Chapter 5: Chapter 4 – Death In The Imperial City

After a heated argument with his father, Asher returned to his room and began his preparations to leave the Vazrael estate. Over five long years had passed since Asher’s revelation ceremony, yet his father still continued to oppose his actions at every turn.

 

As Asher packed his belongings and prepared for the long journey to the Imperial City, two knocks were heard on his door.

 

“Come on in,” Asher replied, half-expecting who his visitor was.

 

As Asher continued to pack, Walter entered his bedroom with his usual dignity and refinement.

 

“Let me guess… Father knows I’m about to run away and sent you here to stop me.” Asher spoke cold words while ignoring the presence of his trusted servant.

 

“Not quite… The Count has had a change of heart… He has agreed to support your enrollment at the Academy and is currently making the arrangements with your grandfather.” Walter delivered the news following his discussion with Count Vazrael.

 

The unexpected words caused Asher to stop and turn to Walter in surprise…

 

“Are you serious?” Asher asked with doubt.

 

“Yes… However, there are conditions. The Lord has decided that you will be attending with young master Kevin, and the two of you must use the warp gate to travel to the capital for security reasons. In addition, you will be expected to return home immediately if you do not pass the Academy’s ordeal. I will also be following you two as a bodyguard.” Kevin explained the conditions Lord Vazrael had explained to him following their discussion.

 

“I see… Having to tolerate Kevin’s company isn’t exactly ideal, but I suppose it’s better than nothing.” Asher accepted the terms without much complaint.

 

Compared to the risks of running away, this offer was far more than just generous…

 

Walter explained to Asher that they would be leaving within a fortnight and planned to undergo the three-day journey to Harenfall. Harenfall was the largest city in the Vazrael countdom and had the closest warp gate they could use to travel to the royal capital.

 

As Asher eagerly awaited their departure, he passed the time reviewing his studies and practicing his magic. He was prepared for any trials that lie ahead…

 

When the day of the departure arrived, the two brothers met again for the first time since the conclusion of their sparring match.

 

“It’s good you see you again, Kevin… Your mana feels even stronger than last time. Have you been training often?” Asher attempted to spark conversation with his blonde-haired brother.

 

Without voicing a word, Kevin ignored Asher’s greeting and sat quietly at the back of the carriage they were boarding.

 

Curious, Asher whispered a question to Walter…

 

“His magical power truly has increased quite a lot… What happened?” Asher asked.

 

“I hear that Sir Royce and young master Kevin have been increasing the length and the intensity of their training sessions. If I were to guess, your victory in the last match likely lit a fire under him and caused him to start working harder.” Walter explained in a whisper.

 

“I see…” Asher muttered with conflicted feelings.

 

While Asher was happy to see his brother becoming more dedicated to magic, he was also wary about his brother’s ever-growing strength. Kevin was a prodigy in his own right, and Asher had only barely managed to defeat him before.

 

If Kevin kept getting even stronger, Asher knew the gap between them would widen again and he would continue to fall behind…

 

‘I suppose I’ll just have to work even harder…’ Asher thought to himself with a smirk.

 

As a testament to his determination, Asher continued his study and training without rest throughout the entire three-day journey to Harenfall. His only break arrived when their carriage finally passed through the city gates and entered the famous mercantile city.

 

While Asher rarely traveled outside of the Vazrael estate, he had come to Harenfall once with his mother before when he was a child. Seeing the familiar scenery once more filled him with a sense of nostalgia as recalled warmer memories.

 

Of course, they had little time to take in the local scenery and they arrived at the central plaza within an hour.

 

“It amazes me every time I see it…” Asher spoke aloud as he gazed at the large stone formation situated in the center of the city.

 

The stones were stacked together in the shape of a gateway, and a visible distortion of space could be seen swirling within it. This magical structure was a “Warp-Gate” one of the ancient relics left behind by the Lost Empire that once ruled the central continent thousands of years ago… Or so the stories say...

 

Asher had read many legends and fairy tales about the Lost Empire, but little was truly known about them since most historical records of them were, of course, “lost” to history.

 

What most people believe, however, is that the Lost Empire possessed arcane wisdom and technology far beyond what is known in the modern era. The Warp Gates were but one example of the value of this lost knowledge…

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Using magic of unknown nature or origin, these stone formations could link two separate locations regardless of any vast distances between them. Traveling through one Warp Gate would mean exiting somewhere completely different…

 

Logistically, Warp-Gates were one of the most vital structures of a nation’s infrastructure and hold significant strategic importance to the Holy Avalon Empire that regulates them.

