Chapter 2 - Breathless Destiny
Sitting on a bench in the Central Park of the Black Star District, I was reading the newspaper of the day... the endless war against the monsters... war against the orcs and giants... Fights within the imperial family...
Black Star District, one of the few noble paradises in the Imperial Capital. Here only nobles live, but this was built with the blood and sacrifice from one man, the one said to be a myth nowadays, the Legendary Emperor Ki...
In a blue academy uniform with white lines, running through the park, was Gray, the euphoric little speedster, raised his hand and waved. — Hi guys! Kim, I'll give you your game back when we leave for school tomorrow... — he said, running towards me.
Kim, sitting in the park's grass with the same uniform as Gray, he accompanied Gray's pace with his eyes. — Where is he going? — he whispered thoughtfully.
A red-haired child, beside Kim, with the same uniform, looked at Kim with soft giggles. — Grey is crazy…
Kim Yukimura and Havanna Thundergaze. Yukimura was a millennial family, existed since Pendragon's era, they were members of the Council of Elders, but lost their seat and the original power they had in the golden age, there was only memory. And Thundergaze, the strongest Knight that ever lived, managed to impress a King Arthur, he was a hero and extremely loyal to the imperial family, his descendant's carried out his will and, in every generation at least one Thundergaze had the expectations to become a Royal Knight.
Drawing near me, panting like an oven, Gray settled on the bench. — Good morning Mr. A... how hot... — he whispered, wiping his forehead with his uniform shirt, then placing his finger in his nose.
Seeing that disgusting scene, I sighed, then folded the newspaper with deliberate care and settled my gaze upon him. — Good afternoon, Grey. I see you're excited for the story... — I scoffed, forcing myself to forget the kid's lack of etiquette.
With a radiant smile on his little face, his hands rose euphorically. — Yes!
Smiling knowingly, I placed my hand thoughtfully to stroke my chin. — Hmm, where did we stop? … Right, the girl left…
...
Director Odyssey, Arthur's grandaunt and owner of the most prestigious and famous school of the world at the time, went to the island to test his burgeoning prowess, and he passed with a mastery that belied his years. The director admired him, so much that she wanted give him incentives to attract his interest in the academy, but he refused them all, demanding only that he had a roommate, just the position of vice-president of the academy's discipline department, and be registered as Arthur Henry, son of a noble, removing the Treadway from his identity and hiding the fact that he was son of a princess, but it was difficult to hide the face of the Supreme Champion...
It was agreed that the next day the boy would go to the Future Academy. And so, the boy said goodbye to his family, got on a ship and headed towards the new adventure.
At the academy's hallowed halls, he was greeted by the principal, and the awestruck gazes of many students who recognized him as the champion.
He then embarked upon the Director's guided tour, and later to his dormitory, where he was introduced to his roommate, Tristan Ashura, the last son of the Ashura's patriarch, one of the venerable elders of the United Kingdom.
Already in uniform, they went to the opening ceremony. The director, with gravitas, inaugurated the year and introduced the student luminaries: Hera Olympus II, president of the student council; her deputy, Eleanor Havelock; her secretary, Drako, who harbored a clandestine enmity for Arthur; Alander Odinson, president of the Discipline Department; his deputy, Arthur Henry; Selena Glayder, doyen of the Scientific Department; Maya Mayara, Supreme Knight of the military department; Baron Havelock the president of the parents' council; and Doctor Nagasaki Hiro, chieftain of the teachers' council
He began his adventure at the school, where he left a teacher in a comatose state and assumed the mantle of instructor for the close combat class, drawing the ire of the administrative board. Yet, amidst these tribulations, a darker enigma unfolded.
Students were disappearing, and the students found were dead and with their cores removed, prompting Arthur's assignment to unravel this mystery. When presented with the bodies, he discerned the markings of amazon martial arts, a revelation that multiplied his questions.
And over time he started making friends, against his will, princess Hera II, Tristan, Selena, Eleanor, Drako, prince Alander, Qin-Shi Huang di, who was always singing that he would be the King of the Jade Empire, and Temujin, who would be known as Genghis Khan.
In one of the martial arts classes, on the academy's field, the kid activated his domain, the Endless of Dim domain, and crossed half the arena in a mere heartbeat to shield Hera from impending harm. He succeeded, yet not without cost, sustaining injuries that fractured his backbones. The nanomachine within him, was rendered impotent by the queen's decree, forbidden to heal the boy until he reached fifteen. This left his peers and mentor Nagasaki pondering in awe, "How did he do that?!", while Arthur's own questions tripled in number, "Where did those marks come from?" "What happened to me?!".
