Departure

Medorian Calendar Year 115, Raoina Continent

It was a special year in the continent as it was about to witness the 51st Wovec meeting. It was a pivotal occasion which involved the five empires and as such it held a great importance in the continent.

A mage airship of more than a hundred feet long could be seen floating in front of a white tower in Vespertine City, various magerides with different emblems also assembled themselves close to the base of the white tower. It was the day of departure and as such the nobles had to come to the royal capital.

Cain stepped out of his family mageride wearing a hooded black fitted robe with golden patterns on the shoulders and wrists. On the back was a huge Ashel emblem and the front just somewhere around the left chest was the official Varmon emblem which was a mountain with a golden crown atop, surrounded by stars.

He looked around and could see the other noble families arriving, all wearing the same attire like him except the emblems on their backs were different. He was with his two sisters, Guinevere and Sabina who attracted the gazes of most of the males present.

However it was just briefly as all eyes were locked on the large floating castle in the air, it was the castle belonging to the royal family, the Vespertines. The teenagers couldn't hide the excitements on their faces, they considered it an honor to represent their empires and they knew that they would be heavily rewarded if they managed to secure victory for the empire.

Suddenly the atmosphere became extremely cold, a suffocating pressure landed on the whole of Vespertine city, everyone felt like a huge mountain was on their heads, some immediately succumbed to the pressure as their knees gave out, those in the sixth ranks still stood tall but they themselves were using all their strength to hold themselves.

Cain was no better, the pressure he felt was so suffocating that his breathing became irregular, but then a blinding golden light shone over the whole city dwarfing that of the sun. He tried looking up but his eyes nearly lost their sight just from a glimpse as he immediately retracted his gaze and looked down.

Still the pressure bearing down on everyone was immense, people felt like their minds would explode any moment, some panicked and tried different spells but it was no use. Most of the teenagers were enveloped in so much fear that some of them passed out

Soon the pressure gradually vanished and the light receded, all they could see was a man floating in the air in front of the huge castle. His hair colour was that of the sun, dazzling and smooth, his eyes were gold coloured. He wore a beautiful golden robe with a white fur, on his head was a golden crown lined with precious kailstones.

On his right hand was a red staff, and on his forehead was a circular mark which greatly resembled the emblem of the royal family. He kept looking down on everyone, one could see a slight arrogance on his face.

Cain looked at this man and immediately knew who he was, the man who stood at the top in Varmon Empire

'Emperor Moriandes D'Raef Vespertine'

He was an existence that even his father would not cross easily, a highly esteemed rank eight Immortal bloodmage at the late stage. Looking at this man, Cain now truly felt the pressure an immortal could exert, his parents always restrained their energy for fear of causing too much harm.

This was the first time he truly felt the aura of an immortal, he knew they were extremely powerful but now he at least had a base to quantify their strength. Still he was sure that this wasn't all there was to an immortal simply because they were still alive. Afterall he was sure that no one here could withstand his full pressure if he was serious

His determination soared, he wasn't discouraged about this power gap but rather his will was sharpened. He would one day be at this level, no he would surpass this level no matter the cost. He looked at the emperor with immense hunger, he wanted to devour him, he wanted that mass of energy for himself but he steadied himself. That energy would rip him apart, his body wasn't capable of withstanding such an amount.

At this point most of them had already regained their bearings, the ones who passed out woke up. All of them looked up at the majestic figure of the emperor with differing expressions. Guinevere and Sabina however looked at Cain and wondered just what was going through his head but they said nothing, still they thought that maybe he was just overwhelmed from the pressure.

The emperor gazed at the people below him calmly, most especially the representatives, he was truly befitting the title of an emperor. They could feel his pride and dominance even from where they were standing.

Emperor Moriandes observed those who would represent the empire intently, he didn't just release his energy to show off his might. He wanted to serve as a motivation for them, would they crumble under the pressure or would they rise above it?.

But he was left disappointed, only a few of them had eyes that displayed endless determination. Still it was alright, with experience comes growth and the wovec meeting was a good place to sharpen them.

Still floating in the air, he opened his mouth and spoke authoritatively as his voice boomed like the sound of thunder

"As representatives of the empire you are not permitted to bring shame and embarrassment to it, this is an opportunity to prove yourselves, to show that the empire hasn't wasted its resources on you" He let go of his staff as it floated in front of him before spreading his arms "Varmon citizens, raise your heads high, stand proud knowing the empire you represent and go forth, display your might and that of the empire before those fools..."

The emperor continued speaking as he tried to raise the morale of his people, he wanted them to be at their very best for the important meeting. Cain just looked on calmly but shook his head, this man sure had a sweet and overbearing tongue.

These motivational speeches were just a way to brainwash people and turn them into patriotic fools, he didn't despise the speech and he felt no pity for these idiots who would give up their lives or benefits for the empire. He had already witnessed so many people dying for their countries all in the name of being patriotic, not knowing that the country or the empire couldn't care less about their deaths.

The moment they outlived their usefulness, they would be abandoned and if they prove to be a threat they would be killed. He had seen enough of it back on earth, those so called soldiers giving their lives for the country, wholeheartedly lost in their delusions thinking the country loved them but what was their end? A life of mediocrity, truly foolish individuals not realising they were just chess pieces on a table used by old decrepit men who would rather not get their hands dirty. Quite comical

"...now my people, go and bring glory to our empire" proclaimed the emperor as he snapped Cain out of his thoughts.

The next moment, cheers and applauses could be heard as most of them became heated, they were ready to bleed for the empire if necessary, apparently his speech must have worked. Sabina herself seemed inspired by the speech as she looked at the emperor with respect. Guinevere was calm but her trademark smile was plastered on her face

The speech ended and the emperor left immediately, his work here was done. A white mageride carrying the emblem of the royal family made its way towards the the base of the white tower where the families were gathered.

The doors opened and a middle aged handsome man stepped out, his hair was golden and his eyes blue like the ocean, a crescent moon mark could be seen on his forehead. He wore a purple robe lined with gold patterns and the emblem of the empire on it. He wasn't radiating any energy and looked extremely carefree.

Behind him was a beautiful girl with curly black hair down to her shoulders and azure blue eyes, a crescent moon mark was also on her forehead. Cain recognised her, he had only seen her once at the cave of beginnings but he didn't recognize the man, however he had an idea who he was.

Another mageride arrived just behind the royal mageride, red in colour carrying the varmon emblem on it. All recognised the mageride, it belonged to the Vespertine Academy of Mages, they weren't the only academy present as well as all the major academies were present.

There were various academies in Varmon empire, spread throughout the various territories but there were only five major academies which belonged to the royal and archduke families. These academies were a way of pulling talented individuals to their families.

Ellen didn't even bother to talk to anyone, she just walked straight towards the Ashel family. When she reached them, she looked at Cain as she smiled sweetly

"Hello, I'm sure we've not been introduced properly" She extended her hand to Cain "I'm Ellen Vespertine"

Cain glanced at her before he shook her hand "Cain Ashel"

After the shaking of hands she looked at Cain one more time, her smile still not leaving her face before she walked back towards the middle aged man she came with. She just wanted to make a formal introduction.

The middle aged man however looked at everyone nonchalantly "Good day everyone, I am Alceon Vespertine, hope we all have a good time"

Now Cain knew who he was, Alceon Vespertine, heir to the emperor. Despite his carefree nature, this man was a rank seven immortal bloodmage.

The nobles and the royals struck up some conversations, those from the academies could only look on shyly at the nobles. After all most of them were commoners, with a few coming from lower nobility.

After some time, they all entered the white tower and from there boarded the mage airship together. Their destination was Croye Empire