The floating castle

I enter my acquire phase as I keep using [Tartarean Vitality] and surges of sickly green flames wash over my body.

By now the pain had lessened enough that I didn't react so violently to it.

During this time Arthur moves towards me, "You alright?"

Tact, Arthur. Heard of it?

Seems like he did since his face adopts an expression of regret.

I chuckle weakly, "You of all people should know I'm used to this by now."

He smiles back grimly and places a hand on my shoulder, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

I nod back, accepting the gesture.

"Do Mom and Dad know?" I asked.

"Yes."

"How are they taking it?"

"They were in disbelief at first, but when I explained to them why you did it...Well Mom looked shocked, but Dad nodded and accepted it." He elaborates.

"Huh, what about the others?"

"The DC, or what's left of them anyways, and most of the students and staff protested in our favor. Although Kathyln was the most vocal about it."

"I see."

A few seconds later he spoke again, "Where did you send them?"

"You mean Zeke and Sylvie? I don't know, I just told Zeke to take her and our family somewhere safe. Where that is, I have no idea." I replied honestly.

"Can you still communicate with him?" He asked.

I sigh, "No, not really. Maybe it's because I'm too tired, maybe it's because I drained almost all of my reserves. I don't know."

He nods, "That was smart. They might have come after our family."

"And what of us, I'm assuming we are being taken to the council. Any ideas on what they are going to do?" I asked.

"They have decided to imprison us, with you losing your status as a mage and your mana core destroyed." He answered.

"Huh, that so?"

A few more seconds of silence passed, and I spoke up, "I'm just gonna go to sleep now, that really drained me."

"Yeah, I'll wake you up when we reach the castle."

I nod in thanks and drift into unconsciousness, [Tartarean Vitality] doing it's job of healing my body slowly.

_______________________________________________________________________________

I was shaken awake by my brother the next morning.

"We're here."

"Huh?"

I wake up groggily, and look around, expecting to find a huge castle.

In stead we were in the air with nothing around us, not a single house.

"You sure we are in the right place?" I asked to no one in particular.

No one replies, as Lance Varay held up her hand, and with a soft click, the sky in front of us split apart to reveal a metal staircase.

And I stood there gaping, "Well, uh, that's certainly something."

Arthur wasn't much better himself.

Olfred smirked at our reaction, "Welcome to the council's floating castle."

The two of us stood there, absolutely petrified.

Until a roar of a mana beast brought us out of our stupour.

"Seems like some of the keener mana beasts have sensed us, we should hurry." Olfred warns.

The stone knight I had been sleeping on let me down on the staircase, and deconstructed itself into a cape, which attached itself to Olfred's shoulder.

I raise an eyebrow at him at the action.

"We dwarves carry a bit of dirt everywhere we go." He winked at me upon noticing my curiosity.

As the door closed behind us the walls start to glow blue, no it was something akin to moss.

With a wave of her hand Varay dissipated the shackles on our feet so that we could walk.

We kept walking up the stairs for over an hour when Arthur spoke up, "Isn't there any other way to go up than these absurd number of stairs?"

"Use of magic is not permitted at all of the entrances." Varay replied, a hint of impatience in her voice.

We kept going up the stairs with no end in sight, until Lance Varay suddenly stopped.

And Arthur didn't seem to realize this as he kept walking.

Raising my shackled arms I place them on his shoulder, just in time as he would have bumped into her had I been a second late.

He looks around and notices that we have stopped, and gives me a silent nod of thanks.

Varay placed her hand at the wall in front of us, "We are here."

And as the door opened, a glaring light assaulted my pupils.

A few seconds later, after my eyes had adjusted to the light. I look at the corridoor in front of us.

As a contrast to the stairwell it was brightly lit, with an arched ceiling and strange designs covering every inch of the passage.

Simple chandeliers hung from the ceiling placed a meter apart from each other.

"Now that we are inside the actual castle, it's best if you don't converse with any of the Lances." Olfred's voice took on an unusual coldness.

We kept walking through the seemingly endless corridoor.

But Varay stopped at a random door and knocks on it until it swings open.

And a huge armored man appeared.

Instantly he knelt down, "My Lords."

"Rise." Came Varay's cold voice.

The guard arose and kept looking at the two of us in caution and curiosity.

"Tell the council of our arrival." Olfred ordered.

The knight bowed once more and left.

A few moments later he comes back, "Lance Zero and Lance Balrog have been given permission to meet the council, along with the two prisoners Fayden Leywin and Arthur Leywin."

"Bah, codenames." Olfred muttered as if embarrassed.

As we stepped through the door I take a look around the room.

The room was roughly circular with simple decorations and a single table at one end.

There were six chairs facing us, each occupying a member of the council.

""Your majesties!"" Both Varay and Olfred bowed.

Arthur proceeded to do the same.

But I stayed where I was.

"Ignorant fools! Do you think you are equal to the lances! Take a knee! And you," The dwarf king pointed at me, "Lay on the floor, show some respect."

"No." I replied, a dangerous glint in my eyes.

"No?! You dare-"

"You expect me to bow in front of my to be executioners?" I interrupt, growling at him.

"Kneel!" He forced out through gritted teeth.

"I won't." I reply simply.

"Olfred! Make him kneel!" He orders.

Olfred gives me what looked like an apologetic glance before he began advancing to me.

And focusing on my core, I have enough nacht for a dozen small [Void Steps] and one big one.

So, I [Void Step] away from him.

"Honestly, the only reason I am still here is because of Arthur, and that your laws still apply to him." I informed.

"You speak as if they don't apply to you." Blaine spoke.

"No they don't. After all, why would your laws affect an ambassador from a different race?" I ask rhetorically.

"So you admit to being an enemy spy?" He speaks, a dangerous tone in his voice.

Yeah I ain't scared of you dipshit.

"I never said I am an Alacryan. Neither did I say I am a spy, those are assumptions you made." I point out.

"Well, I guess I should reintroduce myself." I smirk, "I am Fayden Leywin, a light yellow core quadra elemental mage with dual deviancy in ice and lightning. And the champion of the Marchosias, a race of Deities."

The Glayders and Greysunders paled at my declaration.

"You dare lie!" The dwarf king bellowed.

I lose my smirk and glare at him with the force of a thousand nightmares, "Try me asshole. You as much as scratch me and you will be declaring war on literal deities. The only reason they support Dicathen is because I do. And the only reason I support Dicathen is because of the few people I do care about. If the Marchosias could keep them safe I would have forsaken Dicathen a long while ago."

As if on cue two familiar mana signatures, hundreds of times stronger than all 5 lances combined came near enough for me to sense.

"About time you got here Noctis, Sierra." I smirk.

And then two things happened at once.

The first, light and shadows exploded from beside me.

The second, both the Lances tensed and prepared to spellcast.

Noctis and Sierra manifest beside me.

"Now, I believe you are the ones who should bow in the presence of deities."