Chapter 29 – Eastern Sectorial Patriarch

Who knows how many times had he walked through these rooms? He had lost count centuries ago, but if he had to give an answer, he would reply a thousand times. He was the courier of the palace, a job he was so proud of. But today, it was a different story.

He arrived in the gallery, his mind in a lather. He knew that this was the final room, and behind the opposite door stood the devil reincarnate. The courier slowed down his pace, seemingly trying to delay the inevitable, enjoying his last moments of tranquillity. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, then paused before the entrance of the Imperial Hall. There was no need for him to knock because the Sectorial Patriarch had already sensed him.

“Come in,” said a calm voice.

It was such a serene invitation, but the courier felt no relief. He unconsciously knew that this was just the calm before the storm, the eye of the hurricane. He slowly opened the door, then started walking in a straight line.

The Imperial Hall was as magnificent as it could come. Stylish red crystal chandeliers decorated the roof whilst the floor was covered by large ornamental tiles. The hall was illuminated by the rays of the star, shining through the tall vertical windows. In the middle of the hall there was an adult man sitting on a throne.

He was wearing a dignifying white dress and had white polished shoes. His hair spiky green, body not as muscular as one would expect. He was the only person present in the hall; he didn’t need any guards since his strength alone was more than enough.

The courier walked until he arrived a few metres before him, then he fell on his knees and bowed.

“Be quick. I’m not in mood,” Pietro said.

“Sincere greetings my lord. As you wish, these are today’s messages. I fear both of them are unpleasant.”

Pietro remained unruffled. “Just tell me already…”

The courier nodded, and uncomfortably uttered, “The first is an update that concerns the uprising. Unfortunately, all of our reinforcement squads have been eliminated my lord, and twenty additional planets have fallen since the latest update. Most of them where minor planets, but we did lose Planet Silva. We’ve grossly miscalculated their military forces my lord!”

Pietro appeared pensive, then asked, “Wasn’t Planet Silva governed by a Chief Kanklar?”

“My lord, according to our distressing military reports, he was captured and killed by the leaders of the rebellion. Please understand, this isn’t just an ordinary uprising! This is a mass scale rebellion!” The courier said, now anticipating the worse.

Pietro’s face began showing signs of irritation. “Foolish lunatics, what exactly are they planning?!” He appeared lost in his own thoughts, his face wary at how this event was unfolding. “I’m curious… do they have any demands?”

The courier felt devastated; he had previously hoped and prayed that Pietro would never ask this question. “They only have one demand my lord…”

“Spit it out already!!” Pietro asked impatiently, his glowering eyes fixed on the person before him.

The courier, now almost in tears, said, “They’re requesting the severed head of the Eastern Sectorial Patriarch, delivered to them in a golden treasure chest!!!”

These words struck Pietro like a lightning bolt. He appeared stunned, seemingly not believing what he just heard, and unconsciously repeated. “My severed head…? In a golden treasure chest…?”

He rose from his chair and clinched his fists, his face covered with protruding veins, then he spoke with an ever-increasing voice. “Have I heard correctly…?! Did you just say, my fucking head in a chest?!!! A fucking golden treasure chest?!!!!!” His yell rattled the entire palace and the windows of the hall shivered with force as small cracks appeared on them.

The courier lowered his doleful head in terror, awaiting the horror to come. But much to his astonishment, what came next was the laughter of a crazed devil.

“Aahaha, ahahahaha, bwahahahaha!!!” Pietro’s explosive laughter resonated throughout the hall. “And you call this an unpleasant news?!!!” He then swung his index finger, “No, no, no... I’m deeply disappointed with your judgement this time my dear courier!!”

Pietro then sat back on his chair, whilst the courier looked at him with a perplexed expression. “This whole affair is just a ridiculous comedy!!!! Yes!!! A one fucking big joke!!!!”

Then, in attempt to progress the conversation forward, the bewildered courier asked, “What are your instructions my lord?”

Pietro appeared to contemplate for a while, then said, “Starting from today, the security level is to be raised to the maximum alert! Additionally, summon all the high ranked Patriarchs and acting City Patriarchs for a council meeting. I want all the Chief Kanklars to remain in their positions though, to keep the defences up. Also, instruct the stealth squads to investigate the leaders of the rebellion, I want to know who these fucking clowns are!!!”

