A golden throne with silver accents glowed, perched atop a gleaming staircase. There sat the king of the Iron Crescent Kingdom, Emperor Sheng Zhenwu, draped in a golden robe and wearing a tall golden crown. He had no beard and long greyish-black hair. His eyes were sharp and commanded authority.
Before the golden throne, the king's councilmen stood in silence, and at their feet, a lone messenger knelt trembling on the marble floor.
A wave of energy exploded from the king's throne.
"What did you say?!!"the king demanded, his anger displayed by his tone.
The man's body shook in fear,his voice stammering, "Y-Your Majesty... S-someone has slain your beast, the Majesty Lion Beast," the man murmured.
The king stood up,releasing another strong wave of energy, his eyes sharper and angrier. The man on the ground was sent rolling back by the wave of energy.
"Who dared touch what's mine!"the king yelled.
"Send an army to Valenor city;I want the culprit brought to my feet this instant. Bones broken, tongue cut off, and I will deliver the final blow," the king barked.
One of the people stepped forward.
"My king,all the people in that city knew that killing a beast in that forest was forbidden, and still someone went and did it," the king's adviser spoke.
"And what's your point,Adviser?" the king frowned.
The adviser continued,"Maybe we should send your Majesty's trusted assassins, the Twin Emeralds, to investigate first; the culprit might be a strong cultivator that can bring ruin to the whole country."
The councilmen started whispering.
"The Twin Emeralds."
"The kingdom's best assassins;they never fail."
"Whoever killed that beast has signed a death wish."
Emperor Sheng Zhenwu closed his eyes while clutching his fists.After a few seconds of thinking about the advice from his adviser, he sat down on his throne and the palace became quiet.
"Send them;send the Twin Emeralds. They can torture the culprit however they want, but I want him still breathing," the king spoke.
Back in Valenor city,Elder Peng ran into the academy, rushing to Teacher Fang's room.
"Headmaster!"he yelled, barging into the room.
"Elder Peng,what's the matter!" Teacher Fang asked in shock.
"That boy...that boy has caused trouble for us, Fang; why did you accept him here?"
Teacher Fang's expression hardened.
"What has he done now,Peng?"
Elder Peng began,
"He killed the Majesty Lion."
Teacher Fang's heart skipped a beat,his eyes wide in shock.
"That's the beast rumoured to belong to the Emperor.Two years ago, a decree was sent by the emperor, declaring that no one was to kill a single beast in that forest, and a few days after the decree, rumors spread about the emperor keeping a Majesty Lion there," Teacher Fang's mind raced.
"That Omari has become my downfall before I could even make use of him,"he thought.
"What are we going to do?The news will soon reach the emperor, and we can say goodbye to our academy and our lives," Elder Peng panicked.
"Let me think...Be quiet and let me think, Peng," Fang yelled, pacing the room back and forth. After a few minutes, he stopped and bolted out of the room.
Elder Peng followed,"Where are you going... We need a solution."
Teacher Fang got on his sword,"I'm getting us a solution to this problem," he yelled, flying off.
At the Golden Treasure Pavilion, a handsome man descended the stairs of the pavilion with an elegant grace, one hand tucked behind his back.
He was draped in a robe of red and white,his form adorned with an array of beautiful accessories: gleaming bracelets, ornate rings, and a golden belt that caught the light.
His eyes,full of keen curiosity, landed on Omari and widened at the sight of the blood-drawn symbols on his face.
He continued walking forward,his short brown hair fluttering with every step. When he saw the body of the dead Majesty Lion, a smirk slowly crept up on his face.
"Having the guts to kill something that belongs to the king himself,"a soft laugh escaped his lips.
"This kid must have a great teacher;maybe that race is about to rise again... Using the blood of the Majesty Lion, one of the luckiest and most mysterious of beasts, for luck with fate and for ancestral blessings... I have a very good feeling about him."
The man reached where Omari was standing and the lady next to him spoke,
"Young sir,this is Master Cedric; he will assist you."
Cedric's smile was sharp and knowing,"To kill what belongs to the king...Bold. Either you're a fool, or your master's name is worth fearing."
He continued to ask,"What is your name?"
Omari didn't deny the implication.He offered a slight smile, "Master Cedric, I am Omari... Omari Siwang."
Cedric lifted an eyebrow,"Siwang..." he let out a soft, appreciative chuckle.
"I assume the young Omari wishes to sell his prize?We will offer one hundred spirit stones."
Omari frowned,"Isn't that a bit low, Master Cedric? I may be young, but I'm not so easily swindled."
"We are becoming friends,young Omari," Cedric replied, his tone light but his eyes serious.
"I'm sure you are aware the beast you killed belonged to the emperor,and soon he'll send people after you and everyone you know."
Omari's heart skipped a beat,his mind racing, and he clutched his fists, but he didn't let it show on the outside; he kept his cool even though he was panicking on the inside.
He had one thought,"I have to leave this country as fast as possible."
Cedric continued,"But since we've become friends, my Golden Treasure Pavilion will not sell you to the emperor, and later on, if you survive this ordeal, I hope you will remember us when you find treasures on your travels."
