They arrive at the Big table.
They kneeled.
"Your Majesty," the three said in unison.
"Arise," the King said.
"Now give these three future Heroes a chair." As they're taking a seat, Rethrus looks at the people around him.
"Wow, these are some powerful people," Rethrus thought, a knot of anxiety forming in his stomach.
He'd always been a bit of a loner, and the presence of so much raw power made him feel incredibly vulnerable.
He hoped that he wouldn't make a fool of himself in front of these influential individuals.
As they continue eating, Jeshur stands up.
"Okay Heroes, allow me to introduce to you these people at this table."
"Duke Thorin Bexar of The Duchy of Avalon." As Jeshur introduces him, Duke Thorin remains stoic, his gaze fixed on the table.
"Cassius Jorin, The Guild master of Black Dragon," Jeshur continues.
Cassius, a man with piercing blue eyes and a sharp jawline, looked at the three of them with a kill intent. A shiver ran down Rethrus's spine. He knew instinctively that Cassius was not someone to be trifled with.
"Here we have Miss Selene Qoura."
Selene, a woman with a pointed hat signifying her status as a witch, was the Guild Master of Green Fairy, an adventurers guild.
"Hello boys!" she greeted them with a beautiful smile. Her smile, bright and genuine, was a stark contrast to the chilling intensity of Cassius's gaze.
She exuded warmth and charisma, a welcoming aura that made Rethrus feel slightly more at ease. She seemed genuinely interested in them, and that made him feel a little less intimidated.
"Gareth Voss, from the Voss family,"
Gareth stood up, a wide smile spreading across his face.
"Hello, our future heroes," he greeted them, his voice laced with a hint of eagerness.
"We didn't even win anything yet!" the three thought in unison, a wave of embarrassment washing over them.
"After the war, if you need anything, you can find my family on the west side of Starhaven," Gareth Voss added, his smile growing wider.
"Tsk, what an opportunistic guy," a fat guy beside Gareth Voss muttered.
"And beside him is Sir Darrius Fael."
Sir Darrius Fael greeted them with a warm smile.
"Hello boys, hope we can work together in the future." His voice friendly and sincere. The boys responded with respect.
"Damn, they're needy," Rethrus thought, a sense of unease growing in his chest. He didn't like the way Gareth Voss was so eager to ingratiate himself. It felt like a transactional relationship, as if Gareth saw them as tools to be exploited, not allies to be respected.
Cassius, sitting across the table, watched the introductions with a cold, calculating gaze. His eyes, sharp and unwavering, seemed to pierce through each person at the table. He was sizing them up, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. He saw Rethrus, Aethra, and Leo as potential assets, or perhaps even rivals.
The thought of them surpassing him was a notion he wouldn't tolerate.
On the other side of the table, General Chan winked at the boys.
"Yo!" he said, a playful grin on his face.
"Yo," the boys responded in unison.
General Slade Langly, sitting beside Chan, also nodded at them, a stoic expression on his face.
General Jean, her grace and elegance captivating the three, slightly bowed her head in their direction.
"She's so beautiful," the three thought in unison.
Finally, Prince Ezekiel, their handsome prince, smiled warmly at the boys.
And the boys kneeled, "Your Highness," they said.
Ezekiel chuckled.
"Please stand." His smile, while warm and genuine.
"Supreme General Marco Valtoria"
HAHAHAHH," Marco said, his laughter booming across the table as he devoured a mountain of meat.
"Glad to meet you all heroes!"
"Heroes again."
"And in the middle," Jeshur said, his voice regaining control of the attention of the table.
"Let me introduce you to Darrios Starling,"
As Jeshur stands up, all of them at the table bow at him.
"The mighty King of this empire," Jeshur continued.
"Hero of- "
"Nah, you don't have to," the King chuckled, raising a glass of wine to his lips.
"I'm pretty sure they're tired of hearing it," he added, his laughter echoing through the hall.
"Are kings really meant to be fat?" Rethrus thought, a flicker of amusement crossing his mind.
"Anyway, eat all of you," the King said, waving his hand dismissively. "You are all visitors."
Someone's coming at their table.
As they continue eating, Jeshur leans closer to the King and whispers, "Your Majesty, perhaps you should warn them about his... reputation." The King nodded, his gaze fixed on the person coming on their table.