Then he relaxed his seating position, and with a wicked grin said, “And finally, inform our goldsmiths that the Patriarch requires a nice golden treasure chest. Remember, it’s to be made from the purest gold and be of the finest quality!”

The courier nodded, not daring to question any of the patriarch’s instructions. He then rose and prepared to leave, but was left paralysed by a colossal overpowering aura.

“Why in such a hurry my dear courier?! What about the other ‘unpleasant news’?!”

The ashamed courier bowed again and apologetically uttered, “On second thoughts, I believe that the second news doesn’t warrant your attention anymore. It only concerns a student attending the Royal Academy.”

Pietro eyes were visibly shocked when he heard this and instantly exploded in laughter. “Ahaha, Bwahahahahahhah!!!”

“You must be kidding me right?!!! If we have reached a point where the Sectorial Patriarch has to start dealing with students because of the incompetence of those at the Royal Academy, then I can just go in that corner over there and start banging my head against the fucking walls!!!”

The Courier nodded. “I wholeheartedly agree my lord, there is no need for you to trouble yourself with such a minuscule matter.”

Pietro smiled, resting his right cheek on his fist. “Ahahaha! These unpleasant news of yours are so fucking funny!! You really have turned my mood around!”

The courier smiled back, more out of relief than anything else. He stood up, then turned around and marched towards the hall’s entrance. He hurried his pace, his eyes flashing with hope with every step he took. Ultimately, he felt satisfied by the way things had turned out. In his opinion, the end result could have been much worse.

However, his elated mood was short lived.

“Before you leave, please tell me, what did this student do?” Pietro asked still laughing. “Did he kill a chicken?!! Bwahahaha!!”

The courier’s body shivered on the spot, then he raised his sorrowful look towards the roof, similar to a widow who just lost her only child, seemingly hating on the creators for ignoring his pleas. “The student did nothing my lord. It’s just that he’s so physically feeble, and yet the academy was forced to accept him because of an amulet of recommendation!”

“What the?!! An amulet of recommendation?!!!” The Patriarch asked thunderstruck. He then started banging the armrest with his hand and holding his stomach with his other. “Bwahahahhaha! This is hilarious! This is so fucking hilarious!!!!”

He kept laughing from the bottom of his heart in a craze of convulsive laughter, his face redder than a cherry.

“I am sure it was a mistake, go and inform this master of his to retire the amulet of recommendation!!” Pietro instructed still laughing.

“I don’t think it was an oversight my lord…”

Pietro appeared puzzled. “I see, so that’s how it is… Those spoiled losers! Just because they can’t win their bets against me, they do this?! Bwahaha!!! I wonder which Sectorial Patriarch was it?!”

“It also wasn’t one of the Sectorial Patriarchs my lord…”

Pietro seemed confused and asked, “Who would even dare…?”

The courier expressed a face similar to a sad trembling puppy and replied, “You really don’t want to know that my lord…”

“Of course I do! Spill it out already!!! Who was it?!!!”

The courier braced himself as he uttered, “Marc—”

There was no need for the courier to say the surname, and neither there was the need for the courier to finish the name; one syllable was more than enough.

The windows were instantly blown away out of the hall and the once stylish chandeliers were reduced to fine dust. The armrest of the throne exploded into pieces, as a large crater formed below the throne. The furious outburst of the Patriarch’s aura shook not only the hall, but the entire City of Gloria. Everyone present in the city was silenced, fixing their gazes onto the palace. They immediately understood that the patriarch was enraged.

But the worst of all was the poor courier. Before he could finish speaking or react to the situation, before he could even do anything; he found himself blasted away. He had the expression of an idiot, and started cursing: his luck, himself for not keeping his mouth shut, the professors of the academy and last but not least, Marcus. The courier was pushed with incredible force outside of the hall and straight into the gallery, coughing out blood during his entire flight. He fell half dead on the ground, powerless to move an inch. Still, the fact that he was now out of the hall made him feel somewhat comforted.

On the other hand, the enraged Marcus was completely out of control. “That… That fucker…! I’ll kill him!! I’ll rip and shred his body apart!!!!!!!!”

“You think you can keep messing with me like this eh??? You think I’m afraid of you??!!! Just keep hiding like a coward you fool! Remember, we’ve only been playing little games till now Marcus! I’ll swear one day I’ll find you and that will be the day that you will be crawling on the floor begging for my mercy!!!!”

