The event was well underway about an hour in and most of the guests had arrived, entertainments had been made available and the presents they brought with them were either in the care of servants or left with themselves. As almost everyone here were some of the most important and powerful figures of the Irretrean empire some political discussions ensued amongst themselves in the absence of the host and the protagonist of today, few kept mostly to themselves at the less crowded spots uninterested in the ongoing discussions by the others using such a great opportunity of proximity to form stronger bonds and allies.

Some minutes later the entrance door reserved only for the host opened and the hall turned relatively quiet as they watched the Queen walk into the hall with her family side by side, her near divine presence already filling the air and entwined with the warm icy feeling emanating from the Empire's greatest general.

Then there was the protagonist of today in the midst of the queen's daughters, Hestia had given him a special ring right before coming out and it amplified his presence just enough to override his ghost-like nature instead presenting him to have the feel of a normal person but the ring had taken a bit to do so hence the hour wait. But by further releasing just a tiny bit of mana it bolstered him towards a level where he had just about the right feel of an awakened though his presence was still the smallest compared everyone of his family members, the smallest in the room even.

Hestia's presence was announced as she and her family walked up the stairs to the large platform containing two great thrones and three lesser ones beside it to make themselves seated, all except for Maeve who had instead walked towards one of the tables to take a glass of wine.

The guests in the room took short polite bows towards Hestia and greeted "your majesty".

Though some of them were royalty and rulers of their own kingdoms but even amongst royalty there exists a hierarchy, the king who is but nothing without his nation shall bow to the king whom is an entire nation unto himself, the king of a thousand shall bow to the king of ten thousand and even he shall bow to the king of a hundred thousand as will he also to the ruler of millions.

Hestia was the only ruler who sat comfortably at real top of this hierarchy unchallenged, the one greater than he whom is an entire nation himself and those like him.

She ran her gaze across the entire hall and smiled "I welcome everyone present who accepted my invitation".

"I shan't forget you when the time comes".

"A small gift has already been imparted to all present, it shall reveal itself in due time".

A chill ran down their spines upon hearing Hestia, such bold wording signified that Hestia was no longer bothering to hide her ambitions anymore in the slightest and the realisation of what their fates and that of their families would have been had they chosen otherwise to be anywhere else other than here on this day terrified them to their core, they sensed no option for peace from her in the slightest.

"And it is our pleasure you having us here your majesty" said the grand duke Halim who stepped forward amongst the crowd breaking the silent tension in the air.

"If you would permit it I would like to present the little gift I have prepared for the young lord".

She smiled "you may".

"Thank you, your majesty".

He bowed and looked at Emrys, a smile plastered across his face as he walked up the platform with a hand in his pocket as he pulled out a little gold coin and flicked it in the air, catching it as he came right to a stop before Emrys and knelt on one knee.

"Happy birthday young lord".

He reached his hand out in a gesture for Emrys to take it and he did, then in a quick motion he slashed both his and Emrys's wrists slightly surprising him and everyone present. As their blood poured out onto the ground a crimson magic circle was summoned beneath them, Maeve and his sisters grew worried but Hestia sent a message through the mental link to ease them as she watched on.

Halim made a short chant and instantly the pressure in the room rose by multiple folds, he let go of the young lord's hand and stepped back as something began rising up from the circle beneath them, it was at this moment that everyone finally caught up on what was occuring but it just was so unbelievable.

"There's no way he's-

"The symbol of the Orthaeus family, he really is as crazy as they say".

A dark rusted spear releasing a steady stream of silver mana now levitated in their midst, it also looked to have eighty percent of it's body petrified and yet even in such a haggard state the seemingly bottomless sea of power held by this legendary artifact could be felt vividly well by everyone present.

"Preparations are nearly complete young lord, all that remains is for you to hold it".

Emrys got up and stared at the object before him a bit longer then gently held onto it with both hands, instantly all the mana it emitted retracted and the spear began terribly vibrating as cracks formed all over it's petrified body, to his greatest surprise he felt multiple barbed spikes sink deeply into his hands protruding from the back of it, blood ran down the body of the spear marking it and then getting absorbed into it.

The vibration stopped and a deep violet glow shone through the entire room, it pulsed and then condensed into a pillar which shot up into the skies while leaving the ceiling undamaged. It died down soon after revealing the true form of the object which he held in his hands, a crimson spear with a long slender body and a moderately lengthy angular blade with barbed ridges along it's base inscribed with a sublime workmanship, then at it's socket were two smaller pronged blades curved upwards.

