Chapter 125: The Veres Vault

Callum walked through the lavish hallways, the high ceilings only serving to remind him how small he felt inside the Veres mansion. He had left home years ago, his siblings had made it unbearable to live in this place. But, his father, head of the family, had just returned from his expedition in Dusk Valley.

A messenger had arrived at Callum’s apartments, with a letter from his father, inviting Callum to meet with him at the family’s home in the Villa District. Callum had no choice but to accept. And so he found himself walking through the familiar halls of the Veres mansion.

Servants passed by with quiet steps, they bowed to him, before going on with their work. His own personal maid had gone on ahead to prepare his room for the night. As he looked at the decor he noted that the mansion hadn’t changed an ounce since he had left. He wondered if the same could be said about the people.

Callum glanced outside a nearby window to the courtyard below. His younger sister was training her sword kata under the supervision of a Gale who served as her sword instructor and bodyguard. Callum’s sister was the youngest of the five Veres children, only seventeen years old. Her magic had yet to awaken. So, she spent all her time training her sword technique in hopes of winning their father’s approval.

From the looks of it, she had succeeded. Her sword skills seemed to have improved beyond any of the siblings. She really was talented.

“Some things never change,” Callum smiled half-heartedly.

“I was about to say the same thing,” a familiar voice called out from behind.

Callum closed his eyes tightly. After a moment he opened them, plastered a smile over his face, and turned to meet the second eldest of his siblings. “Hello, Feryd. How are you, brother?”

Feryd sneered, “That’s elder brother to you. If you must know, I am doing wonderful, my magical abilities have been making leaps and bounds. I’d ask about you, but everyone knows how you had the gall to disgrace the Veres name with your bright spells. I really didn’t think you could sink any lower, but clearly, I was wrong.”

“Well, some of us aren’t born as gifted as you. We have to make do with what we got,” Callum bared his small fangs in a grin.

Dark shadows poured out from Feryd’s silhouette and lashed at Callum, trapping him to the wall. Callum had been too slow to react. He tried moving, but the shadows were wrapped tight around him.

Feryd calmly walked up and looked down at his brother, “Don’t patronize me. You think because Father likes you, that somehow makes you immune? I am also his son. Don’t think I can’t hurt you, even inside these walls.”

“Feryd, what are you doing?” A cold voice rang out.

Feryd didn’t bother to turn to the speaker, “That’s elder brother to you, Elise. Don’t interfere, this has been a long time coming. Someone needs to teach Cal a lesson of respect. The Veres name will not be shamed by him any longer.”

Elise, 3rd eldest, looked Feryd over with a hint of disdain in her crimson eyes, “It’s funny you mention that. Carmilla, our eldest sibling, has just arrived home from her expedition with Father and she wishes to speak with you. I wonder what sort of lesson she might teach you if you're late?”

Feryd’s head snapped towards Elise, his jaw slack in surprise.

“Go on then, teach Cal a lesson. I’ll be happy to let Carmilla know you wasted her time,” Elise smiled.

Feryd cursed under his breath. His shadows faded away, releasing Callum.

“Thank the divine Bellum for your damn luck, you won’t be as fortunate next time,” Feryd sneered.

“Buh-bye,” Elise wiggled her fingers.

Feryd frowned, but said nothing and walked away.

Callum pushed himself to his feet and dusted off his clothes, “Thanks, sis.”

“Don’t mention it, that’s what big sisters are for,” her eyes gleamed.

Callum’s smile slipped, “Not in our family.”

“Always distrustful, ey, Cal?”

“You taught me that.”

Elise placed a finger to her lips and looked up in thought, “As I recall, I told you to not trust our siblings, but you can always trust me.”

“And why would you be the exception?”

“Because, Cal. You know you have no chance of defeating all our siblings in succession for leadership of the family. If one of our three siblings becomes the next family leader your fate will be sealed, death.”

“Possibly,” Callum admitted.

“You mean inevitable, unless I become the family leader. If I’m in power, you can continue doing whatever it is that you spend your lonely days on.”

