Worry

Divine power.

Undoubtedly one of the greatest boons passed down to the people of the continent after the Angels descended.

Bypassing the rare, seemingly randomly selected prominence of source magic, the decades of study required to viably perform rune creation and fusion and the environmental and self-sacrificial constraints of using mana along with the possible eternal madness and damnation that has become synonymous with shamanism, it is of no wonder as to how our kingdoms have grown to heights that match the mightiest of the known world in such a short time.

It should also be noted that for those reasons, the aforementioned worldly powers along with other more niche studies have become greatly prohibited to the general public, in favor of divine power, after the establishment of the Golden city and the empire by the Angels.

On the topic of the divine beings, perhaps a more appropriate explanation of both the Angels, the unknowingly ancient beings of light, and the Demigods, mortals who have ascended to a realm of power unfitting of man, through the favor of the Angels either through great achievement, loyalty or nobil—.

"Sir Deo..." The silence in the room was broken.

A withered old man, quill still in hand, looks up from the pages he had just began filling.

He eyes the boy in front of him. A young lad, no older than seventeen. A former student and now initiate of the High Tower.

"Captain Darius has requested your presence," he said in a respectful and calm tone "he waits for you at the entrance, sire".

He sighed "Very well, go back to your studies Jamie, i will go meet him myself." Deo didn't wish to delay. He tidied the pieces of paper in front of him and began his descent down the tower.

The High tower itself was no ordinary school.

A massive structure, regarded as one of, if not the greatest, center of knowledge the world could offer.

It consisted of nine individual towers, each one of different size with the center one being the tallest, seemingly fused together into a singular structure.

All one hundred and eight floors were build to study, practice and uncover any form of information acquirable.

The tower would second as a home for most of it's scholars, regardless of rank, and anyone could seek it's knowledge assuming they were granted permission to enter. However the highest human authority within it's walls would go to the Tower masters. Former scholars who reached the peak of their field of study and would therefore gain access to many of the tower's secrets.

Deo, one such master, didn't take much time to descend. The High tower contained devices that made moving around it convenient, especially to an official like him. Thus It only took a hand-full of minutes for him to arrive.

The captain, now fully within view, clad in his golden armor, was standing idly just within the entrance of the High tower.

"You're getting slow, old man" Darius mocked, in an irritated tone.

"Perhaps if the youngest captain of our city was as skilled at scheduling as he was with swinging a fucking sword, i might have been here by the time you arrived"

A moment of silence arrived as the two men eyed each other. Only to be broken by Darius's laughter.

"Hahaha, it's good to see you father"

They both embraced.

"My boy, to what do i owe the pleasure of your visit? I assume the city guard doesn't have much free time. You especially"

"True, if there's one thing i envy of you scholars is all that free fucking time you have. Almost makes me regret being as talented of a warrior as i am."

"Perhaps if I'd struck you some more when you were younger you may have been blessed with some humility as well!" Deo quickly retorted, then hardened his expression. "Come, best we speak in my chambers. Don't you agree?"

Deo was not foolish. His eldest son's boasts were not empty either. A prodigy who became a Knight at the age of seventeen and had already been a Captain of his own battalion of troops for the past two years. At the age of twenty-five, he was as skilled with a sword as his father was with a quill and paper, and would, in time, likely achieve greater heights.

The fact that he had taken time off from his duties, to come alone and unannounced to the High tower to speak to his father, had certainly peaked Deo's interests. Especially so when Darius nodded to his father's offer, without question.

Deo beckoned Darius to follow him, as he knew the quickest way, leading them to a stairwell that, to the young Captain's surprise, went down, not up.

"Tell me. How is my youngest fairing?" Deo asked while they moved. "He is still determined to follow in your steps i imagine."

"While my little brother has set quite the task for himself, he actually isn't doing so badly." Darius spoke in a modest tone, still curious as to how they would get to their destination. "At the pace he's going, we might even have another Knight in the family in a year's time"

Deo's expression noticeably changed after his son's bold statement. "My boys have grown" he said, a smile, shining with pride, was occupying his face. Suffice to say that hearing the achievements of his children had hit a soft spot within him.

Deo however did not fail to mention a crucial detail."Broden is still fifteen." He stated in a sly tone. "If he becomes a Knight at a younger age than you did, could that possibly mean that he is better than y-"

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves, old man" Darius interrupted. " , I've trained the little fucker myself a number of times. I'd half expect him to be a demigod by now" he said in a shockingly serious and frustrated tone.

"Ha, if that were the case, the nobility of our house would no longer be a headache."

It was at this moment that they both arrived at the end of the stairwell. The room was completely empty and led nowhere. The only discernable feature was that walls were separated every few meters by columns protruding from the walls.

"This seems....wasteful." Darius mentioned

Deo didn't bother commenting. He walked forward so that he stood directly in the middle of two columns, the wall in front of him empty, and took out a plaque engraved with his name, it's design signifying his standing within the hierarchy of the tower.

'Deodar Blackwood'

Clenching the plaque, a light began emanating from his body. Small, striated lines could be seen appearing and concentrating towards his hand.

Darius could immediately sense the flow of mana releasing from his father.

"Turrim, duc ad thalamos" Under his will, the light concentrated at his hand disbursed and began to reform as a thin sheet over the empty space in front of him.