Omari took a deep breath.
"Can I at least have the skin?I would like you to make a coat for me."
Cedric's eyes glowed with excitement,"I knew me and you would get along; finally, someone with a sense of fashion. A coat made from this fur is something worthy to be worn by a king."
Cedric rambled on about fashion,describing different robes until the lady next to him nudged his shoulder. He cleared his throat, "I got a bit excited there. I agree to your terms, Omari, but we have a policy: since you are still in the Awakened stage... If you don't come and collect it within five years, it will automatically belong to us."
Cedric paused then continued,"But I'll give you two years... If you don't collect it within two years, I'll assume that you're dead and keep it."
Omari agreed and received his hundred spirit stones.He threw the pouch in the air a few times, feeling its weight. "The Majesty Lion is more expensive than this; I can't believe I got a measly low-level hundred spirit stones."
He sighed deeply,"If I had pushed it, they could have caught me and sold me to the king for more; I could feel it, there are lots of powerhouses in this pavilion."
Cedric started walking Omari out, "I didn't expect to see the Warrior race's symbols being used in this era," he spoke.
Omari stopped,"The warrior race? He's talking about these symbols from my village. I can't let him know I'm from the mortal world; otherwise, he might find me useless and sell me," Omari thought.
He cleared his throat,"Master Cedric knows about these marks? When I found them, I felt like they called to me. Can you tell me more about them?" he asked.
Cedric patted his robe on his shoulders,admiring its beauty, then replied.
"Most of these symbols disappeared eons ago...they belonged to your race... the warrior race. Some were used to communicate with your ancestors and some to receive blessing and luck. Some were even used to strengthen one's self. I don't know much about them, but with every discovery, our knowledge increases. Tell me where you found them?"
They reached the door."Master Cedric, I'll tell you the next time we see each other," Omari spoke as he walked forward a bit faster.
"Next time it is,and I advise you to leave the country, Omari; the issue with the Majesty Lion won't end well."
Omari nodded as he disappeared into the people in the streets.
"Omari Siwang...Don't disappoint me," Cedric spoke, walking back into the pavilion.
Omari made his way to the academy,the darkness of the night creeping in.
"I'll see Teacher Fang first and pay his academy fees,and maybe sneak out a few books from the library, then leave this country before the emperor's people arrive."
He made his way to the academy,but Teacher Fang wasn't there. After looking around for a bit, he made his way into the library and deeply sighed while sinking into a chair, his body giving in to the tiredness he was feeling. He stayed like that for a few minutes, then forced himself up.
He grabbed a lot of books and placed them on the table.Quickly, he started to choose which books were worth taking and which to leave. After skimming through a few books, he yawned, feeling tired. He pushed through for a bit, but without even knowing it, he started to lower his head until he was passed out on the table, his head resting on top of a book.
In an inn in the city,a girl was on a bed crying, "Mr. Bright Lion, is this why you asked me to leave... You knew that you would die. Why didn't you just run away with me?" the homeless girl Ming Yu cried.
"If only the prince was here,that bad boy would be gone by now," she sobbed.
She spent most of the night crying,remembering her moments with the Majesty Lion. She cried and sobbed until she passed out and fell asleep.
She slowly opened her eyes,realizing that it was now morning. She sat on the bed with no more tears to cry.
"I couldn't even avenge you...I was so scared of him... I'm so sorry, Mr. Lion... I'm sorry."
Her tears dried on her cheeks,but her hands trembled. The ache in her chest turned to heat, anger rising like fire beneath her ribs. Her heartbeat got faster, her chest rising and falling, her gaze becoming serious.
"True Flame Sect,you showed it to me... I'll go there, I'll get stronger, and the next time I see him, I'll make him pay," she took a deep breath.
"Omari Siwang...I'll never forget you... I'll make you pay!" she declared, standing up.
At the academy, Omari snapped his eyes open, waking up. Before he could do anything, Teacher Fang's voice echoed, calling his name.
"He can probably see me right now;I'll get the books later," Omari thought.
He left the books and rushed outside.
The first thing he did was bow down,offering Teacher Fang a low-level pouch.
"This is the academy fees I hadn't paid."
Teacher Fang nodded,taking the pouch.
"I'm sorry,Omari, but you have to go," he thought.
He looked at Omari and then looked to his right side and bowed down to a young-looking gentleman.
"Young master,he is one of the talented students I was telling you about."
The young man nodded with a smile on his face,"You are right, Fang Lei; he definitely looks talented. Call the other four over; I don't have time to waste here."
Omari quickly understood that the young man was way stronger than Teacher Fang,which is why he didn't show any respect to Teacher Fang.
"Elder Peng,bring them here," Teacher Fang yelled.
Elder Peng,who was waiting under the tree, quickly walked forward with four students. As soon as he reached the young man, he bowed, showing his utmost respect.
"Young master,they are here; we selected the best students we have."
The young man just scoffed.Teacher Fang then walked forward, standing in front of the students.
"You five are the best students we have,"he paused for a few seconds and continued.
"You have been selected to go and practice in one of the best sects in Eldara(name of the current continent),
The Celestial Gate Sect."