Callum crossed his arms, “Let’s say I do join you, who's to say I won’t just fight you for leadership?”

Elise laughed, “Who was the one who looked after you when you didn’t even know how to walk? Who taught you how to read when the tutors had given up on you because of your reading disability? Who taught you the dangers of high society?”

Callum bit his lip, “...You.”

She caressed his cheek, “That’s right, I know everything about you, because I raised you. I know you're cocky enough to try and challenge me, but you're also smart enough to know you’ll lose.”

She slapped his cheek, “So, don’t come to me with empty threats.”

“I always hated this place,” he sighed.

“I know. But, you’ll still listen anyway. Tell me, have you made friends in the mage academy as I told you to?”

“...Yes.”

“Good, they will serve as great stepping stones for your rise as a mage in high society. We’ll need your strength, bright spells and all, if we are going to ever have a chance of defeating Carmilla.”

“My friends don’t have to be a part of that,” Callum said quietly.

Elise cocked her head to the side, her black hair slipped over the side of her face, barely hiding her smile and exposed fangs, “Oh, my sweet innocent Cal. Do you actually care for your little friends?”

“What does it matter? They have nothing to do with our family’s succession,” he swallowed.

“No, but you do. Let me make it clear since you have clearly forgotten, we are at war with our siblings. It doesn’t matter what Father thinks, the day he passes away our siblings will kill us if we lose the succession. Nothing can stop that, not you, not me, and definitely not some random friends you’ve made along the way. We need to win this, Cal. You are going to need those magi to help bolster your reputation and influence in this city, even at the cost of their lives if necessary.”

“I can do this on my own, I don’t need my friends to succeed.”

“Yes, you do,” she gave him a deadpan stare.

“You underestimate me,” Callum frowned.

“No, everyone else does. I see you for who you are, it’s time you do the same.”

“Callum!” Lord Veres IX called out from the end of the hall. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and short dark hair. He was still dressed in his black and red armor. The symbol of House Veres, the sword Krikolm stabbing down into a skull with shadows writhing around, was emblazoned on his chest plate.

“Father,” Callum and Elise bowed together.

“There you are, I’ve been looking for you,” Lord Veres smiled and opened his arms wide.

Callum hugged his father and took a soft shuddering breath, “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Sorry to have worried you. The Valley expedition took longer than I expected.” he patted his son’s back.

“I’m glad you’re in good health, Father. I’ll let you two catch up,” Elise said.

“I’ll see you at dinner, Elise?” Her father called out.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” she bowed and left.

Lord Veres wrapped his arm around Callum's shoulder, “We have a lot to talk about, son. Walk with me.”

“How was the expedition?” Callum asked.

“Besides being two seasons too long? Difficult, frustrating even. The Valley tribes have been behaving erratically, I’m not sure why. Our armies have been keeping tabs on them, but something seems off recently. There are rumors of an alliance among the tribes. Our scouts are still trying to gather intel, but hopefully we’ll find out the truth soon enough.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. The Valley tribes can be ruthless,” Callum’s jaw tightened.

“Enough about them, let’s talk about you. How have you been?”

“Meh, I’ve been fine. I passed all my classes last year and the new year hasn’t been too difficult,” Callum shrugged.

“How has Clypeus been? You both are in the same class, yes?”

“He hates me, but he hides it under a thin veneer of mild respect. The feeling is mutual,” he sighed.

“Clypeus does not hate you, he is ignorant and underestimates you, but that is not a sufficient reason to hate him. He is a Gale and he deserves respect, true respect.”

“Father, you don’t know him. You don’t see how he acts towards me,” Callum frowned.

Veres paused in his steps, they stood in front of a large vault at the end of the hall. “That doesn’t matter, son. I’ve placed this conversation off for too long.”

“Father?”

“You are an adult now, you have the right to enter our family’s ancestral vault. It’s time you learn.”

Veres placed his hand on the enchanted vault door. The magestones embedded throughout the door glowed softly, the handles spun around, the locks slid away, and the door creaked open.

