Interlude I

Egon was loath to attend the Phoenix Festival. He did not like crowded places, especially the festivals. Even going to markets on a regular day would make him feel suffocated, let alone a grand celebration like the Phoenix Festival.

Alas, he was a prince. His father would make a pelt out of his skin if he didn't attend important events like this. Every year he would attend reluctantly and endure the torture of making small talks with nobles and locals. The mere thought of being surrounded by swooning girls made him gag.

Even if he was deathly pale, he was still a very handsome prince— curse his good genes. He would be eyed by the noble young ladies like a piece of meat.

He did not trust them, no, he did not trust anything human. Only his parents were somewhat dependable in his opinion. Everyone else was nothing more than an annoyance.

As such, he would try to avoid attending the crowded events. This year he had come up with a brilliant idea of acting traumatised by his abduction. And he was relieved when his father had relented and permitted him to not attend.

"Hmmm, this is so much better than going to that boring place…" He hummed happily as he read a book and munched on some snacks.

-Tap! -Tap!

"Who is there?" Egon was startled. Usually, the library would be empty in the afternoon and more so on a day like this.

"How are you doing, son?" Egom heaved a sigh of relief. He was worried that it might be a young lady who was here to court him.

"I am still recovering, Your Majesty."

"Haha, call me father, Egon! We are not in public now," His father's good natured smile unsettled him. He was never so nice to him.

"O-of course, father!" Egon stammered as his father clasped his shoulders in a friendly gesture.

"We never had a father-to-son conversation, eh?" Egon gulped. Did he mess up something? Was his acting terrible?

"Don't worry, you haven't done anything wrong," Elmer chuckled. "I just want to talk with my son, is it too much to ask? If you don't want my company, I will leave."

Egon turned paler. His father was actually seeking his permission to talk with him.

'Is this my father's doppelganger?' Egon had a strange thought at his father's reserved attitude. His father always roughhoused him instead of talking nicely.

"Urgh! Grow a pair, Egon! You're not a child anymore!" A playful chop to the head cleared his suspicion. It was indeed his father.

"Now, follow me! We need to talk."

"Yes, father!"

"It seems like you will only comply when I give an order," Elmer snorted.

"But, father, can't we talk here?" Egon asked boldly. The fact that his father hadn't hit him too hard, gave him courage. His father was in a good mood today.

"Shhh! Who talks in the library? It's against the rules!" Elmer rebuked.

"Uhm…there is no one here now."

"That doesn't mean we get to break the rules," Elmer said, visibly annoyed. "Are you coming or not?"

"Yes, yes. I am right behind you, father." Egon quickly followed his father out of the library. Along the way, Egon mustered up his courage to finally ask the question he had from the beginning.

"Father, why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the Coliseum? You're not here to drag me there, right?"

"Take a look at where we are going," Egon nodded as he realised they were heading deep inside the palace. "As for the Coliseum, let's just say they wouldn't notice my absence!"

"How? You're the emperor. People would immediately notice if you're missing!" Egon asked, puzzled.

"Hmmm, let's change the topic," Egon grimaced. It seemed he wouldn't get any answers from his father. "What do you know about cultivation realms?"

"Is this necessary now? Everyone knows about it!" Egon recoiled in fear as his father turned behind and glared at him.

"Okay, I will answer!" Egon agreed hurriedly. And started rambling the words he had memorised:

"A Minor can sense mana and perform circulation through his body. When he is on the cusp of maturing he can even use it to coat the mana around his body to get minimal protection from cold and heat.

"A Major can use daily magic and some advanced ones like mana shield, mana fortification, and mana burst.

"A Master unlocks the elemental affinity and begins comprehending the mysteries of his element.

"Only when he learns at least the basics of his element, he can become a Grandmaster and cast the elemental spells.

"A Sage can peek inside his core world and bring out the aura of his element into the real world.

"A Greatsage is someone who has learned the ins and outs of his element and made his aura more tangible thus being able to draw more power from his core.

"A King can turn the tangible aura into his domain and have complete control over it.

