Julien Massarreli, Massarreli Estate; Kingdom of Eins, 610

to the Lordship of Eins and the Ambassadors for the Eastern Pas Alliance

I regret that you all think that I'd let some upstart grab the throne. If you are all wondering, no I didn't actually relinquish my right. It seems fate has other plans, and my Father was smart enough to buy me some time to return if it came down to it. Like a sort of warning maybe, that a traitor was in the midst.

Worry not though, for I have already settled down in the Castle, and even threw a party last night to celebrate my incoming crowning. I'd have to say, I did miss the fun royal parties I used to attend; Laurin getting drunk and babbling about the woman of his dreams and all.

Still, I digress. For all those who were informed that the Adviser was going to be crowned today, I have news. The deal's off. Though you are all still invited to attend my crowning, if that makes you feel better. It should, actually.

Also, to Julien, you are still invited. Or rather, you have to go, seeing as you've taken the liberty of actually having your own person deliver the crown and the robes to me. How thoughtful of you.

To all of you, I hope that we get acquainted more in the future. To the Massarreli line, just know that I am forgiving. All you have to do is swear loyalty to me, then maybe work your bones dry for me. Pretty lenient, if I do say so myself.

See you all in a bit!

Aleuas Eins, the Foolish Prince, True Heir to the Throne, Single

Though Julien was already furious yesterday, right now he was in a rage as he tore the letter to pieces. The fool had always had a knack for being annoying, but right now he was getting really courageous. Julien sought to change that. As he looked down at the torn pieces of paper on the floor of his office, he went over things in his head.

First of all, it was weird how fast these letters arrived. Baldwin woke him up abruptly and told him that there was a letter for him. Julien's aide also told him that almost every noble and ambassador in Eins received the letter almost simultaneously.

Baldwin found out through his ability to communicate telepathically over vast distances, enough to cover double the size of Eins.

Still, that doesn't change the fact about what Julien had to do. He planned to embarass this charlatan of a Prince, and then have his head. He vowed to personally kill the little brat.

For all his antics, he wasn't worth anything in terms of combat or potential. Julien wanted to make that point heard around the continent.

As his maniacal laughing rocked his estate, he couldn't help but think what a fine day it was to become King.

Versez, inside the Royal Castle; Kingdom of Eins, 610

Julien looked behind him, turning his head towards his large entourage. He had five knights behind him, all who swore fealty to him and were present during the civil war. To his left, was Baldwin, and to his right, his Knight Commander Tenron. He promised his sons that they'll call them when he's taken care of the fool.

Tenron held the robe and crown in his arms, steady in his gait.

Satisfied, Julien looked around the hall leading to the door's of the Throne Room. The last time he was here, there were a lot of decorations, but right now the place was practically empty.

It seems that Madea really did a number when they infiltrated to steal the crown. He still didn't figure out why they had gone to lengths to do so, but in hindsight, he was quite happy with this development. He gets to destroy that kid and his cocky attitude.

As they arriving at the set of double doors, two of his knights went forward and opened it, revealing the Throne Room. A large number of important-looking people, who wore elegant robes with emblazoned accessories, looked towards his direction.

In the middle of the Throne sat a silver-haired young man. His prey.

Beside the Prince was the Royal Guard's captain, Laurin Hauesl. Julien made a mental note of also having this man executed. He's done far enough damage to him to have any use.

The idiot made eye contact as Julien moved his line of sight towards him. After a few seconds the Prince shifted his view to the crown and then beamed. The Prince stood up, gracefully, as if he's been the King all along and then raised his arms, gesturing that he was ready to receive the crown.

Laurin then stepped forward and addressed the crowd.

"Gentlemen, here we have... Ahem... Here we have the delivery service that has promised to return the crown to the Prince. Please give them... give them a round of applause." Laurin was visibly cringing, his eyes darting uncomfortably to the audience and the young man beside him.

The people in the audience looked to each other, some had their hands up and ready to applaud, others were pale and slack-jawed, and a few others were frowning.

Julien didn't even wince. He'll allow this fool take his time with his antics, and when he was done, Julien will finish him off.

Julien held his head high and looked around him, and as he swept his head over Baldwin's direction, he briefly looked at his aide and then nodded. Baldwin kept looking towards the Throne.

He stared back at the Prince, making sure to sharpen his glare. The Prince was still holding his hands up, seemingly patient. Laurin still didn't respond. The Prince, as if finally giving up, raised a finger.

"Look here, Blood Mage, it's either your life or the crown. I believe you know what's best for you." The Prince pointed at Julien.

Julien couldn't stop a loud, prideful laugh to escape from his throat. The audience watched him warily, none daring to make any sudden actions out of impulse. They all knew that this turned out to be a complicated situation, however, they also knew that what was to happen to the Prince was something he had coming.

Especially now that Julien's card is out. Julien abruptly stopped laughing, then put his fingers over his chest carefully, the movement precise. He saw the fearful gazes of most people, those that didn't dare to ire his wrath. Though, others were more interested than uncomfortable.

"Aye, people, you've heard him right. I am the Blood Mage. So you all should understand the difference between me and that Prince." He pointed back aggresively towards the Throne, before shaking his pointing hand.

"Besides, my esteemed Lordship, this man is a deserter. He accuses me of being a traitor, yet he left his country so that he may find some bit of worth. After all, he is the foolish Prince, and a weak one at that." Julien stressed and enunciated his words, speaking loudly and steadily, his expression filled with confidence.

"The Eins line's policies had become weak, my people, and there is no reason to rally under a banner that would only put us through more despair. Perhaps, a lot of you are still unsatisfied about my sudden coup, however, you all should understand that Eins was weakening even before Rorldon arrived." He shaked his head, and tightened his hands into a fist.

