sobs,


    "Thi¡­*sniff* this¡­is¡­*sniff*¡­goodbye, I don''t want to see you harmed¡­"


    Leonard was surprised seeing the look on Velia''s face, but a strict expression masked his face.


    "Why are you crying so much?"


    "Bu-"


    "I did not train my daughter to be a cry baby, but a strong warrior."


    This put a stop onto Velia''s cry, but she had a cute crying face on.


    "Now properly explain."


    Velia went on to explain why she was leaving as Leonard calmly listened.


    "¡­I don''t want to see you hurt father, especially if the reason is me."


    "So, you will now follow the crown prince."


    It would be a lie to say that he wasn''t reluctant to part with Velia but knowing that she would be in the safe hands of the royal family relieved him. Unknowingly tears started to come out as he started speaking,


    "Then¡­*sniff* you¡­will¡­*sniff*¡­visit¡­your¡­old¡­man¡­"


    Velia also started having tears in her eyes as she nodded,


    "*sniff*yes*sniff*"


    Then, as if on cue, a racket caused by both of them, shocked not just the mercenaries, but the blades as well.


    "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"


    "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"


    Looking in their directions, the blades thought it was an enemy attack, while Amadeus jumped up in shock. Looking outside, he saw Velia and the middle-aged man hugging and tears gushing out their eyes.


    Shaking his head, he went back inside. It wasn''t for a while until Velia entered the carriage. Amadeus saw the middle-aged man being led away in a different carriage to the nearest city. Looking at Velia, he let Erika get to work and when the carriage had started moving, she was already in a maid outfit.


    Seeing the girl being lectured by Erika, he looked outside and watched the beautiful scenery fly past them. It wasn''t until when night had descended, did they reach their next town for rest. Their entrance was a little unexpected for the mayor, but they wanted to be discreet. They had arrived when most of the people were in bed and left when they first had woken up.


    The rest of the journey was rather quite as Amadeus continued training while Erika trained Velia. The report that came in for Amadeus was that she was a natural born assassin. It wasn''t long until they finally reached the empire''s borders.

 28 Duke of the Norths castle

    What came into view was a large fortress city acting like a checkpoint. Serpent like queues stretched from the gate that was caused by the inspection of travellers, merchants and adventurers thinking to enter the city. As the convoy approached, large clearing was made while all the people surrounding made way and bowed. The inspections were temporarily halted as a group of soldiers ran out. In the middle of them was Quyen and Rada while the twins were behind them.


    As the two groups neared, Amadeus left the carriage to meet them in the middle.


    "Haha, your highness, handsome like always."


    Rada gave a slight giggle while Quyen just gave a small honest smile. The twins didn''t say anything while Amadeus smiled back,


    "You jest Duchess¡­"


    Rada was expecting a similar compliment but seeing the sheepish smile on Amadeus, she immediately knew that it wasn''t coming. Feeling a bit down, Quyen gave out a laugh before turning to Amadeus,


    "Come, your highness, it seems we have the honour of being the first duke household you will visit."


    Laughing lightly, the Duke then led Amadeus and his convoy to his mansion. The castle was a typical albeit massive medieval castle with flags sporting the walls. The flag of the duke was a black one with a golden dragon coiling in the middle. Entering through its massive gates, group of servants came and took Amadeus'' belongings while him, Erika, Velia, his maids and a small group of the strongest blades entered the castle.


    What entered Amadeus eyes was a simple yet elegant design while a pleasant earthly smell tickled his nose. Quyen, who was leading the group, asked Amadeus,


    "How long are you planning on staying your highness?"


    "Just the night, we will leave tomorrow at dawn."


    The jolly atmosphere surrounding the twins suddenly dampened as the both grabbed each of Amadeus'' arms,


    "Why can''t you stay for longer?"


    Chandra was the one asked as she hugged Amadeus'' right hand. She was also the one that had a ponytail on the left side of her head. Selene on the other side nodded at her elder sister''s question. The two looked up at Amadeus'' eyes with little kitten eyes and a pleading expression. Amadeus became stiff with these expressions and caved,


    "Fine¡­"


    A happy grin found the twin''s faces while Amadeus finished his sentence,


    "¡­we''ll leave at noon."


    The twins froze at his words while a cunning look flashed through his eyes. The duke and duchess started laughing as they made their way to the banquet. Quyen was sitting at one end of the table with Amadeus was sitting at the other. He was flanked by his wife and children while there was no one next to Amadeus. Velia was looking at the sumptuous food with bright shining eyes as drool started dripping from her mouth. Erika saw this and coughed, bringing the girl back to her senses. Quyen and Rada had a deep look at Velia as they concluded her race. With astonished looks, they saw Amadeus look at them with a smile,


    "I found it. She''s mine."


    The two just exchanged glances with a smile, they just sighed at the fortune of their crown prince. The rest of the evening passed by at the dining table while Velia got more and more shocked by what they ate and the amount of it. The meat of beasts that were served were as strong or even stronger than the ones her father defeated in his stories.


    Erika and the rest were used to this while the other person that was shocked was Amadeus. He had eaten the least here, yet he was already full. The twins had a pile of plates next to them while Quyen had a mountain next to him. After the three was Rada who had a small pile of plate next to her.


    Amadeus had wondered why the table was so large if there was only going to be five of them, so it seemed this was the reason. Quyen, looked at Amadeus with his mouth full,


    "Why aren''t you eating?"


    With a nervous laugh, Amadeus bit into a piece of meat,


    "I''m just starting."


    ¡­


    Amadeus laid down on his appointed bed with a satisfied stomach. Patting his stomach, he got the sudden urge to look out the window. Walking in front of it, he opened the curtains just when a knock was heard on the door.


    "Come in."


    Velia entered and looked Amadeus with her stoic face.


    "I would like to know what I am."


    Amadeus didn''t turn around and beckoned her to come next to him.


    "Tengu, that''s what you are."


    "A Tengu?"


    "Yeah, otherwise known as the harbingers of war."


    A shocked look replaced Velia''s stoic one as disbelief was written all over her face.


    "Tengu''s don''t have a race of their own but one is born when a calamitic war appears. The last one that had appeared was when my ancestor went to war with the gods. Yet that was only a bird of small stature, it died when the war began. Right now¡­"


    He turned towards Velia,


    "¡­I''m looking at a humanoid Tengu."


    Velia knew what Amadeus was implying. Fear sprouted in her heart as she thought of the future and looked up only to see a drop of a blood fall down Amadeus'' silver right eye. Her eyes widened as she called out,


    "Your highness¡­"


    Amadeus didn''t do anything and looked out the window,


    "It''s not mine¡­"


    She didn''t know what he meant but followed his line of sight that led to the moon. Looking at it, she didn''t know why but she got the urge to cry and tears began to show themselves in her eyes.


    "For others that is just a normal moon, but people with some sort of relation to the moon we can tell that it is weeping. Weeping for the times to come."


    As far as she can remember she had no connection to the moon but immediately came to one hypothesis, the feather. Looking at the feather, she then looked at the one she called master. The feather could be transmitting a portion of her master''s feelings to her.


    ''A portion, huh?''


    Moving her gaze towards her master''s back, she suddenly felt that a huge burden was currently laying on those tiny shoulders. Despite being the youngest one, she had a mature mental age alongside the looks of a ten-year-old despite being only five.


    ''Even if it''s a little, I''ll help shoulder that burden¡­''


    Amadeus saw her thoughts through the determined expression on her face as he inwardly shook his head. He looked like an eight-year-old, was eight years old and had the mental age far more than his peers.


    The tear of blood magically disappeared from his face as a smile replaced his forlorn look.


    "Come go to sleep, we''ve got a long day tomorrow as well."


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    Wiping her eyes, Velia also nodded her head as she looked at Amadeus with admiration.


    ''Master is trying his best and shouldering all that burden, I would have to also live up to his expectations.''


    Amadeus tilted his head, wondering why Velia had sparkling eyes as she left. Amadeus had just buried himself in the sweet heaven known as the bed when the door opened once again. He heard two similar footsteps as two figures entered his bed. Knowing that it was Chandra and Selene, he just ignored the two as they laid there on either side of him.


    Just as he was about to ask them what they were doing, he saw the two immediately fall asleep while holding his sleeves.


    ''Fast.''


    Sighing lightly, he closed his eyes towards a blissful sleep.


    ¡­


    The next day, Amadeus woke up to Erika opening the curtains of the window. The sunlight shot its rays onto his eyelids as he slowly opened his eyes. he felt a stiffness in the way he moved as he slowly got up indicating that he slept in one position all night. Erika had opened the curtains and saw the two figures on either side of Amadeus. She didn''t say anything as the maids entered.


    With a slight movement the twins also woke up while rubbing their eyes. Sitting up, they saw Amadeus already up and was being dragged by his maids. Their own maids had also entered and were dragging them away. By the time Amadeus had left the room with half opened eyes, Rada was walking past.


    "Good morning, your highness."


    "Good morning, Duchess."


    Amadeus replied with a yawn while Rada walked up to him and leaned next to his ear.


    "You work fast, as expected of your highness."


    Amadeus was confused by what she meant but remembered that the twins spent the night in his room. Amadeus didn''t think much of it as they were still young, but it seemed that the duchess was already planning who she would invite to the wedding. Speaking of marriage, his mind wondered off to the fianc¨¦ from his other world. For her an instant would have passed but for him it was already eight years and nine were still left.


    The twins met him at the dining table and were wearing black kimono while Amadeus wearing his traditional purple and gold robe. Quyen was eating breakfast while Rada kept alternating her eyes between the twins and Amadeus. Breakfast was silent and the rest of the morning went with preparation of them leaving and there being a small spar with the twins. While they were leaving, Quyen crouched down to Amadeus'' eye level and looked at him in the eye. Grasping his shoulder, a sentence followed,


    "Take care of them."


    Amadeus had a stiff smile on his face as he replied,


    "Duke, you''re hurting my shoulder."


    Still keeping that smiling face,


    "I know."


    By the time the duke let go of him it was already time to leave. Mounting Sleipnir he looked at the castle and couldn''t see the twins anywhere. It wasn''t until the group was out of sight did Quyen turn to Rada,


    "Where are they?"


    "Training."


    Quyen just laughed before returning to the castle.

 29 Stone City

    It wasn''t long until Amadeus'' group reached the last checkpoint before they left the empire. Passing through the border, they entered a territory which was neutral. Every nation had this on their borders, neutral territory that separated their borders and their neighbour''s.


    The road was a dirt one and they were surrounded by trees. The neutral territory was mainly supervised by the adventurer''s guild, they would take it upon themselves in clearing out the garbage that littered this area. The bandits and the like. Still the bandits here were unlike what were found within a country, they were clever, and most of them were outlaws running from their county.


    They knew who to attack and who not to so despite the occasional beast the group encountered, the trip was relatively peaceful. Towards the end of the day, the sun had just started its decent over the horizon when they reached the first city of the dwarves.Stone city. High stone walls surrounded the city while a queue was present from the gate.


    Short guards carried around large weapons like holding a tree branch. Even a layman could tell that each armour they wore and each of the weapon they held was exquisitely made. Plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the city while the faint sound of metal clinking could be heard from where Amadeus'' group was.


    The convoy slowly made their way towards the city attracting a lot of attention. Amadeus, who was sitting on Sleipnir, looked at the faint city and muttered under his breath,


    "Here I come, my future weapon and armour."


    The group didn''t jump in line but entered the queue like everybody else. This in turn caused the people ahead of them to feel a tremendous pressure weigh down upon them. One by one, the people let them through as the horse driver tried to say no but eventually ''caved'' and went forward. Rather than just cutting in line and earning the dissatisfaction among the merchants, they would be able to get a good relationship with them and allowing more to come and trade within their empire.


    This would help the empire''s economy and would spread good rumours about the place rather than bad ones. If they did cut inline, the merchants wouldn''t say anything and let it be as they were in no position to complain but within their hearts there would some dissatisfaction. If only one had this type of dissatisfaction it was ok but if more of them had it and the word spreads, these merchants would be reluctant in bringing their best goods to trade within the empire.


    In no time, they were already in for of the gates where Eras handed the letter to the captain of the guard. With a gruff voice, the captain bowed towards Amadeus,


    "We''ve expecting your highness. The best room is already prepared within the city and a group of escorts would lead your highness to the residence of Lord Varrulir."


    The rest of the dwarves also bowed and let the convoy in where a soldier led them to the hotel. The streets were cobbled ones and the group would come across people from various races. Amadeus had returned to the carriage and watched all this from outside. The group did attract attention, but Amadeus was marvelling at how there would be at least one smithery on a side street and moany more on the main ones. The dwarves were loudest bunch, but they weren''t the majority here. Adventurers from everywhere would come here to get their equipment done.


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    Making their way through the streets, stone houses and shops were the norm and the occasional stall would be seen. People would get out of the way for the convoy until they reached the hotel. Normally, a person of status would live in the mayor''s house, but here, the mayor''s house was a blacksmith, so it was a no go.


    Setting aside the horses, Amadeus exited the caravan followed by Erika and Velia. Since that night, Velia had become quite attached to Amadeus and wouldn''t leave his side. When asked, she would always reply,


    "I''m his highness'' shadow, I go wherever he does,"


    No matter how much they asked, she wouldn''t leave Amadeus'' side, so he just let her be. As the maids went ahead walked behind them, he was flanked by Eras and another blade while the rest were supposed to take care of the carriage.


    The hotel was a simple rectangular building with over a dozen floors. From the people in front constantly entering and leaving, it could be said that it was a popular one. The luxurious designs and marbles used meant that someone without big pockets couldn''t afford to stay here.


    Entering the hotel, they came across a bustling restaurant and a reception to the far end where the receptionist had a nervous smile on her face. In front of her was a man that had an angry expression and bloodshot eyes.


    "We had already booked the best room and now you''re telling me that it''s not available!"


    The shout rendered the whole restaurant quiet as they all looked towards the reception. Amadeus'' group went to the place and stood just distance away from the reception. Enough so that they wouldn''t catch the receptionist''s eyes.


    "Please customer, something came up, the hotel is happy to give you your full refund and the next best room for free of charge¡­"


    The man never let her finish.


    "The next best room?!"


    The man was starting to turn red. He wore a simple, silver medieval armour and had a sword strapped to the side of his waist. He had blonde hair and blue eyes and seemed to be the knight of the lady behind him. The lady was flanked by two servants and two more knights as she waited.


    The knight got more and more irritated while the receptionist got more and more helpless. Amadeus'' group just watched the show happen and didn''t do anything. In truth, Amadeus wouldn''t have minded the second room, but he doesn''t think that the blades and maid will allow him to stay in the second-best room while someone else did stayed in the first.


    He waited and waited and was getting tired of waiting. He didn''t even lean onto anything when Velia appeared with a chair. She then got him popcorn to watch the whole thing. The soldier that was supposed to direct them wanted to intervene but was held back so they watched the whole argument. The group had naturally attracted the attention of everyone within the hotel as Amadeus started to attract many eyes.


    The females started growing hearts within their eyes while dissatisfaction was present within male counterparts that were accompanying them. Slowly, everyone''s attention was off the arguing group and was naturally directed to Amadeus'' group. The blades had already moved everything and had surrounded Amadeus in a protective formation, waiting for his orders.


    As more and more of the people looked at them it naturally caught the eye of the one of the arguing group. One of the maids, a rather short one with that had black hair balled up into two buns on either side saw this and followed their line of sight. Turning back around, Amadeus saw her cute face morph into shock as she hurriedly called out to her master.


    Just before she was supposed to turn around, the boy''s voice was heard once more,


    "Do you know who we are?!"


    Amadeus felt weird seeing this. He only thought that these types of characters only belonged to stories and novels. The girl behind tried stopping him but another voice interrupted them,


    "We do."


    A firm voice interrupted the argument as a middle-aged man made itself known. Well, middle aged dwarf. The dwarf wore a suit and had a monocle on his left eye. His braided beard reached the floor and had a pink bow at the end. No-one dared laugh at it as they knew that whoever laughed at the dwarf''s bow would get kicked out. It was made by his daughter for her father after all.


    Still just because no one dared to, didn''t meant that no one would.


    "Pfft."


    Amadeus started laughing while pointing at the dwarf.


    "W-w-what is that girlish bow doing on that manly dwarf?! Hahaha¡­"


    Everyone had shadows covering their eyes as they refrained from looking. Velia also started laughing, trying her best to cover her mouth while the maids were well trained but still couldn''t help contorting their faces with the occasional tremble.


    As for the blades, well they didn''t care about anything and they started laughing out loud as well. The dwarf leader felt aggrieved at this as he knew that the opposite party was not to be offended. He could just stand there and be laughed at. If it was anyone else, he would just lash out because, although he loved his daughter very much, it didn''t mean he liked the bow. He just couldn''t bring himself to say no to the cute little girl. Suddenly, amidst the laughing, a cute scream rang out,


    "Don''t laugh at my dad!"

 30 Weird shop

    A cute girl ran out from the back. She had brown hair put into two braided pigtails and had freckles covering her a portion of her cheeks. She looked to be around Arius'' age and had a cute pout on her face. She looked towards the laughing guards and rushed at them with her fists raised, ready to take them down to hell.


    However, looking at the guards, caused her to get a glimpse of Amadeus as her eyes widened. Due to the small slip in concentration, she tripped over her own feet and landed on the ground face first. Due to the momentum she slid until the first blade who went to pick her up. Before he even bent down, Amadeus came forward and picked her up with a smile.


    Her face was full of tears and snot until she saw who picked her up. Her eyes widened again, and she quickly turned around wiped her face before turning back. She kept rolling her index fingers together and kept sliding her foot with the tip of her shoe. With her face down, she looked up with upturned eyes as Amadeus looked down with a smile. Some of the women who saw this kept thinking to themselves,


    ''He''s too young, he''s too young, he''s too young¡­''


    Seeing the smile, the girl blushed deeper and ran towards her father and hid behind him. This earned the giggle from all the mothers within the restaurant. While some looked at him with possessive desire, some ended up comparing Amadeus to their own children. Still, this small episode, broke the atmosphere and changed it to a light-hearted one.


    Laughing himself, the dwarf came forward and bowed in front of Amadeus.


    "Welcome crown prince, it''s our honour for you to come to our humble hotel."


    Amadeus nodded as looked at the bow at the end of the man''s beard,


    "Did you do this?"


    He asked the girl who nodded shyly. Seeing the girl look at him, a cunning smile found his face. Beckoning the girl over, he whispered a few things in her ear while she started getting more and more red. He then ended it with,


    "It''s a great idea isn''t it?"


    The girl nodded before she disappeared to the back. The dwarf didn''t know what to say as he introduced himself,


    "I am Jack Ironblood, the owner of this management, I''ll show you and your party the room we have arranged."


    Jack led the group past the arguing one to the topmost floor. By now everyone had forgotten about them as the arguing group just settled for the second-best room. The screaming knight wanted to intervene but with a stern glare from his master and gazes filled with bloodlust from the blades stopped him.


    The manager took them to the topmost floor which turned out to be one whole room. The best room of the hotel was actually the size of one whole floor. It came with everything from a kitchen to multiple bedrooms to even a small hot bath powered by magic. It was basically an apartment. As the blades stationed themselves, Amadeus immediately started meditating, trying to familiarise himself with his powers. The more he fused with his sun''s fire and moon''s ice the stronger he got and the larger his dragon form grew. He also started to go through spell books as he had an affinity with all the elements. Due to dragons being one of the closest races to magic, he could just disregard the chant and just shoot the spell. As for draconic magic, each dragon had their own specific ones, he himself would have to learn them by himself. The only help an older dragon could give Amadeus was experience but the rest was all up to him.


    Before he knew it, the sun had set, and it was long into the night when Amadeus fell asleep.


    The next morning, the maids cooked up breakfast and were eating alongside Amadeus and the blades. In any normal matter this wouldn''t happen, but Amadeus insisted as he was used to people accompanying him to eat. At first, they refused rather strongly but Amadeus used his hidden skill, puppy eyes and caused them to reluctantly join him. They were all restrained when eating apart from Velia as she still didn''t properly understand these manners.


    After a satisfying breakfast, Amadeus dressed up in a cloak and left the inn with only Erika, Velia and Eras, who were also dressed on cloaks. Leaving the inn, the city was slowly starting up and the sound of metal clanking was heard when they stepped out. There was a magic that kept noise out of the hotel.


    As Amadeus looked in both directions, he didn''t know where to start. So, he just asked,


    "Erika, in which direction is your tail pointing?"


    Erika looked confused but still answered,


    "It''s pointing towards the left, your highness."


    Amadeus then immediately turned left and started walking in that direction. The others were as confused as Erika, but they just followed Amadeus relating it to his unusualness. The group of four were all wearing hoods and certainly did attract a few looks but as it wasn''t uncommon, those gazes didn''t last long.


    While they were walking, a kid ran and was heading straight towards Amadeus. Before he could bump into him, Eras somehow appeared in between them and the kid ran straight into Eras. The boy didn''t seem to look where he was going as he angrily looked up and only came across Eras'' fierce eyes. The kid started trembling and immediately disappeared into the crowd.


    Sighing lightly, Eras looked back only to see Erika and Velia yet no Amadeus. His eyes that were full of relief immediately became alert as he started looking around.


    "You two, where''s his highness?"


    Erika hurriedly looked around but couldn''t find him. Shaking Velia, she realised that the latter was looking at something with a longing gaze. Following her line of sight, a stall selling snacks was on the other end and a tantalising smell originated from it. Smacking the Tengu on the back of her head, bought Velia out of her thoughts.


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    Briefing her with the situation, they started looking for Amadeus who had suddenly disappeared. Knowing that they had hidden their identities right now, they didn''t call out for his name and just silently looked for Amadeus. A messenger bird from Eras had mobilised the blades as they also wore hoods to cover their identities to search for him.


    Amadeus meanwhile had somehow got caught up with the crowd and had become lost. Looking left and right he found that he was in an unfamiliar place. Not knowing which direction to go towards Amadeus spun around and went in the direction that he stopped. The more he walked the barren the land became. It was until he noticed a rather unkempt shop. People would just walk past like it didn''t exist and Amadeus felt a natural calling towards it.


    Walking towards it, Amadeus didn''t even know when he arrived inside at the shop as he immediately got into a defensive stance. Looking around, he found that there was nothing that was kept on the shelves and the whole place was filled with dust and cobwebs.


    Still keeping his guard up, Amadeus slowly crept to the door that he entered from with only one thought,


    ''I''m out.''


    Yet no matter how many times he thought he went back, he ended up in the same place. It was as if there was a law that existed disallowing him to go back. With no other choice, he started creeping forwards with his hand on the Wakizashi his grandmother gave him. His reptilian eyes looked around as he activated his eyes of truth.


    His eyes had somehow evolved once more when he awakened.Now the power of his eyes was what they were called, able to see the truth of things. Seeing that there were no traps ahead, he carefully made his way forward.


    Each step he took would result in the wooden floor creaking as he got closer and closer to the main counter. There was a single silver bell there that was covered in dust, indicating that it hadn''t been used for a long time.


    Extending his hand, Amadeus tapped the top to ring the bell. Every slight move was done cautiously when he pressed down on the bell. Pressing it once, no sound was made. He then pressed it twice, yet still no sound. This got Amadeus slightly annoyed, why wasn''t it working.


    Looking round, he found that he couldn''t step back or jump over the counter but only just stand there and ring the bell. Feeling slightly annoyed, Amadeus started pressing down on the button continuously. It wasn''t until a slight noise was heard from the bell did Amadeus'' eyes light up. But by now Amadeus was really annoyed, he continuously pressed until it started working again and still carried on. It was only until he felt a slight ache on his arm, did he stop.


    Amadeus then breathed out slightly while he waited for someone to come. Silence was all he got as a response until he felt a cold breath down his neck. Turning his head towards his right, he slowly looked back only to see nothing. Sighing a breath of relief, Amadeus once more turned forward and,


    "Boo."


    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!"

 31 Shopkeeper

    In all his two lives, the last Amadeus could remember screaming this girlishly was when he stubbed a toe at the corner of a table back in his first life. He could never forget that, so this scream brought along with it some unfortunate memories. Now, in his second life, whenever he stubbed his toe, he would feel the impact, but it would be the table''s leg to break. He remembered that day, how Lily found all the table''s corner legs within the palace smashed. Well most of them, when he tried doing it to his father''s desk, it actually hurt him. When Lily found the culprit, she found him crouched while holding his toes and tearful eyes.


    Those eyes melted her heart and she couldn''t bring herself to scold him. Now, Amadeus instinctively activated his powers as the man who scared him also screamed,


    "Aaaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!! Whaaaaaat aaaaaare yoooooooou doooooooing?"


    Running away from the flames, the man started to quickly pour water over the fire, yet when it reached the fire, it would evaporate. He then tried to do something about the ice, but he would get frost bite just stepping into that area. Now half his shop was full of ice and the other of ash. Somehow the man was still unharmed as the damages he received were never long lasting. The frost bite would recover, and it was the same for any burns. Even his clothes got the same treatment.


    Finally calming down, Amadeus looked at the being that scared him. From his perspective, the latter looked in no way different to a human, yet, it smelled different to him. Narrowing his eyes, the being in front had a helpless smile on his slightly tanned skin while his silver hair reached down towards his waist and his bangs covered his eyes. He wore tattered, loose grey robes and, all in all, looked like a social recluse.


    While Amadeus carefully inspected the being in front of him, the same could be said for the being as his covered eyes narrowed slightly.


    ''So, this is¡­''


    Feeling something, the being turned around and saw what was happening outside the shop,


    ''As expected of the blades, they''ve already found this place.''


    Amadeus didn''t know of this as he kept silent and tried to think of way out of this. The atmosphere descended into a suffocating awkwardness as the two never talked. Sweat dripped down their faces while the two just continued to look at each other.


    Outside, Eras and the blades had surrounded the shop and tried to make their way into it but found that they would just end up walking away from it. Eras was holding a strange circular device that had an arrow pointing at the shop while having a nervous expression. Erika and Velia also had the same expression as they stood behind him.


    With no other options, they considered using force, but whenever they tried, they just couldn''t muster their strength. They didn''t want to do something they will end up regretting. Plus, they were sure that the emperor had some sort of protective mechanism to protect him in case something went wrong.


    Sadly, this wasn''t the truth due to what was happening within Amadeus'' head,


    ''That damn old man¡­''


    Remembering what his grandfather said left him helpless.


    - Flashback -


    "What you''re a dragon, why the hell do you want a protective equipment?"


    - Present -


    Caesar didn''t even allow anyone else to give him any sort of protective equipment. Shaking himself out of these thoughts, Amadeus looked at the being in front of him who seemed to even be stronger than him. Yet, he didn''t act like that, Amadeus noticed the faint tremble and the countless droplets of sweat pouring down his face. He had seen the man open his mouth but failed to get any sort of words out.


    He never sensed any bad intentions from his eyes of truth but there was also something that bothered him. He sensed nothing. There was no colour no bad feeling, no good feeling, nothing. It was just blank. That was what made him vigilant, a being that he didn''t know their intentions of was someone that he couldn''t underestimate.


    However, without even needing them, he could tell one thing, the guy was a shut in.


    Relaxing his guard, Amadeus stood up straight and saw the man relax slightly. Seeing the man stop trembling,


    *Bam*


    The man was sent flying back with a swift punch to the stomach. Amadeus just looked up when the man was already in front of him,


    "Why are you hitting me for?!"


    Strangely, despite Amadeus using all his strength, the man was completely unharmed. Amadeus kept a stoic face while the man''s rambling continued on. It wasn''t a short while later when the man calmed down and noticed all his previous nervousness gone. Coming to a realisation, the smile returned to his face as he made his way behind the half-frozen counter.


    "So, young one, what is your desire?"


    With a confident posture, the man leaned forward while leaning his chin on one of his hands. Amadeus just stared at the man causing the previous atmosphere to be back. The man returned to sweating and a panicked look returned to his face. Sighing to himself, Amadeus thought,


    ''What sort of character have I encountered?''


    Seeing the child sigh, the man got more nervous, it was clear that he wasn''t used to this.


    "You tell me, what do you think my desires are. Someone as strong as you should already know my identity¡­"


    The more Amadeus spoke the more the man sweated¡­


    "A weapon?"


    "I''m about to have my own made by the current generation''s best blacksmith with materials that only appear in legends."


    "A steed?"


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    "I have a horse reared by the god of war himself."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Collapsing in defeat, the shopkeeper crouched down at the corner of the burnt side of the shop with a depressing aura.


    Amadeus seemed to ignore this as he started speaking,


    "Anyway, I''ve heard rumours of this place. The shop that exists yet it doesn''t, only individuals with strong desires are attracted to this place, it has many names, yet we dragons call it one name, Quitem."


    Hearing the original name of the shop being called out, the man got up, his previous aura vanished.


    "Quitem, the shop of dreams, run by none other than the god of dreams himself."


    The man smiled as his identity was revealed.


    "According to Granny, you are quite the difficult person to get a hold off."


    "That little dragon actually mentioned me."


    The god of dreams was the most mysterious of all the gods that overlooked Orbis. He had no followers, no churches of his own but ruled over things like Illusions and dreams. He was so mysterious that barely anyone knew his name. Yet he did know one thing, the god of dreams was a god that supported the dragon god.


    Amadeus bowed slightly to show his respects, but that was it. The man didn''t mind as he looked carefully at Amadeus. A short while later, the man finally opened his mouth and gave out a slight laugh,


    "You are an extraordinary one no wonder my daughter can''t stop thinking about you¡­"


    ''Daughter?''


    Amadeus saw the man smiling lightly and felt a trepidation, but it was all too late, he couldn''t move.


    "¡­So, take this as a small present¡­"


    The god of dream''s smile turned a little evil as he tapped his finger on Amadeus'' forehead. Instantly innumerable pictures and visions filled Amadeus'' head while it was accompanied by a heart-ripping pain. Amadeus grit his teeth as he saw a dark gloomy battlefield, one where corpses were littered across it. The sky was a dull grey, yet it seemed that the world was abandoned by its very sun. A cold feeling crept up within Amadeus as he floated overlooking this personification of hell.


    This wasn''t different from any other battlefield, but it was the sheer volume of the corpses that stuck out from the rest. River of blood were created while the very ground had turned to a dark shade of red. The bodies consisted of a variety races, some known and some unknown, there were even dragons. Apart from them were creature that looked like they were from another world.


    Amadeus instinctively felt the rejection targeted at them from the world. Slowly, the deep rumble of thunder originated from the clouds as rain started pouring down onto the battlefield. It was like world was weeping for the departure.


    There was no battle, it was just the aftermath of one. In the middle of the sea of corpses were a special group, they were none other than his fellow classmates, all donned in armour and weapons. Floating up to them, he saw the rain hit their lifeless bodies and cleanse their amours, showing the scars that they accumulated overtime. Next to them was an older looking Arius while a figure stood over his lifeless body. The figure didn''t mind the rain pelting him and stood there under the rain. Amadeus couldn''t see the armour or weapon the figure had but he knew deep within that he was looking at his own back.


    Suddenly, he felt a tug and he was suddenly pulled back. Right before leaving, Amadeus saw the figure turn around and mouth a few words. However, he couldn''t further think about the words he saw as the same pain returned and assaulted him. Amadeus knew that he was back in the shop, as he used his utmost effort into not collapsing. He was barely able to stand as he looked up with great difficulty,


    "H¡­how¡­i-is¡­that¡­a¡­pres-ent?"


    "It isn''t."


    "Eh?"


    The pain suddenly disappeared as Amadeus barely kept himself from falling. His clothes were drenched in sweat, and exhaustion was present on his face.


    "That was merely one of the many futures. This is your present."


    A crow flew out from nowhere and rammed straight into Amadeus face. This caused Amadeus to be suddenly thrown out of the shop while a small voice entered his ear,


    "¡­thinking of taking my daughter¡­"


    Amadeus didn''t know what to say of this as he felt his conscious slipping,


    ''I don''t want to make a habit of fainting like this.''


    Hearing the shouts from Erika, Velia and the blades, Amadeus fainted.

 32 Dream

    Amadeus had started to slowly wake up to the sound of someone talking. His body felt heavy and had troubles moving around but he eventually got the power to open his eyes. The first feeling that assaulted him was grogginess while a slight headache followed. Rubbing his temple, he didn''t feel any fingers but, rather a furry object rub his face. This feeling brought a frown to his face while his vision started clearing. The first thing that came into his mind was why did the world look so much larger than before.


