“I’m not a Prince.” Arcturus said into the silence with a sense of growing incredulity. “I’m definitely not a King! Hell, I figured out while you were all talking that my father was probably Terran, which by the way is still taking me a while to process. It’s easy to acknowledge this entire fucking nightmare is real, but the actual gravity of that is a bit lost on me at the moment – which is probably to be expected, given the monstrous pile of bullshit I’ve already gone through.” He knew that his voice was aggressively elevated, and that he was ranting to a degree, but he couldn’t find it in himself to truly care.

“Arcturus, nobody expects you to fully grasp—”

“I hope not, Angela, because that would be insane. This whole situation is ludicrous! First you tell me that my father was not just famous, but royalty! – and then you tell me that because of my heritage and some stupid name that he gave me, I’m supposed to happily become the next ruler of a place I have no connection to? A land that I have no concept of as a nation, beyond the very, very brief overview I received from you!?” He shook his head, pacing back and forth with his left hand gripping the knot of his towel, embarrassment forgotten. “Better yet, you all act as if this amazing fucking coincidence is absolutely normal, when it actually sounds like what you’d read in a badly written, overly dramatic fantasy novel!”

Arcturus was yelling by the end of his monologue, but he was beyond caring in that exact moment, fighting back anxiety as much as nursing the blistering fury boiling under the surface. How dare they think this was as simple as just dropping some prestigious title and expecting him to accept it! Angela especially should have known better, seeing as she was fully aware of how ignorant he was of the world. For all that he was a grown man – on Terra as well as on Earth – he was still young in the grand scheme of things. Expecting him to just magically be okay with everything and agree with it all was utterly insane.

“Your Highness, it’s really not—”

Willpower Check failed!

[Telekinesis] Catalysed!

Mana Regeneration disabled due to combat!

“Don’t call me that!” Arcturus snarled, angrily swiping his arm through the air in a slashing motion to cut off Sumeko as she started to speak. Unknowingly, the action also had the added effect of creating a wave of telekinetic force that slammed Jess, Jakob, and Angela back into their seats with what Arcturus could only assume was painful intensity.

[Telekinesis] Casting successful!

Mana at 130/133!

He froze when he realised what he’d done, slowly drawing his hand back and disconnecting his active aether flow while releasing his hold on his telekinetic ability. He dropped his right hand to his side in a clenched fist, feeling guilty and breathing shakily through his nostrils. Sumeko and Jess were watching him with caution and wariness, poised on the edge of their seats like they were ready to flee, while Jakob’s fists were white-knuckled on the table from how hard he was clenching them. Angela appeared concerned, but it was clear her concern was for him, not herself – and Tylariel—

Perception Check failed!

Agility Check failed!

Smack.

You suffer 10 Damage from Tylariel’s Slap!

Health at 123/133.

Arcturus’ vision greyed out., When he regained his eyesight, he was on the floor of the kitchen, cheek stinging from the force of the strike and eyesight filled with rapidly flashing black and white spots. His gaze shifted to take note of a pair of black-booted feet nearby before raising his eyes to see Tylariel standing where he had been a moment before, an expression of cold fury on her features. Any lingering doubt he had held that it was the redhead who had slapped him with enough force to literally put him on his arse, upon seeing her expression, was firmly dispelled.

“What the fu—?!” The words from Jakob cut off abruptly as Angela lifted a hand to silence them., Arcturus worked his jaw, drawing himself into a sitting position as he felt the sting of his skin from where he’d been struck, and tasted the coppery flavour of blood in his mouth from his molar slicing through his inner cheek.

“Untrained and uncontrolled, no wonder my sister called me here. You’re like an animal.” Tylariel’s words were icy, a stark contrast to her previously girlish demeanour. Her golden eyes filled with an intensity that almost forced Arcturus to drop his gaze. As he focused on her and his senses attuned, he shivered. The redhead was almost aglow with power, awash with an aura of aetheric force that seemed more concentrated and more devastating than anything he’d ever experienced. On a whim, he attempted to use [Inspect] on her.

