After Action XII Starlit Trials I

"The price of your heart is a heavy one, while dragon aspects are truly cruel, especially when it comes down to their trials. However, I like your character Ellis, and I believe you'll no doubt achieve what you dream for in the future"

"But I suppose that may take longer than either of us could truly expect, so I'll be giving you a choice, there are no consequences, and I ask for nothing but for you to achieve that dream?"

Bradley warmly suggested, surprising Ellis causing him to then shyly nod, until finally Bradley had explained such a choice.

That choice being he spend time at Mother Morgan's manor, and train or learn to his heart's desire if he truly wished while hinting at the possibly that she may have an idea if not advice to cure his blights.

While perhaps both he and the young prince could become friends as well?

There were now more boys within the celestial palace so Bradley hoped they could form a brotherhood or a sense of friendship between them, so much so he had plans for just that.

Surprising Ellis having felt the young princess was.. to put it simply a little monster? A cute one but still a monster with scary talent, bloodlines, and titles. Funnily enough Ellis still refused to believe the young prince was a prince.

Resulting in Ellis asking just that resulting in Bradley helplessly nodding before then explaining his special body, unfortunately Ellis still couldn't believe it!

It was the most absurd thing he had ever heard! Why was a Goddess come down from her heavens and pull that prank?!

Didn't she have anything better to do? Resulting in Bradley giving up and explaining that it'll be for the best that he learns that himself.

And soon enough after getting the reluctant permission from Elanor who reluctantly agreed, Bradley had soon informed Mother Morgan of these events.

Resulting in her happily accepting and opening a rift as she spoke to Vinny and handed Bona another platter of loafs of bread.

Resulting in poor Ellis after entering her rift being introduced to such a bizarre sight, before then ultimately being ignored by Bona while Vinny felt slightly disgusted after sensing a broken descendant of The Dragon Aspect of Dreams.

There wasn't any real grudge outside of the fact that Vinny simply didn't like her, her descendants outside a handful over many millennia lived miserable lives due to them never knowing if it was truly a trial or not.

The purer the bloodline the worse your time will become up until you pass one of the many trials.

So it wasn't that she held hate for her descendants rather she got tired of seeing them becoming broken toys and led into pointless death matches.

While this child seemingly has the purest she has seen, causing Morgan having had similar thoughts to lovingly wrap her arms around Ellis.

"My dearest Ellis, you must have endured a great deal. However, while my dearest Ellis is here, be it a god or a fussy dragon aspect of dreams, you needn't ever fear-"

Morgan lovingly reassured, before then finally being cut off by the ground shaking and something similar to that as a smite striking her.

Causing her after gently pushing sweet Ellis away to serenely stand up and look up to where the strikes originated from as her eyes glowed in a crimson ruby while her expression remained equally loving.

"Sweet Aspect of Dreams, sleep"

Morgan lovingly reassured, before then gently caressing the streaks made of pure white light resulting in it slowly dissipating in but moments, causing Morgan to lovingly smile as if lovingly reprimanding her child.

While Lady Vinny's eyes went black, in truth if Morgan hadn't soothed The Aspect of Dreams the way she did, Lady Vinny would have gone ballistic.

To dare even display such acts in her presence was an affront to her very being and while for all intents and purposes she wished to humiliate her.

Causing Lady Vinny wanting her to dare attempt to do so a second time to indifferently loom over Ellis.

Before then opening his mouth and pouring a aspect baptism potion made of the blood of a dragon aspect who had yet received an aspect down his throat.

And placing her hand on his neck and undoing the damage done from his first trial before then simply returning to her seat and coldly looking to where the strikes originated from as if looking into the face of the aspect of dreams hoping she'd act up.

Unfortunately she was either asleep or didn't care leaving Lady Vinny in an annoyed mood.

While Morgan lovingly shook her head as she reassuringly hugged Ellis once more as Bona as if not caring for anything that transpired to grab another loaf of bread.

All the while back with the now sleepy young prince and Blaire who were woken up by that nonsense to then adorably sit up.

Before then looking to each other with adorably sleepy expressions before then simply nodding and returning to their cuddling.

All the while causing Blaire to adorably yawn.

"We'll.. talk in the morning, you looked exhausted"

Blaire sleepily rambled, having remembered bits and pieces of when she opened the door. Causing him to sleepily nod.

"I love you"

The young prince sleepily rambled, having not even realized he hadn't switched the word you with Blaire. Causing Blaire to sleepily kiss his forehead before then finally falling asleep.

Soon enough the young prince had arrived in Jade's Room, unfortunately Jade and Mora had a new roommate.

Leaving the young prince in utter puzzlement as he saw a starlight elf princess or rather the remnants of one eating a sandwich with Jade while Mora enjoyed a hot bath.

The Starlight Elf Princess looked to be around the same age as Noel and wore a surprisingly mythical starlight silver and white nightgown with a matching bow around her neck.

Complimenting her long sparkling starlight silver hair, eyes, snow white skin, and cute pointed ears.

Giving her the appearance of a mythical princesses or rather in this case a royal of a mythical race?

Causing her after a slight pause to continue to eat her sandwich while staring at with an indifferent gaze. Such a mythical beauty, and such a mythical bully!

Causing Jade to to happily shake her head.

