Royal Mantle

Two days after the Siege on Astralis.

The people of the town all gathered at the port. In a boat stuffed lightly with hay, lay King Vladimir Valerius.

He was wrapped not in finery, but in the banner of Valemire – the royal blue and silver thread of the eagle on it stained with blood. His face was peaceful, a stark contrast to the violence of his end. At each end of the boat, stood blue flame torches—A symbol of passage to the world beyond. A belief held by the Valemarians.

5 nobles came as a representative of all. Duke Lot Stefon from the northern city of Secada, Marquis Raon Blot for the Western city of Califf, Count Declan Spriye from Denter, Countess Myra Sven from Bernot, the trade city and Baron Corbin Lancrix from the Ganesh barony in the south. Other nobles sent gifts and solemn apologies for missing out on the rites. Captain Elena, stayed as a representative of the U.N and the recovered Saintess as a representative of Vannir.

Caelum took center stage on the port, Serena and Riven flanking him. "My father was a king second to none and I hated that. His thoughts were for all of Valemire even at the expense of his own family. My mother, the queen lost to her illness and died during the war against the demon. I grieved for days but Vladimir Valerius didn't. He said,' The mantle of a king is that of a servant who needs to serve in order to live.' Though his heart ached for his wife, his people needed him, so he steeled himself and went to battle."

Caelum turned to the boat, "And now we bid farewell to our king. The ruler of the great Kingdom of Valemire. Son of King Threon Valerius. First of his name, King Vladimir Valerius!" He pushed the boat and watched it drift away from the shore. He said silently, "Your reign will be remembered forever, Father."

Serena gave Caelum a bow and an arrow. She cast [Fire] and the tip of the arrow caught on fire. Caelum pulled back the bowstring, aimed at the boat and let loose the arrow. They watched the arrow soar through the air, landing directly on a stack of hay. The boat went up in flames as they watched it drift further away, into the sea.

The rites had ended. Some of the townspeople knelt by the shore in prayer while others went home. The nobles met with Caelum one after the other to offer their condolences.

"I am sorry for your loss Caelum." Duke Lot said.

"Thank you, Uncle Lot," Caelum replied, his voice heavy with grief.

"Your father and Serena's father were the only two people I could get along with in the Royal council. Now they're both gone and left this old soul alone in the world." He sighed. "They were great men and your father was a great King. 'The reincarnation of Threner' he was called by the townspeople when they speak of him."

Caelum nodded solemnly, a muscle clenching in his jaw.

"Leave the burden of Kingly duties to me, take your time and mourn your father." The duke said.

"I appreciate the offer Uncle but as my father believed, a king serves like his survival depends on it," Caelum replied.

The Saintess beckoned to him and he left the duke who seemed to be silently fuming.

"I am sorry I couldn't do anything to help your father."

"It...." Caelum sighed heavily. "It was no one's fault."

"Can you call your guard, I have something for him." She said with a smile.

Caelum waved Riven over.

Riven came, his armless sleeve billowing in the breeze. "What do you need your Majesty?"

"The Saintess has something for you," Caelum answered

Riven turned to the Saintess, "Your Holi.....Grace?"

The Saintess laughed softly, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Pardon my manners. I received no formal training on how to address a holy person." Riven said, bowing slightly.

"It's alright." She responded.

Her smile vanished, replaced with stoic seriousness. "Riven, how would you like to have your arm back?"

Caelum and Riven both stared at her stunned.

Back at the RSF training camp, the trainees all went back to their quarters. Some of them still suffered PTSD from the battle, twitching at loud noises. Allen's mind raced with thoughts; what happened to me? Did I really live all those years ago? Who was that person with the rabbit ears? He turned and the black coin fell out. He picked it up and raised it, putting it in the direct path of the sunlight. "What exactly is this?" He blurted out loud.

Mia appeared at his doorway like a shadow. She watched him stare at the coin for a while. He didn't notice her. "Where did you get that?"

Startled, Allen tossed the coin, falling off the bed. He got up and saw Mia at his doorway.

"How long have you been there?" He asked.

"Just a little while." She answered, her face expressionless.

Allen sat on the bed, then asked, "What do you want?"

"Fight me." She replied.

"Huh?" Allen said, eyes widened in shock.

"Fight me." She repeated.

"Why?" Allen asked.

"I discovered something, a new ability and I need a live target to try it out." She replied.

"Well, get Ghilaine or somebody else, I am in no mood to fight."

