The Great Houses
[Athan Eubuleus]:
Athan Eubelues and Instructor Shifu Wang watched Corven's retreating figure, both with calm, unreadable expressions. The duo were perched on the branch of a tall tree, hidden in the cover of its leaves, with a direct view of what happened with Corven. And, despite being many, many, many miles away from the whole encounter, the duo could strangely see the occurrence flawlessly, without squint.
"So… that just happened," Shifu said, after a moment of silence.
"That it did," Athan was mildly surprised, albeit he wasn't showing it.
"No wonder you have decided to take him under your wing — the boy is powerful," Shifu noted. "Given the right tutelage he could become a monster even amongst monsters. He must have gifts he's yet to show — Treasure, maybe, of untold proportions…".
"That is not why I have chosen him as my apprentice," Athan shook his head, chuckling. "Also, Wang, I'f be wary of doing anything to the boy if I were you. I know you aren't power hungry like others who'll dash at the chance to gobble him up,but your gambling sense is skewed if you think the boy won't leave you worse for wear."
"Why? He's not nobleborn, so…," Shifu's eyes glinted with interest. "He's fair game."
"He's my a[[rentice," Athan's face darkened, causing Shifu to rethink himself. "Plus, he is a nobleborn, and royalty, at that. Heir to a powerful house, in fact."
This surprised Shifu. He hadn't thought Corven was nobleborn, let alone royalty. He fixed Athan with incredulous eyes. "But I've found nothing on him or this 'House Umbrovante'. What makes you so certain it exists?"
"It exists," Athan said simply, eyes still locked on Corven. "The fact that you can't find anything on them speaks volumes on just how influential they are."
The duo watched as Corven headed towards the dark forests. They said nothing. Athan, because he had nothing much to say. And Shifu because he was deep in thought, shocked and surprised by what he was hearing.
"And the spies sent from the other houses?" Shifu nodded at the cloaked figures hidden in plain sight who had been watching Corven and his encounter with the Pillaging Five. "Should we do something about them? If word of what happened here today spreads, they will come for the boy."
Athan seemed to pause for a moment before shaking his head. "No, let them be. If they should come for the boy, he will deal with them. After all, he is his mother's son. It'll be better for his growth that his enemies are aware of his existence. He will grow in strength much faster if they are."
"They will never stop chasing him, you know," stated Shifu, sounding ominously concerned. "Whe they discover who he is, what he can do… they'll either want to recruit him or kill him, just to prevent the other houses from getting him."
"I am…aware," Athan said slowly, gaze locked on Corven's distant figure. "If I solve every problem that comes Corven's way, then I would not be giving Corven the room he needs to grow. I promised his mother I would make him a monster… I can't get in the way of his progress. It would make me a bad mentor and master."
Shifu nodded, as if to himself; he seems to be agreeing with Athan's musings. "Most don't know you once had a pupil, a disciple… a student, but I know you did, I remember. I remember your methods of training can be…extreme. How do you intend to train this boy?" Shifu fixed Athan with an inquisitive gaze, evidently curious. "You weren't ever easy… at least, not with me, Master Athan."
Shifu Wang, who used to be Athan's apprentice in question, was curious how Corven was going to be trained. He understood Athan could be intense. He was just hoping Corven could persevere. He knew that, should Corven succeed, he will come out much better than most others. Afterall, Athan was the son of a Progenitor, and Corven, the son of a Primordial. Both were natural monsters in their own rights.
"I intend to turn this boy into a monster even amongst monsters, Wang," Athan's eyes still focussed on the direction with which Corven's figure disappeared in. "To do that, the training regime cannot be…tamed. If he can't survive it, then he was not meant to. Besides, if he can't handle it, he won't be able to handle what's coming…
"Corven has the potential to achieve the greatest of wonders," Athan spoke. "To do so, he will need a little push."
"Or, in your case, you mean a shove," muttered Shifu, silently.
"What?" Athan side-eyed his former apprentice dangerously.
"Nothing," Shifu said quickly, coughing into his sleeve."I just said your pushes tend to oftentimes be considered murderous shives, master."
"You survived, didn't you?" Athan pointed out with a frown. "Plus that was centuries ago."
"Perhaps," muttered Shifu, unenthusiastically.
There was a moment of pause before Athan spoke, noticing Corven had vanished from their view. "I should get going. He should be arriving at the designated spot soon enough. Farewell,apprentice."
"Fairwarell, Master," Shifu watched as Athan disappeared into a cloud of blood, vanishing into the night.
