024 - Favour

The capital city of Arzen, Haken, bustled with people, especially after the incident that transpired the previous night. Many members of prestigious families had gathered at the Flamehearts' castle to discuss it, representing the noble families of the empires.

During the late-night phenomenon, multiple lights appeared in the sky, falling like divine judgment to annihilate.

"Lady Velma, this is definitely the work of the church," one person claimed.

"No, why would the church attack us?" Lady Velma questioned.

"Those greedy bunch are the ones. Did you not see the lights?" another person chimed in.

"It might have been the Demon followers," someone suggested.

"They were nearly annihilated. Only a small force remains," another added.

Inside the great hall of the Flamehearts, the twelve ambassadors of the great families had gathered to discuss the incident. The hall featured twelve seats, with six on each side facing each other, and at the end were thrones for the host. The high throne remained empty as the head of the house was absent. To its right sat Lady Velma Flameheart, the head lady of the Flamehearts, and to its left sat the successor, Alexander Flameheart.

Lady Velma, dressed in a deep blue gown that complemented her golden blonde hair, which was braided, and Alexander, with his golden hair and crimson eyes, wearing a white suit, both epitomised beauty. With her eyes closed, Lady Velma listened to the complaints of the ambassadors from the twelve great families, seemingly lost in deep thought as she analyzed the situation.

The hall remained noisy as they talked, but Velma, growing tired of their rambling, opened her eyes. Her captivating golden eyes scanned the hall, and the crowd noticed her gaze, falling silent in response.

Velma Flameheart, daughter of the McCane family—one of the great families that supported the Heroes in the Great Rebellion—had married the Swordmaster after the war. A born noble full of grace, she became the head after Callista Flameheart. Everyone knew of her intellectual and strong-willed personality, making her an ideal match for the Swordmaster.

The silence persisted in the hall as Lady Velma extended her hand to the person standing beside her. A man stepped forward and handed her a file, going unnoticed until he moved. Lady Velma examined the file in her hand, briefly scanning its contents before speaking.

"I do understand your worries, but we have yet to find the perpetrator or perpetrators, and no group or organisation has stepped forward to claim responsibility," her voice echoed melodiously.

"As you all know, the head of the Flameheart family is currently attending the Roundtable meeting," she continued, pausing to let the news sink in. The Roundtable meeting only took place during catastrophic events or situations concerning the entire continent.

After the pause, she spoke again, "According to the information we have gathered, the people who were targeted were from low to medium-sized families and those on the watch list for their shady activities."

The hall remained silent as everyone took note of the information.

"My lady, are you saying they only targeted people involved in illegal activities?" one person questioned, expressing doubt.

"Yes, it seems so," Lady Velma agreed with a light nod.

"Then isn't it a good thing?" another voice chimed in. "If they only targeted those involved in illegal activities, doesn't it mean cleaning up the trash and bettering the country?"

"Yes, it is a good thing. However, those who targeted them cannot be called allies since we don't know their motive. They could have done this to demonstrate their strength," Lady Velma explained, and everyone agreed with her words.

"But we don't know who did it, and the mana phenomenon that occurred simultaneously caused significant collateral damage, leveling many villages and towns," she added.

The discussion then shifted to the next topic.

...

In the Elven castle made of white marble and towering trees, a servant approached the exhausted King Francis De Griffin with concern. The king had been tirelessly working, his face paler than usual, with dark lines of exhaustion and sleeplessness etched upon it. Piles of papers covered his desk, evidence of the overwhelming tasks he had to attend to due to the rescue and raid operations.

The worried servant urged the king to take a break, but King Francis continued working, as the accumulated responsibilities weighed heavily upon him. Looking up from the piles of papers, he glanced at the sofa, where someone who was supposed to be resting after completing their work and relieving anxiety was nowhere to be found.

"Where did he go?" the king asked the servant.

"Who? My king?" the servant tilted his head in response to the question.

Fran pointed to the sofa with his chin, and the servant, understanding who he was asking about, racked his brain.

"He went to check on the lady and left the child with blue hair with her. Then he left somewhere, where, I do not know," he answered.

"Okay," Fran said, melting into the chair. Exhaustion was becoming visible, and his worries were taking a toll on him.

"Can you bring some tea?" Fran asked the servant.

The servant immediately bowed and left the room.

Fran dropped his quill and stood up. He needed to go and sleep. He hadn't had a moment to relax since 'he' arrived here. With a single wrong move, he could put the entire race in danger. Even though the vessel appeared small, it contained great power. Only the heroes of the Great Rebellion knew about him.

...

In the sky above the city of Haken, high enough that normal people wouldn't even notice if they looked up, a figure stood observing the people below. To him, they looked like ants, easily crushed beneath his feet.

"What are we doing here? (©_©)?" he wondered.

