In the large white castle, Valery reached the top floor. A long hall stretched ahead of her, with several doors on each side. She walked towards the door at the far end. Stopping in front of it, she breathed in and let out a heavy sigh. Reaching for the handle, she twisted it.
The words, "Hey, Lucien, gimme a sec, I've got some awesome new audiences. Bye!" rang out as she opened the door. Almost instantly after, another voice responded.
"Wha—hey! Damn it, Ellion, don't you dare hang up on me!"
Valery stared at the boy, shouting curses at a phone in front of his large bed. The boy looked like an almost mirror image of Darien. Unlike Darien, however, he had blond hair. He wore a navy-blue shirt with a matching suit vest, and a black tie neatly placed between. A golden emblem was painted around the collar of his shirt. He finished the look with tightly fitted navy-blue trousers.
He looked like the essence of royalty and perfection—smartly dressed from head to toe. His dark blue blazer rested on the chair to his left. The room was massive. On Valery's right, a large TV hung on the wall, with various games proudly displayed below it.
Once Lucien finished his rare rounds of curses at the phone, he noticed Valery standing at the door. He quickly checked the clock and widened his eyes. Practically dashing to her, he took her hand and knelt.
"My princess, I wasn't aware you had already arrived. I must have lost track of time. My apologies."
Valery giggled. "Relax, Lucy. It's just us here—no need to act so formally." She raised a finger bearing a beautiful diamond ring. "Besides, I'm your wife, not your mother."
Lucien stood and led her to his bed. "I believe it was you who argued that sixteen-year-olds shouldn't be considered married."
Valery smiled. "I've had time to grow. Besides, it was so funny seeing Celina's reaction to our marriage. She's seventeen, yet I believe you're the only guy our age who doesn't fawn over her."
Lucien rolled his eyes and looked at his phone. "Speaking of people who fawn after her..."
"Was that Ellion on the phone? His hanging up trouble you that much?"
Lucien sighed and stood. "He claims to have met new 'audiences'. I've no doubt he's just coercing strangers into watching his bothersome show."
"And what's the problem with that?"
"It bothers me that he's unwilling to find a more profitable venture," Lucien moaned.
Valery giggled. A boy of such status whining like a child in front of her.
"Haven't you considered the possibility that it's just what he likes to do?"
Lucien frowned. "That doesn't make it worthwhile. What good is liking something if all it gives is empty pockets? I keep trying to make him realise this, but he just doesn't listen."
Valery smiled, intrigued by how annoyed Lucien was. These days, nothing much ever seemed to surprise or faze him. She lay down on the bed next to him. "How noble of you, seeking to make your friend forget his dream."
Lucien scoffed, laying his head on her stomach. "Some of us don't have the luxury to waste precious time on dreams."
Valery caressed Lucien's hair. "That isn't true. Everyone has time to chase their dreams. Even you."
― In the City―
Malrik and Sarah followed behind Kael as he strolled through the city with bags of shopping. Sarah stared at the man suspiciously while Malrik looked around at the buildings and bustling crowds.
"Uuh, sir, where are we going?" asked Sarah. Kael turned to her with a raised eyebrow.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm taking you to the guild where you'll be staying until you enrol."
Sarah frowned. "Until we enrol? What happens after that?"
"Oh, you don't know? That Dain..." Kael shook his head and cursed under his breath. "If you get into the academy, other than some special cases, you must stay in your dorms. The academy has three Factions. You'll be split into one, and that's where you'll live."
Malrik and Sarah widened their eyes.
"Wait, so there's a chance we'll be split up?" asked Malrik.
"In terms of dorms and training classes. Other subjects like English, Maths, Science or History will be mixed. If I'm being honest, though, between you and me, whatever Faction you get into will determine whether you land in a good or bad class."
"Alright, then all we have to do is make sure we both get into the best Faction," said Sarah.
"Easy enough," nodded Malrik. "They'll have to when they see how strong we are."
Kael kept silent. 'These kids will learn soon enough how things really work.'
Not long after, they arrived at a large medieval-style building, made of dark grey bricks. Proudly displayed above the gate-like doors was a silver stag crowned with antlers. It looked like something out of a gothic fantasy novel.
Malrik and Sarah stared at it hesitantly, while Kael smiled.
"Well, we're here. Welcome to the Reyfield Group," he said, opening the doors.
The moment the doors opened, music, shouting, and cheers exploded out. Kael laughed loudly as he walked in. Men and women were partying; drinks were being passed around like sweets. Sarah and Malrik exchanged puzzled looks.
"Are you sure this is the place? Maybe Dad got the name wrong," whispered Malrik.
Sarah glanced around at the chaotic party. "It has to be. Uncle Kael's the leader—he'd know."
Kael had already made his way to the far end counter, grinning.
"Bring out the drinks, Mary! Today's a special day!" he bellowed.
Sarah wasn't sure if he was already drunk or not.
"These are supposed to be trained, seasoned warriors... the region's most well-known guild?" she muttered. "If Dad wasn't in this guild, I'd never believe it."
A drunk man suddenly wrapped his arms around Sarah. She turned, disgusted, as he licked his lips.
"Hey, lady, why don't you and I go upstairs and go a few rounds together?"
In an instant, he was yanked away and sent flying.
Everyone froze as a dark blue aura filled the room. The man turned, growling, to see Malrik glaring, arm outstretched in defence.
"If you touch my sister, or even look at her again, I'll kill you," Malrik growled.
The man grinned, unleashing a golden magical aura. "Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try."
