Lancelot Morningstar.
***
I have faced many foul creatures over the short course of my life. I have seen things that children should never bear to witness, much less adults.
I have fought and killed monsters. I just came face to face with one. A monster. Though, one only in name.
Amun was kind to me. He was fearsome. Yet, he never made me fear him. Even when he used the light or whatever magic he used to... consume my light. It was more… shocking. I was surprised. Then, I was determined. Then... I was relieved.
I was not rigid in my beliefs like my family. Deep down, I always knew our power would not be ours forever. It could not. Our light had been spread too thin. While our family remained the purest light, Sirius soon became the brightest. Polaris became the most radiant. And Rouge, Drake, and Orion shared our heat, albeit in different forms. But only we were stars. Innumerous.
We were like rabbits in an endless plain. It was only a matter of time before someone else was born with the Light. But even that could be handled. Even that could be attributed to forbidden love or a bastard child. Being given it as a magical affinity was another matter entirely, however. Such things were granted by the Gods. We mortals were not ones to object to such things. Besides, if there was anyone in the Mortal Plane who I wanted to have it- nay, who deserved it, it was Amun. He was wise enough to know when to use it. He was intelligent enough to know how to use it, even better than us. I knew him enough to know he would not abuse it. And though we both possessed arcana, his Well ran far deeper than mine.
As did his convictions.
But of course, my family would not see it that way.
I have fought, and I have killed monsters. But no monster I’ve faced was worse than them. More capable of hate than them. It was them I was afraid of. My father most of all.
Like many parents of his stature had done, he invested his everything in me, including his failed ambitions. His lands were scoured for the best instructors in all facets of all things, all in the hopes that I would accomplish what he could not.
All in the hopes that I would conquer Nonus in the name of the light.
Or, in this case.
“Put the Nox back in their place beneath the ground. Make them understand they are to fester in the Darkworld, the Shadow Realm, and nothing more.” A pause, and then a demeaning sigh poured from his nostrils. “I gave you this one task, and all you have to show for it is an embarrassment.” He paused again, and I knew to turn my gaze upward to face one of his 'friendly' smiles.
I hated it. The amiability. The generosity that was there and yet was also a mask to hide the fury of a star. It was haunting. All I could do to get away from it was kneel, as my father would see turning away from him in any other way as disrespect. But that. Kneeling. That he loved.
“It is alright, my Son.”
‘Liar.’
“Now, we know the truth.”
‘Yes. This is what you wanted.’
“Still.” He sighed and I felt my heart drop. “You are not yet ready. Return home after you evolve, my Son. There is much work for us yet, and little time. I have found for you, the perfect Aasem.”
***
Amun.
***
“Alright. Take your seats.” With a wave, Doyle dismissed us to pick and choose what tables we wished to take and waddled off to join the teachers, instructors, and remaining members of the Optimus Regni in their terraced seating arrangements.
A mere three hours had passed since I healed the class. Since then, we returned to Campus and were released to freshen up and relax until Doyle came to retrieve us for the closing dinner. It was housed in the same room in which we drank the Bodhi Tree’s sap. Albeit structured differently to accommodate the larger numbers, though those present were sparser than what was seen at the beginning of the week. Dende, his dog, and his subguilds were gone. Evidently making the air a lot lighter for the rest of the Optimus Regni. Although Lance seemed stricken.
In itself, it wasn’t a surprise to me. But it was something worth noting. I had nothing against Lance, but if I knew humans, I knew he would or was being forced along with whatever his father’s plans were. That much was evident in his face.
“Attention!” Zorrenor’s call served to summon the attention of Page and guildsman alike. With a distasteful groan, I too turned to see him standing at the center of their terrace. His arms spread out to his sides while he turned to face both the Optimus Regni and us students. “While those of the Light had other business to attend to, their departing words were endless boasts of how the mid-year festival of Class 999 was the most interesting event many had seen in their lives.”
“Yeah.” I snorted. “Interesting.”
“They, and the guilds behind me, all wish to see your growth in the years to come.” Zorrenor continued. “Many of them will make contact with you in one year’s time. So ensure that you remain focused on your studies going forward.
