Edward and his father stood before a huge metal door, made of an unknown dark alloy. The extravagant golden ornaments evoked a feeling of grandeur. While the design of the gate drew heavily from ancient architecture, it was clearly produced using very advanced modern tools, showing incredible precision, only achievable in this age.

They waited for several minutes before the door finally moved. It opened slowly, as if it was reluctant to move its heavy body. When the gap became wide enough, a person walked out. The man gave them a curt nod, as a greeting, and walked past them silently.

“Okay Edward, we can go in now.”

They stepped into the room, and the first thing they noticed was a long, rectangular table surrounded by elegant wooden chairs, with one clearly more imposing in the middle. While the chairs were empty at the moment, there was a young man with golden hair, leaning over the table, studying some kind of plans or drawings. Edward couldn’t see it clearly from this angle. The man turned his head towards them, reacting to the sound of footsteps.

“Hey, it’s Mr. Thornfield and Edward, I’m glad we can finally talk,” he said.

“Please, sir Alexander, you should call me Helvius.” Edward’s father shifted slightly.

“That’s hard for me to accept. I might be the current head, but I prefer to still respect my elders.”

“In that case, I won’t insist”

“Great, now let’s get to business.” Alexander walked up to Edward. He stood there quietly for a moment, his golden eyes seemed to pierce straight through the soul.

“You’ve been marked as a Legend candidate. I assume that means, we were correct about you awakening a minor legend?”

“Yes, I mean yes… sir! I’ve heard the ethereal voice, like we were taught.” Edward tensed up. He wasn’t one to lose his cool easily, but he hadn’t been face to face with a Legend before either.

“Gods… why can’t I have a normal conversation with anyone, and stop with the sir,” Alexander sighed.

“Yes sir, I mean sorry… Alexander?”, he said cautiously.

The man covered his face with the palm of his hand.

“That’s better I guess. Now let me explain what’s next for you. As a Marked, your goal is to evolve your legend to the point where it can become a true Legend…” Alexander started explaining, walking back and forth around the room. “Due to reasons you’re not yet privy to, the world is producing less and less Legends. As such you will be assigned to a new group, find master Tarquin in the West Wing, he’s already been informed about everything.”

“I understand, thank you for the instructions”

Alexander nodded. “You can go now, I still want to have a word with your father, ask Tarquin if you have any questions.”

“Alright, goodbye Alexander. Goodbye father.” Edward bowed slightly towards the leader. He left the room, while Alexander silently rolled his eyes.

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After leaving the room, and hearing the door close behind him. Edward exhaled loudly.

‘That guy is seriously imposing. Even when acting so casual, I can hardly look him in the eyes.’

A while later, Ed arrived at the West Wing. That’s when he realised, Alexander didn’t mention which room he was supposed to go to. The entire wing consisted probably of around 60. Edward was walking through the halls, unsure of what he was looking for, when he heard a voice right behind him.

“Are you Edward?”

Frightened, Edward quickly turned around. A tall, muscular man, with long white hair stood right in front of him. It was a second time today Ed felt pressured, just standing next to somebody.

“Are you?” He asked again, bringing him back to reality.

“Yes sir.” Edward quickly composed himself.

“Good, follow me boy.” He passed Edward, going down the corridor. He entered the room on the right, near the end.

Entering right behind him, Ed looked around the space. He noticed a guy and a girl sitting at a row of tables, carefully studying him. In the back there was a large empty area with padded walls. Clearly some sort of an arena. Master Tarquin was already standing on a raised platform waiting for him.

“Alright everyone, listen up. This here is Edward, he’s just been marked as a candidate. You two can go warm up, while I’ll bring him up to speed.”

They politely rose up, and retreated to the back of the class, Edward thought he noticed a slight smile on the guy’s face.

‘An entire row of desks, and only two students? Come to think of it, the entire House has seemed rather empty recently…’

“Come Edward, sit over here.” The instructor pointed to one of the tables.

“Tell me what you know about the Legends so far.”

“Legends are individuals, who have gained mythical powers, either through proving themselves in the eyes of Valhalla, or by inheriting a large portion of their ancestors legend,” recited Edward

Tarquin nodded. “Correct, thanks to our ancestor – Alexander the Great, some of us are already born with a portion of his legend. Without that basic trait it would be foolish nowadays to run around the battlefield with nothing but a sword. Of course there can be some variety in how much is inherited.”

“Like the current Alexander?"

“Yes, we call him by that name, since he possesses the complete Legend of Conquest. Sometimes people like him are also referred to as Incarnations.”

Edward thought how nice it’d be to have such a powerful legend granted from birth. Unfortunately it’s not his fate to have it easy, he’s already plenty lucky being born with the same bloodline. The members, who didn’t inherit any of the legend would never achieve high positions in the House, and such people are aplenty. They either end up soldiers, or in a boring administrative role.

“And then there’s the other way, writing your own legend. It begins when one of the Valkyries – the guardians of Valhalla recognizes your feats. Then, you go on to prove yourself again and again, until you finally evolve into a Legend.”

“And that’s what’s waiting for me.”

“Correct, but when our enemies recognise you as a Marked, you’re going to become a priority target. Nowadays modern weapons are getting so advanced, that unless you’re a true Legend, the rules of Valhalla might not always protect you.”

The rules of Valhalla weren’t known to exist in ancient times. They were gradually uncovered as civilizations advanced and created more and more weapons of destruction. Since modern weaponry has hardly anything to do with the strength of its wielder, the power of Valhalla rejects it.

Edward was sitting hunched over the wooden desk, carefully listening to master Tarquin, when he heard the thud of wood hitting against wood. He turned around and saw the two people from earlier, engaged in a practice duel.

“Now then, let’s begin the practical lessons.”