Chapter 6
THE OATH OF SERVITUDE
As Hans marvelled the pledging platform, Arat asked Chris with a condescending attitude, “Your father must’ve told you what to do?”
Chris nodded politely and moved to the platform. As he stepped on, the magic runes lit up like they were welcoming him.
“Wow, so much theatrics.” Hans commented but Homar was giving him a stare that if he disrespected this sacred ceremony once more, he’d make him regret, so Hans shut up and focused on Chris, unsheathing his Incarna Sword. The one he got from Alliance treasury on behest of Rudolf.
He stabbed the centre of the pledging platform and the surrounding lit runes found their way to where his sword was stabbed. And through that the wisp of lights climbed all over Chris’s body like ants on sugar. Chris cried Hard, his voice determined, echoing, “I’m Christopher Holger, first born of the Holger family of Parv, here I swear my oath of servitude to my lord, Prince Hans Parv. May his reign be long and prosperous. May he find wisdom, justice and my sword always supporting him as his first knight. I vow to offer my knowledge, strength and my life if it ever needed. I pray to the god Osiris to give me strength so I could be true to my vows. Let me reborn as the Knight of Parv.”
Chris’s aura surged and the platform swallowed it up like a hungry beast. “Thud! thud! thud!” His heart began the rhythmic beating and the imperial bloodline activated, increasing his depleted aura. The tug of war continued between stone platform and Chris for a while and so does his agonising cry.
“Shouldn’t we do something about it?” Hans asked worried.
“There are battles that one must fight themselves. Don’t tarnish his resolve by some pity.” Homar whom Hans thought as a man who could never praise anyone, proved him wrong as he, the third strongest knight in the world, there was nothing but pride in his eyes as he marvelled the young knight on a path to prove himself.
Confused, Hans whispered to Arat, “What got him so excited?”
“People call everyone who can use aura as knight but not in Parv, prince.” Arat responded, “This is the land of knights and you can’t be called one unless you receive the God’s acknowledgement.” He then pointed to Chris, even his condescending tone was gone, “You see, that is the trial for knights. One needs to endure a minute or two to get acknowledged, but your friend is still fighting it for approximately ten minutes. The longer he endures, the higher blessing he’ll receive.”
Hans turned toward Chris and cheered him on inside. Soon, half an hour went poof, but Chris’s cries never ceased not his will showed any signs of backing down. All the Gryphon knights, Arat and Homar showed respect towards the young knight’s resolve. A popular saying of Genas was that the sins are not inherited, but it was rather opposite in Parv. However, it wasn’t impossible to wash them and to do this one, Chris has to get acknowledged by their God.
One more hour was passed and then, Chris started showing signs of fatigue, gasping, but it wasn’t enough to make him back down. His father had told him not to unless the god spoke himself. After some more enduring, Chris was on his last straws so he gathered all of his strength and bellowed, “I pray to the god Osiris to give me strength, so I could be true to my vows. Let me reborn as the Knight of Parv”
Suddenly the wind picked up and the voice, echoed from the Frostspire below. “Christopher Holger, the first born of Holger noble family of Parv. Your resolve has been acknowledged, I grant you the blessing of Heaven strike. You shall be reborn as the first knight, only answering to Your lord Hans Parv from this day until his last.”
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The aura which platform swallowed before , returned with twice the vigour to Chris, giving him the sweet pain of achievement. He could feel his base aura increasing permanently, 28..29…31…36 and finally it stopped in 38. Chris looked his hands several traces of lines disappearing as his breathing stabilised.
“I want this too.” Hans couldn’t help but say as he saw Chris powering up. “He was already a pain to beat. How am I suppose to defeat him now. If the base aura increases so does the ability of Imperial bloodline. His limit was sixty before, its should’ve been increased now.” Hans thought, jealous.
“Why do you wish to defeat your own knight. His strength is yours to wield.” Arat, who has heard the inner thoughts of Hans, responded.
