In the Empire, there are ten ranks that can be given to a citizen. Once that citizen reaches the 1st Rank, he or she will be able to receive an honorary noble status. The Rank 1 citizen may be promoted into a noble by going through military service and obtaining the lowest rank of nobility, the 7th Rank called Knight.
Every 6 months, the Empire starts recruitment to enlist some willing citizens. The recruits are to first undergo special training before they are dispatched to various parts of the empire to slay beasts and protect the territories of the empire.
"Citizens of Zone 9! The recruitment of military personnel will begin tomorrow at the Battle Arena at 7:00 in the morning." A manly voice alerted everyone as his voice reached every nook and corner of Zone 9 using a loud speaking device.
At this moment in time, Cray was doing his own preparations before he left for the Battle Arena. "35, 36, 37, 38....39...40!" He then lied face up after doing his final set of stretches. He had just finished a beginner level set of exercises that are said to be part of what trainee's encounter at the military. He learned this some time ago when his foster father was still alive, a friend of Charles who came from the military taught him this when he asked.
While panting, he remembered to head towards the Battle Arena at six in the morning for him to be early in case of anything that might happen to him while on the way. He can't afford to miss it after all.
He then thought of the reason why he's doing this. "Hannah...." I'll definitely return the favor that you guys showed me. He then remembered that he'd promise to go to Hannah's house to have a big feast before he left for the military.
While he was still lost in his thoughts he started to become a bit worried as he touched the necklace that hangs on his neck. He could still vividly remember the figure of the female AI who told him about his identity, about his real father and her warning of supposedly incoming enemies. "Ugh... Why doesn't it feel like a lie? Even though what she said is clearly absurd, it still makes me uncomfortable."
Cray then started to undress as he headed towards the bathroom to take a shower. But as he started to turn the knob he then felt dizzy. He had accidentally slipped and made a small concussion on his head after directly taking a hit from the floor. Blood started to accumulate as he lied there without moving. Just like that, he had lost consciousness.
In the midst of this, the necklace that was pressed against his chest started to emit a faint light. It then slowly began to shine brighter. Then came a soft humming sound. It slowly floated as if aiming for his heart it was just an inch away from stabbing its pointy tip. A strange mantra suddenly started echoing out from the necklace. "An eye for an eye, A tooth for a tooth! I'll slay your lies and show the world the truth!" Then the light gradually enveloped his body then it covered the whole room.
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Meanwhile, Hannah was just outside the door as she was asked to check on Cray as he might have already forgotten about the feast. As she was about to call out to Cray she saw a bright light that suddenly stretched out towards the heavens. The light didn't seem to show any signs of stopping soon so she went inside to look at the source of the light. When she did, she became surprised she saw Cray’s bloodied body lying cold on the floor. By then, the light that was being emitted from him had already stopped. His blood that had splattered on the floor had mixed together with some dark murky substances that seemed to ooze out from Cray's body. Without saying, this had really scared her.
"Cr-CRAY! What happened to you? Cray, please wake up! Oh no! Cray!" She repeatedly called out his name but upon a closer look, his body seemed to be fine without any hint of injury. In fact, it looked like his body became a bit more toned, even better than she remembered.
The beacon of light that had shone brightly suddenly stopped shining after a minute, but that was enough for those people who saw it from far away. To some selected minority they rejoiced, for this was a sign of the return of the son of an Einder. However, there was also a group of people who were infuriated for this was a sign of impending danger to the empire. The last time this happened was around 200 years ago when half of the empire was in the enemy's hands and was seemingly about to completely fall apart.
On a far-off island, a certain man was looking at the sky. "Clan Head! Have you seen the light? Isn't this what you were looking out for 16 years ago?" An elder had reported to a man who has a very muscular build yet still looks so noble and elegant. "Elder Bai, I have clearly seen it, prepare our men! Tiss the sign, the fall of the empire, and the start of the beacon of hope to us! Call out to our other allies! We must secure the Einder descent at all costs!" Just like how a ripple will appear if a stone was thrown into a calm pond, the whole island was filled with a never before seen vigor and excitement.
A similar thing was happening in the Capital when a man covered with a heavy-looking armor began reporting to the current emperor. "LeBran Hanz Brintin Emperor, Son of the Heavens, Almigh-"
"Spare me the honorifics Brian, Is this about the enigmatic pillar of light?" A man who seemed to be in the prime of his life replied to the man wearing heavy armor.
"Yes, your majesty. I'm afraid that this was what the late emperor had warned us about. It was said that 200 years ago a similar thing had happened and that was the sign that destruction is coming."
"SURELY, YOU JEST!" The man gave Brian a strange look and started to laugh out loud. "My great empire? Be it the heavens, none can fell the empire as long as I am still alive! Find out the source of the light! I'll show just how foolish it is to even think of it as something that great just because it has managed to scare off the empire of 200 years ago." The man had a crazed look on his face as he was actually looking forward to facing something worth his time, for now, though, all he could do was to observe the situation and make the appropriate countermeasures each adapting to the various possibilities that his new prey could do.
Seeing all this, the man who wore the armor felt the chills as he stared at the person he was serving. He thought on the back of his mind that it was a good thing that he wasn't an enemy of this person. Despite being quite strong himself, the thought of being one, simply made him shudder.