Grimoires & Masters - Chapter 24. (Patreon)

The cheers shook the sky when the Master drenched in his blood fell on his knees. The body of his fallen Contracted Beast lied by his side, and his Soul-Beast turned into a ray of light, entering his Heart.

A few meters away from him, his opponent was on the ground, amidst burning flames, silently taking his last breaths in the numbness. He had fought well but lost. The last breath escaped him, and his Grimoire lost its shine, turning to dull bronze. 

The victor crawled over to the corpse of his victim and let his Grimoire absorb the Spirit of the fallen Grimoire. 

“Black Lament wins the Guild War against Thousand Suns Guild!” The Master of Ceremonies excitedly announced to the spectators. “The Treasure belongs to them! The Glory is theirs!”

“That was fun…” Grey unemotionally said. 

Aoun glanced at him, and then at everyone from the Twelve Shades. There was no compassion or sympathy in their eyes for the fallen who had fought well. 

“He did his best…” Rumi sighed. 

“Mhm…” Black nodded to him with a light smile. “But this is the reality of life. Sometimes even on your best, you can lose against someone who is an equal. People call it fate, but remember, you must never believe in it whole-heartedly.” His words were not directed to Rumi alone. They were for everyone present around him. “He died because he was not stronger, smarter, and braver than his opponent. In the battles between Masters, it is always your short-comings that lead to your loss.”

“Not everyone is born an equal…” Simca frowned at his words, not willing to accept what he said.

“That’s why you must choose your opponents and allies wisely. To know your limits is a priceless Knowledge.” Black told her with a gentle smile. “But that does not mean that you should live in your limits. Always strive to become better. However, when you put your life on the line, you must make that decision, fully aware of your limits.” 

“What do you mean?” Simca was confused. 

“Never bet on your fate to rescue you. Never put your hopes on luck when it comes to your life. In short, do not bet your life.” Aoun smiled at her. “No matter how hard you try, if you die in a duel, it will always be your fault.”

It was for the same reason the experienced Masters, present there, showed no sympathy to the deceased. 

“I would never opt for Solo Death Matches in a Guild War. Only set up such an arrangement when killing is forbidden.” Black looked Aoun in the eyes and smiled. Those words were only for him, a piece of sincere advice.

Aoun nodded to him gratefully and turned to look at the Betting Booth that was being approached by people. 

The majority of the gamblers lost their bets, lamenting and cursing their fates, they dispersed from the place after paying in their stakes. 

He looked at the side of the stage where Thousand Suns were still standing, looking at Black Lament solemnly. 

The winning side was not too cheerful. They had lost their men too, but that did not keep them from praising their men who won the War for them.

“There will be trouble…” He sighed. 

“Of course!” Black laughed. “But not here, and not now. Come, let’s get our winnings.” 

“How much did you make?” Aoun curiously asked. 

“5 Million from the result. And 13.625 Million from the four rounds.” Black winked at him. “Thanks for the help.”

“No worries.” Aoun chuckled and followed Black together with Red, White, and Elena. 

Only the five of them had bet on the War. 

Aoun could tell from White’s pleasant smile that she had won more than Black.

They had to wait for nearly half an hour before all their flyer numbers were called. After everyone was done collecting their winnings, they headed straight out of the Black Valley. They had a long journey ahead of them.

On their way, Elena sweetly drew her hand to him, and he knew her intentions without even asking. 

Aoun handed her his pouch that contained 282 Platinum coins and 5 Gold coins. Those were all his winnings, and Elena casually stored his pouch inside her Blood Ring.

He heard some giggles from behind him. It was Rumi and Simca, laughing at what had just transpired.

“Sorry…” Simca apologized, trying her best to stifle her laughs, but failed.

“What’s his, is mine, and what’s mine is his.” Elena sweetly smiled and said.

“Then why not let him keep that money?” Simca winked at her. 

“I happen to be saving it for something.” She replied and did not explain much. 