    Shaking his head, he rubbed his eyes, once more feeling a furry object tickle his face. Annoyed by what it was, he looked down only to see a lustrous black paw with a slight tint of purple. Confused as to why a cat''s paw was there, Amadeus tried to move it away only to see the paw move by itself.


    Seeing this, it didn''t take a long while for Amadeus'' eyes to widen as a terrifying possibility to encroach his heart. Before he got the chance to look around, a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts,


    "Oh, his highness is awake."


    Turning around, he saw Erika looking down at him while crouching slightly with Velia look at him from behind. What astonished him most was the size of the two girls,


    ''What happened?! Why are these two so big?!''


    While he was thinking these things, Erika had bent down and picked up Amadeus allowing the latter to see himself clearly in the reflection of Erika''s eyes.


    ''I''m a cat?!''


    Seeing himself manhandled to such an extent did not sit well with him until Erika''s hand slipped and he fell.


    "Nyaaaa!''


    ''Aaaaagggghhhh!"


    Feeling himself fall, Amadeus waited for the impact, yet it never came. What followed was his body jolting and him sitting straight up. Sweat cascaded down his body while he heavily breathed and hurriedly looked around. He was back at his hotel room and no one was in sight. Judging by the darkness outside, he determined that it was well past dawn when he had woken up. This meant that he was at least asleep for an entire day, if not more.


    ''Damn god of dreams¡­''


    Realisation dawned on him, causing him to quickly look at his hands and start touching his face. A breath of relief left his mouth upon concluding that he was himself. A sudden click attracted his vision and he saw Erika walk in with a plate while looking down.


    She slowly looked up to see Amadeus look at her with a weird expression on his face. Happiness flooded Erika''s face,


    "Your highness!"


    Instead of replying to her, Amadeus just grabbed the duvet and snuggled himself back in. This left Erika stumped on what to do next causing the room descended in an awkward silence. Seeing the bundled-up cocoon, Erika prepared to leave when a large grumble destroyed the silence.


    A smile naturally found her lips as she looked up only to see Amadeus slowly peek his head out of the cocoon. Seeing his eyes directed at the food on the plate, she went forward, sat on the bed and watched Amadeus dig in.


    The next day, the group was up and ready before dusk. By the time the sun had climbed over the horizon, Amadeus and his entourage were being led deep into the Mountain of Ferrarius. The land was barren with the occasional roadside vegetation. The group had passed a few villages and cities and by noon, had entered a valley and were heading towards a rather large cave. But before that was another checkpoint, this one was more heavily guarded.


    For some reason, Amadeus found it rather funny seeing small stodgy, yet burly and hairy people all wearing heavy armour. It was like a child trying out an adult''s suit of armour, but for some reason it fitted. The weapons they lugged around were nothing to scoff at. Amadeus had to put it, no matter how prideful dragons were, in the field of smithery, Dwarves had surpassed them.


    After a serious and through inspection, they were finally let through as they entered the cave. They were half expecting a sudden rush of coldness, but it was the opposite. Accompanying the darkness was a heat not what they were expecting. Yet it was not too hot, it was weird, difficult to put into words.


    Slowly, luminescent stones started lightning their path, first there were only a couple weak ones, but the more they walked, the larger they got until they were able to clearly see everything in the cave. It was just a typical boring cave, surrounded by stones.


    A short while later, they closed in on what looked to be like an exit. Yet they couldn''t see clearly what was happening on the opposite end. What Amadeus had expected was reaching a large excavated place, with lots of mines and dwarves selling tools and the like. A blacksmith at every street and dwarves living in caves.


    Yet what he saw blew his mind. It was a large excavated place, but the sheer magnitude of it was just incomprehensible. He could swear that his father could fly freely in here, well it will be a bit cramped, but he could. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Amadeus just left the carriage to marvel at the sight and saw a large city ''floating'' in the middle. There were simple stone houses that littered the place and a simple yet large stone wall that surrounded the city. A large, elegant stone castle stood in the middle.


    Amadeus then moved forward, reached the edge and looked down. All he saw was rivers of lava filling the place. The city itself was on a large rock floating above the lava. Looking up, he saw large black chains attaching the city to the mountains and when he looked closer, he saw various ancient inscriptions littering the chains.


    He now understood why his mother was happy and adamant on getting his weapon and armour forged by the current chief of dwarves. A grin of excitement had naturally formed on his face as he showed his unnaturally sharp canines. With a glow in his vertical eyes he ordered,


    "Let''s move."


    Amadeus couldn''t reign in his excitement, so he decided to sit on Sleipnir and lead. For some reason a golden three-legged crow had landed on his shoulder and a pearl white rabbit was sitting between his legs. These two had shown up after Amadeus had awakened, no one knew where they came from.


    - Flashback -


    Seeing the two, Amadeus thought that this was the present left behind by the god of dreams. Yet reality proved otherwise, the gift that the god had left him was completely different to what he was seeing. What the god had left him was a technique ''Nepuko''s Illusions''. He didn''t even know who Nepuko was, he needed to get back to the Emerald Palace''s library and search this figure up.


    Anyway, the two had just appeared and Amadeus felt familiar with the two. There was this instant connection with the two. Yet they didn''t speak, and it seemed like they were just new-born. Curiosity sparkled in their eyes and they only responded to Amadeus, stuck to him like glue. Seeing this Amadeus just let them be as they brought him no harm. Also, the rabbit''s fur was really soft.


    - Present day -


    With Amadeus leading, the group started to cross the only bridge into the city. It was a wide bridge, made of a special type of stone. There was enough for 3-4 carriages to travel side by side unimpeded. Knowing that they were special guests, the group was able to quickly pass into the city through the walls.


    Upon entering, Amadeus felt weird as it wasn''t as loud as he hoped it to be. Dwarves were the majority of the population here and they were just laughing happily while drinking and eating. Some were fighting over price''s while a small brawl broke out here and there. This did accept his idea of the clich¨¦ dwarf that was stuck in his head. Hearing a feminine voice, Amadeus also thought of the clich¨¦ beautiful dwarf female yet when he turned around, he saw something that frightened him to no extent.


    Hurriedly looking away, Amadeus tried to forget the vision, delete it, but it didn''t happen. All he could do now was to push it back into the deep recesses of his mind.


    After that minor incident, Amadeus once more became confused as he continuously looked around trying to figure out why it was quiet. A dwarf next to him saw this and started speaking. The dwarf himself was there guide and went by the name Hessor Steelbreaker,


    "Is his highness wondering why it is so quiet?"


    Amadeus nodded,


    "Well it is something out of my expectations¡­"


    Hearing this Hessor laughed slightly. Hessor had a head full of medium long red hair that reached his shoulders and a beard that reached his waist. His simple red eyes were filled with a certain ferociousness and the gruff voice brought with it a scent of alcohol. The short dwarf was clad in full iron armour minus the helmet. His weapon was a large battle axe that hung on his back.


    Smiling slightly, he replied to Amadeus,


    "There are no smithery''s here, only one forge is allowed in this place¡­"


    A solemn and respectful look surfaced on Hessor''s face,


    "¡­only the chief of dwarves is capable of using it. It''s called the¡­"

 33 Varrulir Ferrarius

    "¡­the Forge of Eternity."


    "The Forge of Eternity?"


    Hessor had eyes full of worship when he said the forge''s name.


    "Yeh, the forge of eternity. The forge is only used in special occasions and the weapons that result from it can last for eternity. Well, when I say weapons, I mean there are only a few products from that forge¡­"


    Amadeus got more interested as he heard the dwarf speak,


    "The first is the holy sword, Durandal, currently possessed by the church. The second are the twin blades, Hansel and Gretel, possessed by the Daemon Kingdom. Lastly, is the katana, Kusanagi, currently possessed by the Bestia kingdom."


    Amadeus had already heard about them but listened anyway. It was clear to him that all of this was very interesting to Velia who was in the carriage peeking her head out. It was easy to tell that it was the girl''s first-time hearing this. For him though, there was one question that lingered in his mind,


    "Why don''t the elves and dragon''s possess weapon made by the Forge of Eternity?"


    Hessor laughed lightly, it was easy to tell that the dwarf in front of Amadeus was no ordinary one. With his armour looking more exquisite than the others and the fact that the dwarves around them all looked at him with respect.


    "Well the elves have the world tree looking over them. As for the dragons, there was simply no need. You could say that the weapons can only be wielded by one race and can be seen as a detriment, a sort of protective charm if the dragons ever considered ruling over the world."


    This made a serious look to arise on Amadeus'' face, he had forgotten. This world was in no means different to the one that he had come from before. Undercurrents were still happening as he spoke of now. He had taken this world too lightly. He remembered that there was a restriction for the empire to expand its borders, no doubt the three weapons had some sort of part in it.


    Amadeus put his thoughts aside when they started nearing the castle. The city was smaller than the empire''s capital city, Emerald city, yet it depicted a sort of steadiness that couldn''t be found there. It was like the shell of a turtle. Amadeus could feel the energy of the earth encompass the surroundings with the energy of fire accompanying it.


    Nearly everything was made out of stone, yet the place was well lit. A giant hole at the ceiling was the cause of all the light as the sun had reached its peak. Looking up, Amadeus could faintly see runes hovering in the air which was probably a defensive formation.


    Unlike the emerald city, there was no walls surrounding the castle and an entourage was already waiting for him at the entrance. In front was an unusually skinny dwarf. Nearing him, the dwarf spoke out first,


    "Welcome Crown Price Amadeus Drakos. The chief is expecting your highness in the banquet room."


    Amadeus nodded as they were escorted into the castle, walking past a group of sharp-eyed, heavily armoured dwarfs who barely spared them a glance before going back to their duties. Hessor stayed behind and joined those very guards. Amadeus didn''t care though; he was continuously looking at the walls they passed. Different types of weapons were hung up, all showing a dangerous glint. There were swords, spears, sword-spears, halberds the lot, there was even a three-metre scythe that was hung horizontally. He could tell that each of the weapons and armour were made by the same person due to a small emblem on them. It was of an anvil and two hammers that crossed each other above it.


    Apart from the walls being full of weapons, they would occasionally see stands with armour suits for various races here and there. All of them didn''t have a speck of dust on them due to being regularly maintained. Apart from this, there was nothing much to see. The floor was made of stone with a simple black carpet in the middle and there being the occasional banner on the walls, wherever there was space between the weapons, of the same emblem.


    The whole way, the group was silent due to no one speaking anything. There were no maids or even servants that they saw along the way apart from the escorts. The skinny dwarf that had spoken first was the lead escort and with the way he was dressed reminded Amadeus of butlers, albeit a really short one. A monocle was placed on his left eye and a tiny moustache adorned his upper lip. A raging beard was tied into braids that reached his knees. He walked with his back straight and the slight whitening of his hair was the only indication that the dwarf was in his later years.


    Surrounding him were four maids that all were dwarfs. Yet Amadeus had filtered them out of his mind and thought of them as servants, with weird fetishes. There was no difference between the different genders of the dwarves'' race.


    Seeing that the silence was becoming awkward Amadeus opened his mouth,


    "So, these weapons, were they all created by the Chief?"


    The skinny dwarf nodded his head,


    "Yes. Whenever a new chief is announced, they put their chosen previous works and new works on the wall. These are all for sale, you can buy one at any of our cities. Once you buy them, they will be shipped out in 3-5 days or for a little extra it will be next day delivery¡­"


    Amadeus regretted asking anything because it wasn''t that the dwarf was a silent one, he was just looking for a topic to talk about. Once the topic was found, his mouth continuously moved. The maids around them didn''t have any reaction while Amadeus''s entourage all felt a twitch in their eyebrows. Even the calmest Erika lowered her ears to see if she could block of her hearing without the use of her arms. Only Velia had a curious look on her face as she absorbed everything she saw and heard like a sponge.


    "¡­you can even subscribe to Smithery weekly for 10 silver coins a- oh it seems we are here."


    The group gave out a sigh of relief as they saw the large wooden door between them. It was the first time they praised a simple wooden door with all their hearts. Amadeus could swear that he saw the door blush before a large voice interrupted his thoughts,


    "His highness, the crown prince of the Drakos Empire has arrived-gahh!"


    Amadeus'' group felt a jolt with that scream as they heard of something falling alongside a groggy voice,


    "Too loud, I''m still hungover and this guy goes off screaming¡­what?...oh¡­invite him inside then, why are you making our guests wait outside then."


    With that, the large wooden doors started opening and the Amadeus'' group were greeted by a sight they didn''t expect. A large table was present in the middle filled with all sorts of food and drinks on top. There were only two seats, one on each end, with the furthest looking more like a throne rather than a chair. A tantalising smell breached Amadeus and entourage''s nose as the former started proceeding forward with only Erika and Eras behind him while the others were taken to their lodgings.


    Velia left, constantly looking back, yearning for the food that was placed on the table. A hint of drool appeared on her face before she was brought back to attention by another maid. The door closed behind the three as Amadeus sat on his seat with Erika and Eras flanking him. With the sound of the door shutting, Amadeus finally got a better look at the current chief of dwarves, Varrulir Ferrarius.


    The chief wasn''t there. Well Amadeus was pretty sure that he could see just the top of a head faintly showing and disappearing just over the table. A groan attracted his attention as all three of them looked behind them. Lying there was a guard with a large bump on his head and a fissure in his helmet slowly getting up. A surprisingly intact cup lay there next to him.


    The three then looked back at the chief and now saw a figure sitting there. What surprised them was that despite having an average dwarven look with earth brown hair and beard tied into braids that could reach the floor, his height was no taller than Amadeus''. Remember, Amadeus was still only eight years old. Despite being surprised, Amadeus gave a smile that hid his inner feelings,


    "It''s an honour to meet the current chief of dwarves."


    A well-hidden surprised look flashed through Varrulir''s eyes as he also smiled back,


    "Hahaha, the crown prince doesn''t need to be so humble. Let''s fill our stomachs¡­"


    Amadeus gave a look towards Erika as she nodded back and waved her hand. A large keg appeared causing a large smile to appear on Varrulir''s face. Sending the keg to Varrulir, the latter opened the cork and let the smell out.


    He didn''t even pour it in his glass and immediately drank from it. It felt weird seeing a child-like figure drinking from a keg about three times his size.


    After the meal, Varrulir wiped his mouth and looked at Amadeus,


    "So, what did you choose?"


    Straight and direct, the chief''s manners were what Amadeus had expected. Amadeus smile grew as he replied,


    "Weapon and Armour."


    With that he waved his hand and there appeared a group of materials on the table. Seeing the materials, Varrulir''s eyes widened as a shocked look appeared on his face. The chief was already on top of the table looking carefully at the main materials. First looking at an unnaturally big branch,


    "A branch of the world tree?"


    Then,


    "Meteoric Metal?"


    And lastly,


    "Hihi''irokane?"


    Varrulir started trembling with excitement. There were other materials that were rare, but compared to the first three he saw, they were actually common if you want to compare how many he had seen before. After calming himself down, Varrulir turned to Amadeus,


    "What weapon?"


    A smile naturally found Amadeus'' lips as he threw a piece of paper at Varrulir. Catching the paper, Varrulir saw what appeared to be a Hsu Quandao. Looking carefully at the weapon, he turned to Amadeus again,


    "Armour?"


    This time, Amadeus once again didn''t say anything and gave Varrulir a letter. Amadeus didn''t know what was written on it, but he didn''t pry seeing the look on Varrulir''s face. Varrulir didn''t say anything and immediately left the place beckoning them to follow,


    "Only you, the amid and guard will have to stay behind."


    Amadeus gestured for them to stay and followed behind the dwarf ignoring their eyes of reluctance.


    - Unknown location -


    Within a dark room, nothing could be seen but faint voices could be heard. One was a husky voice with a slight tint of worry,


    "What are we going to do now? It was really hard getting that spy into Emerald city."


    A manly female voice replied, Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "Shut up! It''s all your fault for having a spy like that. Why did he have to try and assassinate the crown prince? Within the Emerald city of all places?"


    "He probably thought that no one would have expected it-"


    "Shut up! It was a rhetorical question!"


    A louder and scruffy voice shut the two up. With a hint of authority laced in his tone, it was easy to tell that the owner of this voice was the leader here.


    "What''s done is done. Ultimately it will be me trying to answer to the higher ups not you two. For now, you two try and get another spy to infiltrate into city."


    The manly female voice was there to reply,


    "I''ll try but that ***** Empress had quite a few capable dogs running around for her."


    "I don''t care, we were able to get someone in once, we will be able to do it again. This time choose someone that has a brain. As for the crown prince, don''t worry about him for now. Dismissed."


    With a ruffle of clothes, it was easy to tell the leader had left. The other two started to leave as well before a loud noise broke the silence.


    *Clank* *Crack*


    A surprised manly female voice was heard following the large sound,


    "Holy cr- Again?!"


    "I''m sorry, I can''t see anything, it''s too dark."

 34 Forge of Eternity

    Amadeus was brought into a secret door that looked no different than the wall surrounding it. A quick tug of a torch and a couple lights scanning Varrulir''s body opened the door and revealed a well-lit hallway. It was just like the castle walls, but Amadeus could faintly see runes shining on the walls. With Varrulir, taking the lead, Amadeus followed the former through the hallway and through a series of stairs only to reach a large array within a hall.


    The array was about 5 metres in diameter and was filled with many runes and shapes. Crystals of light lit the empty room up as they hung on the walls. Before Amadeus could even ask, Varrulir started to talk about it,


    "The forge of eternity is not here but in a different location. You will know once we get there."


    That was all he said when he started channelling his mana into the array circle once Amadeus was also upon it. In just a couple of seconds a bright light filled the room and the two had disappeared from their positions.


    When Amadeus regained clarity, he realised that he was surrounded by an unfamiliar image. Gone was the empty room but now they were in a rather large room that had giant crystals hanging from the ceiling, lighting the room up. Feeling around himself, he realised that the feeling of the sun and moon never felt so feeble. The ground was unnaturally hot, and they were surrounded by rock on all 6 sides.


    "We are near Orbis'' core."


    Amadeus seemed like he was sure of it, but he was actually asking a question. Varrulir replied to query,


    "Incorrect we are not near it; we are right on top of it."


    This finally got some reaction form Amadeus as one of his eyebrows raised. Finally remembering why they were here, Amadeus started looking around for the forge of eternity. Seeing the size of this room, was the forge massive? was it heavily jewelled? Was it¡­? Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Many thoughts went through his mind as he his eyes landed on a simple black anvil surrounded by a couple other simple tools to aid in the art of forging. It was simple and even slightly crude but the way Varrulir looked at it was telling Amadeus all of it.


    That was the forge of eternity.


    While Amadeus was looking at Varrulir, the latter started walking towards it and stopped right before it. Then suddenly all the materials, Amadeus had given him appeared surrounding him. After he grouped the materials together, he waved his hand and Amadeus watched the anvil and the tools surrounding it float towards Varrulir. Once they were all set down, Amadeus was even more confused with the way Varrulir treated the anvil with such crude methods.


    However, his questions were soon answered, as the anvil landed and Varrulir got to work, runes stretched out from the ground and the anvil was enveloped with them. Realisation dawned on him, the anvil wasn''t the forge of eternity, the forge of eternity was the room they were standing in.


    "Amadeus come here!"


    Surprised by his name being called out, Amadeus quickly moved forward and stood next to Varrulir.


    "I will only need you for two things, right now and later near the end. I don''t know how long this will take but for now, just pour your energy into the anvil until the first hammer strikes."


    Amadeus did as instructed and two different coloured energies left his hands, one scorching hot and one freezing cold. He directed the energy towards the anvil and saw how it got absorbed. Varrulir got the Meteoric metal and placed it on top of the anvil. Taking out a hammer, it was also enveloped in a similar fashion with a similar set of runes before he smashed it down and the process of the creation of his weapon came to a start.


    As Amadeus stopped pouring out his energy, he stepped back and watched how Varrulir shaped his future blade, adding materials whenever he got a chance. It was a beautiful process, seeing the sparks flying out like fireworks¡­until a couple minutes later when Amadeus got bored. Looking around, he found that there was nothing else to do but just sit there and watch. They looked to be in a giant natural cave that was abnormally large.


    Knowing that this process will take some time, Amadeus thought it was best to train into the new technique he got. Nepuko''s illusions.


    Nepuko''s illusions walked the path of the fine line between reality and illusion, what was reality and what was illusion. It was a powerful are that had no attacking capability whatsoever but used rightly it was more dangerous than a sword. Theoretically, he could get someone to think that they were walking on a simple path but in reality, they were walking off a cliff.


    Another perk of this technique was its cloning feature, with a simple thought, Amadeus closed his eyes and reopened it only to see an exact replica of himself standing right in front of him. He then caused it to morph into various people, Caesar, Lily, Atia, Arius and others. However, when he tried to morph into granny, there seemed to be something blocking it causing the illusion to shatter.


    The illusion wasn''t a real figure so one could walk right through it, but Amadeus was able to share its vision. However due to the current restrictions he was facing now, he couldn''t further test his illusions abilities.


    Opening his eyes, he saw that Varrulir was far from over, so he started training in his other techniques.


    While Amadeus was at the forge of eternity, back in Emerald city, Arius was training with a boy around his age. The boy had black hair and green eyes with a cute face that looked similar to the imperial guard''s captain, Lionel Braxton. He was Lionel Braxton''s son, Rex Braxton. The two boys were sparring with wooden swords and they seemed neck and neck. While Arius was relying on brute force, Rex was relying on technique to match him. As the two collapsed sweating like a waterfall, Rex looked at Arius,


    "Arius, where''s his highness gone?"


    "Elder brother?"


    Rex nodded while Arius propped himself up and received a glass of water from a maid,


    "Mother said that he is gone to get his own weapon by the chief of dwarves."


    A look of awe surfaced on the two boys as Arius clenched his fist and threw it into the air. Rex surprised by this action looked at his best friend''s face,


    "I also need to work hard."


    ''Work hard?''


    Rex looked confused but waited for Arius to finish.


    "Work hard so I can help elder brother in the empire''s nach-o-nal aff...aff...affa¡­"


    "Affairs."


    A familiar voice finished his sentence as Arius looked at Rex who also had a smile on his face. The five-year-old kneeled on the ground,


    "Whatever your choice Arius, no, your highness, I will always follow you."


    Seeing the solemn atmosphere build up, Arius also got a serious look only to be destroyed by someone''s air breaking.


    "Pfft."


    While Arius tried to hold back the laughter, Rex'' face started getting more and more red.


    ''It was supposed to be a serious moment.''


    To add to his shame, Arius couldn''t hold back his laughter and started laughing while rolling on the ground. Desperately clutching his stomach, he started laughing while pointing at Rex. Tears came out and Arius failed to catch a breath as Rex started to look like a tomato.


    "Dammit, don''t laugh!"


    Crude language rung out from Rex as he picked up his sword. Arius was barely able to catch his breath and also grab his sword as soon as he saw Rex lunge at him. The former couldn''t see his eyes but when their swords clashed tears were pouring it out of them in a comical fashion. This resulted in Arius to burst out in laughter once more.


    This irked Rex even more and he started to swing about his sword wildly, all of his refined techniques gone out of the window. This made it easy for Arius to dodge and laugh at the same time, only adding insult to injury for Rex.


    Seeing the two playing around, Baldrik was standing there looking at them with a smile while Lionel, next to him had an embarrassed look on his face. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, Baldrik beat him to it,


    "Don''t worry about it, it''s just two child''s banter."


    Lionel gave a helpless smile and returned to watching the two kids playing.


    Back in the dwarves'' capital city, Eriko and the group of maids were training Velia. The latter was sat in front of a desk with piles of paper in front.


    "The first thing you need to know as a maid is to read our master''s intentions¡­don''t speak out of line¡­keep a stoic face every time¡­have a discerning eye¡­"


    Velia didn''t shy away from the work though, although she was a klutz and a foodie, she was still young and energetic. She wanted to repay her prince because if it wasn''t for him her father would be dead and she would probably be sold to some noble with weird fetishes. She also wanted to help support that lonely back she saw that night.


    Eriko could see through the thoughts of the young girl as a small smile blossomed on her face. Remembering the first time she became Amadeus'' head maid until now, she loved her life. From begin a nameless maid, she was lucky enough to become the crown prince''s maid. However, she didn''t think of it like that, for her, Amadeus had become an unrecoverable part of her life. From when he first walked to his first words she was there.


    The smile that had briefly shown was seen by all the other maids. Yet none of them felt any different, they had all joined Amadeus'' maid group at different points and now they were all sisters.


    In an unknown location, Caesar sat on a throne surrounded by many other figures. The youngest of them was a middle-aged man and the eldest was a bald old man with a large beard. They all looked respectfully at Caesar who had his eyes closed apart from the four eldest men that also had their eyes closed. They were sitting on seats just below Caesar''s. As these four opened their eyes Caesar followed and that was when the air in the hall became still.


    A serious look that even Amadeus hadn''t seen, masked Caesar''s face. Vertical slit eyes of different colours looked at each before they looked at Caesar''s direction. That was when Caesar opened his mouth,


    "The seal is weakening."


    "Already?"


    The eldest man questioned.


    "It seems that the other side are speeding up the process."


    The halls descended into silence before Caesar spoke again,


    "What have the other clans said?"


    A dragon walked out,


    "The phoenix clan said yes as it was now time to put our differences aside as we all shared a common enemy, the turtle clan also said yes, and the white tiger clan also said yes albeit begrudgingly. They are still pretty annoyed that their princess is a maid here."


    "Well she is Amadeus'' maid and it was her choice there is nothing we can do."


    Smiles appeared on the group of dragons while a prideful look appeared on Caesar at the mention of his grandson.


    "The little lass doesn''t even know of her real identity."


    "When do you plan to tell her?"


    "The one that would be telling her is not me but Amadeus, she is his maid."


    The four older dragons shook their heads before the group was dismissed. Once the hall was cleared, Caesar also left and arrived at a cliffside looking at the stars in the sky.


    "What is that stupid brain thinking about?"


    Caesar continued looking,


    "It would hurt once in a while to show some love to your husband."


    "Shut up."


    Atia walked next to him as the latter just smiled.


    "I''m worried."


    "So am I."


    "But we all have our duties, we will defer the truly powerful beings while the war will continue. The best we can do is to prepare Amadeus and put all our hopes into his success."


    Caesar didn''t say anything, but he knew that deep down, Atia was closer to Amadeus, so he couldn''t think what she was going through. He was right though, despite what she was saying, a look of worry also covered Atia''s eyes.

 35 Weapon

    *Bang**Clank*


    The sound of clashing metal resounded throughout the forge as Amadeus sneaked a glance at Varrulir hard at work. The short dwarf hadn''t even taken a break from the work but had continuously been working for three months. That was what Amadeus had estimated. For the past three months Amadeus had been training his illusionary technique accompanied by his control of the elements.


    This place wasn''t exactly a training ground so there weren''t many things he can train with. Apart from continuous repetition of shadow fighting and going over the curriculum he had been brought up with, there was still a limit he could do. Getting bored was quite easy so he wasn''t focusing on one thing entirely, he would run for one moment and training his control of the elements in the next.


    It was all over the place. Currently, Amadeus was sitting cross legged with his whole body covered in ice crystals. From the tips of his hair to the bottom of his feet were covered in ice making him look like a beautiful ice sculpture. Surprisingly, there wasn''t much change to the floor around him, no puddle of water nothing. He was now finally able to control his main elements and contain their effects to the surroundings.


    ''Should''ve left when I had the chance to.''


    Amadeus got up slowly and stretched, causing a lot of ice crystals to disappear from his body. Sending mana into his ring, a glass of water and a sandwich appeared in his hands which he munched down not a second later. He now knew why his mother made sure he packed enough food that would last him a considerable amount of time.


    With a light shuffle, the rabbit that was laying on his head opened its eyes groggily. With a small yawn it shook his head before getting up. Amadeus felt this and grabbed the critter and bought it to his chest petting its head. A short while later the three-legged crow also landed on his shoulder flapping its wings happily.


    The two creatures would take turns laying on his head, when Amadeus was training his fire then the crow would be perched on top of Amadeus and the opposite with Luna. Luna was the name Amadeus had given the rabbit while he gave the crow the name Solaris.


    The pile of materials next to the forge had considerably dropped resulting in there only being half the amount of materials left. Suddenly with one last strike, a solemn atmosphere fell within the forge,


    "Brat! Come here and give me your blood."


    Shocked by the sudden shout, Amadeus tarried no longer and rushed towards the forge. All he saw was the outline of a red-hot spear like weapon resting in front of the dwarf. Amadeus then cut his wrist and let out a copious amount of blood onto the blade. Seeing a large amount of blood pour itself on the weapon, Varrulir quickly shouted, Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "Enough! Enough!"


    Hearing the shout, Amadeus pulled his hand back and quickened his regeneration resulting in the wound to close. Amadeus looked back up and saw Varrulir put the blade into some box like object before slumping down to the side, breathing heavily.


    Amadeus didn''t say anything and walked next to the dwarf offering him a bottle of water. The dwarf shook his head and once more returned to the box and take out the weapon. Before Amadeus could even speak, the latter got working once more on the weapon. Amadeus just shrugged before returning to do some meditation. It wasn''t until a couple of hours later did something attract his attention. He could feel the uneasiness within the two animals causing him to open his eyes and watch how Varrulir finished his blade.


    With a sudden chime, the Hsu Quandao started hovering while letting out resplendent light. Varrulir covered his eyes while Amadeus watched the crow and rabbit appear next to the weapon. Astonished by their speed, he was even more surprised when the two animals spat out a liquid onto the blade. While the golden three-legged crow spat out a golden liquid that made the atmosphere even hotter, it was balanced by the silver liquid spat out from the white rabbit that brought with it a rare iciness.


    With the sudden addition, the light got even brighter until the whole room became white. Amadeus felt a sudden tug in his heart as if something was calling out to him. Raising his hand, the light flew to his hand causing Amadeus to clench his fist. The blinding light instantly disappeared along with a resounding explosion in their souls. Wind appeared out of nowhere causing Amadeus'' hair to fly up as he held the weapon and, without knowing why, started to pour his energy into it.


    It wasn''t until he was almost empty did Amadeus felt that the weapon could take no more. Breathing out slightly, Amadeus got a clearer look at the beauty that was in his hands. A sleek black spear pole with ancient runes fading in and out of the weapon. It was a simple and felt familiar in Amadeus'' hand. The silvery white crescent blade at the head had a notch protruding from the back of the blade and the carving of a golden dragon on top. A tassel was attached to the blade and another pointed blade was located at the opposite end of the pole.


    Amadeus instantly fell in love with it and started swinging it around, slowly getting accustomed to the weapon. Although it did feel like an extension of his arm, the weight of the weapon was no joke. While he was admiring the Hsu Quandao the sound of metal clashing once more reverberated within the forge.


    Somewhere else, three weapons suddenly started reacting in their own ways, alerting their guardians. It was like they were calling out to another competitor. Within a dark room, a sword was embedded onto a crack on a wall. When Amadeus'' weapon was created the crack deepened and a holy atmosphere was created. A pure light was emitted from it for a while before dying down. The room returned to normal until a few moments later when the smashed open. Two figures walked in with great strides, looking at the sword in the wall.


    "What happened?!"


    The one in the lead spoke up first. Shadows covered the man''s face while only his plain white robe could be seen. The person next to him was fully clad in silver armour with a red cross on his torso.


    "I don''t know, the holy sword just started shining before dying down."


    The former didn''t say anything as he carefully inspected the sword. Seeing no changes, he turned back round,


    "I will report this to his highness, the pope, you continue to guard it and immediately report any different changes."


    Similar things occurred in the Daemon kingdom and the Bestia kingdom but the one responsible was too busy being swung about by an eight-year-old kid.


    Another month went by when Amadeus left the forge. A sour expression masked his face when Eriko and Velia saw him once more. Varrulir was next to him with a helpless yet tired expression on his face. The two were actually quite tired and immediately returned to their quarters to the sweet embrace of their respective beds.


    The next day, Amadeus finally got his long-waited bath after four months before making his way to the dining room. Being someone of the modern world it was new to him not going for a bath in four months. He would have to have one at least every day. When Amadeus entered the dining room, he looked up only to see the head seat filled and food on the table.