Î̴̖̯͔̟̥̲̦͇͊͜Ň̶̡̛̹͍͎̑͗̊̋̅̊̒F̵̞̹̣̟̬̺̅͛̽͐̉͌̀͝O̸̡̨̪͕͚̖̟̦̠͎͌̈́̄̾͋͜%@Ã̶̯̻̖͈̥͔̗̠͈̜̦̠̇͂̂͆͑̇̅͑͋T̴̨̡̥͔̤̼̗̘͇̗͛́͗̃̕̕͜>+N̵̨̈́͝ ̷̧̡̧̻̜̺̦͎̲̼̠̈́͋̇͘͘̕P̴̡͇͍̞̣͉͈̪̔̉̀̎̌̈́͜͝͝A̸̮͙͖͕̮̱̘͆͂̑́̉̿̍̊͘̕͝ͅ&*E̷̤͖͎͈̎͛͠Ļ̴̨̡͇̖̱̦̞͍̻̯̹̌̅̋͆̄̊̃̕̚

BASIC INFORMATION

NAME Tylariel Rubastra CLASS A̸̼̍̇́̈́̒̐̔͊͛̚r̷̟͍͊̌ç̴͖̰̊͂̽̑̎̆͐̈́̕h̷̝̹̗̭̮͋̉̂͘o̸̡̜͍̞̜͖͉͙͊ͅn̷̯̙̩̺͙̥̐͝ RACE T̸̺̼͇̯͛̓ē̶̳͕̘̮͔̐͌̕͝ͅr̷̥̮͂̃̾͌ȓ̴̩̹͙͚a̴̦̺͂͂͝n̸̢̛͍͓̪̋̆̌̓͠ AGE ?? GENDER Female LEVEL ?? TITLE(S) Heiress of House Rubastra, Archon of Valaria

CONDITION

ANIMA ?? HP ?? / ?? ?? AETHER ?? MP ?? / ?? ??

ATTRIBUTES

Strength

Agility

Intellect

Vitality

Perception

Arcana

Willpower

Charisma

Luck

??

??

??

??

??

??

??

??

??

CORE SKILLS

Ę̶̛̘̟̤̙͉̺̹̀̎̿̽͐Ŕ̶̯͕̻̐́Ŗ̸̺̯̩̠̙͕͙͈̯͋Ơ̵̮̥̓́̓͌R̶̠͍͓͛̏̏͛̊͗̕̕

COMBAT SKILLS

Ę̶̛̘̟̤̙͉̺̹̀̎̿̽͐Ŕ̶̯͕̻̐́Ŗ̸̺̯̩̠̙͕͙͈̯͋Ơ̵̮̥̓́̓͌R̶̠͍͓͛̏̏͛̊͗̕̕

MAGICAL SKILLS

Ę̶̛̘̟̤̙͉̺̹̀̎̿̽͐Ŕ̶̯͕̻̐́Ŗ̸̺̯̩̠̙͕͙͈̯͋Ơ̵̮̥̓́̓͌R̶̠͍͓͛̏̏͛̊͗̕̕

TRADE SKILLS

Ę̶̛̘̟̤̙͉̺̹̀̎̿̽͐Ŕ̶̯͕̻̐́Ŗ̸̺̯̩̠̙͕͙͈̯͋Ơ̵̮̥̓́̓͌R̶̠͍͓͛̏̏͛̊͗̕̕ EXPERIENCE Ę̶̛̘̟̤̙͉̺̹̀̎̿̽͐Ŕ̶̯͕̻̐́Ŗ̸̺̯̩̠̙͕͙͈̯͋Ơ̵̮̥̓́̓͌R̶̠͍͓͛̏̏͛̊͗̕̕ Ę̶̛̘̟̤̙͉̺̹̀̎̿̽͐Ŕ̶̯͕̻̐́Ŗ̸̺̯̩̠̙͕͙͈̯͋Ơ̵̮̥̓́̓͌R̶̠͍͓͛̏̏͛̊͗̕̕

Arcturus had no time to consider the madness of her status screens, all of which crackled and seemed to fizzle out a moment later as Tylariel spoke and his blood turned to ice at her tone.

