War.

Count Shatterstone turned to Dione and shouted, "PRINCE?! WHAT PRINCE?" but Dione only laughed as a new presence was approaching from the Palace.

Amir was wondering just how deep into their plot ran as Mom showed herself.

Ice was raining down like crystals. The scene was beautiful to some, but to the ones that had seen this technique before, it was like a scythe pressed coldly to their necks that was just begging for an excuse to reap.

Amir heard her voice, "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. I knew you were always a traitor, Count Shatterpebbles."

He turned to see his mother floating down from above him, she looked like an angel but he only had one thought....underwear.

"JESUS!" He turned his head away quickly as he heard Ilse's giggle.

Amir wasn't phased too badly as he turned back to the Count who seemed to be turning to stone before his eyes. The Earth Qi seemed to be manifesting as an actual stone armor. The armor had no real shape, but it certainly differed in color as this was an off-white marble that was gleaming as it slowly grew.

Ilse touched the ground and pointed out, "The weakness of Earth Qi techniques is usually their speed." She looked at Ymir briefly to make sure he was paying attention and then continued, "Most people think that Lightning Qi is the natural counter. They are correct, but not in their thinking."

She pointed to Adelita and continued, "Her Qi could be quick enough to completely end this weakling before he even gets his technique up and running."

She smiled and asked, "Do you follow?" as she turned to see his face in contemplation.

Amir was thinking out loud, "How does the Qi differ in the clash? Wouldn't an Earth Qi user always win?"

She giggled, "Only if they are stupid enough to clash in the first place."

He noticed she was sliding towards the man on a layer of Ice, "The key to combat is creativeness. That is why your father is very good at fighting, cooking, and....other things."

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Ilse smirked at his reaction, she still couldn't tell if he was a genius actor or terrible at it. But she could say it was effective. She looked around and noticed that her subjects were staring directly at her and the Prince. The boy had done well so far.

Her plans were trashed by this little stunt, but it had opened up an even better cause for war. Right after she...

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Amir watched in anticipation, she was just staring.

Count Shatterstone was fully clad in his marble armor, Amir noted that he looked like Al from Fullmetal, albeit a simplified version.

The Count shifted into a stance and shouted, "COME, BITCH!"

She just smiled and said, "I am waiting for the recorder crystals to begin capturing."

A few moments went by and a team of people in black leather appeared with orbs similar to the ones he had seen earlier. Then she spoke.

"Remember this my love. The majority of people you will face in life will be decent people. Many will have families. Most will be pillars of their respective communities. And, their deaths will bring chaos. It will shake the core of whatever place they hail from."

She continued as Ice rained down from above, "BUT! They have made the decision to face you. My son. They have chosen to risk everything, for what?"

She stopped as the Ice froze midair, "Power. They want power."

The demeanor of the Queen returned, "You want the life of my son? I thought you to be a vassal, sworn to uphold my realm, why would you do this?"

The Count was sweating, "You are a manipulative BITCH!" he felt the Ice pierce his armor effortlessly, "You are the reason we have stalled in our conquest! YOU ALONE ARE THE CAUSE OF OUR STRIFE!" he was yelling as the Ice caused holes to appear in his technique.

She laughed, "Strife? What are you talking about? No Giant has starved in decades. No Giant suffers the elements. No Giant toils as a slave. What strife do you speak of?"

He spit blood at her feet, "You stopped our expansion. We could have taken the Lowlands from the Humans, we could have so much more, but YOU ARE A WEAK BIT-" His brain was skewered from under his chin as she sighed.

"See the reasons they give for rebellion?" she scoffed, "Children playing at war."

Ilse turned to the stone, "Count Shatterstone was executed for his injustices against the crown. Namely, attempted assassination of the Prince of Giants. This means war." She turned and simply walked away.

The moment was surreal for Amir.

He had seen people die on the internet, hell, probably too many. He had seen more die in person. But never an execution. At least, not a REAL one....he figured the Rite didn't count.

The moment dragged on for him. This did count.

He felt like this was a teachable moment that charges loved to expand upon. But this was bad. Right?

The minutes dragged on as the guards tended to their new Count who was still unconscious. People shuffled around him as they returned to life, like this was normal.

Was this normal? It is a cultivation world....

Dione approached from behind, "My Prince. I apologize for putting you in that situation....I had thought you needed to be taught the basics, but I was just informed by your mother."

He left it hang in the air.

Amir nodded, "So, now you know." he was staring at the lifeless corpse as its head was being cut off. "What the FUCK are they doing?" he was about to step over there when he was stopped, "They are going to display it on the Palace gates. This is normal."

He wanted to scoff, "THIS is normal to you?" his blood was running hot.

Dione nodded, "Yes. It is barbaric isn't it." he shrugged, "But it is why we are safe. People fear the savages."

He motioned for Ymir to follow, "We are a warlike people. It is in our blood, as you well know."

Dione pointed around, "You see many Giants here, but we are scarce when compared to the other races. There are more elves than Giants, and that is really saying something!" He chuckled as they opened a tent and walked in.

People were scrambling around, some drafting parchments, some touching stones together, and some running commands.

The noise was considerable but quieted down to a low roar in Dione's presence.

They walked to his desk as he pulled out a seat for Ymir, "I am sure you have questions about what just happened. I will answer them truthfully. But I will tell you, I only had a small hand in most of that."

Ymir absentmindedly sat down, the moment of death replaying like a particularly bad trauma patient did.

He breathed deeply and asked, "Did you set the boy up?" to Dione's head shake, "I had no idea it would happen. I think it best to assume it was naturally occurring given Michael's history, but it may be your mother's doing."

He poured himself a glass of what appeared to be vodka, "Want some?"

Amir shook his head, "Did you alter the noble's path? Did you order those weird people to kneel and swear to help me?"

He was thinking through the strange parts.

Dione sipped and then answered, "Zief helped you there. It is common to ascend in rank if you are pledging yourself. It is how we joined your mother's faction. My guess is he noticed your weakness in the moment and tried to give you an out, I am sorry. And I did not alter the path of the late Count Shatterstone."

He sighed, "I did command the soldiers to stop saying prince with a Qi burst....and I omitted your status to the Count. But that is really it. I warned the boy to not use Qi and I warned them it was just a lesson."

"The Count CHOSE to let his son educate the peasant." he looked off to the side, "I had no idea he was a bloodthirsty brat. He was going to kill the boy had Adelita not intervened."

Amir just sat there and listened, "I had no idea you would pick up on his jab at your mother and then instantly punish him for it. But I guess it makes sense now that I know you aren't a child."

Dione watched as Ymir turned in his seat looking for ease-droppers, "You think we are not protected against all forms of observation in a General's Command Tent? That is funny!" He laughed and poured more as the silence stretched over minutes.

Amir was thinking it through, his assumption of a plot, his actions directly led down this road.

He asked, "So, I killed the boy's father?"

Dione nodded, "You could see it that way." he took a sip, "Good job."

The Giant was smiling at Ymir's face when a soldier burst in their little world, "General, you wanted to see me?" The soldier was female by voice, but had regular medieval armor, although with a viking twist, seeing the fur plastered over it.

Amir noticed her hair color and it instantly gave it away.