A Meeting with the Outcasts

It was truly mind-boggling to the think about what he'd gotten himself into by pure chance. This was an opportunity people would die to obtain. Mortals in Mulia worshipped conquerors as true to life deities, and even contenders received deep respect as 'chosen ones'.

Mortals offered tribute in the form of taxes and worship to the four empires in Mulia in return for the protection that they offered to them. Ever since the four empires formed thousands of years ago, not a single mortal state under their rule had ever suffered from an attack.

An uncivilized and chaotic world had finally been blessed with peace and proper order. The four empires formed under the supervision of four legendary individuals that had achieved great merit during their climb together to the top.

The Moon King chose to rule the northern plains of Mulia and after establishing his empire, mysteriously retreated into his domain and had rarely been seen since then.

The King of Flowers ruled the beautiful, tranquil south and was responsible for supervising all other empires since the other three sovereigns frequently were not available most of the time. He was considered by many across the world to be the de facto ruler of Mulia itself because of the nature of the circumstances surrounding the empires.

As a result, many affectionately addressed him as "Father" because of the gentle personality he possessed and the fact that he more or less held the modern world together as it was known.

The Queen of Shadows took the western mountain ranges of Mulia under her banner when she formed her empire. Little is recorded of her due to her natural inclination to remain hidden and the few things known about her were likely kept secret amongst the upper echelons of the world.

The Lion King ruled the eastern lands of Mulia, the vibrant grasslands and forests that formed the heart and soul of the world. It was the empire with the largest population and held some of the most renown noble families in the world.

Of particular interest, the Dragoncrest and Ashborn families had their place main branches there. These two families were famous across the world for having the distinct honor of being the first to have created such a fearsome bloodline. A joint project of incredible proportions that left the world in awe once it was discovered.

Both families meticulously plotted to have their kinsmen marry into the four royal families and after several centuries of effort, they succeeded. Their children would then be forced to marry with other the family's children until children carrying the bloodline of all four royal bloodlines were born.

These were true 'blue-blooded' children, unlike anything that the world had ever seen. They possessed a monstrous level affinity for controlling Anima. It was rumored that they did not even need to use their Alma to control Anima at all because they had the right to do so in their blood instead...

"Genuine madmen, but you have to give them respect for the efforts that they put into their scheme. They bred themselves into a position of dominance in the East, second only to the Goldentree Clan."

He'd gotten unlucky the more he looked at the facts. The north had an absentee ruler and a frigid, inhospitable climate that was unfit for habitation. The only reason an empire existed in the north at all was because of the technological marvels that allowed mortals to harness Anima indirectly.

Were it not for the great guilds' creation of the Anima generators that allowed small scale terraforming of the surrounding area, mortal beings would have never been able to settle down in the northern part of Mulia. The temperatures in the north frequently hovered a hundred degrees below the freezing point of water. It was a barren, frozen wasteland that held little life.

Only creatures that had evolved to withstand such unforgiving conditions lived up here and none of them were friendly, so to speak. Mortals would freeze to death before they'd be killed by the local predators, though. Not sure if that was comforting or not.

Contenders and conquerors stood a chance at traversing the wasteland unhindered depending on their strength. A powerful contender who had been blessed enough would eventually develop a body that could withstand almost any environment. Conquerors didn't even to rely on their already immortal bodies to withstand the cold, they would just use their Alma to render any inconveniences away with a thought.

It was a blessing that the training ground was located in the lower part of the northern border, but it was probably done on purpose. If they had built it too far north, some idiot might have wandered out of the spire and died a stupid death.

In any case, heading south seemed like the best course of action. It was the only area that had an active ruler and was considered to be the most peaceful of the four regions. Reed dreamt of a cushy life where he lived by the beach and slept around in a cozy hammock until sunset.

There's no way I'm going to freeze my ass off for this empire. Not in a million years. Golden beaches and sunny days are the only things waiting for me once I get out of this drab place...

Suffice to say, he didn't want to think about the hard reality of his situation and pushed any unpleasant thoughts deep down. He excelled at improvisation and usually acted before he thought in demanding situations.

Hesitation was an insidious killer that wrapped itself around one's neck before you even noticed it. Reed had seen it kill men firsthand and long ago swore to never let it get the best of him. Remaining calm under pressure was a heavenly virtue; acting swiftly and decisively was divine.

Reed had nothing to do after he finished his studying session, so he decided to get some fresh air before he went to sleep. He was feeling a bit anxious about what was laid in store for tomorrow and felt like a quick walk around the spire would help him unwind a bit.

Reed found a few people still out in the hall conversing when he left his room; a majority of the group had already turned in for the night as he expected. The ones that were still awake were loudly conversing and laughing as if they were having the time of their lives. An odd bunch of fellows.

As soon as Reed walked out into plain view, one the young men called out to Reed and said, "What's the matter, man? You also got bored with being cooped up in those shitty little prison cells, too? They fucking suck, right?" The youth had golden hair and eyes that shone like an emerald. A tall and slender figure that easily overtook Reed if they both stood side by side. He resembled a prince that belonged in a fairy tale if it weren't for his rotten mouth...

Ah, shit. I should have walked behind the pillars instead of out into the open like an idiot. Now I've got to deal with them...

"Yeah, it felt a bit stuffy in my room so I came outside, haha. What are you guys doing up so late, shouldn't you all be preparing for tomorrow?"

"Prepare for tomorrow?" The blonde boy and his friends immediately began to crack up and began howling again for a solid minute. What did they find so amusing?

Reed assumed that they lacked common sense; he silently classified them as 'outcast' types. Socially inept, partially insane, or perhaps just plain stupid. Low IQ or EQ. Either way, these people were no good. Associating with them would the same as tossing himself into a maelstrom of trouble.

