‘Anahita is the ultimate.’ This thought shook Syllis as she and the rest of the group took a couple of carriages towards the Laurier's estate.
Aura had mentioned the ultimate to her previously. She had said “the ultimate hears all.”
‘To think she was talking about Anahita, this further expands on her willingness to admit the nymph’s superiority over her. What kind of person do you have to be to have Aura submit willingly?’
Syllis' mouth curved into a smirk. ‘Well, she did not submit completely, she cheered me on in my spar against Ansel. Take that, Anahita.’
Suddenly, her mouth curved into a slight frown as she turned her head downwards.
Clyde and Aura wanted to speak up, to ask if she was alright, but they refrained. Ever since Clyde mentioned Anahita as the ultimate around ten minutes prior, she was in deep thought.
‘More importantly, “Anahita hears all”. That is why neither Clyde nor Korman spoke up during my spar. Could she really hear Lurgica from wherever she was?
‘She does not attend the school and Aura would not know where Anahita was at that point in time. This means that either the heir to Asanoch can hear Lurgica from her estate, or that their fear of her would inhibit them from speaking, just out of the possibility she would be near enough to hear.
‘I guess there is a third possibility, though it is slightly more troubling. The supernatural hearing could not be the result of her bond, and instead the result of paying the students of Lurgica off. No, the students would not be able to tell Korman and Clyde’s voices from the rest of the crowd.
‘Clyde openly speaks about Anahita inside the Boorne estate, which is surrounded by other large estates, there would be a moderate chance for Anahita to be nearby. It cannot be the second possibility. This is perhaps the most troublesome one…’
The first option was not a great one. The trip to the Laurier's estate was estimated to be roughly twenty minutes longer than the trip to Lurgica. The trip to Lurgica took an hour and a half. During this time, the horses move at 14 kilometers an hour, which would mean that the trip to Lurgica spanned a distance of 35 kilometers. Since the trip to the Laurier's would take twenty minutes longer, then the total distance would be nearly 40 kilometers.
This meant that there was at least a distance of 5 kilometers in between the Laurier estate and Lurgica. Naturally, there were variables, for example the Laurier's estate could be much further depending on which direction the carriage was truly headed, it theoretically could be 30 kilometers away from Lurgica!
Nonetheless, this method of deduction could figure out the minimum distance between both destinations. This meant that Anahita had hearing that could discern voices and words from a minimum of 5 kilometers away, and this was only a minimum. In reality, it was likely closer to 10.
This subtly terrified Syllis, though she could show any change in her expression, this would cause Clyde, Korman and Aura to inquire.
Syllis could only manipulate and coalesce ice within a range of a couple hundred meters around her. This was not even her optimal range. Practically, she could only coalesce and manipulate in a range of fifty meters, or else she would be more than triple as susceptible to Coryzan’s corruption.
The fact that Anahita could hear sounds and discern words from so far was astounding. Even if she was especially strong against the corruption of her god, and if enhanced hearing was left of a strain than manipulating and shaping ice, then Anahita should only be able to use her bond in a range of 1 kilometer at max.
‘The rumors were true… She must have several anathema at the very least, probably four. Aura admitted she was more powerful than herself, so this enhanced hearing is not even her main bond, it might be the result of side effects of her transfigured Anathema. To have such a strong ability not even be your bond, how could that be possible?’
Syllis shook slightly in her chair, prompting a question.
“Are you alright, Syllis?” Aura and Clyde asked almost simultaneously. Korman shared a worried glance.
Syllis tilted her head slightly, several thick strands of hair wafted for a moment. “I’m alright, just a little nervous. I mean I’ve never been to an event of any sort before, especially one conducted by the heir to the city…”
She let her voice trail out, conveying her nervousness in a natural way. Although she was nervous for her stated reason, Syllis was very nervous. Anahita was more extraordinary than she could have ever realistically imagined.
Clyde leaned forwards, sweat glistened on his forehead which he took a moment to wipe off.
“I can’t blame you for being nervous… I'm even nervous.” Clyde glanced around at his companions, including Syllis to make her feel included and asked. “Were any of you told what this event is? Why was it so imperative for us to go?”
Korman and Aura shared confused glances, prompting Clyde to lean back again. Syllis, of course, had nothing to add. She was only a contracted kindred, how would she be privy to information that even Clyde lacked?
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
This was the same man that Syllis believed to be the potential husband of Anahita some day. It almost seemed like he was being groomed for the job. She also believed this was precisely the reason Clyde needed to get stronger, he wanted to contest her and act outside her will and the will of the upper class as a whole.
“So we’re just completely in the dark, huh…” Clyde mumbled a few words, the entirety of their comprehensibility lost in their slight utterings.
Syllis felt a sense of impending doom as she heard the pittering and pattering of the carriage horses slow slightly. Over the course of a minute, the clacking against the ground gradually receded until they no longer were moving. They had arrived at their destination.