"Now then.” He said after pausing to clear his throat. “For the team battles of Class 999, the winner is. None other than Copper Party!”
While everyone knew who the winner already was, the obligatory round of applause that ensued was nothing less than what was deserved. Even Lance was seen clapping. Though the thought that his actions were spurred only by his family’s absence remained apparent in my mind, it didn’t matter to me. I knew he and his father were different people entirely. Though for how long, was the question to ask.
“As the victors!” Zorrenor continued in an effort to dial the cheers down to a manageable level. “As the victors, each member of Copper Party is hereby awarded ten thousand points!”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Another wave of cheers ensued. This time from my party, myself included. Ten thousand points was undoubtedly a lot and would become essential to us next year, according to Doyle at least. Regardless, I was sure it gave my party members all the more reason to keep following me and gave the other party members the idea to start. However, they still engaged in another round of applause to show good sportsmanship.
“Additionally,” Zorrenor said once the clapping faded once more. “Each member, regardless of party, will receive five hundred points for every party member they’ve incapacitated. In regards to the free-for-all, the victor, with a kill count of fifty-four, it is none other than Amun, of Copper Party, who is awarded an additional ten thousand points.”
While Zorrenor seemed deflated as he announced my well-deserved victory, the rest of the room was not. My Party was the loudest of them all. They both congratulated me on gaining over 47,000 points from both matches combined and whined about how scared they were to suffer under Twilight. But eventually, that too died down and the attention was once again focused on Zorrenor Knagh, standing with an expectant smile as he scanned the class before him.
“While the Optimus Regni will be departing on this night, the Class Instructors will remain to give you introductory courses next week.” Turning, he paused to allow our eyes to gaze upon the mostly inhuman instructors in question before returning our gazes to him with a sharp sigh. “Many changes will come to you once those lessons pass. The most notable change will be the release of any restrictions set upon you. From then until the end of the semester, each of you will be free to explore the Wilds or the Mines. You may ask our teachers for guidance. Or you can create tools and weapons in the forge. Whatever it is the Class you seek dictates you need to do, you will be free to do it.” Zorrenor spread his arms and smiled greatly. “The second change is that attendance for your studies going forward is hereby optional. However." He added with a raised claw. "Completing the projects for Ms. Godzuik’s workshop class and accomplishing the tasks given by Mrs. Licht in her healing class are both mandatory.
“You all will learn more at the start of the week. For now and until then, I implore you to feast. Celebrate your accomplishments. Relax, explore, and enjoy yourselves for the rest of the week. You earned it.” With a final bow, Zorrenor returned to the small throne set behind the first-year teachers and summoned the crystals with a wave of his hands.
As always, the dinner was nice. But the cogs in my mind were working on things that took the time away. With our schedule for the coming semester confirmed, I finalized the butte’s design in Terranaut and created a training regimen in the Legions app. The endeavor wound up taking up the majority of the time to complete. The Optimus Regni had long since departed, followed by Zorrenor and the other Class Instructors, leaving our teachers and the students to file out in groups as the minutes ticked on.
With my work done, I motioned around the room to assemble my friends. Then dragged them, Peter, and Zakira outside and deep into the woods for a talk. As I hoped, Zakira and Peter got more acquainted with everyone else while we walked to an ambiguous clearing. Allowing me to get right down to business upon our arrival.
With light in my thumb and darkness in my middle finger, I snapped a domain of Twilight around us for concealment.
“Toril. Ed. Roheisa. Lucia. Jaimess.” I looked at them in turn, then stopped at Jaimess to study a feathered bracelet on his left wrist. “Nice bracelet.”
“Hm?” His eyes snapped down at once. Then he brought his arm up to study the piece. “Huh.” He muttered so softly, yet it was as clear as spoken words to my ears. “That was real?”
“Hahaha!” I bellowed, causing Peter and Zakira to jump in place and exchange a curious look. “It’s good to see you. All of you!”
“Yeah, you too.” Roheisa giggled.
“Same.” Ed sighed. “I just wish everyone else could be here.”
