Year 829. The Lantis Republic. The Prince’s Chambers. Ten Years Later.

Glorious winds of spring brushed through the region, rustling the verdant trees and bushy fields. Grass sashayed from side to side, seemingly dancing in rhythm to the cooling breeze. The glorious golden kiss of sunlight permeated into all those who dared to roam outside and warming both their bodies and hearts in the process. The Lantis Republic had just experienced their turn of the seasons, and everyone was starting to warm up after the long winter. Children skipped to their schools while adults focused on earning a living wage for their families.

Oddly enough, the Worldquake and the Allfather’s declaration of war had become somewhat of an afterthought for those denizens of the Lantis Republic. And who could blame them? The Worldquake that decimated the entire world didn’t really have much effect on the Lantis Republic. Yes, a couple of structures were destroyed, and some lives had been affected, but it was nowhere near the damage done to the other two superpowers. In fact, in a little over a year, the Lantis Republic was back in top form and had even started to bolster their armies.

And it was all thanks to the work of their esteemed Prince.

“Errol! Raise your arms! If you lower your guard too much, you’ll be vulnerable to a counter-attack!” A matured and sonorous voice echoed through the courtyard of the Prince’s Chambers.

“I’m trying, father!” A prepubescent voice answered the man’s barks, though it was more of a whimper than an answer.

“Cassiel! Luciel! The two of you as well! If you’re going to drop your guard that often, I will be sure to exploit them this time!”

“Wait, father!” This time, a female voice that was as flowery as the rose garden that filled the background called out in protest.

“Father, let me take a few minutes to rest! Please, just a few minutes this time!” Another male voice sounded out, not willing to get hit one more time.

“Kids, just endure it for a few more minutes. It’s going to be good for your future development, trust me!” The matured voice replied, seemingly more emphatic this time. “Also, the one who puts down their guard the next time won’t get ice-cream for dessert!”

“WHAT?!” The three juveniles universally hollered. If one didn’t know better, they would have thought that the world was ending by the tone of their voices.

The four people who were training in the courtyard was obviously Shin and his three eldest children. Errol Laenar Awter, the child that Shin had adopted, was the first person to feel the power of Shin’s fists. Standing ahead of his two younger siblings, Errol raised his signature rapier and tried to push his father far away from the trio. Sweat trickled down his viridian hair, and his growing ten-year-old body was utterly red due to the internal and external heat that he was sustaining.

Errol’s two siblings were in a similar state as well. After Shin had returned from Mythpoint Reach, he didn’t return empty-handed. Yes, the Allfather may have escaped, and yes, the world was still in fractures as the Black Masks hadn’t been eradicated, but Shin had emerged from the whole expedition a winner. Why? Because Shin and Kanari had returned from Mythpoint Reach, expecting a new bundle of joy. Well, two bundles of joy to be exact.

By sheer luck, Kanari got pregnant in her first year of trying and as some might say… Happiness comes in pairs. Kanari’s first pregnancy was one with twins, a shocking affair, to say the least. Many people wondered what Shin and Kaanri’s firstborn would be, but never in their wildest dreams could they have anticipated two children at the same time. Fortunately for Kanari, her first delivery went fine. There was a lot of pain, though.

In a delivery that went on for twelve hours, two little children popped out of Kanari. Both of them inherited the good looks of their parents, boasting the same jet-black hair that their parents had. Cassiel, the older sister, inherited Kanari’s ruby-like eyes, and her overall demeanour was beyond exemplary. Luciel was an odd case in the sense that he took the eye colour of both his parents. His left eye took the same azure that glistened like a serene lake, while his right took the ruby pattern of his mother and older sister. Now that they were nine-years-old, the twins were starting to show hints of what they could be in the near future, once they entered their growing phase.

It was said that every noble and wealthy family on the planet had sent gifts and engagement requests to the twins. Not just because of their background, but because of their astonishing good looks. They were confident that in future, both siblings would grow up to become the most striking visuals of their generation. Everyone wanted in on a piece of that pie.

Though, Shin didn’t really care about those engagement request. To him, his children’s happiness was of paramount importance, and he didn’t really want to force them into doing something that they disliked… Unless it was training.

Cassiel inherited her mother’s aptitude when it came to close combat, while Luciel fancied the spear arts of his father and uncle Isadore. Hence, from the moment that they turned six, Shin had started to drill them in the basics of martial arts, to at the very least, give the young Royals a means to fend for themselves.

A few servants stood silently in the backdrop while a gorgeous black-haired woman sat comfortably while sipping on her favoured tea. Looking in her mid-twenties, the woman was calm and reserved. Her supple, radiant skin seemed to age backwards, and her luscious hair showed no signs of degradation. Kanari was not worried in the slightest of her children’s welfare. After all, the person that was facing them was one of the most powerful Spirit Emperors in the current world. Shin knew when to hold back and when to apply pressure, and it was evident by the way he casually locked the three children’s movements down, without hurting them in the slightest.

