“Who am I? I am-”

All the fire was absorbed by Solaris that was behind of the now visible red-haired Demon astounded by Solaris.

The Demon by the length of his half-grown horns was a teenager, and he was large and muscular. His square face together with his thick straight eyebrows exuded a masculinity that made me immediately know whose son he is and how the street was empty.

He uselessly swung his stiff short hair and glared at Solaris with his bulging dark brown eyes. “Girl, you are quite something to be able to destroy my Destroyer Masculine Red Flames of War. But I don’t have time to a flat woman like you, come back at me when you are older.”

What is this guy saying? And how can your naming sense by so bad?

I don’t think Zorenyth would teach him these things, so probably was his bearded mother or he just learned it by himself.

“Now, let’s fight to the death, Hum-”

“Die.” Solaris produced a high-grade spear with the spearhead in flames and thrust at Zorenyth’s son with a clear killing intention in her eyes, not caring about the consequences of killing a Captain and a General’s son of our army.

“You will regret this! I am strong!” Zorenyth’s son used his big fire sword to directly confront Solaris’ thrust.

Wrong choice, buddy.

What will I do if he dies? His mother will go berserk.

Solaris sneered as she suddenly covered her spear with more Essence and her thrust broke the red-haired teenager’s Artifact Sword into small pieces.

Disbelief, fear, and then pure despair emerged on the face of Zorenyth’s son in this order as Solaris' thrust went at his throat to finish the job. He couldn’t move and won’t anymore if the spear compressed with all Solaris’ killing intent and Essence arrive at his body.

But thankfully that bearded woman wasn’t stupid enough to let her son freely walk alone in this capital full of hidden masters.

Before Solaris’ spear touched Zorenyth’s son, a gigantic - I am seven years old, everything is big to me, so stop complaining - shield with a lion’s symbol on it, protected Zorenyth’s son from encountering the Soulkeeper.

“I would like if you don’t kill my son, Maid.” Hucleia, Zorenyth’s wife, surged from the shield with her burnt beard as always highlighting her presence.

Hucleia with her face and eyebrows exactly equal to her son, said to Solaris with the same tone her son used. “Girl, you are quite something to be capable of destroying my son’s Artifact. But now you are facing the Ninth Captain of the West Frontier!”

The mystery was solved.

“You talk too much.” Solaris aimed her killing intent now to Hucleia since Zorenyth’s son was with his butt on the ground while gasping for air similar to someone having a heart attack.

My head hurts just thinking about the political problems that will rise and annoy me after a Captain dies by underestimating a seven years old Demon Princess.

It’s time to stop this. “Hucleia and Solaris, stop this stupid fight right now!” I raised my voice and used Augmentation to cover my whole body in a pure white Essence, making them focus their attention on me. “One of you is a Demon Princess and the other a Captain, you two are part of the pillars that sustain this country, what image will our government give to our citizens if the pillars began to fight between themselves instead of against the two Humans Empires?”

A round of applause sounded from the houses and alleys together with the normal Demons’ complaints. “That’s right!”

“Tell them, Demon Prince Alexander!”

“I need to work at night, but I can’t even leave my house. Ninth Captain, what will I do if I lose my job because of you?!”

“I have a date! Let me free, Macho Woman!”

I understand your urgency, but calling her of that was over the line.

Look at Hucleia.

She is beet red and almost crying.

“We will continue this later.” Hucleia picked her son and hurriedly entered Infarcerio’s mansion while stifling her tears.

… Now I am feeling bad.

Solaris calmly walked to my side without caring about the others Demons’ complaints and expressionless said. “Now that grandpa will grump again about the carriage, it sucks to ask him every day a new carriage small enough to let me drive.”

“Good luck.” We walked to the mansion as the street began to fill with people again.

“Why must I be the one to ask him? He likes you more than me.”

“It’s true he likes me and I also like of sitting on those leather seats, but the only reason we use the small carriage without the rest of my personal guards, isn't because of you like of spending some time alone with me?”

Solaris flinched and I continued. “So it’s your responsibility to convince him, since for me I can use the Royal Carriage with my guards without any problem.”

“... Fine.”

The sun went down and the night began to be ruled by the eternal crescent moon together with the blue lamps that gently guided our way with their vibrant glow. Blame Mother for this description, the night is the time she most likes of the day. Something about ‘the night releases my true nature’.

We passed the mansion’s guards and the maids told us. “Master is waiting in the Throne Room.”

I thanked them and let them guide the way.

Throne Room is how any place with the role of ‘serving a leader’ is called here on Stroudor. This is exceptionally in the case of this mansion and the Holy Silver Castle that are actually just an Artifact shaped into a house and castle’s form.

The person controlling the Throne Room of an Artifact can access strange special functions, I remember seeing an option to spy on the female restroom in my Throne Room.

Why does it have this useless option? Mother refuses to tell me the reason and Father is occupied training his new disciple in Shien Blye, the country of the Maroeltha’s offsprings, to answer me.