    Amadeus sat down and dug in while ignoring Varrulir. The chief dwarf hesitantly opened his mouth,


    "You do know that I had to give it to them¡­"


    "Hmph¡­"


    With a pout, Amadeus turned his head to the side but continued to eat his food. Sighing in defeat, Varrulir looked lost for a second before his eyes started shining in realisation. Turning to see Amadeus, he saw the latter turn his head away just like he expected.


    "What about this, I''ll let you choose any weapon from within this castle."


    Varrulir could see Amadeus'' pointy ears twitch slightly before the latter turned around, his vertical eyes focusing on the dwarf.


    "Any weapon."


    With that declaration, a smile formed on Amadeus''s face,


    "Then I will not hold back."


    With on last gulp of water, Amadeus got up and left the dining room. Varrulir just sat their mouth agape,


    ''Wasn''t that change a bit too quick?''


    Shaking his head, Varrulir chugged down a mug of beer and chased after Amadeus. When he caught up to the little boy, the latter was going through all the weapons, picking them up and throwing them down to the side, heavily scrutinizing each one. No one knew what he was looking for, but it seemed that none of the weapons fit his criteria.


    This went on for quite a while until Amadeus reached a storage area where all the ''low quality'' sword stored. Upon entering his attention was suddenly grabbed by an unassuming longsword placed on the side. The sword was covered in dust and the smell of rust was heavily emitted from it. All in all, it was a sword that wouldn''t attract any attention, but it was one that attracted Amadeus. He didn''t know what it was that attracted him, but he just went straight in and grabbed it.


    As soon as he grabbed it, the dust was swept away, and the smell of rust disappeared. What appeared one was an elegant black scabbard and black handle. Unsheathing the sword, what appeared was a sleek double-edged red blade covered in runes.


    Instantly a voice appeared,


    "Hahaha, I''m finally free. Young warrior, you have awak-mmfmmf!"


    As soon as the sword started talking, Amadeus instantly sheathed it and nodded while speaking,


    "Good this will suit Arius."


    Hearing this the sword seemed to protest,


    "Mmf m mmmff mff¡­"


    Translation: "But I chose you¡­"


    The sword''s protest was cut short with Amadeus'' hand heating up slightly, only slightly.

 36 Cave

    Life was never simple; it was filled with twists and turns that no one would expect. Amadeus first realised this back when he was Toshiro, when the first assassination attempt occurred, leaving him traumatised for a week. Although he got back on his feet, that situation proved to be a turning point in how he would act. Now he was reminded of this simple fact with the situation that was currently transpiring to him now.


    In all his years as Amadeus this was the first time where he felt true danger. Despite his training and even his awakening, he always knew somewhere in his heart that nothing would happen, that there was always a way out. But now, gone was that feeling, all that was left was trepidation of the unknown. Looking around, all he could see was cave walls surrounding him with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. The floor was surprisingly smooth as if it was a path walked by many.


    Amadeus took out an object, it was a round bead with the Drakos family emblem etched onto it. Giving it a bit of mana, nothing happened making him realise the fact that there was no way for others to know where he was. That bead was a transmitter like object, that projected to another bead its location. With nothing happening, it meant that he was either too far from the other bead or that there was something special about this place.


    Amadeus was in deep thought when his clairvoyance kicked in and showed him a vision. Not a short moment later his instincts ran wild like a herd of wildebeest as he turned his body slightly only for an arrow to pass from his original position.


    It seems that the residence of this place had noticed his presence. Amadeus started loosening his shoulder while a cruel, yet excited smile unknowingly crept up on his face.


    Rewinding to a couple hours earlier.


    Amadeus had left the capital city of the Dwarves and had also left the cave when Amadeus saw Velia in deep contemplation.


    "What are you thinking about Velia?"


    "Well, your highness, why did the chief allow you to act in such a manner? I''m pretty sure he had his pride."


    "Well he does indeed have his own pride. However, mother told me his weakness though, it was kids. Did you know, the cities within Ferrarius Mountains houses the greatest number of orphanages, even more than our kingdom. Also, I kept within my limits and didn''t ask for anything extravagant."


    Velia was surprised by the fact, but her expression made a sudden change to an expectant one. Amadeus was taken aback but Velia had already asked him a question,


    "So, your highness, let us see your new weapon¡­"


    Now in normal times she would be reprimanded by Eriko but this time it was different. Eriko also wanted to see what Amadeus had made. Eras also paid attention as his horse slightly came closer. However, contrary to their expectations, Amadeus immediately started sulking,


    "I don''t have them, they were sent back to the clan, something about making them capable of storage when I''m turning into my dragon form while using them."


    The three were surprised but realised why Amadeus'' mood was down when he returned from the forge. The rest of the journey was uneventful until the group made camp at night. Amadeus was playing with Luna when she suddenly perked up and jumped out of Amadeus'' grasp.


    "Wha¡­"


    Amadeus also got up and ran after the rabbit without thinking. A few Blades started following them with Solaris landing on Amadeus shoulder. The Blades saw Amadeus disappear behind a bush and immediately disappear into the ground from their senses. Lightning seemed to rumble in their heads as they immediately appeared where Amadeus vanished. They tried their best in searching for him by expanding their perception''s range, but nothing came up. Looking at each other, they could see sweat form within the slight openings of their helmets before one of them stood up. The others looked at him but turned back and started their search. They didn''t want to be the one to report it to the captain.


    Taking a deep breath, the one in the middle looked up into the sky,


    "ROOOOAAAAAAR!!!!"


    While this may be a simple bestial roar in the minds of others, for a dragon, especially the blades, it was a wake-up call like no other. It meant something terrible happened. Back at the camp, every single Blade looked in the same direction before looking at each other and rushing to the location of the roar. Not long after, dragons took to the sky and started searching for something. Earth dragons started digging down but to no avail.


    With the dragons entering search mode, many spies were caught trailing them and they were deeply interrogated while being disposed of. A messenger was also sent back to the Emerald Palace.


    This brings us to now where Amadeus was looking at the direction where the arrow came from. Even with his vision, he found it difficult to locate the attacker, so he just stood there. There was no cover and he didn''t know where he would end up if he took any path. The only cover he could think of was the large stalactite hanging from the ceiling. While he was thinking this, two arrows appeared side by side targeting his torso. So, bending from his waist he dodged them only to see another two appear, once more targeting his torso. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Once more dodging them, Amadeus thought of something and brought his hand to his chest. Warming the hand up, he pulled it to the and increased the cold energy within his torso. This time the arrows came targeting his hand. Somehow the attackers were targeting his heat signatures rather than actually seeing him. Creating an illusion of him and adding some hot energy into it, Amadeus led his cold energy to engulf him and climb up to the large hanging stalactite, hugging it upside down.


    He calmed down his fighting instinct to try and gain some information into where he was.


    With the positions changed now, Amadeus waited for the arrows to come and indeed they did. Targeting his clone, the arrows passed right through it and Amadeus wielded the clone to collapse and die. With the hot energy slowly leaving the body, Amadeus slowed his breathing and heart rate. He was now no different from the stalactite next to him. One hand reached to his waist and held the tanto his grandmother gave him from when he got his status. Readying his body to optimum condition he was now a legitimate hidden dragon waiting to pounce. While his eyes narrowed slightly, he didn''t use his clairvoyance.


    His clairvoyance did come with limitations, he could only see the future of things in his vision. It was more combat orientated rather than the usual predicting the future. Slowly, the faint sound of footsteps entered his ear.


    He judged by the noise that the owner of these footsteps was an armoured individual. Just as he was about to conclude there being only one individual, a slight rustle caught his attention. There was another person, one who could hide her presence so well that it slipped past Amadeus. Remembering the two arrows, he thought there would be one more person, so he waited.


    Slowly, faint voices entered through his ears, the first was of a rather young man, presumably in his twenties,


    "¡­anyways I was surprised seeing you start to shoot arrows like that."


    A rather gentle yet sharp female voice replied back to him,


    "Well the sensors picked up a heat signature here, so I thought one had gotten strayed and arrived near the camp. Thought I would kill it before it alerts its companions."


    "Ok, but it was too hasty, what if it were another person¡­"


    "What if it was one of them and was about to call for its companions?"


    This seemed to shut the young man up as the rest of the walk was met with quiet. Suddenly another voice was heard but a bit further back filled with authority,


    "So, what was it?"


    The female voice replied,


    "I can barely see a figure lying on the floor, no heat signatures."


    "You mean it''s dead?"


    "I think so¡­"


    "I think so, is not good enough, wait we will come with you¡­"


    With that Amadeus heard a few more footsteps join up with the armoured before they neared his position.


    "Well it''s not one of the for sure,"


    Seeing the purple robes on the floor, and the dark violet hair sprawled on the ground, the group concluded that it was not one of the creatures they were fearing.


    "Seems to be a kid¡­"


    "One with a high-status judging by the clothes¡­"


    "Wait."


    The same authoritative voice leading them exclaimed,


    "Something''s not right."


    ''That guy has quite the intuition.''


    Amadeus thought to himself before hearing the authoritative voice once again,


    "Arrow, check it out."


    Amadeus now saw a figure entering his vision. The wore leather armour over her lithe figure and a green hood where strands of blonde hair could be seen. Two pointy ears extended out from behind the hood as the figure kept her bow and arrow ready. It was a simple wooden bow with exquisite carvings covering its body.


    ''An elf?''


    Amadeus barely heard her as she went forward to examine the ''body'', only to stop a few metres away. Seeing her stop, a voice was heard from behind here,


    "What happened?"


    "I think we have just done something very bad, something really bad."


    "What do you mean?"


    The elf didn''t reply but kept looking at the body in front. If Amadeus could see he would notice the pale face of the elf turn even whiter as she looked at the body.

 37 Goblins?

    There it was, a purple robe, dark violet hair and slight pointy ears. What cemented the body''s status was the symbol of a golden dragon with four claws etched onto the robe.


    ''What have I done?''


    The girl was one of many elves that aspired to leave the forest and see the world as adventurers. What should have been just another day as an adventurer had gone terribly wrong. Her and her party had somehow appeared in this godforsaken place and were constantly attacked by the aboriginals of this place. One by one, her party was killed, and she was the last one surviving until she met up with some survivors just like her in this place.


    Before she knew it, she was part of the group and was out hunting, protecting their stronghold with everything she had.


    She didn''t know how long she had been here but the last thing she remembered from the surface was the crown prince of the Drakos Empire''s approaching eighth birthday. Now, she was looking at the dead body of that same crown prince, that was what she thought.


    Slowly her fellow companions started surrounding the body, one by one a grave yet deep look passed their faces.  Their heart beats slowed as they couldn''t believe their eyes. Amadeus watched the group gather with torches. A middle-aged man in leather tunic was in the lead as he looked down on the body. A knight was also there explaining the armoured footsteps.


    A magician seemed to be with them as they had hovering light orbs moving alongside them.


    Amadeus couldn''t see what the knight looked like, but his young voice did give him a faint idea of his age.


    "Well, it is the least of our worries, and besides, it''s not like anyone outside of us will know about this. We are after all stuck here."


    These words seemed to have taken a weight off the group''s shoulders as they visibly relaxed.


    "Let''s just see if he is still alive-"


    "Wait!"


    The leader suddenly exclaimed as he scrutinised the body,


    "There''s no shadow."


    "What?"


    The group looked confused as they all turned to the body. It was true, despite the light from the orbs, there was no shadow. While the others were hesitating, Arrow moved forward and gave the body a slight kick. Expecting some sort of resistance, her leg just went straight through the body and landed on the stone floor.


    "Huh?!"


    The rest of the group were also surprised as the came closer only to see the illusion disappear. Seeing the body vanish, the group readied their weapons and vigilantly looked around.


    "Who or what do you think it was that set it up?"


    The leader took out his sword and also looked vigilantly around,


    "I don''t know but the fact that it could trick all of us, it''s not something we can underestimate."


    Taking one glance around, a turned towards Arrow,


    "Can you see anything?"


    Arrow shook her head.


    "It''s either escaped or it''s currently watching us right now."


    Some of the cowardly ones looked up and down, trying to see if anyone was still around. Suddenly, Arrow along with the leader looked in one direction. Slowly the group noticed this just before a faint rumbling could be heard in the distance.


    "It''s the aboriginals, it seems they caught our scent."


    Letting loose a few arrows, the group started retreating leaving Amadeus still hung up on the stalactite. He was now interested in what the so-called aboriginals were. This however proved to be a bad idea, because the closer the group of aboriginals got the more of a bad premonition Amadeus got. Feeling something not right, Amadeus dropped down and also ran in the direction the group went. He turned back, trying to see what the aboriginals looked like, but they were too far for Amadeus to see.


    Not long after, Amadeus came cross a fork on the road and he entered a random one. Slowly, he could feel himself descending and the sound of rumbling get quieter. Slowing his pace to a walk, Amadeus vigilantly carried on walking forward making his presence as quiet as possible. It was just an endless corridor for Amadeus with no light in sights.


    "Where are they?"


    Amadeus muttered under his breath as he hadn''t even caught a glimpse of either Solaris or Luna. All he could do was continue further into a cave. It was only with this decision when Amadeus noticed the cave walls get smoother and slowly change into actuals stone walls. The path he now walked on was covered in tiles as he started seeing lights up ahead.


    Reaching the lights, Amadeus noticed that the hallway continued for quite some time with other hallways intersecting it. Amadeus continued on in his path as he started seeing ladders going up and ladders coming down. It seemed that he entered a labyrinth of some kind. Hearing some noises, he turned only to see an injured Arrow, the leader and the knight run towards him. He looked at them and turned into the opposite direction of them.


    The three looked like they had lost some hope until they saw a figure in front. They didn''t get a clear look though as the figure started running in the opposite direction from them.


    Only one word was left in his head,


    ''Nope.''


    He didn''t run away from the three, but seeing their state, he knew that whatever attacked them was nothing to scoff at. It wasn''t that he was scared, but he would rather not get involved without knowing who or even what the thing was that brought those three to the state they were currently in. Taking some twists and turns, it only brought Amadeus to the place he least wanted to see, a dead end. However, he didn''t stop and get depressed or stop and heroically face the adversities to come. Instead what he did was clench his fist, coalesce some energy and swing it forward.


    As soon as his fist made contact, large cracks appeared rippling across the wall only for it to crumble to pieces. Once the dust settled, Amadeus came upon an epiphany, that hitting a random wall was not a good idea. Indeed, misfortunes never come singly. What appeared in Amadeus'' eyes were a group of humanoid creatures. Each of them had a pair of large eyes and a long nose, yellow teeth and the body odour of rats mating with cockroaches.


    Still there was a slight scent of blood within that pungent smell and small smudges of blood upon them. The first being that came into Amadeus'' head was,


    ''Goblins?''


    Yet, apart from the eyes, nose, mouth and smell, everything about them was different. There were no two alike, apart from the various normal ones between them. One would have extremely dark green skin while being the height of two metres, some had the upper body of a goblin while the other half of a boar. They were all different. Looking around, he realised that the earlier commotion had attracted their attention. Seeing their yellow eyes bore down into him, Amadeus laughed to himself and pulled out his wakizashi. Holding it in a reverse grip, he heard some footsteps behind him.


    The three had heard the loud sound and came towards it only to realise that they had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Standing next to Amadeus, the three didn''t feel shocked about finding about Amadeus'' identity.


    "It seems like it''s the end of the line for me¡­"


    Amadeus heard the leader speaking. Finally, closer to him, Amadeus got a clearer look of him. The man''s eyes spoke of experience while his face showed scars cementing them. A large scar ran over his left eye, while another over his nose reaching the middle of both cheeks. A stubble had appeared on his square face while his slicked back hair showed signs of whiteness. He wore a part leather part iron armour over his body and carried a long in both his hands.


    The knight had lost his helmet and what had replaced was a rather average face with black eyes and brown hair. His freckled face carried a simple look and an honest smile. Despite being pushed into these dire circumstances, the smile never left his face. Yet that smile looked as crooked as ever,


    "Well, it seems like I''ll be joining you¡­"


    Lastly, Arrow was standing there scrutinising the place. Despite the hood, a mask covered her face allowing only her luminescent green eyes to be seen. She had her whole body covered in leather, not allowing any exposed parts. She had her bow ready and was just waiting for the other party to attack. She stayed quite unlike her two friends.


    Amadeus didn''t pay any further attention on them and looked back at the goblins surrounding them. They had slowly started to move closer and closer to the group. Then out of nowhere, Amadeus made his move. Leaping forward, he attacked the closest Goblin which was the dark green one.


    Aiming for the head, Amadeus succeeded in slicing its neck only for it to stop midway. Amadeus then felt something tighten around his arm.


    "Wha-!?"


    The three looked shocked by the sudden change of situation. Amadeus looked down only to catch a glimpse of the dark green goblin''s hand grabbing his arm. Feeling the arm tighten, Amadeus pulled out his other arm and showed his palm to the goblin. Directing it at the goblin''s face, a ball of fire coalesced in front of his palm,


    "Fireball."


    A calm voice left his mouth as the fireball shot towards the goblin. Due to the close distance, the goblin barely had time to react once the impact happened. The fireball left a faint trail behind it as it caused a mini explosion on the goblin''s face. Feeling the goblin''s arm loosen, Amadeus kicked the goblin and launched himself backwards, away from the goblin. Not even for waiting for the dust to settle, the goblin''s surrounding them were already attacking. Amadeus had barely landed when he was already surrounded by five goblins. One similar to the one he just defeated and four normal ones.


    Seeing their ragged weapons come closer, Amadeus moved his wakizashi to block their attacks only to see an arrow fly passed him and hit the dark green goblin''s eyes. The next moment, the knight came with his shield and rammed the four goblins while the leader got his longsword to lop off the dark green goblin''s head. Their teamwork was impeccable.


    "Well still, fighting next to royalty is an honour¡­"


    Amadeus stayed silent while the knight just laughed,


    "Yeah¡­"


    "You two shut up. We have more pressing matters to attend to."


    Arrow''s voice shut the two up as a serious expression masked their face. Amadeus also turned around and the four put their back to each other. Amadeus didn''t trust them yet, but they were not in a situation where they could ignore each other. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.

 38 Arrow

    Seeing the goblins surround them, Amadeus noticed that they seemed more attracted to Arrow rather than the rest. However, there was one that was drooling while looking at three guys sending shivers down their spines.


    With a loud shout to rile them up, the largest goblin took the lead to attack. Smaller Goblins followed behind them carrying malicious smiles on their faces. For Amadeus, time seemed to slow down as adrenaline surged throughout his body. Unknown to him, an excited smile plastered his face while his vertical eyes looked sharper than ever.


    This caused some of the goblins to flinch a little, but the thought of them outnumbering the opposite party made them continue their assault. Arrow looked worried as she notched an arrow while the leader and the knight wielded their sword emitting a similar expression.


    As the goblins got closer, arrow took the first kill, shooting a larger goblin in the eye.


    The three had kept Arrow in the middle, allowing her to provide back up with arrows. While the knight acted as a tank, the leader tried to finish of as many as he can. As for Amadeus, he was nowhere to be seen anywhere near them. He had attracted most of the goblins attention by running straight into them.


    Now also wielding the tanto, Amadeus started dual wielding killing a goblin with every swing and stab. Knowing that most of them were normal goblins, they were only about Amadeus'' height, so the two daggers were enough to finish them off.


    The oppositions fighting style was crude in of itself, yet what their true strength was in their numbers. The bigger goblins proved to be a nuisance as it would take more than one hit to take down. Yet, with the light use of magic by embedding it to his weapons, it soon got easier to take down.


    Amadeus had just sliced the neck of a smaller goblin before jumping onto the shoulders of a bigger one. Stabbing its eye, he went on to embed some mana onto his wakizashi and sliced the goblins neck off. Kicking the goblins body, Amadeus did a backflip and went on to attack another. Seeing that they were still surrounded, Amadeus caught sight of some goblins entering the fray while another group of goblins retrieving the bodies, especially the large ones.


    Amadeus felt weird seeing this,


    ''Why were they taking the bodies away?''


    Goblins weren''t the most advanced of creatures and with what little intelligence they had, Amadeus didn''t see the need for them to retrieve any bodies. As soon as he realised that there was something wrong, Amadeus killed his way to the middle. This loosened the burden on the leader and the knight as they felt slightly relieved, only to see Amadeus stand next to Arrow.


    Confused at what he was doing, they only heard his voice,


    "Get closer to me."


    Despite their confusion, they still complied as they pushed back their attacking goblin and fell back. During this, Amadeus started embedding mana into the ground. The way magic worked in Orbis was slightly different. Using magic had another name, communicating with spirits. A person that would have an affinity with an element meant that they could communicate with that respective element. As spirits were mostly unintelligent, it wasn''t really communicating but they still had their basic instincts. This meant that if one had an affinity to the fire elements, it would be easier for them to communicate with fire elemental spirits. However, with the water element, despite being able to use it, they would have a harder time communicating with them and vice versa. Being opposite elements, the latter would have a natural aversion to clashing elements.


    Dragons were different, the elements they had originated from them, so they didn''t belong in the same category. So, a fire dragon would use fire that originated from itself. Right now, Amadeus was communicating with the earth elemental spirits beneath him. The mana was like tendrils of communication lines interconnecting Amadeus and the surrounding elements.


    For any other being, they would have to chant a spell but due to Amadeus being a dragon, who were magical beings, all Amadeus had to do was transmit his thoughts and imagine what he wanted. Imagining spikes coming out of the ground, Amadeus increased the output of his mana and pushed into the ground.


    Then instantly, a myriad of spikes shot out of the ground nailing all the nearby goblins. Getting up, Amadeus then wielded fire to take care of any remaining goblins that managed to stay alive. There was also an ulterior motive in doing so. He didn''t want any goblin''s bodies to remain, although he didn''t know why they were taking the bodies away, he didn''t want to help them by creating a lot of bodies.


    Once the fire disappeared, all that remained were groups of impaled goblins and thoroughly burned pieces on the floor. The charred smell wafted the room as the four tried blocking the smell by covering their noses. Looking around, Amadeus realised that he may have miscalculated his output of mana and ended up overshooting it. Pikes that had the diameter of basketballs had emerged from the ground and embedded themselves into the ceiling, unknown to where they ended. Apart from the sheer number, the group saw the dead goblins hang like ragdolls from the ceilings. Faint cracks covered the ceilings indicated to the group that it was currently very brittle.


    The group didn''t see the need to stay and quickly left the area in case they attracted any more attention. Amadeus was a bit unnerved at the fact that he had used this much mana for just one spell. It wasn''t a lot, but it was something worth noticing.


    While the group made their way into the depths of the tunnel, in the middle of the whole labyrinth, a large being felt Amadeus'' mana fluctuations and looked in their direction. His whole body was covered with a black cloak which was further shrouded in the shadows. A line of Goblins stood on attention near a wall. These ones were larger than what Amadeus and co encountered and darker in colour.


    All of this was within a large room with a coffin in the middle. It was a pure black coffin that had a golden cross in the middle. The whole coffin was embedded with metallic red roses in an intricate design. Silver chains were wrapped around the coffin and attached to a nearby wall and ceiling, suspending it in mid-air.


    Solaris and Luna were also there with their powers on full release. Luna had ice crystals surrounding her with a snowstorm. Anything that approached the rabbit was frozen before it even entered the storm. Solaris, on the other hand had golden flames covering spread out from beneath his wings. Anything that even came remotely close was burned to ashes.


    Despite that, the two were surrounded by a myriad of unknown runes slowly getting closer and closer. One could see the power emerging from them being directed to runes surrounding the chains.


    "Just a little more time."


    A deep voice was heard from the being as it turned back around and started walking to the other side of the room. Over there was a surgical bed surrounded by various apparatuses. On top of the bed was a small normal goblin that had a tube being directed into its blood vessels. A bluish liquid was being transported through the tube and into the goblin. Bluish veins appeared on the body as it started tremble in pain, it started thrashing around and before anyone knew it, the goblin exploded.


    "Tch, another failed product. Bring in another one."


    With that a door opened and in came another goblin who also lay on the table. Despite knowing his fate, the goblin still went and lay on the table. The whole time the former had fear in his eyes and didn''t dare glance at the black clothed figure. Inputting a needle into the goblin, a small voice left the being,


    "For the empire."


    Back with Amadeus and the rest, the group had set up a temporary camp within the tunnels. Amadeus didn''t speak at all to them and kept his distance. The three looked troubled as they sat together, occasionally sneaking a glance at the prince.


    Amadeus was also sneaking a peak at them, through the eyes of truth, he could see that the elf and knight had good intentions towards him and showed signs of wanting to initiate a conversation. The leader was different though, Amadeus couldn''t see through him at all. This could mean many things, he was stronger than him by a long mile, an artefact, he had no intentions towards Amadeus, or he was just really good at concealing his emotions.


    Despite that Amadeus didn''t trust them as he knew not to always rely on his eyes. One couldn''t know how twisted a person''s intentions could be, someone could have good intentions towards you while also wanting to kill you. It was confusing yet a simple truth.


    The two tried approaching him but gave up midway. Barely a short moment had passed when Arrow left the group and sat in front of Amadeus. Her determined eyes wavered for a bit as she didn''t know how to initiate a conversation. She was talking to royalty, from the most powerful empire. Amadeus raised an eyebrow as he questioningly looked at the opposite party.


    Seeing the vertical eyes bore down onto her, Arrow felt uneasy and avoided eye contact, squirming slightly. She took a couple glances at Amadeus before looking away. A pitying sigh left Amadeus'' mouth as a he looked at the girl with pity.


    ''What the hell is she doing?''


    This scene went on for some time before a youthful voice broke the atmosphere.


    "This is the first time I''ve seen Arrow so flustered."


    "Shut up!"


    Arrow immediately got up and threw a rock at the knight, hitting him on the face. Earning a laugh from the leader, Arrow quickly looked back at Amadeus only to see him looking at her with surprise. Coughing slightly, she realised that she had calmed down and introduced herself,


    "I won''t tell you my real name, but right now you can call me Arrow."


    Amadeus nodded before turning to the other two. The knight got up rubbing the back of his head while a hint of blood appeared on his nose,


    "I''m Samuel."


    Looking at the leader, he kept his cold exterior,


    "Jack." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Seeing the leader not speaking any further, Amadeus realised the other two looking at him with eager eyes. Discomforted with such eyes, Amadeus hurriedly changed the subject, he didn''t want to say his name.


    "How long have you guys been here?"


    Taken aback by the change of subject, they refrained from pursuing any further as Arrow replied,


    "I''d say a couple or so months. It is hard to keep track of time here."


    Amadeus nodded as he looked at Samuel who had gotten up and sat near the two,


    "I''ve lost count, same with the leader."


    The three looked at the leader sharpening his dagger. The light from the fire shone on his face giving him a ruthless atmosphere around him.


    Samuel then leaned forward and spoke in a hushed voice,


    "He''s not a bad guy, just it takes some time to get to know him. He''s really kind inside."


    Amadeus saw the Jack''s ear twitching, he definitely heard what Samuel said.


    This time Amadeus got a proper look at Samuel. He was wearing a chain armour with a white layer of cloth at the front. A red cross ran on his torso, but the cloth now looked ragged.


    "Templar?"


    "Haha, your highness jests. I''m merely a squire."


    The Templars was an organisation of knights dedicated to protecting the weak. His father often mentioned them with a look of respect. It wasn''t respect for their strength but for the responsibilities they took. Formerly, a division under the church, the leader of the Templar''s left them for unknown reasons and created the Templar''s with a few trusted aids and comrade in arms who shared the same ideology.


    The Templar leader happened to be the brother of Lionel, the current Imperial guard captain back at the Emerald Palace.


    The three started talking with Jack slowly joining them later on despite not talking as much.


    Seeing that the three get up, Amadeus also got when the three got up and moved a certain distance in front of them. With the education Atia had hammered into him, a couple exchange of words wasn''t enough to start trusting someone. Amadeus also found out why it was just the three of them left, Apparently, the three were the only survivors from a sudden ambush that occurred when they were escaping.


    The group of four continued walking, occasionally taking out the small goblin patrols. However, it was as if a dam had burst for Arrow as she couldn''t stop talking to Amadeus, sticking to him like glue. It seemed that she thought of herself as Amadeus'' elder sister. Finally, Amadeus had enough, and he looked at Arrow,


    "Missing someone?"


    This came as a shock to Arrow as a jolt ran through her body. Her shoulders slumped slightly while she looked down. Her mood seemed to dampen slightly before she opened her mouth,


    "Yes."


    This attracted the attention of the Amadeus as Arrow continued talking. The other two were out scouting ahead so it was only the two of them.


    "I have a few little siblings waiting for me at home and I haven''t gotten my regular dose of their cuteness. It seems that looking at you has reminded me of the little critters at home, the eldest is probably around your age."


    Amadeus stayed silent as he continued walking forward. Arrow looked more down as she felt she hadn''t reached out to the boy. However, a small voice left Amadeus'' mouth which instead cheered her up. A hint of blush quickly left Amadeus as he hurried his steps.


    It wasn''t until they only started encountering the larger and darker goblins when the group realised that they were getting closer and closer to the heart of whatever was happening.


    Slowly but surely, they ended up in front of a rather large wooden door. It was about four metres high and was just made of simple wooden planks. The years had clearly taken a toll on the door as there was moss growing near the edges of the door and faint cracks were spread across the door. A light shone from beneath the door and a fear inducing scream was heard from behind it.

 39 Contac

    - God Realm -


    Everything was peaceful within the realm of gods as Granny could be seen standing next to a throne within a dark room. Upon the throne was an old man with his eyes closed. His beard reached the floor as four horns protruded from his head. Not a single wrinkle was seen on his face as he opened his eyes full of seriousness, revealing two gold gems, like black holes absorbing the light surrounding them. A satisfied smile left his face while his next words destroyed the serious atmosphere,


    "That''s it. That''s the way I will look at the little snake when I first see him."


    A hearty laughter left his mouth as Granny seemed to ignore what the man was saying. Feeling the silence behind him, he turned around only to see Granny standing still with her eyes closed.


    "Hey, oi, wake up."


    ''Why does she always fall asleep in the weirdest places.''


    "He, honey, babes¡­"


    This went for a long time until he garnered some sort of reaction. Slowly, but surely, Granny came out of her trance as she instinctively swung her stick,


    *Whack*


    Granny opened her eyes only to see her husband side profile with a long red line stretching across his cheeks. Shaking her head, she was about to say something until she whipped her head downstairs. The old man was also the same as he looked in the same direction.


    "It seems the little snake will be encountering his future enemies earlier than expected." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Granny sighed as she continued looking,


    "Well he had to encounter them at some point."


    The old man continued looking as he narrowed his eyes,


    "Where''s his weapons?"


    "They seem to still be at the clan,"


    "What?!"


    "Well, who''s idea was it to strengthen it with the god of war''s blood¡­"


    "But¡­"


    "Haven''t we already made him suffer enough¡­ noooooooo¡­ you just had to go and extract the blood out of that bull¡­This isn''t the first time you have done this, first the horse now this¡­"


    "But¡­"


    It seemed that the grievances carried inside Granny were not small at all. This went for another while, as they completely forgot about the important topic.


    "Wait!"


    A loud voice left the old man as he gave the timeout signal, making a ''T'' with his two hands.


    "What?!"


    Granny looked really offended for some reason as she whacked the old man again,


    "Up yours too. Where did you learn such vulgar hand signals?"


    "No, honey, time out."


    Granny seemed to realise what he meant as she held back her walking stick. Looking at the mess in front of her that now had a red line in descending in the middle of his face.


    "It seems that the weapon is done alongside the armour."


    This resulted in a raised eyebrow from Granny as she also looked down.


    "Yeah, but how will it get to where Amadeus is?"


    "Don''t worry about that. I''m awesome, I''ll think of something. ''Now, how shall I make it flashy.''"


    The last part was said in his mind as a thoughtful expression masked his face.


    "As for the weapon and armour getting there, they''re his, they will be with him when he needs them most."


    The old man had everything ready just before Amadeus and co reached the door.


    - Orbis -


    Back in front of the door, the scream had shaken their very souls. No matter who they were, one would always fear the unknown. The ones who didn''t fear it were either the mad or the insane, and the ones who faced it were either fools or ones with courage.