And his injury was the reason for him and Hera to have a conversation, to talk about the last three years.
But happiness was short-lived, the usurper's killers found him, and the director announced a program to investigate the disappearance of students, designed by her, and the Scientific department, but it was only starting, Arthur's nightmare...
His grandmother, the director's cousin fell ill...
...
Gray lowered his head to hide his trembling whispers. — I remember that part, she was poisoned, and Arthur didn't know...
At this moment, my own sigh mirrored the gravity of this moment for King Arthur's story. — Yes, as an amazon, she might have healed herself, but she was already too old. At the venerable age of one hundred and forty-six, if memory serves... She was poisoned, her cells were dying, her organs being smashed... an agonizing death, from inside out.
...
Yet, the grace of the amazons was such that even when old, they maintained their young appearance, even at one hundred and forty-six, she retained the beauty of her youth. Back to the subject, the program...
Its purpose was to collect information about the places and areas where students disappeared. The director did not want bureaucracy or a bad reputation for her academy and wanted Arthur to be responsible for the entire battalion. The program would be activated two years later, at the boy's fifteenth birthday, strategic time, enough for them to cultivate and evolve.
At this time, Arthur met Jin Olympus, son of Zeus's older brother, Hera II's cousin...
...
Quivering, tears welled in Gray's eyes. — Mister A... please... I-I don't like to talk about Hades, he scares me a lot...
I smiled reassuringly, then stroked Gray's hair. — Okay, scary cat. Let's leave him out for now, but we have to talk about him eventually, he's very important in the story...
...
Right from the start, Jin didn't get along with Arthur and his group, he was arrogant, cocky and provocative, and that's how Arthur met Temujin. Temujin was son of the head of a clan in the cold lands of the barbarian territory in the north of the Jade Empire. Temujin was bullied by Jin, but Arthur placed an end to that and helped him become a great martial artist.
The assassins launched their campaign against the academy, targeting Arthur, and to add to the intrigue, it was Zeus who decreed the queen's poisoning, and dispatched his son to extinguish Arthur...
In the middle of all things, Arthur began to show a strange behavior, a violent bloodlust. It was his domain manifesting, the domain of Infinite Darkness, which showed that he would be the next Heavenly Dark Lord, contrary to the prophecy...
Days after all this, the seen as the god of perfection began to make his appearances, to make the boy realize that his time was coming, until it came. The fight began late at night, Apollo, a god, fighting a fourteen years-old at the Core Formation Realm. Tristan had to help, and they both cut off Apollo's arms, and Hera seeing his older brother be mutilated, begged both of them to stop.
She ran to help her senior brother and after an emotional farewell, he died, and an out-of-control Arthur lost consciousness, and entered his domain where he had to fight against his personification to escape. A few days later, a red-haired amazon archaeologist appeared, daughter of the headmistress and Arthur's cousin. She was sealed with the King's Force on Mount Everest to protect Arthur, but ended up being protected by him...
...
His big bright eyes fixed on mine. — Mister A, why don't you show the scenes like you always did?
My face froze, I wanted to kill the boy, but couldn't, it would be a grave sin. — I'm too old to talk too much, you imbecile brat! Now, pay attention, what I'm about to say is important for your understanding…
The day after that, Arthur's cousin traveled to the Future Academy, where she reunited with her mother and Arthur. Alexia, was placed as the academy's librarian, and this brought her very close to Arthur, who loved spending time in the library.
By the end of the ninth year of the story, Zeus found out that Apollo died and sent Ares and Artemis to the island to kill the brat and put the amazons on their place, while the queen' state only worsened, and King Aca's assassins discovered how to get to the island.
Sad and pitiful... He was forged through pain, blood and loss. Arthur Lionheart Pendragon was forced to grow up very early in life, forced to fight against gods, sacrificed himself to save everyone. Made many mistakes, cruel ones, but his honesty, his sincerity made him the One, Chosen by God.
Finally, the Supreme Championship, unlike the previous edition, Arthur was well received by the amazons at the Coliseum, and in the first fight Arthur won with a perfect and broke the record for the fastest victory in the history of the championship.
...
With his mouth agape, Gray shouted. — The Founder Emperor Solar King was on another level…
— You think? — I squeaked with veins bulging in my face. — Child, were talking about the Absolute Titan, Son of God! I forgive you, you were born six years ago... You don't know yet...
