Falyn Elway’s P.O.V.

What the hell was going on?

One second Zeph and Prince Apollo are sending jabs at one another and then the king tells them to have it out right here in the throne room.

The main reason I was baffled by their behavior was because I had heard from Vorn months back that Zeph was Apollo’s personal guard. Taking this into account, and the way they were acting, I had to assume their relationship was more close than a mere prince and guard. Hell, looking at them right now, they looked like two brothers just trying to one-up each other.

“You might want to stand back, Falyn. I’ve seen them spar before when I was younger and still remember it vividly.” Hanz whispered as he generously took more than a few steps backward.

Following his lead, I asked, “So this has happened before?”

“Multiple times, actually.”

Nodding, I looked at the man sitting on the throne. The king was not what I was expecting. I had expected an old man somewhere in his sixties, with graying hair, and maybe a beard. But the man sitting on the throne looked nothing like my assumptions.

Like his sons, his platinum blonde hair radiated. He had a pair of cool, but piercing blue eyes that seemed to command the room. Although he had some wrinkles here and there showing his age, he still didn't look a day over forty. His aura, though, was something else entirely. It was like his power was there, but then again wasn’t. It was hard to tell where his mana ended and the world began. At the level I was at it, he was…immeasurable.

Observing him further the king seemed to notice and his eyes met with mine. I only looked at him for a second before turning my attention back to Zeph and Apollo, but I could've sworn I saw the king's lips slightly rise into a smile.

Apollo and Zeph moved closer as they stared each other down. Both of their faces had a grin as if they had been waiting for this moment for months.

The air itself began to feel heavier as they released their mana. They filled the throne room with an odd sensation. Despite the level of power appearing the same, the two couldn't be more different. While Zeph's mana felt cold, almost dark, Apollo’s on the other hand, felt Bright and hot.

“It’s like there…”

“Complete opposites..?” Hanz finished.

I looked over his way to notice him struggling to stay on his feet.

“That's impressive, Falyn. You don’t seem fazed by their mana output at all…” He said, his voice sounding strained.

He was wrong. I was being affected. The only reason it didn't seem so is that I had to deal with Zeph exuding his power for the past three months, which made me somewhat used to it. But Apollo’s power on top of Zeph’s was almost too much for me to handle. Not to mention the fact that I knew they weren't even being fully serious right now.

“Don’t get confused, Prince Hanz, I’m on the same boat as you. These two are monsters.” I managed, putting all my strength in my legs to continue standing up.

For a moment, both of their mana continued to slowly build up like they were trying to outdo one another with their pure aura alone.

“Enough you two.” The king's voice sounded. He motioned to Hanz and me, “As you can see, your students can’t handle your showing off and procrastinating.”

They both turned their attention to us in unison and finally, their power stopped building and stayed static.

“My father's right, Zephyrus.”

Zeph shrugged, “Yes. But I still believe we should give our students a show. You know, to give them something to work toward in the future.” His eyes narrowed, “We don't want them to be weaklings, now do we?”

Apollo smiled, “Your way of thinking always surprises me.”

Apollo lifted a single arm and crackling blue lightning began manifesting and dancing around it. He shot the bolts of electricity towards Zeph at an unimaginable speed.

Zeph reacted quickly, unsheathing his sword and covering it with a layer of darkness to nullify one bolt. He then shadow stepped and the other ray of lighting crashed into the stone wall behind where he just stood. The cracks in the wall splintered and grew, but the wall stayed standing.

Then Zeph was on him. I didn't notice Zeph had shadow stepped right behind Apollo until his foot was already at his face.

To my surprise though, Apollo performed a series of movements that couldn't have been more greatly executed and, swiftly dodged Zeph's wind-clad kick.

“[Star Light]” Apollo said, sending out many orbs of pure-white light that floated around the throne room like lanterns.

He then began moving, almost teleporting to each light as Zeph followed him using the shadows.

This Star Light spell seemed to be the light magic version of Shadow step. But unlike shadow step he could produce his own light, making his own destination. But in a sense, this also made him more predictable.

Surges of lightning and blasts of wind flew throughout the area. The everlasting battle of their conflicting elements was a sight to see. It wouldn’t be a reach to call the battle beautiful, being that it was.

This was a battle between mages.

But my emotions of awe soon disappeared.

They were moving and fighting too fast for me to see. I would only get a glimpse of them every once in a while clash, and each clash would create a shock wave and crater wherever they stood, covering the nice marble floors of the throne room with shattered indents and potholes.

“I can't keep up.” Hanz mumbled, more to himself than at me. He seemed angry with himself because of it.

“I can’t either.” I said, looking around as the sound of their repeated clashing verberated throughout the room and created more of a mess.

He didn’t respond, instead, he began trying harder to watch the battle.

I knew Zeph and mostly knew all the tricks he had up his sleeve, and by my guess, I believed they were fighting at the level of light-blue core mages. If they were to go all out I had to assume this whole room would have been destroyed in a matter of seconds.

