Another day in the Cradle, and Ares was back to his usual routine. Today, he was going to try something new.
"Primordial... I've seen that somewhere before." Ares frowned, still absorbing mana as his thoughts drifted. Then, snap, the memory struck. "That's right! The War-Father… Valek Eisenhart."
"There was only one Primordial mentioned in the book. It belonged to the first Eisenklinge patriarch, the one they called War-Father, Valek Eisenhart. He came from the purest bloodline of the Eisenklinges."
He paused, rubbing his temple like an old man trying to remember where he left his teeth. "The family name Eisenklinge came from his surname, Eisenhart. He was the first patriarch, after all."
Ares let his thoughts drift back to the story. Far east of the empire lay a land called Razenval, home to the Eisenklinge family. Back then, they weren't one big happy family but a bunch of clans tied together by blood and old friendships. The Eisenhart family was the strongest in Razenval, but they didn't want power. Well, Valek didn't want to rule, and that caused quite the stir.
Valek was a man who chased strength like a dog chasing its own tail. He always wanted to push beyond his limits. something his family used to believe in too. But when they got comfortable and greedy, he packed his bags and left. Of course, a war broke out first, leaving the kingdom weaker than a newborn kitten. Valek and his group traveled until they reached the Zarethian Empire, where he single-handedly wiped out mankind's enemies. That earned him a big favor from the emperor.
The Emperor, who had about as much power as a wet paper towel, saw an opportunity. Seeing that Valek's group looked like they'd been walking for months, the Emperor gave Valek land for his people and everything needed to start a domain. He even threw in the fancy title of High Duke. Valek, who liked titles about as much as he liked root vegetables, only accepted for his people's sake. He then gave the other seventeen members titles and chunks of land to rule. Soon, people flocked to the region after hearing it was the safest place in the empire.
"Valek really was something else. This is going to be a pain, but I doubt anything too crazy will happen." Ares shrugged and settled back into his meditation.
He planned to awaken at least one of his elements today using the method from the book.
"Okay! According to the book, children absorb mana from birth. Awakening an element is simple, you just find the mana signature that matches the element you want to awaken."
He went quiet and closed his eyes, searching deep within his mana core. It felt like being thrown into an ocean and told to pick out different types of water by color or taste. Everything looked the same! But then an idea struck him.
"Ice is cold and sharp. I remember how I felt the first time I visited the ice shrine. Let me try to feel that again."
He searched for a mana signature that felt like ice. After what felt like forever, he found it, faint, but there. He drew closer to its source, like following a single thread back to the spool.
"Yes! That's it!" He'd found it, a mana signature that glowed like a ghostly sphere. As he got closer, the energy seeped into his being, and then it happened.
Cold crawled up his mana channels like an icy snake, spreading through his entire body. Freezing energy leaked out of him, turning the room into a winter wonderland. Even his bed sprouted frost like it was trying to grow ice flowers. Ares stared at his own body like it belonged to someone else.
"This is elemental mimicry! I just wanted to tap into that energy, but it looks like I've already gotten the hang of ice mimicry."
He'd used the same method as with mana, pulsing the ice element from his core around his body and back, like a tiny, very cold generator.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
Ares quickly shut off the ice mimicry and walked to the door. Junia stood there with breakfast, as usual.
She stepped into the room, but the moment she entered, she shivered. Sharp cold hit her like an invisible wall. She turned to see Ares wearing an expression so innocent, you'd think butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. They went through their usual morning dance, Ares bathed while Junia cleaned his room. That's when she spotted the ice flakes on his bed, and it clicked. He'd awakened his element! Joy bubbled up in her chest as she continued her work with a spring in her step.
After finishing his morning routine, Ares headed for the training grounds. Today was an off day,the Cradle ran for ten days straight before giving the children one day to do whatever they wanted. Ares decided he'd spend it at the ice shrine.
---
On his way to the ice shrine, something felt wrong. The hair on the back of his neck stood up like he was being watched. He spun around several times but saw nothing.
"Why do I feel like I'm being followed?" he muttered, turning around for what felt like the hundredth time. He decided to keep going and plan how he'd train his ice element.
---
High above in Cassia's quarters, in a sealed meditation hall decorated with violet banners and gold-inlaid columns, Lady Cassia stood with her eyes closed and fingers locked behind her back.
Two masked servants knelt before her, heads bowed so low they could count the floor tiles.
"You're certain?" Her voice was soft and terrifying, like a lullaby sung by death itself.
"Yes, my lady. Six rings. Confirmed by two instructors."
"And Veltrissa?" she asked.
"Silent, my lady."
Cassia's eyes opened slowly, revealing polished onyx irises as cold as winter glass.
"A Primordial potential... in that child?" she whispered. "No. That bloodline was supposed to die quietly, not bloom like a cursed flower. Not again. Beatrix was trouble enough, and now her son seems to be an even bigger headache."
Silence stretched like a taut rope before she continued. "Send shadows. Watch him."
One servant hesitated. "Should we... remove the threat?"
Cassia turned, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"Yes!."
The servants bowed even lower. "Yes, my lady."
---
Meanwhile, a hooded figure trailed behind Ares. Dressed in black from head to toe, he looked like death's personal delivery boy. He'd been following Ares since the moment he left the building, sticking to the shadows like glue, moving without a single sound.
The man was a ghost in human form, and Ares was his target.