Book One – Prologue Two – Part Two – Hint of Betrayal

“What I want to do isn’t meant for a princess,” the young girl whispered after gathering her courage.

“That doesn't matter. Tell me when you want to do," Veris spoke with such a motherly tone.

“I….. I want to join the Imperial Guard with Claus,” Qina said her piece and closed her eyes. She didn’t know why she did such a thing.  She knew Veris would never hit her.

She opened them and saw Veris staring at her. Qina couldn’t read the expression on her face.

“It’s stupid, right?” Qina said quietly, and she stared at the ground.

It was a stupid dream in the first place. A woman joining the famed Imperial Guard?

It was nothing but a fleeting dream left in the mind of a girl whose only future was to give birth to children, sired by a man she didn't even love.

“Qina,” Veris, after what felt like an eternity to the young Qina, finally opened her mouth to speak. “That is not a stupid dream. You don't know this because we haven't covered it, but women can join the Imperial Guard. Granted, they weren’t princesses, but they were royalty, nonetheless. Regardless, I do not recall any rules prohibiting princesses from joining.”

Qina immediately jumped off the bench and stood straight up in excitement, a happy smile showing across her face. A woman in the Imperial Guard?! She thought it was impossible.

“Is that true?! Veris, you aren’t lying to me, are you?”

“It is true, and no, I have not once spoken a single lie to you. In fact, of the thirteen women who had the strength, courage, and conviction to join, ten of them were trained by me."

Qina could not believe what she was hearing. Ten amazing women all trained by her instructor?

“Veris, please teach me! Please?!”

“Now now, you must calm yourself. Please sit back down, and I’ll continue,” Veris pointed to the empty seat beside her.

Qina once again went red with embarrassment as she sat down.

“Good. First, I have no qualms about teaching you, but you need to get permission from your father first. If you want, I’ll go with you to ask him. Second, my training is focused on Earth and Light Skills entirely, not swordsmanship. If you’re not blessed by your God in that regard, I cannot reach you anything. Now, have you learned the command to see your ID?” Veris asked.

When a child was born, they were given an ID from the Gods.  It was a magical tablet that displayed information about them. Furthermore, an ID can only be summoned by the owner. Even those who weren't blessed can materialize their ID. It is impossible to get rid of, remaining with their user until their death. If it is lost or destroyed, one only needs to summon it again.

Amongst the information shown the name of the God or Goddess that blessed them. By blessing them, that child was allowed to use skills associated with that God or Goddess.

But not every child was blessed. Around 1 in 100,000 were born without a blessing. That wasn't to say that one could not live a fulfilling life without a God or Goddess's blessing.

A skill, by definition, was the general term used to describe the variety of techniques, abilities, and magic that the inhabitants of the world could use.

In the case of Gods, there were said to be two categories. Major and Minor. People blessed by Major Gods could be counted on to change the world in a certain way. That included conquering a country, defeating terrible dragons that filled the land with death and fire, or even subjugating a horrible servant of darkness who wished to enslave the entire world. And those who were usually blessed by Major Gods were royalty, but there were cases where peasants had been blessed.

On the other hand, Minor Gods were those who blessed the average person. Peasants and farmers were just two examples. Those blessed by Minor Gods did not have even a fraction of the power as someone blessed by a Major God, but the world wasn't fair, and its rules aren’t absolute. Exceptions could be found everywhere.

In either case, those who were blessed usually joined a guild called Warden to gain even more power. By becoming a member, a person could learn skills other than the ones that their God provided them. Even those who weren't blessed could join, rising through the ranks, and learn skills to become stronger.

In Qina's case, she was blessed by a Major Goddess.  For Claus, he also had the luck of receiving the power of a Major God. In a fitting twist of faith, the heavenly divine beings who blessed the twins were also twins themselves.

“Yes, I have. But I was too afraid to look at it," Qina replied, staring at the ground and avoiding eye contact. The beautiful green grass fluttered ever-so-slightly by a nice breeze that passed by.

Suddenly, Qina felt a hand on her head.

“Why were you afraid to look?”

“I don’t know. ”

“Well, why don’t we look together.”

“Okay,” came a soft reply as Veris removed her hand.

“Very well. Say the command.”

Qina held her hands out in front of her, and she spoke a single word.

“Jōtai.”

I have no idea what this word even means, the princess thought.

Yellow light swirled around her arms as it flowed down through her fingers before becoming a ball of energy. Touching it with a calm finger, Qina smiled.

Why does it feel so familiar? The ball of light gradually turned from a round shape into a flat, rectangular tablet. It looked to be made out of yellow stone, and it shone with a deep golden glow. It was blank at first, but letters written in black soon appeared.

Qina then started reading the tablet.

“What does it say?” Veris asked with a slight hint of excitement in her voice.

