Discrepancies was the word that emerged from the many words that couldn’t properly describe fragmented thoughts that filled my head. It was difficult to understand why some people had to be casters, and others, stillbringers. Why majority of the population had no Feel, thus unable to utilise mana?
Even among casters and stillbringers, who were among the fortunate few, some were more gifted than others. I've had the same thoughts in the past when I couldn't manifest my Feel, but given the turn of events, especially things happening around me, I couldn't help but ask myself questions like
“Why do people have to be so different? Why does the powerful have to wield so much power? Are the differences in people or the discrepancies in power necessary?”
I had no answer to these questions, they just made me curious, and whenever I pondered them, I descended into an endless spiral of never-ending conversations in my head which in the end, yielded nothing tangible. Sometimes I asked myself if these discrepancies were just a random distribution of fate or a result of choices made by people in the present—or more particularly, in the past. The two were not mutually exclusive; it was also very possible that both fate and choices could have resulted in what the world looks like as it is.
“The world wasn't a fair one, some people just have it better than others.”
That was the conclusion I arrived at when I thought about my current situation. It was very funny because even the conclusion I arrived begged the question,“Why?”
With the kind of abilities I possessed, I couldn’t tell if it was a blessing or a curse. One could say I was lucky to have them, but luck doesn't bring a person close to death on several occasions. I couldn't also claim I worked for them; they were there all along waiting for me to tap into it. Perhaps some work had to be done to reach them, but they were always there….waiting.
Happenstance? Fate? Choices? Everything played a crucial role getting me to this point of my life. The events leading up to this point in my life felt so unreal like it was someone’s grand plan all along, but in reality, it was just a cascade that resulted from a single decision, merging with different fragmented events.
It was easy to say that the day I was banished—part of the plot to ensure Evren’s position as heir—was the day my life changed. But then the questions still remain. Was it just a result of the High Lord’s choice of action? Was it just happenstance? Or was it just fate bound to happen eventually?
A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I found myself standing in front of the mirror with a half-buttoned shirt.
“Ah, the meeting,” I muttered to myself.
I was dressing for the meeting we had with the Azkhans before I drifted away in my thoughts.
“I will be out soon,” I called, responding to the knock on the door.
I met Yukina at the corridor that led to the entrance of the courtyard. There was a smile on her face when our eyes met. She was a few meters ahead of me so she waited for me to catch up.
“I don’t like this outfit, it’s too tacky.”
She was adjusting her peacoat, her expression a mix of annoyance and determination
I don’t think it cares whether or not you like it,” I teased.
We walked down the passage greeted with a salute as we walked past each guard stationed there. The respect was always there even when I hadn’t manifested my Feel, but this time, it felt different. There was an unintentional aura of fear seeping through every one of them. Their eyes told the same story, we weren’t just normal humans or nobility to them anymore. We had transcended into something different, something that struck fear in the depth of their souls.
At the entrance of the courtyard, we found Mom and Evren waiting. A warm smile graced Mom’s face as Yukina gave her a hug. Evren greeted me with a weak blow on my shoulder as I responded by wincing, pretending to be in pain.
Evren’s transformation was the most astonishing among us. She looked strikingly different. Her hair colour had changed to a rich-blonde, almost golden—same as Yukina’s and Mom’s. Her eyes mirrored the brilliance of her hair as she looked almost divine.
The scariest part of her transformation was her dragon which had shape-shifted into a pet-like creature. I didn’t know the extent of her abilities nor that of her dragon.
The only thing Darya told me about dragons was that they were very powerful—more powerful than anything I could think of, and possessed the most destructive flames.
I’d jokingly asked her if she could kill one in a fair fight, and she answered nonchalantly,
“It would be quite an easy fight for me. For you, your chances are slim.”
I didn’t dispute her. There was a reason why the Feel existed at different strengths. An Obsidian was nothing compared to a Golden, and a Golden was nothing compared to a Solid White. I was a very rare exception, and I was only able to stand out because of Darya’s abilities. My Feel had progressed to an Amber, Yukina’s became a Pale Silver, and Evren’s couldn’t be determined. Her Feel still remained at Amber but we knew she was stronger than that. She mentioned something about Eternal Amber and being the phoenix; understandable why she was stuck with an Amber Feel.
The dragon’s existence was still a secret to the nobles of the Choryth House. Evren’s transformation drew some attention but it didn’t strike them as abnormal. Rather the ones who drew most of the attention and provoked many whispers were Yukina and me, thanks to Mom’s little showing.