“An Archon?” Tylariel asked, her voice as cold and forbidding as a queen’s. “No, a beast with no more sense than a base fiend prowling the darkest recesses of the Blighted Lands. You are no more than a boy playing at the concept of being a man.” She was a force of nature, a natural disaster coiled and compressed into the flesh of a person. He struggled to keep his gaze on her, struggled to match the raw intensity of her golden eyes as they eviscerated his soul with their imperious focus. “You will not cast magic again without my permission.”

Willpower Check unsuccessful!

Arcturus dropped his gaze, feeling shame flood his body in a wave.. He could not bear the power behind her eyes, nor the judgement within them. There was an intensity and a gravitas to the redhead that demanded his respect, and a part of him that in that moment knew he wanted to redeem himself and earn hers in kind. Tylariel had presented herself not as a cruel oppressor or some kind of insidious foe, but as an individual of merit, one that demanded merit in turn. She reminded him, in some distant way, of his favourite aunt; a woman of great corporate genius, and personal success. She had been a role model he’d admired, both for her intellect and immutable sense of self-worth. In that moment, Angela’s sister inherited that familiar admiration.

“Tylariel.” Angela asked carefully. “Does that mean…?”

“Yes.” The redhead said simply. “I will train this child, and I will see him become a man.” The sound of footsteps filled the silent kitchen as the redhead approached, and his gaze lifted to see her offered hand. “Not just for your own good either,” she said with quiet intensity. “But for the safety of everyone else around you, including my sister.”

Arcturus accepted her hand in the silence that followed, and sucked in a breath of surprise at how easily she wrenched him to his feet; exerting a strength that was inconsistent with her feminine frame. While he couldn’t see her arms above the wrist, there was still no conceivable way that Tylariel should have been so physically powerful. Her strength, it seemed, made his own look insignificant. It was a humbling thought, one that prompted him to look towards Jakob, Sumeko, and Jess with curiosity. He had defeated Jess and Geran one versus two, though not without difficulty. When Jakob and Sumeko had burst in, he’d almost killed himself by freezing them in place… and yet he had the strangest sense of certainty that even if he ruptured his mind with exertion, his psionicist abilities would be next to useless against Tylariel.

“Arcturus?” Angela said gently, drawing his attention to her smiling face. “Would you like to go get dressed? You’re still in a towel, kid.”

“Uh, yes please.” He responded emphatically, flushing bright red once again as he did.

“I left your clothes in the room you slept in, they’re just in a small storage under the bed. We weren’t sure how long you’d be asleep, so we didn’t want to leave them where they could get dusty.”

Arcturus paused at her words, glancing at the now-analytical figure of Tylariel, and then back to Angela, before looking to the others. “How long have I been asleep, exactly? I noticed that Jakob, Sumeko, and Jess were dressed differently, but I just assumed that was due to the passage of time. A day at most. Perhaps two.”

Angela’s smile was strained as he spoke, and her reply explained why. “Arcturus, sweetie, you were asleep for almost a week.”

He stared at her for a second, disbelief striking him mute, before looking at the others for confirmation. A trio of confirming, hesitant nods met his gaze, and he turned back to Angela. “A week…?”

“Almost.” She said soothingly. “Closer to six days. Five and a morning, actually, if we’re being exact.”

