Neil wandered the halls of the manor aimlessly, what his father had revealed during breakfast replaying in his head over and over again. He was so lost in thought that he did not even realize the guests were already arriving; the cacophony of sounds did not reach him.
"Neil, Neil!"
Startled, he turned around to see his mother looking at him with worry in her eyes.
"Uh, yes, Mother? Do you need anything?"
His mother shook her head and extended a hand out to him. "Come with me. Let's take a walk."
He took her hand and let her lead the way. She took him to the upper levels of the manor where his and Kyle's quarters were located, leading him into his room. She walked over to his bed, and they sat down next to each other.
"What do you think?" his mother finally asked after a moment of silence.
He took a moment to respond, still gathering his thoughts. He exhaled heavily, and his shoulders relaxed.
"I think that we are doomed. I thought they were just rumors, but to actually learn that the Conspiracy has infiltrated every country in the world makes me shiver." He paused and stared at his trembling hands. "My main concern is: how long has it been since they infiltrated the human hierarchy? Ten years? A hundred? A thousand? We do not know anything. That is why we have suffered such huge casualties whenever we clashed—because they know all of our secrets. It just makes you wonder what it is they are really after."
His mother turned to him with a questioning gaze. "What do you mean by that?"
He turned and met her gaze head-on. "They have yet to throw the world into chaos despite having infiltrated every government. It makes you wonder why they have yet to act."
At his words, he could see his mother visibly shudder, and she brought a hand to her mouth. "By the gods, you have a point."
She remained quiet for a while, and he, too, retreated into his thoughts. The human world was now inside the Conspiracy's palm. Every world leader knew this, but the question remained: who out of all the leaders could be trusted?
Beside him, his mother sighed softly and placed her hand on top of his. "Never mind all that for now. Tell me, are you okay?"
She asked in a gentle voice, and he could see her concern written all over her face. He was fine, truly. He trusted Kyle to lead the family; it was his decision to let his brother lead, and he had made peace with it. However, it seemed his parents thought otherwise.
"I am okay. Now go on, Father is waiting. I will follow you shortly; I have to get dressed for the ceremony."
He stood up and led her out of the room. Closing the door, he quickly got dressed for the occasion. The maids had already prepared his clothes, and he had bathed before breakfast, so it was simply a matter of dressing and heading out toward the spacious garden, which now looked even more lavish as it welcomed the arriving guests.
Neil, now dressed in the elegant attire of a true noble, stood at the gates with Kyle. The nobles parked their vehicles outside, where a valet showed them to the lot beside the manor, and then entered the gates on foot.
Kyle and Neil saw many familiar faces; after all, the guests were well-known figures in the world. Among the list were Lord Alistair Vanderholt, the King of Vanderholt, accompanied by his wife, Queen Charlotte, and their three children: Prince Alistair Jr., Prince Gregory, and Princess Clara.
At a certain point, two women arrived. Neil knew both very well. It was Princess Evangeline Cindra, the heiress of House Cindra, walking beside her mother, Queen Immaculate Cindra. They were a Great House like his, direct descendants of one of the Twelve Champions and the rulers of the country of Cindra. Her father was the late King of Cindra, who had passed on a few months ago.
Neil and the princess exchanged a quick glance that did not go unnoticed by Kyle, who smiled and nudged him.
"It's not too late to fix things between you two."
Neil breathed in heavily, resisting the urge to run his hand through his combed-back hair. "We are way too different now. She is about to be crowned Queen of Cindra in a few weeks. Surely she must find a capable young man to marry."
Kyle shook his head in disagreement. "You are the most capable young man I know. Do not sell yourself short, brother. And besides, her eyes spoke a different story."
Kyle's soft-spoken words lingered in the air. Neil sighed softly, turning to his brother. "I don't think you should be doing this, especially not today."
It was a family custom engraved in them, but since today was Kyle's inauguration, he was not supposed to be welcoming the guests.
"I could not let you do it alone. We always do this together."
The boy had not changed. He was always like this, and if anything, sometimes Neil thought maybe it was an act of pity towards the useless elder brother.
By ten o'clock, every single invited guest had shown up, and the ceremony was about to begin.
Now that everyone had arrived, Neil went to join his family on the platform. The decor was beautiful; one would have mistaken today's ceremony for a royal inauguration.
His father stood before the crowd with a smile. He wore military dress, decorated with many badges he had acquired over the years. The rest of the family sat behind him facing the crowd, his father's deep voice resounding throughout the garden.
"Esteemed guests, I welcome you to Thorne Manor. I have invited you all to come and bear witness as I finally resign from my role as Commander and Patriarch of the Thorne family."
