Karnage: Yo I hope you all can keep an open mind this chapter. You all need to understand that Sol was a blank slate and only now has his transition into the world truly begun. Originally What I had in mind for Sol is to have the att.i.tude of an apex predator but obviously it needs to build up to that. Please don"t worry i wont make him a complete a.s.shole.
Chapter 7-
Private room meeting, Nightmaster Duke"s mansion. Current occupants, King Ironspine, Former King Julian, Nightmaster Duke, Medical Saint Renissa and Sol -
King Ironspine"s POV:
While I was having a discussion about Sol with my father, the Former King, Renissa and Duke, the person in question had overheard and entered in. I thought for sure my request was too unreasonable and that this kid would swiftly decline, after all it is a bit of a suicidal mission. Contrary to what I thought the kid accepted without hesitation and what"s more there was even a tinge of excitement in his voice.
After he accepted this unfair ordeal he had no looks of displeasure since the beginning and even I can"t see past those bright golden eyes, it"s like the kid is a natural at concealing his thoughts. Even though I love my wife, Liore"s mother, I can"t sacrifice him for the sake of my own unhappiness.
Needless to say, I was happy as well as nervous when he accepted but I know this boy"s combat prowess and have seen it with my own two eyes. I refuse to believe this mission is impossible for him, for others maybe but not for him. I looked at him and could see the resolution in his eyes and to be honest, I don"t have the heart to tell him not to go. This decision I"m making, isn"t one fit for a King.
Whether he succeeds or he fails, I hope he comes back alive because if not then not only would I have made a horrible decision for Sol himself but for Earthenvale as well.
(Hopefully, luck will be on our side!) -King Ironspine
End of POV.
**
[Sol, before you leave make sure and take whatever you need from my personal ward!] -Renissa
[Yes Grandmother, I"ll be troubling you] -Sol
[There"s no trouble at all, hurry up and go to the dining room the young Princess Salina must be agitated that you haven"t shown up by now. Hehe good luck with that! We will come shortly afterward] -Renissa
[As you wish Grandmother, Your majesty I"ll be taking my leave first if it"s fine] -Sol
Sol understood they would want to have a private chat.
[Yes, I"ll see you soon....and thank you very much] -King Ironspine
[It is an honor] -Sol
Sol then turned and left the older heads to their discussions and proceeded towards the dining room.
[Wife! Why didn"t you make him a few pills? Wouldn"t that be more useful for him than raw herbs?] -Nightmaster Duke
[What do you know you old insensitive fool! I"ve been walking around all day with you and you"ve yet to realize my knees haven"t been in pain a single time!] -Renissa
[Sol cured my knees! His medical knowledge is comparable to mines and if not then it certainly surpa.s.ses it! His methods of pill-making a weird, like nothing I"ve ever seen before] -Renissa
Renissa spoke proudly as if it were her own Grandson.
[W-What did you say! Cured?! How?! I"ve asked so many Medical Saints and not one knew a way to cure it!] -Nightmaster Duke
[Renissa is what you said the truth?! I thought maybe you were using Elder Roots to suppress it...No wonder you were smiling so much] -King
[Oh ho ho, It seems that youth truly isn"t simple at all. Medical knowledge comparable to yours huh...] -Former King
[Otherwordly battle prowess...Master or higher level Medical knowledge...A hidden sense of pride in his bones...A pure white soul...Sounds like the tale from the old legends from the times of the ancient war between the G.o.d Beast of Arlanvale and the G.o.d Baldr Hyperion Cra.s.sius. All Sol"s missing is affinity with Light Magic and he might as well be the reincarnation of him] -Nightmaster Duke
[He does have affinity to Light Magic...and a very high one might I add] -Renissa
[What?!] -Nightmaster Duke
The old man looked as though he hadn"t understood the words properly.