The situation favoured the High Lord. The show-off of power was part of his plan. He wanted news of it to spread and it did. The Choryth House was perceived as the most powerful House prior the Azkhan invasion. Surviving the Azkhans consolidated the perception of its strength and now the rumours and whispers say that the Choryth House could go against the Azkhans if they wanted to. The rumours seemed feasible from the outside but we’ve never seen the full strength of the Azkhans.
My respect for the High Lord grew with each passing day. Understanding him as a person was challenging, but one thing was certain… he was a genius. Every decision he made always turned out to be the right one, and what was more impressive about him was how he made the best of any situation he found himself in.
When I greeted Mom, she wanted a hug, but I subtly declined, there were many guards outside and I had to protect whatever masculinity I had. She picked up on it quickly but didn’t stop herself from brushing my hair with her hand—annoying. I didn’t blame her, she never cared about formalities after all.
As we waited, I could see the Azkhan convoy approach from a distance.
“Finally,” Yukina said with contempt.
Familiar faces emerged from the convoy, at least to me and Mom. Standing opposite us, it felt like we were matched in a battle of aura. Their blue uniforms which contrasted our red ones gave off a feeling of animosity as our stance and the expression our faces wore worsened it. We were supposed to be allies, but the tension between us said otherwise. The standoff was a show of strength, we weren’t given any orders to do so but we just did. It was evident that Evren and Yukina weren’t scared of them, and wanted to pass that message clearly.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Vayr broke the tension as he walked forward. Evren stepped forward too and they met with a handshake.
“Welcome, the High Lord awaits.”
One thing I had observed and have come to like about the Azkhans was their strict adherence to hierarchy. Sophia was the daughter of the Emperor and was revered among the soldiers but Vayr was the one in charge. What was even more impressive was that, although she could, she didn’t try to impose anything on him but followed his lead.
“I would like to thank you and your House for the battle of Brisdow. I guess the identity of our majesty is no longer a secret to you anymore,” Vayr voiced.
“Your thanks is appreciated,” the High Lord replied.
When it felt like there was going to be a period of silence in the room, the High Lord continued speaking.
“But I am sure you requested this meeting for other reasons, so let’s get to it.”
“Thanks to your help, the Southern Republic is fully under our control. That said, we are set to launch an all out campaign on the Northern Republic. We’ve laid groundworks there but it won’t be easy because I am quite confident that the Imperium has contingencies set over there, we are hoping we have the full support of this House.
“And if we refuse?”
“Well, it wouldn’t look good on you. You’ve already made an enemy of the Imperium, I am sure you wouldn’t want to make an enemy of us too.”
“You don’t sound so confident unlike our first meeting. Your actions, your words, they tell me you are aware of the vulnerabilities of your position. You may have control over the Southern Republic but how strong is that control? Imagine what will happen if I decide to start a revolt here in Stavren, what will be the consequences?”
Silence befell us. The tension in the air was palpable, thickening with every heartbeat as Lord Edger’s challenge hung over the room like a storm cloud. Vayr, unflinching, took a moment to weigh his words.
“Your House have survived the tide of the Azkhan onslaught. But survival isn’t enough when the world is shifting beneath you.”
My gaze shifted to the direction of the High Lord. He was as calm and unfazed as ever. He knew he had a lot of cards to play, and he knew he had the edge at the moment but he didn’t show any sign of it. Even the threat he made earlier was made in a calm tone which made it even scarier to listen to.
“I don’t care about the world shifting beneath me. This House has survived for so long, don’t you think we can still push our luck a bit further? It’s true we can’t go up against an Empire, but we can deal a considerable amount of damage to it, this you know.”
“What do you want Lord Edger?” Vayr asked. He didn’t want to further engage the duel of wits. He knew he wasn’t going to win.
“Security.”
“What kind of security do you need?”
“Recognition by your Emperor, and an important position in your Empire.”
Vayr broke character as a smile appeared on his face.
“I must tell you, there are some things beyond my control. I cannot…”
“Granted, I will grant your request. In return, we request your unwavering loyalty to us, your men and resources included.”
Sophia spoke for the first time since the meeting commenced as she interrupted Vayr’s response.
Vayr looked stunned, the expression on his face could easily tell. It was evident that he couldn’t grant our request even if he wanted to, but he didn’t expect Sophia to do so either. He whispered something to Sophia but her reaction in response to whatever he said to her showed that she didn’t listen to him.
“Do we have an agreement now, Lord Edger?”
“I believe we do.”
“We will leave for the Northern Republic in a week. I believe that is enough time to prepare your best men.”
SOPHIA STONECLAW
“I owe them my life, it’s worth it.”
I said these words over and over, reassuring myself that I was making the right decision, before I blurted,
“Granted.”
