It was the 13th of September; three days have passed ever since the coronation. The sweet and soothing jingles the birds chirped rippled through the many gaps of the foliage of the oak tree they perched upon. The leaves similar color to that of a flame of lit candle plucked off from its thin branch by the breeze that carried the soft fragrance of the earth along with little dews of raindrops flew by. The dim rays of the sun shone down on Phoenix’s face through the open windows of a room as it rose from the horizon of the open fields with farmers that reaped their harvest.

“So... what do we do now?” Phoenix asked as he clasped both of his hands.

Sat across the circular table that settled right in the middle of a dim room were three people. The man who sat on the left side shuffled his chair closer towards the smooth, curved edge of the table. The shadows of the teal curtain that hid the man's face faded away the closer he got.

The man stroked his nose as he shook his head side-to-side. Seconds later, a long sigh filled with exhaustion came from his mouth as his body slouched over and rested his elbow atop the table. With a slight irritation on his face, he then said, “Oi, Phoenix, you just called us yesterday to come here! None of us had barely any time to prepare!”

The young man attired himself in a dark waistcoat the shade of ashes, along with a jacket dyed with the hue of grey. The trousers he wore were a pigment of squid ink, similar to the short strands of his scruffy hair that were the color of black. The hues of his two irises were the color of a fresh lagoon blue. A bandolier of golden chains wrapped around his shoulder down to his waist, with a giant gold medallion around the level of his chest.

“Sorry about that Obligous. My father just told me all of a sudden to bring you three here, and I am pretty exhausted too, so please forgive me,” sighed Phoenix as lines creased on his forehead.

A second later, a pair of palms all of a sudden stretched out of the dark shadows and rested upon the table with not a single noise made. The young woman stood from her seat as she looked Phoenix straight into his magenta eyes with a sweet smile curled up on her lips, comparable to that of an angel, “Calm down, darling, calm down. I’m sure Phoenix has his reasons for calling us three. It has been a while since we all met, I mean,” she chuckled, “the last time we were together with each other was on Emerald’s thirteenth birthday, right?”

The young woman garbed herself in a long sundress ablaze with a vivid gradient of the skin of a cherry that faded away into the radiant hue of a ripe mango. The gradient on her dress complimented her glistening eyes that were a color of strawberry-red. Pinned through the strands of her buoyant, silky, long hair that was the tone of chestnut was a gold pin shaped like a rose.

“That’s true... R-Ruby...” stuttered Emerald, “You guys... weren’t there for my... f-fourteenth... b-birthday just... four days ago...” As he lowered his head, a tear sheds off his eye, “I j-just ate cake by m-myself...”

Every strand of Emerald's short hair was a beaming hue of peridot. He clothed himself with a white polo and on the soft, cotton fabric of the collar and cuffs of his polo dyed a hint of green. He wore a pair of black trousers that matched alongside a pair of black leather shoes on his feet. Wrapped around his neck was a green necktie, a color similar to the jade-like color that tinted his eyes.

Ruby burst into a fit of gleeful laughter as she brushed her fingers across the green hair of Emerald. A smile then curved on her red lips as she looked straight into his eyes, “Don’t worry, Emerald. Next time, I’m buying you a cake so we can all eat together, alright?”

A soft sigh came out once more from Phoenix’s lips as he placed a book atop of the table. Wrapped around its hard paper cover was the leather of a young calf that looked as old as time itself. Torn away on its many now-ragged and burnt edges were tiny portions, with a smidge of scratches left behind on the cover. In the midst of all the thin layer of dust scattered across the cover was a single thin shard of an amber gemstone.

“Well, lemme get straight to the point on why I made you all come here,” Phoenix then flipped the book cover open and brushed his fingers across the letters written in ink. “Something about the Raycanian Mythics, yada yada, defending the kingdom, yada yada,” he shook his head as he slapped himself with his palm. “I think you three should know already what the Raycanian Mythics do, right?”

The eyes of the three narrowed into slits as they stared back into Phoenix. Their heads tilted down to their shoulders as lines formed in between their brows. Their lips parted from each other, leaving their mouth gaped open. “What?” the three all said in unison.

A sigh once again escaped from Phoenix’s throat, “Alright, lemme simplify this. I picked you three, along with me, to become the new Raycanian Mythics. The written rule in the book in front of us gives us the duty of the defense of the Kingdom, which is, of course, easier said than done. No matter what region it may be, it is our duty to protect it with all that we can, and further surpass our own limits.”

“So that’s it?” Obligous questioned as he raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, that’s all. Nothing more, nothing less, we just give our all on defending everyone from any person who thinks it’s a good idea to endanger everyone. So, any more questions, or are there objections?”