 

Of course, such a convenient method of travel wasn’t free…

 

As Asher, Kevin, and Walter approached the Warp Gate, a guard stopped them.

 

“Stop right there. Please show me your identification and present your toll fee.” The guard prompted the three weary travelers without hesitation.

 

“Will this suffice?” Walter answered while brandishing a coat of arms adorned with the Vazrael family sigil and a bag of golden coins.

 

Seeing the sigil, the guard’s eyes widened and he apologized.

 

“Forgive me for my disrespect… Of course, this is sufficient for the Vazrael family. Please, go on through.” The guard prompted while gesturing towards the portal. Asher could only ponder for a moment after forgetting how influential his family truly was...

 

Silently following Walter’s lead, both Asher and Kevin entered the portal and endured the sudden sensation of nausea and motion sickness before exiting on the other side. What greeted them was a vast and beautiful city as well as another checkpoint they easily passed through once more…

 

“Is there your first time in the Imperial City?” Walter asked both of the Vazrael brothers.

 

“I’ve seen drawing of it in books, but it’s my first time seeing its grandeur in person,” Asher replied simply while gazing at the city’s unique architecture.

 

While Asher admired the city, Kevin’s eyes remained fixed only on the skies; or more specifically, the three colossal rings of light that rotated calmy far above in the heavens overlooking the grand city…

 

“What are those?” Kevin asked with fascination while pointing towards one of the beautiful shining rings.

 

Seeing Kevin’s shock, Walter simply laughed and answered.

 

“Ah, those. Don’t worry, those are the Sacred Rings of Avalon. They’re a magical superstructure constructed and maintained to act as a barrier to protect the capital from any unforeseen attacks. It’s not uncommon for a large city like this to have defensive measures, and the Rings of Avalon are said to have been enchanted by 10,000 mages during their creation so we can trust in them.” Walter explained the history and mechanism behind the incomprehensibly large magic circles above them.

 

Even Asher, a boy who had once studied the mana theory behind the Sacred Rings extensively could only stand in awe when witnessing them firsthand… Still, they could only gawk for so long. After a brief tour of the city and culture to kill some time before the examination and calm their nerves, they finally proceeded toward a large colosseum in the capital’s northern district.

 

After passing through several more checkpoints and verifying their identity, the three finally arrived at the exam venue… What greeted them was a large audience with fearful eyes, staring down toward the arena.

 

While Walter and Kevin were only focused on registering, Asher couldn’t withhold his curiosity and looked upon whatever was happening in the arena… The sight was chilling.

 

A young girl with silver hair stared coldly at the lifeless corpse of an examiner that was rapidly decomposing before the prying eyes of the audience… The man had seemingly just died out of nowhere and remained dead for only a few moments before his flesh began to rot, decay, and fall from his muscles and skeleton.

 

The muscles soon followed, and even his skeleton eventually began to break down… In less than a minute, all that remained of the examiner was a pile of dust. One of the Academy’s famous instructors had been reduced to nothing in mere moments…

 

As silence permeated the colosseum, only a single examiner stepped forward and spoke up.

 

“Uh…Ah... M-Match over… L-Luna Arkvale has passed the combat trials…” Another instructor approached and acted as the judge to announce her passing while stuttering with his words and clearly maintaining distance from the harbinger of death before him. A demon who stood in the form of an innocent little girl… That is all the spectators could see...

 

While Asher admired the shocking scene, Walter grabbed his shoulder.

 

“Asher? Come on, it’s time for us to register.” Walter explained while pulling him along.

 

“Okay…” Asher replied in a daze, with his mind clearly focused on something else…

 

As he walked away, Asher glanced back towards the arena and watched with interest as the young silver-haired girl stared devotedly at the dust remains of her examiner… It was just for a brief moment, but Asher could glance a hint of emotion in her empty and lifeless violet eyes…

 

They were eyes filled with sadness and regret… Emotions unfitting the reaper she had demonstrated herself to be to the world. Still, as horrifying as they were, Asher was enchanted by their unique beauty...

 

As Asher walked away in contemplation, a final question arose in his curious mind…

 

‘I wonder what kind of magic she used…’

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