King Teigh had summoned me almost the moment he returned to the planet. I and a few friends had been gathered in a local pub watching the broadcast as he shamed the Olympians in front of the entire galaxy. It was amazing, and I'd felt a seed of pride grow within my chest as I watched my grandfather outsmart and outmaneuver the Gods of Olympus.
The real relationship between King Teigh and myself was not well known, nebulous at best. Not often spoken about, because of security, not embarrassment. He had explained the truth to me when he'd adopted me as a direct descendant, adopting instead of acknowledging me a grandchild of his blood.
No matter. Blood tells, and I had laid claim to the Cyronax bloodline as mine by right of lineage and was now styled, Ryu de Teigh y Cyronax. The adopted son of King Teigh Mac de Beleros y Cyronax. A grandson in truth.
I had recently celebrated my eighteenth birthday, the same age that King Teigh was when forced to brave the Ascension chamber and came out changed. Elevated from Commoner to Prince those events from thirty years ago were the start of a new era for Talahm. And now we had been awarded the planet Ijal, the first planet to add to our Pantheon, as a culmination of those changes.
I had watched the entire Senate sessions, so I had a vague idea about what grandfather might want to discuss. One of the stipulations for exploration and claiming planet Ijal required a direct blood relation of the King to be a part of the first group of people that arrived. The group that would be the focus of a Dungeon Dive to claim the planet and ferment System integration with the Tuatha de Danaan paradigm.
As if that demand wasn't hard enough to satisfy, especially considering most thought the King childless, unmarried, and bereft of relatives, the Asgardians had managed to add a further stipulation that the relative must not have achieved Ascension, pointing out that historical examples where that methodology generated the most expansive adaptions by System. By integrating into an unbiased System framework and leveling after arrival on Ijal, the person would become a true son or daughter of the Planet.
They proffered this demand, not with any altruistic concessions or encouragement. They knew that for the Tuatha de Danaan that enjoyed functional immortality, King Teigh would have to send children to brave an unexplored world and take part in a virgin dungeon dive.
But when we succeeded, and I was certain we would, Talahm the body of Danu, would be joined by the planet Ijal, and both would evolve when claimed. A spark of the Divine, the affinity for life and creation would merge with the soul seed that slept deep within Ijal, waiting to waken and give direction and sentience to the planet.
Ijal was untamed. Wild. It should be brimming with monsters, dungeons, and chaos magic. Laying claim by the process of leveling and exploring would begin taming the planet and guide the ecosystem to conform to standards that Danu blessed.
I usually only spoke with my Grandfather during meals, except for one day each week. One day that was set aside and considered ours; personal and private lessons, intimate discussions, training, and games were spent together as a way for the two of us to speak of the week's events, and for us to bond.
Grandfather often spoke of and had never forgotten his isolated childhood, left to the devices of wisps and brownies, and wanted to make sure he was a part of my life. Jennie had become an intricate part of my life, his first protector becoming mine until I was old enough to move from the children's suite to a room of my own.
His questions were often probing, concerned about my studies, training, and treatment. I think he was also concerned that others would treat me with contempt if it became widely known my mother had been Cu-sith. The Volar-fey were prolific when it came to the spread of their seed and breeding anything that would pause long enough to give them the chance.
I was not the first hybrid born of beast and Sidhe, but I was the first to be acknowledged as kin to King and God. The Tuatha de Danaan faction had come far in changing the morals for those who joined the faction. Recognizing ability over species became almost an innate characteristic of those who joined the faction even this early after being formed.
But there was a difference from considering all races of Sidhe equal and recognizing that a hybrid born of animal had the same rights, were capable of acquiring the same abilities, and shared the same intellect with those who considered their blood pure.
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It had been a long time since the Gods' abilities and lineage had bred true, but the Volar-fey were as close to creatures of pure magic as possible. The mix of Sithern touched by the Divine along with the Volar-fey spark of pure magic had combined. Given new life by Danu, and steeped in the blood of King Teigh, the combined heritage of two bloodlines, a mixture most potent, and that amalgam of DNA was touched by the Wild Magic, combined. The results meant all things were possible.