“I have a face to maintain, old man.” Hans whined, “you know, I’ve read somewhere, the ascent of adversaries may not evoke profound distress, but the elevation of a friend to power can stir the nerves with a lifetime of jitters.” He scowled, “and Im feeling too jittery.”
“Then you need to work harder.” Homar, from the background spoke, “Everyone till now had only received passive blessings, even me and your father. But your first knight received the active one.”
“What is the heaven strike?” Hans asked, but none had a clue there, as Homar said this was the first time they were seeing it. So Hans asked Homar something else, “What is yours then?”
“Death from beyond” Homar answered without any qualms. “If I can mark someone, I can strike them down from here. Even if they are the other side of this land.”
“Can’’t I get those?” Hans asked his eyes almost pleading them to say yes, but both Arat and Homar said in unison. “To activate the pledging platform, you need to feed it aura.” The statement was enough to sullen Hans’s mood. So he asked another question he was curious of, “Just saying hypothetically, if Chris is just lying in his oath of servitude or whatever just to get you all to back off—”
“That’s not possible.” Homar denied outright, “If you lie in the pledging platform. Your head will explode without question, so I’m sure that his thoughts are genuine. At least in present. Now do your job.”
Hans, puzzled, stared at Homar, his eyes asking what he wanted him to do now. So Arat, interjected, “Oh my. I’ve became old." He pulled a black cloak with a Griffin insignia of Parv embroiled with silver strings. “You must honour your knight, bestow these robes to your First knight.”
Hans moved with grace and with a perfect motion above kneeling Chris, he tied the jet black cloak on him. “Stand up my friend. You are the knight of Parv now.” Hans patted his shoulder and dragged him out of the pledging platform.
“Speaking of first knight, who was my father’s?” Hans asked at immediately and his question wasn’t addressed to someone particular but any who could answer.
“Reina Clandor.” Homar answered with an irritating tone. “She wanted the Osiris blessing and your father was batshit crazy."
“Then how could she attack him. She was his first knight—”
“What you say in those wows matters. Her oath of becoming first knight would’ve something different. We weren’t there when he allowed her so we don’t know what she swear upon.”
Hans showed a contorted face, he had hard time understanding his father’s decisions many times, but this really felt like he was out of his mind. He tried to come up with some conclusion and defended his father’s sanity by saying, “Maybe he thought he never needed a first knight. He was quite arrogant, isn’t he?”
“I bet you are right. That prick really had the audacity...” Homar stopped as he felt Hans’s stare and changed his attitude from disgust to amusement, “You’ve a problem with me, then beat some sense into me.” He turned the conversation to something else, rubbing on Hans.
“How I can’t fulfil my loyal vassal’s wishes. Just wait a while, I’ll do it sooner than later.” Hans smirked back and asked, “So what blessing she got?” Hans asked indifferent, but curious from inside.
“Don’t know. But you haven’t seen your father’s cruel side yet boy. You can’t fathom how ruthless he could be. In the fight with Elves, he butchered Reina’s connection with the spirit world and robbed her from her chance to ever become a Warlord. His anger had no bounds, a prodigy lost his chance because she resisted his wishes. I don’t know what fantasies you concocted about your father, but let me tell you. If one wasn’t a Parvian then it was just a bug for him to squash upon.”
“You are just saying it because you are jealous of him. Because you can’t be his equal ever.” Hans had never defended his father when he heard others talking bad about him but ever since he heard him spoke, he felt a prickling pain in his heart. So he vented when Homar was criticising him.
“I told you, if you want me to shut up. Get my acknowledgement and then I’ll even rub my nose at your father’s name—”
“What will it take?” Hans asked, full of resolve.
“I give you four years, defeat any top ten ranked knight then I’ll be at your disposal.”
“I accept.” Hans stomped and came to Chris. He inhaled strong and declared, “I’ll be back so be ready to eat your words, Sir Homar Garuda.” He raised his sight, looking at clear sky and called, “INGRESS.”