...
The championship continued, and it was victory after victory, and the doctors gave the queen only one month to live, Arthur didn't know this yet. The queen, knowing the proximity of her end, organized a farewell dinner, days before the fight between Arthur and Victoria, a friend and a suitor who was rejected by him.
At that dinner, the queen gave Arthur a book, which contained her conscience, her knowledge acquired in those one-hundred and forty-seven years of life, recommendations, ideas, advices, wars, travels, mysteries, discoveries, inspirations, fights, martial arts and much more. She also gave him her sword, which has been passed down from generation to generation since Hippolyta, the first amazon queen.
She left the throne of the amazons in the hands of her daughter, Andromeda, and asked Arthur to be king of the amazons one day, but Arthur rejected, she also asked him to marry an amazon, but this request left Hera II heartbroken, and Arthur did not respond to this request, not knowing that these were his last moments with his grandmother who he loved so much.
At bedtime, in the queen's room, she blessed Arthur, her grandson, and days later she fell into a coma again, Arthur thought it was normal, he didn't know they were the last breaths she was taking...
...
With his head down, Gray sobbed, the kid was crying. — He didn't deserve that... — barely a whisper. He tried to stop his tears covering his eyes, but couldn't.
Looking at the innocent child, I smiled. — With time you will learn that it rains for the bad, but also for the good, little one... — I said, placing my hand around his waist and drawing him to a hug.
...
The final arrived, the fight between two friends, confused and unrequited feelings in the air. The girl knowing that Arthur was strong, prepared herself, with special materials, shield and sword crafted with drakine, silver armor, and surprisingly that was enough to leave bruises in Arthur's body, but in the middle of the fight the queen started having convulsions, the presenter announced this, and Arthur ran towards the palace, but...
The queen did not resist, she died. Arthur in the hallway, hearing this from the physician, was furious, crying without stopping, he discovered that he had been lied to. The queen had been poisoned, and had been dying for a long time, and that was enough for him to hate his mother.
Days later, the queen was buried, princess Andromeda was crowned, and Arthur was eager for revenge.
Zeus rejoiced only upon receiving the news of the queen's death, and Ares descended Mount Olympus to finish Arthur's life, on his fifteenth birthday.
The attack began, in one of the island's cities, women and children died, houses were on fire, and everyone moved to put an end to the invaders. By everyone's effort's, the attack was controlled.
Back in the palace, after arguing with his mother, Arthur ran from the palace, and went to the woods near the palace, giving himself up to death.
Ares and Artemis awaited him, and massacred the boy, leaving only the body of a fifteen-year-old boy bathed in blood...
...
Gray's jumped with a roar. — WHAT?! HE DIED?!?
I sighed, then passed my hand over my face. I couldn't believe that he said that. — If you interrupt me, you won't know, infant.
...
… Hours later, they organized searches to find the prince, and the queen went along.
The queen found her son's body, in the middle of the woods, and crying in agony ordered him to be taken to the palace. The tears, the anxiety, and the despair in the palace, the waiting for the physician' response was palpable, and it ended with the guardian family feeling that the boy was taking his last breaths, and the man who sent Alexia, becoming disappointed and re-entering the cave at the top of Mount Everest…
...
Gray's mother approached, wearing a long green dress, her long white hair down, and smiling radiantly, placed her purple eyes upon me. — Mister A, good afternoon. How are you? I came to fetch this little troublemaker… — she said, crouching to Gray's height and placing her hand on his cheek.
It was a joy to see her have a family, I remembered the day she was born. She reminded me of how old I was...
— Okay, we're done... — I said, smiling, then looked at Gray.
I noticed that the cub was crying, I ran my hand through his hair. — Calm down child, we'll continue tomorrow... — I whispered, chuckling.
Yuna, his mother, gently wiped Gray's tears whit a motherly smile. — What is it, honey...? — she whispered, holding his little hand.
Sobbing, he whispered. — UWAAAAHHH!!! .... A-Arthur... A-Arthur d-died…
Looking softly at the boy, her sigh widened her smile, her eyes shone with pure love as she looked at her son. — Baby... calm down... People die; that's how life is. Now say goodbye to mister A...
With tears, he waved. — G-Gwodbye myster A, see you tomowow...
Both of them, holding each other's hands, walked home.
I smiled at this kid's purity and innocence. He would be an excellent Knight. "This kid..." I muttered.