The image that had appeared suddenly in the sky made everyone stop and stare. Everyone in the grove stared at what looked like a giant love heart. Was it an illusion? But no illusion could make the very aura around them shake. A warning sprung out from Kai's spiritual sense. He looked down and saw that Akura Rage had continued his aggressive stride forward. Kai summoned his enforcer technique - blazing armour sprung up around him as he prepared to take a hit from the underlord which never came. Two figures now stood in front of him in the way of the reckless charge from Rage. Before him stood his older brother, Wei Shi Kou, and the man restraining Rage's advance was Akura Perseverance. "You guys shouldn't be fighting yet," Perseverance said, speaking to all of them.
"They started it!" Keya shouted at the man.
"We don't care who started it. Now leave all of you," Kou said. Kai dropped his technique and went to walk off. Rage had done the same, turning to his group of Akuras and leaving.
"One thing before we leave." Perseverance had turned now to face Joy. "Joy, Mother or Aunt Charity will come to speak with you soon. So expect an unexpected visit," the man said before he pulled the group of Akuras off with him. Kou did the same with Kai, Keya, Kang and Joy. When they had made some distance back towards the camp where the Blackflame Empire had started to set up Kai asked the question on his mind.
"That giant heart in the sky, what was it?" Kai asked.
"That was Aunt Kelsa," Kou said. As if Kai should have expected that.
"So it was an illusion," Kai said.
"Not exactly - it is what is known as an Icon," Kou said. Kai looked on in astonishment. He knew little about Icons but from what he had found - and from what his father had told him - it was what made a sage and was also one of two ways to reach Monarch. "So Aunt Kelsa's new title is either the Dream Sage or Sage of the White Fox," Kou said.
"Why did the image take on a heart then?" Keya asked.
"Well, not much is known about the Icons, but they are usually named after what they look like when they first appear. Since there is already a Heart Sage, Kelsa wanted to be known as the Dream Sage." Kou said. So that explained the image in the sky now but Kai now had another question.
"How many Icons are there?" Kai asked. Kou looked at him nervously now.
"Well I don't really know. I can tell you what Icons our parents manifested and some others I know from other monarchs and sages, I guess. So firstly our father has manifested four Icons: his first was the Void Icon - that was the one that made him the Sage of Twin Stars, the next two were the Strength and the Dragon Icon, and his final one was the Shield Icon. Mother has three Icons: the first - which surprised her - was the Shield Icon, the second was the Sword Icon, and the final one was the Blood Icon." He now turned towards Joy. "While I can't speak about all the Icons the Akura Sage and Monarch have manifested I can tell you their first. Akura Charity, as previously mentioned, manifested the same Icon as our Aunt, whilst the Akura Monarch manifested the Shadow Icon first." He turned to face the group again before continuing, "So it would take too long to go through every Sage but the other Monarch allied to us the Arelius Patriarch manifested the Or-"
"Oracle Icon," interrupted a man in a light blue robe with long blonde hair strolling from behind a nearby tree. Kai immediately recognised the man as Eithan Arelius. Why was the monarch here right now? "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I need to go see some people in the empire before I meet your parents. Could you go tell them for me Kou and I'll take over this band of Skysworn?"
"Very well," Kou said. Then he used his enforcer technique and took off in a flash.
"Why are you here, Monarch?" Kai asked.
"Please don't call me 'Monarch.' I would much prefer 'Uncle Eithan!' After all, your parents are adopted members of my family." Before Kai could even respond to the man he continued his thought, "Well I need to speak to some people, but most importantly, I asked Fisher Geisha for some materials to give you and I need to pay her." This was more than what Kai had expected today; he did need some more materials for his sword. "Anyway gather around children - I'll speed this up for us." He wrapped his hands around Keya and Joy whilst Kang and Kai stepped in close. In a flash they teleported. They reappeared in what looked like it was recently an open field, but it was now filled with hundreds of tents. It was the camp that the Blackflame Empire had set up.
Eithan started to drag them all towards a tent that seemed to have hundreds of purple spiders and workers coming in and out carrying different boxes. "Kai, can you come with me - the other three, please wait outside," Eithan said as he pushed his way into the tent. Kai followed him in. The tent wasn't the largest and it seemed to be similar to a soulsmith foundry inside. Towards the back sat an older woman on a spider. There was no mistaking that she was Fisher Geisha. Kai hadn't seen her since he was much younger; his father had brought her to the valley to teach Kai how to soulsmith whenever he was off fighting or doing other important business.
