LUKE KUHN
I stand as straight as an arrow just like my father had told me. It is currently the year 1720 of the Pangean calendar and I am proud to be here in this gathering of wealthy and powerful people. I sip my glass of Vanir orange juice and sweep my gaze across the massive banquet hall servants move about serving drink and food to noble lords and ladies from different part of Pangea.
'The Raa empire sure is wealthy.' I thought to myself envious of the nobles of this desert nation. Although I was the son of a high lord I was what most people considered to be the salat of the Kuhn family.
I look around for any familiar faces in the crowd however I see none of my fellow graduates of Avalon academy. Then someone tapped my shoulder I adjusted my silver-rimmed glasses and turned to see one of my few friend.
"Raon I thought you went going to make it." I say my voice sounding as aloof as ever. But Raon merely smiled. "I was talking to some very important people and..." He trailed off. "Never mind that....but it seems like you my dear son of Kuhn are interested in some of the guests of this grand birthday party." I frown at him. "Birthday!! all of this is for somebodies birthday!!" I exclaimed in surprise.
Raon gestures to his tailored red suit. "Why do you think I'm dressed the way I am and why do you think your father put you into that light grey suit that will surely attract some sooters." Wait it made sense now I just thought that this party was for some wealthy Eastern noble who took shits in golden chamber pots.
I point around the banquet hall with a gloved hand and asked. "Who's party is this?" Raon chuckled after all this is why he is my friend and as the son of one of my father's banner man he is my personal guide book to different nobles whether they be Northerners like myself and him or Southerners. 'He even knows some wealthy Westerner's like Jason gory Wayne.'
"Go on do your thing tell me who these people are." I say sipping my drink. "First and foremost do you see that young woman." Raon says pointing at a striking young lady in a black dress she looked to be two years older than me with milky white skin, dark green hair that fell over her back like a river of silk as she mingled with the other noble ladies but what I found most striking was her haunting violet eyes.
'Should I try my luck.' I thought mesmerised.
I carefully glanced at the girl Raon spoke of once more and I frown because I think I know her.
"Vermilion." I muttered Raon nodded. I'm not surprised that I would spot one of the great dominator of Vanaheim's offspring after all I've heard that Duke Vermilion has many children including a bastard daughter.
'But she sure doesn't look her father.' I did not say.
Raon speaks in hashed tone taking care not to use the common tongue in case somebody hears us. "Your brother once told me that he had a taste of that peach." He paused nervous to speak ill of the third son of his liege lord. But I don't give a shit about my brothers privacy I give the young man a nod to continue causing him to smile brightly.
"He said it was very, very tasty...." I chuckled knowing that my brother would be the type to say that about the women he "honors" as he would put it.
"Damn Eddard that bastard." I coursed silently. My brother is only the third son three years older than me yet I am the one known as the lettuce of the family because I am the fourth son with no flavor.
'But tomorrow afternoon everything will change.' I thought with dark glee.
"What's her name?" I asked with interest. "Dame Erza Vermilion." He declared as if he had knighted the woman himself. But I merely nodded not surprised that she was already knighted at her age.
I scan the ever growing number of guests of this event once more and I see two Southern beauties that I'm thinking of approaching one is tall and lithe with onyx her tied into a ponytail her light blue Southern robes look both elegant and expensive her eyes are a striking ghostly-blue the other young woman is not as tall as her friend but she is more shapely with onyx hair and pink eyes.
Raon elbowed me softly and chuckled. "You can't have a taste of that peach my good lad."
I glared at him and asked. "Why?" Not understanding. I only wanted to talk to the two young women and get to know them.
'After all I am not a beast full of lust like that bastard Eddard!!' I thought with fire in my heart.
My golden-haired friend merely shook his head.
"Because I've tasted them both." He says grinning while holding up two fingers. I just stare at him which causes him to chuckle nervously but I continue to stare which makes him shift uncomfortable because after all I am Kuhn of Wisseland and our family's house words are "Our eyes are sharp".
Then I relax my gaze causing my friend to exhale in relief. I tare my gaze away from the two young women and re-evaluate the young knight in front of me.
