The statement triggered a storm of different emotions. Leo was burning with fury, Mirage was beaming with happiness, while Jean's expression remained unreadable. Suddenly, a slight, respectful smile appeared on his face.
"Why not?" He turned his gaze to Taren and nodded. "Good to see you again, Taren. Glad to see you're doing well."
Taren smiled sheepishly as they walked closer to the Atlantis family. "Ah, thanks."
Taren and Fang Rui exchanged glances with the younger Atlantis children. Mirage ran into the embrace of Taren and Fang Rui.
"Leo! Big brothers are here!"
Leo… wasn't feeling the same way. He kept staring at Fang Rui as if he wanted to burn the young man into ashes, then bring him back to life just to burn him again and again…
'...And again…. No, no. On the fifth time, how about I break his bones slowly, then feed his balls to the horses? Yes, yes.. then I'll roast his flesh and ask Jean to help me serve it to the prisoners. I'll kill two birds with one stone: kill him and feed the prisoners bad meat.'
He grinned to himself like a madman as he continued thinking of bizarre ways to satisfy a grudge. At that moment, Fang Rui spoke.
"Too bad for you; I am not going to die such petty deaths. And in case you haven't noticed, my skin and flesh are much more enticing."
Leo froze for a moment. 'Forgot the bastard reads minds. What a fool I am. Ah, his skin has surely changed. Wait! Did he rank up?!'
Fang Rui smiled at the little boy in front of him. "It's nice to know we both agree on the level of your smartness. And yes, my skin is beautiful. And oh, yes... I ranked up."
Leo gritted his teeth, unable to say anything. Then, a mischievous smile appeared on his face.
'Just wait till I awaken, you fool.'
"Are we switching the 'fool' roles now? And I'll definitely wait. I trust you—"
'Oh. Well, that was ni—'
"—to fail."
'Spoke too soon.'
Fang Rui was about to say something else when Taren called out to them. The two loggerheads were so caught up in their grudge that they hadn't noticed the rest had already entered the cathedral. Taren was poking his head out of the large door, calling out to them.
"Leo! Fang Rui! It's about to start!"
The two glanced at each other one last time before walking into the dome.
'Wow…'
The cathedral was magnificent. Though the outer shell was made of glass, the interior was built entirely of stone. There was no glass in sight. Leo did not understand how that worked, but it was spectacular.
High above, where the dome should have been, there were no rafters or glass panes. Instead, a miniature version of the Crimson Orb floated in the center of the ceiling, rotating slowly. It acted as a sun for the interior, casting long, dramatic shadows across the thousands of seats arranged in a perfect circle.
At the very center of the stone floor, there was a massive, glowing root that burst from the ground like a wooden spear, spiraling upward toward the mini-orb.
It was beautiful. It was terrifying. And according to the logic of the world, this giant piece of wood was about to decide if he was a king or a peasant.
Taren ushered them to the front seats alongside Mirage. When they reached the entrance directly facing the wood, Leo's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly felt a surge of fear.
Gritting his teeth, he sat down right next to Taren, and the remaining two followed suit. Jean was seated opposite them on the other side of the wood with other influential figures, one of whom Leo recognized instantly.
'Ah, the old geezer came.'
Sitting next to Jean was King Tharok of Eldoria. He was still the King, but he barely held any value after the Aura System had fully landed. What had transpired between his butler, his daughter's husband, Jean, and his own daughter still remained a mystery. And yet, they behaved naturally.
'Ah, adults and their nonsense.'
King Tharok wore dark, fearsome armor draped with a thick red cape. He had steely eyes and a rough, unkempt beard. The other people seated nearby weren't as familiar to Leo, but he could identify the Chairman of the Celestial Academy and the Chairman of the Tenebris Academy. Commanders, Royals, Clan Leaders—the room was a collection of the most powerful people in Primoria.
A man draped in an overly large white tunic stepped out of the crowd and started addressing the people.
"Welcome, everyone. Welcome to the 12th annual Awakening Ceremony. Today another generation of elites will be born. Glory to Aura. But before we get started, we need to remember the one who had given us the privilege to use Aura. Aura is a mysterious energy used by other realms and a collective few amongst us. But that's not the case anymore. A heroine! Queen! Went all her way to gift us the privilege to use Aura. Can we all stand up and salute Elara Atlantis, Queen of Bones?"
After that, everyone stood up. Leo and Mirage were surprised. People had always hated their mother while others liked her, but going to the extent of saluting her was just pure madness.
'I mean, she's currently in jail.'
Leo glanced at Mirage, who was already getting emotional. He shook his head and observed the expressions of others. Taren had that innocent smile, while Fang Rui stared at him back with a mocking smile. Leo cursed under his breath.
Fang Rui chuckled and faced the host again.
Leo then turned his gaze to the influential figures. Jean had an unreadable expression as usual. Even Tharok was indifferent, as were all the other leaders.
'What in the Aura?'
His thoughts were interrupted as the first voices began to rise.
"Once we lived in shame!" the crowd roared, thousands of voices hitting like a physical wave.
"But then she came and made a name!"
"She said fight or die without a name!"
"Truly, Glory to the Queen of Bones!"
"LONG LIVE, QUEEN OF BONES!"
After that, everyone settled back in their seats. With that, the host went on discussing things that were boring Leo. He immediately had the idea to start a discussion with Taren.
Taren was older, but he was Leo's best friend. It was a shame they were currently linked by a mind-reading bastard, because Leo had a lot to catch up on. He wanted to brag about finally defeating Yariel in a spar, or how he'd managed to ride a horse without Jean ever finding out. There were just too many stories.
Noticing the honey-bronze boy staring at him with a growing grin, Taren shifted uncomfortably. He looked at Leo with a weird, cautious expression.
"Uhm... is there something you want to talk about, Leo?"
Leo's grin widened, nearly creeping Taren out. He leaned in closer, his voice dropping so low that it barely reached Taren's ear, though he knew Fang Rui was likely eavesdropping anyway.
"Taren," Leo began, his eyes flicking momentarily toward the high-ranking officials and the King across the room. "Since we're all here saluting my mother—who is technically a criminal in a cage—and we're about to touch a giant stick that supposedly hands out destiny... tell me something."
He paused, his grin sharpening into something cold and calculating.
"If this Awakening is such a 'gift' to humanity, why is it that the only people standing on that stage are the ones who already own the world? Are we here to become legends, or are we just being branded like high-quality cattle for a war the Queen started from her cell?"
Taren's breath hitched, but Leo wasn't done. He tilted his head, his gaze piercing.
"Actually, forget the politics. If I awaken a Seed that's stronger than yours and Fang Rui's combined... will you still call me a 'little brother'? Or will you start looking at me with the same terrified eyes as those people outside the dome?"
Taren's expression went deadpan. He couldn't understand why Leo was delivering such heavy, heart-wrenching statements with a manic grin. It was disturbing. And yet, the kid was making a terrifying amount of sense.
"Uhm, Leo," Taren said softly. "I think you're forgetting something."
Leo raised an eyebrow, his smile never wavering. "What might that be?"
Taren smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nothing much. Just maybe the fact that I am a Banished."