As it formed, the insides of a room could be made out. The portal to Deo's chambers had been completed.

"Not so wasteful now, is it." he remarked, and waved for Darius to enter first.

As soon as the pair entered, the gate behind them closed without trace.

Now they could speak without worry.

Deo made sure to seal his chambers while Darius contemplated on his words, also making sure to notify the students under him that he would be busy, as to not be disturbed.

Only when all possible distractions could be deemed taken care of did Deo join his son. Sitting on his worktable, at the center of his chambers, opposite his son, and waiting.

After a few minutes, Darius broke his silence.

"Old man, how strong would you say your magic power is ?"

Deo was taken aback by the question. While all types of magical abilities could be freely studied in the High tower, their use was usually prohibited in favor of divine power, with some exceptions being given to officials like the towers Masters.

Him being asked on his capabilities gave him an ominous feeling on where the conversation could lead.

So Deo answered honestly, and in detail.

"I mainly specialize in runes, so in terms of a battle, time for preparation would be needed. However...." he lifted his hand to the height of his chests. His palm open.

Mana coursed through his body and concentrated on the space just above his hand. A ball of fire formed. The mana kept concentrating until a bright sphere, slightly larger than a human eye, was left hovering.

Though it was small, Darius could tell that if it were released, the entire chamber would likely be destroyed.

"I'm quite compatible with fire. This would be the limit of any straightforward attack i could release without acquiring any heavy consequences on my body. Though i'd be quite drained after." The sphere of flame began dissipating from his palm.

"In a favorable environment, with a realistic amount of preparation, i would say i could hold my ground against you for a decent bit., though if we actually fought, you'd win any drawn out battle without doubt."

Darius's brow lifted at his father's evaluation. The tower's elite were known more for their resourcefulness rather than their firepower so to say that Deo was an abnormality was an understatement.

He didn't doubt him though, he knew his father well. Besides, there were more pressing matters to take care of.

"Truth is, i was planning on bringing Duncan here when he turns ten. The boy's shown more of an interest in books rather than anything i'd be able to teach him so i would have asked you to tutor him then. However due to a recent turn of events, i've been forced to come a bit early." Darius then to a sip of his drink before continuing.

Deo continued looking straight at his son. The joy of a Blackwood finally following in his steed in the form of his eldest grandson didn't have time to register.

Darius continued " It seems the boy has source."

Deo was perplexed at the statement. Even to the point of questioning his son's seemingly rash conclusion. However Darius's logic proved much more valid than Deo would have hoped.

"The lad turned a shed into a pile of rubble. Apparently a fox cub was being chased by wolves and had wandered in for shelter, the boy saw the cub, felt bad and tried defending it by turning it, the wolves and the whole fucking shed into a pile of ash"

"Nearly pissed himself when he realized what he'd done, that's how i know it was him. There was no divine power in the area, i would have noticed. No artifacts, no dormant runes, only the mana in the area was unusual, it felt denser. So enlighten me. Unless the boy started practicing mana from the womb, i don't see many other explanations"

There was no immediate reply. Deo took his time processing what he'd just heard. In truth he could come up with different explanations for the aforementioned events but they would only be just as, if not less, likely. Nonetheless Darius wasn't as much of a fool as he looked. His witness had to be taken seriously.

"This is going to be troublesome" Deo said. His expression now serious

"The angels are going to be a bit of a problem i assume" Darius concluded based on his fathers statement.

However the problem lied elsewhere. "No, the angels aren't a problem. The reason we're allowed to do research in rooms they can't see in is because they don't care what we use, they only want results. You'd be surprised at how the angels behave when you pay enough attention. Worldly matters don't concern the divine beings. The prohibition of most worldly powers to the general public is more for convenience. No, It's the nobles that we need be wary of."

Darius was beginning to understand the reason for his father's words, but Deo continued to emphasize his point.

"Think of it this way. Our non-noble house has seven members, not including your lady wife . One of which, me, already holds a high position within the continent. Out of my three children, two are near guaranteed to reach great heights as warriors and within the Empire in general. The third of which, while not particularly gifted, from an external perspective, can still be seen as a possible merging tool in terms of a marriage negotiation with another house.

Now, the last three members are your children. The eldest of which, an eight year old, has already shown the possibility of following in his grandfather's footsteps, might be revealed to possess a power that has not been seen in the continent in the past half-century, that if mastered can place him in the realm to rival a demigod. Jade and Toman are still too young to judge.

That's only at face value. From an outside perspective, each generation of our house, starting from my crazed father to your children, has shown potential that eclipses the last and we've managed to pump out enough potential talent comparable to even the largest of the noble houses. Would that not distract the eyes of the royals away from them? Do you not think their pride would be endangered? or that they would deem their positions threatened?"

Darius was visibly angered by the thought of his family being endangered by mere politics "Anyone tries anything, heads will start flying" he announced.

"Perhaps, but we best be sure those heads don't include ours" Deo quickly added. "You did well in coming. Bring the boy here, i'll have a look for myself."

The discussion seemed to have come to an end.

All Darius did was nod, before standing up and leaving.

Deo remained sat at his study. Multiple scenarios came and went through his mind, trying to think of the best course to take, contemplating the nature of the actions he would follow. But no matter what, he could not shake the ominous sensation in the back of his mind. Something unwanted was bound to happen. The question was what?