Grimoires & Masters - Chapter 9.

A battle that seemed to have no end had ensued. It wasn’t long before the first blood was drawn. And like moths to the flame, soldiers kept falling. 

Aoun was sweating as his mind focused entirely on the board of Chess. All the years of strategies and moves that he had built up were not working for him. He was in a field that was alien to him. There seemed to be no safe step that he could take, but he persisted. 

The desire to win burned fiercely inside of him. His heart was beating peacefully, but his mind was in a state of chaos. And just as he was about to get a hold on the game, Klaus’ words thundered upon him. 

“Do you love her?” Klaus said as he placed his Arch-Bishop at an unsafe place. “Mellissa Ice-Witch Orylius; The Queen of Ice-Coffins.”

He had managed to keep his composure when Klaus had revealed that he knew about him being an Empyrean, but now, the truth about him and Mel was about to come to light. He didn’t fall for the bait Klaus had presented to him and kept up with his game-plan. He didn’t answer Klaus and still tried to keep his focus on the game. 

“Did she tell you who she is?” Klaus kept trying to get into his head. 

Aoun nodded and made his next move.

“Did she tell you about her Family?”

“She did…” 

Klaus smiled and sighed. 

“There are a lot of things I have learned in my lifetime, Child. When a girl gives her body to a man, her Aura changes, it mingles with that of her man. I don’t have the eyes to see the Auras, but I do have the ability to sense them. It was a gift bestowed upon me by your Grandmother before she took her last breath…”

“You have never talked about her before…” Aoun smiled and asked. “Tell me about her.”

Klaus chuckled as he found Aoun trying to change the topic.

“She was stronger than me, yet, she was fragile.” Klaus’ smiled faded as he spoke his next words. “What did Mellissa tell you about her origins?”

The sudden shift in his grandfather’s mood scared him. Mellissa had told him a lot of things about her, but she had never gone into much detail about her origins. 

“What is it, Grandfather?” Aoun asked straightforwardly looking him in the eyes.

“The man she was was once married to, do you know what kind of a man he was?” 

Aoun’s heart thumped hard at the question. He had never been comfortable with asking Mellissa about her late husband. The man who had been killed on their wedding night. She had never talked much about him with Aoun. But she had been truthful to him about her past. She had told him that she was in love with that man. 

Klaus could now see that Mellissa had not told everything about her to Aoun. Part of him was glad that she hadn’t told him everything, but the other part of him was now worried about his grandchild. 

“His name was Kyle…” The fear that reflected on Klaus’ face was something that Aoun had never seen before. 

“He was the youngest person to attain Saint-Hood. A man feared by all. There were several names he was known with in the world. He was called Messiah, but some also called him Abrak, the Angel of Light. ”

“Angel of Light?” Aoun frowned at the title. “He was part of the Temple of Light?”

“No, Child… He was the enemy of the Temple of Light.” Klaus reverently recalled the wars that had ensued three centuries ago. “He was one of the few who had dared to stand against the Temple of Light. He himself  had the Element of Light, but for some reason, he hated that Organization.”

“What kind of a man was he?” Aoun asked curiously. 

“Honest, merciful, intelligent and wise, and he was a fun person to be around. No one who ever met him would have a bad impression of him. But despite all his qualities, there were people who detested him.” Klaus closed his eyes and sighed. “The World is cruel, Aoun. They hate everyone who doesn’t conform to their ways, and if they see something intrinsically good, they want to destroy it. Envy is a Sin that corrupts your soul.”

Aoun listened to it all and kept on playing Chess. There were a lot of questions on his mind, but there was one that was bugging him the most.

“The Temple of Light killed him?” He needed to know who Mellissa’s enemies were. 

“They were involved, yes.” Klaus nodded. “But the Temple couldn’t have done it by itself. There were some very Powerful families involved in his killing.”

“I see…” Aoun confusedly looked at Klaus. “Were the Zaryven involved?” He asked the question that mattered the most.

Klaus looked in his eyes. There was a pale smile on his face that was scaring Aoun, but to his relief, Klaus shook his head. 

“No. The Land of White Winter was neither his Ally nor his Enemy.”

“Then why do you want to warn me about Mellissa?” He asked. 