Raon is taller than me by head, with a broader shoulders than I, laughing red eyes that sparkled with mischief, golden curls that framed a face carved from Gaian salt stone. I sighed and thought of my own appearance short silver hair, ice blue eyes and an aloof personality.
'I should stop trying to chase women I should leave that to people like Lionheart and this curly head prick in front of me.'
"At the same time." Raon added after some time without speaking. I wheel on him nearly bumping into a brown skinned servant dressed in a white robe. I apologize to the man and take one of the grapes he had on his tray.
I chewed on the sweet fruit hoping that it would improve my now bitter mood.
After the servant left I just stood in place not knowing what think. Raon was my friend my best friend even but he was the type of man I hated first he was good with women and I'm not secondly he was a descent knight with great footwork and perfect timing
But. 'He's a terrible mage.' I am only sixteen years old two full years younger than him yet I am currently at the late 6star stage while he is still at the mid 6star stage. Yet his the one enjoying his life of bedding beauties, jousting in tourneys and dancing in balls.
"I'm nearly a seven-star mage." I say shifting away from the subject of women.
'Although I would like to know when Raon met the two women and how he...' My thoughts trailed off.
I would rather we talk about tourneys and famous duellist's we both admire rather than a subject that angered me because for the love of Wisdom I cannot seem to improve in it.
But I notice that Raon's gaze is else where he is staring right behind me towards the entrance of the banquet hall with wide eyes. I turned interest in what had caught his attention.
'Don't tell me its another woman....ha I'm so done with that I wont even care if he said he bedded the gory queen of....' My mind goes silent because at the entrance of the grand banquet hall was a leaving legend.
'N o leaving legends.'
In front of the great banquet hall inside the palace of emperor Sinbad Ammon stand the twelve transcended men and women both I and every mage from the cooks in the palace's kitchen to the noble lords and ladies feasting and drinking here admire and respect the twelve hero's.
I watch in awe as the once noisy banquet hall falls as silent as crypt.
Walking at the head of the twelve transcended is a man dressed in a black robe embroidered with gold and a black keffiyeh also embroidered with gold he ids the emperor of this wealthy nation and one of the oldest of the twelve transcended Sinbad Ammon.
Standing to his left were two impossibly handsome dark skinned men who looked to be in their late thirties. I new both of them the man with silver braids, dressed in silver robe with faces of snarling panthers was lord Ralph Ngozi and the man next to him with golden braids and steely-grey eyes was lord Temba Nkosi.
'Lord oh my lord.' I thought stunned into silence
Standing to the right of the emperor of the Raa empire was...my idle and the most complete swords man in the entire planet and the greatest soldier alive.
My idle does not disappoint he has skin darker than olive and piercing red eyes and is dressed in black pants a white tunic and a red silk toga.
'So that's Lorn Thyestes.'
"Holy shit!!" A voice said finally breaking the silence as all the transcended moved past to mingle with their politicos and family members who were attending the banquet.
And walking among the twelve was the biggest cunt in the world....my father lord Rickard Kuhn.
'I want to blow a kiss at him.' But I suppress the urge because I have too much respect for lord Thyestes.
"Lord Lionheart, lady Han, lord Okumura, arch imperator Bellona, Lord De Fontaine, King Joffrey, lord Gu and the fucking! white death her self!!" Raon said in shock clutching his curly hair.
I am also surprised but I don't act syupid like Raon.
'His own father is 10star.'
I scan the hall once more.
Then I'm even more taken aback when I see lord Okumura dressed in a dark blue southern robe approach the tall lithe girl I was eying earlier then I frown as I see her bow to him my frown deepens as I read her lips.
'I am a Kuhn of Wisseland so yes I can read lips.'
She speaks respectfully to him he ask's where is Jin and the tall young woman points somewhere. But I don't follow the direction of her finger just like my father taught me. They continue to speak and lord Okumura praises her which cause the girl to blush.
'This old fucker doesn't he have two wives already and she's like 25 years younger than him.'
But I continue to read what is said between the two careful not to look at the Southern lord himself in fear of being discovered I only read the tall girl's lips.
I am stunned to see what she calls him.
