Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Chapter 331 Long-Awaited Discussion [Part 2]

Fifteen years before the Alorek War, Eroa received a message from one of its allies. For centuries, back at the founding of Eroa, the people had been allied with the humans of the Five Kings Union. It was through their intervention that they were able to obtain independence from Alorek.

Standing with tradition, Eroa would always prioritize interactions with the human nations whenever it could as a continued thanks for the part they played in their kingdom's freedom.

One such request for assistance reached the desk of a young King Verdayl Eroa. It requested the presence of their new King Rank warrior, Kalivas Kane, in the kingdom of Arcadios for a meeting with their Oracle.

Of course, having been intrigued at the prospect of being the one of the first non-human leaders to interact with the famous Oracle of Arcadios, Verdayl jumped at the opportunity to take Kalivas there.

Back then, Kalivas was a much younger man and a hotheaded warrior. Prior to becoming a King Ranker, he was a battle junkie who sought out any reason to fight that he could think of. Him and his best friend, Atil of the Gray Wolf Clan would constantly be on the lookout for trouble.

Verdayl's excitement made him forget about Kalivas's behavior for a moment, but crashed down upon him harshly as reality sobered him. He had feared for what Kalivas would do and say. Though, there had been talk that things had changed when he returned from the meeting between the continent's most powerful warriors where they inaugurated him amongst their ranks.

True to the rumors, he happened upon a strange sight, which was Kalivas calmly sitting in a dimly lit room meditating. At that time, Kalivas had just learned many unpleasant truths. Truths that shook him to his very core. Kalivas sometimes thought back to that moment where Verdayl's cautious gaze turned to a hopeful one.

He often wondered if he had been found in any other state, would Verdayl have declined the invitation and changed the course of his fate?

A scant few weeks later, they received permission to enter human territories and arrived at the royal palace. There, Kalivas greeted many powerful people, at least politically speaking. The Empyrean Rankers who defended the nation's territory were not present, so in terms of raw power, none that he spoke to rivaled him in power.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Still, there was a single person among the hundreds that he had met that caught his attention. She was beautiful beyond comprehension. Her fair skin glistened in the sun and her long, blonde hair cascaded perfectly down her back. As she moved about the castle, her gaze remained strong, resolute, and full of purpose.

However, the part that attracted his attention the most was how the bravado she showed off was simply a farce. Kalivas could see right through the façade she showed the world and behind it there was a meek and gentle woman who only wanted to hide away from the pressures of the court and the responsibilities of her station.

The romantic within him wanted to take her away from the stress and pain that she felt. Kalivas desperately wanted to be the hero in her story and save her from the life she had lived. After he was told his purpose for arriving, he felt as though it would be a possibility for him, no matter how minute.

The reason for requesting his presence was because the woman who had caught his attention, the Oracle of Arcadios, was required to have a child and raise the next Oracle. According to her visions, the one most likely to father such a child was none other than Kalivas himself.

He had been informed that the Oracle could not see visions of her own future. It was a limitation to her powers. However, by observing the future of others, she was able to observe another Oracle in the future, working alongside the kingdom. When she had a face to work with, she then attempted to look at that Oracle's future and saw her speaking with a man that fit Kalivas's description.

"Because you were scared? That's the only reason... if you just talked to me I could have..."

"Could have what, father?" Lyrah's voice called out from the side. Her tone was deathly serious. Somehow she had approached them from inside without him noticing. She looked at the two of them for a moment before continuing.

"What could you have done to comfort a woman who feared the unknown? A woman, who spent her entire life locked away in a palace, only ever seeing the outside world from a tower high above the people. What would you say to her if she was pregnant by the first man who ever treated her like a person, but had also scarcely known for a few months? What would you say, father?"

"I would have..."

"Tell me this, what would you have done? Let us say you took the Oracle of Arcadios, one of the most important tools in this kingdom's arsenal. The Oracle exists, according to them, for the sole purpose of protecting the kingdom. We are often considered more important than even the Empyrean Rankers.

"Would you hide? Where? How long? Would you allow Eroa to be invaded and destroyed? Would that not violate the very oaths that bind you to your position? Answer, Kalivas."

He looked at his daughter warily. Her words were like poison. They were spit at him with vitriolic fervor as though she were releasing a great hatred with him as the target.

"I..." He started.

"Lyrah, please..." Adellia whispered.

"And you mother, are you only a tool?" Lyrah's anger shifted to her mother, "Is that the only way you see yourself? Are you not also a person with thoughts and feelings? Do you not have children that you hope to be happy in life? Think about that, mother.

Think about what it means to be a person, because I don't think you have ever seen yourself as one, and if you cannot see yourself as a person, how can you claim to look at me as anymore of a tool than you are?"

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The silence left behind was deafening. Neither of them wished to move or speak. They only watched as Lyrah sighed and turned her back to return to the interior. She paused a moment before continuing, "Perhaps you both should think about what it is you wish to do in the future. It is yours to make what you will. I will not interfere.

There are other, more important things to concern myself with."