[It"s one of the reasons I named him Sol] -Renissa
[*Sigh* This kid really is something...I should probably quit being surprised by now, it"s regrettable he doesn"t have a Dantian though...the effects of Light affinity on a warrior is something people can only dream of] -Former King Julian
[Indeed, Light Magic affinity on a warrior is simply too astonishing if many humans had it then I wholeheartedly believe we could stand on equal footing with the beasts. As you all know the only magic warriors can use besides Warrior Arts is Elemental Weaponry. They can imbue their aligned element into their blades and fight with additional support.
If one had Fire affinity he could deal more damage with increased firepower, Earth affinity increases defensive power, Water increases penetrative power with minor healing effects, Wind affinity increases speed of the blade and minor speed increase. These are considered common elements.
Rare elements are only two and they are Light and Darkness.
Darkness which is my personal element allows one the properties to fade and meld in the shadows, we can turn parts of our body and our blade almost phaselike to go through material for a period of time.
Light affinity is in it"s own category because of it"s special properties. There"s one thing that"s common about every other affinity with the exception of Light magic, this being the fact that all other elements cannot replenish themselves during battle.
Light affinity for a warrior is different, as long as one is present in the sun he can constantly replenish his physical energy and as well as directly absorb mana from the sunlight and cure injuries steadily and much more quicker than water affinity. Can you imagine going against an expert warrior who has endless stamina that heals himself at every given second you spend fighting him?] -King Ironspine
[Him having medical skills makes me feel a lot better! This old man can be at ease!] -Nighmaster Duke
[We should probably head to the Dining room and not keep them waiting too long] -Former King
[Agreed father, let"s discuss a few more things before we leave] -King
The group continued their chat.
(Warrior Arts will be discussed later down don"t worry but i"m sure you have a understanding of what it is already, it"s like [Ninjutsu : Area perception]--) -AN.
**
Sol"s POV :
As I knocked on the door, a guard opened the door to the dining room, it was Dorian. For some reason I could see a bit of irritation and a tiny bit of hostility in his eyes and I knew it was directed towards me, however I still greeted him nicely and entered. When I entered I saw the prince and princesses, and some people next to them. Two women, both looked like older versions of Salina and Sophia.
I knew for a fact they were the mothers of the twins and Sophia. Liore sat cold faced and said nothing as she played with the spoon in her hand and fiddled with the food seemingly restless. There were also a bunch of other n.o.bles that didn"t seem kind at all and had a sort of prideful aura.
[Good evening everyone] -Sol
I made sure to speak at a decent volume and gave a bow being mindful of my status and all eyes turned to me.
End of POV :
**
Salira POV (Salina"s mother and 3rd Queen) -
I was teasing my daughter when all of a sudden, a young golden haired boy whose hair reached his knees with golden colored pupils walked in the door. She immediately reacted and flung herself towards him or more specifically his hair. I"m guessing this is the "Sol" I"ve been hearing so much about, he"s a handsome young man and his eyes shine brightly with liveliness.
Even though I"ve heard about him being here, I haven"t yet heard the circ.u.mstances as of why. Julius said he would speak with both me and Sophenia about this kid and absolutely forbade the children of speaking of it for safety purposes as children tend to run their mouth too loudly and easily. If we were alone they could tell both Sophenia and I but these n.o.bles have been here waiting for an audience with Julius so I can"t ask in front of them.
[Big brother!] -Regius
Regius charged up as he saw Sol, I could even see reverence in his eyes.. Still to call this Sol big brother he must have left quite an impression on Regius. However, that sort of status negligence could cause trouble in the future I need to see what sort of person he is.
[Evening Sol]- Sophia
Sophia smiled sweetly as she saw the youth and gave him a tiny wave.
My daughter Salina said nothing and let her actions of hair rubbing do the talking as per usual her weird habits even worry me, her mother.
Liore glanced at Sol with her cold eyes, and one could see a hint of curiosity in her eyes which she hid well enough, she gave a slight nod and quickly shifted her gaze.
