CHAPTER 9

THE PROPERTY STONE

  Rudolf's patience had worn thin with Samwell's incessant meddling. He had never intended for Hans to learn so much, not until he was ready to face the consequences. His dissatisfaction was palpable, his aura crackling with electricity as he was like the eye of a storm. The surrounding winds howled in support of his fury, adding an ominous soundtrack to the tense atmosphere.

In a low, menacing voice, Rudolf declared,

In two years' time, I shall return. And the first fool to ask me about Sunstone or any other nonsense shall feel the bite of my sword, unseasoned.

  Samwell could feel the weight of Rudolf's wrath bearing down upon him. He raised his gaze to the sky, hoping for some sign of respite, but instead, the thunder rumbled in his ears like a warning. He knew it was time to leave, to retreat far from this place of turmoil and unrest. So all he could do was nod and accept his words. They had arrived early in the morning, but the meeting had dragged on for the entire day, with no end in sight but Rudolf's menacing yet positive response gave him some satisfaction

  The night always fell early upon the Ghost Isles, its inky blackness enveloping everything in a shroud of darkness. And tonight was no exception - if anything, the night seemed to bring with it a sense of foreboding that Samwell and his companions were unaccustomed to. The king had wanted to speak with Hans some more, sensing some inexplicable connection between them, but the boy had already succumbed to sleep.

  Disappointed, Samwell surveyed his eerie surroundings, a creeping feeling of dread worming its way into his gut. His instincts urged him to leave this place, and he knew better than to ignore them. Hastily, he ordered his knights to fix the SpaceDoor portal and bid farewell to the elders, eager to depart before the night's horrors could fully take hold.

As the unknown guests departed, Sierra heaved a sigh of relief and buried her face in Rudolf's broad chest. Drawing comfort from her husband's embrace, she ventured to speak. "Can we trust Samwell's words?" she asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Rudolf's gaze softened as he looked down at her. He replied,

For now, it seems like the best option, Parv has little contact with other places, so it's possible to avoid them to some extent. But we can't rely on that forever. Hans is the best bargaining chip anyone can have on their throne.

Sierra nodded in agreement, snuggling closer to Rudolf's warmth. He tightened his arms around her, chuckling softly at his wife's childlike behaviour. But then, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

He said as he mused aloud,

I still find it hard to believe that the 'Rules of the Good Nation,' which Sam wrote down to pass the time, turned into something that Parv's old snakes follow to the letter.

Sierra's surprise was evident as she asked,

What did he write in that book?

Rudolf's expression darkened slightly as he replied,

The last time I checked, it was incomplete. All he said was that he was writing about what he would do if he became a king. I thought he was joking, but it turned into something serious.

Leading Sierra to their chambers, Rudolf continued,

I was scared for Hans; I thought he would have a hard time accepting it.

Sierra's voice jumbled as she kept her firm grip, embracing her husband,

He's not showing it, but this must have surprised him.

Rudolf nodded, then added,

The more we ask, the worse he will feel. So we just need to distract him, and he'll forget about it in no time. The boy has no notion of race anyway.

  The couple drifted off to the dreamlands, and the weather outside seemed to calm down as if it were respecting their time of rest. But as if with a snap of a finger, dawn broke, and Rudolf sneaked into Hans's chamber, rudely rousing the boy from his slumber. As expected, Hans was not pleased.

"Oh dear god, give some fricking intelligence to this poor soul," he grumbled, rubbing his bleary eyes. He glared up at his grandfather's laughing face and continued, "Gramps, what in god's name are you doing? Would you like me to bother you when you make love to Granny?"

Rudolf's expression remained blank for a moment. He remembered that Hans had made a similar threat a year ago, but he knew he could handle the boy's silly bravado. Ignoring the threat, he spoke cheerfully. "Come on, you lazy brat. We only have two years," he said, pushing Hans to get up and start their training.

Rudolf was a man who never forgot a grudge and always sought to settle any score. He saw this as an opportunity to teach Hans some manners. As they stepped outside, Rudolf threw him a wooden sword that Hans caught it with ease, still rubbing his sleepy eyes.

Knowing his grandfather's intention, he said, facing him head-on,

I'm guessing you're going to beat me up today since I threatened you, Gramps

Hans let out a loud voice, calling for Sierra. When she arrived at the door, he turned to her and exclaimed,

Granny, watch closely. Today is the day I finally defeat this old man."

Rudolf's face fell, wondering if his intentions were that transparent to the boy. Seeing the confusion etched on his grandfather's face, Hans interjected with a hint of sarcasm,

Gramps, it's all written on your face. It's not hard to guess.

  Rudolf calmed down, but his frown was betraying his effort; as a grade 90 warlord, being caught by this brat was a blow to his pride. Yesterday was the only time he showed Hans his full aura and from today onwards, he was ready to prepare this brat for the harsh world he had yet to face. He ignored Hans once again and focused, and a bright purple veil of energy enveloped him.

