For many a man, a grand get-together to see gods among men compete was a sight you’d risk a days-long trip for. For the upper class, it was a chance to see the lessors fight amongst themselves or watch their favorite pet project of a knight show those other royals what for. But for the ones on top of the stage, it meant that something big, bad, or even both was about to happen.

“Look at this, Lucia! An invitation to a grand ol tourney!”

“Do you need to talk like that so early?” Lucia flipped her hands at the paper her brother seemed focused on shoving in her face. “I saw the damn thing already. Better things to spend my day on.”

“Like what? Simply the talk of thou’s potential victory does get me into the spirit.”

“Then why can’t they send you? Hell, why are they inviting me? I’m usually banned from those things anyway.”

“Tis a special tourney, dear sister.”

“You need to stop that.”

“A tourney of heroes! I’ve heard the new Gallus incarnation has come forth. Not to mention the Spell Schools will send their best.”

“Gallus? That big guy in all the paintings?”Lucia sat up a tad. “And where will you be during all this?”

“Keeping the crowd happy!” The young man set alight some multicolor sparks alight in his palms, bouncing them as though they came from an invisible fireplace. “The Queen wants me as entertainment. A Kingdom can’t simply rule with fear and strength. For a hero of my stature, this is nothing! A little wonder works wonders.”

A shove answered Avean's attempt at wordplay. “Are you sure a ‘hero of your stature’ is best used in that way?”

“People will be smiling and you’ll be kicking ass. As long as you show up. Cause the Queen knows how it is.” Avean put out his fist.

A sigh came from Lucia before she returned the gesture. “Fuck it. Fine. Let’s show them up. “

“Glorious!”

“Who else is gonna be there anyway?”

Reseano

The property line of the hut was clear from where the grass was trimmed. The house itself was meager. An outside covered with average material covering shoddy infrastructure. The farm and the well alone seemed to cost more than the house itself. And yet despite such a thing, the house was still occupied. The table and china were set were passed down, the clothes of the children long gone were hand-me-downs past a generation, and even what little valuables they had of non-emotional value were second-hand and beggar’s choice. It did not matter to the family that lived there at that very moment. No, what took focus in their minds was the hulking, black-haired, meat mountain of a man sitting in full armor sipping from a cup as though he was at a child’s tea party.

“How are you, sir?”

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

“I am fine. You trained your boy well.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The table that Gallus sat at was tilted up due to his knees. It was a struggle to keep the tea from falling into the laps of the man and woman in front of him. One Clarisse and August Kent.

“He was a fine young man. His training days were intensive and he faced them with integrity.”

“We raised him best we can.” The man’s voice was hardened and steeled. Practiced. Though in the infrequent glances Gallus could catch of the man’s eyes, they were wet and raw long before he entered the residence.

“Do you remember when you were young?” The woman looked up at Gallus. His smile was firmly planted on his face. “We went to one of those street vendors and he had the prettiest horse. You said that if you became a knight yourself, you’d take care of him. Ride him to all the battles, feed him the most incredible of fruits. You kept trying to ride the dog for weeks on end after. She wouldn’t kick you off but damn if she didn’t want to!” An attempt at a laugh came from the woman. “ She couldn’t stand it.” Each word seemed more desperate than the last, reaching for something that Gallus couldn’t put his hands on. Her eyes stared directly at him as if to burn an image on top of his face.

“Your son was gifted with an honor, one that many knights dream of. Is this not a cause for celebration for you? His contribution? My return?”

“We celebrated with our son hours before the ceremony. We screamed for you. All of you. We made our peace.” Gallus knew the words but the way he said them, it was as if he owed him something. An oddity.

“Then smile, friends! You talk as if a funeral has occurred and not the joy of new life. Your son has given himself to a worthwhile quest and fulfilled the knight's duty to the very end. To slay Morias and the Black Death. A better future for us all!”

Both of the parents bore witness to the perfect smile among lanes of straight teeth. Each of them is white enough to be mistaken for sugar. Yet that smile gave way to one missing a few sets of teeth from the bad side of a bucking horse. The black pupils underneath wild hair went to bloodshot eyes after a hard day at work helping to sell what goods they had. Even with his hands fully outstretched, both of them knew that any touch from the man in front of them would feel cold. Hollow. So they smiled. Smiled all they could as their candle-lit memories started to burn.

Destro. Mrs. Vrai’s Spell School

“So why do the other states use their own enchantments?” Mrs. Vrai looked around the class as she floated with her legs crossed.

“Because…. The process of God-gifted enchantments wouldn’t truly work out. After the issues with Kandas the Amber, the pure soul transmog was phased out. This of course led to the new way of empowerment via the domains. The power of a soul taken from a higher domain was strong, but to take from the domain itself gave way to something stronger. Now of course some people take difficulty with the Church’s newfound power in these matters but-”

The one with her head down raised her hand as her muffling barely held back her dissatisfaction. “Then why don’t we just use what we did for the Monsters? Binding magic to compel them to our will.”

“Well, Tempas. A soul taken from another plane, another world, however, you want to define the terminology; souls of an unoriginal origin are not strictly bound by our magics. The common summoned souls were hardy as they came from a world without magic and the usual kind of monsters. Weak in every other aspect, but it was harder to simply dominate them. Binding Magics themselves were outlawed due to the Merlot Reformation & .”

A light ring filled the ears of the people on the premises.

“But that will have to be saved for another day.” The teacher stood up. “Before you all leave, remember that the sign-ups for the Tourney are coming up! If you are a sophomore or higher, please consider signing up.”

Without hearing the last of Mrs.Vrai's words,Tempas rushed herself to the signup sheets. With the rumor that the new Gallus incarnation and one of the Hands of Queen Calia Talisandra. Yet as she marked her name down at the top of the list, she found an unfamiliar name on the first entry.

“Who the blazes is Eld?!”