Lineage II

|Alistair|

The realization that all of this was somehow connected to Sylvie was overwhelming. My mind raced with questions and possibilities.

"Lady Sylvia and Lady Saphira..." I muttered under my breath.

Windsom's expression was solemn as he listened to my words. "The daughter of the highest position of power in a land of deities and the strongest deity..." I continued, my voice trailing off as the weight of the situation sank in.

I lowered my head and clasped my hands together, trying to process everything. "My mother.... she was killed by one of those horned demons," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Windsom's brow furrowed in confusion. "Black horned demons?" he asked.

I nodded. "The ones you call Vritra. I call them that because of their appearance."

Windsom's expression softened slightly, and I could see a glimmer of empathy in his eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that, Lord Alistair," he said.

I shook my head. "It's alright. I just... I didn't know any of this."

Windsom placed a hand on my shoulder. "Lady Saphira undoubtedly put a seal on you in order to hide you from the Vritra Clan," he said. "The same can be said for Lady Sylvia. She must have also placed a seal on her daughter in order to hide her. That is also the reason she doesn't have a humanoid form."

"Wait, a humanoid form?" Arthur asked while his gaze darted from Sylvie to me to Windsom repeatedly.

Windsom nodded his head, "In most cases, deities have three forms: a humanoid form, a draconic form and a third form that has aspects of both."

"So does that mean deities are usually born in a humanoid form?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Yes. Our draconic form uses up a lot of our mana so we spend most of our time in our humanoid form. However, just like how I can shift into the form of a smaller animal, Lady Sylvia's daughter seems to be in that form to conserve energy. Your draconic form must have been sealed by Lady Saphira, and that may only break once you break past a certain stage."

"You keep referring to her as Lady Sylvia's daughter, but she has a name. It's Sylvie. I named her after Sylvia," Arthur pointed out.

As the reality of my identity sank in, my mind was consumed with questions. Was I half-Asuran? Was I even human at all?

"Lord Alistair," Windsom's voice brought me back to the present. "As the heir to the Claxter clan, you are one of the most important individuals to us. Your true potential lies in your Asura heritage, and your training with other members will allow you to wield the true power that caused Lady Saphira to be feared as the most powerful Asura ever."

"Real training," I repeated in a daze.

"Yes," Windsom confirmed. "It seems that you have only utilised a fraction of the powers available to those from your clan. Your journey to Epheotus will be one of discovery and learning. You will be trained in all aspects of Asura power and combat."

While I was trying to wrap my mind around my situation, Arthur asked more questions.

"So since Sylvia, the daughter of a very important figure to you deities, did give her will to me, that makes me automatically involved in this upcoming fight that you guys are most likely going to have with the Vritra Clan and co., right? Also, the fact that Sylvie, the granddaughter of the so-called very important figure, is bonded to me begs another question... Are you planning on taking her back to Epheotus?" Arthur asked Windsom with narrowed eyes.

"Yes. Dumbing it down quite a bit, that is the essence of what I explained to you. You may or may not have figured out just how mysterious and powerful Lady Sylvia's powers are. Even if you were able to unlock some of the mana arts only she could use, I doubt you were able to tap into a fraction of her true abilities. Arthur, even Asuras would drool in greed at the thought of receiving Lady Sylvia's powers. While even she wasn't able to fully control them, her powers had...have the potential to outstrip her father's." There was a look of longing and respect in this Asura's eyes as he explained all of this.

"As for taking Lady Sylvie back to Epheotus, while that was indeed our immediate preference, we have decided on a different route. Arthur, Lord Alistair, we will be entering into war with the Fallen Clans, the forces led by Agrona and his Vritra Clan, soon. After the last war, both sides sustained immense casualties and had no choice but to settle for a truce. Agrona agreed not to touch Dicathen, but in return, we had to give up the Continent of Alacrya to him.

|Arthur|

"While our forces may have stronger powerhouses, they possess too many unpredictable factors with the experiments they had time to explore during this period. The truce is losing its power as the Fallen Clans continue to grow their troops. We have already found traces of Agrona's troops in this continent. While the upper echelons of Epheotus would never verbally admit it, we need help, and your future potential can play a crucial role in this. As long as you, Arthur Leywin, agree to be our ally, there will be no need to separate you from Lady Sylvie."

Even though Windsom was asking me for a favor, the way he looked at me dead in the eye made me feel like he was presenting me a role of the highest honour.

He had me. There really wasn't much of an option for me to choose. Even though Alistair was the next head of the Claxter clan, that clan still falls under the Indraths and thus he cannot oppose the will of Sylvie's grandfather. If I declined him, he would forcefully take Sylvie away and Dicathen would still most likely end up becoming war torn. With that, my family and friends would be in danger whether or not I became their ally.

He was basically implying that I was going to be involved in this war one way or another. The choice was up to me on how directly I wanted to fight against our mutual enemies.

Letting out a scoff, I agreed. "Since this war involves the entirety of this continent anyways, I would be an ally to you whether I agreed or not today. Rather, what you are asking for is if I can be a pawn under your control."

"I can't disagree with your statement. You're wise for your age, Arthur," Windsom smirked. "I take it by your answer that you agree to our proposal. This war will change the entire balance of this world. If Agrona and his forces are able to take over this continent as well as all of its resources, there will come a time when even Epheotus will be in danger. That being said, we will need to prepare you. Your mana core is rather well-developed for your age, which is a good sign. But training you will have to come after you're able to at least reach the white stage. With the resources we will provide you and your comprehension skills, I can't imagine it to take too long. After that, we will need to take both you and Lady Sylvie to Epheotus to train under the most optimal cond—"

"Hold on, I'm going to Epheotus? Your home? The land of Asuras?" I nearly shouted, flabbergasted.

"Of course. Do you think that my master will stand idly now, knowing that he has a granddaughter? Arthur, you are the last one to have seen Lady Sylvia. On top of that, she has passed on to you, her mana signature. You may not realise what that means but to us Asuras, it would be metaphorically pulling out your own mana core and giving it away. If she was forced into a state where she had no choice but to do this, we have no choice but to assume she has passed away."

I didn't answer.

"There isn't much I can help you with directly for now except provide for you some resources to strengthen your mana core. During this time, I also have things to investigate and prepare for. I will continue to drop by from time to time and check up on you, whether I let you know I'm there or not will be at my discretion."

"Okay, since it seems like this whole meeting is coming to a close, can I just ask you two things?" I held my hand out to stop him.

"Go ahead."

"How come it took so long for you to find me? If her mana signature basically transferred onto mine, wouldn't either you or the Vritra Clan have pinpointed me pretty easily?"

"Because of that," Windsom pointed at my arm. "When she first passed on her will, or mana signature, to you, it didn't show right away. You probably went through a phase where you had to get your body accustomed to it, right?"

I just nodded at this.

"Well after it did, I'm not sure how shortly after her daughter was released from her seal but when you put one of Lady Sylvia's feathers around your bond insignia, it hid the presence of her will. I'm sure you only put that on your arm to hide the insignia mark or maybe because you thought it made you look cool—"

"It was to hide the insignia mark," I immediately replied.

"Nevertheless, you did well in doing this." Windsom shook his head. "What is your second question?"

"Why are you not taking Gary and Lancelot for training?"

Windsom let out a heavy sigh before meeting my gaze. "Gary and Lancelot are undoubtedly talented, but they lack the transcendent gifts that you and Alistair possess. With proper training, the two of you have the potential to surpass them."

"Now then, I'll let you go to your destination. I am sure that the elf princess is missing her prince."

The three of us wordlessly followed the Asura as the room we were in began distorting once more.