Hans interrupted once again, this time asking,

Why is it paler than yesterday?

Aren't you observant? The intensity of the colour varies depending on how dense an aura is. Now shout it out to me, what does the purple aura represent?

Hans replied in a sarcastic tone,

Wow, such a tough question.

Rudolf got irritated and asked in a loud voice,

Just answer the damn question, you brat.

It shows that you have thunder mana property.

Right. So tell me about every type of mana?

Hans made a grumpy face. It was elementary knowledge that Sierra taught him in his toddler days. He indifferently answered in a textbook way,

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

There are three families of mana, first is Elementals, containing fire - bright orange, water - indigo blue, ground - light brown and wind which is pale green.

Hans paused a bit and continued,

The second family is called advanced containing Thunder - purple, ice - cyan, magma - red, wood - translucent.

Rudolf interrupted,

And the third one?

Be patient, gramps, I am speaking, aren't I? The third family is called Rare, dark with black colour and light with bright white. Satisfied?

Instead of Rudolf Sierra, who was silently looking at them, said,

There is another family called unrecorded having time, space, and divine property. I possess the divine mana, the one and only in this world. If we talk about space mana, we only found it in inorganic things like mana stones.

Hans was never told about this unrecorded family of mana, which made him think hard, but Sierra already answered what he was going to ask.

Time is the authority of gods and space magic doesn't exist in living things but gems and stones.

Hans was going to speak, but he got interrupted by her again,

And the rarest of the mana property is wood, there are only two recorded persons possessing that.

This time Hans didn't let Sierra get ahead of him and asked,

Then why is wood mana in advance, not unrecorded?

Because those who possessed it were well known in the world, one of them saved a nation from famine in the past. And in contrast to space which emerged only in inorganic things and the divine, which appeared only in the chosen ones. Wood mana occurs in some intelligent species of plants, and this mana also comes in abundant stones.

Rudolf interfered in their talks,

We are deviating from our real purpose here, the squeaky focus here.

Yes, sir.

Now tell me why knights exist.

Because of mages, isn't this why Sir Dietrich created the aura method?

Rudolf sighed and said,

Don't live in the fictional past, I am asking in the present-day scenario.

Hans stayed silent, so Rudolf answered,

To be a mage, one must have talent and be very good at it, but for a knight, talent matters little and only hard work makes a difference. For a long time, a person holding a single type of mana was considered useless, but when knights appeared, that stereotype vanished. Now the Knights have a large population of mana users.

Hans said,

Why are you telling me this, I have already decided to become a knight.

Rudolf sighed and said,

It's not up to you to decide what you will be until you awaken the mana property within you. A person must possess a single type of mana to form an aura, but what will happen if you awaken multiple mana properties?

He paused a bit and said,

Then you can kiss goodbye to your sword.

  This was news to Hans, he thought to himself, so becoming less talented was the only way to become a knight. He was praying for him to only wake a single type of mana. He was in a daze and Rudolf broke his daydream by giving him a glass pebble small enough to fit in his tiny hands.

Hans asked the old man,

It's a property stone. Can I awaken my mana now?

  Hans has been trying this procedure since he was six, but until this day, he hasn't awakened any kind of mana. He quickly gripped the pebble and just like every other time, the property stone refused to shine in any colour. The boy didn't get disheartened. After all, it was not his first failed rodeo. Everyone born in this world possesses some kind of mana, having none was unheard of. He said to Hans in a serious tone,

You have it inside you. Don't whine, I have a way, but it will be painful for you. Do you wanna try it?

Hans answered in annoyance,

Why didn't you tell me sooner?

That means yes, right squeaky?

Of course.

  Rudolf signalled Sierra, and she got ready to heal anything that might happen to Hans. The old man brought out all kinds of mana stones that he could find, except the Divine and the Time, for they did not exist, at least not to his knowledge. Hans asked in curiosity,

What do you want to do with these?

Rudolf showed a wicked smile and said,

We are going to jumpstart you by doping.

Hans took a step back and asked again,

Why do I think you are enjoying this, old man?

Because I am, now, kid…

  He broke the firestone into smithereens and asked Hans to inhale the powder. Hans did what he was told hesitatingly. When the powdered firestone entered inside, Hans felt a sudden headache, which almost split his head. He cried in pain and after a while, he calmed down with the help of Sierra.

Rudolf asked with a wicked smile,

Do you wanna continue? We have a lot to test, but for now, it is safe to say you do not possess fire mana.

Hans asked away,

Why?

Because if you did, you would have released the fire mana inside of you instead of almost peeing the pants.

  Hans looked down on his nether region and sighed in relief. Thankfully it was not wet. He glared at the old man who was laughing at him because he got him. After detecting another glare from his wife, he coughed and said,

This is the method we used to test late bloomers like you. So do you wanna continue?

Hans gulped his nervousness and said while showing false confidence,

Bring it on.

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