***Hyperion Empire***

***Soltain Province***

Goodbyes between the Soltain family were rather quick. Max was given an escort squad of knights, and departure proceeded without incident. Jacob handed his son his imperial recommendation, and the boy placed it with his personal belongings. Mounting a smaller horse of his own at the gates, Max waved goodbye to his parents and grandfather.

Although the ride to the capital would be long, Max's thoughts were elsewhere. His mother's words still reigned in the back of his mind. Kana and Max were in an arranged marriage, and they were to use this time at the academy to figure out if that's what they wanted. They were both still young, very young, and had yet to even hit adolescence. They were taught the premise, but marriage was still a foreign concept to the children.

Max shook his head. He liked Kana, so it was purely her decision at this point. He didn't truly understand what it meant to love someone for life, but it would be easier to protect her if they lived with each other. They still had plenty of time to figure out this union set up by their parents, so Max was rather calm about the subject.

Adrios began making noise and stood atop his head. It was now midday, and too warm for the boy to be wearing his jacket. Quickly stuffing the coat in his pouch attached to the saddle, Max looked towards the Knight Captain riding alongside himself. The man was big, and rode a horse that only enhanced his large stature. Max knew Knight Captain Drake better than most, as he was the man who often helped Max train in the mornings when both his father and grandfather were occupied. A family man and effective leader, he was respected by those under and above his station.

Max looked up to the older man from his smaller horse. "Drake do you have any dry meat I could feed Adrios? He is starting to get antsy already."

The black bearded man nodded, spotting a stream up ahead and yelling loud enough for the knights in the sky to hear. "We will be taking a quick rest here! Don't get too comfortable 'cause we have a schedule to keep."

Max thought they were making good time. In fact, he thought they were going to get to the capital a day ahead at this pace. "What do you mean? I thought we were going to get their early?"

The knight glanced in his direction and dismounted from his large black stallion. "We should still get their early, but we’ll be convening with the squads escorting Prefect Endel's son." The knight then helped the boy off his horse and asked. "You have met him right?"

Max shook his head. "If I have, I certainly don't remember that meeting."

Drake shrugged. "I thought all the nobles were supposed to know each other? Especially the ones who were in the same province?"

"Nope. Never met him. What's he like?"

"The boy's name is Daniel if I remember correctly, this should be his last year at the Academy, so he's older than 'ya. He's a good kid though, and I see a lot of his father in him, be a good Prefect when the time comes."

Max nodded. He would take the man's word at value. He was about to ask more until an alert came from one of the knights still in the air.

"Dragon! Coming from the west!"

Max sprinted out to the dirt road to get a better look. Activating his eyes, he zeroed in on a massive creature of black and silver. Dragons ruled atop of the world, and were the symbol of royalty in two of the most powerful empires on the continent. They also controlled the Untamed Continent, forbidding all humanoid civilizations from settling there. Few could claim to have beaten or slain the beasts, and even less survived after the encounter.

Max quickly observed that the dragon wasn't actually heading towards them, but was moving south of the party. He also noticed a man sitting on the dragon's back, unbothered by the speed in which it flew. The man even turned in his direction, showing off his unique features of silver hair and eyes. He then smiled and waved directly at the boy, unperturbed by the distance between them.

Max squinted his eyes and waved back absentmindedly. He had never seen a dragon in his life, but was more shocked by the man riding it. The man and beast radiated mana, and Max could hardly guess at their true capabilities.

The same Sky Knight yelled again to relieve the tension of the escort. "I believe it is His Highness, the First Prince! He appears to be heading to the capital!"

The party continued to stare in a mix of awe and caution as the pair flew by. Although the man was their prince, as battle hardened knights, it only made sense to be cautious around a beast who could crush the group in seconds. As the two finally moved out of sight past the horizon, the entire party relaxed. The troops returned to their duties, while Drake approached the boy.

"I only get so nervous around the Griffin Chief and dragons, and I've merely seen each once in my entire life! Well twice on the dragon count now." The man said with a forced smile.

Max did not blame the man who held so many lives under his charge and had so much to live for. He also did not miss how his partner tensed up in the dragon's presence. Max scratched his companion soothingly, "One day buddy. You and I just need to keep pushing." The griffin settled in the boy's arms and closed his eyes. The boy even received some dry meat from Drake, and waved it in front of the griffin. The beast took the food without complaint, not even bothering to move from his resting position.

Drake took this as a good time to garner the group's attention. "Just another person heading to the capital! Mount up in five! We have a rendezvous with the escort from the Sixteenth and I will not keep them waiting!"

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The escort group arrived at the city of Lumens four days after their departure from the provincial capital in the middle of the day. Considering the efficient military and security of the province, the party faced no issues on the road. Passing trading caravans, merchants, travelers, and road patrols were the only memorable parts of the trip since the sighting of the prince and his dragon. Wearing the breastplates of Soltain Knights, the group easily gained access to the provincial city closest to the Imperial island.