Yesterday, when they had come here, no one had paid much attention to the Market. It was quite livelier in the morning, and there were all sorts of shops set up in two rows, along the road that led to the entrance of the Valley.

“Formation!” Gold called out when they were a few hundred meters away from the Entrance, and everyone took their positions.

Brown, Vermillion, and Silver joined Aoun on the Rearguard. And a silvery cry of a bird came from the sky, signaling them to stay sharp.

“There are people outside the Valley, waiting to ambush their targets. We should be fine, but do not let your guard down.” Silver informed Aoun.

“Chino,” He whispered to the little Beast resting on his shoulder. “Go, be with her.” 

“Eeno!” The little monkey opened its brilliant indigo eyes and disappeared from his shoulder.

Chino appeared on Elena’s shoulder and nudged its little face against hers, earning some giggles and love from her.

“Did it just use Blink?” Brown was astonished for what he had just witnessed. 

“Mhm…” Aoun nodded at him. 

“Is it a Spirit Beast?” He asked again, failing to contain his curiosity. 

“No,” Aoun shook his head. “I know it is rare for Desolate Beasts to be able to use Blink, but Chino is in Desolate-Indigo Realm.”

Brown nodded at him and admiringly looked at the little Beast sitting on Elena’s shoulder. 

As soon as their team exited the Black Valley, dozens of eyes locked on them, and some powerful Aura’s pressed on their Hearts, intimidating them.

Aoun looked around him and counted the number of people that were present, and there were more than a hundred. Most belonged to one Guild, and then there were a few with The Thousand Suns Guild’s emblem. They were not even trying to hide their identities. 

Nobody stopped them. However, the few minutes of walking past those groups tested their nerves to the limits. 

In the Sky, the majestic Griffyn kept announcing its presence, and a silvery cry of a Beast hidden in the clouds returned the calls intimidatingly. The conversation between the two Flying Beasts made the Beasts on the ground uncomfortable. Their Masters understood the message that it would be a carnage if they attacked this group.

Half n hour later, when they had left the Black Valley far behind them, the Silvery cry of the Swallow resounded again, and everyone took sighs of relief.

“Gear up!” Black called, and everyone picked up the pace.

“They can keep up for 18 hours?” Brown asked him, after glancing at Ray and Maya. 

The two beautiful horses were keeping up with stronger Beasts, but no one believed them to be able to keep doing that for 18 hours.

“Boy,” Aoun affectionately called out his horse, “You can keep up, right?” 

Ray neighed with pride and left behind a trail of Ice where ever its feet landed. Maya heard her brother’s call, and her nostrils breathed out the flame, her neigh was just was prideful. 

Brown laughed happily at the response of the Beasts and nodded his head.

“They are not even king Beasts, yet they have such daunting pride!” Vermillion exclaimed.

Aoun grinned at her words but did not say anything. He had never tested Maya and Ray to their limits. So, he was not sure if they could keep up for that long. He was confident about 12 hours at the speed that they were advancing at, and if their Beasts manage to keep up for longer than that, it would be a shock even to Aoun and Elena. 

Blossom City was located on the border that connected the Kingdom of Dreams to the Alps of the Wild North. There cone shapes range of peaks shined under the twilight, taking the breath away from the people no matter how many times they had witnessed it.

They reached the Alps after traveling the entire day for over 15 hours. The two Horses had managed to survive for so long, shocking everyone on the team, who were now curious about what race these magnificent Beasts were. 

In the Alps, they slowed down, climbing up and down the roads that were carved around the mountains. They were still going quite fast when compared to the other groups that they overtook, and that was the reason why they came out of the Alps in under two hours.

For Aoun and Elena, it was the first time they were witnessing the border of an independent Kingdom. 

The border on an independent Kingdom was different than that of an Empire in color. It was a transparent wall of Golden color, unlike the Purple-Golden Wall of an Empire. The emblem of Kingdom of Dreams, figures of a man and a woman holding an astral Orb with a Sword embed inside it, had a crown at the top with a  single Star, flashing in all its glory. 