[....Evening] -Liore
I introduced myself as well and was quite curious about him myself
[Good evening Sol, I"m the 3rd Queen, Salira Krauss Ironspine also Salina and Regius" mother. Please call me Salira] -Salira
[I"m Sophenia Krenolia Ironspine, the First Queen as well as Sophia"s mother. Call me Sophy if it"s okay with you young Sol] -Sophenia
Sophenia smiled warmly as she looked at Sol and gave me a quick wink and I understood what she meant. She wanted to feel out this boy just like I do, I won"t let the children go around someone with bad influence but judging from this boy"s demeanor I don"t think we would have to worry about such things. Even if she hadn"t asked I still would have checked this kid out.
Still I can"t ask about his circ.u.mstances here...but that doesn"t mean I can"t probe his nature and att.i.tude. My maid Alistair knows my personality and she"ll play along with this like she usually does. I glanced at the 3 other n.o.bles that sat on the other side and decided to use these three arrogant fools to play in my plan. These three n.o.bles are elders who are extremely arrogant but are incredibly harmless so it should fit their role perfectly. I should begin my attack and get inside this kid"s head! I"ll begin using Hypnotic Stream!
A tiny stream of mist came pouring out my finger which I hid under the table, the mist was too small for the naked eye to see. It begun swirling around the room and was visible only to me. I directed the mist towards Sol and let it enter him and stopped casting.
This spell is called Hypnotic Stream and it deteriorates one"s rationality bit by bit and affects their thought process making so that they can"t lie. Only a mage above the 6th Order can use this spell, and it only affects people at the 6th Order or weaker. This coupled with my personal 7th Order Aura will be enough to pressure this boy.
End of POV.
**
Sophenia"s POV:
A young handsome boy walked through the dining room door. He reminded me of a fallen angel with his strange appearance, but from the description I heard from Sophia I knew who he was instantly. I don"t know his circ.u.mstances so it makes me impatient I won"t let Sophia around just anybody, Julius was supposed to tell us but he hasn"t returned yet.
(So this is the Sol Sophia talked about a while ago. He has quite good looks, but I"m worried about Sophia as I don"t know this child. Salira is good at finding out these things, I should ask her to feel him around a bit. It"s not good to allow the children to play with whoever they want, they are royalty after all and being at such an impressionable age , it"s worrying) -Sophenia
I winked at her and she seemed to understand what I wanted, I don"t like the way Dorian looked at him. I"ve never seen Dorian treat anyone so harshly before, I couldn"t help feeling maybe Dorian knows something about him that is undesirable and it would be best to find out now. Though Salira"s methods are a bit....lacking in courtesy, they"re still effective. I hope this doesn"t result it anything undesirable.
End of POV.
**
Sol"s POV:
As I entered the room I was met by hot gazes, The one that carried the most pressure was from Salina"s mother. I saw her eyes and the look she gave me was as if she were evaluating me and it carried a probing atmosphere that I didn"t find comfortable at all however I ignored it as she was the Queen and proceeded to sit down at a empty chair a seat away from Liore.
An old maid standing behind her gave me the same sort of look, the gaze was hot like red sizzling iron and she couldn"t conceal her displeasure with me. Every now and then she would whisper something in Lady Salira"s ears and she seemed to be against me for some reason. Suddenly I felt my head go hazy for a sec but it cleared up right afterward.
End of POV.
**
[So you must be Sol, huh?] -Salira
Salira asked suspiciously, as she played with the spoon in her tea cup.
[Yes your majesty, I am called Sol] -Sol
I answered truthfully.
[Didn"t I tell you to call me Salira?] -Salira
[I"m sorry but I can"t, it"s too disrespectful] -Sol
[Then Lady Salira should be fine right?] -Salira
[Yes, Lady Salira] -Sol
From start to finish Sol"s expression didn"t change and kept a sincere att.i.tude, even though he felt like he was standing on cold ice. Sol had natural born confidence after his rebirth when he consumed the Eternity Pill and could keep his calm in a situation such as this. Dorian would glance every now and then and could not conceal the smile on his face. The gazes of the other n.o.bles looked at Sol judgmentally and yet he didn"t say anything
(Heh, the thing the Third Queen hates the most is unknowns this should be good!) -Dorian
Dorian seemed to take pleasure in this whole ordeal, Sol ignored his sneers and faced the Queens.