The room then fell silent. The tapping of Phoenix’s fingertips on the table let out a light echo as he waited for a response from the three. On the other hand, the three looked back to him with their mouths shut tight. Seconds passed later, and a smile snuck upon his lips as he shut the book close and hit it inside the drawer built underneath the table.

“I’ll take that as a no then. Now, right before we can become the fifth generation of the Raycanian Mythics, we’ll do the ‘Oath of the Amber.’ It will be pretty short.”

As he lifted his arms off the table and raised his right hand into the air, so did the three that remained seated across from him. He cleared up his throat and began to recite. Word-by-word and tone-by-tone, they recited the oath Phoenix relayed to them all at once. His eyes meandered across the room as the pulse of his heart accelerated, a plenitude of enthusiasm croaked in his voice as he recited and waved his hand into the air as if he gave a speech to a crowd.

On the other hand, the other three beyond the far side of the table droned as they struggled to catch up with his ever-increasing speed. As the oath babbled out of his mouth, the three lowered their voices while their bodies shrank; their eyes widened as they gawked at the bombastic Phoenix who persisted to finish the entirety of the speech.

Soon, his eyes radiated a cyan glow, the strands of his hair stood erect towards the ceiling above. As the heels of his feet rose from the ground, a disembodied voice of a young, matured man echoed behind Phoenix’s mellow and jovial voice.

Ruby stood from her seat and tipped her torso towards Phoenix. She then tapped his cheek as her lips curved upward, “Phoenix, Phoenix, calm down now. There’s no need to recite the entire thing, alright?”

Phoenix’s gasped for air as his entire body drooped closer to the table. He let the palm of his hands rest atop the table as he lifted his chin to gaze back into the glistening eyes of Ruby. “Yeah... yeah... you’re right. Sorry if I creeped you guys out... it was like somebody possessed me..? I can’t even memorize the entire thing!” he chuckled with his now-breathy voice, his chest puffing in and out as his lungs sucked in as much air as it could.

“I guess... that means... we’re uh... R-Raycanian M-Mythics now... huh, Phoenix?” asked Emerald whilst both of his arms remained crossed as he lowered his chin.

“You’re correct, Emerald, we are the Raycanian Mythics. Let’s give ourselves a—“

Ring... Ring... Ring... a tingling sensation crawled all over his skin as the phone inside his pocket vibrated as it continued to reverberate a tune. He reached his hands into the insides of his pocket and pulled out his smartphone. On its massive screen, a picture of a young lady popped out, with the name “Emilia” underneath her photo.

He shifted his head over to the three to face them. Lines arched on the edge of his lips as he said, “Excuse me, I gotta answer a call from my secretary.” He picked up the call as he pushed back the chair he sat upon. He greeted Emilia over the phone as he strolled out of the room while he hid his hand inside his pocket.

The door creaked as he pushed it open and stepped out into the hallway. He then shut the door behind him as he let his body pass through the gap. The other three stared at the door as he left and twisted their heads to look at each other.

“What do we do now then?” Obligous queried to them as he placed his palm onto the smooth surface of the table right before them.

Ruby and Emerald who sat right beside him shrugged their shoulders. As the room fell silent once more, a soft gasp escaped from Ruby’s lips as her eyes glimmered like stars. The smile on her face widened as she began to swing her feet while she looked over to the two. “Oh, I know, I know!” she giggled, “Why don’t we... talk about what we’ve done in the past year! I want to hear about what you guys did!”

“Oh well, I guess that’s our only way to kill our boredom,” Obligous tittered. “So, Emerald, what have you done in the past year? Rock-related thingies, I assume?”

A yelp emerged from Emerald as he jumped from his seat. As he shrank back down into the seat, he twiddled around with his fingers as he pouted his lips. His bashful eyes darted across the room before they then drifted down to look at the tip of his shoes. “Uh... uh... I d-did... I did cool stuff!”

Ruby giggled as she patted his head, “Don’t be shy now, Emerald, nobody is going to insult you just because of your love for rocks.”

“They’re cool, okay!? They l-look cool, they feel... uhm... they’re cool and they’re the b-b-best things in this world!” he shifted his head towards Ruby, his lips still pouted, “And... I can... uh... make a lot of money from them!”

Obligous burst into a fit of laughter as he gave applause to the flustered Emerald, “Well, I guess that explains why you own a villa in Tranquila Town! Damn, for a fourteen-year-old, you’re pretty remarkable, you know that?” He then turned his attention towards Ruby. “What about you, honey? Is it herbs, again?”