'I'm friends with a corpse.'
I thought in horror because when she moved her full lips to address him she said. "Thank you father".
At that moment my heart sank because I know that if that girl were to point her finger at Raon and say "father that young man broke my heart" they wont even find our ashes by day break. But I act quickly and pull Raon into a side my handsome friend looks around from bellow my arm alerted by my movements he scans the area fearing for assassins.
'Fool this place is safe from anyone like that but nothing can stop lord Okumura.' I lean into my friend and whisper.
"You're a dead man Raon."
He flinches at that but I keep a firm grip on his neck moving him towards where I last saw my father.
"Now don't panic but, Raon what was the tall girls name you bedded?"
"Maki if memory serves me well." He says in Midgardian careful once more not to use the common tongue.
'So he took my advice and learned more Northern languages, it was probably to court women from the other Northern nations but still ..'
I also speak in Midgardian.
"Now don't scream don't even raise your head unless I tell you so...now can I ask you two more questions about her?" He nods having no choice in the matter after all he was my oldest brother's squire once in the dangerous rain forests of Vanaheim so he should know when his life is in danger.
I grimaced not wanting to ask what I was about to ask.
'Fuck it I need to know for the sake of his and my survival!!' I thought greeting my teeth.
"Did you take her maidenhood?" But the bastard instead of being afraid relaxes thinking himself safe because of my line of questions but he does not raise his voice.
"Both of the girls actually." He say proudly.
I want to puke at the relaxed and decedent life style that Raon has enjoyed thus far. However I do not stop moving as I instruct him to lean on me as his drunk.
'Its good that his breath stinks of drink slightly.'
After three minutes of Raon leaning on me pretending to be drunk I finally see my father's silver hair and blue suit. But I have one more thing to ask my friend.
"I know I said two questions." I began.
"But I have to ask you another question ." He nods without a care in the world I'm sure a part of him thinks this matter to be some sort of jest but oh I wish it were so.
"You said her name was Maki and where did you meet her and well you know."
"I met her and her friend Rin three days ago in Nike, Hermes Republic. We talked about different things and got to no each other and we also so happen to reside in the same hotel....so that very night things happened and the two girls ended up coming to my room and long story short I took them both!" He said with a grin.
"Hmm good stuff my good lad do you by chance....know Maki's last name?"
He shakes his head. I smirked as I could hear my father speak to one of lord Vermilion's bannerman about the siege of Oakheart.
"Her last name is Okumura." I say in an icy voice. My friends eyes go wide in shock and horror and he knows that I've saved his soft life. As my reward for saving his life I push Raon towards a servant passing by causing the two to crush into each.
Drinks fly and food falls on the young knight's expensive suit.
I walked away as if I were not part of the incident I replace my drink with a new one from a servants tray. And calmy walk toward a quiet area.
From behind me I hear my father helping Raon up and telling to quit drinking I smiled from ear to ear.
But before I could move further away from the mass a firm hand gripped my shoulder from behind. I turned my head to see the hem of a dark blue Southern robe and I shit up my leg because the is one person who was wearing such a robe my smile dies on my lips.
'I'm in a nightmare is Raon dead? No calm down you are a Kuhn of Wisseland.' I calm myself and turn ready to meet my...maker?'
I sigh in relief because standing in front of me is not lord Okumura but it is the kind shadow himself one of the twelve lord Ichigo Sarutobi. I bowed with one hand on my chest and said.
"Its an honor my lord." The shorter man regarded me for a moment and said.
"Nice trick...."
Then he...just left.
'That was it!.'
I shook my head tired of todays drama and walked towards the more quiet lounging area. The place is specious with a red carpet, white sofas and lounging chairs with small ivory tables embroidered with gold in front of every couch.
'Gory rich dust walkers.' I thought dumbfounded a the sheer luxury of the place
but as I stand looking for a suitable place to seat I see them about four young lad who seem to be the same age as me. These four lads were my true peers from the same generation as me and they all had some thing in common with me.
'Atreus Thyestes, Zeke Nkosi, Arthur Lionheart and Rufus Bellona.'
I walked forward without hesitation