He raised his fists and swayed. Cheers erupted around them. "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Bets flew fast—surprisingly, more on Malrik. The man charged. Malrik drew his sword—
—and in a flash, a punch cracked through the room. The man lay unconscious, saliva drooling.
Kael stood above him, blood on his fist. "If you can't tell a lady from a child when drunk, you don't belong in this guild."
He pulled a cloth from his pocket, wiping away the blood. Disappointed groans followed.
"Someone get this fool to the hospital—and teach him some manners."Kael turned to his guild. "Listen up! These kids are Dain's. If anything happens to them, you won't live to regret it. Keep yourselves together."
He turned to Sarah. "On behalf of the guild, I apologise. We don't usually have young ones here, so it gets a bit—"
"Chaotic," Malrik interjected.
Kael laughed. "Chaotic is just the word. Just wait till you see us in battle!"
He led them to a door beside the counter. "Let me show you your room."
They climbed to the top floor. Kael pointed to the far room. "That's mine. If anything happens, just knock."
He opened the room to the right. "I hope you don't mind sharing."
Sarah and Malrik exchanged glances and shook their heads.
"It's only until school starts. I can handle sleeping near this idiot."
"Hey," Malrik grumbled.
Inside, the room stunned them. Cream-coloured floors and walls, a light-brown bed, sparkling crystal lights, white curtains, and a warm black fireplace.
"Wow," Malrik whispered. "This room looks royal."
"It used to be your parents' room," Kael said.
"No wonder it looks better than everywhere else."
Kael scoffed. "Please, my room's a hundred times better than your father's."
Seeing their sceptical faces, he groaned. "Whatever. Get some rest. Malrik, tomorrow someone will be taking a look into your memories to see if we can solve your amnesia problems for ya."
He shut the door. Sarah flopped face-first onto the bed. Malrik sat, sword across his lap.
"Crazy day, huh."
"Whose fault is that?"
"You should be nicer. Make-up won't help you find that soulmate."
Sarah turned, glaring. "And you should fix your brain. Girls don't like idiots."
They glared—then laughed. Malrik joined her on the bed.
"Just one more day," Sarah whispered.
"One more day, and we start becoming badass Paladins." He grinned. "You'd better not fail."
Sarah scoffed. "I should be saying that."
―The Next Morning―
Malrik walked downstairs. He was half expecting to be greeted by another party of drunkards, so it came as a surprise when he arrived to see it empty. The only other person in the room was the lady behind the counter. The lady wore a standard maid's outfit. Look-wise, the only thing interesting about the lady was her green ponytail dangling on her left shoulder.
The woman noticed the boy and waved at him. Malrik grabbed a chair and sat down. He looked around, confused.
"Good morning," said the woman. "Are you hungry?"
"Where is everyone?" asked Malrik. He leaned on his chair and sighed tiredly. "Yesterday this place was filled with people, now it's completely empty."
The woman shrugged. "It's always been like that. It's kind of how we operate. Everyone gathers here to drink and party every night; the next morning, they are either fast asleep upstairs or here early to pick up their mission."
The lady placed a drink of orange juice in front of Malrik, who graciously accepted. "How do missions work anyway? Do you guys get a lot? What kind of missions do you get? Do you rescue pretty princesses from dangerous mafia gangs and organisations?"
The lady blinked, a bit surprised by the sudden eagerness. She smiled and took a sip of her coffee. "Well, we get around 10–15 new missions every day, some more dangerous than others. Let's just say none of the missions we get are ever easy. Some took a whole month to complete. Fighting crime is never easy."
"You sound like someone talking from experience," noted Malrik. The woman just chuckled.
"I've had my fair share over the years. By the way, where is your sister?" Malrik rolled his eyes at the mention of his sister.
"She is in the bathroom, putting on her make-up for God knows who."
The lady came back with a bowl of cereal. "Well, your sister is a beautiful girl. I'm sure boys are just lining up for her." Malrik snorted before taking a bite of his cereal.
"Lining up? Please, she probably has an application process fully planned out already. Besides, anyone stupid or brave enough to try deserves whatever happens next."
Malrik quickly turned his head backwards as a book came flying past. "Oi, that's my book."
"Well, you better shut up about me, or I will burn your others," a voice came from the left.
Malrik glared at her. "Try that and I'll burn your whole music collection. Better yet, I'll burn your phone!"
The lady watched the two bicker in amusement. Sarah grabbed her brother's cereal and stuffed her face, ignoring Malrik's glare. Sarah handed the lady her bowl.
"Thanks for the food, miss."
"You're very welcome. By the way, you can call me Maid Jill." Sarah nodded as the lady moved to wash the plate. Malrik left to go put his book in their room.
"Um, Maid Jill, Uncle Kael told us someone will be looking into Malrik's memories. Do you know when?" asked Sarah.
"Oh, that would be my brother, Joe," answered Jill. "He should be returning back from his mission soon. It might take a while."
Sarah blinked in surprise. "You have a brother?"
"Yeah, twins, just like you and your brother." Jill smiled happily. "Believe it or not, we used to bicker just as much as you two back then."
"Oh, I believe that. Brothers are the worst," complained Sarah. She missed Jill flinch slightly. The woman tried to cover it with a small cough.
"I wouldn't say they are the worst." Sarah smiled and nodded.
"You're right. Sometimes they can feel like another part of yourself."
Jill nodded sadly and kept quiet, her eyes drifting into the distance.
"Oh, by the way, do you guys have a sparring area? Malrik and I usually spar every morning."
"Oh, the courtyard should be perfect for that."