"An Emperor can enforce his will onto the domain to break the restriction placed on the spells. He can further expand his domain by the use of excessive mana."

Egon sang like a bird and told everything he knew about cultivation realms as they passed through many empty corridors and winding paths before coming to a pause in front of a white wall.

"There is a popular saying about the Monarch that he needs to die twice before he can really leave the world. I don't know if it is true or not since our empire has never had a Monarch, but according to books he can form his elemental clone and thus gain an extra life—"

"It is not an elemental clone. He can actually split himself in two and have two separate lives!" Elmer interrupted Egon and placed his hands on the wall. His mana surged into action, as the door split in two to reveal a descending staircase towards the depth of the earth.

"The one with the core is the real one and the other with the false core is usually referred to as a clone. Whenever the real core feels the threat of destruction it will replace itself with the false one. That's why the Monarch needs to die twice!"

"I see…" Egon nodded, his eyes widening at the secret door hidden inside the palace. Looking down the stairs, he found nothing but darkness.

"Come on, follow me. There is nothing to fear," Elmer reassured as he lit up a fire in his fingertips. It burned brightly, giving him visibility in the darkness.

As Egon descended the stairs, he found himself in a wide cavern. There was a plethora of materials sprawled on the ground. Some chests were full of random knick-knacks and pieces of jewellery. Some were full of gold and silver coins.

However, his eyes were drawn to a portrait of a brown-haired and hazel-eyed middle-aged woman hanging on the muddy wall. She was beautiful and he instantly felt a connection with her. Her smiling face filled him with warmth.

"Father, who is this?" He asked curiously. It was rare for him to find pleasant humans.

"Ohh, that's my mother, Alma…" Elmer answered as he pushed aside some of the trunks to make space in the middle. "She was a very kind and gentle soul and I loved her dearly. She used to be a palace maid in charge of taking care of your grandfather."

"Her smile is infectious!" Egon noted.

"Indeed, even my father was enamoured with her smile and sweet personality. He went against everyone to marry her!" Elmer sighed wistfully as he sat on top of a trunk. "If not for the empress sending her away with the threat of killing her infant son, I would have grown up in the palace!"

"Huh? What was Grandpa doing? Why did he allow it to happen?"

"Ohh, he was not here. He was not here when needed." Elmer's voice was filled with pain as he spoke. "He was busy warring against the Heavenmist empire."

"Uhh, I see…then what happened to her? I had never seen her before, not even in family paintings." Egon asked.

"Well, she was killed…" Elmer shrugged.

"What?" Egon asked instinctively. "Who would do something like that?"

"I don't know. Could be one of the dukes or any other nobles for that matter." Elmer pointed out. "My best bet would be on Denvers! They didn't take it kindly when my father declared me as a candidate for the throne. Maybe they killed her to scare me away."

"And you've no problems with that, father? You loved her, right?"

"Sigh~ I too wanted to take revenge, you know? Wanted to kill all that held the title of a noble. But Thomas talked me out of it." Elmer recalled with a faint smile on his lips. "He said it was wrong to act out of suspicion. A mark of a great ruler lies in his ability to judge and make the correct decision. An emperor shouldn't let his emotions get the better of him."

"Wise words from a wise man," Egon nodded. He had read those lines in one of the books.

"He was wise. In fact, he was too wise for this world…" Elmer chuckled.

"Huh? What do you mean, father?"

"Let's not talk about dead people, alright? This place is already depressing enough!"

"Come here, help me draw this magic circle on the ground." Elmer took out a diary from his spatial ring and handed it to Egon.

"What is this about, father?" Egon frowned. He didn't recognise any of the runic symbols on the circle.

"Hmmm, it's a blessing ritual. Ever since I ascended the throne I always do it on the day of the Phoenix Festival."

Egon nodded as he started drawing the runes on the ground. He didn't know how much time had passed as he kept drawing. Just as he was about to finish, his gaze fell on a small triangle in the magic circle.

"Father, what does this triangle do?" Egon asked curiously. "It feels out of place compared to the rest of the runes."