He looked at the spies that had been watching Corven — They were all cloaked, now disappearing from Lucid Dream meadows, one after the other, likely to alert their houses of the new potential they'd seen in Corven. Shifu squinted his eyes.
"They will be a problem… But, for Corven, I suppose," Shifu thought aloud. "The good news is… at least, you have that old man watching out for you, kid. You'll be fine… Probably."
Shifu watched as the hooded figures began disappearing, one by one, before he, too, vanished from the top of the tree he was perched on the branches of.
[In A Lightless Room of Unknown Location]:
"--and they vanished before I could get a good look at what happened," the hologram of Alexander Caelus finished explaining what he saw.
"And the five members of Gaetir? Were they killed?" High Patrician Patrick asked his son as the face lit up by the light of the hologram in the darkened room. "What happened to the Pillaging Five?"
"I…I am unsure. I believe they were… dealt with," Alexander hesitated before answering, equally puzzled, tilting his head as if deep in thought. "It is hard to say, as I wasn't up close enough to get a good look at them, but their bodies were pale before the shadow swallowed them. It looked like the corpses were absorbed by the shadow before that black dome arose and blocked my ability to see anything else. That is all I know, Lord Father."
"Hmm, you did well, my son. You may excuse yourself. Keep me updated on any new info you come across regarding this boy and his mysterious powers," Patrick dismissed.
"As is your will, it shall be done," Alexander Caelus' holographic figure bowed his head in respect before flickering away.
There was a moment of silence before the High Patrician spoke. "This boy is proving to be much more adept than we initially anticipated, and, with the Eye of Chaos organization growing in power, there is only so much time before they become interested in the boy. They've truly become a thorn in our side, haven't they…," the High Patrician mused. "What is the Senate's view on handling him?"
Suddenly, the light flipped on and 600 important looking figures could be seen sitting in a circular chamber, with the more important members sitting lower than the others, closer to the base level of the room, and the least important members sitting higher, and closer together. At the base flooring, only 12 individuals sat in a circle. One of these individuals was the High Patrician Patrick Caelus. The other 11 were similarly important figures of the Nova Imperium Empire.
"You're right, High Patrican of House Caelus. This boy is an interesting character," said a woman with long, curly hair as gold as stardust and sky blue eyes with perfect tan skin and a regal, delicate and graceful aura to her. She wore a white gown of elegance and had the aura of someone of High-level Cosmic rank. "If the Eye of Chaos gets their hands on him, he will become a problem."
This woman was the head lady of House Romulus, the Matriarchal High Patricia of House Romulus, in fact. She shares an equal level of authority within the Nova Imperium Empire to the High Patrician, and despite her delicate, princess-like appearance, she was quite the warrior, as there are six words that are commonly used to describe her: Petty, Manipulative, Ruthless, Relentless, Tenacious and Power Hungry. She is known as the "Thorned Rose Queen of House Romulus," and for good reason, too. It was once said that she killed all her lovers throughout her lifetimes after mating. To be in her presence now was to be in the presence of thorns and roses. Her name was Aurora Romulus III, the current head of House Romulus.
"Isn't he only at the Awakened Stages?" said one of the 12 heads — A Chaotic rank Secretary of the House of Romulus. "Does he really require our attention?"
"Perhaps the question to ask is not that nor are we the person to ask the right question to," began the High Patricia Aurora Romulus III, looking to the man of Patrick's right, Quiylan Caelus. "Treasurer of House Caelus, you had a run in with the boy. Tell me, what do you advise us to do about him?"
Quilan, startled, looked at High Patrician Patrick for consent, who nodded his approval. He then locked around the hall, noticing that all eyes were on him. "I think he is a… talented one, maybe even blessed… He has access to treasures we have yet to see the extent of. Perhaps… perhaps what Prince Alexander saw was one of his treasures… Perhaps we should keep our eyes on the boy, see what else he has."
'Yes!' Quiylan thought to himself internally, while his outside expression remained neutral. 'I've laid down the bait; they'll come biting at him soon. This boy's gonna get what's coming to him! No one denies High Treasurer Quiylan Caelus without repercussions!'
"No need to just keep eyes on him," Aurora said, smirking maliciously. "You said he's allied with Houses Ausar and Luminaris, right? Our spies will be sent to both houses to find out his background."
"That will fruit forth nothing," stated Patrick dismissively. "My spies have already infiltrated their ranks. They only seem able to report one phrase related to the boy: "The Last Son of House Umbrovante." Nothing more."
