Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

The Palace of the Elf Nation of Aedrider was a wonder to behold. It was the highest level of the city and was framed by the gorgeous open skies behind it and the peak of the mountain the city was built upon.

The palace itself was made of pristine, light gray stone and had dozens upon dozens of octagonal towers reaching towards the sky. However, even the tallest among them dared not surpass the peak of the mountain. Many clouds passed by the mountain below the ground level of the palace, sometimes giving it the look that it was built in the heavens.

Today was a perfectly clear day, and from the lift that Lucius and his group rode to the top level, they could see the entirety of the Aedridan capital stretching out below them and wrapping around the base of the massive mountain. Jade seemed timid, looking behind her, and kept her eyes glued to the walkways below their feet, refusing to realize how high off the ground they really were.

It seemed she was so scared of heights that even Desmond was choosing not to tease her for it. Instead, he simply moved to walk closer to her and kept a hand hovering behind her back.

From an outside perspective it might have looked like he was ushering her forward, but it was clear he was placing his hands in close proximity to his sister so that she felt comfortable that he would grab her if she fell.

The gates of the palace were absolutely massive. They were made of solid iron and had a combination of artistic etchings and bronze trim to create a masterpiece of design without forfeiting the functionality of its defensive purpose.

A pair of guards approached them wearing pale-gray leather armor with metal pauldrons and breastplates. They also wore metal bracing on their upper arms, forearms, upper thighs, and shins. Only the guards' eyes and ears were visible through their face coverings. Explore stories on empire

This armor design seemed exclusive to palace guards for the purpose of hiding their identities from the public. It was a rather pragmatic decision. Without knowing who was working at the palace, bad actors would have a harder time tracking them or their families down. It helped close off a very effective form of infiltration.

"When we reach inside," Therentil advised, "Please be on your best behavior, Lord K… sorry, Sir Titan. Princess Ayalla and her supporters are present in the palace. I urge you to remember where you are."

Desmond and Jade both turned to look at Lucius who decided to simply click his tongue in response. Therentil appeared wholly unsatisfied with that answer but was in no position to continue chastising his guest.

Instead, he sighed and continued to guide them through the palace grounds. Sounds of chirping from various different birds of strange and exotic colors surrounded them. Despite being so high on a rocky mountain, the grounds themselves were all manner of different shades of green, from the grass to the trees.

It seemed the flowers were not yet in bloom, but the beginning of buds were forming on a handful. To the group, it seemed as though they had stepped into a castle from a fairytale. Everything had a sort of ephemeral beauty that could not be seen in the land below.

Lucius found himself oddly entranced at the sight, which was something unfamiliar to him. Occasional thoughts of bringing Rena and Kalliope here passed through his mind. However, when he thought of Kalliope, the ornate pathway beneath his feet cracked. Therentil stumbled for a moment from the sudden expression of mana. Several other people near them also faltered momentarily from the shock.

Before anyone could take notice, Lucius quickly calmed down and suppressed his frustration. At the same time, another, even more oppressive force forced him to his knees. He felt as though a sack of stones had been strapped to his arms and legs, holding him in place.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"That must be Lady Tenia. She is the sole resident at the peak of the mountain Aetherous. She is one of our kingdom's two Empyrean Ranked warriors. It is because of her that I recommended you to be on your best behavior." Therentil informed them.

Murderous intent saturated the air for several moments but quickly vanished. When it was gone, Lucius felt himself freed and could once again walk like normal.

He caught his breath after another moment and glared at the peak of the mountain. Staring back at him were a pair of intense eyes that were filled with confusion, then mirth. Something about this exchange clearly amused Lady Tenia. Though he could not see her, Tenia's presence was being purposefully projected down the mountain. She was testing him and it seemed that Lucius had passed.

The man rolled his shoulders back and cracked his neck, ensuring that everything was freed from her pressure. Then continued to follow Therentil without a word. Their guide looked back at him occasionally with a look that suggested the man known as Titan was insane.

Desmond, on the other hand, was quite enthralled with the display, as was his sister. Her face had taken on a slightly pink hue, which her brother decided to tease her for lightly.

While the twins poked and prodded at each other with verbal jabs, palace workers and guards stared at them in a mixture of confusion and awe. Strangers and guests of a non-elven sort were not common inside the palace itself. However, Lucius could smell trace scents of other humans somewhere within the halls. At least one of them was familiar to him.

"Titan."

A voice that was not quite feminine or masculine pulled his attention from the faces of the servant staff and dignitaries. Instead, his gaze was pulled to a familiar elf with darker skin and raccoon-like markings around her eyes from what seemed to be wearing goggles for long periods.

Titan's former opponent in the Exhibition Tournament stood in their path, blocking the way forward. Her hands were clenched in front of her, and her legs were spread apart and squared with her shoulders. To put it bluntly, she looked like she was preparing for a fight.

"Corva. It has been a little while. How is your hammer?" Lucius teased. He expressly remembered breaking the toy she was proud of during their match. However, he also remembered the multiple enchantments she had engraved on the object.

After the match was over, he did some digging into the woman and was surprised to find that she was the youngest child of the current queen of Aedrider. On top of that, she was an avid enchanter and smith, possessing a talent for all forms of metal craft and the ultra-rare compatibility with Enchanting.

"I want to challenge you to a duel. A rematch if you will. I will prove that my weapon really is a 'Titan-killer'." Corva smiled.

A petite and exasperated rabbit-eared beastman stood at Corva's side and bowed deeply. "Lord Kane, might you please grant my lady's selfish request?"

"I don't think that I…" He began before noticing the rapid approach of a handful of people.

Two mind-shatteringly beautiful women appeared from a hallway, each followed by a number of otherworldly gorgeous men. The two women had very similar features to Corva, though they were not affected by long hours of hard labor like her.

Lucius immediately recognized them by both sight and smell, as if they were related to his former adversary. Therentil initiated a deep bow, which Desmond and Jade copied. Lucius, on the other hand, stayed standing with his gaze locked on the newcomers.

One of the women smiled while the other glared angrily at him. The smiling woman raised a hand in greeting, "Hello, Lord Kane. I am Letheya. This is my dearest sister, Ayalla. Might you please grant us all the honor of accepting our baby sister Corva's request?"