The World Of Asteris

It was difficult to say goodbye to Gawain.

It almost made me want not to go. I shook my head. This is for the better.

"You're no longer the Red I know.", those words echoed in my head as we walked away from the Dawn Palace.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Did Gawain see that his brother is no longer in this body?

What an interesting young man.

"So. How are we going to the North?"

I asked Merlin. We are quite a distance away now. I expected a car to pick us up. I can't believe that carriages that are not drawn by horses exist.

The future is amazing.

Merlin gave a smug smile that was starting to tick me off.

"We're going by my private jet."

I stared at her in shock, "You're what?"

"Being one of the most powerful warlocks in the world has its perks.", she replied and proceeded towards the private airfield of the Royal Palace.

Even though her behavior ticks me off, I can't help but be excited.

I'm a guy who lived in a world and time period where flying in the sky like a bird was only possible by the magic of wizards and for those without magic, it was just a dream.

But in this world, there are machines that can fly high in the sky and at tremendous speeds. Humans have conquered the skies! Even a normal person can fly nowadays.

All hail the future!

One notable thing is the incorporation of ardor with technology. This combination has led to many amazing devices and machines.

One of them is the Infinity Engine, where ardor crystals are converted into energy to power machines and vehicles. This is quite convenient as a single ardor crystal can power anything for about two months.

It is also beneficial to the environment as there are zero emissions and the ardor released by the crystals assimilates into the environment, further enriching and promoting the formation of new crystals.

I am impressed by the knowledge Mordred gained during his time in the Dawn Palace. He has more knowledge and is smarter than other kids of his age.

I internally sighed. What a tragic character.

We soon reached the airfield and entered an air-conditioned building.

Merlin talked to the receptionist and gestured for me to follow her to the waiting room which has a good view of the single massive runway and many hangers that contain the different aircraft of the Pendragons.

After a few minutes of waiting, a man in a pinstriped suit approached us and bowed, "The Peregrine is ready, Lady Merlin."

She smiled, "Wonderful.", she hopped off her couch and looked at me, "Well? Get moving."

I followed her outside to one of the hangars.

"Whoa!", I stopped in my tracks and gazed at the aircraft looming in front of me.

It is a sleek medium-sized jet with swept delta wings having thrusters built into them.

Despite their small size, the thrusters of the plane are powerful and produce a tremendous amount of thrust, all thanks to the two infinity engines inside the fuselage.

It is also capable of vertical maneuvers as well.

I circled the plane. It has a T-tail and a small afterburner at the rear like a jet fighter.

With the power of the infinity engines, this plane can travel at supersonic speeds, and since the engines use the steady and powerful energy released by ardor crystals, it is quiet as well.

Plus it is very durable, made up of an extremely strong and light material called dracium, as its durability and lightness were the same as of dragon scales.

To put it simply, I am looking at a truly amazing piece of aviation engineering.

Don't ask me how I know this stuff. It's all Mordred. The kid was a huge admirer of cars and planes.

Also, this is the first time I've seen an aircraft.

Merlin noticed me gawking at the plane in awe, "Is this your first time seeing a jet in person?", she asked with a smirk.

"This is the first time I've been this far from the Dawn Palace. So of course it's the first time I've seen a plane in person.", I said while giving her an accusing look.

"No thanks to you for that."

She flinched as my words stung her, "Yeah. Oops!"

Without speaking another word she walked up the stairs that were just lowered. I lugged my suitcase up the stairs and took one last look at the Dawn Palace, wondering if I would return in a jet like this or in a coffin.

*******

Comfy.

The journey to the north in Merlin's private jet was pleasant and comfy. The interior was like a mini-suite complete with a fully functioning bathroom and shower.

The interesting thing is that the jet is completely automated. Along with keeping the plane airborne, it can also take off and land efficiently by itself.

All of this is possible due to Ace, the most powerful AI created by Merlin, and probably the cheekiest one as well.

"Young lady and kid, I am Ace, your friendly all-purpose AI and current pilot of the Peregrine. We're about ten minutes to our destination to the mountains having the lovely Tear.", a soothing female voice that sounded robotic spoke to us.

"If you look out of your windows, you will be able to see the Sleveria Duchy, the snowy lands of a middle-aged man who is addicted to squirty cheese."

I looked at Merlin, "Squirty cheese?"

She shrugged, "I only asked Ace to compile information about the Axial Families. How she presents them is up to her."

"That squirty cheese part is quite specific.", I pointed out.

Merlin sighed, "I know. I should adjust her personality."

"Don't you dare!", Ace protested, suddenly putting the plane in a dive.

"Oi! Ace! Stop it!", Merlin yelled as she hit her head on the ceiling.

Being very unfamiliar with flying tubes going at high speeds in the air, I buckled myself whenever I sat down in my seat, so I was fortunate.

