บท 6: Reunion
I rode a carriage to town. The Awakening had to be done at the chapel by the high priest. It was a pain, but the ceremony itself would only last a few minutes per person. Ace and Luna were already there with their parents. It was no surprise that I came by myself, but the Lionheart and Crestiala family still looked disappointed. My two friends came to greet me. While they were walking, I decided to check their stats to see how they grew in the last month.
Name: Ace Lionheart
Age: 15
Strength: 3
Intelligence: 2
Agility: 2.5
Charisma: 2
Magic: 2
Class: N/A
Mana: 200/200
Lunafreya Crestiala
Age: 15
Strength: 1
Intelligence: 2.5
Agility:2
Charisma: 3
Magic: 3.5
Class: N/A
Mana: 500/500
Ace almost upgraded every stat. He was truly a monster in the making, but it was no surprise. Even if he wasn't the hero, his father trained Ace himself, but how did he upgrade his charisma?
Lunafreya only upgraded her intelligence and magic, but it was still a large improvement. Even though I spent an entire month training, I still felt like I was being left behind.
"Yo, Smarus!"
"Good morning Smarus!"
My two friends greeted me. They looked different but at the same time, they looked familiar. Ace was a bit bigger in terms of muscle and his brown hair was now in a short ponytail. He had a scar on his cheek that he didn't have the last time I saw him.
Meanwhile, Luna's appearance was more or less the same. Long blond hair, was slightly taller than Ace and me and wore a little makeup for today. However, the way she carried herself was different. Before she was a bit more reserved, but now she had a sense of confidence. No, that's not right. She was now showing her confidence more boldly.
"Good morning Ace, Luna. It's been a minute since we saw each other," I waved to them.
They tilted their heads in confusion. Crap! I used a modern saying from my world, and they didn't fully understand what I meant.
"I mean, it has been a while since all of us saw each other."
"Smarus, that's just you!" Ace patted my back. "You have been off by yourself for a month, but Luna and I kept hanging out."
"I see. Well, you both look good."
"Thank you," Luna smiled while looking at her feet.
A flash of jealousy flashed on Ace's face for a moment. Despite what he said, it was probably safe to assume nothing happened between them. I was slightly annoyed, but I didn't want to spoil the mood.
"Anyways," Ace spoke up. "We still have an hour before the ceremony. Why don't we catch up a bit?"
"That's a wonderful idea! Even through the test of time, I doubt our friendship would wain from the lack of seeing each other," Luna chimed in.
"Sure, why not? I haven't seen you guys in about a month anyway."
We spoke to each other about what we spent the month doing. Ace began to train with the knight along with his training with his father. He got the scar from a careless mistake.
Luna studied the technicalities and theories behind magic. Her family had a long line of magic users, so her parents thought it was safe to assume that she would get a class that matched their expectations.
Of course, I shared my personal studies and camping adventures. They were both shocked that I actually took the time to camp as part of my training. I wanted to protest, but I knew that the villain was a massive germophobe, but I wasn't the villain. Our discussion was cut short when another carriage with the Dragonborne crest arrived.
"That must be my cousins. I should greet them," I explained to them.
"Yeah, see ya on the other side," Ace said while giving me a headshake.
That one statement and handshake meant something other than a friendly invitation. It was a challenge. One that held weight behind it. Luna hugged me.
"Remember our deal," She whispered in my ear before letting go of me.
I nodded my head and turned around to walk away. It was I deal I made knowing that I would win, so I wasn't worried about having to actually marry her. As I walked to the carriage, two figures emerged from the carriage.
"Wassup twerp," The twin with black twin braid, Myra said.
"Greetings, Sir Smarus," The other with pure, almost transparent white hair, Aurora, greeted me.
"Lady Myra, Lady Aurora, thank you for coming today," I gave a polite bow.
Technically, since I was part of the head family of our clan, I didn't have to show any formalities. However, I knew I would need their strength later, so it was best to get on their good side as soon as possible. Also, it was just simple respect.
"You flatter us, Sir Smarus," Aurora bowed in response.
"Drop the formalities. You don't even have a class yet, so you're still a child," Myra crossed her arms. Aurora slapped her arm, but Myra only slapped her back.
They began bickering about treating a member of the head family with respect. I knew I was no longer the center of their attention, so I stood there, awkwardly waiting for them to stop. I took the time to read their stats.