“Welcome, Alex. I am sorry that my useless son and impatient wife had perturbed you and even destroyed a carriage from the Grand Blacksmith,” Zorenyth said, welcoming us to the Throne Room with his ever-present frown.

“No problem, Solaris will in some way arrange another.” I shook hands with Zorenyth and turned to Hucleia that was wearing a smile behind him as if what happened in the street never happened. “Hucleia, sorry for what happened earlier. It wasn’t my real objective, I just wanted to stop the fight.”

“It’s fine, Your Highness. It was my fault for wanting to see how my son would fight against you and forgetting about the little monster at your side.” She said, laughing and playing with her burnt beard. “So… what do you think about my son, Ruaidhri? Is he strong enough to one day become a Demon Prince or a Captain?” She made an army’s hand signal of ‘look around’.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Obeying her, I observed the scarlet colored room. It had adornments of flames surrounding a lion that was eating itself with special words in a majestic gold below all the adornments, ‘For Strength, sacrifice everything, even your Flesh, and Reason. Do it and the Arcanum will answer you’.

On the canopy where normally is the throne, the Artifact controller, Ruaidhri was there sulking.

So that is the kind of relationship they have in this family, I can’t say it is a healthy relationship between the parents and the son. Though, I can’t badmouth them or intrude since my relationship with Mother is similar to them.

“Of course he is. At his age is incredible to him be already capable of Transmutation to summon flames and his Augmentation is really amazing. He cut the carriage in two!” I put more liveness than normal in my voice to motivate Ruaidhri.

“Although I can’t lie to you and say it is certain that he will become a Demon Prince. It is easy for him to become a Captain.” Ladies and Gentlemen, mixing truth in your lies always work.

Ruadhri stopped sulking and puffed his chest with pride, and Hucleia made a ‘thank you’ hand signal. Now, Solaris just need to stay quiet and… who am I kidding? There is no way she will do it.

“How laughable, that useless blob of muscles a Demon Prince or a Captain? There is even a chance he won’t even become a Lieutenant.” Solaris wasn’t of the forgiving type - this is what happens when you mess up with her carriage - and maintained a sneer while talking in a condescending tone. “He was only capable of cutting the carriage because it was made of weak materials to make it small enough to let me drive.”

Ruaidhri glared venomously at Solaris. “You only won because you cheated and hid your true Essence. I am stronger than you, there is no way I would lose in a fair and just fight against you, a mere impertinent child.”

“Fair? Just? What are those things? Are they edible or even a concrete thing?” Solaris laughed using the words I used against the Seventh Demon Prince in a bout. “The only thing that matters is to win. In a war would you be ‘fair and just’ against your enemy? And before you began to bicker, those words aren’t even mine. I learned them with His Highness.”

Why you only pick and learns the worst parts of me? Would kill you to be sometimes humble or considerate about a teenager’s fragile pride, or even a little gentle with your words? Look, he is almost attacking you.

“You little bitc-”

“Shut up, Weakling.” An oppressive Aura came from Zorenyth like a big red circle with an animated symbol of the lion eating itself covered the entire room.

Ruaidhri was brought to his knees and Solaris and Hucleia fought against the Aura to not let their knees arrive the ground. Though, if the Aura continues with the same strength they will become just like Ruaidhri, humiliated and hopeless.

Me? I am fine. Mother’s Aura when she makes me eat her food is more powerful, so Zorenyth’s Aura is just tickling me.

“The Weak and Losers have no right to complain. You searched for a fight on your own and lost. Dying is the most common resolution, but you were saved by Hucleia. For me, you could have died there and I would have at least a little of pride that you fought until the end. However, it didn’t happen. If I still haven’t another use for you or another heir, I would myself kill you to save the Infarcerio’s pride.” Zorenyth Augmented his Aura, making blood come from his son’s knees.

Ruaidhri was crying with a face that seemed to be screaming ‘I just wanted to you recognize me!’.

How do I know it? It is because this is the face I will make when I fail to answer Stroudor and Mother’s expectations in me. I until now have been able to do it by making new laws and constantly becoming stronger, but each time I do it the expectations of my next action becomes even bigger and drags me down like chains trying to bring me to the Abysm.

I am certain my fall will be even worse than Ruaidhri’s one.

So I can understand your frustration, buddy. However, don’t hate your father, Zorenyth is in this way for a reason I hope to have time to tell you. For now, let me help you. “Zorenyth, can you stop with your Aura? It will be a pain in the ass to stroke Solaris’ ego if her knees arrive at the ground.” I said pointing to Solaris that was making a strange pose under the Aura’s effect.

“That’s true.” Zorenyth’s Aura receded into him and everyone let out a sigh of relief. “The years training with your mother at the frontier hadn’t been capable of making you worthy yet of the first form of our Arcanum, Strength. But you finally became powerful enough to your mother let me use the Trial Portal. You have been called here because of it.”