His blue eyes glanced at the castle before responding, "To punish those who have wronged us, to deliver judgment."

"Are the people who poisoned us here? ('-_-;)?" he inquired.

"Yes, and I will show you how I handle things," came the reply.

With those words, the spell that kept him floating released, causing him to free fall. His dress, made of darkness, thickened, increasing his defense. As he descended, his body sliced through the air, accelerated by gravity, causing an air disturbance.

The people looked up to the sky and witnessed a meteorite hurtling toward their city. The meteorite was unstoppable, penetrating the barrier built around the capital, and plummeting straight towards the Flamehearts' castle. However, the expected shockwave did not materialize.

...

"We have yet to find the cause of the mana phenomenon," one of the ambassadors read from the report.

"It might have been just a phenomenon where mana went berserk," another suggested.

"But we heard from the temple that the Saintess heard the voice of God, reprimanding a mortal for blasphemy," an aged man shared the information he had gathered.

"Who could do something like th-"

*BOOM*

His voice was abruptly cut off by a thunderous boom as something landed in the hall from above. The hall instantly filled with dust, and cracks spread across the floor.

The knights accompanying the ambassadors drew their swords, while Velma, the host, looked at the dust cloud with unsettled eyes. Who dared to attack the Flamehearts? Now that the head of the family was not present, they could potentially kill everyone in the room.

*Cough* *Cough*

"F*ck, where did the dust come from?" a young voice echoed through the dust.

Gradually, the dust started to settle, revealing a young boy standing in the middle. He gazed up at the ceiling, where a massive hole had formed, but there was no debris—everything had turned to dust upon impact.

"F*ck, it was supposed to be a cool-ass entry," he voiced his disappointment while looking towards Lady Velma.

The knights lowered their swords, observing the young boy before them. He had black hair, dark skin tone, sapphire blue eyes as deep as the sea, and wore a void black dress that defied perception.

No one in the room knew who he was, except for a single person.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" one of the ambassadors questioned.

He turned to look at him, then glanced at the ceiling with the hole, and finally back at him with mocking eyes, as if questioning if he was an idiot. He had come through the ceiling.

"Answer me, who are you?" the ambassador's head veins bulged in frustration at the boy's insolence.

Ignoring the question, the boy turned to face the host, who was sitting in front. A grin formed on his lips.

"I am Zeru, son of Callista," he said bluntly, showing no courtesy.

Everyone looked at each other in confusion upon hearing his answer. They all knew what had happened to Callista's child; he had died shortly after birth. Yet, here was a boy claiming to be that child, contrasting both his parents.

"I know what you guys are thinking, but I didn't die. I was merely kept away from watchful eyes," he addressed their confusion.

They all turned their attention to the lady, whose eyes were fixed on the boy.

"My lady, is it true?" one of them asked.

However, they didn't receive an answer, and Zeru smiled at her unmoving figure.

"Yes, it is true." The answer unexpectedly came from the firstborn, Alexander.

"I heard you were sent to Bulmer Castle to train. It seems like you have finished your training, brother," he said with a gentle smile.

"What bullshit!" Ze spat back. "Not only did you poison me and my mother, but you also pushed me off a cliff when I was sent to train."

The people who heard his words couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Well, for someone born out of an affair to speak with such pride, what an ungrateful child," the previously silent person spoke.

But Ze simply smiled in response to her remark.

"You don't have the right to say that, Ms. Velma. After all, your son doesn't have the blood of the Swordmaster," he said devilishly. "Am I wrong?"

As he spoke, the hall fell silent, and Velma's eyes shook with the revelation.

"How dare you say such unsightly things about the lady?" one of them shouted.

Ze turned and scanned the faces of the people. Some of them knew about Zeru's birth.

"Some of you know about my birth, but you disgraced my mother and sent her away to be alone. But I am not here to have a reunion with my family; I am here to sever ties," he declared.

His eyes swept across everyone present and paused at the lady sitting on her throne.

"I shall give you my parting gift."

With those final words, his body became a blur and then vanished.

*Boom!*

A sonic boom reverberated through the hall as something broke the speed of sound. In the blink of an eye, Ze appeared near Alexander, lifting him by his head.

"I will return the favour that was done to me," he declared, with Alexander stunned shocked in his hands.

All eyes in the hall were now focused on him, unsure of what to do.

Ze tightened his grip, and black lightning began to dance around his hand. With his free hand, he punched Alexander's core, and the lightning struck him. Alexander cried out in agony as the lightning burned his body.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Ze let go of the now darkened body, and Alexander slumped onto his throne. The smell of burnt flesh filled the hall as smoke rose from his body.

Ze turned to face the people. The entire event had transpired within a matter of seconds, leaving them no chance to retaliate.

"So, shall I move on to the next?" Ze asked them, his devilish smile still in place.

*****