It was uncommon for carriages to have two drivers, though, nothing was too uncommon for noble families. Both drivers knocked against their respective door, signaling for the dressed up nobles to leave, along with Syllis.
Syllis quickly hopped out of one side, Clyde followed behind her. Korman held his hand out for Aura to grab, a gentle smile curved along his handsome face. This was the first time Syllis had seen him smile in a while.
Aura took his hand, quietly landing on the ground, it almost seemed like she glided down. She might have even floated up, her dress made her look like a princess from hell, or maybe the halarion ocean.
The halarion ocean was said to go on forever. It stretched out infinitely past the empire of Shifordia. The golden belt is so bright, that the sun is said to light the boiling halarion ocean aflame after a certain point. Shifordia is only habitable due to the halarion sea absorbing and dispersing most of the suns’ heat.
Aura and Korman walked side-by-side. Clyde and Syllis walked staggered, somewhat sporadically. The four of them felt bouts of nervousness as they slowly tread the straight pathway under the guise of night. After a few moments, they caught up and began conversing.
It was impossible to know whether it was truly night. Whenever the false sun was dispersed, then it was night. There was a variation of nearly an hour and a half between where night started some days in Asanoch. Strictly speaking, the conjurers of the false sun were not the most professional bunch.
Several other groups roamed the wide pathway before entering the largest estate that Syllis had ever seen. Most notably were the group containing both Clyde’s and Aura’s parents, along with a few extra nobles that Syllis could not distinguish.
This group drew the gaze of a couple dozen more nobles, each attempting to burn holes in the prominent figures with their eyes. They would kill to have the wealth and fame they had incurred.
Most other groups were couples. Men in suits and women in large, puffy dresses were linked, their arms interlocked.
Of course, Syllis’ group was not overlooked. More than a few passing nobles could not help but stare at the four, handsome and beautiful people. In particular they focused on Aura and Clyde, they were the standouts.
Clyde’s piercing eyes and Aura’s tan skin alongside her pitch-black hair easily told the onlookers who their families were. As such, these passersby wanted to network and get involved with them. It took nearly a dozen dismissals from both Aura and Clyde to various nobles for people to stop approaching them and by extension the four of them.
As the four of them stepped into the grand doorway, a massive greeting hall unfolded in front of them. A mighty chandelier refracted its two dozen light bulbs, eliminating the possibility of any shadows hiding away in crevices.
Servants greeted every guest, offering drinks and food. Contracted kindred with unique bonds performed intricate tricks, to which the nobles clapped in response. Laughter and cheers permeated the large, golden room.
Syllis watched with a sense of awe. Her three companions seemed unphased but for her, it was the first time she had ever witnessed such a scene.
She could not help but think. ‘I wonder how renowned I would be if I had the same resources as Anahita. What if the heir to Asanoch was me instead? Would I have the same amount of transfigured anathema, it’s hard to tell.
‘The shamanic professor that runs the ritualism class always made an effort to point out that anathema get harder to transfigure the more of them you have already transfigured within. Would I have the ability to transfigure say four of them?’
Syllis shook her head, disallowing her continued ogling of the beautiful interior. She needed to keep her guard up, it would be problematic if Anahita singled her out. She believed that Anahita viewed her as a threat to her potential relationship with Clyde.
‘It’s not a bad idea… A pure nymph and a pure human marrying. This would likely heal the rift between both races. But how would it look to the public if Clyde showed his apparent disdain for such an arrangement?’
The secare nymph wanted to snicker slightly, but refrained. She was more than a little afraid of Anahita. A kindred with a minimum of four anathema would likely beat her in less than a minute. Of course, she had no experience to judge Anahita with. Four anathema just seemed daunting.
A couple taps on her shoulder shook Syllis from her thoughts. She turned to face Korman, Clyde and Aura. Only Korman was still standing near the entrance, the other two had dispersed. It made sense, he was the other extra attendee. Both he and Syllis had less experience in such grand settings, though Syllis had hell of a lot less.
The corner of Korman’s lips curled upwards slightly before he walked away.
Syllis turned around to face the person who dared to interrupt her thoughts. It was a man with soft features, he did not seem more than a couple years older.
“What’s your name? I’m Illian.” Illian stuck out her hand for Syllis. His blonde hair fell just below his eyes.
“Syllis…” The secare nymph responded dejectedly. Still partially irritated that she was pulled from her thoughts and also irritated that Clyde and Aura had left her so soon in a new environment.
Illian’s blue eyes shone with a brilliance as he remarked. “Wow! That’s a beautiful name. So, why do you think Anahita announced this event so suddenly? I mean what is so important that such a grand party had to be organized so quickly?”
‘Wait.’
Syllis' mouth curled up into a smirk as she realized her purpose at this event. Illian handing out what he believed to be average knowledge to Syllis fueled her mind. As a mere contracted kindred, Syllis did not have access to the same resources as him or any other noble here.
‘What other seemingly mundane but important information could they leak to me?’
Her smile rose even more as she looked up at Illian. “Thank you, why don’t we get a couple drinks?”