The Selection

"The selection?!" Lily says to herself consciously. Lily looks at the two brothers with a shocked expression on her face.

"Gray is too young…" Lily says as she stands up and walks towards the window that was on the left side from where she was sited.

"Anna and Hannah participated in the selection when they were three years old…" she says while look out the window.

"We are aware of that but you too are also aware that the age to participate in the selection is from two years to four years, right." The patriarch says and turns his head slightly to the right so as to look at Lily who also turns meet the eyes of the patriarch.

"Yes, am fully aware, since Julian is the one who told me of the Leonhard family's traditions." Lily says submissively while looking downwards at an angle as the sunshine illuminates the beauty of her face.

"Then you should know the consequences if Gray doesn't participate in the selection." The patriarch says while having closed his eyes.

"Yes, but…" she trails off as she clenches her fist.

"You are scared, aren't you?" Hugo says while looking forward. Lily turns around completely in shock and then Hugo turns his head to look at Lily.

"You are scared of losing Gray the same way you lost Julian." Hugo says.

"No…" she says and Hugo looks confused.

"Am worse than scared am terrified of the very thought of my son ever going to war." she says as she hugs herself while trembling in fear. The patriarch who had his eyes closed all this time opened them on hearing what Lily just said. The patriarch stands up and walks up to where Lily is.

"We promise that that will never happen, Lily." The patriarch says and then places his hand on her shoulder.

"And also I was planning of not making my child be the next clan head." Lord Raul says as he turns around and walks up to a bookshelf that was opposite from where the window was.

"What?!" Lily is shocked after hearing what the patriarch just said and turns around to look at him.

"Its expected for my mother to be surprised since the patriarch just said that he doesn't intend on making his child his successor and from what I have been hearing from my mothers talk here and there is that the patriarch has only one daughter and she who is supposed to be the same age as me." Gray self-talks.

"I don't know why the patriarch is saying but if he is doing this just so as to torment my mother I swear I won't forgive him." Gray self-talks as he clenches his teeth in anger.

"What brother is saying is the truth." Hugo says as he stands up.

"What do you mean…?" Lily says in a low shaky voice.

"What my brother is saying is the truth. He even went to father and told him that." Hugo says looking at Lily.

"But then who is going to be the next patriarch of the family?" Lily asks now looking at the patriarch who had let go of Lily and was standing next to her.

"We decided that none of our children will lead the clan." The patriarch says as he walks up to a book shelf that was opposite from where the window is.

"What do you mean by us…?" Lily says but then her voice trails off as Hugo starts to speak.

"By 'we' means those that have the permission and right to be the heads of the clan or any of their children to be the clan head." Hugo says.

"I thought that all of father-in-law's children had the right to be the head of the clan." Lily says.

"After the fight of who is going to be the next clan head father decided to choose who made the greatest contribution to the growth of the family name and those who made the greatest impact in the world. Those are the ones who had the right to lead the clan if anything were to happen to our brother. But the selection can change everything. If a child is deemed worthy of it they will be given the chance to try and compete for the title patriarch." Raul explains as he examines the spine of the books on the bookshelf and then selects one.

"That's basically what happened." Hugo says as he sighs.

"So who did you choose as the person who is to lead the clan." Lily asks in curiosity. The patriarch smiles and then he closes the book he was examining abruptly and he turns to look at Lily who was looking at him.

"We decided it would be best if one of your children was to lead the clan." The patriarch says.

Lily's eyes widen on hearing this and turns towards Hugo for clarification of what the patriarch just said was true or not. Hugo nods his head and Lily turns to look at the patriarch.

"Don't be surprised for it is your children right to inherit the clan." Raul says.

"And it is grays right to participate in this years selection for it will solidify the possibilities of him being the clan head if his sisters are to back off from the title as next head of the family." The patriarch says as the room turns darker since a cloud obscured the sun.