Aoun could see what Klaus was trying to do here. He was genuinely concerned about his grandchild. For some reason, Klaus was not comfortable with the idea of him being together with Mellissa. 

“Do I need to warn you?” Klaus smiled and lightly laughed. “Do you not know that every Empyrean must stay wary of the other?” 

“She won’t harm me…” Aoun no longer paid attention to how his Grandfather knew about Empyreans. He knew that his Grandfather wasn’t an Empyrean. The little information he had stated clearly that there would be 313 Empyreans born in the span of 313 years. Klaus was over 480 years old. 

“I hope so…” Klaus shook his head and made his next move on the board. “Her deal with us ends in 5 years. She had promised to protect the Royal-House for 225 years in return for a favor we did to her. Has she told you what her plans are?”

Aoun surprisedly looked at Klaus. He had not known about such a deal. Mellissa had never told him about it. 

“Why did you make her the Queen of Northern-Kingdom?” He asked the question that now bothered him the most. He could see part of the reason why Klaus was wary of her. 

Mellissa was too popular in the Northern Kingdom. And if it was not her choice to become its Queen and was done only as a part of a deal, her leaving the Empire would weaken it tremendously. 

“The state of the world was in Chaos back then. The prophecy about the Empyreans had made the Empires feel threatened about the future. We were no different. We were looking for Empyreans to form ties with, but we knew that they will not be easy to control. Mellissa was fearful even back then. Her feats and the fear that she had engraved in the hearts of the people had made the five Continents wary of her. The woman you are in love with killed two Emperors in a two against one with only her strength of a Queen.” He solemnly looked at Aoun. “And I was not in favor of forming ties with her. Her ambitions still scare me, and she is someone who is burning in the desire for revenge. It was your Grandmother’s decision. And I had to agree to it as she had requested it to me.”

Aoun surprisedly looked at Klaus. He was not surprised at the strength of Mellissa. He never thought of Klaus as a man who would give in to the decisions of others. 

“If you knew your Grandmother, you wouldn’t dare to go against her request either.” Klaus laughed in amusement as he observed Aoun’s expressions. “And the reason why I made her the Queen of the Northern Kingdom was so that she wouldn’t feel like she was just a tool for us. She’s an Empyrean, Aoun, just like you are. And she is the strongest of you all.” Klaus’ words held confidence in Mellissa. 

“I see.” 

Aoun stayed silent as he observed his Grandfather, and after a while, he started chuckling. He understood some things now. And he knew that Klaus had held a lot of information from him.

“You gave her the Northern Kingdom because you wanted her to start caring about this land. And your true intentions were that she would later conquer the unclaimed Northern Territory of this continent to form her own Kingdom or an Empire. A kingdom led by an Empyrean that borders your Northern-Kingdom. A Power that would stay a close ally to White-Winter as she would always have the people of your Empire in her Heart.” He voiced out his thoughts. “Or maybe it wasn’t your plan but my grandmother’s plan. And somehow, you are very certain that Mellissa would never have intentions of breaking the Empire of White-Winter.”

Klaus smiled at his words. He had not expected Aoun to get the gist of the things, but he was not so surprised. He knew that the child before him was not like the rest, and that was the reason why he was so worried about him. 

“And it is not Mellissa that you are wary of so much. It’s me…” Aoun smiled mischievously. “You knew she was dangerous and had lots of enemies, but you still accepted her in our Empire and showered her with honors and esteem. No wise man would do that unless he owed a debt to someone, or if they had mutual enemies. Another thing that I have noted is that you seemed to have never entertained the thought of having Mellissa as the Empress of the White-Winter. Strange; you do have a lot of faith in her capabilities.”

“Your father still hasn’t realized these things, and he is the Emperor…” Klaus shook his head and looked back at the board. “Go on… I want to see how much you have figured out.” He finally admitted to things. 

