Black String of Fate

*WOOSH*

"Huff, 998."

*WOOSH*

"Huff, 999."

*WOOSH*

"Huff, 1000. Whew, time for a break."

In the center of a large courtyard where nobody was present, an aged man could be seen holding a golden spear and practicing his Arts. A large gust of wind kicked up whenever he swung, destroying all the nearby small plants and flora. There was a reason as to why nobody was present except him, it would quite literally be a threat to their life to stay near his training grounds.

As he rested his spear, he sensed a presence approaching him. Without even turning around, he addressed the person in a warm tone.

"How have you been, Julian? What makes you come despite your princely duties?"

Julian, the second prince of the empire and one of the strongest contenders for the throne stopped in his tracks as he admired his father's ability to detect him. He sighed with a bittersweet smile, knowing that he will never touch the realm his father has reached.

"Oh, nothing much, can't I just come visit you from time to time? The 'princely duties' aren't that much."

"Tsk tsk, if you have free time when doing your royal duties, then you aren't doing them properly."

Julian gave a troubled laugh after hearing his father's remarks. He couldn't say anything back, as it was not a good idea as a prince to argue with the emperor.

"Haha, I'll keep your words in mind."

"You better do, I've noticed you're slacking off these days and depending on your sister too much. You know, I might as well give the throne to her if this goes on…"

Julian tried saying something, but he had no excuse. He knew any unnecessary comments would only displease his father. Internally, he also admired the craftiness of the emperor. It was an open secret that the youngest was his favorite, but he treated all his siblings with warmth and indirectly supported the competition amongst themselves.

'He knows all the dirty politics my siblings and I play, yet he doesn't interfere. I suppose he wants to raise a wise ruler, one who is familiar with the darkness of our realm.'

"So, why have you come here? No excuse this time, Second prince."

Hearing himself be called Second prince let him know that the emperor meant business. Julian replied with proper formalities, being perfectly clear yet vague.

"I have come anticipating Seraphina's visit. I've become worried recently that she might be involving herself with things out of her league. She's even meeting up with suspicious individuals, I just worry for her safety."

The emperor gave a cold side eye, and that was enough to let the young prince know that he had been seen through.

"Julian… sigh, I guess with her being a solid competitor, you'll start keeping her in check. Well, it's the tradition of our royal family, so I'll let you stay here."

Julian bowed in thanks to the emperor. Now, he could see just who exactly is this powerful master aligning himself with the princess. She had fooled him once already by claiming to be in his faction, but all her actions have indicated to her using him as a stepping stone. He hoped that he could somehow get the mysterious master for himself, and once again restore the power balance.

Luckily for Julian, he didn't have to wait for long. In the distance, the silhouette of two people appeared. As they got closer, both the emperor and Julian could tell that it was Seraphina, and behind her, a cloaked individual with a sword hanging on his side followed.

When they got close enough, it became apparent that the cloaked individual was a young boy the same age as the princess. The boy took off his cloak and revealed a stern, handsome face with deep red eyes.

Both Julian and the Emperor were taken aback by the tyrannical presence the seemingly young boy emitted. While the emperor was not affected by it, Julian on the other hand became nervous and gulped.

"Greetings, father." Seraphina broke the tense atmosphere and greeted the emperor, temporarily taking away attention from Xavier.

"Hello there, Seraphina. I see that you have brought the guest over. Quite the impressive young man he is."

The emperor turned his attention to Xavier, and Seraphina mentally communicated to him to respond and greet him properly.

Xavier took this opportunity to greet him the only way he knew. He clasped his fist in his front and bowed, giving him a martial greeting.

"Greetings, Emperor of Souvell. I'm Xavier, a four-star swordsman who has taken the oath."

Silence settled in the training grounds after Xavier gave his introduction. Both Seraphina and Julian were utterly confused by the greeting said by Xavier, but the emperor on the other hand… he was wide-eyed with shock and disbelief.

"...You know, joking about these matters in front of me is asking for a death sentence. You are a four-star swordsman who has taken the oath, you expect me to believe that?" The emperor said in a grave and heavy tone. His grip on the sword had subconsciously tightened, and the pressure he emitted gave chills to the royal siblings.

"I don't lie about these things, Grandmaster. Though I am weakened right now, I can still prove my claims." Xavier replied back, without being affected at all by the chilling pressure. In fact, he felt disdain in his current situation, having to prove himself in front of a mere Grandmaster.

"Um, what exactly is a four-star and the oath?" Seraphina timidly asked, breaking the tense atmosphere once more. She, being a magician, had no idea about these warrior-esque terms used between these high-level players.

"Well, the oath refers to the True Force, and the four-star thing… I'll explain it later, it's similar to the elements of a magician." Xavier replied concisely to Seraphina, and the emperor nodded in agreement.

"Well, since you really know your stuff, I will give you a chance. Not many are aware of the difference between a warrior of Force and True Force.

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