    However, Amadeus didn''t know why but looking at the door, he felt a sensation in his heart. Something telling him to let loose, something telling him to enter and rip everything inside apart. The group were standing behind Amadeus but if the saw him they would be surprised seeing the glow in Amadeus'' eyes. A hint of red veins had appeared at the edges of him eyes while his canines shone with a dangerous light amid his crazy smile.


    Apart from that, he noticed the presence of Solaris and Luna inside.


    Seeing Amadeus not moving, Arrow picked her hand up and touched his shoulder allowing him to retain that feeling of madness. Looking back, he saw Arrow look at him with a touch of concern to which he just replied with a smile, garnering the same response. The other two looked at their interaction and started to wonder when the elf and dragon got that close.


    Amadeus pushed aside Arrow''s hand and opened the door. It was also when another scream was heard causing the group to flinch as Amadeus took the lead. He was the fastest among the three and could scout ahead. What entered their view was a large open area with countless pillars propping up the ceiling. Each pillar was around extremely big and total of ten metres were between each of them. In the middle was a hut, with a couple large goblins guarding the entrance.


    The rest of the area was filled with collapsed rocks as the four got closer going from cover to cover. Arrow never left Amadeus'' side as a sort of protective instinct came over her whenever she looked at Amadeus. When they were closer to the hut, they got a proper look at it.


    These goblins were not the same as what they encountered, they had dark green skin that could be mistaken for black and a height of about two metres. The stood there with crossed arms and vigilant looks. Seeing the light coming from the hut, it seemed that the source of whatever they were facing, and the screams was that hut. As if to confirm their thoughts, another scream was heard alongside an explosion.


    "Damn, another failed product¡­hmm¡­it seems the pests got here earlier than expected."


    A gruff voice was heard while a being clad in a dark cloak stepped outside looking at the direction Amadeus and the rest were in. Seeing that they were spotted the group came out while Amadeus attracted the being''s attention. The being also attracted the latter''s attention due to all the alarm bells ringing within himself. The three-metre-tall monstrosity seemed to be extremely dangerous while the desire to kill him was countering his desire to run.


    The two kept looking at each other while goblins came out one by one.


    The cloaked man looked at Amadeus,


    "What a pleasant surprise-"


    The man''s speech was cut short seeing Amadeus lunge at him. The other three got the same message, they would take care of the goblins while Amadeus would take care of the cloaked individual. Amadeus went for a simple yet effective punch with his right hand, which was blocked by the man''s arm. What appeared though was an armoured hand from beneath the cloak. Instantly pain registered within Amadeus'' mind as he unsheathed his wakizashi and swung it at the arm, hoping to cut it off.


    Amadeus knew that his enemy was stronger than his, so he never thought to end it with a vital hit. Also, it wasn''t just strength that he was lacking, it was also experience. Him having a life or death battle was rare, especially one where the outcome was unpredictable. One could tell by the way the being carried himself he was a battle-hardened warrior. The confidence shown in his moves and the slight scars on the armour all pointed in that direction.


    Plus, with his reach, he couldn''t hope to ever reach that far as he felt a pushing force from the hand. The being however was unperturbed and Amadeus felt a slight feeling of elation when the blade made contact. However, that feeling was short lived, like a falling star, his elation shattered like fragile glass as the blade stopped midway as another hand appeared grasping the handle. Slowly, the man''s grasped tightened and the sound of bones creaking were heard before they started cracking.


    While this was happening, Arrow was letting loose her arrows targeting the weak points of the Goblins. The Goblins were different from the precious ones, the skin was harder and shone in a sort of metallic shine. Arrows couldn''t take care of that and she didn''t want to infuse them with magic. The fighting here had attracted the attention of all the other goblins, and they were slowly making their way over.


    Samuel was using his shield to block their assault and would look for the right chance to attack, peeking his head out from above his shield. Jack was on a full-on assault, only dodging attacks while looking for any opportunity to strike. The teamwork the three had was impeccable.


    Amadeus knew this so he wasn''t worried, so he put all his concentration to the enemy opposite him. Feeling the pain, Amadeus supressed a scream and grit his teeth as he sent the sun''s energy to his hands. The being felt the heat and let Amadeus allowing him to kick the man in front, launching himself backwards. Getting into stance, he concentrated at the being who took of his cloak. What appeared a pure black armour with a helmet that had six slits. Only the upper half of the being''s face was covered while a cruel smile filled with yellow teeth was plastered on the being''s face. What was more astonishing was that those six slits all had red eyes looking through them while the skin of that man was an ash grey.


    The armour he was wearing was slick and black and didn''t have a shine as if it was absorbing it.


    "Now it''s better."


    Getting into stance, he pulled out a Bastard sword and held it near his head, pointing it at Amadeus.


    Amadeus also lowered his centre of gravity as scales appeared on his off hand. This was the first time Amadeus had done this and he only did to try it out, luckily it succeeded. Seeing the golden scales, the grin on the being grew wider as a laugh left his mouth,


    "Hahahahaha, I have indeed hit the jackpot today. Killing you will give me a huge bounty, however, not before I look at every nook and cranny of a real dragon''s body."


    The eyes of the being got possessive as they started glowing slightly. Amadeus didn''t reply but his manic started to slowly came back to him. His eyes started glowing while a trail was left whenever he moved. As the two moved, Amadeus left one gold and one silver trail while the being left six red ones. The two met in the middle where a goblin happened to be. The being''s bastard sword was two metres long and bought with a presence with it indicating its heavy weight. The sword reached the goblin first, annihilating its head, while Amadeus didn''t dare meet it head on. Jumping up slightly, he dodged the sword and swung his blade at the being''s neck. A bit of blood from the goblin touched his cheeks giving him a cruel look with the addition of his stoic face.


    The being finished his swing midway and blocked Amadeus'' strike only to let loose a punch. The way he handled the sword was like it was weightless. Amadeus barely dodged the punch while the being elbowed him with the hand holding the sword. Amadeus got hit on the stomach and was thrown back with force, smashing to one of the collapsed rocks. Getting up, he came out of the smashed rock only to see the being rushing at him.


    He could feel that his ribs had cracked a bit, but they were slowly being healed by his regeneration powers. Spitting out some blood, he saw the blood evaporate into nothingness. It wasn''t that the result of anything that was occurring right now, but it was the result of Amadeus getting more accustomed to his powers. The more of his power he could control the more his body changed. Now the heat was contained within his body and with the support of it allowed the blood to also be able to handle the heat and not evaporate. However, once the blood left his body, it lost its support and was quickly overpowered by the heat.


    Amadeus waited for a bit and waited for the being get closer. Looking at the way he was belting it towards him reminded him of a bull back in his first world and when they saw red. They would only focus on that, disregarding anything that came in their way. Seeing his the being ready to swing he pressed his feet down a bit and sunk the ground where the being happened to step next with magic. Due to the sudden loss of balance, Amadeus didn''t attack with his blade but rather made two icicles above him. As soon as the two icicles appeared mist covered them while the whole hall''s temperature descended.


    The three over there started shivering while some of the goblins had frost covering their skin. This was one of the reasons why Amadeus didn''t want to use his main powers, they had a massive influence onto the surroundings. Although he was able to control its spread and not allow it to spread to the outside world, the aftereffects of that element existing was still there. Back at the forge, there was some sort of barrier affecting the influence of said atmosphere which allowed him to train all he wants.


    However, Amadeus knew that without them, he didn''t know how long he could last but it was definitely a short time.


    Amadeus created two, one for the head and for his chest and immediately flicked is fingers, sending the two icicles whistling towards the being. The facial expression changed as he turned his head slightly only for the icicle to pass his face freezing that half, while he couldn''t evade the one aiming at the torso went directly in. That was when Amadeus retracted his control and the cold started spreading on his chest.


    Amadeus felt slightly happy but remained vigilant, he never knew what his enemy could cook up next. To conclude Amadeus was right, he barely saw it but while Amadeus slowly stepped back, the being slashed with his sword causing the tip of his sword to scrape Amadeus''s inner armour, surprisingly cutting through it, and drawing blood. Amadeus his chest and felt his regeneration kick in while the being slowly got up.


    "You have surprisingly good reflexes..."


    Indeed, if Amadeus hadn''t jumped back at the last second, more damage could have been done.


    "...dragons do live up to their name, especially one so young."


    The being got up and hit the icicle from the back and pushed it straight through his body.


    "Your ice is different, its slowly encroaching ever part of body. It seemed I have underestimated you."


    "I will now come at full force-"


    Amadeus was having none of it and more icicles appeared above him.

 40 Another awakening

    The being looked up only to see a dozen or so icicles targeting him. With another flick of his fingers, Amadeus sent them spiralling towards the being. The being started moving forward, constantly dodging one icicle after another, not wanting to get hit by any of those icicles.


    Dodging one after another, he slowly but surely closed up on Amadeus while the latter also moved. Running right behind one of the icicles, Amadeus appeared to the side of the being with a red hot Wakizashi. Aiming straight for the slight opening left by the being, he failed to see the smirk that had crept onto his enemy. For Amadeus though, all he saw was the being twist in an unnatural way and before he knew it, a sword was descending onto him. His clairvoyance kicked in, but it was only a small vision, allowing Amadeus to step to the side, barely dodging.


    However, the change was too quick and unexpected, so it wasn''t enough. Without even knowing, Amadeus felt a loss of weight on the right side of his body while he felt a loss of balance. It didn''t register within Amadeus'' head until he looked at his right shoulder where his arm from the shoulder down was now missing.


    That was when pain registered in his and he stumbled back a bit. He wanted to scream, he wanted to shout, he wanted to let it all out, but he couldn''t. He knew that if he did, it would not only expose his weakness, but it will also attract the attention of the three that were fighting. They already had a lot to handle and he didn''t want to add onto their burdens.


    However, the being wasn''t as lenient, with a quick spin, another sword swept to his left. All Amadeus was able to do was move his left hand holding the wakizashi to block. Despite begin able to block the sword, he wasn''t able to block the strength behind it and he was flung towards the hut, crashing into it.


    The loud crash attracted everyone'' attention as the being appeared with a large hole on his torso and started walking towards the hut. The group felt a bit relieved knowing that Amadeus was able to leave such an injury on the being but seeing what he was holding in his hand crushed that flicker of hope. A young hand was held as it slowly turned to ash in that being''s hand. The being was also surprised but put it to the back of his mind and continued towards the hut.


    Within the hut, Amadeus had landed on the coffin as he started swinging back and forth. He felt an itch throughout his left hand and his right shoulder. The strike to the left had shattered his bones but they were slowly being repaired. While his right arm was slowly regenerating, it wasn''t extremely fast, but his regeneration was rebuilding that lost arm.


    Amadeus got up and looked around only to see a trapped Solaris and Luna who were looking at him with worry while rocking back and forth. Giving them a smile, he also noticed a hospital bed and apparatuses accompanying it. He could tell it was a room for conducting research. He didn''t have time to look around, so he pushed himself up which didn''t go well, and he fell down face first. Only now did he realise that what he landed on didn''t seem to be a wall but rather a swing of some kind.


    Turning around, he saw a black coffin around his size with intricate rose designs just swinging back and forth. He then saw the whole formation of the powers released from Luna and Solaris being used to break the chains. However, he never had time to do anything about that as he felt the being getting closer. Making his way out, he readied his wakizashi with his almost healed left hand in a backhanded grip and dashed towards the being.


    Without an arm, it had messed up his balance, but it didn''t take long to get used to it. With their blades clashing, Amadeus was already moving as soon as the blades lost contact. He tried to avoid getting hit and tried to attack from different directions, trying to catch the being off guard. It wasn''t a major success though, the being would either block the strike or completely dodge it no matter where he attacked from. It was very rare for Amadeus to catch it off guard.


    This exchange of blows went on for some time as Amadeus'' experience with combat increased. He was catching the being off guard a couple more times after noticing the hole in his torso have some effect. As Amadeus was going for one more swing, the being blocked the attack and pushed the sword outward, making Amadeus stumble and lose his balance. What followed was backhanded punch to Amadeus'' face hurling Amadeus of towards the rest of his group. The only reason why Amadeus was being thrown around like a rag doll was due to his size. Amadeus was just like any other eight-year-old. The being''s fist was nearly half the size of him, so it was natural for him to be tossed around.


    Amadeus landed on top of the last Goblin left standing. The group around was tired but seeing Amadeus land in front of them caused them to crowd around him. Amadeus didn''t think for a second before getting back up on his feet with half his face smashed up, slowly healing. The rest of the group then looked at the being playing around with his sword.


    "Hahaha, don''t you think it''s time to end this?"


    Amadeus wiped off some blood as he came ahead of the group.


    "It indeed is."


    "I wasn''t talking to you."


    "Wha-"


    Confusion took Amadeus as he saw a vision and felt something entering his torso through his back.


    "Amadeus!!"


    He heard Arrow''s scream as he looked down and saw the end of a sword leaving his chest. Looking back, he saw Jack the leader sporting a cruel smile on his face as he looked up at Amadeus.


    "Jack!"


    Samuel was shocked and enraged as he swung his sword at his former comrade. Arrow also jumped back and let loose an arrow at Jack''s head. The cruel smile didn''t leave Jack as he stepped back, leaving the sword within Amadeus and punching Samuel. Samuel didn''t think much of it as it was heading towards his shield only for it to be ripped apart like paper. The squire never had time to react and the punch landed on his face, causing it to explode like a watermelon.


    The arrow let loose by Arrow was caught with incredible ease and was thrown back, puncturing her neck and carrying on only to hit a wall behind her. Everything slowed down for Amadeus at that moment.


    He saw Arrow slowly collapse not looking at what killed her, but at himself who was staring at her wide eyed. A smile found her lips and tears fell out as she mouthed something to Amadeus.


    A burning sensation wafted through her body as she felt her limbs grow weak and a coldness encroach upon her. As she started losing her vision, memories flashed through Arrow''s eyes as she remembered her promise to her little siblings back at the orphanage.


    "Onee-chan, when will you come back?"


    "I''ll be back soon."


    Seeing the little elf with two ponytails put a smile to her face. Picking the girl that was barely 2 years old up, she held her in her arms as the latter pulled out her pinkie finger,


    "Promise?"


    Arrow did the same,


    "I promise."


    It was a simple promise done with her pinkie finger but at this time it weighed on her slowing heartbeat like nothing else. Then her memories changed to seeing herself camping out with her teammates, the ones she swore to protect.


    Lastly, it was Amadeus saying those words that put her mind at ease.


    "Elder sister."


    She tried to go with a smile, but the tears involuntarily came out. She didn''t want to leave. With that last thought, her vision went blank and her last breath left her mouth.


    Amadeus barely had time to react as it all happened to fast. At one point he was just stabbed in the back by a man he thought as a companion, and the next it was that same companion that killed everyone else.


    Arrow collapsing was the only thing he saw as he felt something snap inside of him. He still didn''t believe it, a series of thoughts with denial circled throughout his head as he collapsed. All of a sudden, the pain in his chest wasn''t that hurtful. He felt something clog up his throat as slowly stood up. It took him quite the effort as the blood he lost was a little too much. There wasn''t any dropping on the floor as it would turn to ash before it even reached it.


    "Huh?"


    Jack saw this and he also turned around curious as to what he would do. Placing the wakizashi in his mouth, he grabbed the sword that was lodged into his torso and pushed it back out. A grunt of pain was heard as Amadeus clenched his teeth. With one last push, he threw the blade and caught it in his arm. His eyes left a slight trail while he showed up in front Jack and swung his sword causing him to dodge. The cruel smile never left Jack''s face as his face started to morph.


    He then jumped to the side of the being and he turned to look exactly like him, just minus the injuries. Amadeus didn''t care why Jack morphed into that unknown being. He had a few faint ideas, but he didn''t care.


    The being and Jack couldn''t see Amadeus'' eyes as it was covered by a shadow, but they also didn''t care. Despite knowing that their victory was certain, they knew all too well that if you push someone to a corner, they will bite back. Nodding to each other, Jack grabbed a fallen sword, and both attacked Amadeus.


    Goblins had stopped their advance some distance away upon seeing another scary figure.


    Amadeus could only see the two people in front of him as the sword in his left hand started heating up, slowly glowing red. He didn''t see the swords striking him but the two people that were attacking. He had no reservations, as long as the swords didn''t hit anything vital, he was fine, his regeneration would take care of it.


    Seeing the two jump at him, Amadeus ran directly at them, surprising the opposite party. Amadeus dodged slightly and felt the swords cutting his skin, but he still went forward. His sword approached the injured being causing him to dodge. However, Amadeus didn''t chase after him but stood his ground and spun to attack Jack. Jack brought his sword forward only to see it get sliced like butter due to how hot Amadeus'' sword was while Amadeus proceeded to cut him. The sword Amadeus held started cracking and just when it melted the front of Jack''s armour, did it burst into pieces, sending shrapnel in all directions. The shrapnel''s got lodged in various places including Amadeus'' body as he closed the distance and attacked with the wakizashi in his mouth.


    Fortunately, for Amadeus, one of the shrapnel happened to be small enough to bypass Jack''s helmet''s slits and hit his eye, blinding him in that one. A burnt smell entered Amadeus'' nose as he grabbed the wakizashi out of his mouth and took a stab at Jack. Amadeus couldn''t control where he was stabbing due to his haste in killing Jack, but he did go for at least one of his vital points above his head.


    Somehow, he ended up targeting one of Jack''s eyes and felt his blade entering something through the slit only for it to a halt. Jack''s instincts came into play as he blocked Amadeus'' arm. That was when Jack got to see the oppositions eyes. It had a myriad of red veins streaking from the edge of his sclera and just about reaching its pupils. Jack could only see the one eye, but it was probably the same situation for the other.


    Amadeus tried pushing forward, but the strength Jack was releasing was above his. Seeing that he was making no progress Amadeus was about to roar when his clairvoyance kicked in and he did a back flip, dodging a sword that swiped his position.


    Jack and the being grouped up and carefully looked at Amadeus with seriousness.


    "He''s becoming stronger."


    Jack nodded as something caught his attention,


    "His arm''s regenerating."


    "Damn dragons and their regeneration."


    Ignoring the being''s spite, Amadeus rushed back at the two and engaged in combat. He felt something awakening within him as he felt his regeneration hastening slightly. His cuts were regenerating sooner, and he had just regenerated his right arm''s elbow.


    However, something deep inside of him was also awakening, he could feel it ready to burst out, especially near his head. Suddenly, he felt an arm grab his feet and launch him into the air. He was pretty much out of energy now and he watched himself helplessly thrown into the air. The being with the sword moved in front and thrust upwards, piercing him mid-air. Amadeus opened his eyes slightly and saw the being still having that cruel smile as he vomited out blood. The blood landed on the being''s face burning it.


    "Aaaaaggggghhhhh!!!!"


    The being let loose his sword and held his face, dropping Amadeus to the side.


    Amadeus felt his vision failing as he looked at the cold hard ground. His regeneration started slowing down, and his eyelids became heavy.


    ''Is this the end?''


    Amadeus slowly started seeing the faces of everyone as his breathing slowed. He saw the faces of his parents, Baldrik and Lily, his cute little brother Arius, his maids, the people from his previous life, his parents there, it seemed that he hadn''t completely forgotten about them. Lastly it was his now dead companions. Remembering the smiles of Samuel and Arrow it quickly changed to Arrow collapsing with a smile and tears in her eyes. Remembering what she mouthed,


    "Thank you."


    A strong will instantly took over him,


    ''No this isn''t the end! THIS ISN''T THE END!''


    Amadeus felt his heartbeat race as the thing that was awakening within him awoke. He felt two things exit his head while he felt energy coalescing around him. He slowly got the energy to get up and pull the sword out of his body.


    - Dragon Clan -


    Within the throne room, Caesar was looking at two things floating in front of him. One was Amadeus'' Hsu Quandao while the other was a piece of armour. It was similar to the Blades samurai armour but this one was white. The grooves and lines were purple with a tint of gold. Both had numerous runes flashing here and there. There were some dwarven runes but mainly draconic ones. Even for the Hsu Quandao, the previous runes were outshone by the draconic ones. However, both the weapons had a small shade of red. That was the blood of the war god the old man with horns took. Suddenly, the weapon and armour started vibrating and shot into the sky.


    Caesar saw this and instantly chased after it while sending a message to his son.


    - God''s realm -


    The old man was being beaten black and blue by Granny after she saw what was happening to Amadeus. As gods they were forbidden for directly acting in the mortal world. Things like gifts and the like was ok but actions were not permitted.


    Suddenly, the two stopped and directly looked down while a smile found the old man''s face,


    "Who would have thought?"


    - Back in the cave -


    Jack and the being looked at the now standing Amadeus. A golden and silver energy swirled around him as they felt both hot and cold. They could see that he had gotten slightly taller and now had four horns protruding from his head, making it look like a crown, two at the front while two at the back. A sense of danger overcame them as Amadeus took a step forward.


    Suddenly two objects flew into the hall and crashed into the hut. In the middle of the step, a rabbit seemed to fly from the hut and cover his foot. Taking another step, another rabbit flew in and covered that foot as well. Slowly one by one, they all came together and covered one part of Amadeus'' body one at a time, until the helmet came in and got blocked by his new horns. Four holes then appeared and perfectly fit atop his head.


    A demonic mask covered his face allowing only his eyes to be shown to the outside world while the mouth also had a slight opening.


    Amadeus then lifted his left hand and a crow flew out landing in his hand, which then turned into his Hsu Quandao. The weight Amadeus had felt was all but gone, as information of what had happened floated in. He had gone through a second awakening, where there wasn''t much difference between his and his draconic form. The only difference being that the latter was bigger and that it was able to unleash the full strength of his innate powers. Everything else was equal.


    The two beings were only a bit stronger than Amadeus but now Amadeus'' strength had doubled. Now with the addition of the armour and weapon, there death was guaranteed but they never lost hope. Amadeus lunged at them, immediately appearing in front of them before they could react. The Hsu Quandao went straight through Jack while the other being jumped back.


    Amadeus didn''t let him go as he flung Jack to the side and kicked the head of the being shattering its helmet. Then using his Hsu Quandao as a pole, he once more kicked him, sending him flying into one of the pillars. Amadeus then threw his Hsu Quandao nailing the being into the wall. Amadeus turned around only to see Jack starting to run away towards the goblins.


    "ROOOOAAAAAAAR!!"


    Taking a deep breath and few steps forward, a majestic roar filled the room and a silvery white energy left his mouth, freezing anything it its path.


    All that was left was a frozen Jack and countless goblins. Once he was done, he started walking towards the first being to kill him off.


    "Hahahaha, who would''ve thought-"


    The sound of a click and dropping of metal interrupted the being as Amadeus looked back towards the hut where he saw a small shadow walk from the hut. The figure only had a black cloth covering its body and while its hair covered its face. From what little skin was shown, it was a sickly pale white as it had green veins snaking across its bony hands. Through the figure''s hair, Amadeus saw dead red eyes looking at the being behind him.


    "Indeed, who would''ve thought that I would lose my life just before I succeeded and to a young dragon as well."


    As Amadeus prepared to kill it, the figure then ran to the being with a shriek only for it to sink its teeth into it. Amadeus watched the latter slowly shrink and become bony while the figure''s pale skin turn healthier. This went on for quite a while until the being breathed its last and the figure stopped drinking. He then turned towards Samuel and Arrow and stored Samuel''s body within his storage ring after taking out a sandwich. He then walked over and looked at her peaceful smiling face. He once again felt something clog his throat as tears threatened to appear in his eyes. Calming himself down, a tear fell from his face and he stored her body within his ring.


    Eating the sandwich up, he started looking through the hut for a way out when he saw a lever of some kind. Pulling the lever, the sound of some mechanism working was heard and stairs leading downwards appeared. Not finding anything else, he descended those steps as the figure behind him started following him as well. The whole journey was met with silence as he then felt himself ascending. Midway, he stored his armour while he kept his Hsu Quandao in his only hand. His other hand was two thirds done but it would still take some time for it to properly regenerate.


    He never knew how long he had walked until he saw a faint glimmer of light as he started sprinting towards it. That light got larger and larger as he felt a small breeze hit his face. Rushing into the light, a forest of trees appeared in his vision. He immediately felt a few familiar presences nearby and a roar involuntarily left his mouth.


    "ROOOOAAAAAARRRR!!!!"


    Hearing that a couple more elated roars were heard in the distance. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "ROOOOOOOAAAARRR!!"


    "ROOOOOOOOAAAAARRRR!!"

 41 Burdens of an Emperor

    Hearing the elated roars, he ran out only to feel the presences get closer. He then felt the figure that was following close behind him flinch and retreat a step. Turning around, he threw his weapon into the air as it turned into Solaris and landed on his shoulder. He then held his hand out, causing the figure looked between him and the hand for a short moment of time.


    Then slowly, the figure walked out towards him and reached out, only for the sun to hit the figure''s hand resulting it to retreat. Remembering that the being opposite it was a vampire, Amadeus slowly walked into the cave, deeply staring at the figure. Looking at the figure''s ash grey/blondish hair, he looked at her,


    "Do you have anywhere to go?"


    The figure tried to speak but found difficulty in doing so. The figure was barely able to bring out a sound after opening her mouth before it started coughing. Realising that she wasn''t able to talk that much, she just shook her head.


    "Do you want to come with me?"


    She seemed hesitant in doing so, as she looked back at the light outside and Amadeus. Amadeus saw this and smiled, easing the figure. He then reached out and grabbed the figure''s hand causing the figure''s eyes to widen in shock. Dragging the figure out, Amadeus allowed her to bask within the sun. The figure was at first scared remembering the stinging pain, but instead of the familiar pain returning, it was a warm feeling that touched her skin. Opening her eyes, she looked around and found that the pain was never coming back.


    With a happy smile, the figure spread out their arms and felt the warm feeling of the sun when few large figures appeared and blocked it. The figure opened its eyes and ran behind Amadeus with a scared expression. Amadeus didn''t look at the figure but at the giant dragon that was descending in front of him. Although it was the first time seeing the red dragon, he knew exactly who it was. Being a western dragon and with the length of, well he couldn''t count it, he needed something like a ruler, but it was really big. But he knew exactly who it was.


    "Mother!!"


    As soon as he said that Lily turned into her human form and hugged Amadeus while tears started pouring out her eyes.


    "Oh, my baby."


    Pulling out of the hug, she instantly saw the missing hand of Amadeus and it killed her within. Her child was hurt really badly, and she wasn''t able to do anything. She could tell that it was in the middle of regenerating seeing that the whole sleeve had been sliced off. Reigning down kisses, she then noticed the horns on his forehead and a happy expression masked her face,


    "You''ve gone through a second awakening?"


    Amadeus nodded as he saw Lily''s expression change,


    "Who did this?"


    "They''re dead mum, I killed them."


    "But-"


    "Leave it Lily, the boy needs to rest."


    "Grandfather!"


    Amadeus saw his grandfather appear from behind the trees with his normal nonchalant look.


    "But before that, tell us what happened."


    Amadeus started narrating the events all in order and Lily noticed his sadness upon mentioning an elf named Arrow and a human named Samuel. She started patting his head and by the time Amadeus was finished, he felt his eyelids become heavier before he fell asleep in his mother''s arms. Lily pat his head and carried him in her arms while getting up. She then looked at the figure that was hiding behind her son,


    "Who are you?"


    Seeing the tears in the little one''s eyes, her motherly instincts kicked in and remembering her holding Amadeus'' hand she indicated for her to follow. A group of Blades appeared surrounding them while a few more elders appeared next to Caesar.


    "Let''s go see the place my grandson explained."


    With Caesar leading the group of old and middle-aged men they entered the cave.


    Back with Amadeus, he kept replaying the part where Arrow was killed. Remembering the arrow in slow motion, seeing It puncture her throat, seeing the tears in her eyes, her slowly fall, it all kept replaying in his dreams. With a sudden gasp for air, he immediately shot up sweating like no tomorrow. Touching his head, he realised that his arm had fully healed he started moving his fingers around, once he was done, he looked around only to realise that he was back in his room within the Palace.


    The sun had barely peeked it head over the horizon when Amadeus got out the bed. Instead of signalling that he was awake, he moved towards the bedroom''s mirror. Amadeus took off his top, which he had difficulties in doing so due to the new horns. Now he was just a person hopping back and forth having difficulties taking a t-shirt off. Standing in front, he realised that the scars were still there, from the fight. He didn''t want them to regenerate so he kept the scars. Each scar was a reminder for him, reminding him the time he failed to protect something he wanted to protect.


    The especially large ones were right in the middle where he was pierced twice. Another was from the bottom of his cheek to his neck. The rest were here and there. The smaller nicks were the ones that he had regenerated but the larger ones he kept.


    Looking up, he saw the tears in his eyes as he quickly wiped it off. It was the first time, someone he knew was killed right in front of him, and it was as if a giant had crushed his heart. Arrow and Samuel were people that he was starting to get to know but he thought of them as companions, nevertheless.


    He never would''ve thought of them dying so easily, everything was like a flick of a finger, how easily they lost their lives. It was also a hit to Amadeus remembering how fragile life was. He could''ve also been one of the dead bodies back in the cave.


    While Amadeus trailed his scars with his fingers, Baldrik walked in, clearly surprised seeing Amadeus awake. A smile found his face as he went and patted Amadeus'' head,


    "So, you''re not getting rid of them, are you?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Amadeus shook his head,


    "It''s fine but remember not to get hung up on this one. You have to move on, I''m pretty sure that the two wouldn''t want you to stay hung up on them."


    Baldrik saw Amadeus'' mood dampen as he crouched down his eye level,


    "I''m not trying to be cruel, but you should know, I will be leaving this empire in your hands."


    Amadeus saw a serious expression mask his father''s face as he deeply looked at him,


    "As an emperor, you would have to hide your emotions, not show them to anyone else lest they take it as your weakness. This is the first of many of your future losses and there will be certain times when you would have to choose a hard decision where it will be the better of two evils, so steel your heart¡­"


    Baldrik picked Amadeus up and went to the window where they could see a portion of the capital city,


    "¡­all those people in your sight are only a portion of the people you have to protect. They all have families, loved ones and friends. We are royalty and it is our duty to protect them. Eat when you know your people are fed and rest when you know your people are safe."


    Amadeus nodded as Baldrik pat his back,


    "However, for now, you aren''t the emperor so let loose."


    This triggered something in Amadeus and a dam had been burst. Tears involuntarily poured out as he started to silently cry. As if her motherly instincts rang, Lily burst into the room,


    "Amadeus! You¡­"


    Calming down, she saw Baldrik holding up a crying Amadeus and she raised her eyebrow. She then came forward while Baldrik invited her in for a hug. What he wasn''t expecting was a whisper from the death god herself,


    "You made Amadeus cry¡­"


    Baldrik gulped slightly as a small voice interrupted the little moment,


    "Momma, papa."


    The three looked at the door and saw a little Arius walk in with a golden dragon plushie toy in hands dragging behind him. The cute little guy was still in his pyjamas and was rubbing his eyes, instantly melting the three''s hearts. This sight bought a smile back on Amadeus as the Baldrik put him on the ground. The latter then ran up to his little brother and picked him up, and threw him in the air, earning a giggle form Arius.


    "Hahahaha, oni-tan, stahhp, ahahahaha."


    Baldrik and Lily watched on with a smile, as Baldrik''s eye twitched.


    ''Does she have to pinch so hard.''


    As the family, made their way downstairs, a voice was heard behind them,


    "Your highness."


    All four of them turned around only to see Eriko and Velia look at Amadeus with happiness. Amadeus suddenly disappearing had a really deep impact on the two as they were the closest. Seeing the two, Amadeus gave a smile,


    "It''s been sometime, Erika, Velia."


    "Ye*sniff*ah"


    The two really wanted to hug Amadeus but seeing the emperor there, they had to restrain themselves. But Amadeus turned to Baldrik, who gave a nod and left with Lily and Arius. Baldrik nodded at the two girls as they leaped in his arms. Right now, what the two maids shared were not feeling of love but meeting someone important to themselves after thinking they had lost them.


    Amadeus fell backwards while the two girls cried, as he patted both their heads. He then saw the figure he met back in the cave, walk behind them wearing a maid outfit. Gone was the tattered clothing and hair, what was now present was a little doll with golden hair and red eyes. Her pale skin was almost white but had a healthy rosiness on her cheeks, while her lips were blood red.


    The two maids finally finished crying and stood up,


    "It''s great to have you back, your highness."