All of the guests present already knew what was going on, but some could not believe the reality unfolding before their eyes. His father, Ryan, paused, his eyes moving through the crowd, inspecting all of them before adding, "Do not be sad, my friends. I am not announcing my death here."
His words earned him a few laughs among the crowd, easing the tension by a small margin. He went on to give a speech about how proud he was to have shared the world stage with his peers. Neil, on the other hand, was furiously fighting the urge to sleep.
Look at this old fool blabbering on about his glory days, Neil thought. Let me not waste any more of your precious time.
Ryan turned to his family and gave a smile before gesturing for Kyle to join him. Kyle got up and gave Neil a slight nod before walking toward Ryan. Ryan opened his arms and Kyle embraced him; he then turned to the crowd with a smile.
"I present to you my second-born son, Kyle."
Kyle gave a deep bow to the crowd. Neil stared at his back with a smile. He could see Kyle shaking a bit; it seemed the nerves had gotten to him again.
"This is the young man that will succeed me as the Patriarch of House Thorne and the Commander of Vanderholt's military."
Neil could see the countless questions in the eyes of their esteemed guests. Very few people knew that Neil had failed to awaken his System, so they all wondered why the firstborn was not the one to inherit House Thorne.
Despite their confusion, they all clapped at Kyle's introduction. Kyle stepped forward with a gentle smile. He had stopped shaking, and his gaze was now calm and calculated. It appeared as though he had just stepped onto a battlefield, his eyes scanning the crowd as he began talking.
"Esteemed guests, I am honored to have you all attend today's ceremony. Taking time off from your busy lives and traveling all the way to Vanderholt... Today I inherit House Thorne and I join the ranks of the Twelve Rulers, as the new King of War—"
A dense, crushing pressure descended upon the garden, though it seemed only a small portion of the pressure was directed at the crowd; the bulk of it descended upon Kyle.
"Who dares!"
Ryan was about to act when Kyle forcefully raised his hand against the crushing pressure being exerted upon him. Ryan stayed his hand, but his eyes locked on the one responsible for the sudden attack.
"System, unlock Status Level 3."
A small wind kicked up at the bottom of Kyle's feet, and then he slowly raised his head, revealing his now-crimson eyes. From his body came a dense pressure equal to the one crushing him—but unlike the attack, his pressure was filled with bloodlust, making the rest of the guests feel uneasy.
"Remarkable strength for one so young."
A woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties, with raven-black hair and eyes, stepped forward. She was dressed in a beautiful scarlet gown and wore no jewelry except for a necklace. The woman was Livia Ravenbourne, the Baroness of Ravenbourne.
She was the source of the crushing pressure. The pressure withdrew, and Kyle also withdrew his. His eyes reverted to their natural color. Warpath System bearers could be identified by their crimson eyes whenever they unlocked their status, and the different shades of crimson indicated the descendant's bloodline purity.
Inheritors of the Warpath System had a bloody aura whenever it was unleashed. Although every skilled veteran of different System paths could also build up bloodlust over time, the effects were not the same as the one released by Warpath System bearers.
"I appreciate your kind words, but please refrain from releasing your aura on these premises. We Thornes do not take kindly to threats."
Kyle's words were soft yet piercing, his gaze toward Baroness Livia cold. The Baroness smirked and held his gaze for a moment before responding.
"Understood. Although it was not a threat; I was merely testing your ability. One cannot claim a rank among the Twelve Rulers without the strength to back it up, so I hope you forgive my little test of strength."
Kyle nodded. Ryan clapped twice, grabbing everyone's attention. A maid walked onto the stage carrying a bowl filled with water. She arrived before the two and knelt, lifting the bowl over her head.
"I, Ryan Thorne, Head of the House, pass on my duties to my son, Kyle Thorne. I relinquish my duties as the Head of the House in front of all the heads of the Great Houses. May this succession be blessed by the Great Gods."
He washed his hands, took off his signet ring—which bore their crest of two crossed swords—and handed it to Kyle. Kyle then took the water his father had washed his hands with, drank some of it, and poured the rest on his head. He handed the maid the bowl, placed the signet on his finger, and showed it to the crowd.
"It is done."
Ryan's voice thundered, and the guests clapped in unison. It was now time for the rest of the family to join them. Grace and his mother, Anita, went to stand next to their husbands after a kiss on Kyle's hand. Neil did the same and stood next to his brother with a calm gaze.
It was finally over. He only had to endure a few hours of celebration before returning to his everyday life. His father announced that it was time for the festivities; everything was already prepared—drinks, food, and music.