He understood the danger that this man posed, but he had no choice but to let him into the fold.
A man in a dark cloak approached their table. The King stood up. The people at the table recognized him and continued eating.
"He really comes after the King's introduction," they all thought in unison, except for the three kids.
"Show off," Gareth thought.
"Talking about more show off than Gareth here," Darrius thought.
"Listen everyone," the King said, his voice booming through the hall.
"Let me introduce you to Lord Draven Silentvisk of Silentvisk Family."
"It's an honor to be introduced by you,
Your Majesty," Draven said with respect.
"Sorry for disturbing while you're eating." He added.
"Nah, it's fine, come join with us," the King replied.
"I know it's bad to decline your offer, my King, but I have an important matter to solve in the outer area of your kingdom," Draven said.
The Generals looked at him with suspicion.
"I understand," the King replied, "give me your reports after you finish it."
"I will, Your Majesty," Draven said. "It's nice meeting you three, especially you, Rethrus."
"Obbbb," Rethrus was scared for a bit. His heart hammered in his chest.
There was a coldness in Draven's eyes, a predatory gleam that made his blood run cold. It was a look that spoke of hidden motives, of a dangerous game being played. This wasn't a simple meeting of allies; this was something more sinister.
"It's nice meeting you too, Lord Draven," the three responded.
As they continued eating, the King became more loud and chatty to them, since all of these people around him are his friends too. Sir Marco became so loud too.
"Dad, you're embarrassing me," Ezekiel thought.
As they became chatty with each other, General Chan had a question.
"So, Rethrus," he asked, "where did you get your scar?"
All of them heard the question, but they continued to talk with each other.
"Uhm, I got it from an Emberfox,"
Rethrus replied.
They were all shocked, except for Aethra and Leo who already knew the story.
"You mean you're the kid who," the King thought about the report he'd received back then: The emberfox of Ezra was out from the cage and found dead.
"Eh, from an Emberfox?" Chan asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Yeah, when I was 5 years old, an Emberfox attacked me in the forest," Rethrus added.
"What is a 5-year-old doing in the forest after all?" Slade asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
"Uhm, I was training to make my mana pool bigger," Rethrus said, his voice quiet but steady.
"What!" They all thought in unison, their expressions a mixture of shock and disbelief.
"How can a 5-year-old grasp the concept of Mana?" Selene thought, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"That's just blasphemy," Darrius thought, his jaw clenched.
"It's impossible," the King thought, a flicker of disbelief in his eyes. The King's eyes narrowed, a glint of curiosity mingled with suspicion.
He had never heard of a child with such an innate understanding of magic. He felt a mixture of awe and apprehension.
This boy, with his extraordinary talent, could become a powerful ally – or a dangerous threat.
Cassius's grin widened, a flicker of something dark and calculating in his eyes. He had been intrigued by Rethrus from the start, and now his curiosity was piqued even further. He saw the boy's potential, and he was determined to exploit it, to make him an asset in his own game of power.
"How did you know what Mana is at 5?" Ezekiel asked, his voice filled with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity.
"And how did you know how to improve it?" Slade added, his gaze sharp and intense.
They were all in suspicion, even Aethra starting to question it in his mind.
Aethra's hand tightened around his fork. He'd always prided himself on his talent, but Rethrus's story made him feel like a mere novice. The jealousy gnawed at him, a sharp, painful reminder of the gap that separated him from the other boy. He had to catch up, he had to be better.
Leo, seated next to Aethra, nervously ate, his stomach churning with worry for Rethrus.
"The heck, the heck, what did I do?" Rethrus thought.
"They became suspicious of me. AHHHHHH!"
"I must get out of this," he thought, his mind racing for an explanation.
"I don't know," Rethrus said, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"After I felt I had Mana, I instinctively thought that I have to make more Mana."
The answer amazed everyone at the table. They stared at Rethrus, their eyes wide with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
"He's a genius," they thought.
Slade, in disbelief, looked at Jasper across the crowd. He thought that Jasper would be here in the table, not these three.
Hearing how Rethrus was like a God-sent kid to rule the battlefield made him feel sorry for Jasper.
"I don't even know what Mana is when I was 5," Chan said, breaking the silence with a laugh.
"Now we have a miracle boy here."
"Xavier was right about having this Genius over here," the King said, pointing to Aethra.