“It has my name, age, and blessed God,” she replied as her eyes traced over the tablet. “And that’s all. The rest is blank.

“Alright, now read out the name of the God or Goddess who blessed you.”

“Yoneia. That’s the name.”

“Good. Now take your finger and tap the name.”

Again, she did as she was told and tapped it. The moment she did, the stone tablet went blank, and then a list appeared, separated into two columns.

“That list is proof you were blessed by a Major God. It’s a list of every skill you are capable of learning just from your God. If you wish to learn more, you would need to join Warden. And lucky for you, Yoneia is a God of Earth and Light. From glancing at the list, you are capable of learning some powerful skills! You should be proud of that!”

Veris raised her green hand and rubbed Qina’s head as she smiled.

The relief that flowed over Qina was like a tsunami. Out of both panic and excitement, she accidentally dropped her ID, and it fell to the ground. The moment it hit, it disappeared into yellow dust and flowed into Qina’s body.

“Veris, does that mean you’ll teach me?!” Qina hopped off the bench and stared at Veris, who prepared herself for what would come next. She had been in this situation a few times before, and she knew exactly how it would play out.

“If we get permission from your father, then yes. I will teach you everything I know.”

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much, Veris!” Qina practically leaped at the Dryad, who was still seated. Though a young girl was no match in strength for a Dryad who had lived for thousands of years, the sudden weight pushing her caused her to fall backwards off of the stone bench. Qina fell along with her as blond and green hair intermingled.

“Gah!” they both screamed. Veris got to her feet and held out a hand to Qina, who happily grabbed it. Veris pulled Qina to her feet, and they both started laughing.

“Now, would you like to go ask your father? The sooner, the better."

“Yes!” she eagerly responded. The Dryad started walking but turned back when she noticed Qina wasn’t following her.

The Dryad retraced her steps and crouched down, meeting Qina's quivering blue eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“C….Can I hold your hand while we’re walking?” with a face as red as an apple, Qina managed to speak out those words in a low voice.

Veris, as patient and motherly as ever, smiled and held out a hand. Qina smiled brightly and reached out her hand to grab it. With the two holding hands, they looked like mother and daughter, which was what Qina wanted.

I wanted to spend more time with my mother, but this is nice too.

“Umm, Veris?” Qina asked as the two started walking towards the throne room.

“Yes? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing's wrong, but I want to ask you something.”

“Anything.”

“When I looked at the list of skills, I didn’t really understand them.”

“That is to be expected. You will learn what they do in due time. If you wish, I could go over some of the more basic skills.”

“Yes, please!”

“Very well, then. One of the first skills you will learn is called ‘Remedium.’ It’s a healing skill that belongs to the light element, whose power is dependent on both the strength of the user and the distance between the target. A long time ago, I used that same skill to save those who were very important to me.”

That means if I can master this, I’ll be able to support and heal the wounds of my brother?  she smiled.

“Another one I’ll teach you is the Earth Skill called Earth Wall. As the name implies, it creates a wall of earth at a location of your choice. Its toughness is also dependent on the user and the material chosen as a base. For example, mud is softer and weaker than a rock. It might sound boring, but this is an incredibly versatile skill. With it, you could make walls for defending, stairs for ascending, or even a bed. It might not be the most comfortable bed, but it’s a bed nonetheless.”

“Those all sound incredible! I can’t wait to learn them!” Qina’s face smiled brightly once again.

“I’m glad to see that you're so excited, but remember we need permission first.”

“Umm, Veris? Are there any bad skills?” Qina asked after pondering for a moment.

Veris took a moment to gather her thoughts. She knew just how bad and destructive any of the Forbidden Skills could be. After all, she lived through a time in which the world was drawn into a conflict over them.

“Yes. They're called the Forbidden Skills, and there are four categories in total. The first is called Chronomancy. It is the power to control the fabric of time itself. With it, you could have freely traverse to the past and future, or you can choose a specific spot and have whatever is in that spot age by a year. The second is Necromancy, the power to bring back and control the dead. The third is Element Control, which is the power to manipulate the seven elements that make up the world. With that, you could change the very nature of water to be poisonous, or you could make fire as cold as snow. Finally, there is Reality Control, the power to control all of creation. The entire world, and all of its concepts, would be yours to command. These categories are forbidden for a reason, and thankfully, they are considered to be lost.

“Lost?”

“That means that there is no one alive capable of learning them. We don’t have to worry about these skills anymore. They were sealed away.” Veris smiled, but it wasn’t a cheerful one. In the past, she was a participant in an intense war involving each of the Forbidden Skills. From that time, she was the only one left alive who knew of the sacrifices they had to make to seal the skills back up.

She shook her head pushed away those memories. They were memories for a reason. They were in the past, and it was so long ago that it wouldn’t do any good to remember them.