"You look like you could fall asleep at any moment. Endure for a few more hours, Neil. And I think there is someone who is eager to share a dance with you," Kyle whispered to him.
Kyle's eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on a particular individual. Her eyes were already on Neil, her soft gaze seeming to hide a lot of unspoken feelings.
"I would rather retreat to the warmth of my room," Neil responded, earning a chuckle from Kyle.
In a few moments, the atmosphere in the garden changed from solemn to lively. The guests formed small circles, engaging in conversations and possibly building new alliances.
Neil sat by himself with a glass of wine in hand. He knew most of the people present, but all of them were very important figures. Everyone present was a System bearer; it was highly unlikely for a child born of direct descent not to inherit a System, but fate had decided otherwise in his case.
"Have you been avoiding me, Neil?"
A soft, soothing voice drifted into his ears from behind. Neil did not even bother to look, since he knew who it was.
"I have been seated here the whole time," he responded without looking.
Princess Evangeline Cindra sat next to him. He could feel her gaze on him; she was one of the few people who knew his secret. After a while, she finally spoke.
"I am going to get married right before I ascend the throne."
Neil turned to her with a small smile. "Congratulations."
Evangeline's small hand touched his elbow, her eyes peering directly into his. Her eyes glowed faintly with a white light, and all of a sudden, there was silence. The garden was empty and quiet. She stood in front of Neil with teary eyes.
"Congratulations? Really?"
Neil exhaled slowly, and his smile broke. "I do not know what else to do or say, Eva."
Evangeline wiped a lone tear and looked at the sky. She had used her main System ability, Illusion Crafting, dragging both her and Neil into an illusion. This was an ability available to those with the Dreamweaver Path System.
"You can start by telling me to refuse the marriage."
Neil shook his head slowly, leaving Evangeline confused.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Neil pulled her into his embrace. "I want you to be happy. You cannot be happy with me. I am broken."
His words tore through the empty garden. Evangeline trembled in his arms, but before they could speak any further, the illusion broke.
Confused, they both looked at each other, and then they finally felt it. Their instincts immediately screamed, but the invisible pressure made it impossible to move—not only for them but for everyone in the garden.
The sky darkened, and the world went hush, as if it was holding its breath for a grand arrival. The air cracked and the sky shattered like glass. A streak of pure darkness was headed for the garden, descending like divine judgment.
It was not a falling star or a meteor—it was a man. He stopped right above the garden, descending slowly and landing like a feather on the stage.
He stood before the crowd naked, his long raven-black hair flowing behind him like a stream of darkness. His eyes housed stars, and in the eyes of everyone present, he was perfect, without a flaw.
The pressure they felt slowly retracted, and they could all breathe again. Even the world started breathing once more.
The man on stage had a curious gaze. His eyes wandered through the guests until they landed on Neil.
"I found you."
These soft-spoken words lingered in the air. Neil shuddered. The man's gaze was on him. He was not even sure if it was correct to call the being on stage a "man." It felt like a god had descended into the mortal world. Neil was pretty much convinced this being was not a Conspirer.
He had been to the battlefield once as a child and remembered the feeling he got from the Conspiracy; it was vile and wrong. As for the being in front of him, it was simply unfathomable.
Neil could feel the gazes of everyone in the garden land on him. He, too, was confused. What was the being talking about? Heavy silence filled the garden as everyone awaited an explanation.
"You hid yourself pretty well among the mortals. That is why it took me such a long time to finally find you."
The being spoke again, and Neil's confusion couldn't get any worse. What was the being talking about? But he had confirmed one thing: the being was not human nor Conspirer. It was something more.
"What is the meaning of this? You dare interrupt my son's ceremony and then you proceed to speak cryptic nonsense? Who are you?!"
Ryan roared as he released his aura. His eyes turned crimson, and a heavy wind kicked up around him. Thick bloodlust enveloped the garden, most of it directed at the being on stage.
With a wave of its hand, the bloodlust and the aura dissipated into thin air.
"No interruptions."
The being did not even spare Ryan a look; he started floating towards Neil. Ryan was left in shock. The being had done more than dismiss his aura—it had overridden his System and shut it down.
"You hid yourself in the outer reaches of the universe, and yet you forget that the thread that binds our fates was your doing. I was drawn here, but it seems you have not yet met the conditions of awakening. I will help you awaken, and then I will return when you have ripened."
He hovered above the ground in the center of the garden, his starry gaze scanning his surroundings until they landed on Kyle, who was standing with nine of the Twelve Rulers.
"You. Come dance with me."