Ruby then shifted her head towards Obligous and stared into his clear, black eyes. Moments later, she wrapped her arms around his body, rubbing her cheeks against his arm. “Well... aside from spending my time with you all night," she giggled, "yes. I collected herbs,” she then released her grip around Obligous and sat down.

“I knew it.”

“Look, I know they sound boring, but they’re pretty useful, you know? I was able to get my Bachelor’s Degree thanks to them.” From her pocket, she took out a dried herb. Its fringe had a brownish tint to it as if it had been burnt. At the rim of its curved edges, a single petal bloomed. “This is a Tremalarian—“

Obligous grazed his fingertips across her thin, red lips, “Okay, I get it, honey, you like herbs.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Well, aside from herbs, I also love”—Ruby then leaned towards him and tapped his nose—“you,” she giggled as she embraced him in her arms once more.

“Hun, not now... We’re in front of Emerald...”

Emerald tilted his torso closer to the table as he rested his elbow upon it. Drifting his pupils to face the sweating Obligous, he then asked, “W-w-what about you? Wh-what did you d-do?”

Obigous’s attention shifted from Ruby’s red lips towards the gaze Emerald had set onto him. Whilst he struggled to release Ruby who was clinging on to him, he let out a sigh, “As usual... I’ve had over a hundred offers for some adventuring parties to the Trema Region... mainly for ‘fighter’ position. These people don’t understand that I just wanna take care of animals!”

Ruby raised her head and looked into Obligous’s eyes and put on a smug smile on her lips, “Hehe, reminds me of that time you took a dog to your home, only to—“

“We don’t talk about that. We just... don’t.”

The giant door creaked once more as Phoenix pushed it as he wrapped his palm around its golden doorknob. He slid the upper half of his body through the gap between both doors and looked at the three who were still at the table. Ruby clung Obligous tight with her grasp, while Emerald sat there as he twiddled with both of his fingers.

Phoenix’s lip curved into a smile as he whistled at them, “Hey guys, the secretary just told me all of your items are arriving soon.”

The three’s head turned towards Phoenix; Obligous’s face lit up with joy while the other two who remained seated smiled.

“Finally, our shipments arrived!” Obligous exclaimed out loud as he jumped from his seat.

“Why are you so excited over clothing?” Ruby tilted her head to the side.

Obligous looked down on Ruby, his laughter suppressed and only letting out a soft giggle, “Oh, I didn’t just bring clothing, honey. I brought some little friends as well...”

The entire room fell silent as they looked at Obligous, their faces now a clean slate void of any emotion aside from confusion. While their bodies shrank away from Obligous, the three said in unison, “Eh?”

/***/

The four strutted down the concrete street, the side of their lips up a modest curve, and the arms still on their side swung ever so slightly with each step they took forward. As they inched down the path towards the Escala Port, the gazes of many citizens that passed by fixated upon them. Along with the sharp gazes the citizens gave them, came gossips that passed one onto another.

“Aren’t these kids too young to be Mythics?” one passerby said as she sneered at the Mythics who stood by the young King’s side.

“Good heavens, is this the farm-boy whom Nizoro gave the crown to? May the Phoenix God have mercy on us all, I hope our Kingdom doesn’t fall under the hands of a teenager...” another rolled his eyes as Phoenix passed by him.

While the three ignored the many terrible gossips about them, a mob of girls trailed behind Emerald. A young, petite lady advanced and walked along his side, hiding her arms onto her back as she swayed back and forth. A tinge of red covered Emerald’s face as she darted her eyes across his body, gazing deep into the many strands of his hair down to the tip of his shoes.

Obligous took a glance at the lady before he then fully turned his head towards Phoenix. “Oi, why are these ladies hitting on a minor?” he whispered into his ears as he leered back into the piercing gaze of the lady.

“I don’t know Obligous, I really don’t know. I hope to God they don’t know because if they do know, I guess we’re gonna have to call the police,” Phoenix whispered back into his ears.

The lady winked at Emerald, her glossy, brown hair waved with the autumn breeze as he shook her head. Her lips curved into a smirk as she gazed into the emerald-like eyes of Emerald, “Hey there cutie, do you mind if I ask for your name—“

Ruby drifted her ruby-red pupils to the corner of her eyelids, giving a cold glare that pierced the lady’s soul through her beady, black eyes. Her soft brows furrowed as her face that was once filled with joy soon distorted into a scowl that made the lady crawl out of her fair skin.

“Hey, sorry to break your bubble, but he’s fourteen,” she bemoaned with audible irritation hiding within her gentle voice. She plastered on a smile that twitched the longer she glared into the lady’s eyes, “Do you mind if you leave him alone? You're making him uncomfortable,” she giggled.