After they spoke about the Forbidden Skills, they walked in silence. Before long, they found themselves in front of a magnificent blue door marked with a tree. The color blue represented the beautiful blue lakes that flowed through the country, and the tree represented Veris, the very Dryad that had been a part of the empire of Keywater since its founding.

Veris blushed a bit, and her green cheeks had the tiniest hint of red. Seeing her tree on the large, imposing doors brought a faint heat to her green cheeks. She was a woman who found it hard to concentrate around such displays of affections towards her. But if asked about her feelings on the matter, she would answer that she loved it.

Standing to the sides of each door were two people wearing gleaming silver armor with a pair of pulsing blue lines etched into them. Created from nadrium ore, which was gathered from fallen meteorites, nadrium armor was signified by the trademarked double blue lines, which glowed. Usually, the primary color was black and not silver, but that could be influenced by what secondary material was added in the forging process.

Only the best of the best could ever hope to join the Imperial Guard, but those that pass the rigorous standards are allowed to equip the sturdiest armor in the world. Iron, steel, even mythril couldn't hope to compare with all nadrium had to offer. The only thing that could even inflict the tiniest scratch was a nadrium dagger, which was just as rare.

Other than the protective properties, nadrium's other defining trait was its asking price. It was out of reach for anyone except the super-wealthy. Even then, it would take months and years of saving up to afford a nadrium dagger.

The two guards immediately saluted when the two approached.

“Good afternoon, Princess Qina! Lady Veris!” they said at the same time in perfect unison. Qina waved her hand, and the two lowered their salutes. Veris gave the two guards a sweet smile.  Her motherly nature was something many people appreciated, but she wasn't without enemies. She was by the oldest and wisest out of all of the emperor's retainers, but she never let it get to her head.  She would treat a street-urchin the same as the imperial princess, who she would love as if she was her own daughter. Veris didn't act at all similar to the spoiled lords and pampered ladies, who contained no dignity.

“What can we do for you, Princess?” the one on the right asked. Qina recognized the voice but was unable to picture the face it belonged to.

“I wish to see my father. Is he in?” Qina said.

“Of course, Princess. Prince Claus is also inside. Let us open the door.”

Why is my brother here? Is he asking about the Imperial Guard?

The two guards returned their swords to their sheath and moved to open the door. Being made out of metal, one would expect the armor to make noise or sound when walking, but that was not the case. Perhaps due to the efficient training, the two guards maneuvered as if the armor was their skin.

A second later, the guards pushed in the door, revealing a giant throne room. The floor was made out of wood, cut from Veris’s own tree. It had been processed and refined, but it was a beautiful brown that covered the floor. From the door's threshold to the center of the room laid a gorgeous red rug adjourned with gold silk. Stone pillars, lined with trees, stood guard at set locations on the rug's perimeter.

Sat at the end of the rug was a magnificent throne made out of wood, also from Veris’s tree. Gold silk had been used to outline the throne itself, and it was enchanted with a multitude of effects that benefited the one who sat on it. The only thing that the empire regarded more than the throne was Veris and her tree. To the left and right of the throne sat two more members of the Imperial Guard. Only the most loyal could ever hope to become the emperor's personal guards.

Sitting on the throne with a stern look was Virin Keywater, the Emperor. Old age was fast approaching, but it still had a few years left. Small and scant scars littered his face, evidence that he was once a mighty warrior and proud Warden member, having reached Rank 1. The only reason he never ascended to the fabled Rank 0 was simple. There was no world-ending threat that needed to be fought. A glass of wine was at home in his left hand.

Standing in front of the throne sat a familiar back that caused a smile to form around Qina’s face. It was her brother, who had replaced his silk shirt and pants with a set of practice armor. A familiar and stained wooden sword sat on its sheath, which hung on his side. Beside him was Trerk, his instructor, standing so tall that he towered over everyone. His dirty-brown tail, with an emerald green tip, gently swayed from side to side.

I know he’s a good guy, and he’s friendly, but I always get nervous when I see him. He looks so scary. I don’t know how my brother handles it.

And next to them was her older brother Parrel, his pregnant wife Fia, their butler Albert, and two other people she didn’t know.

Parrel was wearing a beautiful brown suit with a black tie. His wife had on a slimming black dress. Albert, his steward, wore a traditional butler suit. The two unknown people standing beside him were wearing leather armor with metal greaves. At their hip stood two beautiful silver swords that glimmered. One of the strangers, a man, had messy black hair. The other, a woman, had short red hair ending around her neck. The two stood at full attention while bearing the gaze of one of the most powerful men in the world.

Those swords look so pretty.

Everyone presented turned to the door when they heard a set of footsteps. Claus waved his hand, and Qina waved back. The Emperor smiled at the two, and they walked forward, joining the others at the foot of the throne.