“Follow me,” Veres said.

Callum nodded quietly and entered the vault. He had always passed by the vault as a child and wondered what it might look like on the inside. A mountain of gold with statues of his ancestors? Ancient powerful weapons? Perhaps forbidden magical grimoires?

To his surprise, the vault was more than he could imagine. It wasn’t a small room, but a large chamber with several rooms strewn about. Weapons of all sorts and other valuable artifacts sat on top of marble pedestals. Suits of armor were set on display behind glass caskets.

“Sweet Bellum, this is incredible!” Callum beamed.

He ran from one marble pedestal to another, admiring each artifact, like a small child seeing a candy store for the first time.

“I’m glad you like our family’s treasures, but the true importance of this place lies in the walls,” Lord Veres pointed up.

Callum’s eyes looked up. Large oil paintings hung from every single decorated wall, depicting men and women each holding a familiar crimson blade.

Callum recognized some of them. “Are those our ancestors?”

“Yes, those are the portraits of each family leader of House Veres. Come over here,” he waved his son over.

Callum walked to the end of the chamber. Only one painting hung on this wall, and it was larger than all the rest. A warrior dressed in black armor stood tall, shoulders spread, hands resting on a black pommel, the red blade digging into the ground.

Callum expected the warrior to be wearing a stern gaze like the other portraits, but instead, he was smiling at the woman standing next to him. She was dressed in brilliant crimson robes. She was smiling at the armored warrior, her golden hair framing around her pale face and ruby eyes. Her smile was vibrant, contagious even.

“Are those who I think they are?” Callum whispered.

“Veres I and Gale I, the founders of both Great Houses. This painting hasn’t been shown to anyone, but our families. When people think of the founders, they always imagine a powerful warlord and mage lady. But, the founders wanted to be remembered like this, two star-crossed lovers.”

“They were actually lovers?” Callum’s eyes widened.

“Yes. Unfortunately, Ebon Lord Koval disagreed with the union. Gale I was a more powerful mage than the stories gave her credit. Even Lord Koval saw her as a threat. So, he set out to kill her.”

“What? But, she was loyal to Lord Koval. Why would he try to kill his most powerful mage?”

“No. Gale was loyal to Veres. Koval knew this and worried there was a chance she might try to overthrow Koval for Veres’ sake. Koval wasn’t going to take any chances.”

“No,” Callum whispered.

“Koval almost succeeded in killing Gale I, but Veres I intervened. He begged the ebon lord to stop. Veres was willing to do anything to prove his loyalty. Koval and he came to an agreement. Veres would break up with Gale and marry Koval’s daughter, solidifying their alliance.”

“That’s a very different story from what I’ve heard,” Callum narrowed his eyes.

“History often is. Veres I and Gale I took this painting after the whole incident. They wanted to be remembered for their love. They never stopped seeing each other, even in secret behind Lord Koval’s back. Two years before Gale died, she gave birth to Veres’ son.”

Callum felt out of breath, “Are you saying the Gales are descendants of Veres? That’s not possible. Gale was said to have taken a lover after her heart was broken when Veres married another.”

His father shook his head, “She never did. Gale and Veres loved each other to their deaths. After Gale died, Veres raised their son and told him of his lineage, but he could never publicly acknowledge him as his own, otherwise Lord Koval would kill them both. So, Veres’ son took Gale as his surname, and thus the lineage of House Gale was born.”

“Why haven’t you told me any of this before?”

“It is a very closely guarded secret. I’m only telling you now because you are my son and finally an adult.”

“I see…”

“There is more, Callum. When Veres I had a son with Lord Koval’s daughter, that child became heir to House Veres. Instead of feeling envious, Gale’s son loved his little brother and swore to protect him forever.”

Lord Veres looked at Callum, “House Gale has protected us for the last thousand years because of familial love. Even now, they still protect us. We owe the Gales everything, never forget that. Say what you wish about Clypeus, but he would put his life on the line for you if push came to shove, can you say the same?”

Callum looked away in shame.