Resting and checking inventory in the city square, the escort was greeted by the Lumens city mayor who reported to Prefect Alexander. The man was plump and rather young, clearly not from a military background like the majority of Soltain nobility. Yet, that wasn't Max's business. He greeted the man with the respect his mother and teacher had ingrained in him over his later years. He would respect people who deserved it. But if they lost that respect they had initially gained, the boy would have no qualms treating them lesser than garbage.

The mayor kept greetings short, as he recognized the group had been traveling for days now. Offering them quarter for the night, Drake politely refused. Stating they would be leaving once the rest of their convoy arrived and were on a tight schedule. Even so, the mayor was not dissuaded, saying he would have rooms in his manor prepared if they changed their minds. He then politely bowed to Max, and returned to his duties.

Max was rather impressed the man left the escort to their own business, and took a moment to look down the various streets branching from the square. People moved throughout the roads, walking in and out of shops and even glancing at the group now and then. Adrios got excited at the prospect of fresh meat and started making noises, per usual.

Max sighed. “Drake I’m going to go get some food for Adrios. Do any of you want anything?” He asked, looking towards the group of two dozen. The older man shook his head, bringing a barrel of water over for his horse to drink. Two of the younger Sky Knights, one male and female, approached Max. “Can we just go with you, young lord?” The woman asked and they looked back at their own griffins. “Our partners also happen to have rather insatiable appetites.”

The young Soltain nodded and then turned towards Drake. “The other group seems to be late so we’re going to explore a little.” The older man just grunted an affirmative as he continued to tend to his horse. Max pulled Adrios in front of him and gestured to the streets. “Pick a road. We eat and return.”

The griffin hurriedly looked towards the direction of the best smell, and Max marched towards a two-story wooden building with a sign reading ‘Moon’s Rest’. Walking inside, Max realized the inn wasn’t too fancy but the room did smell fantastic. The place was also pretty busy, with multiple women walking around with various foods and drinks. His stomach was pretty much leading him at this point, and he hardly noticed the stares of other patrons with the two fully armored Sky Knights behind him. Swallowing his saliva, Max picked a table for the three to sit at.

Removing their helmets, the two knights sat across from Max and his griffin, scanning the area. The woman had black hair and soft brown eyes. While the young man had dirty-blonde hair like himself, yet flowing past his shoulders. Max observed the two unreservedly, and introduced himself. “I’m Max by the way, you don’t need to call me young lord or any other fancy title.”

The woman shook his hand and introduced the man and herself. “Knights Cramer and Rentar, but you are welcome to call me Verona.” The man also commented. “James, if you would.” Max smiled and they made the best small talk they could between two soldiers and a noble child.

Eventually, a cute freckled girl, only a few years older than Max, arrived at the table. “Welcome to the ‘Moon's Rest’, how can we serve you?” Adrios yelped, and Max then looked to the girl and spoke. “I would like two of your main dishes, lots of meat too.” She committed the order to memory and then turned towards the shiny knights on the other side of the boy. She guessed the boy was most likely the son of an important officer, and remarked on the possibility of receiving a large tip.

“We won’t be eating, but each of us would like a whole ham if you have it.”

“I’d have to check with the owner, although I’m pretty sure we can sell beef by the pound. Meat’s been cheaper in the summer.”

The Knight named Verona shrugged. “Either works, though we’ll need at least ten pounds of meat each.”

“Okay. We’ll please let me know if you need any help, your food we’ll be ready soon.”

The three sat in silence while Max played around with his partner. The white griffin was attempting to move to another table with food, and Max would constantly grab him before he could get out of reach. Max then noticed a commotion only a few tables away to his left. Four gruff looking men, who were obviously inebriated, were giving trouble to the woman serving them. Max then continued to observe them as he spoke to the knights at his table. “Those men, are they adventurers?”

The two turned towards the source of the commotion. Listening in on the man on the who now grabbed on the the waitresses arm, “I wanted this rare! Do you know what rare means? This is basically burnt! Are you that useless!?” The woman was clearly confused and nervous. Max examined the meat which was obviously rare and scrunched his eyebrows.

James then spoke up. “Either that or mercenaries. Obviously they have no better place to be then causing trouble.”

The man was now standing up and obviously hurting the woman's arm. The trio knew it was a matter of time before the situation escalated. Verona and James got up from their seats but Max waved them off. “Wait just a moment. I would like to try something.”

The two complied to the boy’s request and watched his next movements with interest.

The boy stood-up and yelled, “Hey peasant!” Two of the four in the group looked at him after his exclamation, including the man holding the waitress. “Sit-down and shut up like good little dogs before I discipline you!” The two knights could only sigh at their young lords choice of words. He certainly wouldn’t be making friends with the men causing commotion.

Now all eyes in the room were looking in Max’s direction, and the one who seemed to be the least intoxicated moved his sight to the knights sitting across from the boy. Trying to save his comrade before he pissed off someone he shouldn’t, the man whispered, “Nathan sit down. He’s an officer's boy.” But his warning fell on deaf ears, and the intoxicated Nathan yelled again. “Shut your mouth you runt! You’ll be next after I teach this bitch some manners!” The man moved his hand back to slap the waitress, but all of sudden began holding his hands against his eyes and screaming uncontrollably.

