The sun beat down into my eyes its glow piercing the darkness of my closed eyes bathing my vision in red. I groaned feeling my sore body's movement stifled; A Weight on my body and a sweet aroma of roses and vanilla prompted me to open my tired eyes.
Looking down there lay a cluster of red silky threads on my chest weighing me down, as my bleary vision cleared and the exhaustion of waking up faded I noticed the head they were attached to weighing down on me, her rosy skin and red hair giving me a sense of warmth and comfort on top of her body's warmth from being wrapped around me in a tight yet comfortable hug.
Last nights memories crashed into me like a tidal wave, the Woman cuddling me completely asleep was my girlfriend and fiancé in the not so distant future Claire Bladeheart who had gotten my families blessing and taken a bath with me before making out with me and cuddling me for 2 hours before we fell asleep in each other's arms, and she had pulled my head into her chest and nearly suffocated me with her chest that size when clothed was deceiving, to say the least.
Wait although mentally I'm 31 now I'm still 13 physically If we had gone all the way last night which I don't remember If I did, according to my previous life Claire would be a criminal under law but in our society's views I would be a legend among my piers and nobody would bat an eye at Claire. But in this world nobles were married commonly around 13-14 and I was 13 so was I in the wrong? No better to play it safe in my approaches and wait till I come back from Epheotus if I did get brought there so I'm 16 or 17 when I get back.
Claire slowly pushed herself up, only then did I notice that I was only in my underwear and Claire was completely naked with the sole exception being our matching necklaces that we always kept on. Claire Stretched the Blanket covering from my wide-open eyes nearly falling off.
"hhmmmmmggg!" she stretched her arms above her head before yawing and covering her mouth with her hand and rubbing her closed eye.
"Morning sleepyhead, was my arm and chest that good of a pillow?" I teased in a deep voice that considering my age I shouldn't have, but it was only there when I just got up in the morning.
Claire froze dead in her stretch and looked at me in shock with those lovely grey eyes of hers that were reflecting the red from her untied hair that was draped over her shoulders almost like a robe. "Al? Where are we?" Claire asked looking around the room and pulling the covers back over herself.
"you don't remember last night? you were quite forceful with you "marking your territory" as you put it"
Claire Blushed crimson and If I didn't know better I'd think her hair blushed as well "D- Did we-?"
"You nearly did but by some miracle of God I had the restraint not to make a move." I sighed out handing her one of my shirts.
"So does last night make me your fiancée Al?" She asked blushing and pulling on one of my dress shirts that were just about the only shirt I had because Tabitha and Alice wanted me to look like a noble.
"I still need your father's blessing Claire," I sighed out not wanting to admit that I didn't have a ring for her yet.
"you already have it."
I spun around and saw her face red holding out a sealed letter with her family crest on it, I gently took the letter from her hands like it was a baby and made an Ice letter opener and opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.
"Alexander Shard, I have heard a lot about you from both my Daughter Claire and Brother Kaispian. I have been told of your exploits as the adventurer Felwinter and as a kind and reliable young man that cares for his family, friends, and Especially my daughter deeply. You an extremely talented mage who teaches those around him to use their magic to its true potential and to never rely on it completely in a fight, your swordsmanship is unparalleled and In only 4 months of your teaching Claire has become the strongest mage and swordsman in skill alone and although she lacks experience I believe she could become the greatest leader our house has had in decades with you at her side.
I Troyard Bladeheart give you Alexander Shard permission to Wedd my daughter Claire Bladeheart, I wish to have a talk with you before you do put a ring on her finger though.
Best regards Troyard Bladeheart"
I closed the letter and placed it on the table and I couldn't contain my elation and jumped for fucking joy, Me and Claire decided to stay here for one more day before heading back to school. As a change of pace from brutally killing Uto, I was determined to spend time with my Claire who wanted to go shopping. It was fairly apparent to me that she wouldn't take no for an answer.
I lost count of the many places we visited after the umpteenth store but I didn't dare show my displeasure of the time we were taking in front of her. We visited numerous Clothing stores Claire picked out a few suits for me that were needed to make a good impression with her father which I was confused about judging by the letter. To be fair though Claire Had good taste in clothing, She picked out some Conjurer robes for me that were closer to suits than robes but the red and gold accents they had made me look dapper as hell, And to quote my favorite off all characters in Tbate our lord and savior' Regis "I look majestic as Fuck,"
After meeting up with Arthur and his group of Ellie, Alice, and Tabitha who were dragging him around Arthur asked the question I was waiting for. "Aunt Helstea, are there stores where they sell something that can help me train faster?" Art asked while we headed inside a store that exclusively sold scarves.
