1 The City of Aurora

It was a warm summer evening in the Kingdom of Leventis, the sun was close to setting on the Capital City of Aurora. The marketplace was full of people, looking for wares, goods and grain.

Here, the shortage of coin was a commonplace, only an exceptional few peasants had the right to higher wages, and even fewer families prospered as merchant families, the remaining were the houses of the lesser lords. Many craftsman were present in the market, they would sell their wares to merchants, or rent stalls under their own name.

Most men lacking the boon of craftsmanship bent the knee to the major and lesser lords of the kingdom. Under the lord's guidance, the men would migrate to the smaller cities of the kingdom to work for a stable income.

A lucky few could even become vassals or knights if they could progress as body refiners. However, regardless of their situation, all soldiers, knights, and lords would be summoned to participate in war at the King's beckon; in the end, all lords were the King's vassals.

The remaining population could not afford to live in the City and chose to settle in the villages. There were many villages in the Kingdom, most were on the outskirts of Aurora, however, if one travelled to the neighbouring cities they would come across many villages around the borders of each city.

The villagers would farm grain and rear cattle, they would bring their goods to the city to be sold at standardised prices, set by the Council of the Lords. Even some craftsmen choose to reside in villages. While sustainable, it was not a prosperous livelihood.

There was a 60 feet tall wall around the City. The middle, stone path of the City, was large in width and stretched from the gates at the outer walls to the massive Keep, which was situated towards the other end of the city.

There was large circular indentation in the middle of this pathway. A 40 foot long statue of King Eris Lambros stood tall in the middle of this circle. Blacksmiths, butchers, farmers, all lined up their stalls along the outer and inner rim of the circle. There were many other shops, merchant houses and inns of various sizes along the path to the gate, dealing in all kinds of commerce.

Many people were present on the street today, admiring what was on sale. The merchant houses that were usually closing around this time, were still open for business. Standing in view of the bustling crowd, the Keep was large and luxurious. It formed an unabashed contrast between itself and the rest of the city.

The major lords rarely showed up in the Capital City, they would often be preoccupied with the overseeing of their own cities. Or they would temporarily be staying as guests in the Keep, to attend to the matters of the Kingdom. They had vassals working under them, who would facilitate all their requests.

But this stood true for only the upper echelon of lords, the lesser lords, representing less prominent houses in the Kingdom of Leventis, were often found in the capital city, meandering around for the kings attention. Loyalty and honour was most appreciated in the Kingdom of Leventis, however, strength stood above all.

To ensure the safety of the public, the Council of Lords had instated a strict patrol in and around the city, especially the market place. Today, more guards than usual were present here. The people of Leventis were all indiscernibly nervous; there was a sense of tension in the air, yet nobody seemed to acknowledge it. But everyone knew.

After all, today was a special day, the two year long war in the north east, against the Kingdom of Leon, had ended a month ago. The Kingdom of Leventis had achieved a great victory, and King Eris Lambros was due to return anytime now.

Awaiting the welcome ceremony, the entire marketplace in Aurora was bustling. Various Higher and lower vassals had stepped out of their houses, and thanks to the fineries of their garments and the arrogance of their posture, one could easily spot them. Even the lesser lords could be spotted at times.

Apart from the arrival of the King himself, the vassals eagerly awaited the return of their lords, most of them were major lords, and were anticipated back at their own cities.

Many of the higher vassals, serving under various different lords, had been stationed in the Capital City, they were not ordinary men and women, they were powerful individuals. Most of them were high bone refiners, but some had reached the low muscle refinement stage as well, they were tasked with the purpose of protecting the capital in the King's absence. A few major lords, or their higher vassals had remained in their own territories to ensure peace remained in the kingdom. But celebrations were being held everywhere regardless.

In the middle of the bustling market place, a young, ordinary looking boy, was rushing through the crowd. He had a head of unkept black hair. He was of average height and slightly skinny. His skin was slightly tanned, due to his constant exposure to the sun. He had his arms wrapped around a bag of meat and packaged loaves of bread.

Despite carrying enough to cover his torso, he seemed good at dodging the crowds, as if he had been navigating these streets for a while now. He knew the importance of today, and he also knew that if he were late, his father would bear the wrath of Steward Abernathy.

Kai Grier had just turned 14 a few days ago, despite his age he was a hardworking individual. Only his demeanour was too timid. Whenever he found himself in trouble, he would tense up. And in this situation he was naturally panicking.

Kai's father Damian was the cook for tonight's feast, held in the Hall of the Keep, and while it was estimated how many people would be feasting, the estimate had still fallen short based on the recent numbers brought in by the morning patrol.

The King's arrival was imminent and Kai had already made more than 10 trips to the market place from the Keep since morning. This was the last trip he had to make before they reached the requirement. However, at this moment, the echo of trumpets began to fill the entire street. Soon, the rumbling of the castle gate followed.

The people of Leventis all turned to look at the large gate that was slowly opening. There was anticipation in their eyes, the King of Leventis was very well revered. His intelligence was exceptional, he had the temperament of a ruler and a warrior. But what he was most well known for, was his strength.

In this continent, King Eris Lambros had become one of the few worthy of being called powerful. While he was not the strongest refiner on the continent, he was considerably stronger than most. Very few knew his exact refinement level, but they never spoke of it.

The people of Leventis felt a deep sense of respect for their King. Over the past forty years, they had witnessed a young man by the name of Eris Lambros, the son of a poor Lesser Lord of the House of Lambros, relentlessly, step by step, struggle his way to become the crowned King.

The crowd began to clear the pathway of the market street, to make way for the King. The soldiers stationed in the market slowly took charge and set the crowd in order. There were already a few people cheering in anticipation of their King's return. Kai had noticed the commotion, he wanted to stay and watch, but he knew he had to return soon. With a heavy heart, he turned around and rushed towards the Keep.