He then appeared to think of something that calmed him down, and even brought about a wicked smile on his face. “Wait a second… I’m wondering… if this student of his were to be beaten to a pulp, would Marcus come to aid him?” He grinned maniacally, but was interrupted by a ringing device.

“Oh, it’s a call from my sister Miranda…”

Back at the Royal Academy, the invigilator was now standing before the three young students. He was slightly old and his hair was white, although his moustache was still black.

“Hello young students. I’m Nick Hawkins and I’ll be your invigilator for the next few days. I’m here to guide you through your pre-academic practical.”

“As you know, the academy will officially be starting on the 1st of September. However, this year we’ve introduced a practical session with the aim of providing some prior experience to our new students.”

“Now before I continue, mind telling me your names and ranks?”

“I’m Jefferson Bordas, 2nd ranked fighter with a lightning elemental soul.”

“What?! You’re from the Bordas clan?!!” Nick asked, amidst the surprise of both Kane and Kiona.

“And? So what?! Not like I hail from one of the elite families of the clan!” Jefferson played it down as a hint of sorrow appeared on his face.

“What a coincidence… an apprentice from the Bordas clan! I have to be extra careful. If something bad were to happen to him my entire clan might end up in trouble!” Nick thought to himself.

“Hello Mr. Hawkins! I’m Kiona Winters, 3rd ranked fighter, natural elemental soul of ice.” She had such a soft and sweet voice, yet it still stunned her companions and the invigilator. They couldn’t believe that such a fragile and delicate looking girl would be at the 3rd rank!!!

“And, what about you?” Nick fixed his gaze onto Kane.

“Kane Barker here,” Kane said as calm as the wind, whilst the other three kept staring at him weirdly. Kane felt irritated by this and uttered, “Hey! Why are you staring at me?!”

“Your rank…?” The invigilator asked, wondering why Kane was acting like this.

“Sorry, I don’t wish to reveal my rank…”

Nick felt dumbfounded at first but then he laughed out. “HoHo, there is no need for you to feel ashamed that you’re still a 1st ranked fighter! The fact they’ve accepted you in the academy it means you must have a very powerful eccentric soul!”

However, Kane remained speechless and somewhat embarrassed.

“Hey Nick! Are we going to go kill some ferocious beasts?” Jefferson asked.

“Of all possible stuff, you want to go kill beasts?! That’s dangerous!!” Kiona replied.

“Hoho, relax both of you! Nothing of that sort. Our mission will be crystal farming!!”

Jefferson opened his eyes wide in disbelief. “Are you freaking serious? That’s the most stupid and boring thing that exist in this galaxy!”

Nick sent a dumb look towards Jefferson. “Aren’t you a little too whiney to be from the Bordas clan? This mission was assigned to me by the higher ups, it cannot be changed!”

“Bleh, but it can be skipped!”

“Hoho, of course it can be skipped! But then I’ll have to mark you as a failure!”

Jefferson appeared annoyed, but in the end he had to suck it up. He then brought out a carrot in an attempt to relief his frustration.

Nick then smiled and said, “Looks like we are ready and all set to go to Planet Adur.”

Kiona seemed surprised. “We’re going to a different planet?”

“Hoho! If we want to farm crystals, we need to go in a place where we can find them in the first place! And Planet Adur is that place!”

The four of them walked towards a nearby tower, then they used the teleportation portal to travel to Planet Adur. They couldn’t help but not notice the high number of guards on both ends of the portal.

Planet Adur was very similar to planet Yuba in almost every aspect. The sky was blue and the air couldn’t have been any fresher than this. Kiona was left fascinated by the vast amounts of flora and fauna, and she already decided that she would bring some flowers back with her to the academy.

They walked for hours deep in the countryside. Along the way, they noticed that a high number of different types of squirrels inhabited this planet, much to the annoyance of Jefferson, who hates squirrels. They kept walking until arriving near a small fresh water pond, the place where Nick decided to camp.

Nick then took out several maps. “The main scope of this practical is to farm three pieces of green crystals, which must be larger than 3mm. I believe the caves of that mountain range over there would be best place to start looking.”

Jefferson ignored Nick, instead taking out a different map from his storage device, then grinned and whispered, “What a fool… does it even pass through his mind that my clan already has the caves marked? This is going to be much easier than I thought and that’s good... The quicker we end this boring shit, the better!”

But what Jefferson didn’t know was that this new adventure was going to be anything but boring…