“Mommy, I don’t think that my brothers and sisters can hold on anymore...” While Kanari was still casually sipping on her tea and munching on some biscuits, a high-pitched voice called out to her, worried.

Seated by Kanari’s side, there was a young girl, who didn’t look over five. Her jet-black hair was tied into a ponytail while her azure eyes glistened with anxiety as she watched over the three children failing to land a single hit on her father. That’s right. Shin and Kanari didn’t stop at three children… They went full steam ahead for their fourth.

“Uriel, you don’t have to worry about them. Your brothers and sister need to train hard to strengthen their bodies. That way, they would be more prepared for their Spirit Awakening Ceremonies that are coming up.”

“Spirit Awakening Ceremonies?” The girl shot Kanari a look of innocence. “What’s that?”

Putting on her most motherly smile, Kanari stroked her youngest daughter’s hair and offered a new biscuit. “You’re still too young to know that… For now, why don’t we cheer your brothers and sister on? Give them the extra energy boost to finish the fight?”

“Yea! I can do that!” Uriel beamed, showing off her set of unfinished teeth.

Oddly enough, the five-year-old’s cheers somehow worked, and the three children that were training against their father managed to hold on until the incense timer burnt down entirely. With a smile, Shin finished the bout by clapping twice, which gave the trio the signal to fall flat on the floor.

“Hah… Hah… Father, you’re too mean!” Errol complained in between taking deep breaths.

“Don’t say that,” Shin smiled. “I just want to bring out your full potential! Especially for you, Errol. Unlike your two younger siblings, your Spirit Awakening Ceremony is about to arrive. If you don’t train hard enough for it, you’ll feel a hell lot of pain when you sense spiritual energy for the first time!”

“I know that… But it’s so tiring!” Errol continued to moan. However, there was no hesitation in the young boy’s eyes. Errol knew that his father was trying to mould him into a better person, and more importantly, he was acutely aware of his place as the adopted child. Shin had never told Errol about his true parentage, but the young boy at least knew that he didn’t share the same blood as his younger siblings. Which made him all the more grateful for the opportunity to learn under his influential father.

“Just endure it for now...” Contrary to his forceful face earlier on, Shin now wore a smile of compassion and love. He ruffled his adopted son’s hair before finally allowing him to take the well-deserved break. “All right, that’s all for today. Go enjoy yourself with some ice-cream!”

“YAY!!!” The children universally cheered and got to their feet as if they hadn’t been training for the past few hours. Hearing the word ice-cream, Uriel got off her mother’s lap and immediately joined her elder siblings in running to the kitchen.

“I want chocolate!” Cassiel cheered.

“Chocolate is fine with me too,” Errol chuckled.

“Vanilla for me, thanks!” Luciel added on as well.

“Me, me! Strawberry!” Uriel didn’t even look at her mother, who was holding onto the biscuit absent-mindedly. Her youngest child… had just abandoned her for some treats?

Truly… Ice-cream was a frightening thing.

“Why the long face, Kanari?” Shin walked over and took his place right next to his wife. Although he hardly broke a sweat from training his children, he still took one sip of the fragrant tea that Kanari had prepared.

“You really spoil them… Giving them ice-cream whenever they complain about training. See, now even the youngest is learning the bad ways! Sooner or later, she’ll forget that this mother of hers even exists!” The woman bared her fangs, angered that her husband had led their children astray.

“Hmmm? Then why don’t we make another in the interim?”

“Y-You… Still have the mood to joke about that?” Exasperated by Shin’s reply, Kanari held onto her forehead, preventing it from falling right onto the table. However, seeing the lack of response on her husband’s side, Kanari let out a helpless sigh. In the end, she simply rolled her eyes and took her place on Shin’s chest. “Whatever...”

The two enjoyed each other’s warmth as they watched their children dirty their faces with the decadent desserts prepared by the Lantis Republic’s best chefs. In their eyes, the peaceful days where their children could play without worry were the best ones. However, it was not to last.

“Shin… Ten years have passed...”

“I know...”

The sudden shift in the atmosphere caused Shin’s face to turn sour. “Ten years have passed, and the promise I made to Junius back then has yet to be fulfilled.”

“Are you really going to tell Errol everything? Everything about Junius and the Black Masks?”

“I have to...” Shin’s grip on Kanari’s waist tightened. “It’s only fair that Errol learns everything about his parentage. Even if it means that he’ll come to hate me or if it means severing our ties as father and son… It’s the justice that I owe to Errol, and warriors that fought for the Awter name.”

Shin looked his wife dead in the eye. It was a tough decision, telling Errol everything that had happened in the past. In most circumstances, keeping quiet about the tragedies of the past would be wise. However, Shin had lived through such a lie when the Frie Clan kept the Awter Clan’s massacre a secret from the orphans. It was better for Errol to hear from the source, then to learn it from the mouths of another later down in his life.

“I’ll tell him… Once he awakens his Spirit and can truly become independent.”