The Onlooker.

The Grand Hall of Shru Palace was bustling with laughter and conversation as the nobleman gathered to celebrate the coming of age ceremony of the crown prince, Shru Tresser.

The boy whom no one had ever gotten close to yet many wished to see, or more confirm if the crown prince's position wasn't secure as rumours said or it was better to wait a couple of more years before they chose different side.

They glistened, their attire more to say they're richer than the person standing next to them; more important than the one who'd been introduced first or better yet belonged in the palace; to the royal class more than the crown prince himself.

"Announcing his majesty, the King and her majesty, the queen." broke through the voice of the head eunuch.

The clamor paused, as though choreographed, turned to face and bow at the man and woman about to ascend the stairs,

At the top of the stairs, a tall man in all white robe, stood next to a woman in a fitted off shoulder white dress, her black hair cascading like pitch black smoke to her waist; a perfect match as people saw them, thinking there wasn't anymore fitted pieces than these standing aloof, looking at the crows below.

"All hail the king." The crowd saluted and the couple started to descend leisurely.

This episode fell in the eyes of a young man at the second floor standing behind a pilar, Shru Tressar. He narrowed his pitch black eyes that shifted between black and white, his short hair shining like the moonlight, his dark clothes making him paler, giving off an eerie feeling,

"Coming off age they say. Wouldn't I be disappointing them then if I really didn't come off age?" He said to himself as lights went out.

A formation inside the palace hall activated, everyone felt their breath cease for two seconds before they felt the hairs at the back of their necks stand. Before anyone could ask what was going on, a roar sounded, a roar of an extremely angry beast and chaos broke out. In the dark, those with higher spiritual power could see the shadows around them becoming more and more erratic, those with lower spiritual power felt themselves struggling to breathe.

"There's a mage. It's a mage attack." Someone screamed.

King Shru took out his sword, its slender body a single source of light in the dark, slashed a cross at the centre of the formation, with him taking the lead attacking, many started to attack the direction they saw the king attack. Beams of light started racing towards nothing, dispersing as they got into the distance as if swallowed by something then the darkness becoming more and more dense.

"It's not just any mage attack, it's absorbing the attacks." Queen Shru said to the King, looking at the peculiar scene. She felt something odd with what was going on but couldn't quite put a finger on what was wrong, as she was pondering,

a loud pound sounded, the sound of someone falling down. Just when the first one sounded, it seemed to have triggered a chain and many more pounds came.

In the midst of panic and shouting, the queen finally saw what was wrong with this attack, it wasn't fatal or malice induced, it felt more a prank than anything. She turned and looked around for someone, with her high spiritual power, the dark wasn't a hindrance, she searched but couldn't find who she was looking for till she raised her head high up to a pilar that seemed out of place, the crown prince.

"Tressar, enough." transmitted the queen to the boy looking down at everything and received only an eyebrow raised in return.

The good looking young man didn't even turn his eyes at her, he was looking at someone, someone who seemed to have piqued his interest.

"Enough, Tressar." firmly shouted the queen.

The crowd stopped what they were doing, and those with high spiritual power glanced where the queen was looking, to be met by a pair off silver eyes, with darkness surrounding them, the eyes seemed more inhuman than when the light was on. Two beams that were beastly and undead, they gave them a fright, so much so many couldn't look at them for long and turned away.

"Is it though?" replied the young man as he walked out behind the pilar. "Will it ever be enough?"

Shru Tressar stood at the second floor, shrouded in darkness only the pair of white eyes visible, the picture imprinted in many people's minds. All they thought was this, this was a curse, a sin that couldn't be left unchecked. With the flick of his wrist, the formation deactivated.

The atmosphere in the hall was gloomy, as many ministers took their children and grandchildren to the chairs - they'd fainted from the effects of the formation. They were furious, so furious most of them only put down their relatives down and went back to stand at the centre of the grand hall, fell on their knees and bowed to their sovereign;

"Your majesty, the crown prince is becoming more and more unbridled." General Teroll the first to exclaim. His grandson had a weak constitution and the most affected by the formation, it was likely he would miss the admission entrance of the academies in three days.

General Teroll held most power in Crystal Shard City, his power came from wealth more than magic - spiritual power. Many were in his debt and many needed to buy resources from him. It wasn't known how General Teroll came to have such wealth but it was known that Teroll didn't like being played, General Teroll was a man of outdated views and held onto his morals, he didn't play in politics.

"Your majesty, this subject would like to ask the crown prince what he means." His grove voice sounded, and the long beard danced. It was a telltale of his anger, along with his red eyes - heaving chest. Their usual calm arrogance was now firey. He was really angered.

The king looked at the people surrounding him and walked to his seat. He really didn't know what to with his unruly child. He really felt helpless.

click. click. click.

Before the king could say anything, the sound of heels on the floor sounded, everyone turned to look at the youth making his way down. His walk steady, deliberate, rebellious and every bit arrogant. Their next emperor his walk dane, their ruler it pounced on their hearts, their next sovereign...

click. click. click.

It continued, descending the stairs, making his way through the crowd and standing in front of General Teroll.

He was taller than most boys his age, only turning eighteen and already a head taller than the general who was by no means a short man.

He stood in front of him, looking at him without saying anything for too long; the general - a man who'd led many soldiers felt uncomfortable at the receiving end of those eyes, a man who'd killed many enemies of his country but could barely hold eyes of a little boy.

He looked at him, his dark eyes reflecting the general's uncomfortable-trying to be-angry face, only looked at him as if trying to analyse a really puzzling picture, when he finally found what he was looking for he said,

"I was gauging the competition."