On specific parts of it's handle were little sharp spines limiting the amount of free movement over it, to his pleasant surprise the spear shrunk down to something more suitable for his size and he looked up to meet the gazes of the room centered on him and the weapon which he bore.

"That weapon in your hands is a legendary artifact referred to as the Gàe bolg, nicknamed the all devouring spear".

"Though if one were to refer it by it's most oldest of titles known lojg before it's true name, that would be– 'The Ripper'.

"Wielded by my great ancestor grand duke Halim the first and since the demise of that great man it had entered a state of slumber".

"My father was the only man after who was able to partially pull it out from that haggard state and wield a fraction of it's true capabilities".

"I fear that at this rate if left with us perhaps a hundred more generations might pass before a person like my ancestor appears once again in my our bloodline".

"And now it is fully yours, the imprint of the Orthaeus bloodline has been permanently erased".

Emrys ran his hands gently across the weapon and at the moment he touched the blade he was cut, he smiled and looked up to meet Halim's gaze.

"I am thankful for the gift duke Halim" he thanked and gave a short courteous bow towards him.

Halim smiled and was about to give a reply but in a split second that smile on his face had turned into a defeated one as his entire head was set ablaze burning to ashes in the span of a second right before everyone's eyes, gasps of surprise were heard across the room as everyone gaze turned towards Maeve whose face was now seemingly laced with horror as she realized a possible consequence of her actions.

'Oh my baby boy, how could I show him such a gruesome sight on this day'.

A laugh was heard in mind coming from her sister 'worry not sister, Emrys looks just fine'.

She did so and saw her son simply turn around and walk back to his seat unfazed by the events that had just occured, the spear was called into his soul space for storage lest he mistakenly harmed himself.

'Besides, your actions are a bit understandable, in my eyes at least which is enough' Hestia comforted.

And then to no one's surprise this time Halims head had begun regenerating and did so in a matter of seconds, he turned around with an apologetic look on his face and bowed respectfully towards her.

"I apologize for the harm caused to your son so suddenly and unexpectedly general".

Once he received no reply he smiled again and just walked down the platform, what occurred next was everyone stepping up one at a time to come present their gifts to Emrys. At some point servants had to come in and retrieve most of them to the main palace when it got too crowded for more, each having signatures imprinted onto them so as to know to whom they received it from.

After nearly an hour and a half the last presentation of gifts was underway, Earl Vecoli De Luca walked onto the platform and stood before Emrys who was looking upon him with curious eyes. He was without doubt the oldest person in this entire hall boasting an age of four hundred and seventy two and seemingly near the end of his life force, by build the old basilisk looked like at any moment he should be falling to pieces yet a strange and vibrant vigor could be felt from him presenting to look even firmer than some of the younger ones in this room.

The earl smiled at him "the young lord is already a person marked the world's child huh, that makes things a bit easier".

Though everyone else had not caught on to tje meaning of his words, Hestia and Maeve gazes had turned a bit dangerous hearing what Vecoli had said but the old Earl simply hummed to himself and put his hand into his pocket space to pull out a small vial containing a deep red viscous liquid inside it.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

Almost immediately Irmir shouted at Emrys from the soul space which nearly sent his mind into a state of overload from the power that hit it, Hestia and Maeve sprung out to stand before the man leaving the guests deeply confused at this current situation occurring before them, both their gazes held an ocean of killing intent mixed in with a hint of fear.

Vecoli smiled as he looked up to meet the gazes of the two immensely powerful figures towering before him with their killing intents blasting at full force upon him.

"Deary me, it seems I'm in trouble huh".

"Where did you get that, it would be in your interest to answer me hastily and in honest" Hestia coldly warned.

Vecoli felt like he was dying a thousand deaths for every second he faced underneath their killing intents and it was nearly making him lose his mind yet he still persisted with a smile on his face.

"Thousands of years ago, given unto my ancestor as thanks for the goodwill he had shown unto a wounded-

"Enough, hand it over" she ordered.

He laughed nervously "do forgive me your majesty, but this is a gift I intend to hand over directly to the young lord".

'That really is the blood of an actual ancient dragon?'.

'Yes Emrys'.

'How come I or no one else in this room bar mother and aunty can feel nothing special from it'.

'That vial it's contained in is protected by an exorbitant amount of suppression seals but even then the unmistakable feeling coming from my bloodline cannot be mistaken and that is most possibly how it works for them also'.

'I see, but they showed no strong reactions when that girl awakened as did the boy from Eashrah'.