"Clear the room. Now!" Fisher Geisha shouted. Everyone around them started to leave the tent pushing their way out. "Ah, you are here already, Monarch," Geisha said bowing before Eithan.
"No need for that, Fisher - and please don't call me 'Monarch.' I would like to not draw attention to myself," Eithan replied.
"Very well, I take it you're here to pick up your order," Geisha said as she turned around searching through boxes.
"The box on your left," Eithan said. The old lady turned to it and opened it before closing the lid and handing it to the man. "Oh no, Fisher. I'm only the purchaser. This young man here is the one that is going to need it." Eithan was now pointing towards Kai.
"Hello Fisher," Kai said over a bow. The old lady smacked him on the head.
"Wasted my time getting materials, hmm? Why couldn't your father get them?" Geisha asked.
"I'm sorry, Fisher, but he's been busy. Would you like to see my work?" Kai asked, hoping to deflect Geisha's ire.
"Very well, let me see what you have so far. Oh, I almost forgot the payment Eithan Arelius," Geisha said in a greedy voice. The Monarch reached into his pocket and pulled out two white scales and handed her them. Kai didn't think that was enough, but her eyes lit up in excitement. She grabbed the scales in an instant as if the Monarch was going to take them back.
Kai proceeded to open his void key and pull out the binding and some of the dead matter he had stored. He passed them to Geisha, and she inspected the binding and placed the materials next to the box. Her drudge then looked at the binding as well. "Hmm, you have an interesting binding here. What are you waiting for? You are standing around in my foundry hoping your weapon will build itself? Get to work quickly, boy!"
"Thank you so much, Fisher!" Kai said and bowed again. He took the binding back off Geisha and began to work on the sword.
"I'm going to go speak to the others. It was a pleasure speaking to you again, Fisher Geisha," Eithan said before he walked outside the tent. Kai turned to thank him but Fisher Geisha smacked him on the head again.
"Get to work, boy. You don't have much time to waste. I'm only allowing you a small amount of time to finish this sword of yours," Geisha said. Kai got straight to work. He pulled the materials out of the box and started to work on his sword. Because of Kai's striker technique he didn't need the sword to be massive and require two hands for reach. He decided on a small compact sword that he could use as a focus for both his striker technique and his forger technique. His forger technique was known as Blazing Weapon - It allowed Kai to forge his madra into any weapon, however, at his current advancement, they never took on an identifiable shape and looked more like a spike of madra. Like many techniques, once he advanced more, they would take on the distinct shapes of real weapons. He had even less control of his path's ruler technique than his Blazing Weapon, though he was able to use his enforcer technique with his iron body to control fire aura from attacks that touched him like he'd done with the swordsman earlier in the day. That was why he usually only used his striker and enforcer technique in combat for now. It seemed most of Kai's techniques were supposed to grow stronger as he advanced. Even his bloodline power was currently out of his control: he had only found out about it when he had reached truegold and it had manifested on its own.
After only an hour with the new materials and Fisher Gesha's workshop, he was finished with his sword. He picked it up to place it in the sheath he had prepared earlier, when Fisher Geisha snatched it out of his hands. "Hmm, it seems your father taught you well, or maybe it was my teaching," she said as she inspected the sword before giving it back to Kai.
"Thank you for the teaching and for giving me the materials," Kai said as he sheathed his sword onto his back and then walked out the tent. As he stepped outside the whole field now seemed to be covered in people, but just on the outside, he could see his friends talking to Eithan.
"There he is! Just on time as I said. Now, I'll be off as you will have a visitor any minute now," Eithan said.
"Who is it?" Joy asked.
"Why, your captain of course," Eithan replied. Before any of them could ask a question the Monarch disappeared in a flash. Not even a minute later, Naru Saeya arrived before them.
"Joy, Kai, Keya, and Kang with me. The Emperor is going to meet with the Seishen Kingdom and he wants to show you four off as our new 'underlords-to-be,'" Saeya said. Joy, Keya, and Kang rose to their feet and joined Kai who was already next to Saeya and they walked off.
Lindon sat in the control room of Windfall along with his wife, Yerin, and the two Akura guests. Akura Mercy and Akura Charity were currently waiting on one more person. Then the door alarm rang at the entrance of Windfall. The projection construct at the door showed Eithan had finally arrived. Lindon sent a pulse of pure madra through the console and the door opened. As Eithan entered the room one of Yerin's sword arms jabbed at the man who dodged it with ease. "Is that anyway to greet a friend?" Eithan asked.
"Sorry it's just instinct, now - I can't help it," Yerin replied with a smile.
"Very well then, should we begin?" Eithan asked, pulling up a chair from the edge of the room and sitting down in it.