    Amadeus nodded while he looked at the vampire,


    "Oh right¡­"


    Eriko went back and brought the vampire in front of Amadeus,


    "This is Emily. The empress gave her the name. She will be part of your highness'' maid order."


    Emily gave a small elegant bow.


    "She still has troubles talking, but she gets the work done in an efficient manner as soon as she sees how it''s done."


    Velia chimed in and Amadeus could see that she regarded the latter with a bit of rivalry considering that the two joined around the same time and that they looked to be around the same age. Amadeus just shook his head as bade them farewell, he was going to spend some time with his family. He could tell that his mother was currently really attached to him with the previous event. While walking towards his family, Amadeus looked at his stats,


    ---------------------------------


    Name: Amadeus Drakos


    Age: 8


    Race: Golden Dragon


    Title: Crown Prince of the Drakonis Empire, Celestial Dragon of the Eclipse, One who harbours the sun and moon, Admired by all of the goddesses, Loved by the Goddess of Faith and Luck


    Class: Sovereign (20% increase in all stats)


    Mana: 3600 (5400) *


    Strength: 600 (650) *


    Agility: 610 (650) *


    Vitality: 1200 (2700) *


    Phys. Resistance: 2400 (4800) *


    Mag. Resistance: 2400 (4800) *


    Active Skills:


    Sovereign''s Eyes of the Truth


    Dragon-Human Transformation


    Flight


    Dragon Sovereign''s roar


    Flames of the Sun


    Ice of the Moon


    Passive Skills:


    Dragon Sovereign''s natural shield


    Dragon Sovereign''s regeneration


    Dragon Sovereign''s aura


    All elements aptitude


    Weapons expert*


    Halberd expert


    CQC expert*


    Etiquette


    Leadership


    ¡­


    ---------------------------------


    Amadeus had arrived at the inner palace where only the royalty was allowed. There was now an extra chair where Arius sat at the dining room. One by one, Lily put on more and more delicious food as the rest started digging in. During the meal, there was small talk here and there, but it was mainly Arius talking about his training. Nothing about the kingdom''s matters, it was just like a normal family.


    After the meal, the parents saw Arius drag Amadeus away, as the child wanted his elder brother to see his training. On their way, Luna and Solaris made their way next to Amadeus'' feet and shoulder respectively. It turned out; they weren''t pets but rather spirits for Amadeus'' weapons. While Luna inhabited his armour, Solaris inhabited his halberd.

 42 Spar

    As the sun had announced its presence over Emerald City, Arius dragged Amadeus towards the training ground. The little boy had quickly run off to get into his training attire leaving Amadeus just waiting for him. To pass some time, he decided to go towards the training ground. However, just as he reached the training ground, he was instantly smothered by a large horse.


    "Hey, hahaha."


    Pushing back Sleipnir''s face, Amadeus started petting the horse while it rubbed its head back. It seemed that it wasn''t just the others that were worried, the horse was worried as well. However, Amadeus now realised the saddle worn by the horse. The saddle was made by some unknown black leather that felt comfortable at touch. The horse also had reins attached to it by the same type of leather as Amadeus jumped on top of it, but he never took off. He still had to watch his brother.


    "Not now, maybe later,"


    Patting the horse, Amadeus jumped off just when Arius returned with a boy around his age in tow. It was easy to tell that the boy had been forcefully woken up as he had bed hair and his training attire was worn the wrong way round. The boy seemed to not see Amadeus as he complained,


    "Arius, what do you want this early in the morning?"


    A hyperactive Arius replied,


    "My brother will be watching us train."


    The boy was rubbing his eyes as he stopped and a confused look masked his face,


    "Brother?"


    The words didn''t click in and a frown reached his eyebrows. It was only until he looked ahead and saw Amadeus leaning on Sleipnir did he realise what Arius was talking about. While still in the midst of being dragged by Arius, Amadeus saw the boy''s eyes widen and mouth slightly open in a disbelieving expression.


    Amadeus was pretty sure that it was the first time Rex had seen him. Rex was Arius'' training partner and Lionel Baxter, the imperial guard captain''s son. The boy didn''t know what to do as his expression begged the opposite party to tease. As a smile disappeared from Amadeus'' face, displeasure was written all over his face.


    Arius who saw this got the hint as he bought Rex in front of Amadeus.


    "What is this?"


    A cold voice from Amadeus shook Rex out of his thoughts.


    "Huh?"


    "Such an uncultured person¡­"


    All Rex saw was a condescending look on Amadeus, it was as if he was looking at an ant. Rex didn''t know what to do as it was all too fast.


    "Hasn''t even bowed yet¡­"


    "Huh?"


    "You''re now subjected execution."


    "Huh?"


    Before Rex could even think further, he was on his knees while his own father was next to him unsheathing his sword. Lionel was just passing by and decided to join in when he saw what was happening


    "I''m disappointed in you son?"


    Amadeus found it weird that Lionel was finding some happiness in this. It seemed that Rex was more that handful for Lionel.


    "I thought all your pranks had a limit, but earning the ire of the crown prince, I never thought you could achieve,"


    "Huh?"


    "REX!!!"


    "Mother?"


    Rex saw his mother held back by a couple of maids, seeing the tears in her eyes, it allowed everything to fall into place. Tears appeared in his eyes as he was about to let loose the waterworks.


    It wasn''t until a stifled laughter broke his desire to cry, causing him to slowly turn around, only to see Arius with tears in his eyes desperately holding back his laughter. More and more stifled laughter was heard as he saw the same expression on his father and Amadeus. Then came the one he didn''t expect at all, his mother''s. Robotically, turning his head, Rex saw the back of his mother. However, as he saw his mother''s shoulder continuously shake and the small giggle, he knew at that moment, his mother was in on it as well.


    Rex'' mother, Amelia, was a maid that worked for the Empress. One could see that the family of three had an incredibly close relationship with the royals. Amadeus saw that the boy was devastated by the prank and crouched in front of him. He saw the tears and snot threatening to come out of the boy as he ruffled his hair,


    "Thank you."


    This seemed to calm the boy down as he looked up,


    "Thank you for being Arius'' best friend."


    Amadeus gave a warm smile to the boy as he quickly wiped his nose and looked away with the blush,


    "I only did what I had to."


    The boy then realised that no one was talking. Once more turning to look back, he looked at his father look at him with disbelieving eyes. These seemed to be more genuine while Arius had the same look. Confused as to what was happening, he looked down only to see what he wiped his nose with. It was a purple cloth, but it came from the one person that he never should''ve taken. Everyone knew that his favourite colour was purple and now he was looking at that same material. Slowly looking up, he came across the same cold eyes he saw before. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    This time the cold look changed back to the warm smile but this time with his eyes closed. For some reason, Rex felt a chill down his spine while he looked at the smile that warmed him before. Speaking while still looking at Rex,


    "Eriko, ready my training attire, I want to see how far my brother and his best friend have come in training."


    ***


    Amadeus now stood in the middle of the training ground with Arius in front of him and Rex behind him. The two were holding a training sword while Amadeus was holding a training pole. Keeping it behind him, he held a pebble in his other hand. The three had attracted quite the audience, while Amadeus'' entourage of maids were there, with the addition of Emily, Lionel and Amelie stayed behind. As word got out, a couple more Blades came while Lily also found her way there. Despite Amadeus not seeing his father, he definitely knew what was happening here.


    Flicking the pebble into the air, the three waited for it to hit the ground. The two boys tightened the grip on their swords while sweat appeared in Arius'' forehead. It was the first time he was sparring with Amadeus and he wanted to show his improvements. As for Rex, he wanted to see how far he had come with his training, it was definitely not for revenge, definitely not, not, Okay, maybe a bit.


    As the pebble slowly descended time seemed to slow down for the two as they both gulped at the same time. Arius felt slightly excited as he also felt adrenaline pump into him. An unknown light shone in his eyes as the pebble descended onto the ground. With a drop, the two instantly moved, pushing off the ground with determination. The two were on either side of Amadeus and in their seriousness, what they didn''t notice was the ever-growing smile on Amadeus'' face.


    Arius was there to reach him first but what he didn''t expect was a foot that threw him off balance. Barely able to control himself, he found himself just barely seeing Amadeus''s smile, and heading straight for Rex. Rex was already into his stride and found out that Arius was heading straight for him. He desperately tried his best to stop but to no avail, and it happened, with a *Thunk* the two landed on each other and began to see stars.


    When the two were barely able to get up, all they heard was,


    "Again."


    It was such sentence where they could only find themselves complying, finding it difficult to reject.


    This went on for all morning until the sun reached its peak in the sky. They were given dinner and when the maids came, they saw a fresh-looking Amadeus who was all smiles and two little boys next to him full of bruises. Well Arius'' was mostly healed but it wasn''t the same for Rex. Amadeus then nodded at another maid who came healed him with healing magic. Rex looked at her as if she was a goddess, slightly embarrassing the maid in question.


    "You look like you''re about to eat her."


    Rex flinched with those words,


    "So young yet so lecherous."


    Rex stayed quiet and gobbled his food with tears. Amadeus felt it was enough but had the urge to go on. It was just the boy''s character that made it so fun in teasing him. Still it didn''t change the fact that he saw Rex as a little brother due to how close he was with Arius. He was really surprised the cooperation the two had despite only training together for a few months. Having their lunch, he then moved training grounds to get alone. He needed to try out his weapons. He had the Blades set up and maintain a barrier where he went in alone. With a lift of his hand, Solaris flew out and turned into his Hsu Quandao.


    Amadeus didn''t tarry and immediately input his power into the weapon. Seeing it glow an orangey yellow, he could feel the heat emitting from it, yet no side effects was seen. He then started swinging it around and felt no discomfort. The Blades outside felt slightly hot as they started sweating. They were outside, and they could feel the heat emitting from it. The only reason Amadeus'' clothes were ok were due to him spreading a thin layer of runes surrounding it. Knowing the strength of Amadeus'' powers, he had a few tailors back at the clan make a special set of clothes for him just so they could handle Amadeus powers. Despite not being able to handle a direct strike they could at least withstand the aftereffects.


    Next, he input his cold energy and the blade glowed blue while ice crystals appeared around him. He could see his own breath while it was the same for the Blades. At one point they were sweating, now that same sweat froze on their skins. Still they were dragons and had endurance.


    Lastly, he input both of his energy where it was able to go into three different directions. The upper half was hot while the lower half was cold, the opposite, and the last one where the two elements intermingle which he couldn''t do yet.


    Upon finishing, this test, he indicated to Luna who ran and jumped into Amadeus. Luna turned into white smoke and surrounded him, summoning his armour. Getting a mirror, he had a look and e ad to say, he looked awesome. It was a pure white Samurai armour similar to the Blades. With the crescent moon and Dragon on his helmet, it perfectly fitted around his new horns. With the addition of his mask, that was in the shape of a smiling demon, it looked even more frightening. There was an opening at the mouth in case he wanted to roar. While the whole armour was white, the lines and grooves were purple with a tint of gold with the inside of the armour being the same. Playing around with it, Amadeus unsummoned his armour and moved away from Luna, creating a barrier where the rabbit couldn''t reach Amadeus. Summoning his armour, he saw Luna still stand there as his armour started appearing from his four limbs. Amadeus concluded that he didn''t have to have the spirits near him to activate it. Once he finished all his experiments, he left the training grounds because he was back to taking his private lessons.


    Amadeus made his way towards the study room with his entourage of maids and Blades behind him. With what had happened before, they were extra cautious and always had him in sight, apart from certain ''private'' times. He couldn''t say that he never minded it but with the leader of his entourage being Eras, the latter was extra cautious when it came to him. Amadeus had heard that he was scolded quite a bit by his father, but ultimately Baldrik knew that it wasn''t his fault, so he was let go. Blades were the most difficult to train and were the most loyal squad.


    Outside his study room, Amadeus had surprisingly found Baldrik waiting outside while talking to someone. The person in question had long bat like ears and leathery wings beneath his arms. He was wearing a suit and had a monocle on his left eye. His face was full of wrinkles and his head was full of white hair. This wasn''t the first time Amadeus had seen him as he knew it was the current prime minister of the empire, Henrik Grim.


    "Father?"


    """Your highness."""


    While the entourage bowed to Baldrik, Amadeus ran straight to his father. Baldrik looked down and turned to Eriko,


    "Eriko. Get him properly dressed."


    "Properly dressed?"


    Amadeus and Eriko looked confused as to what Baldrik was saying but his next words answered their questions.


    "He will be entering the Royal Court with me today."

 43 Royal Cour

    Amadeus was currently dressed rather flamboyantly like his father. While Baldrik wore golden robes with the emperor''s overcoat, a crown was also placed on his head. Amadeus wore his purple robes with a four-clawed dragon depicted on them. The two walked hand in hand and they both sported a stoic expression. Amadeus''s entourage of maids were following behind them, while his father''s maids were also behind them. A group of Blades surrounded the two while one of them opened the doors when they had to.


    Every personnel they went past bowed to them while Baldrik kept his head straight, not even sparing them a glance. His footsteps were steady and level, keeping the same distance between them at every step. He wasn''t hurried, but confidence radiated from him as he walked. This was the first time he had seen his father''s ''emperor'' mode and boy he could say that it was awesome.


    Henrik, the bat demi-human who was also the prime minister, had already made his way towards the royal court as he couldn''t arrive with them. Only once the emperor entered would the doors close, so they all had to be there before they entered. The Emperor would be the last to arrive and if you arrived later than that, well you would be punished, unless you had a valid reason.


    Amadeus then arrived in front of a large door, where it was silent. Their maids came forward and checked everything was okay and moved to the back, not speaking a word. Amadeus took a deep breath while Baldrik''s voice entered his ear,


    "You okay?"


    Amadeus looked up and nodded.


    "It''s fine for you to be nervous, I was also the same. Remember, to steel your heart, do not look like you are going to favour anyone, and try not to show any emotions, ok? Although their will be a veil between us, while we would be able to see outside clearly, it''s not the same opposite. However, there are many people with sharp eyes there that could probably find a needle in a haystack so be careful."


    Amadeus once more nodded.


    "Well, I doubt it would be hard for you, considering your grandmother is the queen of not shoeing emotion."


    A slight giggle left Amadeus'' lips as he felt calmer. This was the first time he was going to meet all the ministers that ran the country. Before, he would be invited to smaller meetings of minor matters but now was the real deal. One thing he knew from the previous world, there will always be some form of internal conflict within an empire, no matter how strong.


    While they couldn''t go against the royal family due to their strength and the fact that the royal family held the ultimate control of their life and death, there wasn''t anything to say that they couldn''t plot against each other. Amadeus had been introduced to what the political intrigue is by Atia, but this would be the first time that he would be experiencing it himself.


    His was suddenly bought out of his thoughts as a loud voice was heard,


    "His Highness, The Emperor makes his entrance."


    "His Highness, The Crown Prince make his entrance."


    As the door opened, Amadeus heard murmurs and whispers within the court. From the faint whispers that were heard, the ministers were quickly surprised at the fact that Amadeus was also here.


    Amadeus walked in taking in the view. While it was true that there some sort of veil in front of where he and his father would sit, he could see everyone within the court. He could see the four dukes, Henrik and many ministers all looking at him while whispering to their neighbours. Amadeus saw all the ministers look at him and a silent pressure enveloped him. All these people oversaw some part of the empire.


    Amadeus could also see divisions among the group however it wasn''t due to race, but their ideals. The biggest one was between the generals and the ministers. As Baldrik sat down on his seat, a smaller chair was placed on a lower position than his, where Amadeus sat. The royal court had its own room which they were currently in. Unlike the throne room, the royal court was well lit and had a bright atmosphere.


    This didn''t mean that it was all jolly and nice, words laced with poison were often spoken here. Apart from the two seats where Amadeus and Baldrik sat, there were two smaller seats in the corners where scribes would write down the proceedings of the court.


    The ministers never had seats, with exception of the old and one that would have difficulties standing. The rest had to stand but currently they were bowing towards his father. With the blades surrounding them, the doors to the royal court closed and the royal court officially started. Baldrik first spoke,


    "Rise!"


    It was just one word, but everyone complied. As they stood up, they all looked at the front and waited for the first one to speak. It was very critical with the way one started, and it seemed that no-one would like to start in case they earned the ire of anyone else with their issue.


    However, someone had to do it and it was a minor official that took the firs steps,


    "Your majesty, there have been reports of water shortages in the north-east¡­"


    Amadeus watched on with small issues being brought up one by one and how the all the officials worked to resolve it. As for the final say, Baldrik would give the final decree and they would move onto the next issue at hand. All in all, it was hectic yet orderly at the same time. However, there wasn''t any sort of major conflict that arose, and everything was relatively peacefully. Yet, Amadeus could see the competition between all the officials as one would try to promote their family''s younger generation while some would try and halt it. While the massacre of a clan was never seen, a clan could die down with town if suppressed enough. At the end, the royal court was another version of survival of the fittest.


    Yet the four dukes and the prime ministers, never took part until they really needed to, but they were mostly silent. Amadeus was just silently observing and not making any contributions, it was his first time and he needed to develop an understanding of the royal court, otherwise, he could lose the support of the officials and that wasn''t what he needed. Although he would be emperor, he was just one being, and he would need the support of whoever that was currently in the room to help manage the empire.


    ''Maybe I should look for talented individuals.''


    "Your Majesty, bandits have arisen¡­"


    "Your majesty¡­"


    "Your¡­"


    "¡­"


    Amadeus looked pretty beat after the whole ordeal, but he managed to maintain his stoic composure towards the end. After the royal court ended, it was already dark, and the two father and son were walking next to each other.


    "Well, how was it?"


    "Huh, it got pretty sweaty and hot, needed to use my ice powers to cool myself."


    Baldrik giggled slightly as he ruffled Amadeus'' hair.


    "Remember to control your gaze, I''m pretty sure I saw a minor official continuously shiver whenever you looked at him. It seemed your gaze becomes colder when you use your cold energy. I suspected that he would pee at any moment, but you seemed to have frozen it."


    The two father and son laughed while Amadeus turned to his father,


    "By the way¡­"


    Baldrik looked back at Amadeus wondering what he would say,


    "¡­How was father''s first royal court like?"


    Baldrik bought up his hand to his chin in a thoughtful manner.


    - Flashback -


    During the middle of the royal court, all was normal and well while an official came up,


    "Your majesty-"


    "zzzzzzzz"


    "Y-your majesty-"


    "zzzzzz*grunt*ZZZZZ"


    "Y-y-y-"


    "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"


    "Dammit wake up Baldrik!"


    A slap to the back of his head sent the young Baldrik flying into the door. As Baldrik fell back down, a dent of a face was left on the door while Baldrik got up as if he had just been shaken awake.


    "Huuh?"


    - Flashback end -


    "Hahaha, it went pretty normal."


    Amadeus immediately realised that his father was lying but didn''t pursue it.


    "Well, let''s go to the have dinner, it seems your mother has cooked your favourite."


    The two father and son left for their meal, while all the officials made their way home. Various thoughts were thrown about but the one that stood out the most,


    "The crown prince was brought into the royal court, isn''t he only 8 years old?"


    "He did keep his composure quite well."


    ¡­


    The next day, Amadeus woke up, still remembering what the royal court was like. During breakfast, he turned to his parents,


    "Mother, Father, I want to leave the palace."


    "What? Why? Where? No"


    His mother gave out three questions and a conclusion while his father just looked at him with an inquisitive expression.


    "Just the palace, not the capital city, I''m going to try and find some loyal subjects for my myself."


    While her mother had a frown and seemed to hesitate, Baldrik gave a nod aggreging to his request. Arius was playing with his spoon before turning to his parent with excitement, Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "Me too!"


    "No!"


    His mother was more firm with Arius while she turned to Amadeus.


    "Ok, but you will take at least¡­"


    "In secret, mum."


    Looking at her carefully, she just gave up with a sigh


    "F-fine, but at least, take Eras with you, and the maids."


    "I''ll only be taking, Eriko, Velia and Emily as my maids."


    "Okay."


    A smile crept onto his face while Amadeus started to plan where to start to search for talents. Firstly, it was the slums, in whatever book he read, the main character would always find an unpolished jade within areas like this.


    That was why a group of five cloaked individuals appeared at of nowhere within a desolate alley. It was also a place covered by a barrier hiding the place. The ability to teleport within the city was only available to the royal family as it was seen in the last assassination attempt. Where groups of guard were teleported to Amadeus'' location.


    The group moved on from the alley as Amadeus'' expected to smell something horrendous but nothing came. This was probably the first time seeing the slums of the city, but he was quiet impressed. The streets were relatively clean and the smiles the people had were the result of there being no hardships for them. It was refreshing for them to see different races happily chatting away.


    The two youngest maids however, were continuously looking left and right as it was their first time properly seeing Emerald City.


    The five carried on walking not attracting any attention. Special wards had been placed on the cloaks which was a type of illusion, making people think that it was nothing weird seeing the black cloaks. It was nothing high level and there was no harm for anyone else.


    The group of five continuously looked around and Amadeus was faintly hoping for there to be a commotion where a child would run and steal food from a stall, only for a group of thugs to chase him, yet nothing like that happened.


    ''Dammit, is my luck that bad!''


    And just like that, it was like an invisible hand had increased Amadeus'' luck and the group encountered a commotion. Amadeus eyes started shining while the other four got curious and subtly moved into a formation around Amadeus.


    "Let''s go see what it is."


    "Huh?"


    Amadeus had already started moving leaving the four to just go along with his whims. Pushing through the crowd, the attracted the dissatisfaction of the people but with one look from Eras, those people turned away in fear.


    Moving to the front, they saw a man lashing out at a stall owner.


    ''Was it that, secret master opens a stall of valuable items but no one recognizes the item''s value situation?''


    It wasn''t that. It was just another quarrel, of the man''s vegetables price increasing. Amadeus soon lost interest, and the five carried on walking. It wasn''t until a vision hit him and he saw body of a child lying in an alleyway a few metres ahead of them. Without further ado, Amadeus ran towards that alleyway and immediately found that body. He didn''t know what had triggered his clairvoyance, but someone that could trigger it wasn''t anyone normal. The body was of a kid a bit older than him and it just wore a tattered one piece and had dirty hair. Picking it up, Amadeus felt a pulse and that the body was still breathing. Immediately, Amadeus nodded for Eras to take them back to the Palace, who complied as he pressed something on his chest and the six disappeared from the alleyway.


    The next day, a downcast Amadeus was sitting on a bench looking down onto the ground. His maids were trying to cheer him up,


    "It doesn''t matter, we can still look for another person. The good news is that we have a sister now, isn''t it, your highness?"


    Amadeus weekly nodded as he sighed. He had went looking for a loyal subject that will have the talent of entering the royal court but he came back with another maid. A girl with white hair made her way towards Amadeus while looking straight, nothing catching her attention. However, this wasn''t due to her being detached from the outside world, seeing her milky eyes, one could tell she was blind. Amadeus got up and as if sensing him, the girl stopped and bowed.

 44 Passing of time

    Amadeus looked at the girl as she got back up. The girl felt a jolt as Amadeus grabbed her and brought it to his face,


    "You need to know how your master looks right?"


    The girl smiled in return but didn''t say anything. After remembering Amadeus'' face, the girl took a step back and bowed once more,


    "Your highness, my name is Ariadne."


    Amadeus nodded as her eyes were just like her name, utterly pure. He had heard from his mother that she wasn''t really blind, it was just her powers were too much causing her mortal eyes to go blind.


    What she could see was a pure black canvas with outlines and sources. For her, Amadeus was a warm gold and silver.


    Amadeus'' didn''t remain in his depressed state for too long as he once more went for an outing too find talents. Before he had only been to a small portion of the kingdom, but he would now try looking everywhere. This time he only took Eras because his maids were helping Ariadne get into terms of being a maid. To conclude that search successful he did find a talent but not one he was hoping for.


    Days passed, as it turned into months and finally years. Amadeus had a full timetable, from when he had to attend the royal court sessions, take lessons, training, playing with Arius and making public appearances. Amadeus barely had time for himself, but still tried his best in everything. Slowly, he had come to accept the empire and with this, he started feeling the weight of responsibilities pile up one by one. It wasn''t until he was ten did something happen.


    It was a normal day, and everything was going as usual within the royal court. Issues were handed out one by one and they were resolved until a major one came. It was a simple issue but one that had the whole royal court involved. Division of resources.


    As the sides presented their arguments, the generals wanted the resources to help train soldiers while the ministers wanted the resources for the academics. Words as sharp as knives were thrown back as the dispute heated up. An old official with white hair even came to the middle and ripped his upper garment revealing his bony upper body. Then as if holding a knife started stabbing his chest.


    Amadeus looked back only to see Baldrik look at him as well. What the hell was he doing?


    As the arguments heated up, Baldrik felt that it was enough and cleared his throat, only for one official to finish screaming,


    "Whoever talks after this, shall be my enemy!"


    Everyone immediately created some distance between them and the official as the two father and son looked at him. The official still had his arm thrown into the air while clenched into a fist and was breathing heavily from all the shouting he had done. Realising what he had done, an embarrassed look plastered his face and he started lightly bowing and rubbing the back of his head,


    "Hahaha, as I have talked after that, I am the enemy of myself."


    The official started speaking gibberish while an enlightened look appeared in his eyes.


    "Indeed, I am the enemy of myself."


    Amadeus could tell it was an act, but the official was adamant in carrying forth his lie. Turning to Baldrik he bowed,


    "Your highness, this petty official will ask for permission to excuse himself¡­"


    "Denied."


    A firm voice interrupted the official as he stood there sweating like no tomorrow. He was constantly looking around, while fidgeting as he was stepping on a carpet of pins and needles. Amadeus just shook his head as Baldrik continued,


    "Amadeus, what do you think?"


    At that moment, Amadeus could swear he heard a few officials taking in sharp breaths. It was unprecedented but it told the others that the Emperor was starting to get the Crown Prince ready for the throne. Amadeus felt his heartbeat quicken as he didn''t expect his father to ask him about his opinion about the matter.


    However, a determined look plastered his face, as he started speaking, Each word that left his mouth was crisp and clear, each sentence targeted the vital areas needed to be considered and with the acceptance of the major parties, Amadeus was able to come up with a solution that both parties could tolerate.


    The think about the distribution of resources and where the government would focus on was that it was actually a war for power, between the generals and the ministers. If the generals got more attention, despite the army being strong, the citizens will have difficulties and the end result being the destruction of the empire form within. While favouring the ministers meant that although the citizens will be happy, the nation''s army will be weak allowing the neighbouring kingdoms to have ulterior motives. The end result being the collapse of the kingdom from the outside.


    So, a balance needed to be maintained. Everyone wanted peace and prosperity for the empire and its people, it was just the method they chose was different from each other and it was the responsibility of the royal family to keep the balance and make sure all parties are satisfied.


    Baldrik didn''t say it but he was satisfied with Amadeus'' performance and he went with what he said. Amadeus basically introduced the concept of fertilizers to help promote plant growth. Despite this world being advanced in its own way, the existence of magic meant that the world overlooked some aspects which could be found in Amadeus'' old world, fertilizers being one of them.


    While Baldrik gave the order in trying it out, the royal court ended, and the two father and son left first. Amadeus had grown since then and was nearing 4 foot 11. A bit taller than an average ten-year-old. A certain maturity could be seen on his face as he approached his teenage years, yet the fashion of clothes was still the same purple.


    His look was more stoic, and his eyes hid a sharp sword, holding authority like no other. Baldrik smiled as he looked at his son who looked back and smile. The two dropped the fa?ade of being royals and went back to father and son while laughing. As the two were walking, they happened to pass by the training grounds. On the ground was now an older looking Arius and Rex sparring with Lionel. They were surrounded by a group of off-duty imperial knights who were cheering for them.


    Arius had a quite a high position with the knights due to him being their leader''s son''s best friend. Despite being a prince, he never showed arrogance and would spend most of his time with them. This didn''t mean that they would follow him but rather thought of him as their friend. One of the imperial knights at the back was cheering when he saw two figures at the corner of his vision. Curiosity kicking in, he turned around only to shock him to his core. Seeing the Emperor, putting his finger on his lips, he understood and returned to cheering albeit in a more reserved manner.


    The two father and son then left the grounds and continued walking. What Amadeus never expected was his father dropping him another bombshell,


    "I''ll be abdicating the throne once Arius completes his awakening."


    Amadeus was surprised as he finally knew why Baldrik asked for his opinion today. All Amadeus could do was nod in return as they met someone halfway. Today the four dukes bought their children in as well. It was their first time and Amadeus could see them all exhausted. When the five of them saw Amadeus, the twins immediately ran for him and latched on like Koala''s on either side. The rest of the group giggled seeing the actions of the twins while their father, Quyen, had an unknown flash in his eyes. Chandra and Selene didn''t care about the eyes on them and started to drag Amadeus. The other three ran behind them. While Amadeus was the youngest in the group, he wasn''t the shortest.


    Chandra and Selene were half a head shorter than him while Veronica, the eldest of the group, was around his height. Celer, who was the second eldest was a bit taller than him while the tallest was Milo, the second youngest of the group. The twins were in the middle age-wise.


    None of the children had changed apart from becoming more mature.


    The five fathers looked at their children and started walking behind them.


    "So, are you really abdicating this early?"


    Baldrik nodded to Gaius'' question,


    "Yeah, I''ve been pushing it but my ascension to Ancestor Dragon has been kept for too long. My foundation is solid, and all the requirements are met."


    Adelmo sighed lightly as he shook his head,


    "It seems it is time for the young to take over, I''ll probably stay with a couple or so years to help Amadeus get used to the throne before we follow you."


    "Thanks guys,


    Yaalon patted Baldrik''s back,


    "No need for thanks brother-in-law, its our duty."


    While nodding slightly, Baldrik suddenly thought of something,


    "Didn''t you recently get a daughter into your household."


    As if remembering something pleasant, Yaalon was all smiles,


    "Hahaha, yes I did."


    "Then why haven''t I met her?"


    "Hahah, w-well¡­"


    How could Yaalon say that he didn''t want her to meet Amadeus. He wanted her to be her favourite but due to this occasion, he had to bring her.


    Baldrik didn''t question further and was suddenly overshadowed by a large figure. Looking at Quyen, Baldrik asked with a confused face,


    "What''s wrong?"


    Quyen then looked in the direction of his two girls holding Amadeus and Baldrik immediately got what he was implying.


    "Let''s wait, we don''t want them to reject it later now do we."


    Quyen shrugged but he was fairly confident that they would have no rejections.


    It wasn''t until they made their way to the palace''s garden did, they hear a few more voices. Five ladies could be seen drinking tea and happily chatting around a table. There was also a little girl with playing with a ball next to them. Each of the kids ran to their mothers while the little girl so her older brother begging for her to pick him up. Celer ran forward as the father''s joined right after them and Arius was the last to arrive. Before, Arius was considered the youngest of the group now it was the little two-year-old that was currently held by Amadeus.


    She even refused to let go when her parents called. She would just turn her head with a no and bury her head. Yaalon was looking on with tears, as Baldrik patted his back,


    "Ok, now I understand why you never bought her."


    Yaalon just looked at him with a ''You Think?'' look.


    Paloma, Yaalon''s wife just sighed, Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "It seems Eurus has grown attached to Amadeus rather quickly."


    Seeing the girl with a head full of green hair and black eyes, play by lightly slapping Amadeus'' cheeks, made her want to snatch and gobble her up. She was just too cute, and her smile was so pure.


    "It seems you have grown more handsome since the last time I''ve seen you, Amadeus."


    "Once more you jest Aunt Rada."


    Urania kept looking at Amadeus play with Eurus with a pout,


    "Amadeus-kun, why don''t you have a spar while I hold Eurus."


    Everyone could see her ulterior motives to hold Eurus as the kid''s got more and more excited. Milo was especially excited and immediately jumped up.


    Vesta saw her son like this and pat her bulging stomach,


    "I just hope this little one isn''t like their father and older brother. Damn battle maniacs."


    As the group let out a laugh, the six kids gathered together while all five of them stood in front of Amadeus. The last time they fought was a lesson to them so the five of them went against Amadeus. Milo, looking at Amadeus grin slightly,


    "He looks cool with those horns and that scar on his face, I want some as well."


    Celer adjusted his glasses,


    "Then go through your second awakening and create a scar with a kitchen knife or something."