"They are all busy." She replied.

"Then....."

"The rest of our fellow trainees are dealing with PTSD, Jax is currently not available and you are the only person left I feel would be a minute challenge to me." She interrupted.

"Well, tough luck. I am not in the fighting mood or challenge mood or any other mood." He said lying down. "If that's all, close the door on your way out."

"Was that coin in your report?" Mia asked.

Allen sat up with a knowing look. "What are you saying?" He asked.

"Section 4a of the RSF military rules clearly states that all items taken from a battle should be stated in the submitted report of that battle. It should then be taken to the Lab for testing and verification." She replied, back turned to Allen. "I'll leave, but I hope a superior officer doesn't get wind of this."

She was about to cross the doorway when Allen called out, "Wait." He sighed. "I'll meet you in the training ground in 15 minutes."

A smirk crept up Mia's lips. "Don't be late." She said, leaving, the door shuts behind her.

Allen laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "What the hell have I gotten into."

Back in Astralis, Prince Caelum, Ser Riven and the Saintess were in the king's study.

"You can't possibly mean what you said out there. How is Riven's arm coming back?" Caelum asked, skeptical.

"During the battle, I used a skill designated as a last resort. That power burned out my Rem, leaving me with just enough to survive and if I had pushed any further, I would not be here. During my recovery, I received new blessings and with one of them, I can give Riven his arm back." The Saintess answered.

"Is this really true?" Riven asked.

The Saintess nods in the affirmative. She placed her hands on the armless shoulder and said, "[Recovery]"

Her holy Rem flared and spiraled around Riven's shoulder. From the spiraled Rem, tiny Rem threads began to weave together, forming an arm. From Riven's shoulder, a bone grew out, then the nerves and muscles. White hot agony lanced through his shoulder as the muscles, nerves and tendons knitted. Riven screamed as this happened, the pain from the process was excruciating. Finally, the flesh formed and the Saintess let go. She stumbled back, dazed in Caelum's arms. He helped her gain a bit of balance, steadying her with a hand on the back and elbow.

"Sorry. First times always put me in a daze" She said.

"It's not a problem," Caelum replied.

They both turned their attention to Riven. He flexed his newly formed hand, then joints. It was as though he never lost the arm in the first place. Caelum moved closer to him and felt up the arm. A thought crossed his mind; If only she had this power back then.....

Caelum turned to the Saintess and bent a knee, Riven followed suit. This stunned the Saintess.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"For this great good you have done for me, I, Prince Caelum Valerius pledge to come to your aid with the entirety of the Valemarian forces if you ever need help. I swear this on the Valerius name."

"Stand up Prince Caelum. I merely repaired your shadow. The fight with the demons will be very intense from now on. Losing your guard is not something we can't afford." She said as they stood up. "Plus he looks way better with both arms" She mumbled, blushing.

"What?"

"Nothing!" She said, her cheeks and ears bright red.

Serena's voice came from outside with the sound of an opened door. "Your majesty?" She then opened the study, "Your majesty?" Her face troubled.

"What happened High mage?"

"It seems there is a problem." She replied.

"What is it?" Caelum asked.

"I think it's best if I show you," Serena answered.

She led them outside to a gathering. The nobles who came for the burial and some other people were there.

"What seems to be the problem?" Caelum asked as he approached the gathering.

His voice caused them to part, revealing a man, holding a green scroll with a staff piercing through a full moon sigil on it.

"Who are you and what is your purpose?" Caelum asked.

The man opened the scroll and read, " To those of concern in Astralis. I, Kasian Le Monde, the Lunar Emperor will wage war on Valemire If another Valerius is crowned to rule. So choose wisely If you do not want the wrath of the Zurhic Empire upon your land."

After reading the scroll, the man cast [Teleport] and vanished. Everyone was bothered by this. A subtle knowing smirk played on Duke Lot's face.

Back at the RSF training camp, 10 minutes had passed, 10 more than the agreed time. Mia was there, waiting patiently with a pair of wooden batons.

Allen entered later, holding a wooden sword.

"You're late.", Mia stated.

"Well, I had some internal conflicts about coming," Allen replied.

"Whatever, at least you came." She said, settling into a stance. "Fight like you're on a battlefield. Anything less and your souvenir might just be confiscated."

Let's just get this over with." Allen said, getting into stance too.

They lunged at each other, rem flaring. Mia had the upper hand as Allen's rigid form limited his attacks. Mia exploited an opening and landed a bone-crushing kick to his ribs. The blow sent Allen to the end of the training ground.

