Rose awakes in the same small cave entrance from the previous day, except it was covered in large extravagant flowers and blanketed in lush, green grass.
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“I guess he must've done this before he left. And it looks like he healed me too. I knew he was a nice guy.”
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I should probably report back to Faust. I hope he's not disappointed for not getting Lord Therius’s help.
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She focuses on Kennis and attempts to teleport back but only makes it to the castle gates, startling the guards at the gate.
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About 20% left. I got pretty close despite being almost a whole country away.
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“Ah! You've returned, Madam Azor.” Two startled guards reach for their blades, but sheathed them upon recognizing her.
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“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn't mean to scare you guys.”
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“No ma'am, you are absolutely fine. Would you like me to inform Lord Tyrol of your arrival?”
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“Yeah, you can let him know that I'm in town but I'm taking my time getting back to the palace. And skip the titles and stuff, just call me Rose.”
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“Yes ma- Rose.”
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The guard runs off. Rose strolls through the streets of the capital, lost in thought.
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I can't tell if Mr. Hiro rubbed off on me or if I just don't care about stuff like that to begin with.
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…I wish I could see him again. Knowing him, he's been coming up with a plan for how we're gonna get through this even in the state he’s in…
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Even if we put Zero aside, what do we do about Xander? How do we beat someone that was strong enough to beat Mr. Rex?
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All in all, this trip wasn't bad despite the worst case scenario happening.
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All of that future stuff was a little confusing though.
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What I really want to know is how I'm supposed to make this legendary "Time Sword". And what happens if I don't?
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I wonder what that Ritsu guy was like. He must've been pretty strong if he was friends with a god.
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Man I'm beat. I fought a king and a god and lived. I even beat Mr. Oliver.
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Maybe… just maybe… I can believe what they say about me.
.
.
.
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After walking around the Capital for what felt like an eternity, she eventually made her way to the Palace to speak to Faust. Once she finds him, she gives her report, omitting her encounter with Oliver, the Forest Deity.
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Faust lets out a sigh. “At this point, I’m just glad you made it back alive.”
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“Yeah, I’m alive… but what now? I screwed up with Lord Therius, so is there even a reason to keep going with Mr. Hiro’s plan?”
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“Excellent question. I read over Hiro’s notes and we both assumed this would happen. If you don’t believe me, you can read it yourself.” He says while handing her the stack of notes.
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The page on top reads as such:
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If you’re reading this as intended, Rose should’ve just returned from Raske. If I had to guess, Lord Therius declined our request for aid. That’s fine for now. Based on today’s meeting with him, he seems quite stubborn and dislikes this new generation of royalty, especially us in Rahu. This can’t be helped, however the plan I laid out in earlier pages should still be usable. The other nations are more likely to provide some aid.
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“So just stick to the plan? Sounds easy enough.”
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“Good. That being said, how long are you going to be in town? While we are on a deadline, you still need to make sure you are well rested before each of your expeditions.”
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“I was going to head out tom- Actually… Could you teach me stronger magic?”
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“Hmm… What brings this about?”
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“I don’t feel like there's anything wrong with what I know now, but I feel like there’s more that I could be doing.”
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“Interesting… However, Light and Dark magic are mostly unexplored due to their hostile behaviors, so there isn’t much to teach you. Despite having the affinity, I don't know very many light spells.
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“I thought they're only unstable when they're mixed?”
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“Not quite. You don't know it because you only have Light and Dark affinities, but to everyone else who possesses multiple affinities, those two are the hardest ones to control.”
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“So I just have to figure it out on my own?”
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“Yes, but there is inspiration all around you. Perhaps there will be something on your travels that will be a spark for you. Remember, magic is limitless in nature, but bound by the human mind. It really is up to you to determine what you can and can’t do with it.”
.
.
.
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Rose rested for a day before heading to Rahvas.
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First thing's first, I have to teleport to Raske. That mountain passage should work as a starting point. I would go to the palace but I doubt Lord Therius wants to see me again.
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She waves goodbye to everyone at Kennis's Palace, before teleporting away. Upon arrival, the passageway was just as she'd left it.. She goes inside the small cave area to rest and regain her ether before continuing her journey.
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She sleeps for a few hours before dashing off towards Rahvas. Once arriving in Raske, she continues to run along the top of the wall surrounding the city.