[Well then Sol, what can you tell me about yourself] -Salira
I didn"t know what to say to her and it"s because I didn"t really know anything about myself. What I like or what I don"t like, what I"m good at or what I"m terrible at. I begun feeling a chill in my heart. I try not to think about it and answer truthfully. For some reason my replies feel a bit off.
[...Nothing] -Sol
[Well then, that"s not very nice is it. You can"t say a few words about yourself? Even though we"ve taken you under our wing, you can"t be honest with us? We don"t know a thing about you so how can I let our children around you?] -Salira
[....] -Sol
[You do know they are prince and princesses right? Their status is above yours and they can"t just be friends with everyone, how can you be friends with them if you don"t even know who you are? I mean you"re eating at the Royal table where royalty sits and you have nothing to discuss about yourself?] -Salira
Salira glanced at the ring on his finger and sneered. She knew Nightmaster Duke and Medical Saint Renissa for a long time and knew they did not have anyone like him in their family.
[Where did you get that are you borrowing it? Are you a commoner?] -Salira
[Yes, I"m a guest here for a while. Yes I"m a commoner] -Sol
Sol could hear the whispers of ill ratings and the disgusted gazes of the n.o.bles sitting around the table. His expression still did not change, the children seemed to not understand why the aura at the table changed, Liore however had a cold expression as she looked at Salira.
[Hmph! He dares live off a n.o.bles hard earned status! How disrespectful!] -Middle aged n.o.ble man
[To have to borrow a n.o.bles brand... a commoner? Why"s he having dinner here?] -Middle aged woman
[So there are....people like this] -Other middle aged n.o.bleman
Sol lowered his head a bit and said nothing more. Even though the pride in his bones were screaming, he subconsciously bit his lip and remained calm.
He could tell the Queen wasn"t really too happy with him and seemed to be looking for something, he didn"t know the reason but he didn"t want to infuriate her because she was the Queen and the wife of his benefactor.
The more and more questions she started asking the more he started feeling as though he truly didn"t belong here in Earthernvale. It felt like the Queen was doing the most to make sure that he understood that.
(So this is the treatment difference between a n.o.ble and a commoner?...These people disgust me) -Sol
Sol could understand if they waited until after they judged his abilities to mistreat him but they clearly didn"t even want to give him a chance to show his worth. In the back of their minds they had already looked down upon him. What Sol didn"t know was that commoners were mostly weaker people compared to n.o.bles who had powerful offspring and ancestry and were looked down upon by blind n.o.bles such as the three beside him.
He understood she was worried about her children and their future growth and decided to tell her what she wanted to hear. Actually, it wasn"t what she wanted to hear but the truth. After all, Sol had only met the Prince and Princesses once and though they seemed to talk casually just like children the same age as is he ultimately understood their status.
Sol believed what she wanted to hear was that he was not attempting to befriend them while using the n.o.ble status he borrowed. To Sol, what Salira did make clear was that she didn"t want him a fake n.o.ble being friends with them. How could Sol know this was just her probing personality and one of her ill habits even the King Julius tried to change.
[Yes I understand and I was not attempting to use this borrowed status to become friends with Royalty....We are not friends Lady Salira, I was just told to come here by the King and meet everyone] -Sol
Regius, Salina and Sophia upon hearing this flinched, Liore said nothing but coldly glanced at Salira with a bit of hate in her eyes. It was evident Liore hated this about Salira and hated the direction of the conversation.
[Ohh Julius told you to come here? So you can at least tell me where you came from right? Or do people where you come from not have any sense of courtesy?...What do your parents do for a living? Do they not know how to raise a young man?] -Salira
[M-Mother why are you-] -Regius
Salira gave Regius a glare that shut him up. Salina, Sophia and Liore didn"t look well either. Sol had begun having delusions, the Hypnotic water had entered his brain and begun randomly starting up the few memories he had. Sol saw the memory from when he had just arrived here, a hazy image of his parents the image he concentrated on the most as to try and remember what they looked like.