"Bud, you sound just like the wimps who sucked up to the Ashborn and Dragoncrest bastards not too long ago. We haven't even begun training and they're already worrying about nothing. Weaklings like them will never make it to the top. Stop thinking about unnecessary bullshit and just go with the flow, man." The blonde boy beckoned Reed to come and sit among his friends with a flamboyant hand wave and welcoming smile.

Reed had to reevaluate his judgment of the group; they were still weirdos, but at least they weren't spineless idiots. It was a small step up from his initial impression of them. He wouldn't decline the invitation, in any case. It was an opportunity for him to learn more and potentially befriend them in a single go.

"Excellent, excellent. From now on you'll be the fourth member of the council of sages. A prestigious honor few have ever received. Let me introduce to you our illustrious members."

"Naturally, I'll start with the most important member of the council - myself. I'm Astor Kingscrown, founder of the council and heir to the Kingscrown name. Be amazed!"

Who? Is he someone famous or he is just bullshitting me? I honestly can't tell...

"Next up is the only female council member of the group! A powerful young lady with the inner spirit of a mighty gorill-"

Astor had been forcibly silenced before the could have finished his last words. The girl had thrown a magnificent punch that ended up connecting with Astor's jaw.

Reed was genuinely amazed. He only saw a blur of a fist when she struck Astor. It was the first time he saw someone perform a superhuman feat in front of his eyes.

"I'm Ophelia Redcliff, granddaughter of Marquis Redcliff. It's nice to meet you. Don't let Astor's nonsense get to you. Just punch him like I did if he ever gets on your nerves." She smiled, shook Reed's hand and began browsing her tome as she ignored Astor's incessant moaning.

The last fellow spoke in a rough voice and said, "I'm Horatio Restus, son of Duke Restus. Pleased to meet you. Don't mind Astor's behavior... Sometimes he can get a bit out of hand, but he means well. Most of the time. "

Horatio was a classic type of man that would certainly get attention wherever he went. A sharp, brooding face and well-defined physique gave Reed the impression of that he might have prior experience in combat. Out of the three, he was the only one that looked like a genuine soldier.

Realizing that his turn had come up for introductions, Reed spoke up and said, "I'm Reed. I have no special background or talents. It's nice to meet you all."

"Pshhh, don't even sweat it, Reed. Who gives a shit where we come from, right? If we relied on our backgrounds all the time, we'd never grow up properly. Baby birds have to leave the nest someday. They gotta fly out into the sky and be free..." Astor trailed off into silence until Ophelia broke the awkward pause with a question.

"Say, Reed, where'd you come from? Are you from the North? You look like you're not from around these parts."

"Yeah, I'm not from around here, as you might have guessed. I came from a world called Fairis; don't know if you've ever heard of it. I'm not a native if that's what you were trying to get at."

Astor, Horatio, and Ophelia looked at each other for a moment and nodded silently amongst themselves. They had looks of relief when they heard Reed's response.

"We guessed you weren't a native from the very beginning, you see. Your initial reaction of us more or less gave you away, to be honest. You didn't even flinch once when you heard us introduce ourselves, either. That was what gave it away."

"A real local wouldn't have had the spine to look at the three us in the eyes, given our backgrounds. They would have simply pretended they didn't exist and would've kept their heads pointed towards the ground. Accepting an invitation to sit amongst ourselves would have scared them half dead."

"Does the name Kingscrown mean anything to you, Reed? What about my last name, Redcliff, or Horatio's last name, Restus? Probably not, considering it's your first day in this world."

Reed grinned and said, "I honestly thought that Astor had just come up with a gaudy last name for show. I mean - Kingscrown? Come on."

Ophelia and Horatio burst into tears and began clutching their sides. It was a riot for them. No matter what Reed responded with these fellows would always end up having a laughing fit. After a solid minute of laughing, they finally calmed down and Horatio took it upon himself to enlighten Reed why they found his response so goddamned hilarious.

"You probably wouldn't know the name Kingscrown, Reed, since you're brand new, but I'm sure you learned about the four founding empires from your tome, right? You know that the four empires of Mulia are ruled by the four sovereigns, with the Moon King being the ruler of the North."

Reed nodded in understanding, but what was he getting at? A creeping suspicion began to form in the back of his head. Horatio had already given him enough clues to see where he was probably going to with his explanation, but he didn't want to believe it until he heard the words come out his mouth...

"Ah... your face has given you away, Reed. It seems like you're quick on the uptake. The basic tomes that we've been given offer a lot of knowledge, but a good bit of it is sort of shallow in depth. But that's beside the point.

"What I'm trying to get at is that 'Kingscrown' is the Moon King's last name. Astor's a descendant of the Moon King and member of the Northern royal family. I shouldn't have to say anything else.

Ophelia is the granddaughter of Marquis Redcliff, who is widely known even outside of the North for his extreme skill in Anima control. He even challenged the Moon King once in battle and put up a good fight, enough that the Moon King awarded him with his current rank hundreds of years ago. "

"My great-grandfather is Duke Restus, the right-hand of the Moon King and current 'ruler' in the absence of the Moon King. He acts on behalf of the Moon King's will and has been doing so since the empire was first founded thousands of years ago. It wouldn't be a lie to say that the Moon King formed the empire and my great-grandfather raised it into what it is now. As a result, my family is seen as equal to the royal family, at least in the North."

"You get it now, right? One of is a bonafide prince, one is the granddaughter of a monstrous conqueror who can fight one of the four sovereigns, and the last one is the grandson to the King's Hand. No one in here has the balls to even speak to us out of fear of our families..."