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It seems like Therius didn't say anything about me to the rest of the nation about me fighting him. Glad he didn't, or else that might make this trip a lot harder.
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After about a day’s worth of travel, Rose arrives at the front gate with about 50% of her ether remaining.
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I don't think I need to rest now. As long as the same thing doesn't happen, I'll be fine.
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“Hey Rose!”
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“Oh!” Rose stumbles. “I swear this mental link will never not surprise me.”
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“Eh, you'll get used to it eventually.
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“I hope so.”
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“How are you holding up? Have you done anymore cool stuff yet?”
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“Nothing crazy, just sprinting across the continent as usual. I’m on my way to Rahvas to speak with Lord Cromwell.”
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“Do you think he’ll be more friendly than Lord Therius?”
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“That’s what Lord Tyrol and Mr. Hiro’s notes said. I just hope it’s true.”
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“Well… on a normal day, that’d be true. He might be upset about you fighting his best friend though.”
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“... Lord Therius and Lord Cromwell are friends?”
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“You might not know this, but the current Kings of Raske, Rahvas, and Sepp, became kings at the same time about 20 years ago, so they’re all pretty friendly towards one another, Lord Therius and Lord Cromwell especially.”
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“That would’ve been nice to know before. I just hope he knows Lord Therius started it. Anyway, I just arrived at the gate. I’ll talk with you again once I leave Rahvas.”
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“Okay, stay safe!”
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Rose approaches the guards at the gate with a signed letter from Hiro.
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“Ms. Azor? I can guide you to the Palace now if you’re ready” The guard says.
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They were expecting me? This can't be good.
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They walk her up to the palace and she walks into the Throne Room. When the guards open the door, she sees a boy no older than herself on one knee in front of a visibly disgruntled Arthur.
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“Oh, I'm so sorry m'lord, we didn't know you were still occupied.” The guard says while backing out of the open door.
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“Halt! I was just finishing up here,” Arthur says forcefully. “I will let you leave for now. However, if I hear of you spreading these false claims again, you will be executed where you stand.”
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The boy’s face shows signs of disappointment, before making his way towards the door.
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“I know what you’ve come here for and the answer is no, I will not be providing aid to Rahu. Begone.” Arthur says with a hint of agitation in his voice.
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Rose is dumbstruck. “Um… Is there anything that I’ve done to warrant such a… harsh response?”
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“I said, Begone.” Arthur says as he stands to his feet and raises his hands above his head, as if in a stance.
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Something’s weird here. What's he doing?
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Arthur begins to swing his hands downwards. As they descend, a shining silver blade appears in his hands, sending a nigh-invisible blade of wind at her. It connects, but she teleports away before it fully cleaves through her.
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What… was that?
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Looking at her own blood strewn across the palace floor, she instantly feels dizzy.
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“If you had left when I said, I might've let you live.” Arthur says.
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“Hey, get back here!” Rose turns to see the boy from earlier snatch a sword from one of the guards and dash towards her. She backs away instinctively, but not before feeling a blade slash her across the chest. She teleports a few feet over just as ‘it’ pierces her skin.
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She looks up at Lord Cromwell, now holding a silver longsword. He glares at her before swinging his sword again, sending a shockwave at her again. This time, the boy dashes in front of her and parries the shockwave slash, effectively sliding it off of his stolen blade. The slash hits the wall next to them, kicking up dust and knocking them off of their feet.
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“Hey! Come with me!” The boy says while grabbing her and running out the door.
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Still dazed from the previous strike, she runs off with him. She looks behind her to see the guards off in the distance and a blood trail. She looks down at herself to examine the gash across her body, still leaking blood. She begins to stumble over herself before falling over completely.
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“Hey! Can you hear me?” The boy says to her before she closes her eyes.
.
.
.
Rose awakens to an unfamiliar room. She looks around the room until she locks eyes with the boy from earlier.
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“You’re awake already?” The young man says, sitting behind her reading a book..
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She instinctively tenses up, but feels her entire upper body seize up in retaliation.
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“You should try to rest for now. You took a pretty hard hit back there.”
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“Why did you save me?” She says.
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“You seemed worth helping.”
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“Worth helping? What do you mean by that?”
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“Hey, I don't mean anything weird by it, just… you know…”
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“I'm leaving.” She rolls her eyes as she struggles to get up.
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“Wait, you're not in any shape to be moving around on your own yet!” He says, standing in front of her. “Just hear me out first and I promise, I'll make it worth your time.”