"Hmm? Do you mean elixirs? Of course." Tabitha gave him a confused look as if I had asked some sort of trick question.
"There's actually a small elixir and medicine shop around the corner if you want to go take a look while we shop for some scarves..."
"Claire you have a good sense in clothes ill let you pick some out for me, I'm going to stick with Art so he doesn't get lost," I called out following Arthur.
"My sense of Direction isn't that bad. Is it?" Arthur asked slightly confused.
"Arthur you looked for the meeting hall and ended up on the roof of the library across the campus." I reminded him of the incident last month.
"I will beat you with a cactus," Artur exaggerated.
"What are you? gramps?"
Arthur whacked me on the head and dragged me out the door.
"Wraa!" 'Don't leave me!'
I saw Zeph extend a paw out towards me in a desperate attempt to escape Claire's firm hold on him but I just pounded my chest in respect as I was dragged out by Arthurs chokehold on my trachea.
Your sacrifice will not be in vain, I saluted.
The corner we turned at led me into narrow alleyway thugs probably used to mug unsuspecting passersby. At the end of the narrow alleyway was a dingy shack that even rats would find too revolting to live in. The wooden planks that made up the store looked like they had been painted with moss and fungus as a musty, stale air emanated out, drifting towards me. At least it complemented the sickly green weeds creeping out from the bottom of the store as if even they didn't want to be stuck there.
WINDSOM'S POTIONS AND MEDICINES
"Spare some change, young lad?" A haggard voice startled me out of my stupefied state.
Beside me sat a pale old man with a hand reached out towards me, palms up.
Arthur immediately took a step back in surprise, instinctively layering his body with mana.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, young lad. I'm but a mere aged man asking for some change." The old man's face wrinkled as he revealed a pearly white smile that didn't match his ragged state.
"Ah yeah, sure." Art reached in his pocket for a copper coin, using the opportunity to take a closer look at him.
"Many thanks, young lad." His gnarled hands nimbly grabbed the coin out of my hand with a speed that surprised me.
Between his middle and index fingers was a coin that was silver instead of copper.
"Wait... I meant to give you this..." Arthur reached into his pocket again and when I made sure that this time, the coin in my hand was indeed copper, I looked back up to see that the old man was gone.
"What the f..." Art stood there, bewildered for the third time in the last 5 minutes.
"Arthur there is an asura here, this is an important moment," I said dead serious.
Arthurs's face turned to stone as he nodded back to me.
we took a step forward towards Windsom's potion shack. I reached for the handle of the wooden door that seemed like it would break upon mere contact when I felt a concentration of mana from the copper doorknob.
Coating my hand in mana, I wrapped my fingers around the knob, preparing to turn it, when a stiff jolt coursed through my hand and up my arm. Thankfully, the mana protecting my hand helped me from pulling away so I forcefully twisted the knob, opening the door.
As soon as the door unlocked, the shock stopped as well. Pushing open the creaking door, I'm welcomed by a breeze of something indescribably horrendous. The stench was so strong that it immediately triggered a stream of coughs from me.
"Oh, a customer! What can I do for you?" a familiar voice welcomed me.
"You!" Art couldn't help but point my finger at him.
"What brings you in here?" He looked at me with an innocent expression.
"five Elixer pearls and the cat with galaxy eyes," I said in a monotone.
I couldn't sense him inside here until he was right in front of my nose.
The figure became more apparent as I focused on it; it was an almost pitch black cat. The only part of its body that wasn't black was the tuffs of white fur in front of its ears, but that wasn't what caught my attention. It was the cat's captivating eyes. Eyes that seemed as if they held the universe inside them. They looked like mirrored night skies with bright twinkling stars sprinkled inside them, with white, vertical slitted pupils glowing like a crescent moon.
"And Who might you be? lesser?" The cat better known as Windsom spoke.
"Cut the shit I know what you are."
"Watch you, tongue human, you know not of the power you are Disrespecting." His voice commanded authority.
"Perhaps this will change your mind when I say I know what you are," I rolled up my sleeve and removed the armband hiding Zephyr's and my mana signatures that resembled Bahamut's.
"What!?" Windsom's cat eyes widened and with a flash of light, he turned to his human form.
