Not the only one

Ugh!

A ray of light shone on my face, jogging me awake.

I looked at the windows, which presented a bright sunrise. 

Usually, I didn't even sleep much but the mental satisfaction I had from torturing the human who insulted my parents did give me a really good night's sleep. It felt so good in fact that I used it as a lullaby to send myself to sleep, even now, I could feel as my shadows torture him endlessly before healing him again and repeating the cycle. 

Not only that, I had also gotten quite a bit of intel from him.

YAWN…

I get up from the bed and go to the window, absorbing the city below growing progressively livelier.

.

.

.

Minutes pass as the sun fully rises and becomes visible in its entire glory, the streets grow boisterous, while I quietly watch this from above, a smile housed by my face. 

I went to the washroom, got a quite bath and wore my signature purple kimono before leaving my room since I informed that I will not be needing any attendants.

I went through the empty hallway, humming to myself as I stopped seeing an unfamiliar face come into my vision.

The figure was undoubtedly a man, he had light blonde hair with a small darker circle on his forehead. His grew eyes landed on me, having a certain weight to them that I could not just dismiss. (Image here)

"Who might you be?"

His tone was not pressurizing, if anything, it was gentle. But the sheer Authority and dignity with which he carried itself would have made even me intimidated had I not broken through before I came here.

Without a doubt, he was the King of the Nasca Monarchy.

"It's Michikatsu Archos, Your Majesty" 

I bowed a bit. It was not wise to act rashly in such a situation without knowing what sort of person the other was.

"Are you Reynold's Child?"

"Yes, Your Majesty"

I saw his lips curl uphill, forming a slight smile as his eyes softened. 

"There's no need to use formalities when alone. You are part of the family"

"O-okay"

I was honestly surprised. Seeing my mother's reaction to meeting them, and seeing how Dad was treated, it was very likely that the King was not fond of my Father, especially mother, but seeing him up close brought a fickle of doubt to my heart.

I could detect lies from even someone like Athena, and as far I was concerned, his reaction towards me was genuine. 

"Let's go meet up with the rest"

I began following the king, who I didn't even know the name of.

As we walked in the silence, he slowly let his feelings out.

So, the King, or Marco Nasca as he introduced myself, was from what I could tell an extremely benevolent ruler, a bit too much in fact. Whenever a decision was to be made, he kept the people of the country his highest priority.

So, when Dad had killed the bitchy Commander who tried to molest Mom, the people started an outrage, since the commander was viewed as some kind of hero as he played a huge role in a war in the past.

So in the end, Dad had revoked his status as the Crown Prince and left the kingdom and visited his family every now and then. 

"Let's go in" 

We approached the Arena. I raised my eyebrow with curiosity. There was no one here besides us and the 2 guards that were standing by the entrance, who I swear were not present yesterday.

"Do you have a blade?"

I nodded.

"Good"

Signaling a guard to come here, he told me to spar against him.

"Why don't you draw your blade?"

"There's no need"

Grandfather smirked. 

I turned to my opponent whose eyes twitched. Probably since I said that I didn't need a sword to defeat him. 

Your eyes locked, we waited for the other to make a move, his sword draw and me just standing there casually.

I knew that the gap was large between us, since I had already analyzed him.

In a flash, he rushed towards me, his sword flowing swiftly, headed to my throat. 

Is he rushing carelessly because he thinks I am a mage?

I let out a smirk, and raised my hand to block his blade. As the blade makes contact with my arm, it shattered, leaving him with a flabbergasted expression. (Image here)

Then, pulling my fist back, I gave him a punch, sending him flying backwards with a huge boom and a gust of wind. (Image here)

As the dust cleared, we could see the guard lying their unconscious bleeding all over.

…Did I go too far?

"Take him"

Following the King's order, the other guard picked up the unconscious one and took off, likely to an infirmary.

"Are you a brawler?"

"No, I am basically someone who knows a bit about all kinds of weapons and technique"

"Is that because of your Unique Skill?"

"Yes"

I lied again, not wanting to reveal my cards.

"Then how about taking me on?"

I was surprised, though not too much. While I had already anticipated that something like this would happen, I thought that he would take another test for me first.

"Yeah"

"Then try dodging this"

Numerous spikes of earth manifested around me, as if caging me in, before rushing at me with great speed.

Summoning Tsukuyomi as a katana, I get in position.

"Moon Breathing: 18th Form, Crescent Moon Web"

As if teleporting, I found myself in the air, but as soon as I touched the ground, all the projectiles disappeared as if they disintegrated.

This was the 18th Form that I developed, which was the improvement of the move I used in the battle against my Aunt as a 4-year-old child. It gave me a tremendous boost in speed, which I used to cut everything in a given radius to parts so small, they are invisible to the naked eye. (Image here)

I looked over to my grandfather, only to see him looking at me with wide eyes.

Then letting out a sigh, he gave me a smile.

"I guess we should postpone our spar for a bit. This place is too cramped for one"

I guess seeing my attack just now made him realize that there will be a lot of collateral Damage in a fight.

Then, motioning me with his finger, he called to follow him to the door.

Rushing there, I unsummoned my Tsukuyomi, and stopped right before him.

"Well, I can't spend more time with you. I am truly sorry for that, but I must take my leave"

I was not an idiot; he was a king with an enormous amount of responsibilities, so it was best to let him be.

"Okay, Grandfather"

He gave me a soft smile, and then turned away.

I watched him go as he took a turn to the left, but stopped right before his figure was entirely blocked by the wall.

"Oh and Michikatsu, make sure to cover your tracks properly when you sneak out at night"

My eyes widened. I was to call him out but by the time I could, he was already gone.

A sigh escaped my lips, before I muttered.

"Damn old man, you're not as easy as you look"

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< < p>

I found myself in front of another door. 

I had spent several minutes trying to find something interesting, but could not. So in the end, I decided to find my Dad to see if he had something to do, which led me here.

Opening it, I see a room filled with all the family members from my paternal side that I currently knew except my grandfather.

They all seemed seated while facing a little blonde girl who was…sleeping?

"Oh Michi, you are here"

Uncle Sumiro called out, his voice a bad bit less energetic.

"Y-yeah"

So, does anyone want to tell me what's happening or what? 

I look around to see Claude patting on the chair beside him, where I went and sat down.

"So you see", Uncle Sumiro started, "This is my daughter, Artoria."

As he went on, I came to find that this blonde girl sleeping besides me on her comfortable bed was my cousin, who almost 10 years ago fell unconscious while meditating and she never woke up from. (Image here)

I could see his sadness as his longing eyes gazed at his daughter, who her mother had managed to bring in this world even at the expense of her own life.  

After a bit of silence, I felt Dad's eyes land on me. 

"Michikatsu, you can probably heal her using the Dao of Reincarnation right?"

I felt sudden gazes on myself, as Uncle Sumiro gaze looks at me with a glint of hope. After all, beneath that happy exterior was a sad man who was trying everything he could to bring his daughter back.

"I can tell you what the real problem is but I can't guarantee that I will be heal her at my current level"

I stood up, moving to the bed. Before I did anything else, I glanced at my patient's father, asking for permission to continue, to which he nodded.

Putting my hand on her forehead, I injected a small amount to Yi in her body, to scout out any problems that may have haunted her.

Huh?

I felt a strange yet familiar sensation in my Yi. Digging in deeper, I found something that led me baffled, and left my eyes widened in surprise.

Yi? How does she have it?... Wait, is that a dantian?

Surprise clear on my face, I turned to Dad.

"Dad", I gulped, "She's a cultivator"