"But having God sent? God must have loved this kingdom!" he exclaimed.
Aethra clenched his teeth, fighting back tears. His jaw clenched, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his fork.
He fought back the tears that threatened to spill. He had always believed he was destined for greatness, but now, facing Rethrus's extraordinary talent, he felt like a failure.
His confidence, for the first time, began to crumble.
"That's it, kid," Slade thought, "be a man, and take it."
"Anyway, what happened to the Emberfox?" Jean asked.
"I killed it."
Rethrus stated, his voice calm and steady.
"With a stick," he added.
The table fell silent.
"He's an animal!" Selene thought, her eyes wide with fear.
"He's a beast!"
Cassius thought, his smile widening, a flicker of something dark and calculating in his eyes. He saw Rethrus as a weapon, a tool that could be used to achieve his own ambitions.
"An Emberfox can kill a kid at his age with ease," Jean said, her voice filled with astonishment.
"And he killed it with a stick. This kid, he's a one in a billion," she added, shaking her head in disbelief.
"He's a golden goose," the King thought, a mixture of awe, trepidation, and anticipation in his eyes. This boy, with his incredible potential, could be the kingdom's savior. But he also knew that such power could be dangerous, a force that could easily be corrupted. The King, his mind racing, began to formulate a plan, a way to nurture Rethrus's talent while keeping him under control.
"AHAHJA," Marco laughed, standing up and throwing his arms around Rethrus, Aethra, and Leo. "I guess the war is decided!"
The others agreed, and they all cheered for them.
"HUUUU," Rethrus thought, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. He'd escaped a dangerous situation, but the tension remained.
Aethra, despite his despair, forced a smile.
Leo, his heart filled with happiness, enjoyed the moment, happy to be there.
After they ate, the three asked to leave, but the King takes the three kids to the other table where the other Nobles are, with the Queen and the Princess as their host.
As the Nobles bowed to the King, He introduced the three future Heroes of Starglade.
"Oh, hello, my young heroes," the Queen said, placing her hand out for them to kiss. The three took turns to kiss her hand as a sign of respect.
"Damn, she smells nice," Rethrus thought.
"She's too pretty for a mother of three," Aethra thought, a surge of pride filling him as he kissed the Queen's hand. He had always admired the Queen's grace and intelligence, but her beauty was truly breathtaking.
"My goodness, acck, I'm kissing the hand of the queen," Leo thought, his hand trembling as he bowed before her.
"As for my Princess Elaina," the King said.
The three boys only bowed down. She was wearing a red gown that contrasted beautifully with her snow-white skin. The Princess was a bit sad.
"What's her problem?" Rethrus thought, his eyes drawn to her.
With thin almond eyes, a perfect jawline, clean face, and a perfect nose,
Princess Elaina was a vision of beauty. She was truly a princess.
Rethrus couldn't help but notice the sadness in Princess Elaina's eyes. He felt a pang of sympathy for her. He knew she was a princess, but he also sensed a vulnerability, a loneliness beneath her royal façade. He wondered what could possibly make a princess so unhappy.
"Ah, so tiring," Rethrus thought as he lay on his comfortable bed.
Today was so busy. "Ah, tomorrow I have to go to a curse master to put a seal on me."
He looked at his sling bag, full of Magical Parchment from different families and even the guild masters from earlier.
"I'm gonna sleep, I guess."
"Just so you know, I funded your orphanage back then."
The words from one family that had given him parchment stuck in his mind.
"As if I asked him to do it," Rethrus thought.
"I'm not going to join them. I'm just going to end this war and live happily."
"I can't sleep," he said. He took his sling bag and headed out, without bringing his staff.
As he reached the yard, the guards stopped him.
"Halt, students aren't allowed to go out at this time."
"Wait," one guard unmasked and recognized Rethrus.
"It's the Miracle Boy!" he shouted.
"Where are you going, Sir?" the guard asked Rethrus.
"Uhm, gonna take a stroll."
"Arghhh, it's prohibited, but you're exceptional," the guard said with excitement
"Should we?" He asked the other guards.
"Nah, as if someone can harm him, but be careful still, Sir!"
"I will, thank you."
As they let him pass.
"They're unfair," Rethrus thought.
"The world is unfair, but at least I'm its favorite, and I'm happy with it."