Arcturus felt his anxiety stirring at the news, doing his best to control his breathing as it ramped up, though the attempt was only moderately successful. Five days. He’d been asleep for five days of lost time, on top of the two he’d already lost after his arrival. The better part of a week and change, and he hadn’t even managed to find a single clue about Amélie or his other friends. When he’d heard Angela talk of Nephilim, he’d been certain he’d find them again, as absurdly unlikely as it might have seemed – he’d had a feeling, a sudden clarity of comprehension that defied understanding beyond the explanation that it just felt right.

Yet now, so much time had passed, and he might have missed his window – all because he couldn’t help but attract trouble...

“Your High—” Sumeko cut off when Arcturus snapped his eyes to her. “Ah, Arcturus. Are you alright? You look pale.”

“I’m fine,just a little tired from Tylariel slapping the fear of god into me.” He responded with a forced smile, turning away and heading straight for his temporary bedroom. His footsteps were ludicrously audible to his own ears in the silence that followed his departure, and he didn’t cease his rapid walk until he was back within the room Angela had set aside for his recovery. His five days of recovery. Arcturus bit back the involuntary sound of anxiety as he pressed his back against the wall, shaking from the realisation of his own devolving situation. In the grand scheme of things, five – almost six – days wasn’t enough to bring on the level of panic he was feeling. The reaction he was having seemed disproportionate to the circumstances, and more deeply rooted.

It wasn’t simply about the time, it was about how precarious the situation that depended on that time was. He had willed himself near Amélie when he’d arrived on Terra, but he had no idea about transportation, speed of movement, or how to even find people if they went long distances from a set destination. The world around him seemed incredibly advanced, and yet in so many ways primitive. He hadn’t seen a single phone or computer since he’d arrived, as if the concepts of both had evaded the notice or needs of the Terran population.

Given what he’d seen of the more practical applications of technology, and what he had observed of their weapons use, he could also venture a guess that exothermic weaponry and ballistic armaments had all been foregone in favour of maximizing the potential uses of Aether. It wasn’t entirely without sense, when one considered the fact that magic likely rendered many of the more conventional forms of firearm wholly ineffective. In fact, he could even find some theoretical plausibility in the idea that missiles would simply be rendered pointless with enough Aether-powered Defences shielding or protecting a city. It raised incredible strategic questions, but in the moment all he could focus on was not throwing up.

A moment later, Arcturus pushed himself off of the wall forcefully and forced himself to calm down, ignoring the subtle shaking of his limbs from his anxiety. He focusedhis attention on pulling out the footlocker under the bed. It was unlocked as he’d hoped, and Arcturus opened it to find the same clothes he’d first worn in the Foxy Princess. Something relaxed within him as he saw the shirt, briefs, coat, boots, socks, and leggings awaiting him.

Perception Check unsuccessful!

Arcturus dropped his towel and picked up the briefs, turning around to put them on – and froze at the sound of a startled gasp. Sumeko stood in the doorway, staring at him with wide eyes as he stood utterly naked and exposed, holding the pair of elastic briefs. He watched her eyes go straight down, and struggled to control his impulse to shout at her or worse, remembering Tylariel’s cold words. “Sumeko.” He said with forced calm. “I’m changing.”

“Y-yeah, sorry. Um, Mistress Angela told me to come and ask what you wanted for breakfast, and…” She trailed off, a warm blush spreading across her cheeks. “… You really are from a virile bloodline, aren’t you?” She was now firmly staring somewhere he very much did not appreciate her staring. It wasn’t as if he was inexperienced or ignorant when it came to women, and his time on the football team in high school had well and truly disabused any idea of ‘innocence’ in regard to sex. That didn’t mean he found it comfortable to be ogled like a prize stallion on display, and he cleared his throat determinedly.

“Sumeko, tell Angela I’ll be out shortly. I would also appreciate some privacy.”

Sumeko nodded slowly, stepping back. She glanced at his eyes, then gave his downstairs a final look before walking away. Arcturus sighed as she withdrew, only to roll his eyes heavenward when the retreating sound of a giggle punctuated his ears. Muttering to himself darkly, he set to dressing; pulling on his clothes one article at a time but foregoing his boots.