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I guess I don't have much of a choice.
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“Fine, I'll listen. First, my name is Rose Azor. Your turn.”
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“Excellent. My name is Aamir Tosi, and I'm a soon-to-be member of nobility.”
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“Soon-to-be?” She asks.
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“It's a long story, so I'll make some tea before we start.
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Over the course of a few hours, Aamir explained that Rahvas's royalty was determined by whoever wields the ability, Rite of Royalty. The current wielder and king is Lord Arthur Cromwell. The ability chooses a Successor for itself, and only chooses those in the Cromwell family bloodline. While the ability itself doesn't do much on its own, it allows the wielder access to the Voti.
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“And what exactly are the Voti?” Rose asked with visible exhaustion on her face.
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“They're weapons that can only be used by the wielder of Rite of Royalty. Supposedly, there's three of them, but we've only seen one of them in the last few generations of kings. That being Lord Cromwell's sword, Excalibur.”
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“Are the other two as strong as Excalibur? Do they also send slashes when the holder attacks?”
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“Who knows. I've been researching my whole life and I haven't found anything on them, aside from their existence.”
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“...Sure. So, I understand that this is important for Lord Cromwell, but why does this matter to me or you?”
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“According to my father, our bloodline is an offshoot of the Cromwell bloodline due to an affair that happened a few generations ago. And since Lord Cromwell doesn't have a child, it's likely that the Rite of Royalty will manifest itself within me.”
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“Okay, I'm following so far.”
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“Another thing to note is that the transfer of Rite of Royalty doesn't happen instantly. It takes 24 hours to fully transfer between the two users.”
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“And I'm assuming you want me to protect you while that's happening.”
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“Exactly. I'm not part of the main family, so once people find out, they won't be too happy for it. Is that reasonable enough of a request?”
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Rose ponders for a moment. While he did save her life, this is a hefty request to ask of a girl he just met.
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“I'll do it on one condition. Once you're king, you'll provide aid to Rahu. I can't tell you for what yet, but I know we'll need it and we'll need it soon. Will you accept?”
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He extends his hand with a smile on his face.
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Agreed. On my pride as the future king of Rahvas, I swear to assist Rahu in anyway I can when the time arises.”
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Rose shakes his hand, and lays back down in bed.
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“If I have to protect you, I guess I need to regain my strength.”
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“You should. You only have a few more hours before it happens.”
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“A few hours!?”
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“Yeah, my 16th birthday is tomorrow and it's already 8:00 at night. Don't worry, I'll wake you when it starts.”
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“Fine then. ‘Night.” She says as enters Hyperspeed and rolls over to face the wall.
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The best way to get good sleep in 4 hours is to stretch it to 8.
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“Goodnight Rose.”
.
.
.
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A few hours pass and Rose hears movement behind her. She whirls around to see Aamir walking back into the room.
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“Oh! I didn't mean to wake you.” He says while turning away from her.
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“Are you alright?” She says, having caught a glimpse of his face. It was tear stained.
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“Yeah, I'm just a bit nervous is all.” He says, sniffling.
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“I don't know about you, but most people don't cry when they're nervous. If there's something on your mind, you can tell me.”
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He sighs. “When I awake tomorrow, I’ll finally be royalty. Will I feel any differently? What’ll Excalibur feel like once it’s in my hand? What’s it really like to be King? Aside from the questions… Part of me is scared. Part of me feels like I’ll wake up just as regular as I am today. I could’ve forgone the excess training and acted like the normal person I was all along. The thought that my entire life might have been wasted on this idea that I’m meant to be King of Rahvas and wield legendary power… is truly frightening to me.”
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As Rose searches for the words to say, she is stopped by a bright light and the sound of trumpets. Both of them instinctively cover their eyes for a moment. Once the light settles, She looks around the room to see an astounding sight. The walls from the room had become translucent. The pair could see people all across the city waking up to the noise and looking in their direction.
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“Are those… Wings?” She says, staring at Aamir. Ethereal wings unfurl behind him as he now stands at an altar.
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“Father… You were right. My training was worth it. I really am next in line.” Aamir whispers to himself, wiping his eyes as he speaks.
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“Rose, this is the awakening ceremony for Rite of Royalty. For the next 24 hours, I’ll need your help to make it through alive.” He says to her.
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“Gotcha, let’s get moving then.”
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