The lady’s body cringed as she gritted her teeth, “Fourteen?! I am very sorry! He’s too young for our tastes!” The lady turned back to the other women that trailed behind Emerald, “Come on, ladies, turns out this kid over here is underage.”

A peal of sighs filled with disappointment came from their mouths. The heels of the high-heeled slippers the women wore tapped onto the pavement beneath. Emerald let out a sigh as he shifted his head back to Ruby, this time wearing a smile. “T-th-thanks... Ruby...” he said as his cheeks blushed into a tint of red.

“Don’t mention it, Emerald. I’m here to make sure nobody lays a hand on any of you,” she giggled.

The four continue their way down the pavement. Moments later, over the horizon, the entrance to the Escala Port towered over them from a few hundred meters. Right before the entrance’s metal-fenced gate stood a young woman who garbed herself in an all-white uniform. The strands of her long hair were of a dark-blue hue. She wore black-rimmed glasses, its panes suspended within the boundaries of a circular silver frame.

Her eyes moved from the clipboard she gripped in her hands to the four who grew closer to her. Phoenix advanced towards her and the two met a few meters away from the gate. They shook their hands as they bow in front of each other.

“Your Majesty, it is quite a pleasure to meet you for the first time,” she said with a smile on her lips.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Emilia. I’d like to thank you for accepting my father’s offer to become a Mythic during his time. However, I do apologize for his rash ways,” he laughed.

“Don’t worry, most of us have gotten used to his behavior. I would like to admit, it brings me and the others joy whenever we watch him act childish when things don’t go his way,” she chuckled. She cleared her throat and moved to the side, pointing towards a grey ship docked inside of the port. “Anyhow, the ship that carries your cargo is the MIK-008. It will be unloading the cargo in a few minutes, so need not rush.”

“Understood, I appreciate your help to the kingdom, Emilia,” he bowed once again and faced the other three who still stood right behind him, “Alright guys, let’s go get your stuff.”

The four, now along with Emilia, pushed the metal gates inward before they stepped through into the Escala Port. Phoenix looked to his left and spotted the other side of the port filled with many passenger ships anchored into the waters. Wandering about in the stone pavement he stood upon were many families, some alighted the ships, while some boarded and waved goodbye to their many relatives who watched from below.

All of a sudden, the many speakers that hung onto the metal poles that supported the walls let out a hum, followed by then the clearing of a man’s throat. “Attention, the Magirno Inter-Kingdom Lines is now unloading, all pick-up crew please stand by,” suddenly, the crunch of chips entered through the microphone. “Wait, the mic is still unmuted? Oh hell—“ buzz...

Emilia turned her head to Phoenix with a smile, nudging his shoulder, “That’s your cue, Your Majesty. Just stand by the ship, the pick-up crew need not assist you. They’ll focus on unloading the exports we got from Magirno and Crowlia.”

“Thanks, Emilia, is there anything else I should know?”

“There are quite a few, to be honest, your Majesty. However, it is better for me if you focus on helping your Raycanian Mythics unload their cargo filled with... whatever they brought upon this land for now. Just come back here once you’re finished,” a smile glimmered on her face.

Phoenix nodded back with the same smile she wore and walked up to his friends. As the crew aboard the ship slid their crates through a metal chute that descended towards them, Phoenix and Obligous caught it and lowered them down onto the pavement with the utmost care.

“Heave ho!” a crew member atop the ship exclaimed as he pushed another one of the many cargos down the chute.

“Can you at least slow down a little?!” Phoenix yelled back as he caught a cargo from the chute.

A few minutes have passed, and after catching and placing the many crates that glided through the chute, all of the seventeen cargos placed under their name were now by their side. Phoenix rested his palms onto his knees, his body bent over while his lips parted away from each other to gasp for air. Sweat dewed the skin on his face, blood rushed through the regions of his body as his heart pumped all that it could.

Stood across from him, Obligous placed his palms on his hips, his face as dry as sand, his breathing remained normal as a joyous laugh came from his mouth. His posture remained erect, while Phoenix’s legs quivered as the last bit of his energy is almost sucked out of his veins.

“Phoenix, are you alright?” Ruby asked as she swayed her body back and forth, standing only on the tip of her shoes.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. No need to worry, Ruby.”

Seconds later, he straightened his posture and let the other three open up their cargo to make sure everything they had were there. He shuffled his feet across the pavement; his body staggered as he inched himself over to Emilia, who patiently stood there as she waited for Phoenix to stand right before her. A relaxed yet stern expression lingered on her face, her child-like eyes wide open as she looked at Phoenix.