"Our country needs power! We are the first country that Rorldon has to go through before they reach any of the countries behind Pas. I cannot blame the ambassadors for being wary, but please do know that the petitions I made to the previous King back then were out of necessity. No country was willing to take the fight to the Empire, and that was then the time to fight back, as it still is now." He shouted, then shook his head.

He saw a few of the ambassadors cluck their tongue, and a few others staring at him, dissecting his words. Some though, were grinning, gleeful in their reactions.

"We still have time. We've earned that time. Right now, I know that Eins' allies have been in discussion, trying to go over the feasibility of a full-blown invasion against Rorldon, and that they're now more willing than ever to defeat the bully that has threatened us since long before."

He weaved his hand across in front of his chest, almost as if cutting the air.

"We cannot let a man who has left his country to die to ruin that resolve. As such, I, Julien Massarreli, the Blood Mage, will personally quell this prankster so that we may move on to what really matters." As Julien closed his eyes at the end of his speech, he heard murmurs of discussion flow throughout the room.

He knew that he'd strike a chord. He grinned as he spied for any reaction from the Prince, but he couldn't help but crease his brows when he saw the Prince starting to clap.

The Prince had his eyebrows raised, and the corners of his lips curved. After his mock applause, he tapped Laurin on the shoulders. The Knight looked over where the door was, and Julien was startled as he heard the sound of the doors closing behind him and his men.

The Prince then proceeded to sit down in a thump, and then sighed.

"That was a pretty good speech, courier." The fool fiddled with his hair as he remarked.

"Shut your mouth, imbecile. Actually, go on. Today is the day you die anyway. Consider what you say your last words." Julien suggested.

The Prince then snorted, and suddenly the air around him seemed different. The Prince fixed his sitting posture, straightening his back and resting his arms on the armrests. He raised his head and then looked over the audience, before his gaze fell back to Laurin.

"Most of what you said is true, Julien. It is indeed the time for us to rally and destroy the Empire." The Prince then stood up, most of the audience and including Laurin took a step back.

For someone who carried the blood of Eins, he had a starkly different view about things. A view he didn't share with his father. Something about the man was different.

For the first time today, Julien's confidence started wavering.

"It is also a fact that Eins was weakening even before the invasion, putting it on its knees when Rorldon arrived." The Prince snorted. "Back then, Julien, you probably thought that it was because though the King was wise in times of peace, he was dismal in war." The Prince raised a finger. "I don't blame you, because I also believe that. He didn't exercise the full extent of his power, and thus he grew old and helpless."

The audience started murmuring once more. Julien saw that some people were looking at him and the Prince back-and-forth, as if they were trying to make sense of it all. Julien though, had no answers.

The Prince then waved his hand, and silence corrupted the Throne Room. Even Julien didn't know what to say. People were shifting their postures, unsure of what to make out of what was transpiring and the words they were hearing.

Julien spied Baldwin a bit, but he was the only man who didn't have any reaction.

"However, the truth is Eins had trouble only because of the rift in power." The Prince darted his eyes around the hall. "If the King's adviser hadn't brainwashed around half the lordship into his side, you would have been able to concentrate the powers of Eins and made timely decisions and leap into action when it counted the most." He grinned.

"You are alive today, only because you were lucky. All of you, were lucky." There was an unbridled anger in the young man's voice, causing some people to tremble and look towards Julien, as if he was their salvation.

Some were nodding their heads in approval, while others were whispering to each other's ears. Julien signaled one of his men to hand him his sword, and right after he received it, did a few swings, the sound of the cracking of the air echoing around the hall.

"What do you know, fool? If anyone has luck on their side here, it's you! You weren't even here!" Julien shouted, his hold on the sword's handle tightening.

"You know why you did. You are weak. You have no power nor influence. You are a throwaway." Julien mocked.

The Prince grimaced as he abruptly closed his eyes.

"It is true that I was weak." The Prince then put his arms forward, and slowly clasped both of his hands into a fist.

Thin swirls of gray mana started rotating around his arm from his shoulder, collecting and slowly crowding around his fists. In a few moments, it shaped itself, a triangular lump of mana forming in front of his knuckles.

Suddenly, the mana changed color and glistened, revealing a blade of the same shape, held by the Prince through what looked like wooden handles he grabbed with his hands.

The audience stared blankly then gasped in surprise. They all thought that the Prince was someone who didn't have an ability, but the way he answered Julien by summoning his own weapon was unexpected.

Julien placed his left foot forward, and pulled back on his right foot as he leaned forward and crunched his body, entering his stance.

The audience, though all mages, knew to back away and get themselves as close to the wall as possible. Though the Prince shocked them, Julien was the Blood Mage. Things will get messy.

Julien was also interested in the Prince's weapons. Was it his special ability? Though Julien was shaken a bit from Aleuas' retort, he's by now recovered. All he has to do is finish what he started. He was happy that his entourage knew not to interfere.

"But now, I am here to reap the continent of the evil that plagues it. I will bear the sin of taking the lives of many people, and knowingly sacrificing many more. I will take control and give the people direction, and I will be the nightmare that cuts through anyone who stands in my way." There was a different force in the Prince's voice, as if every consonant was spoken close to the ears of everyone present.

Then, the Prince started going down the steps of the pomp, his weapons held firmly on his hands.

Julien's cautiousness jumped through the roof, and he looked for openings. But as the Prince slowly got closer, he realized, that he felt there were none.

The Prince stopped five meters away from him, not even bothering to raise his weapons.

"Still, I do not want to kill when I do not have to. I will only be cruel when there's something crueller than I could be. As long as I'm in control, I will give the people much freedom. Now, tell me, Julien Massarreli. Do you choose to die today?" The Prince asked.

The man known as Blood Mage scowled, and suddenly he crossed the distance towards the Prince.

Julien chose to charge.