Hypnotic Stream was a spell that should only be used on people who possessed a Dantian. Salira had heard about Sol having combat abilities from Regius so she a.s.sumed he had a Dantian and had no problem using the spell. How could she know that Sol had a special const.i.tution?
One"s Dantian could cleanse the mist after time, but if one did not have a Dantian and wasn"t able to break down the mist naturally it would cause horrid hallucinations. Hypnotic Stream would use whatever you held most important or whatever you had in mind the most as the basis for these delusions.
(My parents?....I don"t know their names....I don"t know where I"m from..Where exactly am I from?? Who am I?? My parents? What about them?? They died?? What?? HOW??! I DIDN"T KILL THEM!! IT"S NOT MY FAULT!!!) -Sol
Sol"s face became cold and didn"t notice one of his hands had already begun trembling while the other began subconsciously reaching for his pendant. Tears had begun streaming from his eyes as the delusions started on full blast, Sol even saw himself in s.p.a.ce pushing his parents into the burning orbit of a planet.
As Sol begun to think about the destruction of his world, the hazy picture of his parents he remembered faintly seeing and the delusions began feeding off these memories. This was the reason his parents had erased his memories, to stop any sort of mental damage that could occur.
Even now that he didn"t have any attachments to his previous world and only had the knowledge itself that he was all alone and the only survivor of a planet, he had begun having a Ident.i.ty crisis . Then what about if he had his memories? What would happen then?
Not to mention he was currently under the effects of the Hypnotic water and it amplified his feelings on the matter several folds, Sol"s mind had begun a collapse and his rationality was leaving.
One must understand that not having a place to belong to makes one question their existence and validity. As if on queue, Sol"s composure had begun cracking, his eyes stared hazy downwards into the bowl of soup that had been placed in front of him and touched his face.
Realizing the abnormal reaction Salira begun feeling as though something was wrong. Salira had tried probing the Hypnotic mist in Sol"s body but got no reaction.
(The Hypnotic water is...isn"t it affecting this guy a bit too strong? What the h.e.l.l is going on! c.r.a.p!)- Salira
[Huh? No I am a commoner?....I don"t know....Uhh...My parents? My parents...they...they are dead right? There"s no way.... I belong here...Who were my parents again? Why did they die?..] -Sol
[Right..uhh..I have somewhere I have to go...The King...I"ll be getting....please tell the King that I"ll be getting ready.] -Sol
Sol got up with a darkened expression and turned to leave, the Queen could not see his face as well as the rest. Dorian seeing Sol walking off on the Queen stood to block him as he saw it no matter what the Queen shouldn"t be disrespected and no one should walk off on her regardless. Even he stopped sneering halfway as he found it became a bit too overbearing as he knew Sol"s true circ.u.mstances.
[The Queen isn"t finished with you yet! Sol you can"t walk off on the Queen!] -Dorian
As Dorian lifted his gaze and met Sol"s face, he became incomparably frightened and couldn"t help feel a shiver run down his spine. The look in Sol"s golden eyes were devious as if he had seen a Golden Beast from h.e.l.l, a look of insanity staring back at him. A deep bitten lower lip that leaked blood and it was evident that Sol had become increasingly enraged.
His parents that he revered and was as sacred to Sol as a G.o.d was being casually insulted because he was not a n.o.ble? How could the pride in his bones allow that? How could the animalistic and primal altered DNA of his that contained the pride of the perfect predator be so easily put in it"s place?
The combination of the increased mental pressure of a 7th Order mage and the Hypnotic Water the Queen forced on Sol triggered his special genetic properties. His weakened mind broke and was remade anew with strengthened properties. A hint of viciousness emerged in the depths of his eyes, as his mind twisted and warped.
How could the Eternity Pill not have any effect on his mind? Since the beginning of the birth of humans, their physical bodies have always affected their minds. The most irrefutable evidence of this lies in hormones and genetic research, so how could a body that constantly updates itself to it"s surroundings not affect his mind?
Instantly a tiny blue drop entered his brain and begun firing off cells and remolding it"s basic properties. The brain cells which were once the same as any other became thicker and much more muscular which was a by product of the remodelling done by the effects of the Eternity Pill.