    Amadeus'' smile got wider and wider, as he initiated the first move and ran straight into the group while enveloping each hand with his powers. Arius watched in excitement as it was one of those time which his older brother showed his powers. Eurus, screamed lightly as she looked at the group of her older brothers and sisters fight, cheering them on. The group of adults laughed at this as a barrier was created around them.


    It was truly a rare moment for the five families to come together and the next time they did so was two years later, at Amadeus'' coronation

 45 Arius awakening and Coronation

    Amadeus had turned twelve years old and was currently standing in the Throne room along with his mother and grandparents. The two had come back from the clan as Arius was currently finishing off his Awakening ceremony. From what they heard, he had completed it quite well and had successfully awakened. Baldrik had currently gone to fetch him and they were just waiting for them to come back.


    Seeing the horns on Amadeus, Caesar looked at him with envious eyes as Atia pinched his side.


    "But?"


    Giving her husband a stern look, she convinced him not to spar with Amadeus. She feared that the old geezer would mistakenly kill Amadeus due to his excitement. Amadeus saw this and gave a discreet mocking smile to his grandfather. Caesar just happened to glance at Amadeus as a vein popped out his head when he saw the smile. It was like he was saying, where are your horns?


    ''This brat.''


    Their childish confrontation ended when they felt someone enter the throne room. Baldrik walked in while a jolly Arius followed behind. The kid had messy hair and dirt all over his face. His training attire was torn here and there but they could see the shine in his red eyes being brighter than ever. He had left his spiky red hair short and it just reached the back of his neck while he had strands of hair falling down either side of his face. He held a katana in his hand and his smile became wider as he came forward. It was just the six of them as Lily''s parents weren''t able to make it.


    Running to his mother, Lily hugged him and checked all over for injuries.


    "I''m fine mum."


    Lily nodded and got back up as Amadeus came forward with a smile, patting his shoulder.


    "Come."


    Amadeus led Arius to his grandparents as Caesar came in front of him and pulled his cheeks.


    "Uwawawa."


    Caesar gave a laugh as he let go while Atia came in front of Arius and sized him up. Giving him a stern look and a small nod, she moved away while Caesar went behind the ball that would give them Arius'' stats.


    "You know how it goes."


    Arius gave a nod as he had seen his older brother doing it four years ago. Putting both hands on the crystal ball, he injected his mana into it. The crystal ball started glowing for a short period of time as a crystal card was ejected from the ball.


    Caesar handed the card to Arius where he dropped a drop of blood onto the crystal ball and out came Arius'' stats.


    ---------------------------------


    Name: Arius Drakos


    Age: 7


    Race: Fire and Ice Dragon


    Title: Second Prince of the Drakonis Empire, Hero, Companion of the otherworldly heroes


    Class:


    Mana: 750 (1500)


    Strength: 160 (320)


    Agility: 150 (300)


    Vitality: 400 (800)


    Phys. Resistance: 600 (1200)


    Mag. Resistance: 600 (1200)


    Active Skills:


    Dragon-Human Transformation


    Flight


    Dragon''s roar


    Passive Skills:


    Dragon''s natural shield


    Dragon''s regeneration


    Fire element aptitude


    Ice elemental aptitude


    Sword combatant


    CQC combatant


    ¡­


    ---------------------------------


    They weren''t as high as Amadeus'' but they were still exceptional compared to other Dragon''s of similar age. Seeing that there was still enough daylight left, they started making their way towards the clan ancestral temple. Waiting there were the same dragons that guarded the place as they bowed in the direction of the three golden dragons. Entering the place, it wasn''t Granny that was waiting for them this time but another woman that had similar features to Granny.


    She seemed to be middle-aged with a stern look on her face and plane white eyes. Her black hair with greying ends was put into a bun at the back and she wore loose grey robes. After a set of procedures, the same door opened where Amadeus walked through four years ago, and this time it was Arius that had walked through.


    The group waited for about an hour and Arius walked out also with a hint of arrogance. Amadeus looked at his brother and sighed, it was the duty of an older brother to keep his little sibling in check. Turning around, he bowed to his parents, grand-parents and the woman who opened the door,


    "Can you please step out for a bit?"


    The four nodded and complied as they knew what was going to happen. While the lady looked confused, she followed the rest as she saw them complying. Arius was confused as to what was happening but only saw his brother turn around with a solemn look. Walking to the side, he picked up a stick with incredible respect,


    "This skill was passed onto me by Granny as she foresaw this situation."


    Arius looked even more confused, as Amadeus walked towards him. Whipping the stick on his hand, a smile unknowingly crept onto Amadeus'' face while he tried his best to hide it. Arius got a chill up his spine and his brother disappeared from his vision.


    *Whack*


    Screams once more filled the temple after four years. A short while later, the family saw Amadeus come out with a refreshed look and Arius following behind him with a limp, fearfully looking at Amadeus. It seemed that Amadeus hitting him with a stick while his eyes were closed and a small smile plastered on his face had traumatised him slightly. He flinched every time Amadeus moved his hand but the latter never gave up and put an arm around his neck. He could feel Arius trembling but ignored it.


    Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned to Arius.


    "So what class did you get?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    It turned out the latter got a class known as ''Champion'' and it boosted his stats to a certain extent. It also came with a halo that helped boost the abilities of the user''s allies, it was quite a strong class. It was no wonder that he came out with a bit of arrogance.


    "Here."


    A longsword suddenly appeared in Amadeus'' hand as he gave it to Arius. It was the same black sword that he got from the dwarven castle. The protests from the sword had long since died out and it didn''t try to create any contract with Amadeus. It feared the heat released from Amadeus so it stayed quiet. Arius immediately liked it as soon as he held it. The process of the contract only took a couple or so seconds while Arius unsheathed the sword around.


    "Thanks, elder brother."


    The sword didn''t say anything and just stayed quiet. Only when Amadeus left did it start speaking, scaring Arius.


    While Arius had turned eight, three months later Baldrik stepped down as Emperor and the coronation of Amadeus was held on his thirteenth birthday.


    The streets of Emerald City were packed to the brim and the crowd extended to outside the city. There were even more people that had come to the capital than when Amadeus first showed his face to the masses. Tents were pitched outside as all the hotels were full and business was booming, stalls were opened and one could see children running through the crowds.


    The maids around Amadeus were currently busying themselves as they dressed him up. Ariadne was combing his hair while Eriko made sure there weren''t any imperfections. Emily and Velia were off getting his clothes ready for the ceremony. Amadeus looked at himself in the mirror and saw the determination in his eyes. The doubts he had were thrown to the back of his mind, all that mattered now was the present, the future was yet to come.


    Upon being dressed he wore a purple ceremonial robe that dragged on the floor but this time with no dragon''s depicted on it. His hair was put into a high ponytail while only two of his front horns remained on either side of his head. He was able to make the back two disappear but the ones in front seemed to be permanent.


    A knock was heard followed by a voice,


    "You Highness, it''s time."


    Sighing lightly, he looked once more in the mirror and hyped himself up.


    ''It''s going to be fine, it''s going to be fine¡­''


    His odd coloured eyes seemed to speak volumes as they possessed a maturity not found in a thirteen year old. Unlike those novels Amadeus had read, he wasn''t some lone being that went against the world, he was now going to be responsible for the lives of an empire and each of his actions came with major responsibilities.


    His fair skin possessed no imperfections apart from the scar beneath his left cheek. That, however, added to his charm rather than diminish it. The childishness on his face wasn''t entirely gone but most of it was covered by his stoic face. Taking a deep breath, he looked at his maids who gave him encouraging smiles as a small one also blossomed on his face. As Eriko opened the door, the smile was gone and a strong resolve filled his face.


    Within the throne room, two crowds of people stood on either side of the carpet in the middle. There were all sorts of nobles and officials that were there with the more important one in front. The dukes were at the forefront while Lily and Arius were even ahead of them. The Blades stood along the edges of the carpet and stairs. All of them were standing quietly and respectfully as Baldrik was standing next to the throne.


    Behind him were a group of people with veils covering their faces. The loose red garments they wore, disallowed people to recognise them as male or female. The garbs they wore were inlaid with a golden silk that looked different from where one looked at it from. If they walked past them then they would see a dragon soaring in the sky.


    However, none dared to look at them as they were members of the Church of the Dragon God. Religion was something that the populace needed. It gave them hope and something to fall back on, and if they were faithful enough, they would be blessed by the one they believed in. So naturally, the Drakonis Empire had one that was dedicated to the Dragon God. There weren''t strict restrictions to it and it accepted everyone. As for the other gods and goddesses of the world, Drakonis Empire had their temples stationed here and there but the vast majority followed the Dragon God.


    Suddenly, the door opened and a voice was heard resounding throughout the room,


    "Crown Prince Amadeus Drakos has arrived!"


    Amadeus walked in with steady footsteps as they were the only thing heard in the room. They were light, almost quiet allowing people to think that it belonged to a child but each step echoed in their hearts. Amadeus made his way forward and halted before the steps to the throne. He then kneeled down and felt Baldrik''s vision pass over him.


    "Rise!"


    Amadeus got up and started walking up the stairs. As soon as he first stepped onto it, visions filled his mind, it was the start of the war of Dragons against the Gods. He was already told about this before by Atia. Each of the steps were inlaid with formations that sent visions depicting the war. Each of the visions were from multiple perspectives and each step corresponded a year of the war.


    This was so the future generation won''t forget what the past generations went through to get them to today. One by one, each step was firm and decisive, not hesitation within then whatsoever. In the past four years, Amadeus had gone to train with no equipment, not even food to help gather experience and improve his mentality. He would live in the wild for up to a week, however, he would have to catch up with his lessons. This lifestyle trained his mental abilities to the max but all that training couldn''t compare to what he was going through right now.


    For him, all that was happening in the battlefield was currently happening to him. Hate, Anger, Sadness and many more emotions flooded his body as he felt like he was there during the war. When a Dragon lost his life, he lost it, when he won a battle, he felt the elation of winning. Like that, Amadeus treaded the steps in firm manner as a new step bought in a whole new life and feelings.


    By the time he reached the top, his forehead had a few droplets of sweat while his breathing slightly heavy. However, all the innocence in his eyes was lost as he had seen things that one couldn''t even dream. Yet, knowing that another war of a much larger scale was along the horizon, determination filled his eyes. Baldrik gave a slight nod of approval while a priest came next to Amadeus and held out a pillow. On it was a ceremonial dagger and crystal plate with the names of the previous Dragon Emperors. Knowing what to do, Amadeus took the dagger and cut his palm, pressing it down on the crystal plate.


    A booming voice left the priest as the screens outside the palace saw the Coronation ceremony. Many screen were placed allowing the population to see it. Everyone held their breaths as the priest started speaking,


    "Do you, Crown Prince Amadeus Drakos, give your blood and soul to protect the Empire and her citizens?"


    "I do."


    ¡­


    "Do you, Crown Prince Amadeus Drakos¡­"


    One after another, many oaths were given with Amadeus complying to them. Upon finishing, the priest stepped aside while Baldrik came forward,


    "Then, Crown Prince Amadeus Drakos, no, my son, I, Emperor Baldrik Drakos, will hand over my responsibilities I carry onto you."


    Baldrik took off his crown and placed it on Amadeus'' head. The two were worried that the horns would come in the way but that wasn''t the case as the crown shaped itself and worked around the horn.


    "Emperor Amadeus Drakos."


    His father held him by the shoulders and brought him up. And as if on cue, a group of the figures behind Baldrik bought out a golden Emperor Robe and donned it around his shoulders. A group of dragons roared as all the all the people in the throne room kneeled while his mother bowed. Everyone outside the palace celebrated and nearly drowned out the cries of the Dragons. His father stepped aside as Amadeus turned around, the crown was extremely light on his head, but a sudden weight was added onto his heart.

 46 One month

    Amadeus saw the all the people in the room kneel in front of him. He had an inexplicable feeling in his heart as he sat down on the throne. Through the open doors, he could hear the cheers from the capital and the roars of the dragon. Baldrik moved to the side fully letting Amadeus immerse in this new feeling.


    With the crowning of the new emperor of the Baldrik Empire, taxes were void for half a year and some new policies were introduced sending the nations into an uproar. Free education. Although this wasn''t rare in most developed countries within Amadeus'' previous world, here, one had to have money and pay fees to receive some sort of education.


    Although one had to pay academic fees for further education, the basic level was available for everyone. Although this meant costs for the royal family and government, the royal family did indeed have rather large pockets. Still this was only fulfilled by further dividing the taxes the citizens paid and making sure a stable cycle was produced. Some stingy individuals wouldn''t want to spend their own money for another person''s education.


    This however meant that people who didn''t pay taxes could also receive an education, so when one paid their taxes it would be recorded within a database. With their being large screens for showing live pictures, Amadeus believed that there should be some sort of technology to store data, and indeed there was. Status plates were a person''s identity cards and if an individual was registered as a criminal, it would be stored within a certain type of database. These databases were interconnected towards various crystal balls littering a country. If one had their status plates scanned it would show if that person was a wanted criminal or not.


    So, in a similar fashion, Amadeus had this technology implemented for the education system. This didn''t mean that all was perfect, certain plates could be forged using many rare means meaning that people could get in. However, this method was rather expensive and not just anyone could do it. All Amadeus could do was keep it at a minimum and contain it, rather than outright try to get rid of it. Even if he did, it wouldn''t be too long until another appeared.


    The people of the Empire were happy with these changes and the government got to work. The busiest was the ministry of educations as they started to find people who wanted to be teachers and to sort out the salaries for them. Currently, publics schools didn''t show up in every village but was slowly spread around the capital and major cities. The major cities had only one each and the capital had four. This was due to the lack of teachers, but this was just the start, Amadeus was sure that many individuals would be attracted over to teach and before long, the empire would be breeding its own generation of teachers.


    By then, there would be a school in nearly every village. One could see the happiness of the people as soon as they walked into any city. They would be praising Emperor Amadeus Drakos for his intelligence. Each and everyone would give him different praises while saying that this was the coming of a new age for the Empire. With the word ''Empire'' emphasised with pride.


    As for the wise emperor they were all talking about, he was currently slumped over a desk with hopeless eyes. Sighing, he could barely move his head onto his chin. This desk was his fathers and now it was his. Apart from the small clearing that just about fit his head, the rest of the desk was covered with mountains of paperwork.


    It had been a month since Amadeus took the throne. He had just finished the paperwork in front of him and immediately fatigue covered his body. Giving out another sigh, Amadeus pushed himself of the desk and leaned backwords stretching. He got to look at the room that was now his. On both sides were bookshelves that carried books and scrolls. Amadeus had already read all of them before he became emperor. Getting up, he went to the back and pulled a book from its shelf, only for it to stop midway and a mechanism to work. The bookshelf slid open and stairs ascending somewhere came into view.


    He walked up the stairs and opened a small door. Instantly a breeze hit him, washing a small bout of fatigue away. A night sky filled with many stars came into view as the crescent moon shone brightly in the sky. Taking in a deep breath, Amadeus was now on the tallest tower in the whole of Emerald Palace. There was just one chair in the middle that overlooked the whole capital city. Amadeus saw some areas of the city filled with light and some filled with darkness that made it hard to see.


    In all honesty, if he had the chance, he wouldn''t think of taking the throne. He just wanted to be free and roam the world. Although he could do it, he would have preferred to do it with a carefree smile. He would make friends and companions on his journey while fight next to a brother in arms. Fall in love and live a life, one without the responsibilities of an Emperor. However, all this responsibility was thrown onto him ever since he breathed his first in this world, no, ever since he tried to leave that classroom. Looking at the palace walls, what he once thought were beautiful now looked like cages, restricting his freedom.


    There were many what ifs that he could think of, but they were all possible scenarios in his head. He had come to warm up against all the people he had met in this world and they were now in an irreplaceable place in his heart. Remembering the vision the god of dreams showed him and the smile on his little brother, Amadeus leaned backwards on the chair with renewed determination. Slowly his eyes closed, and he entered the realm of dreams. A short while later, Baldrik appeared next to him and just shook his head as he covered the boy in a blanket and left.


    The next morning, Amadeus woke up to a light hitting his eyes. When he opened them, he felt the warm rays of sunshine enter his eyes and a refreshing feeling in his body. Getting up, he saw a sight he wouldn''t ever forget. The sun had draped its blessing over the city and with his eyesight he could see the people start to go about their daily lives with a smile. Now that it had come to it, there was no use of these useless thoughts plaguing his mind. He was now the emperor and he had to answer to all these people''s expectations of him. All he could do now was smile and look forward to the future. The palace walls now looked more pleasing to his eyes.


    Closing the secret passageway, he left the room and saw a maid walking past. She bowed when she saw him and he handed the blanket over to her.


    "Hand this over to father."


    "Yes, your highness."


    With a bow, the maid hurriedly left to the Ruby Palace, it was where his father was staying nowadays. Walking a bit more, Amadeus saw Eriko and co wating for him. The four immediately came behind him while Eriko started informing him the lists of tasks he was supposed to do today. Eriko was his head maid while also the one that reported to him the tasks he needed to do. Apart from the times he wanted to be alone, Eriko was there following him like a shadow. It wasn''t just her the other three were the same. Each of their steps were silent, as if there was nobody there.


    Amadeus could sense them and leisurely walked through the palace''s hall. After freshening up, Amadeus donned his favourite purple robes but this time with a golden dragon with five claws embedded in them. Amadeus left his room and once more started walking through the palace''s hallways only to end up in the throne room while Blades littered the room as soon as he walked in. The Emperor''s overcoat appeared over his shoulder as he stepped up to the throne while his crown appeared in his hands and placed it on his head while sitting down. As soon as the crown touched his head, he was submerged in a refreshing feeling and all his fatigue disappeared. His mind and his thoughts were clear. It was one of the effects the crown had on its wielder.


    Fidgeting slightly, he tried to find the most comfortable position and ended up putting his foot over the other leg''s knee. He then placed his elbow in the arm rest and leaned on it as he found it more comforting. A veil dropped from his crown as it covered his facial features. Eras came and stood a couple steps down from him as another Blade stood next to him. This Blade was different from the rest, the Blade had more of a slender frame and stood a bit shorter than Eras, if they were to stand next to each other. This was the commander in chief of all the Blades, Irene.


    The Blades didn''t have last names and just kept their first names, abandoning the last name as soon as they joined. Irene was just like her name, peaceful, her blue eyes reminded Amadeus of the calmness present within a lake, without the slightest ripple. She only spoke when spoken to and would remain quiet most of the time. However, the authority she carried within the Blades was unthinkable as she was the strongest from them.


    Previously, she was part of Baldrik''s protection detail now she was the head of Amadeus''. This can be seen with Eras standing a couple steps away. With a nod from Amadeus, the door was opened and in walked in two individuals, one was an old man and the other, a teenager, both wearing a common suit. It was a simple one with a black coat above a white shirt and black pants with black leather boots that looked a bit worn. One could see the care taken to maintain the suits as they came closer and halted before the steps. Kneeling down, they didn''t dare to look up as they felt the pressure exerted from the surrounding Blades.


    Sweat dripped down they foreheads while their chest started feeling tight. With a wave of Amadeus'' hand, the Blades reigned in their pressure and Eras turned to them,


    "State your name and your occupation. After you''ve done this, state your issue. His highness will listen to your troubles."


    Trembling, the two got up and looked up. All they saw was a young body look down onto them, while a purple veil covered his face. They could faintly see a pair of odd coloured eyes look straight at them as if their souls were exposed in front of him. The old man quickly looked away in case they offended the opposite party, but it wasn''t the same for the teenager. Inexperience was written on his face as he continued to stare at Amadeus, without turning away.


    A frown appeared on Amadeus'' face as he felt uncomfortable by the way the teenager was looking at him. Increasing his own pressure, he exerted his will over the man and a dominating regal aura left his body. The teenager didn''t know what happened until his vision went black and returned. All he saw now was a large cloud in front of him with two glowing orbs look at him. One was silver and the other gold.


    The two orbs looked at him as if he was an ant and the teenager felt weak throughout his body. He hurriedly turned away while breathing heavily and no longer dared to look at Amadeus. This short interaction was missed by the old man as he started speaking,


    "Your highness, my name is Jonathan Woodbridge, I''m a humble village chief in one of the many villages the Empire has. I''ve come regarding a problem¡­"


    Amadeus was taking some time in listening to the common people''s issues so he could gather more information. It was better to get to know the issues experienced by the victim rather than hearing it from the ministers themselves. The Empire followed similar proceedings to the ancient dynasties and kingdoms from his previous world, but it was all incorporated in a way that the Emperor had a final say in everything. Still meetings like this had never been done before which was easy to explain why the pressure released by the Blades was, well, over the top.


    One by one, many commoners came and left with happy smiles. As for one of issues, it was,


    "Goblins."


    "Goblins?"


    The imperial court was sent into a series of discussion. It was true though, the monster that Amadeus brought up was one of the weakest and they were usually handed to the beginner adventurers and to soldiers in training. Henrik came forward adjusting his monocle,


    "What about them, your highness?"


    Amadeus looked at the serious looking man as he turned to the rest of the officials,


    "First answer this question. How many villages does the Empire have?"


    An old official came forward. He didn''t look tall mainly due to his hunched back while looking like someone that the wind could topple straight into his grave. But he had a long beard that reached the floor and his official suit was kept neatly with their being no creases. His eyes were narrow, almost shut while his skin baggy and heavy with wrinkles. Yet a vitality like no other was present within him. He was the current Minister of Agriculture, Green.


    It was a simple name, but it was what he called himself, he was a Treant. Treants was a species of sentient trees that were usually found in the Formosa Forest but this one was unique. He had attained intelligence and wisdom rivalling ancient dragons and has been a minister ever since Caesar''s reign.


    Green looked at Amadeus,


    "To my knowledge, we have the capital city and four major cities where the dukes reside. Circling those four major cities are a total of sixteen minor cities, four each. With their being four major villages for every minor city, that will total up to about 64 major villages. As for the minor villages, they are sporadically placed around the empire, but they number at least a hundred."


    Amadeus nodded and Green went back to his place.


    "If we were to put this into equation, how many times is a village attacked by goblins."


    This time a General walked out. He was a human with a rather large scar heading from the corner of his temple, diagonally to the end of his left cheek. He had short black hair and black fierce eyes. He was the commander of the Guards, also known as the Shields. The Drakonis Empire had six known armies, the General Army that protected the Empire''s borders, the Shields that guarded the walls of a village or city, the Police Force that protected the civilians, the Imperial Guards, the Dragon Army and lastly the Blades.


    The General''s name was Sado Tora, a Japanese name, the surname coming first. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    He was a descendant of a hero that had been summoned years back. When Amadeus had first heard this, he was rather shocked but came to terms with it, there wasn''t anything that said that there hadn''t been a summoning before. From the reports that Amadeus got, it seemed that the summoned hero was probably from the era dozens of years ago in his previous world with the description he got.


    What bewildered him even more was that this hero lived hundreds of years ago and he wondered if time changed different between worlds or it was just that the summoning got suitable individuals from different parts of the time stream in his previous world. For example, someone from the 1800s could be summoned in the future of Orbis to be a hero for something.


    Tora came forward and bowed respectfully towards Amadeus,


    "On average, a village could be attacked at least once every couple months."


    Amadeus nodded as he continued,


    "What are the damages?"


    Tora once more continued, bewildered where the Emperor was taking this. It was the same for the other officials, but they still listened,


    "Um, well, there would be a few broken houses and a couple girls would be captured."


    "How many times will a village be destroyed?"


    "Um, at least one every year."


    "Ok, one goblin attack every couple months, a couple girls taken away, maybe some men, over a hundred villages, one gets destroyed, work out the damages."


    Many of the clever ones had their eyes widened while some of them got thoughtful looks in their eyes.


    "How many girl''s lives have been ruined?"

 48 Barrier

    Arius soon joined them and the family of four talked into the night. The two would leave the next day as Atia wanted to see how Amadeus had adjusted to the role of Emperor.


    The next day went like any other and the Royal Court gathered once more. Amadeus was the last to arrive and had sat down when he saw Atia just sat there next to his throne. She had his eyes closed but her stern face gave everyone in the room pressure like no other.


    Amadeus gave Eras a nod and the Royal court commenced. There was only one issue they were talking about, Goblins.


    It seemed that the officials went back and put their minds together to find ways to counter the problem.


    "We can move the army¡­"


    "No, too many resources used¡­"


    "Gather adventurers?"


    "No, they won''t come for something so small¡­"


    "But with the royal order¡­"


    One by one, suggestions were brought out and one by one they were immediately rejected. Amadeus looked at Eras who cleared his throat causing the ruckus to quiet down. Seeing that everyone''s attention was on him, Amadeus brought out a question,


    "What do you know about Goblins?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    A thoughtful look appeared on the official''s faces as a general stepped out,


    "They hunt in groups..."


    "Set up ambushes¡­"


    "Use crude weaponry and armour¡­"


    "Some are born with unique talents¡­"


    With each point brought up Amadeus gave out a question,


    "How many are within a group? 5? 10? 15?"


    "Where and how do they set up ambushes?"


    "What material is the weapon and armour made out of?"


    "What type of talents, what is the frequency of them appearing? What¡­"


    Amadeus was starting to get frustrated and the official''s heard it laced in his voice. He finally came face to face with incompetence of the government. It was that they overlooked the weaker and minor issues that plagued the common people. If it was a single event, it was indeed no cause of worry, but if they were multiple, it was only when adding up the negativities would one see the whole picture and the disastrous impact it had.


    However, he couldn''t pursue this as it was within his expectations. It also showed that they didn''t do any research of their own, and just thought of some ideas. Slowly, the royal court was ushered into silence as no one knew what to say. They all looked in the direction of Amadeus who just shook his head.


    Once again looking at Eras, the latter looked towards another direction and nodded. The officials were confused as to what was happening and waited only to see the doors open and in walk a man. He had slicked back brown hair and wore a pair of rectangular glasses hiding his blue eyes. He carried himself in a neat and strict manner. Not a single crease could be spotted on his three-piece black suit as he came in the middle of the royal court and kneeled.


    "Adventurer Guild''s Head, Matthew greets His Majesty the Emperor."


    "I hope we''re not wasting your time."


    "That is not the case, your majesty, it is an honour for my humble self to step into the royal court."


    Amadeus nodded and continued,


    "I presume you have bought what I asked for."


    Amadeus looked down at Matthew and waited for him to speak.


    "I''m afraid I haven''t your majesty¡­"


    Amadeus raised an eyebrow as an official spoke out,


    "What is the meaning of this Matthew?!"


    Another one,


    "You dare disrespect His Majesty!"


    Amadeus raised his hand, and everyone was able to catch a glimpse of it despite the veil. The veil didn''t completely lock out Amadeus, but rather it barely showed his figure and his two eyes. As he got the officials to quiet down, Amadeus looked at Matthew,


    "Continue."


    "¡­Thanks, your majesty. I didn''t do it because I doubt the information the guild has would be any lesser than the Empire has. I''ve come to tell of an individual."


    "An individual?"


    Amadeus kept his stoic face while he felt things were getting slightly intriguing. The younger officials had confused looks while the older experienced one kept didn''t show it, but their eyes spoke volumes of it.


    "Yes, an individual. He is a Silver ranked adventurer but probably is no stronger than a bronze one."


    This genuinely surprised the court as there were only two reasons in which an adventurer''s guild rank would increase. One was strength and the other was accomplishments. Seeing that the strength of the man was lower than his rank meant that his accomplishments were not low.


    The ranks in the world went from copper, bronze, silver, gold and mithril. After that were S-class, SS-class and SSS-class. The last rank was Arch, and they had power rivalling Ancestor dragons. To put it into perspective, Copper was for beginner adventurers, Bronze was for experienced weak adventurers, Silver was for mid-ranked adventurers, Gold was for mid ranked accomplished adventurers and Mithril was the highest ranked where they had both strength and a long list of accomplishments. After that was the three legendary classes where the strongest individuals were, these were for people who had all their stats past 1000. The weakest Blade was SS-class. As for Arch, they were very few but stood alongside the Ancient Dragons.


    These ranks were for everything, for example, bronze mercenary, silver mage, gold knight, mithril swordsman etc.


    These ranks were also there for merchants but instead of strength, it valued all their assets and money they had under the name and how good their business was.


    However, in this location a mere silver ranked adventurer was not worth their notice, yet the head of the adventurer''s guild spoke of him. Everyone listened carefully as they wanted to know what was so special about the adventurer.


    "His name is Jack but goes by the name The Killer of Goblins, and his accomplishments only consist of exterminating goblins."


    Matthew stopped to let the words sink in. It was rather exemplary to gather enough achievements to become a silver ranked adventurer while only exterminating goblins. A few officials sucked in a few sharp breaths while Atia also had a raised eyebrow,


    "How many has he killed then? And to only focus on Goblins, he must have quite the hate for them."


    Tora spoke up, Matthew nodded,


    "Indeed, the number we have recorded is 346 but those are only recorded kills, who knows how many he has killed. As for hatred, it is indeed a deep-seated hatred, apparently, his village was attacked and destroyed by goblins."


    Matthew finished talking and quietened down. Everyone also did the same as Amadeus became the focus of attention.


    "That''s fine by me. General Sado Tora."


    "Yes, your majesty."


    "Heed my decree."


    Tora came forward and kneeled,


    "You will be in charge of contacting this man and get as much information out of him. From what I see, he would most likely help in exterminating more Goblins. Don''t use force."


    "Yes, your majesty."


    With Matthew being dismissed, Amadeus turned to Henrik.


    "Henrik."


    "Yes, Your majesty."


    "Heed my decree."


    Henrik came forward and kneeled,


    "Start a recruitment process, we need to increase the size of the army. Don''t focus on quantity but on quality, we will use the extermination of the Goblins a good way to train them."


    "Yes, your majesty, but¡­"


    "What?"


    Henrik took in a deep breath and looked at Amadeus as if wanting to prove his estimation wrong,


    "Why the sudden recruitment?"


    Amadeus didn''t immediately reply but let loose his aura. A regal aura enveloped the room as everyone kneeled and all Amadeus said was one word. A word that the officials would never forget in all their life with the voice that would be etched into their very souls,


    "War."


    All the officials shook as their eyes widened. Some old officials sighed as their fears had come true. One bold yet young official came forward and voiced out,


    "With whom?"


    An older official next to him shook even more and quickly slapped the man''s head. Amadeus didn''t mind and looked at him causing all his aura to be concentrated onto the official.


    "You will know soon enough."


    With that he got up and left with the officials leaving next. Atia walked next to Amadeus and looked at her grandson with an approving gaze. Amadeus could see that she was satisfied with his performance as the latter let out a smile. This surprised Amadeus because it was the first time he had seen her smile like such. Patting his head, all Atia could say was,


    "You''ve done well."


    Amadeus smiled in return as they returned to the family. Atia left for the clan and let the four have as much family time they could get. The day went quick for the four of them as the time to leave approached in a blink of an eye.


    Amadeus stood there as he saw his parents stand within a secret room in the temple smiling at them while his mother had a hint of tears in her eyes. Arius was looking at them with tears as well when the circle beneath them flashed and the two disappeared from their sights. He never broke down crying, he just stood there desperately holding it in with his fists clenched.


    With the head priestess closing the door and bowing to Amadeus, the latter pat his little brother''s shoulder and left. Arius followed behind while wiping his tears, he was still in pyjamas. Looking at the night sky that shone with a plethora of stars, Arius looked at his brother''s back that seemed to speak many things. He was regretful that he hadn''t spent enough time with his family before their departure.


    His brother, despite being Emperor, was able to make some time to spend with his parents while he was off training or playing. Thinking of this, more tears appeared in his eyes before a voice drifted into his ears,


    "How long are you going to keep crying?"


    "Oni-ta-¡­Elder Brother."


    A smile involuntarily appeared on Amadeus'' face as he heard the long-forgotten term his brother used to address him with.


    "Calm down, they''ve just left for the clan, you''ll be able to visit in the future."


    Arius nodded as he was escorted to his room by his personal maids. Amadeus waved his right hand and Luna jumped into his hand. With a flash it transformed into a set of rings connected by chains. One went on his pinkie finger while another on his index and middle finger. Solaris also flew there and turned into a full finger ring on his middle finger that sharpened at the end like a claw.


    On his left hand was a ring with a violet diamond that had the Drakos family emblem on it. Baldrik Drakos had become just Baldrik.


