The cheers for Techxin's victory echoed through the arena, a thunderous roar that filled the air. As the blood geysers stopped spouting, Techxin feel down from his perch. His beautiful pink hair flowing in the wind, like flowers descending from the sky after a great tornado, making the end of a great disaster, with something beautiful. His figure fell down with an unsettling silents, he stared at the still form of Tengen. He reached out, and snatched the leg of Tengen's decapitated body, with an almost casual gesture.
With a flick of Techxin wrest, a blood hand emerged from one of the crimson pools, and shot out towards the head of Tengen's severed head.
Retreating it the blood hand then bringing it to Techxin.
Still falling, Techxin carefully placed Tengen's head atop his body, and then with a murmur, the blood around him shifted.
"Blood of life. Blood of the divine and blood of everything alive."
Techxin used blood magic, it power surged weaving through the air like a dark force, and Tengen's wounds began to close. A shudder rippled through Tengen's body as his chest rose with a breath, shallow at first, then deeper as he came back to life.
"Finally,"
Tengen wheezed, the first breath he'd taken in what felt like an eternity.
"I nearly went to the 1000 spiraling hells."
Techxin chuckled darkly.
"BLESSING REST."
As the final remnants of Techxin's power faded, the entire arena seemed to fall still. The blood that had poured from the geysers mixed with the broken ground beneath them. It seeped into the cracks of the earth, then slowly rose, a visual representation of the lingering power that Techxin had once commanded.
Techxin's voice rang through the stillness as he spoke to the king, his words clear and firm.
"Father, he survived five minutes, right? So, five conditions for each of us."
The King, still watching the scene unfold with an air of detached amusement, as he nodded slowly.
"Yes. Who will you be announcing thier condition first?"
Techxin gave a sharp, confident smile. "I'll go first."
With that, he began listing the conditions.
"FIRST CONDITION : You are not allowed to speak to Maxi as if he is weaker than you. You must call him 'Young Master,' just as his maid does."
"SECOND CONDITION: You must arrive here within 10 to 5 minutes early, and you must stay for overtime as well, for about the main amount of time."
"THIRD CONDITION: In two years, you will have to go on a trip with Maxi so that he can see more of the world."
"FOURTH CONDITION : You will have to teach him magic."
"FIFTH CONDITION: If, for any reason, I am not available, you are responsible for training Maxi."
The King stared at Techxin for a long moment, nodding. "Very well."
Then Techxin looked over at Tengen. "Now, you, Tengen."
Tengen scratched his head, clearly irritated by the conditions but accepting them with grace.
"Okay, my king. I'm going to use my 1st condition to cancel out Techxin's fourth condition."
The King raised an eyebrow.
"I will allow it but, just this once."
"Thank you my leash." Tengen muttered.
"Proceed," the King commanded.
Tengen smirked as he proceeded to continue.
"My 2nd condition is that I get my own, personal, early morning and overtime maid. Who will tend to me in the mornings and when I stay late."
The King nodded, indicating that Tengen could continue.
"My 3rd condition is that I get my own room, so I can be ready for early arrivals and late hours."
The King raised an eyebrow again, but he said nothing.
Tengen grinned.
"The 4th condition..."
He paused, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
"Hy, Maxi, what should my 4th condition be?"
A collective gasp passed through the room, and Maxi felt his body freeze, sweat trickling down his forehead. The eyes of his siblings, his stepmothers, and even the King were now all on him.
Maxi swallowed hard, stuttering, "I... I... I don't know, i-it's your condition."
Tengen laughed loudly.
"I couldn't hear you, but you know what? It's fine. I've got something."
Maxi sigh in releaf as all the eyes stopped looking at. He the whipped the sweat that had formed on his forehead.
Tangen turned to the King with a mischievous grin. Know that this condition would annoy the king which was his full intention.
Tengen didn't care anymore, since he was going to stay here for an additional 2 years, he was going to make sure of 2 things. His stay was as comfortable as possible and that he could cause, as much of a nuisance as possible.
"I want Maxi to be able to visit the main castle a few times a week. How about 2, 3, 5, 10 days?"
Maxi blinked, confused. He wasn't sure what Tengen meant. In this world, the days of the week weren't named as in his previous life. Instead, there were ten days in a week, and 30 days in a month, creating a cycle of three weeks per month. There were 360 days in a year, and each month was named after one of the so-called main races.