Once he was finished he took a breath and strode out of the room, his anxiety muted thanks largely to the odd level of embarrassing normalcy that being caught in the nude by a pretty girl had caused. It wasn’t as if he had forgotten his stress, it had hardly left his mind or been buried deeply enough to stop nibbling at the edges of his psyche like some sort of tiny animal. But it had vacated its previous position as looming panic, instead taking up a less overwhelming stance.

When he navigated back to the kitchen, he noticed Jess and Angela bustling around preparing various things for consumption. There were reassuringly normal eggs, bacon, and toast, but also more exotic fare consisting of blue meats and glasses of purple drink that seemed to fizzle and pop of their own accord – and not merely in the way soda was prone to on Earth. “Well, I suppose it’s better than nudity.” Tylariel said matter-of-factly, sitting in a very ladylike pose at the other side of the table from where Angela had seated herself – ostensibly occupying the other ‘head’ table seat. “Those clothes are a mimicry of nobility at their best. Where did you scavenge them from?”

“I didn’t,” he said with a strange sense of defensiveness over his clothes. “They were a gift, from the staff at the Foxy Princess. I arrived on Terra naked. This is all I have to my name, other than my magic.”

“We’ll remedy that. First things first, what is your Elemental Attunement?”

“Uh, I’m sorry, I don’t understand. My what?”

“Your Elemental Attunement.” Tylariel said more slowly, in that way that implied she worried for his intellect. “I had assumed Air, since you threw a gust when you lost control.”

“That wasn’t… What is this, a joke? Am I going to master the four elements and restore balance to the world?” His lips split into a grin at the joke, only to fade at seeing Tylariel looking at him with consternation, and clear lack of comprehension.

“How can you use Air if you aren’t attuned to Air, then?” She interrogated. “Is this some Nephilim power, to harness elemental abilities absent attunement?”

Arcturus sighed and shook his head, folding his arms over his chest in a natural default into a defensive posture. “I don’t use elemental magic. I’m a Psionicist.”

A plate smashed nearby, causing him to look around in alarm, only to find all four of the others staring at him in disbelief. When he turned back to Tylariel, he saw her doing the same, her eyes wide. “You’re lying.” She said as if it were instinct.

“I’m not lying. I don’t lie, even when I should. It’s just what came to me naturally, since I have a higher-than-normal Willpower because of how—” He hesitated “—how I came to be on Terra, which I think was probably rougher than other Nephilim.” Not a lie, but definitely an omission. It wasn’t the same, though, he reassured himself. “I didn’t think it was a big deal. No one ever mentioned Elemental Attunement to me anyway.”

“Show me.” Tylariel said quickly, lifting a plate sitting on the table in front of her. “Lift this psionically.”

Arcturus glanced at Angela surreptitiously, only for Tylariel to slap her hands together. “I am your teacher, Arcturus Regis! Heed me, not my sister. Lift this. Now.”

Suppressing a grumble of rebellion, he activated his Aether flow and catalyzed his [Telekinesis].

[Telekinesis] Activated!

[Telekinesis] Casting successful!

[Telekinesis] Channelling activated!

Your [Telekinesis] is draining 3 Mana per 8 seconds!

Mana at 129/133. Mana Regeneration disabled due to Combat!

Arcturus wrapped the plate in an invisible bubble of force, distantly marvelling at how easy it was to do with his recent increase in telekinetic proficiency, and lifted the plate off of the table smoothly. He spun it around a few times for good measure, rotating it end over end before spinning it rapidly like a disk, and then finally leaving it to sit perfectly still in mid-air.

Your [Telekinesis] is draining 3 Mana per 8 seconds!

Mana at 126/133. Mana regeneration disabled!