"As you all know, this is to test our children to see if they are worthy enough to take over before we are forced to ascend. Not only that, but from what Emeriss has told me the Silent King has started to stir." Lindon said.
Akura Charity was first to reply, "Well, Eithan, you just went to visit them, I heard. So how strong are they?"
"Although they don't have an amazing teacher like myself, from being in their presence, I can tell you that they will most likely have no competition in this upcoming tournament." Eithan replied with a smile. "However, they must first reach underlord. A little more testing of their capabilities would be more than enough for all of us to tell definitively."
"We have asked the Blackflame Empire and Seishen Kingdom to test their strongest truegolds against each other and if they wipe the floor with the Seishen Kingdom we will test them against the Akura underlords." Charity said.
"One thing I will ask you, Eithan - if they do reach underlord, how far do you see them going in the tournament?" Mercy asked.
"They could all reach Top four; then, the winner will come down to whoever is more capable and adaptive," Eithan said. That made Lindon smile. While the others should be able to tell the groups capabilities, Eithan would surely be able to tell how strong they truly are. "However, that might not be the best for all of them. Kai, Joy and Asuna should be the three to reach the final rounds, but Keya should be on the battlefield should the Silent King awaken and head towards the labyrinth. Her new remnant arm, an exact copy of Lindon's, would allow her to advance faster that way. Not only that, but since dream aura will be found in massive amounts from the Silent Servants, her mind spirit can also quickly advance," Eithan said. In Lindon's mind, Dross made a drooling sound, but unfortunately for them they would soon have to leave this world behind.
"I see. So who is replacing whom, then?" Charity asked, now addressing the whole group.
"For the Akura clan, Perseverance will become the next Sage. As my mother named me the heir, so I will name Joy as my heir. After everything I have done to improve the clan, I didn't want to burden her like my mother did with me by naming her the heir to the clan from too young an age. However, I believe it is time." Mercy said.
"While the Arelius have some strong sacred artists, it will be a few years before any of them reach Monarch, so having allies will be the best for them," Eithan said.
"Our clan will not be having another two Monarchs due to the agreement that allowed us to stay; we were restricted on territory and stronger Sacred Artists. That is why Kou has not advanced to sage or herald and why I believe that Asuna will be the Herald. Keya is likely to be the Sage, and Kai will be the next Monarch." Lindon said.
"Is Kai not the weaker of your children? He is only the number two ranked Truegold, while your other children were all ranked first when they were in the Empire." Charity asked.
"Well, Kai was reckless when he first reached truegold and I watched that duel that made him rank two and Joy rank one. Since then he has discovered a bloodline power as well," Lindon said. He looked at the two Akura's in the room and they looked shocked.
"What is it?" Mercy asked.
"We don't know the full extent, and we don't know if it was dormant or if his real parents had it too. He can't fully control it right now, so it seems to appear only randomly. It gives him drastically improved reaction time. The actual power, from the way he has described it, seems to be that he can see glimpses of where people's attacks will go and what they will do before they even know. It seems to me to be similar to the Arelius bloodline power on a smaller scale. So what is your take Eithan?'' Lindon said.
"It practically is just a weaker version without the seeing and hearing, however we don't have the same innate reaction and speed ability. When I observed Kai fight, I could see that any attacker coming at him from the same advancement would have a hard time hitting him. Earlier, when the Akura Underlords went to attack him, he was able to react quicker than they could move to reach him," Eithan said. So from what Lindon and Dross had observed, they mostly had been right. It seemed to be a mix of the Arelius bloodline along with predictive abilities similar to how Dross could make a model of a person he was fighting.
"If he was that strong, why did he lose to Joy?" Charity asked.
"After his battle with Joy, I spoke with him. Since that day he has been less reckless and has respected that he needed to get stronger. Not much longer after that, during a mission for the Skysworn, he seemed to awaken his bloodline powers. Those, combined with his further training, have vastly improved his reaction and speed at his current advancement above those of even an underlord," Lindon said.
"Very well, I respect your decision but they must pass the tests first," Charity said. Charity was the oldest and wisest of them all here. She was likely to ascend before the rest of them, but she had been called here so they could get her opinion on their plans for the future. The only thing keeping her on Cradle now was waiting to see if Perseverance could manifest his Icon.
"Gratitude, Charity," Lindon said.
Akura Charity summoned one of her owls which began projecting the view from another of her owls she had sent to observe the valley below to the rest of the room. "The Blackflame Empire and Seishen Kingdom are about to test their Truegolds against each other," Charity explained. Lindon looked on at the projection with a growing smile.