"So what the patriarch is saying is that his child won't succeed him nor any of the others who have right to be the clan heads. And the only way to solidify ones position and the next head of the clan is for them to participate in the selection." Gray self-talks.

"But for me to participate…" Gray continues to self-talk as he looks at his mother who looked distressed.

"I must make sure that I participate in the selection. For the sake of my family and my father's legacy." Gray self-talks as he starts to crawl towards his mother.

"I want him to participate but what if I lose him just the same way I lost Julian…" Lily self-talks with her eyes closed tightly as she dreads that the worst could happen to her only son but then she opens her eyes in surprise. On looking down she sees her son tugs her dress. She looks at her only son who gives a face of determination.

"I will allow Gray to participate, for the sake of Julian." She says with a much confident tone.

Hugo sighs in relief and the patriarch smiles.

"You made the right decision Lily." The patriarch says as he returns the book from where he took it.

"I will send someone to come and get you and my nephew." The patriarch says as he and his brother start to leave and Lily walks them out of the house.

"We wish you all good health. Until next time Lily." The patriarch says as he and his brother leave the house.

"I also wish the both and your families good health." she says as she bows slightly.

Lily bows closes the door and walks up to her son. She walks into the living room and sits down on the chair and lies backwards and sighs. Gray crawls up to her and tugs her dress. She opens her eyes, lifts her head and bends her head downwards and looks at Gray. She smiles and picks him up.

"What will I do with you?" She says while holding her son midair and looking at him.

"I don't want you to do things that you don't want to but this is for the best." She says still looking at her son.

"In my previous life I never had a mother or a father to care for me. But now I have been given that opportunity. I swear I will not let that opportunity be in vain. I swear I will make you proud mum and you wont ever need to worry about me." Gray self-talks as he clenches his fist.

The selection was to happen in one months' time. During this time Gray was always spending his time in his father study room so as to learn more about the selection. From his fathers books he learnt that all the children who are to participate must undergo a test to see how strong their lion spirit was. Afterwards they were required to crawl in a maze filled with swords where the swords of the greatest members of the Leonhard family from the past had their swords placed as a way to commemorate them and the contributions they made. It was said that the more close the sword was to the centre of the maze the greater the member of the family was in the past, and the sword that was at the centre of the maze belonged to the first patriarch whose sword was said to have been given to him by one of the old gods and blessed by the golden goddess and the Leonhard patron god; the lion god. In all the family history only a handful of people from have ever chosen the first patriarchs sword. My father never choose the first patriarchs sword but the second patriarchs, the first patriarch's son, sword.

The last trial is where the children that are to participate sleep a whole night with the family lions. The lion each child will sleep represent how much authority they will have in the future. My father was said to have slept with the oldest of the golden lions whose authority was said to be the greatest of all the other lions the family has while my two sisters were said to have slept with the sun lion. This lion was described as the most powerful after the lion my father slept with, the lion was described by its radiate golden mane that shone like the sun and the symbol of the sun on its forehead. In other words the selection is to determine how the child will be in the future.

"I must ensure that I get the upper hand in this year selection and show them how great my worth is." Gray self-talks as he closes a book he was reading.

"And to do that I must surpass my father." He self-talks using a confident voice.

"I must awaken my dormant powers and my magical abilities. And since a mana core and an enlighteners core both obey the same principle as a martial artist core from my previous life it won't be that hard to awaken both of them but it will be tricky since both cores have different properties." Gray self-talks and then closes his eyes in the process.

"It will be best to start as early as possible. I will have to start before we go for the selection. "He self-talks and then opens his eyes and looks out the window at the night sky as the moon shines brightly.

Just then the door to the study is opened and the family servant enters.

"What are you doing here so late at night all alone young master?" she says happily while smiling at Gray.

"I should better get you to your better or else her ladyship will throw a tantrum." She says as she picks up Gray and carries him off to his room.

"At the very least not today. I will start my training tomorrow." Gray self-talks as he is carried off to his room.