"Don't mind her, bestie! She's the fragment of a soul that lingered in that deed? Her fragment was originally supposed to merge with your own but because of my bestie's unique existence it couldn't! So seeing as I didn't want our new bestie to disappear I made her the body she previously inhabited!"

"I was lucky too, bestie! Instead of some lousy deed you now have the starlight elf herself! Of course she's only the fragment of her original soul but that's enough! The Starlight Elves were really advanced and played with souls on occasion so much so that they could control theirs and pressure others!"

"But even I don't know all the details since their disappearance? So maybe one day she'll tell my bestie-"

Jade happily explained, before then ultimately being shushed via sandwich, causing the starlight elf after stuffing Jade's mouth shut to shake her head.

"Shush, Jade Demoness, Jade Demons never learn to shut up. Even if I'm a fragment of my original soul and even if that's really true, to my recollection I'm only fourteen, and still very much Sterling Starlight, The Crown Princess of The Sterling Elves"

"Even if there are lingering fragments of knowledge I myself didn't realize I knew and glimpses of memories I have no recollection of remembering, why would I tell any of you? And if I created my tower in the future, why would I do so in the land of those ridiculous humans who call themselves a greater race?"

"What makes them greater than base humans? Having both golden hair and eyes doesn't make you great while they're only ever able to turn into second rate dragons with a shiny coat of golden paint"

"The same goes for the elves and their Starlight Silver Dragons who are direct rip offs of our Starlight Dragons. And what's with this ridiculous deed? Why haven't there been any Elven Princes until now?"

Sterling disappointingly pointed out, surprising both the young prince and Jade and causing the young prince to adorably pause as Sterling looked to him with unimpressed indifference. Resulting in the poor young prince to adorably shrug.

"I'm.. The First Prince of The Elves, High Elves, and Dark Elves, but I'm still a baby, big sister"

The young prince adorably confessed, causing Sterling to curiously contemplate.

"That's more disruptive than anything else, you'd think they'd each have their own by now, but the gods had really decided to kick the balance out of the equation. Thinking of equations, do me a favor and let me peek into your memories"

Sterling curiously suggested, causing the young prince to adorably nod before then crawling into her lap.

However what he hadn't expected was the fact that she didn't require mana, or any form of a spell to look through his memories, as if looking through his very soul by merely doing so.

She was neither a god or any related existence and yet she managed to do so with only a thought, so much so that he believed she was only being polite before since chances were she could do so with very little resistance.

Surprising her seeing as quite a few memories couldn't be assessed rather they were exclusively his, meaning he still hid the fact he was a god and any mentioning of it.

Resulting in Sterling merely ignoring that bit due to gods and their shenanigans weren't anything of value.

While his training, mentors, masters, and everything else about him were, causing Sterling after several moments to close her eyes.

"You've lived an interesting life Aurelius, but you're far too weak and lack experience, dedicated techniques, tactics, or anything else for that matter? You're empty, shallow, and have been handed everything on a golden platter"

"That survival training of yours was especially laughable. Finding Lady Frostma's Palace, having a partner for half of it, and having not only the gear, but the magic tools needed to survive. That's not survival training, that's merely camping in a unstable magic region"

"While your dragon forms are also quite laughable, you've learned so much and haven't made any use of it making you a mediocre prince with flashy titles and no sustenance. While your reckless nature when you do try to change that ultimately results in your entire effort disappearing to nothingness"

Sterling brutally criticized, causing the young prince having ultimately been humbled and ultimately thrashed.

Even if he was a Mid-Leveled Archmage, Master Assassin, and Sword Saint, that meant very little since he qualified through the basics alone.

And even if he had his dragon forms, those weren't going to save him in a genuine battle where death was on the line, while magic beasts unless Sacred Beasts were manageable at best.

Causing the young prince to hesitantly nod knowing it was the truth while Sterling contemplated even further.

"The Trial of The Starlit Flame, it's comparable to unique ancestral inheritances in the aspect that it's more comparable to a dream that could kill you and lasts for an uncertain amount of time while for us it only takes several moments. It could be weeks, months, or years"

Sterling curiously suggested, causing the young prince to adorably nod before then getting comfortable, up until he felt a single tap on his head resulting in him immediately passing out.

Unfortunately for all intents and purposes he had quickly learned that Sterling had purposely left quite a few 'important' details, such as it used his innermost fears, and hatred.

Meaning he was practically in his own personal hell on this made-up continent.

The first week was no doubt eventful, he had almost became a slave, almost got drugged and sold as a slave, and got beaten up by a random dragoness that stalked him and beat him up when he least expected.

While he had no money, he essentially sold his starlight silver nightgown for fifteen thousand gold.

But outside of an average black hooded huntress attire and boots for around two hundred gold in some backwoods shop run by a Wild Serpentess who was among those who had had tried to drug him.

There was very little else! It seemed this continent was wartorn, broke, and surprisingly diverse? Unfortunately much of it was either lawless, filled governed by nobles who supported slavery and even sometimes hired bandits.

Meaning outside of the wildness that contained sacred and legendary beasts and bandits.

It was slightly more pleasant however that's ignoring the orphanages who sold orphans, corrupt knights trying to get you to bribe them, or mages who had a supremacy complex.