Name: Aurora Mystia
Clan: Dragonborne
Age: 17
Strength: 2
Intelligence: 4
Agility: 2.5
Charisma: 4
Magic: 4
Class: Light Mage
Mana: 650/650
Name: Myra Mystia
Clan: Dragonborne
Age: 17
Strength: 3
Intelligence: 4
Agility: 2.5
Charisma: 3
Magic: 5
Class: Dark Witch
Mana: 700/700
As expected, their stats are high for their age. Myra has 5 points in magic, so her growth will become indefinitely slower. Also, being in a clan provides a separate stat? Why didn't that show up for me? It might be because my name was actually in Dragonborne. I shrugged and moved on.
"Lady Aurora, Lady Myra, since today is…"
"Why do you always say Aurora's name first?" Myra interrupted me.
"Because Sir Smarus can recognize beauty," Aurora said proudly.
They both looked the same though, just with different clothes and hair color.
"Actually it's because Lady Aurora's name is first on the alphabet," I came up with an excuse. "But like I was saying, I have to prepare for the ceremony, so I must leave. However, I am more than happy to have dinner with you two today."
"Naturally, you think we would come all the wall here just to see your stupid… ow!"
Aurora smacked Myra on the back of her head to interrupt her.
"We would love to, Sir Smarus. Thank you for inviting us," She bowed, pushing Myra's head down to follow suit.
I chuckled and hurried away. I didn't want to interact with them anymore. Fleeing away, I heard the system's notification.
Ding! Aurora's character's log updated! Myra's character's log updated!
I was surprised since we only had a short conversation. Nonetheless, I opened up the tab while I waited for the ceremony to begin. I pulled up Aurora's info first.
"The last time she saw you was a few years ago. She noticed that you've grown to be a polite and dignified young man. Before she planned on usurping you for power, but now she has a newfound respect for you. For now, she is content serving under your rule in the future."
Unlike the other logs, this one had no possible outcomes, but the information was disturbing. However, it led to some questions. She planned on taking over as head of the clan? Could she be involved in my father's death that was going to happen in the future? I should keep an eye on her as much as I can. I open Myra's info.
"She hates you. She believes that you were only nice to get something from her. Whether it was power, fame, or her herself, she intends to stay on guard around you. She will also protect her sister at all costs.
Warning: Possible outcome:
Rebellious Leader."
This one was just as alarming, and a bit hurtful since she was one of my favorite characters. I sighed. She was a real person now, so I should treat her as such. Both sisters seemed to want a sense of independence, but this info was still too vague. I really hoped that dinner tonight will go smoothly with them. Based on what I already knew, the two sisters would quite literally take on the world for each other, but Myra had a severe inferiority complex compared to her sister. This is actually the reason why most common gameplay involves both of them joining separate sides.
I closed the tab and walked to the chapel. It looked like a normal church. Luna and Ace were already sitting in the front row, and motioned me to come join them. I sat next to Luna. Their faces were mixed with anxiety and excitement. It was understandable since their entire futures would be affected by this day. I, on the otherhand, didn't really want a great class. A basic class would do, and I planned to support Ace as a side charcter. At least until he was strong enough to fight the main bosses. Also, if I served as his moral compass, it should prevent the God of Judgement from showing up.
"Guys, no matter what happens today, we will remain as friends," I encouraged them.
I put my hand out in front of them. Ace was the first to understand as he took a deep breath.
"Yeah! Of course we'll all be friends. Just don't be jealous when I get an awesome class," He placed his hand on top of mine.
"Naturally since we all grew up together. Our classes will only strengthen our bonds," Luna placed her hand on top.
Ace's face reddened slightly when Luna touched his hand, but Luna's attention was focused on me. I watched as something that started as pure encouragement slow twist into a sort of expectation and personal agendas. Yeah, this group is cooked. We broke hands when the priest called the first of ace.
"Sir Ace Lionheart. We will begin your Awakening first."
The old man stood on stage, waiting for Ace. Nervous, Ace stood up and slowly walked to the stage. Despite his sweaty palms, Ace held his head up high, like a hero should. The high priest led him into a separate room. It was three years before the start of the game, and a year before the start of the academy. Whether I liked it or not, I was on a timed schedule.
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