Bravery

''Children of the Holy Land... Prove to us that you are worthy of our Jabat Royal Family.''

''All of you shall set out of this land and experience the outside world. Gather up subordinates to lead and bring them back here. Only the one who stands the strongest will have the right to inherit the throne.''

''But do keep in mind that only on the day of your coming-of-age ceremony shall all of you be allowed to return.''

A deep voice that carried supreme authority echoed in a grand hall radiating with golden light all across the area. The hall was wide enough to make it seem endless from three sides, as it seemed like some kind of magic was imbued in it to make it look that way.

Eleven children kneeled on the floor with their heads bowed deeply. In front of them was a man seated on a majestic throne. He was clad in a pure white robe with golden lines on the edges, several strange symbols, and a huge emblem resembling a combination of a cross and arrows on the right side.

Strangely, the shape of the emblem was the same as the symbol in Heretic Saint's silver eye.

A golden crown was floating over his head. In the middle of the crown embedded a small pure white crystal-like stone. A faint glow also emanated from his body, and his face could barely be seen.

The children didn't dare to look at the man seated on the throne, especially now that he was speaking. No, even if they wanted to, the presence of the man on the throne was just too much for them to handle.

They just couldn't move freely as they wished.

The man on the throne looked nonchalantly at the children below him. He swept his gaze to the very side as his gaze landed on the kid kneeling on the rightmost part.

''As for you...''

The man seated on the throne spoke again, seemingly thinking. He took a few moments of pause before he continued with clear dissatisfaction,

''You don't need to come back anymore. Failing to awaken your ability before the age of ten means that you're completely lacking. You don't need to prove your worth since you've already proven that you are a failure.''

Surprisingly, the one whom the man was talking to was a child resembling Jax. It was just that this child was a bit younger and still carried that immature demeanor.

One could say that he was Jax's younger self.

Jax gritted his teeth when he heard the remark of the man seated on the throne. He shouldn't do this. But since he had no choice left, he forced himself to stand up even if he knew that it would cause harm to himself.

''Father! Please give me a chance!'' Jax then suddenly pleaded with his head held high. He tried to look at the man seated on the throne with all his might. Of course, that caused his his eyes to shed tears of blood. It blurred his sight and it almost blinded him.

But he didn't care much.

Since he would be dead anyway once he got banished from the holy land, he must try his best to earn the favor of the man in front of him so that he could have a chance of survival. And the only way he could think of to earn his favor was by doing what he was currently doing.

To become brave enough in the face of seamless death!

''Presumptuous! How dare you act rampantly and stand in the presence of the Holy Emperor?!''

''How dare you call the Holy Emperor father in this sacred place?!''

''You must be tired of living!''

However, before he could have a good sight of the man seated on the throne, two tall and slender figures suddenly appeared to block his sight. They were clad in full-body black armor in the shade of golden lines. Both of whom wielded a long spear and they pointed their weapons at his neck.

Jax swallowed a mouthful of saliva as he immediately broke into cold sweats. But he still gritted his teeth bloody and didn't cower in fear even when he knew that he would likely be killed any time soon.

The Royal Guards.

He immediately knew that they were the Royal Guards. And he already expected them to come at him the moment he did that. They were like the hands and feet of the Holy Emperor and they would immediately appear to kill without hesitation when someone dared to act boldly before the Holy Emperor.

But it was better to die at their hands than to die in the wilderness.

His intention didn't sway in the face of death as he opened his mouth, closed his eyes, and shouted, ''Father, please give me a chance! Allow me to prove my worth!''

''You... You ask for it!''

The Royal Guards raised their spears high and were ready to behead the child before them.

It was at this moment that a voice reverberated all across the place.

''Hoho, interesting. Fine then, I'll grant your wish. Although I don't hold expectations, let's play along with your pointless struggle.''

Shortly after that voice sounded, the two Royal Guards who were about to attack Jax suddenly vanished without a trace. As if they didn't even appear there in the first place.

The one who spoke just now was no other than the man seated on the throne, the Holy Emperor. But this time, his nonchalant voice changed. It now carried a hint of happiness as a slight smile surfaced on his lips.

To Jax's relief, he really received the favor of the Holy Emperor!

That was a feat enough to cause envy for everyone, especially for those children who were together with Jax at that holy place.

Even without looking, he could feel their sharp glares pointing at him. But who cared? What mattered now was that he had gotten what he wanted.

A wide smile surfaced on his lips as he bowed deeply and uttered, ''Thank you, father, your majesty!''

''Now then, all of you shall set out! Only return when being summoned!'' The Holy Emperor proceeded as he took a moment of pause before he continued speaking. A faint smile remained on his lips, ''Don't let me down.''