He took in a deep breath and looked into her eyes, “So, what was it you were going to say to me?”

She fixed the glasses rested on her nose and looked down upon her clipboard, “Governor Barnett and Governor Crawford wanted me to relay a message over to you, your Majesty. They have welcomed your ascension to the crown and that they are ecstatic to meet you in—“

Sets of dulcet caws crowed one after another from behind them right as Emilia hoped to end her sentence. The two turned their bodies towards the direction of the caw; they soon flinch at the sight that stood right before their eyes with their mouths loosened and gaped open. Perched upon the arms of Obligous were flocks of white doves.

“What in the... hell is going on?” Phoenix whispered over to Emilia's ear.

“I haven’t the faintest clue, your Majesty. I suggest you go ahead and ask sir Obligous... This is one peculiar event if I do say so...”

Phoenix walked up to him. Lines creased on his forehead the closer he got, his eyes narrowed as he continued to ponder about the flock of birds sat upon Obligous’s arms. He tried to tap Obligous in his shoulder, but one beak of the bird pecked on his fingers.

“Obligous, what are these birds doing in your arms?” he asked whilst he blew on the spot where the beak had hit him.

“Oh, these little guys?” he laughed, “They’re my friends! They’re specie called the Polaremargicanian—“

“No need to tell their full name, Obligous. Can you just tell me what in Jonathan’s name are they doing?”

“They’re migrating from Polaris. By the way, could you reach into my pocket and pull out the berries and throw them into the ground? These little guys are already getting heavy...”

Phoenix shrugged and reached into Obligous’s pockets. From inside, he pulled out seven berries that were the tint of a shining red. Are these... melaberries? he pondered in his mind.

He then threw the seven berries in his palm down the pavement, and all of a sudden, the attention of the many birds perched on his arms directed towards the berries that lay on the floor, open for anybody to take it. The birds flapped their wings right before they swooped straight towards where the berries had settled.

“Alright then, while they’re distracted, let’s go ahead and carry back your cargoes to the castle before they perch on you again Obligous,” laughter muffled behind Phoenix’s lips.

/***/

In the hallway of their bedrooms, the group pushed their cargo packed with their clothing and belongings toward the door of the rooms Phoenix had given to them. Obligous carried the two crates he owned with a single hand, humming a tune as he ambled towards the door of his room. The crates Ruby owned moved across the marble floor as she thrust her hands against its surface, accompanied by her soft grunts that escaped from her lips with each push she did. On the other hand, left behind at the end of the hall was Emerald, who struggled to move the several crates he brought along with him even by an inch.

“Obligous, can you... uh... h-help me, please?” he groaned whilst he pressed his back against the wooden crates in an attempt to move it.

“Gimme a sec! Let me put my stuff inside the room!” Obligous shouted back and continued to stroll towards his room with an eased smile on his lips as he hummed the same tune.

While Emerald struggled to push the crate with his back, footsteps approached him from the front. He turned his head back to the front and fixated his sight towards where the footsteps had come from. Stood right in front of him was a pair of black trousers. He lifted his head and a few inches away from him was Phoenix, who wore a smile as his eyes looked down at Emerald.

"Need a hand kid?" he asked.

“Y-y-yeah... I... do...” he replied.

Phoenix let out a low chuckle as he crouched to the floor. His arms outstretched towards the crate, his palms now placed on the hard, wooden exterior of the crate. He pulled back his arm by a single inch before he then pushed the crates with a slight nudge. It drifted across the floor and moved a few meters nearer the wooden doors of Emerald's room.

Emerald shifted his head from the crates then over to Phoenix, his throat letting out a squeal as his lips parted away from each other. He let a knee rest on the floor as he leaned closer to Phoenix and wrapped his hands around his back. "Thank you... v-very much!" he said.

"You're welcome," the smile on Phoenix's widened as he patted Emerald's back.

Through his legs, a subtle vibration crawled up to his head; along with it came a tune that reverberated out from his phone yet again. He stood from the floor and took out the phone that hid inside the pocket on his trousers. On its screen was a photograph of Nizoro placed inside a purple, round frame, and beneath it was his name placed in bold text.

Phoenix accepted the call and placed the speakers of the phone beside his ear. “Hey there dad, what’s up? It’s weird for you to call this early in the morning...” he crossed his arms as he raised an eyebrow.

“Son, are you free right now?” Nizoro replied, his voice now low and shaky.

“Kinda...? Why so? I’m currently helping my friends move into their rooms.”

“It’s... quite important.”