Lyonard Library
West wing of the palace
“So what mana type are you?” Kyra questioned, throwing an almond into her mouth as she waltzed around the bookshelves. Gabriel looked up from the encyclopaedia and stared at her.
“My first base mana is water, and my second base mana is wind.” He answered. Kyra looked back at him, confused. Her magic book didn’t cover that.
“First and second base? What’s that?” Kyra asked, confused. It was the prince’s turn to look at her with perplexity.
“Come on. You have to be kidding me. Everyone knows first and second base, especially if you have mana.” He replied, sitting up in his seat.
"Well, I don’t have mana, so explain.” She threw back at him. The prince’s mind haywired for a second, but he shook his head.
“First-base mana is the mana you’re born with, aka, genetics. If your family is all fire-type mages, then you’ll have a fire-type mana. Second-base mana is when your kol activates, allowing you to learn another magic type. For instance, a fire mage can learn water magic.” He explained.
Kyra nodded her head, understanding most of what he said.
“What’s Kol then?” She asked, wanting a further explanation.
“It’s spirit energy that allows the expansion of your mana. Not many people have it. Recorded history has stated that it mostly happens within royals, high-class mages, and magic council members.” He replied.
“So the kol is elitist?” This made the prince laugh, and Kyra smiled. “What's it like to be a prince and all?” Kyra asked, her eyes scanning the romance titles shelved together. Gabriel, who sat at a rounded, marble table by the large window that showcased the large meadows, shrugged.
“It’s not all that great.” He replied earnestly. He placed down the encyclopaedia he was reading, and just as he was about to elaborate, the library door opened and armoured guards walked in.
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“His Majesty requests your appearance, my lord.” One of them spoke. Gabriel took a deep breath and released it. Kyra watched on with a blank expression, studying the unease oozing from the prince’s body. Gabriel looked back, and Kyra raised her eyebrows, signalling for him to go.
“I’ll be fine.” She mouthed. With that, Isaac and Gabriel left the young girl. “Now let’s see what I can read.” She muttered to herself. She waltzed down the library, and her eyes captured a massive, hardcover book.
‘History of Zaeda’ was written in gold italics on the spine of the book. The young girl pulled out the book, leaning back a bit as the weight of it pulled her down. She blew away the dust from the brown cover and opened up the book, revealing the browning papers. Inked words coated each page, all of them written in cursive.
“This will be interesting.” She muttered. “Really interesting.” The young girl turned next, and a massive venn diagram was drawn. ‘Zaeda and Its Realms’ was written in bold italics on top of the diagram.
“Zaeda was named after the Goddess of Justice, Zaeda, almost three hundred thousand years ago. Zaeda was then split into three realms one hundred years ago when his three sons, Alderon, Oveadale, and Longforn, disputed over the lands and who was the rightful ruler of Zaeda, as the goddess had picked no one. Thus, several kingdoms fell under those three realms named after three sons.” She stopped reading and wiped her eyes.
“Welp, that was super duper boring.”
******
“His Royal Highness, Prince Gabriel St. Wraith, is now entering the throne room!” A guard announced this just as the large, brown wooden double doors opened. The prince and Isaac walked side by side, the guards remaining behind.
Gabriel looked at his stone-cold father, who sat upon a metallic throne, wearing a saturn brown tunic, black trousers, boots, and a red cape draped over his shoulders. His grey hair with faded gold rested upon his shoulder, as did the crown upon his head—heavier than it looked.
“Father.” Gabriel spoke curtly. He bowed his head down slightly, not willing to kneel down.
“Son.” His father replied in the same tone, opening his eyes to reveal dull, gold ones. King Aycius Polius St. Wraith II was an ill man, not physically but mentally. He was a man who expected his subjects to fall in line, or he would punish them severely. He was a no-nonsense man who even put his own offspring through hell, with not many of them surviving the ordeal. However, those who did had their own fair share of problems.
Gabriel wasn’t going allow himself to be another pawn in his father’s curse.
“How’s your swordsmanship coming along?” The king asked, and his croaky voice coated the atmosphere, raising the already-risen tension within the room.
“It’s coming along just great. Kyra is a fantastic teacher.” He answered. Every bone in his body fought against gritting his teeth. The last thing he needed was the sight of his father.
“Ah yes, the child of Munich. He hasn’t answered my letter for a few days. I’ll have to inquire about it.” The king muttered the latter part to himself. “I don’t want you to focus on your magic until your swordsmanship is up to par. Am I clear?” The king then said, Gabriel nodded.
Aycius flicked his hand and dismissed the prince and the butler. Once the two left the throne room and were far from any of the king’s staff, Gabriel released the breath he was holding and snarled. His face was contorted into an expression of unfiltered anger, and Isaac could only stand back and look.
“Zaeda is such an interesting place. I need to explore the whole thing.” Kyra echoed from the corner. She reached the two men, stopping in her tracks and looking down at Gabriel as he remained hunched over.
“What’s the matter?” She asked with a hint of worry, masking her words.
“My father.” He replied, unsure why, though.
“Relatable.” She replied, her lips forming a thin line as her cheeks rose up.