"You're weak! How did you kill that skeleton with this level of skill?"

{FLASHBACK}

{Astralis, the day of the siege.

After nodding at Allen, Mia disappeared into the chaos. As she slaughtered her way through the battlefield. She came across a skeleton wearing armor with a sigil, missing an arm. She was behind it. She rushed at it but it swung its sword at her. She barely dodged the sword only to be met by a rem-covered kick that sent her flying. She crashed into a beam. She raised her head to look at the skeleton and all she could see was her death. She ran away to avoid further injuries.}

Present day

Allen struggled to stand, his ribs burning in pain, his breath ragged and his eyes raving with frustration. He inhales deeply, eyes closed. He saw King Castal, wearing an approving smile. He opened his eyes with an exhale, settling into a different stance—Castal's sword stance, a low sword hanging stance, balanced, optimized for both offense and defense.

Back in Astralis, Caelum stared in shock at the disappearance of the messenger. An expression that disappeared almost immediately. His eyes were cold and calculating. He issued his orders.

"Duke Lot, convene a council. High Mage, scour the library and bring me everything on the Zurhic Empire. Riven, find out everything you can about Kasian Le Monde."

"Yes, Your Majesty." They replied and left.

Caelum then turned to the Saintess, "Saintess..."

"Mei. My name is Mei." She said softly, interrupting him.

"A beautiful name." He said with a soft smile. "Saintess Mei, please help me disperse the people."

"Yes, Your Majesty." She said with a bow, watching as Caelum leaves.

Back at the RSF training camp, the training ground was covered in dust kicked up by Allen and Mia. This had left the realms of a spar and turned into a duel. Their movements were faster, and sharper with no unnecessary motions, especially Allen. Allen switched from the rem-release technique they were taught to Castal's mid-fight and his movements became even faster. Mia escaped four consecutive strikes narrowly then jumped back to create some distance between them. She crouched down, breathing heavily. Her mind reeled; what the hell happened to him? One minute he was freezing up, and now I can barely keep up. She then recalled his stance change.

She stood up laughing, almost unhinged. "Good. Good! You had to be this skilled to defeat him."

She changed her stance, low yet balanced like a poised cobra, holding the batons like daggers. Ghilaine was passing by when she saw the both of them. She stopped to watch. They lunged at each other. Both with the intent to prove something to the other and themselves. Their exchange was so intense that the sound of their weapons clashing pulled in more spectators, officers and trainees alike.

Ghilaine could not believe what she was watching. "It is like watching a swordmaster and a pro assassin battle." She muttered. Only those near her heard it.

The exchange went on for another 10 minutes. Mia broke one of the batons and overflowed the pieces with rem. She chucked them at Allen from different sides. They exploded, creating a smoke screen with the dust they had kicked up. She bent down and touched her shadow. She poured Rem into the shadow and from it rose a shadow version of her. The onlookers were either shocked or in total disbelief. She channeled her ash-grey rem and completely erased the sound of her steps, then headed for Allen, trapped in the smoke screen.

Allen in the middle of the smoke screen had no visual on Mia and couldn't hear her either. He closed his eyes and allowed his rem to still. This stillness created a domain 10 feet wide with him in the middle. The domain was a sensor, acting like the heat-seeking of a snake and the sixth sense of a platypus combined.

Mia and her shadow self lunged at him but he remained still. They entered the domain and in one swift motion, his sword covered in rem, he stuck, splitting the shadow and hitting Mia. The spectators could only anticipate what happened, they heard only the sound.

The screen settled, revealing Mia on the floor and Allen victorious. Both of them breathing heavily.

"Now that this is over, you don't know anything about my coin right?" Allen asked.

"Yes," Mia answered, defeated, her pride more bruised than her actual bruises.

"Good."

Allen falls on his butt, his sword clattering on the ground. His gauntlet pulsed warmly as though accepting a new entry.

Back in Altherea, in the planes bordering Valemire and Zurhic, a carriage waited. A man materialized out of thin air. His entire head was covered leaving only his eyes. He wore an emerald green robe with the Zurhic sigil on it. He stood beside the carriage.

"What do you want Stefon?" The man asked.

"Nothing much," Sika said dusting his cuffs. "Just information on the deal the Lunar Emperor had with my father"

The man chuckled. "A fox begets a fox. Very well, I'll tell you. But once you know, there is no turning back."