Max had casted two ‘Light Flares’ directly in the man's eyes, yet no one else could tell what happened. The boy had used his new technique of bending light so others would see nothing out of the ordinary, and it was rather easier to perform because the flares themselves were extremely small. The man had no magic resistance, so Max made sure he would feel this pain for a while.

“My eyes! What the fuck is going on!?”

Max then looked at the other three at the table and spoke over the man's screaming. “Get out, before I try another spell that will hurt permanently.” The three hurriedly stumbled out of the inn with their wailing comrade in arms. Max then stood up and took the plate with the meat. Bringing it back to his table, he placed it in front of his partner and watched as the griffin tore through the food.

The meal proceeded without further incident, and Max did in fact tip his waitress well, which was clearly appreciated by her wide smile. After the boy and beast finished their food, they followed the two knights out of the restaurant, waving goodbye to the nice waitress who Max now knew was named Selene. The trio regrouped with the rest of the convoy, fortunately made of four dozen knights. Max saw Drake talking to another man with the sash of Lieutenant. Beside both of the men stood a slim boy about half a foot taller than Max, he had short brown hair and thick eyebrows. His clothes were rather plain, but he was clearly wearing durable and comfortable traveling gear.

Striding towards the group, Max and the taller boy locked eyes, and both smiled.

“Daniel Endel, son of Knight Prefect Endel of the South, it’s an honor to meet you Young Lord.” The boy said, extending his hand towards Max.

Max grabbed his hand and replied with a firm shake. “It’s pleasure to meet you Daniel, please call me Max.”

“Max then.” His eyes then moved to the white ball of fur and feathers on the boy’s head. “I must ask… is it true your partner is one of the griffins with a direct relation to the Chieftain?”

Adrios glanced at Daniel and burped. Max nodded in affirmation. “I counted myself lucky at first, but he has caused nothing but trouble, never stops eating.” The boy replied with mild sarcasm, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle himself. His father wanted to wait before he participated in his own pilgrimage. Once he finished his tenure at the Academy, he would immediately head to the Elotl Mountains to climb the Steps of the Sun. He had a hobby of noting and researching the eccentricities of magical beasts, and loved studying griffins.

“Max I know this may sound a bit intrusive… but I was wondering if you would let me hold your partner for a minute?” Max gave him a quizzical look and the older boy clearly grew nervous, thus speeding up his wording. “What, what I mean is, I’ve heard stories about the white griffins but have never actually seen one. Also, I’ll be going on the pilgrimage after this year and I would love any tips you could give me. I really want to impress so I can get a good partner, and could use any help. How long did it take you? Did you have to fight anything? Oh! What ab-”

Max had to stop his talking or they would be here forever. Picking up Adrios from his head, he practically shoved the griffin in the other boy's arms. “Adrios, this is Daniel.” The boy then looked towards the burly Knight Drake for some assistance.

Picking up the young Soltain’s pleading look, Drake took charge of the convoy. “Everyone mount up! We leave now!” The knights, alongside the two boys being escorted, hurriedly prepared to leave the city.

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It took another day and a half for the now fifty man convoy to reach the Soltain-Imperial Bridge.

The Imperial Island, in the heart of the Hyperion Empire, had eight reinforced stone bridges that connected the island to the mainland. Each bridge linked to the territory of one of the eight other Great Noble Houses. Also, each bridge was secured by both Imperial soldiers and provincial troops. Because of this standard, depending on which province you were coming from, security could be either extremely heavy or quite lax.

The sun had almost fully disappeared behind the horizon when the party approached the main entrance. Thankfully, there was no traffic at the bridge at the moment, so Knight Captain Drake wanted to at least pass the bridge and then set camp for the night. He himself served for four months on the bridge when he was younger, and knew full well it was one of the most boring jobs a knight could get. Looking at the two knights sitting outside the metal gate, and then peering above towards Soltain archers, he was happy that the rookies at least weren’t asleep.

Little did he know that with the rather loud approach of two supply carriages and dozens of horses, the guards hurriedly stowed their playing cards and woke each other up beforehand. One of the archer’s on the roof spotted the convoy a mile back, and recognized Drakes Captain sash. They had to atleast look attentive for the arrival of an officer.

Drake and the Lieutenant escorting Daniel went ahead to clear them for travel. The guards on the gate stood up for arrival, and lazily asked them questions per procedure.

“Captain, might we ask where you are going?”

“We’re heading to the capital.”

“Captain, might we ask why you are going to the capital?”

“Our convoy is escorting two Soltain nobles, Prefect Endel’s and Lord Soltain’s firstborn sons. They will be attending the Academy and we have a schedule to keep.” Drake said with a little menace in his voice, he wanted to set camp and go to sleep already. The mention of two nobles was enough for the lazy guard to speed up. “Open the gates! Let them all through!” The men on the second floor immediately worked to open the metal doorway, and the convoy moved to cross the large bridge.