I knew Vayr would disagree with me. He whispered the words to me,
“Your Highness, I don’t think this is a good idea. Please reconsider the decision you are making right now.”
I didn’t listen to him, my mind was made up.
I wasn’t just doing House Choryth a favour, I was also doing myself and the Azkhan army a favour too. House Choryth had proven to be formidable as a foe and reliable as an ally. More so, I owed them my life. I wasn’t well versed in matters of politics and war unlike Vayr, but it was easy to tell that they weren’t scared of us anymore. I didn’t know what cards the had up their sleeve, but from my little experience with them, they were always full of surprises.
I had never been so determined about anything in my life, past or present, but at the moment, I wanted to win the war so badly. I didn’t know what the war was about, I wasn’t interested in knowing, but a victory was a goal I wanted to accomplish. To me, it meant growth, it meant power, and it meant respect, at least from the old geezers of the Supreme Council.
I needed every resource, every asset, every manpower, and every advantage that increased our chances of winning, and House Choryth ticked every box.
Being here in the Southern continent changed me. I grew up in this world, care free about a lot of things even though they never made sense. I told myself my rebirth here as royalty was the heavens way of compensating my previous shitty life. But obviously, that wasn’t the case, just the bliss that came along ignorance.
My ignorant self knew there was so much more to being here, but decided to keep it suppressed. It worked until I became involved in this war. I came to understand that maybe I wasn’t so special, and maybe there was a reason I was brought to this place, so I decided to find out for myself. I set my self on a path of discovery, and this war was the beginning. Winning or losing didn’t matter so much to me until I found myself close to death’s door. The Aftermath of Brisdow became personal to me, and I felt like I had something to prove to myself and to everyone. I wanted to hurt the Imperium as much as they’d hurt me, and to do that, I had to win.
The meeting ended but we didn’t leave immediately. The Choryth High Lord offered to host us and we obliged. It was already getting dark so it meant we were going to leave the next day. Just as we left the meeting room, Vayr walked up to me as we spoke in low voices.
“You shouldn’t have done what you did. Are you ready to shoulder the consequences of your actions?”
“What consequences, Vayr? You sound angry. Why are you angry?”
“Concerned,” Vayr replied.
“Why?”
“The request you granted wasn’t yours to grant, Sophia.”
“Your Highness,” I corrected sternly.
“You might outrank me as the military chief, but I wield more power than you do. Know your place.”
Vayr was taken aback by my response. It was the first time I had spoke with it with such authority. I had always followed his lead so taking matters into my hands was a novelty to him.
“I am only speaking as protocol allows, and the course of action you took was inappropriate. Should we face a situation beyond our control, we have the Elder Guards to rely on.”
“Vayr, a decision has been made, and a conclusion reached. I would bear whatever consequences should they arise, so please let’s move on from it. I am not trying to undermine your authority here but I think I got a good read of the situation. They weren’t going to yield and I am sure you don’t want to make an enemy of them. I am alive today because of them, so I would grant whatever they requested and more.”
Vayr was silent. He knew my reasons were valid enough, but I understood his concerns too.
“So, please send word to my father and inform him about the situation, I would appreciate that.”
“Yes, your Highness,” he replied before leaving.
As I walked across the hall, I spotted Svan with his mother and sisters, so I decided to join their company.
“Did you get bored of your folk?” Lady Eliora asked me.
“I guess.”
“Well, You’ve met my son, Svan. These are my daughters, Evren and Yukina.”
“Sophia,” I said as I extended my hand for a hand shake.
None of them took my hand, so I smiled as I withdrew it.
“You must think we are friends,” Yukina said to me.
“No, we are not. It’s amusing that you’d think I would jump to that conclusion so quickly, considering we just met.”
“Don’t get too comfortable. My sister and I don’t have the fondest memories about you and your people,” Evren said, as she walked away from our little gathering, with Yukina following after her.
“I guess they don’t like me,” I said with a smile.
“Well, I hope you understand their animosity,” Svan said in response.
“I do, but I don’t care. It seems like they’ve mistaken me for someone who needs their approval to feel validated. Like they said, we aren’t friends, and we don’t need to be. This is war, we are simply allies, which means we have a partnership that benefits us one way or another, so our personal feelings do not matter.”
“Shhh,” Lady Eliora hushed, almost playfully.
“They know war, and they aren’t scared of it. They are young and they have been through a lot for their ages. It’s okay if it gets personal for them, and it’s okay if they get emotional, I permit it because I can protect them.”
Words failed me, and I couldn’t help but stare at her. There was admiration in my eyes as I looked at a woman who was a mother and leader.
“Come on, let me show you around, she said.