Knowing this, I could make sense of Hanz’s anger. Their power was right in front of me but couldn't fully understand it or grasp its true heights. Because I myself only held not even a fraction of what they did.

Their battle went on for a few more minutes and when it ended, both of their uniforms were tattered with holes, burnt marks, and cuts, but they didn't seem tired in the least.

“Three months and you’re still the same.” Zeph laughed.

Apollo tried to fix what he could of his uniform and make it look more presentable, “That makes two of us.” he turned to Hanz and I, “Did you boys pick up any notes?”

We both looked at them deadpan. Hanz didn’t answer and looked down at the ground, disappointed in himself.

“It was kind of hard to keep up, Prince Apollo, but your martial techniques, in the beginning, did catch my eye. I didn't expect you could move like that.”

Zeph nudged him on the shoulder and crackled, “He does walk stiff and straight doesn’t he? Like he's got a stick up his ass.”

Apollo simply shook his head a brushed off the comment, “I learned it from the demies long ago, most of them don’t use weapons, instead, they use their body's flexibility and incorporated different movements in their martial techniques.”

Interesting. Did every race have its own techniques and teachings? I could only wonder.

Zeph tapped Hanz on the head with his sheathed sword. “Hanz, don’t look so down, your time will come.” he stuck his hand out to pet Raiden, “You were chosen by a mythical beast, there is no doubt you'll become just as strong, or even stronger than your brother.”

At Zeph's words, his mood lightened up a little. Hanz was a prince after all, and even though he wasn't first born I'm sure he still carried a lot of expectations on his back, and he took those expectations to heart.

“What’s the little guy's name, anyway,” Zeph asked and Raiden let out a “Ryrr” as he pet him.

“It's Raiden.”

“It’s fitting since he’s a lightning wyvern. Hopefully, you get the lightning element when you awaken so you two can become bonded.”

Hanz watched Raiden move from one shoulder to the other, “That's what I’m hoping for.”

“That battle was interesting for the level you two were fighting at.” The king said, suddenly by our side.

He was just sitting on the throne. I didn't even hear him move and yet he was standing right beside me.

The king looked around, “Apollo when you leave call some earth mages to get this mess cleaned up, and quickly. If your mother saw it, she’d have a fit.”

“Yes, father.”

He turned his attention to Zeph, “Zephyrus are you staying for dinner tonight?”

“I can’t tonight, Sire. I have a lot of things to do at the manor.” He responded.

“That's too bad. I would've loved to get to know your nephew here. He is quite the interesting boy, isn’t he? Ah well, maybe next time. I’m sure my daughter will get him to come back anyhow.”

Zeph chuckled, “Little Selina does have her ways.”

I stayed quiet and sighed. It seemed Selina really was the trouble maker and rebellious princess I thought her out to be. She did make a big impression on me, however, and it wasn't a bad one.

After a little more chatting with the oddly sociable king, we headed out. The king stayed in the throne room awaiting the earth mages’ arrival, leaving only the four of us, Zeph, Apollo, Hanz, and me.

But to our surprise, a familiar face greeted use one again. She seemed to be everywhere.

“Verla, I thought you were with my sister,” Apollo said, confused.

“She’s with the queen right now, and has sent me on a little errand,” She said, looking at me directly. “I was told to give you this.”

She said, handing me a small silver bracelet with a gem embedded.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s a communication bracelet. It works as a communication crystal, but you can only contact one person with it a certain amount of times. The princess told me to give it to you so you two can stay in contact.” Verla crossed her arms, “She really seems to like you, so I advise you not to lose it.”

“Thank you,” I said, bowing and trying to hide my awkward expression. I had a mental age of thirty after all. Keeping in contact with a six-year-old girl wasn’t something I could find myself doing often.

Verla began to walk back to where she had come from and eventually disappeared in the distance.

The was a long silence for a moment, then Zeph broke it, nudging Apollo once more, “Hey Apollo, maybe will be related in a way after all.”

At his words, both Apollo and Hanz looked at me with expressions of…consideration.

I felt obligated to look the other way, though, and wallow in my own mental embarrassment.

I stretched getting up from one of the many trees in the training room. The grass where I was sitting was now flat and almost turned to dirt. I seemed to of unconsciously turned this spot into my go-to rest area.

“Hurry up and get over here, Falyn,” Zeph called, “We have a lot of sparring to do today and you lazing around isn't making things go any smoother.”

“You said to take a breather, so that's what I did.” I shot back.

“If it was me, I wouldn't need a breather.” He taunted, childishly.

Without hesitation, I shot a blast of wind toward him.

He moved out the way with a smirk, “Now that's more like it.”

We continued to spar almost every day, and on the days we didn’t, I would meditate and work on my other elemental attributes. Then every once in a while we would work on the soul states and forging my mana gem. It wasn't the most organized schedule, but it worked.

I would often find myself with thoughts of the future, and where I would find myself in a couple of years. The idea I had in the beginning, of this being a brand new world, sort of left my mind and I started thinking of it as a true home. My home.

Time seemed to move so briskly, and before I knew it, four years had passed.

End of Vol. 1