Usually, when we met, it was in less formal settings, space designated for the family, not King. But for this meeting, I had been summoned as Ryu de Teigh y Cyronax by King Teigh Mac de Beleros y Cyronax, not by my grandfather. I took a few moments to change into my Court attire, clothing I seldom wore, but that had been commissioned for those few events when I was forced to make an appearance as a member of House Teigh.
As I entered the King's chambers, I took solace in the fact it could have been worse. The King could have asked for this meeting to take place in full and open Court in the throne room, in full view of ally and enemy alike. By holding this discussion in King's chamber, it gave weight to the importance of what we were about to discuss but limited those in attendance to the few close and trusted Houses that had joined in Benefice.
"Ryu," Teigh said ignoring protocol and decorum. I, even as relative and House member was required to bow and made to wait to be recognized. Grandfather ignored the trappings of power whenever he could get away with it.
Still what he could do as King, was beyond the pale for someone that still hadn't achieved the lowest Rank. I ignored his breach in protocol and gave formal greetings, bowing, and presenting myself. The King liked to joke that he served the people, and in a sense he did because the people certainly refused to allow him to ignore Court prerogatives.
I waited the five seconds required before concluding my bow; I knew grandfather and his moods well enough to know that this discussion would be between King and House member, not grandfather and grandson.
"I've called you here to explain the expectation the Sidhe people will soon place on you, and to give you a gift that will allow you to meet those expectations with my full authority and unwavering support," King Teigh said getting down to business straight away.
"The Senate thinks that the restriction they placed on Talahm will delay our claim of the planet Ijal. That we will remain confined until sometime in the future when I can produce a blood relative that meets the requirements they have demanded to join the first party.
"One of the reasons I adopted you as a member of House Teigh instead of announcing blood-ties was to keep secret the relationship between our House and the Volar-fey. Although we didn't predict this exact scenario, Princess Liotonis and Prince Hawthorne thought secrecy might be used as a trump card.
"You will be the Tuatha de Danaan trump card and confound the schemes of Asgard and Olympus," he proclaimed deeply satisfied at the success that plans long established before my birth had born fruit.
"Princess Wynne will select a tinker to partner with you, someone that is well versed and trained in the metal affinities and abilities that have made her so powerful. You can choose one other person to join, no one that has ascended. This first party will set the tone for how System integration between our two worlds advances, so choose wisely.
"The Egyptians will be supplying a young person well versed in defending, a Bulwark of Osiris, trained to fight and guard. So with the Knocker metal affinities, and your shadow abilities, it might be best to consider someone well versed in spell casting and healing.
"But I will leave the decision to you," he promised.
"Your party will teleport to Ijal and begin the process of acclimating. Find a beginner dungeon, something that you and the party can clear without having Ascended. Once you've cleared the Dungeon, claim the core, and establish an Ascension chamber.
"You will have to follow in my footsteps and ascend before your majority. But I have faith that you will prevail, and your experiences on Ijal will shape the future for all Sidhe.
"Still. I refuse to cast you to the whims of fate and the schemes of other Gods without some protections. And so, I need a drop of your blood," he requested.
Not sure what the purpose was, even the most basic protection charm would need more than a drop of blood to be powered, I agreed, using the pin holding my cloak in place, I pricked my thumb, squeezing out a drop of blood before encasing the offering in shadow and levitating the blood drop within reach of the King.
King Teigh made every effort to not touch the blood itself, instead, he manipulated the sphere of shadow to approach his ring, guiding the blood until the shadow popped and the blood was accepted as a sacrifice by the ring.
System messages, messages that I had toggled to stay hidden while in King's Chambers began popping up against my directives.
[System Message: You have bound with the Ring of Hidden Depths. Bloodline Cyronax accepted; protocols met.
You have access to the dimension contained within the Ring of Hidden Depths and can make use of the hidden world once daily. (Note: Bond between Ring of Hidden Depths and Ryu de Teigh y Cyronax is a secondary bond and cannot overwrite or modify settings established by Teigh Mac de Beleros y Cyronax.]