“You want her to claim the Kingdom of Dreams, and the remaining land of North in this continent. You want her as an ally, but not as a family. You can handle the threats as they are, but if she becomes a family, there will be more enemies for some reason.” Aoun said but then shook his head. “A woman who you believed would never fall in love again, did fall in love, and with your own grandson. You accepted it, albeit all the reservations, but now, you have a small family of three Empyreans bound together. You fear that Mellissa’s desire for revenge has weakened and that her plans would change with me. She may no longer want to remain in the North, but take me to her land to claim it. And you know that I will do so…” He chuckled. “Maybe you fear that she will follow me somewhere but not remain here.” His smiled paled. “Or…” His heart was uncomfortable at what he was about to say. “Or you have a fear that Mellissa and Elena would make me become the Emperor of White-Winter.”

Klaus nodded to him, and they both resumed playing chess in silence. 

Aoun could see that he was in a tight spot on the board. His plans were no longer working. He had come to a halt. Other than sacrificing the Royals and take their counters in return, he had no other options. He could do that, or he would be playing on Klaus’ intentions. And he did it. He sacrificed the Red Prince to take out the enemy’s Blue Prince. And after that, the board became less crowded with every move they made. 

The severity in Aoun’s eyes intensified as he realized the truth too late. The game was over. The Empress had died, and his Emperor on the board was helpless. 

“Well played…” Klaus chuckled without any reservations as he kill Aoun's Emperor. He poured out some more wine and gave a cup to him as well. 

The old man could see the expressions Aoun was wearing. He wasn’t upset about the defeat. The seriousness on his face showed that he was analyzing his mistakes and thinking of the better moves he would make the next time.

“Want to play another game?” Klaus offered. 

Aoun was tempted, but he shook his head. 

“I need more time,” He smiled and said.

“Scared that you might lose again?” Klaus chuckled.

“Not scared.” Aoun shook his head. “I don’t like losing. I might learn new things by losing again, but there is no point in that if I haven't’ fully realized the mistakes I have already made. You have more knowledge than me right now, and I have to catch up to you gradually.” He sighed and then sipped his wine as he turned to look at the sky. 

“Do you know what your brother’s current realm of strength is?” Klaus asked lightly. 

“No…” Aoun shook his head. “I haven’t got to see his Grimoire, and I have never asked him about it. The people say that he’s in the realm of a Tyrant. But I don’t believe that. He’s much stronger. Perhaps, a King…” He mused.

“He is a King,” Klaus confirmed it for him. “In your duel yesterday, he was not using any of his mana and power. He was keeping himself at the level of an ordinary Ashaya and fought you at your level.”

“I know…” Aoun smiled. 

“Are you not curious at how he is a King-Ranked Master at only 33-years-old?” 

“I don’t know,” Aoun shook his head. “Ever since Mel has told me that she became a Queen at the age of 20 years, it seems like a norm to me.” He sighed. “Brother is, after all, a Royal with a Royal Bloodline. A Violet Talent.”

Klaus poured himself another cup of wine and chuckled. 

“That’s not exactly how it works.” He sighed. “A Master can have any talent, but without the Fate on his side, and without circumstances presenting themselves, he cannot achieve great strength.”

Aoun nodded as he recalled similar words that Mel had once said to him. 

“Fate… is mystical and only favors the chosen ones. Those chosen ones are called the lucky ones, but then, after thousands of years, the prophecy came again. The Empyreans are coming once again… Empyreans; The Ones who shame the Lucky ones.” Klaus' eyes glinted in reverence. “I am the lucky one who attained the Rank of a King in 63 Years. Your Father attained the rank of a King in 82 Years. And once you go out… You will realize that it is how things work in the World for those that have been extremely lucky. But your brother attained it at the age of 31, and Mellissa at the age of 20.” Klaus smiled as he saw the realization finally hitting Aoun. “And your Cousin, Elsa, attained the rank of a Queen four years ago, at the age of 36.”

His heart trembled when he heard those words. He understood now. There was excitement in his heart, but as he calmed down, he realized what the fears of Klaus were. 

“They are Empyreans… The Fate favors them the most.” Klaus nodded at him. “Now you know why they both have been going out for years to explore the world?” He smiled. “They may not be as ambitious as you, but they are Empyreans.”

“Empyreans; The ones who will trample the world and fight for the Glory. More than half will perish fighting against each other…”

Aoun said aloud as he recalled what the prophecy had told him. 