'Because their blood isn't strong enough, they no doubt are dragons and the only ones in the world to have appeared after so many eons but an ancient is an entirely different and threatening matter to the present as a whole'.

'Hm, so what would happen if I give it to you'.

Irmir was flabbergasted 'how are you thinking of me in this situation'.

He shrugged 'I'm feeling no strong desire for it, but I'm sure it would grant some immense benefits to you correct?'.

She gave no reply and he smiled 'I seemingly am'.

Emrys pulled himself out of the soul space to be met with the scene of his aunt demanding the vial and the old earl standing his ground even under such a level of suppression.

'Hm'.

He got up and walked towards them, they both turned around to meet and almost immediately the killing intent clouding their vision vanished replaced by a soft look.

"Aunty, I wish to honor the earl and receive it directly from him as he wants".

They exchanged looks with each other and then sighed as both gracefully stepped to the side allowing Emrys to come forward, in truth he cared little about honoring the old earl and had simply just followed this path as it would lead to a faster diffusion of the current and no longer cause his sisters to look more uncomfortable than they already were.

A faint hint of brightness shone in Vecoli's eyes as he looked upon Emrys with a smile "for thousands of years generations of my family have tried ways to harness the power in this blood yet always failed so miserably".

"And now I can finally hand it over to someone with the potential to do what we could not and might never achieve, I couldn't be happier it was you young lord".

Emrys looked visibly confused at such a level of trust being shown to him by the old earl, they were perfect strangers to each other in every sense of the word so why was he talking in such a manner, in the end his curiosity got the better of him.

"May I ask why you show such trust in me".

Vecolis smile grew wider "you are one favoured by both the world and the heavens, there is none possessing greater honour than thee".

"The untamed pride engraved within this little thing could only be satisfied by such conditions it seems after being disappointed by us for so long".

He slightly shook the vial a little as he laughed with a defeated and partly solemn look on his face then held it out towards Emrys-

"My gift to you young lord".

Emrys received it in his hands and then gave a curt bow of thanks to the old earl as he turned around and walked back to his seat, his sisters looked at him with curious eyes but he withheld the truth from them for now promising to reveal at a later time.

Vecoli left the platform leaving Maeve and Hestia facing their incredibly dumbfounded guests who were entirely out of the loop on what had occurred there so suddenly, eyes shifted towards Vecoli as they wondered what exactly he had shown to them but unfortunately answers to that question wasn't something they would be getting perhaps anytime ever.

'Hm, do I wipe their minds and replace it with some false memories' Maeve mused to Hestia telepathically.

'A tantalizing idea I'll admit, unfortunately it's not that desperate a situation yet'.

'Unfortunately?'

'Mhm, let's go with a little....elevation instead'.

Hestia called to by the attention of her guests "apologies for the small altercation you have witnessed, it was but a silly misunderstanding on our end".

As if taken over by an unknown force they rushed to get their words out in assuring that they found no faults and were quite alright

Hestia smiled warmly "okay then, let us move on".

She clapped her hands and a second after the doors burst open as rows of waiters walked into the room carrying various new forms of delicacies and precious drinks en masse to place at the grand tables, the performers in the hall received the signal to take things a few notches higher and they complied.

"Drink and be Merry everyone, you'll come to be pleasantly surprised by what lay before you now".

And so they ate and drank, their minds blown to extremes by the overwhelmingly delicious flavors, finally losing themselves entirely when they tasted of the bottle, the night was one of intoxication, music, dancing and meat.

This gathering of the highest class individuals within the empire whom usually carried themselves with class nearly every day of their lives had devolved into a scenery they had only ever witnessed in large events hosted by the lower class, something they had all deemed unsightly at some point in their lives was what they had fully embraced on this blessed night.

At some point in-between Emrys and his family had left the hall to the sounds of loud cheers for them as they walked out, about an hour later when it had gotten too late and they were all too tired to continue any longer the aides belonging to each guest were ordered to come assist their lords in returning home but not before each were given a little red cube by the house imp under Hestia's orders though they knew not what it was for but that was for their masters to figure out later.

Meanwhile back at the main palace Leah and Rachel were experiencing one of the biggest shocks of their live, Maeve had revealed her secret other space of which apparently Emrys also knew of but had not told them about it this whole time.

"I thought you already knew about it".

"WE DIDN'T!" Both exclaimed simultaneously".

"How surprising".

Maeve sighed deeply in her heart when she saw the little ones look at her with eyes of betrayal-

'You're not going to help me?'