The guards stationed at the gate of the Keep were extremely nervous and had been busy preparing for the King's arrival since morning. They had kept the gates open. Silk and wool rugs with delicate embroidering had been spread out, stretching from the wide gate of the keep, to the massive main door at the entrance.

The chamberlains and the personal attendants stood at the entrance, awaiting their chance to serve the returning entourage. Even the marshal and the clerks under him were present. They were incharge of the stables, and were waiting to tend to the horses.

Kai passed by the nervous guard, who was too busy staring at the city walls. The guard took a moment to come to his senses, but after recognising Kai, he turned his head and continued to stare at the city gate, the sound of cheering was gradually becoming louder.

Kai rushed in through the wicket gate, a smaller entry point to the Keep, used by the staff. He made his way to the Kitchen, he knew the lower right wing of the Keep rather well, thanks to his father's occasional duties here.

The kitchen was filled with undercooks, servers and cupbearers. There were various helpers working besides the undercooks who would do the more menial tasks. Kai quickly dropped the bread and meat in front of one of the undercooks, and immediately headed for the cellar. There he found his father.

Damian Grier was standing deep within the cellar, the light was scarce here, but Kai could still recognise his fathers back. Despite his status, Kai's father was a proud man and always stood head tall. He also had a calm demeanour, and was not one to panic easily. It was one of the many things Kai admired about his father. His father was well respected by the staff here. Even the Steward of the King, Laurel Abernathy, who was incharge of the Keep, showed Damian face.

Kai's father was still busy supervising his staff, "be careful with those crates boys, a single bottle can cost you a seasons worth of wages." The hands of the men carrying the crates momentarily paused, but they continued on immediately after. There was a subtle, but noticeable carefulness to their actions now. They were men from the village, who were hired to be assisting in today's festivities. So naturally, they were gobsmacked to hear the price of a single bottle of wine in the royal cellar.

"Father, I… have… returned." Kai's heavy breathing caused his words to break. Damian calmly turned around, he could see his son was breathless and covered in beads of sweat. He felt a sense of guilt seeing his son in such a state, but he still let out a gentle smile, "you did very well Kai."

Hearing this, Kai's heart relaxed a little. His father's calmness felt transmissible, it made him feel like everything would be alright. "You've done enough. How about taking the rest of the day off. Today is a joyous day, I want you to go enjoy the celebrations… Just stay out of trouble."

Kai revealed a look of reluctance, he knew his father was overburdened by work today. Damian smiled and calmly turned around, his footsteps were gentle as he walked away, "your little friend came down to the kitchen looking for you, don't disappoint him. I believe he's a tad bit nervous today."

Hearing his father's words, Kai's intention to work gradually disappeared, he quickly nodded and turned back to where he came from.

After exiting the kitchen, Kai immediately slowed down his pace, so as to not draw attention to himself. He had worn his best clothes today, but now they were in a shabby state. He had always found the Keep a confusing place to navigate.

After all, the Keep was a large fortification, where the King and his family, lords, knights, guests and even a high number of permanent staff members resided. It was situated on a slightly elevated hill in the City, and was easily the most towering structure here.

The Keep was a large octagonal structure that stretched 200 feet in height. It had a square courtyard in the middle, and 8 towers that were connected to the different corners of the Keep. It was divided into five floors.

Situated to the back of the ground floor was the throne room, where the King summoned his council. The left wing comprised of a passageway to the throne room. The middle of the passageway was connected to a large dinning hall, denoted as the Hall of the Keep.

For the high society, most events of celebration, announcements, and declarations in the name of the current Royal House, Lambros, were held at this location. Right now, most of the staff, vassals, nobles and even many family members of the arriving lords, were waiting here.

The feast was being prepared and laid out simultaneously, the moment to celebrate was arriving soon. Multiple cupbearers were walking around the hall serving wine to the guests.

Kai steadily made his way from the right wing to the courtyard in the middle. There were very few people in the courtyard right now. Those who were here, seemed in a rush, and did not pay any heed to others. To the right corner of the courtyard was a bench. On it, sat a sickly young boy.

He had on a cloak, underneath it he was wearing a well-embellished tunic, which was unnoticeably padded. But one could still tell his figure was thin. He had slightly long white hair, which covered part of his forehead. His face was thin and pale, but he would be considered handsome, if it were not for his frail physique.

The boy was pondering as he stared into the ground. His expression was crestfallen, and he had a hint of nervousness in his eyes. Kai felt pity for his friend.

As Kai walked towards the boy, there was a small amount of hesitation in his eyes, but it soon disappeared. He smiled and reached for his pocket, "Theo, I brought you a gift." Kai slowly removed a small item wrapped in a soft cloth from his pocket. He held it in front of the dejected boy, and slowly unveiled it.

The sickly boy's eyes lit up as he saw the wooden figure being revealed. There was a look of rare surprise on his face. He had seen a few illustrations depicting these mythical figures, but this was the first time he had seen the carving of one.

Not many knew of their existence. Most kings were aware of these existences, many major lords knew, even a few noblemen and rich merchants knew. But most of the common folk had only heard mythical tales of them, and regarded it as nothing more than imaginative fiction.

The wooden figure depicted a middle-aged man with long white hair, which flowed behind his back. He had an arrogant expression carved onto his face, and he seemed to have his mouth open, as if he was roaring. His facial features seemed slightly distinct, especially when compared to the population of the Western Continent, Drusa. Peculiarly, the figure was standing on what resembled a great sword.

The sword seemed to be magically supporting his flight. He had one arm slightly pointing upward with an open palm, as if he were trying to reach for the sky. In his surprise, the sickly boy exclaimed, "This… this is the carving of an immortal!"