The crown with a single Star was the Symbol of the Kingdoms. Empires had multiple Stars in the Crowns of their emblems, usually the number of their Kingdoms, but that was not what made them eligible for those Stars. 

Only the top three Empires in the World were allowed to have Seven Stars on their Crowns, fourth to the tenth had six Stars, and eleventh to fifteenth had five Stars. 

Outside the top fifteen, the rest of the twelve Empires, which were now thirteen after the formation of the Alayrianwood Empire, were allowed to have four to two Stars as they pleased. However, the Empires would be laughed at if they kept all four Stars when there were Stronger Empires in the world. Therefore, a cultural system was adopted, where the new Empires always had Two Stars on their Emblem. Empires ranked sixteenth to twentieth had four Stars on their Crowns, and twenty-first to twenty-fourth had three Stars. In case a three-star Empire lost its spot, it did not lose its Star, the progressing Empire only gained one more and entered the Three-Star Empire Club.

“Do you guys have any Identifications with you?” Silver asked Aoun.

“No,” He shook his head. 

Aoun and Elena did not need Identifications as they were Royals, but that meant that they would be announcing their arrival of the House of Zaryven in the Kingdom of Dreams.

“We were planning on registering as Wanders after entering the Kingdom of Dreams, but now, we plan on forming out own Guild…”

“That’s perfect.” Silver nodded to him. “Another perk of belonging to a Guild is that you are allowed in every place in the World. Wanders are sometimes not allowed to enter Kingdoms and Empires in tough times.” 

A person could not just cross the border from anywhere. One had to take the open channels to the Kingdoms, any breaches in the Walls were immediately detected, and the Royal Capitals sent their Royals Guards after the invaders. Only Beasts were allowed to pass freely between the Boundaries, but a contracted Beast could not do so. 

Aoun and Elena were the Royals of the White Winter, the only Empire in the World that they could freely exit or enter, from any point of the border, was White Winter, and only when they had their Blood-Rings on.

“Kingdom of Dreams has 12 King’s Gates. They are the entrances and exits of the Kingdom that the civilians and visitors could take. The Gate ahead of us is the 11th King’s Gate.” Vermillion explained to him. 

The road under them was made of black cobblestones. There were Check Points on both sides of the Road, and there were some Barracks as well. 

“It’s quiet here…” Aoun expected a large crowd at the Gate, but there were only a few people ahead of them. 

“The immigration is quite easy as almost everyone in the Wild North has an identity, and they only need to show it, and the Runes on the Gate scan them.” Brown smiled at him. 

Simca, White, and Blue descended from the Sky and called back their Flying Beasts. The three of them climbed the Mounts of their Partners. 

The Guards present on the checkpoints were all Masters, and the ones at the Gate were at least General ranked Masters, and there were dozens of them.

The group arrived at the gate and waited for those who were at immigration to pass. It only took a few seconds, and then Black led them. 

“Go,” Brown told Aoun. “You will need to go through some examination as you don’t have any identity.”

Aoun nodded to him and walked over to catch up with Elena. 

Black was already talking to the person in charge, who was emitting an Aura of a Guardian, and after he was done talking, he smiled and Elena and Aoun and ushered them to come forward. 

The two of them climbed off their horses, and greeting the man in charge with a nod, earning a frown from him.

“You two will have to answer some preliminary questions, and then make a temporary oath after paying the admission fees,” Black informed them. 

Black stayed with them as the Gate-Keeper started his Questioning.

“How did you two enter The Wild North?” 

The very first question was the hardest. There was no way Aoun and Elena could say that they passed through the Desolate Desert of the White Winter to enter the Wild North. It would raise too much attention, and would possibly blast off their covers.

“We can not answer that…” Aoun replied without showing any signs of hesitation.

The Gate-Keeper did not seem pleased at his answer and flashed a grin. 