Sol exhaled a breathe of cool air, his once twisted and distorted face begun calming and his eyes became steady. Seeing Dorian ready to block his way by force, Sol just stared at him coldly.
(Why did I still talk to you respectfully even after you"ve done nothing but show me how hostile you are to me?) -Sol
*BANG*
Sol with a swift punch sent Dorian flying off to the side crashing into a statue. Dorian a Warrior of the 5th Order could not react in time to Sol"s punch and lay peacefully on the floor. Dorian could barely hold onto his conscious as he saw a gleam flicking in the air towards him, it hit his head and rolled down his chest. This gleaming object was none other than the ring of the Duke Family.
[You wanted this back right?...Here you can have it, I don"t need it] -Sol
He then turned and viciously glanced at the Queen Salira with eyes that could melt the sun which incomparably shocked her to her core. When was the last time someone had looked at her like this? Especially the young man who had the once bright expression and lively eyes became cold and distant, a complete opposite as opposed to before. She could no longer see the subservience in his eyes.
Sol looked at her with complete disdain and disgust as if he were looking at a rabid dog. Salira was a 7th Order Mage and could easily subdue him but those intense eyes still made her feel danger and she subconsciously gripped the armrest on her chair.
[If you want to insult me that"s fine, however never ever speak of my parents again. Never ever ever. Tell the King I"ll pay my dues and I"ll keep my promise but I refuse to be the dog of your family] -Sol
He then shifted his position, exhaled and thrust his palm allowing a mist to leave his hands which astonished Salira. It was clear that he had just rid himself of the effects and had just regained control of his mind. One must know that it was 7th Order magic and couldn"t usually be dispelled that easily. However, because of Sol"s special way of purifying mana flushing something foreign out is not a problem.
(So it was this huh? No wonder. These n.o.bles are disgusting, In some of the books I"ve read It said that they stood at the peak of power and so I believed them to be righteous people, after all isn"t that what the word "n.o.ble" means? The n.o.bles I"ve met before were all kind and took good care of me so I believed they would be kind as well, that was a misconception.
A misconception that could have cost me dearly because I had not realized that woman was trying to get inside my mind. The Water magic she used just now seemed to want to break my mind, how treacherous. This raises other questions, why has the King been so nice to me? Could it be that they all have some sort of hidden agenda? I don"t have memories, so I couldn"t possibly have anything they want....what do I have that other"s don"t?
The only thing that separates me from others is my physique..but I don"t have a Dantian so why would they....wait...I don"t have a Dantian, I have a special physique....No way, Could it be?....I have variant body...they have a Dantian...Do they intend to try and make me procreate for their own needs? It would make sense why I was given a ring to n.o.bility! They are already laying the ground work to explain my existence and make me accessible to n.o.bility!
Do they intend to act soon? No no, why would they act so soon? There are too many unknowns! They must want to observe my body....? It is an unprecedented physique so it"s only obvious they take counter measures and observe first! As far as they know, I could blow up at anytime with this body that may or may not be compatible with mana!
I see now...They currently have no information on my body and so they want to monitor me and see how exactly I will develop. If there are no side effects from my body after I reach a certain stage then most likely they will judge me as safe for procreation and most likely turn me into a breeding dog. I need to repay my debt here quickly and get out of here as soon as possible) -Sol
(It"s a good thing I can already think of a plan, I need to calm my mind for now and not act too rashly) -Sol
Sol"s naive and innocent thought process had undergone a drastic change, he begun to see between the lines and read people"s intentions. He who had not been in touch with much other human beings had become exposed to ill intentions and the cruel side of the human nature and he became exposed to it in a rather concentrated form. Sol felt as though a veil had been removed from his eyes and was able to see people much clearer now.
Though he had no control over this new scrutinizing mind, he still understood that all of what he thought this far was speculation but he still couldn"t bring himself to believe it was all false.
Sol furiously left the dining room, which had become terribly silent. More or less the people in the room knew that the Queen had probably gone too far, the only person who did not share those views were obviously the 3 n.o.bles.