"'House Umbrovante,' huh? Curious, most curious," muttered Aurora. "Nevertheless, we shall get to the bottom of this. If he proves useful, we will recruit him. If not, we'll end him. Either way, we need to do it before this Eye of Chaos organization gets wind of him, or worse… the other houses. I'll send my spies to see if they can divine anything else. In the meantime, we shall keep tabs on this boy — maybe he'll lead us to something even valuable… Or not. Either way, he intrigues me. All those in favor?"
Unanimously, the Senate concluded.
"Very well," Aurora grinned, eyes full of greed and malicious intent. "If that is all, then let us dissolve and get going. I'm hungry."
[In the Heart of the Graecorrum Alliance…]:
In the heart of the Graecorrum Alliance, another important meeting between great powers was taking place. This one had few attendees, though.
The place of this meeting was called 'The Ekklesiasterion' — A large, circular pavilion with many seats made of cushioned, marble stone. The room had many stories, levels, each level lower than the last going inward. Columns of stone raised a marble arch overhead and walls of enchanted stone kept what was said inside, in, and extreme weather out. The building was lit via hovering fire pits that lit up the Ekklesiasterion. Daylight also played a role in lighting during the day.
Inside the Ekklesiasterion, heated arguments were underway amongst the 150 people present. They were the Parliament of the Graecorrum Alliance, where all the important figures of the empire debated and made decisions.
"This new power that is coming to be is interfering with our territory's resources," one parliament member argued. "They enter our Dungeon Gates without our permission and cause, well, chaos! They take out the Dungeon Boss and leave us with no resources left over! They're calling themselves, 'The Infernal Guild' and they're messing everything up!"
"Something must be done!" argued another. "The Eye of Chaos is getting bold. Too bold. We cannot let them continue to rise to power!"
"What about this new talent?" asked another. "This boy will prove dangerous if our enemies get a hold of him, let alone the Eye of Chaos."
"What about our enemies in the Senate?" stated another parliament official. "The Nova Imperium is testing the waters. I know we shouldn't want war, but if they continue with what they're doing, we may have no choice but to have one."
""Our spies within the Senate have reported an increase in difficulty in acquiring information," a feminine voice sounded that demanded all mouths present to pause and all ears to listen. "The Nova Imperium will be making a move soon. It is only a matter of time. We should prepare for all possibilities."
The other officials present all muttered their agreement with this particular voice, somehow agreeing on what she said — Something that would hardly ever manage to occur if it were someone else. Afterall, in the Parliament, where disputes are settled and laws are made, the amount of times the whole of the group have unanimously agreed on a decision was less than 5% of the time their system has been around, and their system has been around for millennia.
The voice belonged to a redhead with green eyes and a scarlet dress she wore beneath golden ancient Greek-styled armor with a flowing crimson cape; in-hand was her matching helmet with red brush atop it, signifying the position of this warrior. She had a fierce aura, as a Peak Legendary rank cultivator — At her hip, was her golden Xiphos blade. None dared to argue with her statement — No one was that crazy, even amongst cultivators… At least, those that knew of her, anyways. Her name was High Stratego Sophia Astraia of the House of Astraia, a banner house to the House of Rae. She was the highest ranking battle strategist the House of Rae had in their arsenal.
"High Stratego Sophia is correct," said a woman dressed in a saintess outfit with the aura of a beginning level Cosmic ranker. She was flanked by 2 priestesses, both at the mid-level Chaotic rank.
This woman was one of the 6 Saintesses that oversaw the Church of hestia. She was named Penelpe. She had dark hair, brown eyes and olive white skin. "There's no guarantee that that isn't the case. It is better to be prepared, no? Whatever decision is decided on, the Church of Hestia, in all of Hestia's all-encompassing warmth, will back. By Hestia's flame, we are blessed."
"My, my, me, the Church of Hestia wanting war… Because that is so new," stated a man on the side of House Seger. "Should have expected such a response from your Church's saintess."
The man was a dark brown redhead, with green eyes and a muscular frame like an ox. He wore a silver ancient Greek armour, with a flowing blue cloak and a helmet with the blue brush, signifying his rank. His name was High Stratego Paul Astraia, only he was no longer a member of that family — He was the High Stratego of House Seger. To his side was his silver Spartan Lakonia short sword. He radiated the aura of a Peak Legendary rank cultivator.
"So the traitor finally speaks," said Sophia, before the Saitness could speak to defend herself. Sophia looked at her brother. "The Ekklesiasterion is no place for traitors, my foolish brother."