“There’s no deviation in its position.” Tylariel said out loud. “By the gods, there’s not even a sliver of a passive bounce!” She reached out without warning and grabbed at the plate, her hand framing the bubble of force around it which stopped her progress dead. “No air current, no subtle gyrations, nothing. Alyerial, he’s really doing it! He’s a true Psionicist!”

“Is that even possible, Lady Archon?” Sumeko asked carefully, looking from the floating plate to Arcturus. “I didn’t think…”

Your [Telekinesis] is draining 3 Mana per 8 seconds!

Mana at 123/133. Mana regeneration disabled due to Combat!

“It shouldn’t be.” Tylariel replied with a tone that almost seemed pleased. “It goes against every law of magic that we know. Elemental Attunement is the bedrock of aetheric manipulation. One cannot access the Aether Sea if one is not attuned to the fundamental forces of reality. Earth, Fire, Air, or Water must be harnessed before greater magic can follow. Psionicists are almost always Air or Water Attuned at their base, and even then they are so rare that you might find one Psionicist out of a thousand Archons, and they’ll never be too proficient. The discipline is not one that easily lends itself to anyone.”

Mana at 120/133. Mana regeneration disabled due to Combat!

Your [Telekinesis] is draining 3 Mana per 8 seconds!

Arcturus lowered the plate to the table as he listened, turning his attention to Tylariel as he snuffed out his Telekinesis.

[Telekinesis] Deactivated!

Mana Regeneration enabled! You are regenerating 2.5 Mana per 1 minute!

Mana at 117/133.

“So what does that mean, Archon Tylariel?” Jess asked, looking from Arcturus to the redhead and then back to Arcturus. “Is something wrong with him?”

“What it means is that the Prince—” Jakob didn’t even blink at Arcturus’ annoyed look “—is both a prodigy and a cripple. An Archon without an element is like a swordsman without hands. He has tremendous power, in the same moment as having very much none at all – though one thing still bothers me.”

The four women had their eyes fixed on Jakob in surprise, as if stunned he knew what he did. “What’s that, Master Tollance?” Angela asked curiously, lifting her glass of purple liquid to take a sip.

“Kid, when you used your telekinesis to hold me and Sumeko at bay before you passed out, I saw sparks outlining the bands and the lance you created.” Jakob appeared intent as he spoke. “With hindsight, I can recognise both iterations of telekinesis for what they are. What I can’t understand is those sparks. Black and white, like light and darkness. Care to explain?”

“I don’t know.” Arcturus said honestly. “It’s always just been there whenever I’ve used my telekinesis, and when I was in the depths of that rage it felt like, for a moment, I accessed some sort of reserve inside myself that I can’t really access again. It’s like it was there, but only in that instant, and then it was gone.”

“Perhaps there is an element lurking within you, then.” Tylariel said after a moment, consternation bringing a frown to her features. “Either way, it doesn’t matter at this moment. Before anything else can happen, we have to undertake a few formalities. I agreed to teach you, but we’ve not even covered what that actually means, or started your education on the significance of your apprenticeship – a crucial thing, given Alyerial tells me you’re utterly ignorant.”

“Yeah.” Arcturus said with a faint hint of annoyance. “That’s me, Mister Ignorance.”

“No need to be off-put, Arcturus.” Angela said from nearby, as Sumeko finally started to clean up the broken plate. “My sister is a very capable Archon, and when she remembers that she can actually be charming, she’ll make a fine mentor as well.”

Tylariel released a low ‘hmph’ and focussed on her food. “Charm has no place in mentorship, Alyerial. Regardless...” She motioned with a hand to Arcturus, then the table. “Sit, Arcturus. Eat. Once you’re done, we’ll cover the essential knowledge of what becoming an Archon entails, before we move to the next step.”

“The next step?” He asked as he joined Jakob, Angela, and Tylariel at the table while Sumeko and Jess laid out more food.

“Well, yes.” Tylariel said with a raised eyebrow. “We need to find you an Aetherblade.”

It was the first thing Tylariel had said that Arcturus actually smiled at.