    - Far to the west of Drakonis Empire -


    Far into the unexplored lands, amongst the vast flatlands, a faint glowing white barrier stood there reaching the heavens and the core of Orbis. Animals would near and unconsciously turn away. A gigantic fortress stood a few miles away, but the large crossbows were clearly facing the barrier. Soldiers stood there from all races and from all kingdoms, guarding it. This day was supposed to be normal, the soldiers there had long gotten bored but knew that they were protecting a fort that was known as the first line of defence for all the nations behind. There was no animosity here as it had long since died down, they were the elite for a reason, they were able to put aside their differences and focus in the big picture.


    That day, it wasn''t meant to be an ordinary one as the barrier they had been observing showed changes for the first time. The light diminished slightly, and a faint crack appeared right in the middle of the barrier.

 50 Arrival of Jack, Bob and Steve

    Amadeus looked at the leaving scientist with a sharp look. His eyes of truth involuntarily activated during the meeting and despite the man''s good intentions a hint off black would flicker by. Amadeus realised that throughout the meeting the man never looked at him in the eyes. With his suspicions increasing, he tapped his middle finger on the throne in which his ring and the throne''s arm rest made a clear clank. The shadows behind the throne warped and Velia appeared, bowing next to Amadeus.


    "Place a watch on him."


    "Yes, your majesty."


    Velia acknowledged the order and disappeared into the shadows while an unknown look plastered his face.


    "How long before the three arrive?"


    Eras spoke up,


    "Even if we hasten their speed, it will take a few days at least for them to reach the capital."


    Amadeus nodded at that before leaning back on his throne as he remembered back to the issue with the barrier. What irked him the most was the unknown. He didn''t know when the barrier would collapse, he didn''t know his enemy''s strengths, numbers, nothing. All he could do was prepare.


    While Amadeus drowned in his thoughts, the doors opened, and an imperial guard walked in. Hearing what he had to say, Amadeus'' raised his eyebrow and got up.


    "I guess I can take a little break. Get the normal carriage ready and the teleportation circle."


    Stretching his body, Amadeus started walking towards one of the Palace towers. Erika and his maids caught up to him while Irene and Eras flanked them. Getting there, Amadeus stepped into what seemed a very ordinary carriage, however, upon entering it felt like he had entered a completely new world.


    Although there was room for all of them, Eras disguised himself as an ordinary carriage driver while the rest sat inside. It wasn''t spacious but it also wasn''t crowded. The whole interior screamed comfort as special illusionary spells were placed along the outside of the whole carriage. The window especially looked as if it was covered by a curtain, but Amadeus could see everything outside. Not to lie, but Amadeus did feel a bit more nervous as it was the first time, he had entered the capital ever since the coronation.


    As the teleportation circle flashed beneath the carriage, the carriage arrived in a vacant back alley and soon joined the carriages littering the road. Everywhere Amadeus looked, he was happy to see that the citizens were also happy. He could tell their smiles were genuine and that took off a slight weight from his shoulders. The carriage was like any other when travelling the streets of the city as it made its way to its destination.


    The carriage then parked up onto the side and Amadeus'' attention was grabbed by two figures constantly looking at a stable. The two looked like they were whispering to each other and pointing at the stable. They were naturally Arius and Rex who had left the palace. The Imperial guard notified him that the two had secretly left the Palace making Amadeus interested in why. Amadeus watched the two enter as he used ''Nepuko''s Illusions'' and materialised a crow in front of him. Letting it loose, he watched the bird take flight as he shared its visions.


    There he saw Arius look at various horses and take a couple for a few rides before shaking his head. He went through a couple more stables before rejecting them as well. When he was leaving, he saw a carriage parked off to the side and just glanced over it. He then went on to a few more stables before giving up but this time he saw the same carriage parked to the side. The carriage driver gave him a familiar feeling, but when the latter turned to him, a surprised expression masked his face. Running to the carriage, Rex followed, confused as to where he was going.


    The carriage door opened, and Arius looked in,


    "Elder brother!"


    A smile found Amadeus'' lips as he looked at Arius get in. Seeing Rex behind him, a teasing smile found his lips and the doors closed. Rex was still running towards the carriage when the doors closed, and he ran head-first, straight into the door. With a loud thud, the people inside saw the door slowly open and their vision attracted by Rex lying on his back while rubbing his forehead. Turning to Arius, Amadeus opened his mouth.


    "What is it Arius?"


    "I need a horse."


    "A horse?"


    "Yes, a horse."


    "Aren''t the ones in the palace acceptable?"


    "I want a horse like the one brother has. A partner not a steed."


    Amadeus got to thinking as he leaned his cheek on his arm. Rex had slowly got up and entered the carriage stumbling slightly. He very respectfully sat down and looked at his shoes, they seemed slightly more interesting to him. This was the second time he had properly met Amadeus and the two times he had met him; he had suffered in some kind of way. He didn''t know why the emperor was always teasing him, but he couldn''t just go and reprimand him.


    "So, you basically want a mount?"


    Arius nodded while Amadeus continued,


    "Does it have to be a horse?"


    "Eh?"


    Arius was raised an eyebrow as he held his chin and got to thinking. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "Thank you, brother."


    Arius'' face lit up as he jumped and hugged Amadeus. Ruffling his brother''s hair, he realised that the addition of the two boys, the carriage had gotten slightly crowded. With another use of his illusionary powers, the crow in the sky dispersed and he changed his looks. Now he just looked like an ordinary commoner wearing tattered clothes. He got out of the carriage despite everyone''s surprise and jumped onto the driver''s seat with Eras.


    Eras was surprised and was about to attack the boy due to his sudden appearance when Amadeus looked at him and flickered the illusion in his eyes, allowing Eras to see the special eyes only he was known to possess. Calming down, the carriage started moving as Amadeus leaned back, taking in the sights of the capital.


    A few days later, a group of figures appeared at the gates of the capital city. They were all wearing robes and with the one in the lead showing the gatekeeper a medallion, they were easily able to enter. It was Tora along with Jack, Helena and a couple more people.


    As soon as they entered, they got into a carriage already prepared for them. There were three of them in total and the other two seemed to already have occupants in them. Getting into the carriage, Helena asked Tora who was sitting in front of him,


    "Where are we going?"


    Tora just replied,


    "To the Emerald Palace, to meet the Emperor. His orders were to see you as soon as possible."


    Helena didn''t have a chance to talk as the carriage started moving.


    "Like this? But we have just arrived, I need to freshen up."


    "Don''t worry about it, all of it will be taken care of at the palace."


    The three carriages made their way into a secret alley where they were teleported into a small building, just behind the palace walls. As Helena appeared there, she realised that her powers had slightly increased and it was growing, albeit slowly and only a miniscule amount. There was no news indicating their arrival and they were secretly transported into the palace. These figures were the ones that Amadeus had specially called into the capital.


    As soon as they entered, they were immediately assigned a room where they would freshen up and get ready. While Helena dressed up properly, Jack just wore his suit of armour. He kept his blades and left the room, only to see a properly dressed Helena in front of him. Her loose robe was unable to hide her breasts as she crossed her arms beneath them.


    "Mooh, Jack, why aren''t you wearing any proper clothes?"


    Before Jack could reply, a maid appeared telling them that it was time. A group coagulated outside the throne room and Helena got to see everyone waiting there. There were two other men that somehow reminded her off Jack in a way and their companions behind them. One of the men talked to them,


    "Aren''t they going to take away our weapons?"


    An imperial guard guarding the door heard this and looked at the man who spoke,


    "Even if we did, how will that change anything?"


    Everyone looked at the imperial guard only to see him ignoring them. As one of them were about question him, the doors in front slowly creaked open. All their attention was attracted by the door opening as they quickly got into a neat line. The same Imperial guard moved forward and turned towards them,


    "The priestess will enter first with the rest of you following. Behind her will be Jack the Killer of Goblins, Bob the Orc Slayer and Steve the Ogre Ripper, the three will then enter behind her and the rest of the companions will be at the back. Keep a slight distance between the three groups and don''t look at the His Highness unless been given permission. That is all."


    Everyone nodded as they walked in with the order given. They had already been given the details in how to act while Helena had gone through this training before. Amadeus watched as a rather young girl with conspicuous large assets walk in with three males following behind her. One was fully armoured, and Amadeus knew that it was the killer of goblins due to been given his details beforehand. In the middle was a masked figure that wore tight, black leather clothing. He had two daggers placed on both sides of his waist, and while his bald head had some light reflecting off it. He had his eyes closed but walked with steady and silent steps. He was Bob, the Orc Slayer. The last figure on the right was a humungous man that had a carcass draped over his back. It was of a three eyed wolf as its head was laying over the man''s head, covering the man''s hair and eyes. His light brown yet muscled torso was littered with scars while he wore shorts and shoes made of animal skin. He was also the one that revealed most of his body as he walked in with heavy steps. On both of his sides were two rather large weapons, one was an axe and the other was a mace. Across his shoulders was a bow with his quiver lying horizontally on the back of his waist. It was slightly angled to make it easier to reach and to prevent the arrows from falling out. He was Steve, the Ogre Ripper.


    There was nobody behind Bob, making Amadeus attribute it to him being an assassin while Steve had one companion behind him. It was a female and she was also of an exotic light brown skin. With an unknown material covering her important and vital areas, the rest of her body was out in the open. She also carried a bow and arrow in a similar fashion, but she also had a sword and dagger on each side of her waist. She had black hair tied into a ponytail and tribal writing across her bare arms. She was Steve''s sister, Joanna.


    Jack was the only that had bought quite a few people, what surprised him was that apart from their being one old man, the rest were all girls.


    There was a total of four girls behind him. One was professionally dressed with the symbol of the adventurer''s guild and her brown hair fashioned into a braid cascading down her back. Her name was Jill and she was a receptionist from the guild branch back in Fearwood village. The second girl was dressed in a pretty yet decent dress, she had short light brown hair and her eyes kept flashing around, looking at everyone with curiosity. She was a merchant and a childhood friend of Jack; her name was Lisa. The third girl was rather tall for a woman, but she carried a heroic bearing while her fiery red hair was let loose behind her. She donned a knight''s armour with the Templar insignia printed on. She shared a few similar features to Lionel as she shared his brown eyes. With her name being Sela Braxton, this piqued his interest slightly while the last girl brought back a few unpleasant memories. She reminded Amadeus of Arrow, but this girl was petite compared to her. She wasn''t tall at all and if it wasn''t due to him reading through her information and the way she was dressed; he would have thought that it was a guy. The last girl was an elf as her green hood barely covered her lustrous blonde hair and pointy ears. Her name was Thalia Aeynore.


    The last old man had a rather long beard and a bit of a hunched back. His hair had whitened and wore grey robes.


    Each of them felt pressure as they walked into the throne room. A solemn atmosphere covered them as they walked in. Everything they saw was just right, not too extravagant. Two lines of red armoured guards spread out on either side of them and their eyes were like daggers digging into them. They now understood why the guardsmen said that it didn''t matter if they had weapons or not, just one of the red armoured guards was enough to take all of them down. This caused them to act a bit more reserved as each step reverberated in their hearts and the pressure increased. Reaching a short distance, they all didn''t dare look up and just looked at either the steps or the ground.


    Helena was the first to stop, as she kneeled on the ground,


    "Trainee priestess, Helena greets His majesty the Emperor."


    Reverence was laced in those words that Helena spoke out. It was natural, Amadeus was the descendant of the god she followed. The others also kneeled and introduced themselves, following proper courtesy. Amadeus remained quite as he finished evaluating the lot.

 51 Eurus

    The group could feel not just their own heartbeats but also the heartbeats of the people surrounding them. The silence was extremely suffocating for them as the confidence they had was long forgotten. They were currently in front of the most powerful emperor in all the land. Unlike the other kings, a word of his was absolute. A king would be restricted be one''s minsters while an Emperor words were law, even the ministers could only abide by them. This was the difference between being a king and being an emperor.


    Still the one in front was no joke, they could feel his eyes boring into them, carefully analysing anything they had on them. They didn''t know how long it had been as they felt stifled while their breathing became rugged.


    "Rise."


    A calm, childlike voice brought relief over their bodies as a few of them let out a sigh and stood up. Then as if in practice they all looked up at Amadeus sitting on his throne. Amadeus was less perturbed with this many people look at him compared to the first incident. Unlike before, the people in front were looking up with permission rather than brazenly looking at him.


    "I have to extend my gratitude for heeding my orders on such short notice."


    As Helena seemed to be the leader she replied,


    "No, no your majesty. It was only our duties as citizens of the Empire to come."


    "Well, I won''t keep you guys for long as it seems some of you are rather impatient¡­"


    Seeing Amadeus say that she could feel the impatience radiating from Jack and Steve while Bob felt normal, but he was getting fidgety.


    "Then I would like to offer a proposition¡­."


    "A proposition?"


    "As you may know, your expertise in certain fields have indeed garnered my attention. So, I would like for you to become teachers¡­"


    """(I) Refuse."""


    Amadeus expected this result as a smile stayed on his lips while Helena started panicking.


    "W-w-wait, at least hear¡­"


    "It''s fine."


    Steve seemed to speak up as his gruff voice overshadowed Helena''s.


    "I''m sure I''m speaking for all of us, but we came here because we saw the opportunity to kill our most hated enemies, not become teachers of some kids."


    "Who said you would become teachers for some kids."


    Amadeus'' voice reverberated within the room as a serious expression appeared on his face. The group could see his eyes narrow through the veil as he continued,


    "You would be teachers within the army, training the new recruits in how to kill your most hated enemies. But first¡­"


    Amadeus snapped his fingers and a member of the Blade came walking out,


    "Survive."


    ¡­


    The group could be seen leaving the throne room while wiping their foreheads. The door guards seem to have changed while they all breathed out a sigh of relief. Joanna lightly hit the back of Steve''s head as she reprimanded him,


    "What the hell were you thinking? ''I''m sure I''m speaking for all of us¡­'' where did you get such confidence from?"


    "But, nee-san¡­" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "Shut up."


    The rest of the group looked at the smaller girl scolding a man twice her size with astonished eyes. Bob was already leaving as Helena looked at her group.


    "I will be going to the temple here so what will you guys be doing."


    "Hunting Goblins."


    "Jack there are no goblins here or anywhere near this city. It is the capital, those little sh*ts are probably to scared to even look at the city."


    Jill made a stop at Jack''s motive as she hurriedly dragged him off. Lisa saw this and hurriedly ran behind,


    "Where are you taking him then?"


    Helena watched the two girls drag Jack off and she turned to Sela and Thalia.


    "I presume you two will be going to train."


    The two nodded as Sela replied,


    "I''ll probably go meet my uncle before that."


    ""Uncle?""


    The two looked at their friend with astonishment as she continued,


    "Yeah, my uncle. He is the head of the imperial guards here."


    "Oh wow, then Sela, you''re some bigshot."


    Sela laughed but didn''t reply, her identity wasn''t something that she could keep hidden from the group forever. Thalia didn''t say anything, but she also left for the training grounds with Sela following. Helena then went to the temple located within the Palace.


    Amadeus sat there and waited for them to leave. After giving out a few decrees he got up and made his way to his work quarters. This whole ordeal with the group was just a small episode within Amadeus'' life. Eriko and co silently made his way behind him as she presented him with a glass of juice. Taking a sip, Amadeus felt refreshed as he turned to Velia,


    "Any suspicious movements?"


    Velia shook her head,


    "It''s been the same so far."


    Amadeus nodded as he walked past the training grounds. There he saw Arius and Rex playing while Sela joined them. A smile found his lips as a small bout of loneliness appeared in his heart. His maids looked at him from behind as a worried expression masked their faces. Amadeus didn''t dwell on it, he had more pressing matters at hand.


    With this, months went by as the three adventurers got to work. With the sudden recruitment of army personal at the Drakonis Empire, the other nations imitated them and started recruiting more soldiers. While some people thought a war was nearing, some merchants thought of this as an opportunity to make money. Surprisingly though, none of the nations went to war with each other but just trained their soldiers.


    Within the Drakonis Empire, Amadeus had brought up a training regime, to create a group of elite soldiers for certain troops. Some will focus on purely marksmanship while some on cavalry. From all the nations, the Elven kingdom boasted the best marksman while the nation of Dwarves boasted the best technology. As for the three nations part of the Humanus Kingdom, Mirista boasted the strongest mages, while Illustris boasted the strongest knights. The third one, Alaendra, boasted the strongest the strongest Generals while the Daemon Kingdom boasted their flexibility, having an army for all soldiers.


    The Drakonis Empire didn''t need to boast, they had dragons. But apart from that the most boastful thing was that they had elites in most fields. Whether it was their infantry, cavalry, knights, archers or even black smiths, they didn''t lose out to all the other countries despite falling slightly behind. But most of all, the sheer loyalty the people carried towards the crown and Emperor.


    Reaching his study room, he called for Irene and his maids to enter with him. The two girls followed him with eyes filled with confusion, as Amadeus sat down and handed Irene a piece of paper.


    "Irene, I want you to find the best teachers in these fields. Don''t focus on their backgrounds, I just want you to find people we can trust. I''ll trust your judgement..."


    He then turned to Eriko,


    "¡­while Eriko I want you to search for special talents either within the army, or adventurers. Unique individuals that have talents that can''t be found elsewhere. They can be anyone, a small-time accountant, or a villager or even a homeless man."


    Amadeus then looked at Velia,


    "I want each of these letters to be sent to the Generals¡­"


    Amadeus was reforming the army. He needed to make sure orders were followed as quickly as possible and order was law. Talents needed to be found to help improve the workings of the Empire. Talents for administration, talents in strategies, talents in fighting, all were needed.


    "Emily."


    "Yes, your majesty."


    "Come sit in my lap."


    "Y-yes."


    Emily, with a red face, slowly walked up and sat on Amadeus'' lap. Amadeus didn''t shy away and just rested his chin on her head. Amadeus was tall for his age while Emily was short for hers, so he found her head a nice place to rest upon. While the other girls looked o with gazes filled with envy, Amadeus took out a box and handed it to Ariadne.


    The latter looked confused, but Amadeus spoke first.


    "I heard you can only see far distances and you have a hard time seeing closer objects."


    Ariadne nodded,


    "So, I put in a little request and here is the finished object, Try it on."


    Ariadne opened the box and what appeared was ap pair of glasses. They were circular ones and Ariadne put then on, letting them rest on her little nose. Her eyes brightened as she immediately bowed,


    "Thank you, your highness."


    Amadeus waved her away as he continued,


    "I''m sure there are a few things you want to do so I''ll leave you to it."


    Ariadne didn''t tarry and excused herself leaving the two. After resting on Emily''s head, he let the little vampire go as she waited on him while he started doing work.


    Like this time seemed to fly for Amadeus as he was buried in work until a year since his coronation had passed. The four Dukes had also stepped down after giving their help to Amadeus and their children took over their positions. Amadeus was currently reading a book within the library when the door opened and in walked a tiny little girl about the age of three. Her green hair was tied into two pig tails while her black eyes carried a playful shine. A cute yet evil look plastered her face as she snuck into the room while wearing a white one piece and carrying a little dragon plushie toy by the hand. Amadeus had already felt her coming in but ignored her, curious at what she was about to do. The little girl started tip-toing towards Amadeus while turning to her toy and shushing it with her finger.


    When she got close to Amadeus, she suddenly jumped in front of Amadeus and imitated a dragon''s roar with both her hands shaped like claws at head level with one of them holding the toy.


    "Gaooh!"


    A light laugh escaped Amadeus'' mouth as he picked up the girl and threw her in the air.


    "Waaaahahaha."


    A cute laugh left Eurus'' mouth as she felt the sensation of being thrown and caught. Hugging her, Amadeus rained in kisses, getting scolded in the process as she pushed his face away,


    "Waah, Stwaaaahp, Ama-nii-chan."


    A laugh left Amadeus'' mouth as he held her in his arms and started walking down the corridor. The addition of Eurus came when Duke Yaalon, gave his position to his eldest son and they went off to the clan. It wasn''t that he never wanted to take her, but there were strict rules to dragons returning to the clan. They were only allowed to return after the awakening ceremony so they couldn''t take her. Yaalon was Baldrik''s minister and close friend but most of all subordinate. Only with a heavy heart did he leave his cute little daughter behind and his worries never ceased as he left her in the palace, where Amadeus was. It couldn''t be helped; he was worried for her safety and the Palace was the safest place in the continent.


    Amadeus didn''t mind, with the addition of the little critter, his days as Emperor were light-hearted as she was extremely attached to him. Eurus started to talk excitedly to him about her day with Amadeus listening intently.


    "¡­then when Ms. Hardaker started asking for the culprit, it actually turned out to be Bruno."


    "Oh, really, what happened then?"


    Amadeus imitated a shocked expression to the girl''s words while she continued


    "Then¡­"


    Before they knew, he arrived near the training grounds, and saw Arius and Rex there sparring. Sela was also there giving them pointers and watching over them. Lionel was their sitting on a bench with his wife. The two were on a break it seemed.


    Lionel''s wife, Brenda, had a motherly vibe to her. She was a woman of average stature and face with black hair tied into a bun and warm black eyes. She wore the standard maid outfit as she leaned o her husband''s shoulder. They looked at their son sparring with his best friend when they heard,


    "Any space for the two of us?"


    Hearing the familiar voice, the two sprung up like cats having someone grasped their tales as they hurriedly bowed.


    "Ma, ma. Calm down. I just asked for a seat."


    Looking at Amadeus carrying Eurus the two helplessly sighed, of course they would be surprised, it was the person asking them that shocked them. Amadeus sighed lightly before smiling at them,


    "It''s fine, I''m just here to look."


    Putting Eurus down, he held out his had nans the latter grabbed it and the two walked away.


    "Want to go into the city?"


    Eurus'' head bobbed up and down in excitement as he ordered the carriage to be prepared. After a day of following the little girl''s whims Amadeus came back only for a letter of high priority.

 53 Mercator

    Amadeus watched as his convoy moved through the clouds. Looking back, he saw the capital get further away causing him to lament,


    ''This is probably the second time I''ve ever left the capital¡­''


    Leaning on his arm, he spectated the villages and cities that the procession passed with a smile. With his eyesight he could see the happy smiles on everyone''s faces as they bowed to the dragon. Sitting back, Amadeus looked at Eriko in front of him,


    "How long till we get there?"


    "Not too long, your majesty"


    Amadeus nodded, the last time he left was on horseback, so it took them a long time but this time the speed was quicker as they were flying.  Their destination was the merchant city of Mercator, a popular hub for trade. Located in the in between the Drakonis Empire, Humanus Kingdom and Daemon Kingdome, it was a territory that expressed neutrality. It was a core location where many tradesmen passed through to trade in different nations.


    Also, there was an academy there, funded by all the nations. It housed elites from all over the place and from all backgrounds. But knowing the setting of such a place, Amadeus knew that there was some sort of dividing line within the school, separating the rich from the poor or the nobles from the commoners. But Amadeus didn''t care, it wasn''t like he was going to the academy anyway.


    "Have the other nations arrived?"


    "Yeah they have, we will be the last ones to arrive."


    Amadeus nodded as he laid back and closed his eyes.


    - Mercator -


    The day was normal like no other. Within the dark alleys hidden from the streets, a child was scrambling through. Stumbling on the wall now and then, his sporadic steps detailed his injuries and the slight light revealed the black and blue bruises littering his body. Still the determination never left the child''s face as he persisted through the alleyway and into the streets. Faint voices were behind him, but they were quickly drowned out by the chattering and voices of the crowd.


    "Oi!"


    "Kyaa!"


    "Hey!"


    Various screams were left at the child''s trail, but the child never stopped. The child ignored the cries and continued forward with a bread in hand. The maturity present in the child''s eyes contained maturity that shouldn''t have existed. Before the child knew it, he ended up in front of a rather worn-down shack. It was what he called home and his family was present here. Entering the place, a rather mouldy smell entered his nose, but he didn''t pay any heed, he was long used to it. Each step caused the cracked floorboards to creak as he manoeuvred his way round the dilapidated furniture. Although the furniture was clearly worn down, they still ended up doing their jobs.


    The shack itself wasn''t large, it was rather small and only consisted of one room. Within the room was a bed, a table with two chairs and a kitchen. The toilet was round the back. On the bed was a rather beautiful woman with a warm smile. Just as she was about to speak, her eyes then travelled to the boy''s hand and a frown quickly appeared. The boy stopped in his tracks as his mother talked in a rather stern voice,


    "Where did you get the bread from?"


    Seeing the bruises on her child, she could easily think what happened as the boy started stuttering,


    "I-I-I-I¡­"


    Putting her hand out, the boy flinched but she just bought him into a hug. She knew the dire straits of her family, after the passing of her husband, it seemed that misfortune after misfortune came piling upon one another. Still, despite her loss and her suicidal thoughts, she persevered all for the sake of her child.


    The boy felt the sudden warmth and calmed down, no longer stuttering. The two stayed like that for a while when a sudden knock bought them out of their thoughts. The sudden sound shocked the two as they vigilantly looked at the door. They never had visitors and if they were, there was a higher chance it was someone with ill intentions. Looking carefully, the boy slowly left his mother''s arms as he went towards the door. His mother hurriedly tried to stop him, but he reassured her and went to put his hand on the door handle. Just as he was reaching it, the door was once more knocked on, scaring the boy to take a couple steps back.


    A worried expression masked the bedridden mother as she looked at her son open the door. The hidden fear of something untoward happening to her son, encroached her heart as she tightly grasped the tattered blanket that covered her. She hated her weak self and she hated all the reasons that caused the two to end up in this situation.


    She had hopes to make her way towards the Empire, but she knew that the journey itself was filled with danger and she may not last with only the two. With what little money they had, they probably couldn''t even get a carriage there. These thoughts were slowly put to them back of her head as she carefully hypothesised who would be on the other side.


    ''Thugs?...''


    Yet, all she could think of were bad conclusions. This wasn''t uncommon, with the dire straits they were in, one could only think of the bad endings that could or will occur. The boy then slowly opened the door and peeked out. Looking out, he could only see darkness as a large shadow fell over him. His gaze naturally moved to what blocked the sun from him as his eyes travelled up. What appeared a black figure, he couldn''t see properly due to the sun behind the said figure as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness.


    Narrowing his eyes, red armour entered his vision while a pair of apathetic eyes stared right back. The pressure the being bought with just the glance weighed on his very being. Almost instantly, he subconsciously started trembling as he felt weak beneath his legs. It wasn''t that the figure exerted his strength over him, it was just pure instinctual fear.


    "See you''re scaring the poor child."


    A young voice filled with mockery sounded behind the figure as he embarrassingly scratched the back of his head. Amadeus looked at the large Blade standing in front of him whose height easily reached over two metres. This was Jason, the largest Blade he had ever seen. Being an Earth dragon, his legs were like tree trunks while his arms were the size of him. Still the man gave out a simple laugh as his apathetic look immediately crumbled. The boy though, didn''t pay any heed to this small exchange as his mind was occupied by the large man in front. Not knowing what to do, Eriko came in front and bent down, grabbing the boy''s attention.


    The boy visibly calmed down, but the fear still lingered in his eyes as his eyes kept darting about. With a warm smile, Eriko asked,


    "Are you Freed?"


    The boy was surprised by the question but slowly nodded. Eriko smiled widened as she looked back at Amadeus,


    "We found them."


    Amadeus nodded as he walked forward and into the shack. The boy was one more surprised and hurriedly tried to stop Amadeus, but he realised that he couldn''t move. He could only watch the veil wearing boy that was a bit older than him walk past. He desperately tried to move but let alone turning, he couldn''t even speak. Within his heart he could only hope that they didn''t come with any ill intentions. This was the sad reality, against powerful, the common folk could only hope nothing untoward would happen to them.


    The mother, watched her son tremble in fear and then freeze, easily letting another boy walk in. The boy had dark violet hair secured into a neat ponytail while two goldish silver horns protruded out either side of his head. A crown rested on top of his head while a veil dropped down from it. His whole body was covered in a violet robe with a five clawed dragon soaring stitched into it in gold. A slight golden sheen naturally was emitted from the fabric while a golden overcoat was loosely draped over it. Although the woman didn''t know, only one being was allowed to wear that specific overcoat signifying his status. Still, she could tell that he was of no character.


    Despite their shabby environment, she felt no repulsion from the buy that looked around her son''s age. Yet, a silent pressure engulfed her as she knew that he was of no ordinary status. Amadeus stayed silent as he observed his surrounding until his focus finally fell on the woman,


    "Are you Samuel''s wife, Isabelle?"


    The woman''s eyes widened as she heard her late husband''s name being called out. Amadeus knew who she was, but he just asked for the sake of it as he waved his had as a sword and set of equipment appeared in his hands. He wanted to personally hand the armour to the woman as she received it with care. Although it was a standard squire outfit for Templars, she immediately knew who it belonged to. Her husband wasn''t talented, but he was proud of what he did.


    His stupid smile flashed through her eyes and something clogged her throat. Unknowingly tears came out and she started to silently weep. Amadeus stayed silent as he turned around and indicated for the boy to be free. The boy immediately ran to his mother and started consoling her. Amadeus watched this until the woman calmed down and bowed.


    "I thank the esteemed sir for bringing this back."


    Amadeus shook his head,


    "Samuel was a good knight."


    Looking around he then asked her a question,


    "You want to leave this place?"


    Isabelle was taken aback by the question while Freed vigilantly looked at him. Amadeus then saw a difficult look appear in her eyes and but her off as soon as she opened her mouth. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "It''s fine, I''ll have a carriage prepared for you."


    Isabelle didn''t know what to say as she once more bowed in the direction of Amadeus leaving. Leaving the shack, he gave out the orders as a hooded robe covered him while Eriko and Jason waked behind him. He leisurely toured the city, coming across many tolls. While trinkets interested him here and there, he didn''t buy anything.


    Amadeus then thought back to the mother-son pair and wondered why they were in such terrible state. He was pretty sure an organisation like the Templars would take care of their knights and squire''s families. Believing there was more to it, he turned to Eriko,


    "Find out why those two were like that?"


    Eriko nodded as she left the two to themselves. Jason immediately stood straight like a spear as his movements became more mechanic. It was like Amadeus was being followed by a robot. He could feel the nervousness radiating from the large man and it only went away when Irene returned from doing an errand.


    "It seemed that everyone has arrived, the summit will take place tomorrow."


    Amadeus nodded and immediately felt a gaze descend upon him. Turning around, the gaze left him as soon as it came as he carefully looked around. The other two were also the same but it was only due to the actions of Amadeus, as the gaze was only focused on Amadeus, only he felt it.


    Knowing that there wasn''t anything he could do now, he carried on walking while Irene increased the vigilance of the Blades. The streets were already littered with the private army and mercenaries hired by the merchant''s council but in the eyes of the soldiers form the countries, they were just a ragtag bunch of hooligans bought together with the sole desire for money.


    Every once in a while, he would walk by a different race, each with their own story, and it was the first time he had seen such harmony between the races since leaving the empire. Well, due to this place being the first city he saw since leaving the empire, there wasn''t much to compare to.


    Anyway, a large commotion occurred in front of him as his attention was also grabbed by them. There were two groups of people, one was purely dressed in white while the other in black. It looked like the clash of good and evil as it wasn''t far from the truth in a certain perspective. One group was occupied by knights from the country of Illustris while the other was a group of soldiers from the Daemon kingdom. Each of them looked exactly like human but some of them had horns while some had crystals embedded onto their foreheads. In the middle of the group was surprisingly Emily, his vampire maid.

 54 Changes

    Rewinding the time, Emily was currently walking down a street littered with stalls selling nothing but ingredients. That''s was how Mercator was divided, there was a section for everything, a section for ingredients, a section for weapons and armour, a section for gambling and some other weird places. A curious expression appeared in her innocent eyes as her thoughts drifted towards the section where men liked to go a lot, a place where the colour red was lit up rather frequently. Seeing the men go in there with such happy smiles and leave with even happier ones, she thought back to her workaholic master and gave herself an imaginative nod,


    ''Umm, I need to take his highness there,''


    Amadeus didn''t know what she was thinking about but if he knew, he would certainly raise an eyebrow to this girl''s innocence. All these thoughts were then thrown away as she started buying the groceries needed. There were two reasons why she was in charge of this, she was surprisingly a great cook, the best on Amadeus had and she was able to recognise the best ingredients. Her ruby red eyes bought with it a hint of allure as they darted around looking for only the best ingredients.