"I am no longer your brother, High Stratego Sophia, and I do not take orders from you," said Paul, looking at his [former] sister before bowing to the man next to him. "My allegiance is to the Head of House Seger, King Andreas Seger, revered lord and king of House Seger," he said, voice filled with awe.
Andreas Seger wore Adamantian, Ancient Greek-styled armor with a matching Greek sword strapped to his back. He wore a crown on his neatly swished, dark hair and his tan skin and brown eyes told an old tale. His aura told others he was at the peak of Cosmic rank and was the only one of two present to be so. He had a muscular physique and a commanding presence.
King Andreas said nothing, merely looking lost in thought. Queen Thalia Rae on the other hand was a different story. She spoke with an equally commanding presence.
"We must prepare our forces for the inconceivable. The Amazons and Hunters of Artimis have already secured my borders — it is why Queen Otrera of the Amazons could not make it," said queen Thalia.
Queen Thali Rae was in an arranged marriage with king Andreas Seger — They've united their houses under one banner because of this marriage, strengthening both House Rae and House Seger into a singular power in the alliance. They are truly a power couple.
Queen Thaliayeria[Thalia for short] had olive white skin, blue eyes and curly blond hair and an athlete's physique under a blue dress with Adamantine armor. To her side were twin Adamantium short swords, and, on her back was a matching circular adamantium shield — She was radiating regality and dignity, her strength was that of a Peak Cosmic ranker.
"What of that odd Chaos energy reading our sources picked up near the Luminaris Estates on Earth?" King Andreas' voice silenced everyone. "I reckon there must be answers for it, yes? If it is the Eye of Chaos, then that means that organization is truly expanding its reaches. This could be bad, very bad if left unchecked."
"Yes, my liege, I agree," spoke Paul Straia. "We've sent spies to find out what we can but the Luminaris House is very tight lipped about the situation. Information gathering on the subject has been… with limited success."
"Hmm… very well," King Andreas stood up, likely not interested in anything else; few were shocked by the King's limited interest in anything else on the agenda. It was renown that the king of House Seger was easily bored with things. "Well, I will be taking my leave. Whatever decision you all go by, I'll look over it and decide whether to sign off my approval or not."
"My dear—," began Queen Thaliayeria, but King Andreas had already disappeared with Paul before she could speak. "Damn it." She, too, decided to leave, after making sure to tell her subjects to let her know of what they decide on, vanishing after the king.
Eventually, Queen Thaliayeria and King Andreas were informed of what happened in Lucid Dream Meadows by their spies. It left them briefly curious as to who this boy was…
[In The Viking City of New Birka…]:
"He WHAT!?!!" the voice of the High Chieftain sounded from across the empty Dining Hall and beyond.
High Chieftain Drago Bludfist was an orange-haired man with a beard that covered the face and a bloated body that was not as fit as most chieftains, though, if you asked him, he had quite the muscular arms. He wore dragonhide, ancient Norse armor and had two axes on his hips, and a gauntlet on his left hand; all of his gear were at the Legendary rank, as was his aura, which was that of a Peak Legendary Rank cultivator. He was one of the 13 chieftans Gaetir Dominion. He's the one who sent the five warriors to bring him Corven.
And he's just found out what happened by the spies bowing before him. He was not happy with what he was hearing. No, he wasn't happy at all.
"He killed all five of them!?" Crushing the goblet he was drinking from, Drago was pissed. "I thought he was an Ascendant Stage rank? How does he take out my Five Pillagers?!"
"We're sorry, sir," one of the spies tried, the one who'd seen Corven in the Adventurer's Guild building earlier that evening. "We were certain the boy was only mid-level Legacy rank. If we had known he was a higher rank cultivators, we'd have told you."
"We didn't know he was hiding his actual rank. If we had of known…," the second one began.
"ENOUGH!" the chieftain exclaimed, voice yelling slightly high pitched. "I wanted to recruit this boy before, but now… Just send someone to capture him alive. I want to make him answer for the lives of the Pillaging Fives' deaths myself. I will make him pay. That said, if you can't do that, I'll accept him dead, too. But I want his head, regardless, dead or alive. Got it?!"
"At once, Chieftain," said the first spy. "Might I request permission to send 'him'?"
"Do what you must, but I expect results," exclaimed the chieftain, and, with the wave of a hand, the spies vanished.
The chieftain is now gobbling down a turkey leg in his empty Dining Hall, stress eating his worries away, completely unaware that his actions will lead him down a path of loss and regret he'll regret for the rest of his days… However long that may be.