“The Sky will be highlighted in Golden when the last Empyrean awakens. It will be the first day when one of them dies…” Klaus sighed as he said those words. “I have come to know of some prophecies as well. Most of the Royal families are aware of them.”

The words sent a shiver down his spine. It wasn’t a prophecy he had known about. The faces of Mellissa, Alexis, and Elsa appeared in his mind, and the mere thought of losing them suffocated him.

“How many years has it been since the first Empyrean was born?” He asked in a frenzy. 

“I don’t know,” Klaus shook his head. “The Prophecy that the Empyreans will be coming back to the World came 333 years ago. There is no way for us to know when the first Empyrean was born or to know who the first one was.”

“And the oldest of them that you know of?” 

“His name is Micheal. He is 299-years-old this year. He is the oldest the world knows about.” 

Aoun sank back in his seat as his heart kept pounding hard. There was not much time. If he took Micheal as the first one, there were 14 years left when one of the Empyreans will die.

“The first day when one of them dies… One?” He asked Klaus. 

Klaus nodded as he could understand what Aoun was thinking. 

“You or Elena can’t be the first ones,” Klaus assured him. “Alexis and Elsa are going to stay under my watch for the coming years, and you don’t have to worry about Mellissa. She’s not the one who will die first. There’s a prophecy about her that states that she will be present at the Second Great War of the Empyreans.” 

The words eased his worries by a lot. But he was not in the least comfortable with the thoughts that were emerging in his mind. He was not comfortable with trusting the prophecies blindly.

Aoun saw a black flame emerge out of where his heart was, and it landed on his lap before a figure formed out of it. It was a little fox, with three fluffy tails, and a black but illusory body. For a moment Aoun was confused, but he knew the answer when he felt the connection between himself and the little fox. He drew his hand and gently caressed its small head with his finger. 

The small fox seemed pleased at his display of affection. It grabbed onto his finger with its tails and rubbed its head more on his hand. 

“A Dark Vulis…” 

The words caught Aoun’s attention as he looked at his Grandfather. He found him staring at the creature with wide eyes, and there was a distinct fear and reverence on his face.

“A Dark Vulis?” He asked as he remembered that Mellissa had planted it inside of him. 

He felt the same connection with this little fellow as he did with the one that was sleeping peacefully in his Heart. His body trembled in shock when he realized that he now had two Soul Beasts.

“Yes…” Klaus nodded at him. “There are Nine Foxes of Chaos. Each one is called a Vulis, and each of them is a Legendary Class Beast. Each one of them is an Elemental Beast and is in the absolute power of one Element. Your Dark Vulis rules Darkness, just like Mellissa’ Nyx rules it.” 

“Oh…” He looked at the little fox, but even after hearing how powerful it would become and how fearful it was, he felt the same as he did before. He wanted to adore it. 

“Let me play with it too!” A voice surprised him as he looked around and found Elena coming on the plateau. 

She beamed a smile at Klaus and lightly bowed before leaning near Aoun and carefully drawing her hand to the little fox. The fox must have sensed something on her that it hid behind his hand, not willing to allow the girl to touch it. 

The smile on Elena’s face paled, and Aoun was hit with a pang of pain as he could feel her feelings. She was sad, and it suffocated him. 

“Elena…” He wanted to console her somehow, but before he could say something, the little fox flew over to Elena and started circling around her head as if it was inspecting her. 

“Yay!” Elena smiled when she saw the little fox play with her like that. Her mood felt much better when the fox lightly ruffled her hair. And finally, after a couple of minutes, it sat down on Elena’s shoulder and sniffed her scent. 

She tried to touch it again, and this time, the fox didn’t run from her. He rubbed its head on her soft fingers and kept doing it as it earned her laughter. 

“I will name you; Shuvi!” She happily said to the little fox before hugging Aoun and plating a kiss on his cheek. “Please… Name it Shuvi…” She requested him with her innocent eyes that were a little misty and ethereally beautiful.

He couldn’t refuse her… He could never refuse her…

“Alright…” He happily nodded to her. 

“Yay!!” 

The solemn mood that Klaus and Aoun were in had vanished away. The plateau now resounded with the laughter of a girl who was excitedly playing with a little illusory fox.