He clapped and a whirling green portal appeared in a form similar to a Black Hole. Zorenyth turned to me. “Alex, this is the Trial I wanted to give you to receive the Clan Seal, this place can only be used when someone of the Infarcerio’s blood is close and haven’t yet completed it. However, as you already know, I and my son are the only left of our clan. And I have already completed it, so I was waiting for Hucleia’s permission.

“If you reach the end of the Trial Portal in two hours, I will give you the Clan Seal,” Zorenyth said before his son could complain or shout. “Ruaidhri, I just want to you to survive until then. You don’t need to reach the end, you are too weak.”

I and Ruaidhri stood side by side waiting for Hucleia to pick a watch to mark the time. “Alex, I have faith in your abilities, but you won’t reach the end if you talk some useless stuff with my son or without using your Arcanum Artifacts. Although you can’t use them well, they will serve to increase your attack power.” Zorenyth warned me, knowing about my plans to tell about his past to his son.

Well, next time then.

The symbols on my Noble Robe dully shone as they absorbed the World’s Essence and then emerged from my body in two forms, black and white gauntlets and a peculiar scarf that is more like only two pitch black pointed lines glued on my back shoulders because of how thin they are.

I ignored the wide-eyed Ruaidhri and entered the portal.

At my vision, two silver axes without a tinge of Essence came crashing down on me. “For now, let’s see how sturdy they are.” I let them cut at my neck, but they just bounced off on my body. “So it’s more or less high-grade normal weapons, I don’t need to worry about them.”

I tried to walk, but there was some kind of restriction not permitting me. I think I need to wait for Ruaidhri.

On some moments he appeared with his sword already suffering a process of Transmutation to transform his own Essence in flames. “Human, I will prove to my father that I am strong by reaching the end before you. It’s a race!” His dark brown eyes burned with determination after finishing of crying, probably Hucleia said something to him recover so fast.

“Buddy, if you want to compete with me, I don’t care. Let’s see then who will reach the end. If you win I will make you a Major and if I win you will have to let me become your friend and arrange some time to we talk alone. Okay?” I extended my left hand with the white gauntlet to him while a lot of axes came and bounced off me without stopping.

He gulped with fear for some reason and said. “I won’t touch the hand of some disgusting Human, but you can consider I have accepted your proposal.”

I shrugged and with my restrictions lifted, I stepped down with force at the gray tiles. They slightly cracked and the ‘wind’ created by my step buffeted away all the axes, permitting me to observe better this Trial Portal and search where is its end.

This Trial seems to be inside of a box with gray tiles surrounding everything, even the roof where there are lamps to illuminate the space only enough to you see some meters at the front.

I can see some obvious traps, however, since I can’t sense an Essence or Artifact’s pulse from them, they are useless against me.

I doubt a Trial from the ones bearing the Ninth Arcanum would be about carefully trespassing some weak traps, they were a prideful and hot-blooded bunch.

My objective at this level seems to reach the person or thing throwing those axes at me and smash everything obstructing me.

So considering their personalities... I just need to go forward and I will find what I am searching for. “I will meet you outside.” The world blurred around me as I made my first step using Essence and destroyed all the traps as I passed over them with my speed I can’t control yet.

“Wait!” I turned my head and I could see Ruaidhri trying to follow me, but when I blinked I couldn’t see him anymore because of how fast I am going.

I felt some itchiness at my chest and turned back seeing more axes coming at me with some Essence within them now. On some moments as I smashed some axes as a warming up, I saw my objective.

There was a hollow armor brimming with Essence throwing the axes, it was using Conduction to move itself and aim the axes so far away from me.

I am against the time and don't have time to play with this interesting toy.

So I charged up my fist with Essence and just smashed it into pieces.

It was easy to destroy the armor, but stopping myself was an issue totally different. Tiles and a wall at the end of this first level broke to reduce my speed enough to me control it.

This is a serious problem I need to fix, but Father said that as I encounter more powerful opponents I will gradually learn how to control myself and use my Styles together with my best element, Wind.

When I stopped, a clicking noise sounded and a light at my feet teleported me to what I assume is the next level.

I could hear a lively voice in my head. “To pass this level, you need to defeat one of the four most powerful Trials in this room, if you go to any direction you will end up finding them. Or if you are some useless weakling that doesn’t deserve to live you can try to survive in this room full of Trials for two hours to pass the level.”

This family really likes to call someone of a weakling.

Trials or being more precise, Rogue Maroeltha’s offsprings appeared at my front with their Essence already prepared to kill me. I could see a great diversity of species that can actually hurt me, so I concentrated on the World’s Essence to cover my body and Augment it to fight.

“Now it became a real trial to me surpass.” I indulged myself in the thrill I am not usually allowed because of Solaris and Mother.

This is a fight where I can die if I am weak!

“Come at me! I will kill all the ones that stand in my way.” I laughed as my careful side honed by political schemes and my days surviving in Shien Blye slowly was put aside, but not abandoned. “Who will be the first one to die?”