“Where are you from?”

“We can not answer that…” Elena smiled at the man that was standing nearly eight feet tall.

“What were you doing in the Wild North?”

“Looking for suitable Beasts to contract, and sightseeing…” Aoun answered him. 

“Sightseeing? Just the two of you?” The man looked at them suspiciously.

“We had our Master with us, but then she left us on our own to gain experience and emark on a journey to South. On our way here, we met this Guild and decided to tag along for the journey to the Blossom City.” 

“Any proof?” 

Black was about to say something but Aoun shook his head at him. 

“Will this do?” He smiled at the Gate-Keeper as a locket appeared on his neck. 

The Emperor’s Aura had been diminishing for a day, now it was at the realm of a Queen’s Aura, soon on its way to drop into the realm of a Tyrant, but it was enough of a proof.

Melissa’s Aura was unique in the sense that it was bone-chillingly menacing. Everyone around them felt the temperature drop, but they still sweat. All the Guards at the Gate and the Checkpoints were alarmed.

The Gate-Keeper’s body shivered as long as the locket stayed on Aoun, and only after he stored it away in his Blood Ring, did the man come back to his senses.

Both Aoun and Elena looked at him, waiting for his answer, and he in turn looked at them in horror.

“What’s your purpose of visiting the Kingdom of Dreams?” He asked apprehensively.

“Sightseeing, adventuring, exploring…” Aoun shrugged and replied. 

“You will have to take a temporary Oath, a mark on you that will stay as long as you don’t get proper identities. It will allow us to keep an eye on your location, and also bind you from doing anything that would harm the Kingdom.”

It was the Oath everyone without an Identity had to take if they were allowed to enter a Kingdom. The terms were not so simple, but it was Temporary. As soon as they register themselves at a Guild Hall, the marks would wear off.

“Please,” Aoun nodded to him. 

The Guardian summoned his Grimoire and then an astral Orb. He lit a spell, and Aoun and Elena took their Oath. 

A bracelet of violet light appeared on their wrists, and they were Oathbound.

The two of them didn’t like wearing those two Bracelets, it was like a symbol of slavery, and their Empyrean Blood was boiling in their veins, urging them to destroy these bracelets. 

The Gate-Keeper sensed their discomfort and observed their expressions. 

“Once you register your Identities at the Guild Hall, these bracelets will be gone.” He informed them. 

“How much is the fee?” Aoun asked as he suppressed his Rune that was about to go berserk.

“Ten Thousand Kyrls each.” 

Elena tossed two platinum coins at the Gate-Keeper and grabbed Aoun’s hand before leading him away.

The two of them climbed on their Horses and entered the Gate. The Bracelets on their wrists flashed as they passed through the transparent wall, and once they had stepped inside the Kingdom, they waited for the group to arrive.

“Brother…” Elena worriedly called out to him. 

“I am fine…” 

“I know,” She lightly smiled. “You don’t need to suppress the anger.” She sweetly whispered. 

“Not here…” He grinned. 

“Are you okay?” Black and the group arrived, and worriedly looked at the to of them.

“Just don’t like these bracelets…” Aoun replied honestly.

“Let’s head to the Blossom City and get rid of these.” White smiled at him. 

The group did not need to travel in formation here. The road was safe, and after they passed through the junction where three different roads divided and took the road to the Blossom city, flying became forbidden. No one was allowed to fly on their Beasts in the vicinity of cities. And even in the cities, if one wished to see it from the sky, they had to do that through the official services that were there for this purpose.

Aoun’s mood brightened up when he saw the green grass and trees of all colors around them. It was a sight unique to the Kingdom of Dreams. There were trees of all colors here, and what was special about Blossom City were its Cherry Blossom Trees. Even in the darkness of night, the beauty mystified him. And there was a unique floral scent all around them that soothed their nerves. 

After traveling for nearly half an hour, they entered the city through its Northern Gate. And what they witnessed was a sight to behold.