    Her nose twitched as she sniffed the ingredients and judged them. With a satisfied smile, here came the second reason why she was in charge of this,


    \"That would be 3 silver coins.\"


    The currency in Orbis was divided into three coins. Starting from the most valuable, it was platinum, gold, silver and bronze. A hundred bronze was equivalent to one silver while a hundred silver was equivalent to one gold and so on. Seeing the greed hidden within the man''s eyes, Emily gave out a smile. Her smile was captivating but with also a hint of cunning.


    \"I will give you 5 bronze coins.\"


    Yes, the second reason was her stupid yet 100% successful bartering strategy. Leaving the frustrated salesman with a happy smile, she started to walk back to there residence. Mercator was a rather large city, only smaller than the capital. The streets were clean, and the walls were high. But there was this darkness that secretly lurked in each hidden corner of the city and it creeped her out. Ignoring this, she carried on walking and took in the grandeur of this place. The buildings were made out of stones and each house was place was at least a few stories. As this wasn''t the rich area, there were many common people walking around, with smiles.


    Slowly the buildings became shorter and shorter until they turned into mansions. The patrols increased and the people walking the on the streets decreased. She walked for a few more minutes and arrived at a rather grand mansion that had Blades guarding the premises. This was where they were currently staying, and the security was by no means lax. As they knew her identity, the guards let her in but only after a careful inspection.


    Emily walked inside and into the kitchen to start preparing the food. She liked doing it herself and Amadeus liked her cooking. She like to go out and get her own ingredients rather than get the ones that were already prepared, she had the most faith in her decisions. Just as she was about to begin cooking, a signal from Eriko halted her work. It was a faint pulse, unsuspicious for others but for her, it was telling her to go to her master''s side.


    Putting everything to the side, she made her way towards Amadeus


    The building returned to being taller and stalls appeared more frequently to the side. The sound of stall owners advertising their products filled the air. Before she knew it, she saw Amadeus and started making her way there. Ignoring everything happening around her, she made her way to Amadeus. This brought to where Amadeus saw her now. She wasn''t in the middle of a quarrel, rather she just happened to walk through it.


    Amadeus didn''t know this and the first thing that appeared in his mind was that she was the reason. However, once he focused on the incredulous expressions on the soldiers flanking her, he could tell that they were as surprised as he was when they saw her. Looking at the doll like girl, gazing back at him while not stopping her steps, he immediately understood that she was unaware of her surroundings. Sighing to himself, he watched her make her way next to him and bow, before walking behind him. Amadeus just inwardly shook his head and looked ahead, only to see the two group look at them with a serious gaze.


    A few more cloaked individuals arrived and flanked Amadeus with their backs to him. They were clearly Blades that were hiding, and the opponents seeing them had a hint of vigilance appear in their eyes. They weren''t able to ascertain his identity, but it seemed that it wasn''t so simple. Looking at him then throwing a hateful look towards the opposition, the parties retreated while the demonic captain left a lingering gaze on Emily.


    Amadeus looked back at Emily who was just standing there with her usual apathetic gaze. He could tell that the girl didn''t know what she had done or what she had walked through.  Sighing lightly, he put it to the back of his head and started enjoying the sights. It was a whole new experience for him, it was the first time he was experiencing the magical world. Up until now, most of his time was spent either in the palace or training and even his uncommon adventures outside were restricted from inside a carriage. It was only the select few of times that he was able to walk among the masses like any other and look at what was to offer.


    He looked at the stall that were selling everything from armour to potions while there also being a stall selling vegetables to street food. Looking at a certain one, he could see a rather familiar stall. It was selling crepes. He had never had them before, but he had seen a lot of people eating them in his past life.


    Walking towards it, Emily bought him one and they sat down on a nearby bench, as Amadeus bought it to his mouth. Well after a series of checks but ok. It wasn''t true that they didn''t attract any attention as the group of cloaked individuals surrounding another cloaked individual and a beautiful maid did bring with it a hint of mysteriousness.


    So curious looks were sent towards Amadeus as he was enraptured by the delicacy in front of him. Taking his first bite, a hint of sweetness passed through his tongue and a happy smile immediately appeared on his face. Before he knew it, the crepe had disappeared from his hand. Relishing on the aftertaste, Amadeus got up as there were more serious matters to attend to.


    The next day, Amadeus arrived at the hub of geniuses, a place known to give birth to many. Funded by all the nations, it represented the peace between them, but also a place to keep an eye on their enemies. Amadeus would''ve come here, but he was thrown into such a position where he had no time for such things. However, once Arius came of age, he would attend this institution.


    The whole campus reminded Amadeus the serenity of nature, hence the name being Nature Academy. Jade like walls filled the place and it didn''t seem to obstruct anything as vines grew on walls. It wasn''t clustered with trees but rather clear with bushes and trees at edges. The main campus was one rather large three storey building with two additional ones on opposite ends, these were the dorms. A large courtyard was at the front and one main pathway from the gates to the entrance. The place that should''ve been packed with students was now empty and only Amadeus'' carriage was visible. Arriving near the entrance, Amadeus was able to see another seven carriages already parked.


    \"It seems I''m the last one to arrive\"


    He didn''t expect anyone''s reply as Emily and the rest faintly smiled. Eriko wasn''t present as she was still doing the task Amadeus had given her. It was easy to tell which carriage belonged to who. There was one that was looked dull and made of steel, but gave Amadeus the impression of sturdiness, this clearly belonged to the dwarves. Another seemed to have grown from a tree as it was made of wood and rather large leaves, giving it a fragile look, but the slight glow said otherwise, clearly the elves. There was another black one with a hint of wine red, it was clear to see that it came from the Daemon kingdom. Another was a pure white one, it was easy to tell that it was from the church while one was surrounded with an astonishing amount of magic


    Another was a rather humble one, not too extravagant but just enough for luxuries to tell people that it belonged to a royal family. Lastly was the Bestia kingdom. This one was rather special as it was floating not with pure magic, now with spells but something else, another sort of mystic energy.


    A man was already waiting for him and he was led inside the academy. Walking through the halls, their foots hitting the marble floor was the only sound resonating in the hallway. Reaching a conference room, the man stopped and only Amadeus and Irene entered. It wasn''t that they were stopped but it was common courtesy to bring only one guard.


    The first thing Amadeus saw was a group of figures surrounding a circular table with each sitting on a seat. Their respective national flags were behind the and it seemed that tension was already high when Amadeus entered. His naturally become the focus of attention as he calmly walked to his seat and sat down. Putting his elbow on the arm rest he leaned on it and just stayed quiet. Each head of nation entered his eyes. Looking through his veil, he saw an old man with slit eyes wearing a white cap bearing a cross within a circle while his clothes also bore a similar one. This was the pope, Pope Stephen. Varrulir was already next to Amadeus while on his other side was a handsome man with long ears. He was clearly middle aged, with his blonde hair slicked backwards and a circlet resting on his forehead. His sharp green eyes were looking at the pope who just gave a jolly laugh.


    Amadeus'' eyes went onto the elephant in the room as a rather large man sat on the seat. His demonic presence said it all as a streak of reddish orange glowing veins could be seen pulsing around his body. A devilish smile plastered his face as he looked at everyone in the room. He was unsurprisingly sitting directly opposite to the pope. Next to the pope was another old man with a large wizard''s hat and a rather long beard. Looing at the Gandalf wannabe, Amadeus averted his eyes and went on the one that looked most like a king. Looking exactly like the king from a deck of cards.


    Lastly was the odd one out, with a pair of fox ears, it was the only female head of nation. She wore the clothes of a mikoto while a fan covered her mouth, but her eyes had a playful look in her eyes.


    \"Then¡­\"


    An aged voice caught the attention of everyone in the room as the Pope spoke up,


    \"¡­let this meeting commence.\"


    Everyone looked towards him as he continued,


    \"We will be summoning heroes.\"


    Everyone had a surprised look while a small smile surfaced on Amadeus'' face beneath his veil.


    - Far into the unidentified lands -


    The atmosphere in the fortress had been really stressful, everyone there would look in the direction of the barrier and just see more cracks than before. Before they knew the cracks caused a small hole to appear in between them. It was small one, one that wasn''t easily noticeable. Suddenly a steak of line passed through the small hole and headed straight for the fortress. Within a conference room, respective commanders were sat around a table discussing important matter when the streak of light entered the room and stuck the table.


    As all of them were trained individuals, they all jumped and readied their swords when they saw what the intruder was. It was a simple arrow sleek in looks and looked no different than an ordinary one. Made of wood and steel, it was something that could be found in most regular armies yet this one had a piece of paper tied around is body.


    Looking at the direction where it came from, the barrier was the only answer. However, what they saw next, sent a shock straight to their hearts. Running forward, they watched the barrier that looked normal collapse like shattered glass and a sea of black that laid behind. It was the very definition of devastation with a dark orange sky and black clouds emanating the energy of death and destruction. Among the sea were a hew rocs, well that was what they thought at first but then, these \"rocks\" seem to get up and large towers stood erected.


    \"Why is it so quick?\"


    An armoured wolf demi-human looked through a pair of binoculars at the army that lay on the other side. As if to answer his question a large humanoid figure appeared stepping into Orbis. The being''s body emanated destruction as his hands pressed onto the edge of the opening. The whole figure was clad in black and looked like a shadow with the being''s only distinctive feature was a pair of white eyes. White runes circled its body as it tried hard to get through the barrier.


    The already fragile looking barrier seemed to have gotten stronger as it became harder for the giant to get through. Suddenly, the giant stopped moving and stood still there.


    \"What is he doing?\"


    The same wolf commander asked the others when another figure next to him spoke up, it was a blonde haired and gold eyes human wearing white armour,


    \"Has it given up?\"


    \"No¡­\"


    A voice behind him answered his question as fierce looking man came forward. His aging white hair and stubble dictated his age and the respect in the surrounding people''s eyes cemented his status. The man''s vertical eyes narrowed,


    \"¡­he''s absorbing the energy, no, rather nullifying the energy from the barrier, weakening the already weakened barrier. We have been stationed here to defend against the beings on the other side of that barrier, it seems we are to now fulfil our duty. The barrier has slowly weakened with time, I don''t know how long the barrier has been there¡­\"


    \"The barrier was erected 9001 years ago.\"


    ''Why the 1?''


    Amadeus was bored off his mind sitting they''re with all the geezers. Even for dragons, 9001 years was a really long time. It was even before his ancestor took the position as the dragon god. Amadeus looked at the archbishop that was rattling off when Irene came and whispered something in his ear. The archbishop saw this and stopped speaking as he waited and turned to Amadeus,


    \"Anything important your highness?\"


    \"It seems you have to begin the preparations for the summoning.\"


    Amadeus'' voice was seriously unfit for this situation, but his presences was up there,


    \"Eh?\"


    The archbishop''s face was masked with confusion when a priest also came and whispered something to the pope then his ear. One by one, more people came forward to whisper the exact same thing to their respective leaders.


    \"But its to soon¡­\"


    In response to the archbishop''s mutter, the daemon king let out a laugh,


    \"Well life is full of unexpected turds, Bahahaha.\"


    His guard came forward and whispered again to his ear, the daemon king coughed lightly and cleared his throat,


    \"Well life is full of unexpected turns, Bahahaha.\"


    ''Did he just act like his previous blunder didn''t exist?''


    Everyone in the room had the same thought but they brushed it off and followed along.


    \"Well then the ceremony will take a few years but the saintess will be joining the future heroes¡­\"


    The pope spoke up with a gentle smile,


    \"¡­anyone else want to send someone to represent them.\"


    No-one cared about the few years as it was expected, such a large magic would require time,


    \"I''ll be sending my little girl as well then, she has become rather uncontrollable lately. Ever since she got those blades¡­\"


    The daemon king was surprisingly the first to reply as the Gandalf wannabe also spoke up,


    \"We''ve had a genius with an astonishing intellect, we will be sending him.\"


    \"The dwarves will ready their equipment and ill be sending someone to handle their weapons and armour.\"


    \"I''ll be sending someone to help them through their training and knowledge of the world.\"


    The king of Alaendra spoke up as he carefully looked at the pope. Although they were all facing a common enemy, they weren''t willing to let one side get the advantage over the other.


    \"The elves will also be sending someone.\"


    \"The Bestia kingdom will have someone arranged.\"


    Only Amadeus was left to say anything as just sat there.


    \"We''ll also have someone arranged¡­\"


    The pope smiled as Amadeus continued,


    \"¡­the said person will arrive once the heroes will be summoned.\"


    \"Naturally.\"


    The pope didn''t seem to mind as Amadeus got up,


    \"As for the talk of this leader for this so-called alliance¡­\"


    Everyone''s ears perked up at this as it was a sensitive topic.


    \"¡­it will be delayed for now. Currently, we need to defend and hope that the enemy doesn''t have good intel on us. It is highly unlikely for them to attack an unknown enemy if they want to conquer or even¡­\"


    Looking at the rest deeply, Amadeus'' unbecoming childlike voice resounded throughout the room.


    \"¡­destroy.\"


    Amadeus left that room wondering when his voice will get deeper.

 55 Revol

    Within the halls of the Nature Academy, a set of footsteps resounded throughout the hall. Amadeus''s veil fluttered as he walked while Irene and Velia walked a step behind. His serious face was hidden as Velia''s voice rung out.


    "A strange energy has entered from the cut, slowly merging with the atmosphere. Although there have been no further changes, but we need to be wary of it in case it starts causing harm. Lastly¡­"


    Velia breathed out,


    "¡­A revolt has started in the Mirista Kingdom, between the civilians and mages."


    Amadeus frowned; the timing was too coincidental as a heavy feeling descended. Leaving a sigh, he quickly entered his carriage as thoughts of the future plagued his mind. Inside, he found that Erika was already there with her usual smile alongside Ariadne and Emily. Knowing she was back, Amadeus let out a smile before Irene''s body shook. No one had seen it, but Irene immediately called out,


    "Your highness¡­"


    Shock was evident in her voice as she turned to Amadeus,


    "¡­something bad has happened."


    Amadeus turned back as another frown appeared, it shouldn''t be something small to garner such a reaction from Irene. When she continued, it was indeed terrible.


    - West of Drakonis Empire-


    The sound of weapon clashing could be heard alongside roars of soldiers, boosting their courage.


    "Alex, why are you doing this?!"


    One middle aged soldier looked at his former comrade. Alex replied with a complex look before determination surfaced in his eyes as he drove his blade through the man''s torso. The man kept his disbelieving look on his face, still confused as to why his former comrade had betrayed him. Alex, though, had moved onto another soldier.


    Similar scenarios were being played out around the city as the defending soldiers were whittled down one by one. Not one surrendered, making the attacking force suffer heavy casualties despite their triumph. This was one of the minor cities that resided in the Empire. What was once a small place of peace and prosperity was now filled with the death throes of dying soldiers and the wailings of children. Blood covered the streets as the incredulous expressions on the dead soldiers didn''t fade.


    They had indeed never expected it, the comrades that had drank and ate with them had turned against them, no, the Empire. Footsteps were heard in the desolate streets as a group of men appeared examining their surroundings. Stepping over the recently cleaned streets, a smile hung on their faces. The man in front of was a slim human that had aging, grey that was slicked back and a pair of brown eyes. He wore simple but luxurious clothing as a group of officers walked behind him.


    Unlike the others, there was no smile on their faces as his calculating eyes looked at all the damage done.


    "Then Sir Arnold¡­"


    A rather plump man rubbed his hands, as he looked at their leader,


    "¡­where to next?"


    The man''s lustful eyes were hard to not be noticed as they kept looking around. Predicting the man''s motives, Arnold''s cold eyes had a hint of disgust but kept it concealed. The plump man never saw this, but his breath seemed to get heated. Arnold spoke up,


    "The Emperor should''ve got the news by now; we need to be fast and capture more land otherwise¡­"


    Arnold didn''t finish but everyone could tell what he meant. The plump man retracted his desires, but displeasure was evident on his face. A military man behind them let out a laugh,


    "Hahaha let those lizards come, they can only kneel at the glory of us humans, the true children of God. Besides, what can that brat do¡­"


    Arnold''s eyes narrowed at this fanatic''s eyes of reverie as he shook his head,


    ''The dragons are a frightening enemy yet the most low key, no one knows their true strength¡­is this a bad idea?''


    This time Arnold vehemently shook his head, they had already come so far, there was no use of regretting now. As the citizens cowered in their houses, Arnold and his group arrived at the mayor''s house. As soon as he stepped in, the painful shrieks of a man entered his ears and his attention was brought to what garnered it. A cat demi-human lay there as he tried to reign in his cries. Blood poured out his head where his ears used to be as cuts appeared on his wrists which were bound behind him.


    His whole body and his tattered suit were dyed in red as cuts littered his body while there were parts of meat missing. The man lay on his front while a group of soldiers surrounded him. One of them planted his foot on his back and yanked the former''s tail. Holding it with both his hands, he started pulling garnering more cries from the man. It wasn''t until the whole tail was wrenched out with the man''s spine did the screams cease.


    A dark energy seemed to leave the man and enter the ground. Apart from Arnold who kept his cold look and the military man with a smile, the rest of his group trembled with pale faces. Seeing the brutality, Arnold ignored it as he continued walking forward and saw a man sitting at the mayor''s chair. Kneeling down, the rest of the group did the same.


    The figure on the chair was silent and seemed to be in deep thought. No one there seemed to breath while a voice rung out,


    "What do you think Arnold?"


    Arnold had been following the figure for a long time, so he was honest with his thoughts.


    "We lost too many men, to go further would be rather difficult¡­"


    "Hmm"


    The figure nodded as he looked at the military officer,


    "Commander Deuce."


    "Yes, Lord."


    "Find as many able men and conscript them¡­"


    "But-"


    The commander felt perplexed as this sudden command,


    "Don''t worry about their loyalty, threaten them with all the other citizens. If abled men are not enough then don''t hesitate to use women and children from the beasts, we just need cannon fodder."


    "Yes, Lord!"


    Arnold''s eyes widened as his mouth opened, trying to oppose this notion. However, before he could, the figure''s voice rung out,


    "Don''t be too soft, this is war. The Royal Family takes deep care of their citizens, that is known by everyone. Although that is good in normal times, it is their weakness, especially now that a little kid has taken the throne playing the Emperor. In the end, history is written by the victors"


    Arnold hesitantly nodded as deep anguish covered his eyes. The figure narrowed his eyes as he looked at Arnold and shook his head.


    "Anyway, it seems that our ''allies'', those beasts at the south have also started moving."


    - South of Drakonis Empire -


    A completely different scene was being played out. A bear demi-human talked to a spider one next to him,


    "That was rather easy."


    "Indeed, unlike Marquis Evans and his idiotic soldiers, everything was clearly planned. With most of our clansmen taking majority of the population here, it was rather easy to coerce a few of them, especially the hot bloodedness."


    The spider demi-human had a humanoid upper body donned with a suit while a spider''s lower body. Eight red eyes littered his face as his pitch-black skin seemed to shine a little under the glaring sun. The man next to him was easily over 2 metres tall, and incredible broad. His hair was covered by a hat while his brown sideburns reached his cheeks. He was wearing a military outfit as he stood a couple steps behind the spider demi-human.


    "Commander Glend"


    "Yes!"


    "Who are we?"


    "We are the children of the Mother Orbis."


    The Spider demi-human, Marquis Karzox, nodded in response.


    "Begin the conscription of our fellow kinsmen. Throw a little hot-blooded word here and there, and we would have an army in no time. Our population only lacks a bit compared to humans; it is only natural that with our superior abilities they should bow to us"


    Hesitance was in Glend''s eyes as his and Arnold''s conversation with their respective lords seem to overlap. Arnold looked at Marquis Evan and spoke out,


    "What about the dragons?"


    Karzox, smiled in response,


    "Are you talking about the show they created back in the capital?"


    Glend nodded. A hint of fear flashed through his eyes as he there in the capital when it happened.


    Karzox and Evan''s smiles widened as they both spoke out,


    "It was merely just a show."


    - Emerald City -


    Amadeus stepped off his carriage and placed his steps on a familiar floor. Seeing the familiar walls, his attention was then caught by the officials there waiting for him. All of them, had pensive looks on their faces as they had also received the report. However, without Amadeus there they wouldn''t be able to function properly as many conflicting thoughts would arise. This was indeed pathetic, but it was the result of many different mindsets. While military officers would prefer facing the enemy head on, the ministers would need to worry about resources and many other things.


    There was a need for a balance and final decision that was where Amadeus came into play. His orders were final. Amadeus arrived as soon as he could, even having to teleport to the palace. Such a teleport would only used in emergencies, but it was indeed an emergency.


    All of them kneeled as Amadeus didn''t stay and wait for them. After he left the carriage, he immediately started giving out orders,


    "We will now be imposing martial law."


    All the officials behind him didn''t find this strange and an order after order was given out.


    "General Tora, strengthen defences everywhere."


    "Yes, your highness."


    Tora left the group to fulfil his orders.


    "General Stamilus."


    The largest being, a centaur called out,


    "Yes, your highness."


    "How has the training progressed."


    "Rather well, with the help of those three adventurers, they are shown clear signs of progress."


    "Have them ready. It will help them get accustomed to war."


    "Yes, your highness."


    Stamilus trotted off as Lionel appeared. It was clear that he rushed here as he brought Amadeus a report. Amadeus didn''t tarry and immediately read the report. The more he read the colder the atmosphere surrounding him got. The Blades surrounded him to protect everyone surrounding Amadeus, Amadeus was still thirteen and wasn''t the strongest. However, it was the nature of his power that threatened the others. Even his father was wary of them.


    Out of nowhere, Amadeus clenched his left fist and punched the wall next to him. It was a report of what had happened and apparently a bloodied box containing ears and tails was left at the front of the palace. The Sun''s power left his fist as the atmosphere went from cold to hot in a split second. Even the blades felt uncomfortable with this change, but Amadeus contained his power. A cold voice left his mouth,


    "Summon the royal court."


    As if to express the Emperor''s anger, dark clouds congregated with lightning streaking through them along side the sound of thunder reverberating above the capital

 56 Army

    "Amadeus¡­"


    "Yes, Grandmother."


    A young Amadeus looked towards Atia who stood there with a stick in her hands. It wasn''t a large room but large enough for a table and a chalkboard. Amadeus was the sole student receiving his grandmother''s education. Her stern eyes gazed down onto Amadeus; she knew that she couldn''t be soft on him.


    "¡­remember, there is no such thing as a kind commander, if there is then that person is a terrible one. In times of war, weakness is a sin, especially for an Emperor. You are not a hero; you are the future Emperor."


    Amadeus stayed silent as he listened carefully at his grandmother''s words.


    "While a hero protects the people by attacking the enemy, you would command armies to bring victories and minimise casualties. As the Emperor, you would have to think about the future¡­a hero is but a pawn in the grand scheme of things¡­"


    Lessons of his grandmother flashed past as Amadeus made his way to the royal court. All the officials and generals currently in the capital had been called and were currently waiting for Amadeus. The atmosphere was tense, and the ministers found it hard to breath. It seemed that the air around them had gotten thicker, but they still remained composed, they were after all people of power. Many emotions were evident in their faces, some of anger, some of worry and many more. The Empire was contaminated by peace for centuries, this wasn''t the first ever revolt, but a long time had passed since the last one. Most of these people weren''t even born then.


    Suddenly, a clear voice broke out breaking the tense atmosphere,


    "His highness, the Emperor has arrived."


    Only for it to turn even colder. Instead of bowing, all the officials kneeled, the Empire had entered a state of war.


    - West Drakonis -


    - Flame city -


    Flame city was one of the four major cities of the empire. The Ignis family were placed in charge of this city and the surrounding land and they were the first people to receive news of the sudden revolt. Milo Ignis was the current Duke after his parents left for the clan and was currently one of the commanders of the dragon army alongside the other dukes/duchess. He was currently sitting on his own modest throne as a fiery aura enveloped his castle.


    Milo had grown a lot since the last time he was in the palace. He was nearly 6-foot-tall which was rather tall for a 15-year-old. His red and violet hair was kept short while the flames on his red robe seem to come alive.


    One by one, many reports came in as small streaks of lighting crackled around him. Faint anger could be seen on his face as he read those reports. Turning to his advisor, he asked,


    "Any news from the palace?"


    The advisor shook his head. Milo let out a sigh as he thought back to that purple haired emperor of his. He had slowly felt that there was a distance between the two, it wasn''t just him, the other four also thought the same. They knew that the five of them were the closest ''friends'' Amadeus had but they all now had responsibilities.


    - South Drakonis -


    - Wind City -


    In the south, a rather similar scenario was being played out but was much milder. Celer adjusted his glasses as he read the report. Silence consumed his surroundings while an irritated sigh left his mouth. Unlike the enemies in the east, the opposition here were recruiting the fellow citizens and bringing them over. This method was troublesome in the long term, as it made way for future revolts. To add more onto his troubles, it seemed that the southern general army had turned with them.


    Rubbing his head, he was about to speak when a sudden knock interrupted his thoughts. A messenger came in whilst holding a letter with utmost respect. Celer frowned slightly but eased his expression when he saw the seal on the letter.


    - Emerald City -


    Amadeus stood in front of a mirror looking at himself. He wasn''t admiring himself, but he thought back to the past thirteen years of his life. Amadeus had never been an adult, only if we combine the two lives together would he reach the age of 29. However, this didn''t mean that he was an adult, he had never been one. In his past life, being the second son, he never had too many responsibilities and he didn''t care as well. His family doted on him quite a bit. In this life, he was thrown into such a position at the age of 13 and now he was going to war.


    Looking back at his life, he had been given everything, a loving family, beautiful maids, loyal subordinates and a weapon and armour that were the epitome of this world. He had the blessing of many goddesses and strength that shouldn''t be possible to contain. Yet, he had them all. Being born with a silver spoon was an understatement. However, all of this came with a price, his freedom.


    The term freedom was a vague concept, was it being free form worldly desires or not being controlled by someone or something else, Amadeus didn''t know. What he did know was that he was bound by chains known as the Drakonis Empire. People who worked for everything, their strength, their companions etc. had this freedom that Amadeus lacked. They were free to do whatever they wanted, move houses, escape from a calamity, but most importantly, they could win or lose. However, for Amadeus it was either win or die. He couldn''t escape even if he wanted, it was a responsibility he had since he was born. He would rise and fall with the Empire.


    In a way it was a form of balance.


    Amadeus shook his head, getting rid of these thoughts as Erika and the others entered. Sliding of his robes helped him don a very basic green military uniform while his crown was placed lightly upon his head. Wearing a pair of black leather gloves and boots that reached his shins, Amadeus placed the wakizashi his grandmother gave him on his waist. He then placed a golden ring, which was Solaris, onto his right hand''s pinkie finger while a silver ring, Luna, on his index finger. Leaving the room, he entered a courtyard filled with Blades standing there with their respective horses. Each horse stood there and didn''t make a noise indicating its level of training.


    They just stood there under the glaring sun waiting for further orders. The Blades were Amadeus'' personal force. Numbering a total of 400, it was one of the reasons the Drakonis Empire could stand today. Having 400 trained soldiers in the divine ranks was rather uncalled for in their eyes. Although it was 399 after Eras was sent to Arius'' side.


    Each soldier was a dragon, brimming with strength. Irene was in front, as she had the strength of an SSS rank while the four commanders beneath her and a few dozen others had the strength of an SS rank. The rest were S ranked. There were only three commanders as the fourth one was Eras, but someone had taken his place as a temp.


    Amadeus'' strength had always been constantly growing. He didn''t need to train, the powers inside of him strengthened his body on a daily basis. However, it didn''t mean that he could just sit back and relax, he would often spar with the Blades to attune his powers and get used to them. He had to emphasise control due to how destructive his powers were.


    Looking at his stats they were equivalent to an older teenage dragon, nearing an adult one whilst his vitality had long since passed into the ranks of the adults.


    ---------------------------------


    Name: Amadeus Drakos


    Age: 13


    Race: Golden Dragon


    Title: Emperor of the Drakonis Empire, Celestial Dragon of the Eclipse, One who harbours the sun and moon, Admired by all of the goddesses, Loved by the Goddess of Fate and Luck (A/N: realised that this was spelt wrong so changed it), Hubby


    Class: Sovereign (20% increase in all stats)


    Mana: 5000 (8400)*


    Strength: 850 (900)*


    Agility: 860 (910)*


    Vitality: 1800 (3600)*


    Phys. Resistance: 3000 (6000)*


    Mag. Resistance: 3000 (6000)*


    Active Skills:


    Sovereign''s Eyes of the Truth


    Dragon-Human Transformation


    Flight


    Dragon Sovereign''s roar


    Flames of the Sun


    Ice of the Moon


    Passive Skills:


    Dragon Sovereign''s natural shield


    Dragon Sovereign''s regeneration


    Dragon Sovereign''s aura


    All elements aptitude


    Weapons expert


    Halberd master*


    CQC expert


    Etiquette


    Leadership


    ¡­


    ---------------------------------


    It was only natural, that he would need astonishing vitality to hold his two magic cores. Even Dragons only had one. Still, one title even confused him which was the last one, he wondered who called him Hubby.


    Looking at his carriage, he shook his head before he let out a long whistle. Amadeus had barely blinked when the sound of a horse entered his ears. While leaving behind a blood red trail, Sleipnir appeared in front of him rubbing his head on Amadeus. Amadeus replied while patting his head before he got a proper look at Sleipnir. The horse had certainly grown a few more inches and was already taller than most horses. Its four legs were ripped with muscles as sparks flew out whenever it stepped. (A/N: Eight legs was rather ridiculous, but I''m still keeping the rest of his things, like the horn, breath of fire etc.)


    An onyx black armour lay upon the horse as it covered the horse''s vitals while a black saddle was laid to rest on Sleipnir''s back. Mounting the horse, Amadeus gave a few kicks as he familiarised himself before turning to the Blades. Coming in front of Irene, he gave her a nod and all the other Blades mounted their respective horses.


    Coming to the front yard, Amadeus saw a group of soldiers also waiting there. The armies of the Empire were too scattered. Apart form the six main ones, each noble had their own force that was part of the army. With the betrayal of the southern general army and the nobles in the west, Amadeus had to make some measures to prevent such a thing from happening in the future. The armies of the Empire worked as separate entities, each had their own structure, and own command. As they all still answered to the Emperor it was all normal, however it did mean that the soldiers, despite being loyal to the Empire, they were more loyal and inclined to follow their own respective superiors.


    Especially in times of peace, most soldiers were born and bred in their respective armies.


    Although Amadeus had started to make some reformations to the army, it still was in its early stages. Amadeus wasn''t like those character from novels that would suddenly have unexpected ideas and know exactly how to make those said ideas. IN his past life, all he was interested in were historical wars, nothing else.


    He was a high school student, not an engineering student or the like. He could only give out basic ideas and leave it the people that specialised in these fields to make those ideas come to light. For example, he had tasked people to conduct experiments with the idea of alloys, but he never knew which metals to use, he would leave that to people who specialised in that field to work it out.


    Amadeus wanted to combine all the armies into one military might but that would be impossible as many soldiers would specialise in different things. Instead divisions be created, and a set hierarchy would be needed with Amadeus having the final command. Infantry, cavalry, and bowmen were the three main cores of an army. However, they would all follow the same structure.


    First there would be a platoon that would be led by a sergeant. The sergeant would lead 9 soldiers.


    Next would be a company commanded by a lieutenant that would lead 9 sergeants including a platoon of their own. So, the lieutenant would be the superior of 99 soldiers. Including the lieutenant, the total size of a company would be 100.


    The next in rank would be a captain that would lead a battalion consisting of 10 companies. They would lead a total of 1000 soldiers.


    A total of 5 battalions would be a brigade led by a commander. 5 brigades would then make up a division commanded by a lieutenant colonel. 4 divisions would make up a corps commanded by a colonel. Above a corps would be garrisons that would be commanded by generals and lastly it was the commander-in-chief, the Emperor, Amadeus himself. Amadeus would also be his own general, but the above structure was in its basic form and didn''t include the whole military personnel of the empire. Changes would be natural as time would progress to make the whole structure more efficient. Vague ranks could be seen from the soldiers in front which consisted of a myriad of species. He even saw the Jack, Bob and Steve there waiting.


    The first thing needed for this reformation was for the annexation of the noble''s private armies.