Everyone else. As in, Hill Base. “Yeah.” I looked away, nodding. “I wonder how they’re doing…
“Anyway.” I turned back to them. “I’m sure you’re curious about my encounter.”
“Definitely.” Toril nodded.
“I made a deal with the dragon. And, as you can see.” I motioned to the other two. “I made some friends. I’m sure you have as well, and we’ll all be able to share our stories soon. But…” I sighed. "Things are about to get serious.”
“How serious?” Roheisa asked.
“Lance’s dad and one of his dogs appeared before me when I returned from my encounter, along with a few others. Doyle, Olga, and the three elven Class instructors. Long story short, Dende Morningstar was rude so I was rude back. His dog, Titus, threatened me, so I threatened him back. I then told Dende about himself in a way he didn't like. And now, he knows I can use light. So, if he didn’t hate me before, I’m surely on his shit list now.
“That said, he’s on mine as well.” I continued before anyone could speak. “However, I’m not going to start a war just because of that. But should he or his dogs threaten me again, I won’t hesitate to end them.”
“How did they threaten you?” Roheisa curiously asked.
“Titus stepped up to me, baring his teeth and flashing his lightning. So.” I shrugged. “I did the same with death lightning.”
“Wow.” Roheisa shook her head. “I knew I wouldn’t like them. So, what happens now?”
“Well, firstly. I won’t make my subordinates fight my battles for me,” I said. “You all will have the choice if you wish to fight or not. That goes for any conflict we engage in. Regardless, we begin training like never before. I’ve copied every book in the library. The Tales, the Tomes, and the Paths.” I tapped my head and grinned madly. “With that information, we’ll gather any of our classmates who want to join the guild and take their pledges. Then we’ll train them to awaken Master Classes come our evolutions. Later, they will become either Legion commanders or your first officers.” I gestured to the lot of them before I made a holographic map of the southern peninsula with pale light. “Through Doyle, I learned that we’ll be given Wise Rock Pebbles after our rituals and be sent off here to level our classes on our own.”
“I thought that was a reward for the Guildmaster course?” Peter asked.
“The pebble we get then will be for our Guilds,” I said. “These are for our towers. They’ll give us a place to live while we roam this place. Additionally, we’ll be given a brooch that’ll give us access to campus. That aside, I learned that towers can be un-rooted or rooted,” I explained with holographs of two towers, one smaller and unassuming and the other larger and grandiose. “The former is portable but lacks a permanent design. Each time it expands to size, it will copy whatever materials are nearby to create the design in your head. On the contrary, rooted towers boast an outer yard, and their interiors can be changed at will, but the structure can't be moved.
“So, here’s my plan.” I sent out an orb of moonlight with a wave and watched it split apart into a dozen different shapes. “While you all take the first few steps down your paths, I’ll be here, in Bakewia, learning how to make enchantments. Once I do, I’ll be making these.” I pointed at the orbs.
“Holy fucking shit.” Ed gasped.
“Yeah.” I snorted. “With this, we get the best of both worlds. At that point, the goal will be to roam the lands whenever you find yourselves able to recruit subordinates of your own. Have them pledge their loyalty and send them to your towers with your Doppelgangers for training. Keep them there- have them work for you until our time here is done. And if we have to go to war after that, we will.” I sighed. “But I’d much rather return to Maru.”
“Hopefully Polaris doesn’t fuck everything up.” Jaimess sighed. “Unlikely though that may seem.”
“Yeah." I sighed. "Keep in mind, these things are subject to change. But the only things we can do for now are train and continue gathering information. You all can leave the latter to me and focus on the former. Here’s the second step to that.” I changed the hologram to the surviving butte we started the day at, albeit rendered in its completed state. “My Doppelganger and the undead are still there, working in a time-dilated domain. After next week, we’ll be joining them along with anyone who wants to join.
“So spread the word. The deadline to join as the highest-ranking officers in the Legions is next week. Come our evolution, it's staff officers only. We're working from the top down here.”
"Easy enough." Toril nodded. "But, uh... what's the first task?"
"That's also my responsibility." I grinned at him, then turned my smile to Jaimess. "All I need is several thousand sheets of paper."