"You sure your AI Is not cracked?", I asked with an amused smile. It was good to see Merlin in pain.

"I hope so.", she replied, rubbing her head.

"I assure you, your Highness, that I am not cracked.", Ace replied.

I held back my laughter and looked outside at the vast world under me.

Thanks to the memories of the previous Mordred, I learned that I woke up on a planet called Asteris.

Asteris revolves around a star that is slightly bigger than the sun in my previous world and the planet has two moons orbiting it.

The planet's surface is mostly water with three massive continents: Aria, Edith, and Karnus rising above the water along with thousands and thousands of islands scattered in the vast oceans.

Aria is the largest of the three continents and it is completely under the rule of High King Arthur Pendragon.

I wonder why he didn't call it the Pendragon Empire instead of the Kingdom. Maybe an empire is a different concept in this world.

Or maybe he's just weird.

Anyway.

The Pendragon Kingdom is so immense that it is divided into duchies, each ruled by a powerful family called an Axial Family.

There are currently ten Axial Families and all the land of the Kingdom except for the capital of Camelot is divided between them. The more powerful an Axial Family is, the more land they have under their power.

The duchies are named after the Axial Family that rules them.

The title of Axial Family is not fixed. New Families can rise and existing Families can fall. The Axial Families are under the High King and they must never betray him or else there will be immense consequences.

And there were even examples of what would happen if one did rebel.

During Arthur's early years as the High King, a few Axial Families joined together and rebelled against him.

Obviously, the rebellion failed and those families were utterly destroyed. Not a single traitor was left alive.

The truly innocent ones were exiled from the kingdom and according to rumors, they are currently living normal lives in other countries and island nations.

If you are wondering how Arthur managed to single out the innocent from the hordes of guilty traitors, it's all thanks to his unique eyes that can see the very soul of a person.

That is seriously amazing and unnerving at the same time. I must be careful around the High King.

This type of competition is a smart move. Promoting competition between Axial Families prevents rebellion. Even if a few families come together for rebellion, there will be other families who will rise to stop it, all to see their opponents fall.

And even if all the families come together for a rebellion, Arthur Pendragon is powerful enough to destroy all of them, plus he has the support of Merlin, a powerful warlock whose full power is still a mystery.

No one knows what her rank is. Merlin is one of the biggest enigmas in Asteris.

Many say that she is the fourth X ranker and some even whisper that she is an existence beyond X rank, a being belonging to the theoretical Z rank.

Only the High King, her best friend knows her true power. Her origins, motives, and the reason for her absolute loyalty to Arthur is a big question mark.

She is more mysterious than the Merlin of my world.

In my world, he was the child of an incubus and a woman destined to be the antichrist but the timely baptism by the priest Blaise right after his birth freed the baby Merlin from the devil's power and his destiny.

It was due to the demonic legacy of his father that he was able to wield the power to see the past and the future which enabled him to be the powerful wizard he was known as.

But the Merlin of this world? Not much is known about her.

How mysterious.

"Hello folks, this is your lovely captain Ace. We've just entered the foothills of Les Anciennes Mountains.", the AI's voice spoke through the speakers.

"We'll soon arrive at the airfield of the Shield. So please enjoy the view. Especially you, Your Highness. This could be your last chance to see this majestic mountain range."

"Very funny.", I muttered but looked out the window and my breath was taken away by the unbelievable sight.

Les Anciennes. The largest mountain range in the world, with peaks that surpass the clouds. These massive landforms stretch from the eastern coast to the western coast of Aria, forming a colossal natural wall.

This mountain range is also the widest, stretching an immense 1000 kilometers to the north. Beyond Les Anciennes is the continent of Karnus.

I am wonderstruck and in awe of these majestic snow-capped mountains. There must be many types of ardimals and arlants in these mountains, not to mention different people and cultures.

My smile and wonder disappeared as I realized what else this mountain range harbors.

I got up from my seat and proceeded toward the cockpit. With a curious expression, Merlin followed me.

The cockpit is empty since Ace has full control but is configured in such a way that Merlin will be able to regain control if something goes wrong, she is also a very skilled pilot.

I leaned against one of the pilot's seats and looked out the windshield. Snowflakes swirled around as they fell on the peaks, further blanketing them.

My eyes narrowed as it appeared like a black blot among the snowy white of the mountains.

The Tear.

***

Author's Notes

Arthurian Legend Fun Fact! 

Thomas Mallory in his work Le Morte d'Arthur (a popular depiction of the Arthurian Legend from which I am taking some inspiration and using as a reference at times) depicts Merlin as an ambiguous trickster while some of his French sources depict Merlin as a disloyal and treacherous guy.

If I have made any mistake please be sure to correct me. I would appreciate it.