'Oh no, this is most definitely your fight alone, they haven't realized I too kept it a secret from them so I'd rather let the big shadow you've cast over me persist in just this one area'.

Maeve heaved a small sigh as she accepted her fate and hugged the little ones who turned their faces away from her.

"I'm sorry I hid this place from you, it was originally meant to be place of meditation for myself but at some point I turned into my new living space and I just forgot".

'You are terrible at apologies' Hestia poked fun at her.

'Hush'.

"Do forgive me little ones, my heart breaks too, I'll do anything-

Almost immediately the turned to face her with bright little mischievous smiles on their faces and Maeve realized she had been tricked and not just her but Emrys and Hestia also thought the same.

"Anything??"

"Uh-

"There shall be no take backs aunty"

Once again accepting her fate she agreed to the little ones demands, a little while later when they were seated in the living room of Maeve's home whom had already gone to check on her pets Emrys was reminded of his promise by his sisters and he brought out the vial as he explained to them what it was.

"An ancient dragon's blood!?".

"Mhm".

"So that's why we felt so uncomfortable".

"Really? I thought it was the altercation that made you uncomfortable".

"No, were sure it was this, the feeling is back again now".

"Ah".

He put the vial back into his soul space and instantly they were alleviated of the feeling, he looked towards his aunt his asked;

"When will it be feasible for me to try absorbing it".

She smiled "with me here the process could begin right now, your body is most certainly not ready to handle the raw power but I could dilute it to a level where you could".

"That sounds like a waste".

"Oh it most certainly is which is why there's a second method".

"Sealing the entire thing into you as it is and making it so that perhaps every day an incredibly small amount of it would seep into your core".

"It would now be entirely up to you if you can reign in that power and perfectly fuse it to become yours".

"With the second method a lot more uncertainty is present and there is zero guarantee of anything at all, with the first everything is guaranteed and sure".

Emrys's mind was stuck in a dilemma, this was not for himself but for Irmir, she had just told him about something even worse than the second method which would be take in the entire thing directly, this was for herself and it brought him worry but he had to respect her choice, the only thing that brought him a little solace is when she said it would not be happening anytime soon as she herself needs to undergoe some preparations which could take years.

"For myself I'll go with the second method".

Hestia raised a brow having caught onto his wording "for yourself?".

"Mhm, I'll be giving most of it to Irmir who wants to devour it whole".

'His wyvern' all thought simultaneously.

"Who's Irmir" he mother suddenly asked as she returned.

"That is the name of the Wyvern aunty gifted to me for my birthday".

Just then a thought struck Maeve's mind but she put it aside for now and looked at her sister "you bonded him to a wyvern?".

"Now now, she was a gentle soul and I was there to interfere if something went wrong".

Maeve was about to retort but another thought suddenly struck her mind and her face snapped towards Emrys "wait, you have the gift?"

"Mhm, we converse clearly with one another".

"Huh, is that so".

Hestia whom was looking at Maeve's face saw something that made her eyes light up with mischief "wait, is that– is that a hint of jealousy I'm seeing".

She rolled her eyes tiredly "Shut up you".

Emrys and his sisters looked a little confused while Hestia could not bear to contain her laugh any longer, her body was giddy with joy seeing Maeve look like that.

Maeve sighed and crouched before her son "I realised I haven't said this and that's on me, happy birthday Emrys".

His eyes slightly widened in surprise and then he smiled "thank you mother".

She got up and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead as she brought out what seemed to be a gold coin and handed it to him "here's your present".

He examined the coin in his hands, it had nothing written and both sides and felt normal to his senses but he knew better than to believe it was so.

"Thank you mother, may I ask what it is".

She smiled"something I hope you never come to know, but you must me to have it on you at all times".

Although a bit confused he chose to heed his mother's words and make the promise to her, the evening passed by relatively fast for them after as they played some family games and Maeve had even decided to show her pets to the kids at some point leaving them in awe of the exotic beasts.

"Finally, they've fallen asleep" Hestia heaved a sigh watching the children sleep peacefully together on the king sized bed.

She went out of the room closing the door behind her and walked back to the living room but her sister wasn't there, then she stepped out of the house proper to meet with Maeve drinking a glass of wine with a bottle and a second empty glass beside her.

"Some late night drinking huh, that's unlike you".

She walked over and picked up the second glass to pour some for herself "is something on your mind I wonder".

Maeve gently shook her head "not at all, believe it or not I have no thoughts right now".

Hestia smiled "guess we seat here admiring the night then".

"Mhm".

They gave each other a cheers and drank in silence.

EnD..