Techxin quickly clarified, Maxi would be allowed to visit the main house on the 2nd, 12th, 22nd, 3rd, 13th, 23rd, 5th, 15th, 25th, 10th, 20th, and 30th day of each month. Maxi thought about it and realized that the only reason he would ever enter the main house was for books in the library, books Colen had spoken of, and that's the only reason he needed.
Maxi nodded profusely, signaling his agreement with the condition, but his mind was already thinking ahead, thinking of how to avoid every single one of his siblings.
Tengen raised a thumb in approval. "My final condition... has to do with..."
He turned to Maxi and pointed at him. "Why don't you full control of this one, my dear student?"
Tengen raised his head "I forfeit my last condition to Maxi Bloodheart."
The King nods "then it is done."
His eyes flash red as he turns to Maxi, all the other's gace's follows
Maxi froze, feeling the weight of evey single eye. Each One of them wielding power far greater then his own. His throat went dry. His heart raced. His mind went blank.
King's voice rang out, heavy with expectation.
"SPEAK, BOY!"
Maxi took a deep breath, his thoughts racing back to life. He had to think carefully. His blessing awakening ceremony wasn't going to happen until his tenth birthday, but there was one thing he would need for the future if he even hoped, to close the gap between him and other kids his age, but thinking about it nonetheless asking for it terrified him to even core.
But it wasn't the thing itself that terrified him, it was the person who he needed to ask to teach him that made his pulse quicken, but despite the fear he stood tall, summoning every ounce of courage in his body. He pointed to the left side of the sitting area, directly at a man with long white hair and dark blue eyes, a man who had the elegance of a true noble, his dear brother Colen.
Maxi's voice was shaky as he stammered,
"S...S...S...Since...my tutor...isn't going to teach me magic...I wish for my brother Colen to teach me instead."
A ripple of laughter passed through the room, but Tengen laughter was the loudest of them all.
"Oh, I'm just reinforcing my points. I'm not teaching you magic, checkmate, Techxin, you evil bas-."
Tengen's words were cut off by deep hollow and deadly stares from all around the arena
Tengen quickly bit his tongue held back the word he was about to say.
The King then spoke in a deadly tone. "Hold your tongue, when you talk to one of the 9 main kingdoms royal family, or you may no longer have a tongue to hold when talking."
Tengen nods with an awkward smile.
Techxin sighed, laughing despite the circumstance. The thought of Tengen trying to teach Maxi magic, while he himself could barely cast a basic fire spell, was absorbedly hilarious.
"That's only if Colen agrees," Techxin said with a smirk. Trying his last ditch efferot to make the funny thought a reality
Tengen gave Techxin a nasty dirty side eye, as Techxin tryed to hold back his laughter.
Colen's voice cut through the room, low and cold. His eyes gleamed with a calculated amusement.
"Sure, I agree. But under one condition of my own. He has to pass a certain number of tests, both in intelligence and agility. You see i need to meet a minimum requirement, before i can even consider you wordy of my acknowledgments, let alone my teaching. So with factors on the line of the agreement, do you still Accept."
Maxi's breath hitched, but he nodded with determination.
"I do."
Colen's lips twitched into the faintest of smirks. It was barely perceptible, but a very special few could tell, it was there.
"Very well. Your hint for the intelligence test is simple: when you come to the main castle, I'd advise you to start reading about magic and magical creatures."
Maxi nodded, understanding the importance of that challenge.
"For the agility test..."
Colen continued, his tone as cold and detached as ever,
"it will be a fight like this, but your only goal will be to stay alive for as long as possible. Don't worry, this test will be happening right before your seventh birthday. You won't be facing me or Techxin. You'll face your other siblings of the same age."
Maxi nodded again, this time with more confidence, looking forward to what the future would bring. He knew the challenges would be difficult, but he was ready to face them head-on.
He also realized that Techxin and Tengen's fight was just a peek, of what the power of blessings held, what powers he would have, when he finally has his blessing awakening ceremony. Maxi didn't know what power's he would have in the near future, but he couldn't wait to see
And with that, maxi held his hands together and smiled in anticipation, for what adventures awaited him in this new world, called Pelady. With that first ark of Maxi's journey came to an end.
But it was only just the beginning.
End of Ark
A lost souls new home