"Yes I'm Bahamut's successor of storm magic and bonded with his son, this here Is bonded with Lady Silvia's daughter Sylvie," I said flatly using a bit of storm magic to arc a small cloud of lightning on my palm.
"Did Lord Bahamut tell you of us?"
"Lord? I guess he was high up in your ranks... And yes I have some knowledge of Epheotus and its Workings although most of the knowledge he left was on magic."
"That should make things easier, Bring Lord Bahamut's son and Lady Sylvie here and we shall depart for your training of the upcoming war," Windsom said about to open a portal.
"Not yet Windsom, I have a few things that need to be tended to first before we can depart."
"And what might these matters be?" He asked with genuine curiosity.
"one there's likely an Attack coming onto Xyrus academy in the future we need to be dealt with, Two the Dwarven royalty will betray the Council for aid from the Vritra for their country, Three there is another we need to bring for our training, and lastly an offer of good faith," I Said pulling out Uto's head.
"This is!?" Windsom was surprised at my showing of shared opponents.
"The head of a Vritra blooded retainer I killed yesterday, I believe your king should find this an amusing development," I said with a tone of a businessman.
"yes he shall, and I'm assuming you want something more than the elixir pearls?" he said storing the head in his dimension ring or whatever the asura version was called.
"Yes if possible I'd like you to assignee someone to guard my lover Claire Bladeheart while we are training, in secret if possible."
"That is but a small request I will see to it that one of my men sees to it," Windsom said extending a hand that I shook to finish our deal.
"May I have the core stages, names, and affinities of the people these elixirs are for so they can handle their power?" He asked pulling out a few Elixer pearls from the shelf.
"Arthur Leywin, the man standing right here, you can see it right?"
Windsom handed him a marble that was clear with specks of a rainbow of colors floating inside it. "take care of Lady Sylvie with every fiber of your being Arthur Leywin." he gave a slight threat.
"I already was, I treat her as my own flesh and blood daughter." He nodded with some sweat running down the side of his face.
"then these me next." He handed me a small clear marble with specks of blue, purple, and green. "And yes Zephyr is like my own son, and to my knowledge, I'm the only one who knows storm magic and I will teach it to him as Bahamut did to me.
"Good to see the bloodline won't die out." Windsom gave me a slight smile, I guess Bahamut and him were close.
"Claire bladeheart, light yellow core, 16 years old, Wind and Fire attributes." I was handed a marble with green and red specs.
"Elijah knight, Solid yellow, 14 years old, earth affinity." He handed me a marble with brown flakes.
"Tessia Eralith, Solid yellow, 14 years old, Wind and plant magic." her marble had gold and green flakes in them.
"well that concludes our business, I look forward to a good ally in the war Windosm." I waved back walking out the door, I reached the intersection out of the alley and turn the corner to see Claire, Alice, Ellie sitting down at a table with Tabitha.
"Hi, Brother!" Ellie waved while holding a drink with her other hand.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Alice asked as she put down her refreshment as well.
"yep we found some good supplies, Good thing I threatened the king for these rings back during the auction, the gold in them came real useful." I mused remembering how I nearly made the king shit himself.
"YOU WHAT!?" Claire choked on her drink.
"Al didn't tell you how he got his and Arthurs Dimension rings did he?" Alice sighed out.
"No, No he didn't." Claire rubbed her temples.
---------------------------
Claire, Alice, Ellie, along with Tabitha, once again tried to use me as a human mannequin. This time, even the teenage store clerks joined in while occasionally taking peeks through the changing room curtains with stares comparable to starving animals looking at fresh meat.
Was it weird that I feared for my life more so on these occasions than when I fought in dungeons?
After hours of shopping, the staggering amount of clothes that filled the numerous bags was probably enough to open up a small store. Fortunately, the driver came by every hour or so to relieve us of the bulk of our purchases.
The sun began its further descent from the edge of the city, reminding me that Xyrus was indeed a floating plot of land.
As we reached the carriage waiting for us on the other end of the shopping district, I noticed that there was a separate wagon attached to the back, holding all the clothes and accessories we (they) bought.
"Claire, should we go back to Xyrus now?" I asked her.
"I have been dumping the duties on Kathyln for the time being so I guess we should."
"Bye guys me and Claire are heading back to school!" I called out pulling out newly bought clothes into my dimension ring before we ran off.
