Three teenagers stepped in through the palace entrance.
First was the cheeky, handsome son of the Left State Minister who grabs attention wherever he goes. From old women to ladies and even guys his age who hoped they had such healthy skin and charisma.
Cade Eden.
Next was the lean, elegant daughter of the Right State Minister whose Cinderella dress seemed as though it were commanding the Earth itself to attention too. The men around couldn't stop uttering wow in admiration. Because she was just too beautiful.
And people usually gossiped around the kingdom that the Left State's son would be a better match for her in the future than the eccentric genius of the royal family. Their prince who turned something else after the king sent him to a northern fortress five years ago.
The quarters fell silent as Eric Windsor entered, clad in a loose black knight's dress, his hair bound atop by a hairpin which allowed the rest to drape down his back. His expression was cold as he walked over the cobblestone path. Right away, every slave and every commoner in the palace bowed.
"Greetings to you, Your Highness!"
Eric replied with nothing but a hand gesture. And he won't just let go of the jade sword in his left hand. As he reached the side of the other influential kids, very close to the red-gowned man, Eric bowed…
"Father, I'm back," he reported to the king, raising his head straight away.
The king chuckled out loud, and the queen smiled warmly at Eric as well. They had been apart for so long since the king's rash decision that the crown prince learns swordsmanship in the north before studying sorcery.
"Well done, my son!" the king said out loud, satisfaction dripping from his tone. "You knew you were the only hope of the royal family, yet you didn't fumble the responsibility off. Thanks, Eric… your ancestors shall always be with you."
Eric simply bowed. And at that time, he locked eyes with the first queen – she was glaring at him, the same sourness she had always had whenever he was around still there. Anyway, Eric looked away.
Cade peeped at Eric's sword – was it true someone as young as he really had slain a lot of bandits with that sword? Well, that must be a groundless rumour, so he faced front.
Soon, the red-gowned man read from the scroll in his hand, "Today, we shall test your luck. One that defines your future right from this moment till the day you die. You three are the kings among your peers, giants among ants, and so your ancestors demand your commitment to protect the Cloud Kingdom…"
The Royal Awakening Spectator's recitation was always the most time-consuming part of this ceremony. Same at the Palestone Academy itself, where the other aspirants would be having their ceremony now. But because these three belonged to the most influential people in the kingdom, their own awakening ceremony was specially done and not mixed with that of the common kids.
But Eric already knew this recitation line by line, because it was one of the things he looked up in the library of the fortress where he went to train. It was all about the responsibilities they would carry after becoming a Wizard, Juggler… or any other kind of Magician.
The eight years he was sent into seclusion for might seem long in others' eyes. But it was the smallest, yet best moments of his life because he had enough time to learn about this world better, also that there were thousands of spells…
Well, nothing would have been easy without the help of the evil spirit. It had been a lifesaver and the only person he had actually talked to since then.
His eyes now feel distant and hollow like a monster's – the only compliment his fortress colleagues had ever given him, which he also acknowledged. There had been more after he started slaughtering bandits like animals, but Eric ignored those.
You must keep acting like this to appear manly enough… and survive the game of thrones; was always the spirit's way of motivating him to kill more.
… Indistinct footsteps jolted Eric back to reality, and looking left, his eyes fell on Lyra, the Right Hand Minister's daughter, staring at him. She didn't look away immediately, which meant she wasn't secretive about it.
"Now, the awakening ceremony shall commence!" the spectator announced.
A set of people wearing golden tippets grabbed their violins and other instruments, then set the orchestra playing. This was the kind of song played whenever an important ceremony was held in the palace, or when the king was in for his psychology class in the General Hall.
Ladies in cotton white dresses stood around a crystal stone placed on an altar, which lay between the upper and lower grounds. One by one, the kids walked into the circle and touched the stone.
No one said anything about who should go first or anything. But coincidentally, it was the same as the order with which they entered the palace. Cade Eden first – when he touched it, the stone turned deep violet.
The spectator announced his class as a Charmer because, universally, the colour violet was associated with enchantment and fascination.
A Charmer is someone who uses charisma and allure to sway people – manipulate their actions and even their emotions.
Much like who Cade was in the first place.
Next, Lyra did the same thing. The orb turned indigo, which symbolises cosmic wisdom and inner vision. She was a Diviner, one who could read and predict the future.
And finally, Eric stepped forward. There was an awkward moment of silence… and most people shared glances, including his parents.
The king held the queen's watery palm, who had a worried look on her face. "Don't worry. It'll be the same class."
The first queen shot a glance at them holding hands, after which she smirked. "What are you scared about, Queen Aria? If he appears to be the third type of Magicians, then it would be easy for the king to forsake his existence just like he did to the first prince." She smiled. "Then, the throne succession right gets passed down to the Right State Minister's family."
Queen Aria looked at her with a bit of tear-streaked eyes, but said nothing before looking forward. The king said nothing either.
The spectator told Eric with a reassuring smile, "Just do it, Your Highness. I'm sure your colour will show a Reviver… trust me."
Eric nodded slowly before looking back at the stone.
The evil spirit said,
Look the ministers and queen in the eye,
… Eric did that.
They look like someone awaiting a box of gold bars and Shilling coins. That's how much they want to see you awaken as a Fake Magician and thus lose rights to the throne. Do you want to feed their expectations by actually coming up as one?
'It's not like I can change fate either,' was all Eric replied with before clasping his palm over the stone. His heart raced beneath his chest.
He might be tough on the outside, but inside was the heart of a man who feared he would lose everything because of a single act in the past. The one that showed the kingdom he was actually born a genius, but at the same time, someone they could look forward to becoming a Fake Magician.
And under the law of the Cloud Kingdom, such a person couldn't ascend the throne.
… In an instant, the crystal stone turned to sapphire blue – a symbol of wisdom and a calculating mind…
"Uh?! He-he actually is a Fake Magician!" a voice whispered from across the commoner gatherings.
Eric swallowed.
Silence followed.
The red-gowned man stammered before pronouncing, "The prince… has awoken as a Wizard."
The king clenched his teeth, slamming his fist into the throne's arm.
"Well… he revived a withered plant when he was eleven, a clear sign of a genius child. And that made him a Reviver then, when normal people claim such a title at fifteen. Thus, with this class shown… I'm afraid the crown prince is really a Fake Magician."
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A/N: Please vote with power stones! Thanks for reading!