_________________________________________
Xyrus Academy wasn't too far from the shopping district but it was still a bit of a distance to travel on foot. The sun was beginning to set as we made our way to Director Goodsky's office, which was on the top floor of the second-highest building in the school, losing only to the bell tower that served as a useful lookout post for the Disciplinary Committee.
As the academy towers got closer, me and Claire willed mana into our bodies and jumped up to the roof of a nearby building. Skirting from one building to the next, the view around us became an indistinct blur, the only thing clearly visible being Zeph and Claire, who were racing alongside me, enjoying the breeze.
Not wanting to lose our little race I willed more mana through my body and sped up.
The wind bent to our will, pushing the two of us forward, I'd noticed before but the more my mana core evolved, the more sensitive I became to mana; I could even go as far as to say I was becoming more integrated with the mana around me, almost like the asuras eventually.
"Wra!" 'We're almost here!'
Zephyr's chirpy voice snapped me out of my thoughts as I focused my gaze on the light coming out of the window of Director Goodsky's office.
Zeph, come over here.
My bond jumped into my arms as I prepared to take off. Concentrating the mana from my core and willing it to take the form of wind underneath the soles of my feet, I leaped off the edge of the building's roof I was on with as much strength as I could muster.
"HAAAAAAAP!"
I felt the building almost giving out as a whirlwind sprung up and propelled me higher. I must've been about 200 meters in the air when I realized I was once again on a collision course straight towards the rooftop of the building Director Goodsky's office was in.
"!!!!!!!!!!!"
Whether it was due to being drunk from the adrenaline rush, or me feeling amazing I couldn't help but let out a soul-cleansing roar. The sensation of flying through the air like this was different from when I rode on Zephyr.
Just as I realized that I hadn't quite planned my landing, my body already shot through the air and noisily crashed against several unidentified objects. Despite destroying some of the roofs, I somehow managed to land on my feet. As expected of me.
"KYU!!!" 'THAT WAS FUN! LET'S DO THAT AGAIN!'
Zephyr hopped in circles around me as he continued chirping for a second round.
Patting the dust off of my clothes, Claire landed next to me a lot more graceful than my robust landing.
"That felt great!! Didn't It darling?" Claire stretched out her arms giving a cheery smile.
"you got that right Red!" I called back sitting on the edge of the building Claire following suit next to me, I was able to see a sight I was never able to experience even in my past life.
Xyrus was a floating city; I seemed to constantly forget this fact. I was able to see the edge of the city where isolated clouds floated nearby. I continued to be mesmerized as the rays from the setting sun hit the clouds at an angle that made them appear fiery red. Contrasting against the sun-kissed sky below was a curtain of serene purple-the atmosphere.
"Wra..." Zeph propped his head upon the ledge as he gazed silently as well.
The word breathtaking wasn't just an expression in this case. It was as if Xyrus City was floating on an endless sea of soft marigold that blended harmoniously with the starry night above. That sort of view, that only seemed to be present in fairy-tales, was only made possible due to the city's high elevation.
Using wind magic I took out our metal necklaces halves from my ring and clicked them together filling the empty snowflake hole on my silver dog tag with the rose gold snowflake half Claire has, Our hands intertwined as we watched the view of the clouds.
...
"Quite the view, isn't it?" a familiar aged voice echoed from behind.
"It is... Also don't wake her" I replied without turning back, rubbing Claire's head that she leaned on my shoulder after falling asleep.
"It's my most treasured spot, you know... I come here often when I want to rest my mind," she breathed.
"Mm."
"I see you made quite the landing. I'll have to have Tricia come clean all this up."
"I apologize for that, I'll help as well."
"I heard your battle cry. I suspect the whole school will be wondering what happened."
"Haha..." I let out a stifled laugh.
"..."
I expected Goodsky to come to join us, but instead, she stayed where she was.
"You're not going to ask me how I'm still alive?" I asked as my eyes stayed glued to the view of the horizon.
"It seemed like it wasn't a good time to ask. I am just glad that you are alive and well." Goodsky's voice was quiet, almost feeble.
"I'm well?" I asked myself under my breath.
"Am I well?" I repeated, loud enough for her to hear, a tinge of anger evident in my tone.
"...What exactly happened down there, Alexander?" Director Goodsky's voice was hesitant as she asked this.
"Uto the retainer nearly killed lance's Aya and Alea, I saved both of them and nearly killed myself with the backlash I got."
"... They're too early..."
"Move up your plans, The asuras are moving, also beef up the security the attack is going to be within the next few weeks if I'm correct."
"I'll make the call to the guild."
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