Crimson Core

Three days later…

—knock, knock—

It wasn’t even dawn yet and someone was already knocking on Kai’s door.

“Come in.”

A male servant stepped into his room. “Young sir, my Lord has sent for you.”

“Hmm, right now?” the time was still early; it was still dark out.

“Yes, young sir my Lord says you must come immediately.”

“Alright,” Kai begrudgingly stood up and followed him to the other side of the mansion to the entrance of Lord Marshall’s study.

“Come…in…” A voice sounded in Kai’s head, so loud he had a headache on the spot.

Kai stepped forward and opened the door to see Lord Marshall looking through the window with his hand clasped behind his back.

“Kai, you have a very strong soul, do you know that?” The sun was beginning to rise, it was beautiful.

“Thank you, Lord Marshall.” initially Kai was conflicted, he didn’t know how to respond.

“Sit down.”

Kai walked forward and sat down in front of the lord's desk. Lord Marshall turned around to face Kai. “A message came for you.”

“For me?” Kai was shocked, he knew he had no one, his grandmother had already died some years before.

“Yes, for you, it came from the academic Bureau,” Lord Marshall dipped his hand into his cabinet withdrew a golden scroll and handed it to Kai. “Open it.”

Kai opened the scroll to read as soon as it entered his hands, and it read:

TO THE HOUSE OF LORD MARSHALL…

The procedures for the tests had been changed. That the old way of assessing mages has become outdated and a new way has been developed. The candidate has to just place his hands on a crystal ball and the number of rings that appear on the ball would be his potential in the realm of magic and elemental control.

As soon as he finished reading, Kai closed the scroll and handed it back to Lord Marshall. “You are done reading?” Lord Marshall asked with an expectant gaze.

“Yes,”

Lord Marshall leaned back in his chair. “Your assessment is today, good luck.”

“Thank you.”

“You may leave.” Lord Marshall waved his hands to dismiss Kai.

“Thank you.” Kai stood up, bowed and left the room.

During this time Chelsea had gotten better. She could walk now. Meanwhile, after Kai left the room, he took his bath and wore a black garb.

He came down from his room to see Chelsea eating her breakfast.

“Kai, where are you off to?” Chelsea asked, she seemed to have been waiting for Kai whilst eating.

With a teasing smile plastered on Kai’s face, he responded, “Did you forget? My assessment is today.”

“Ahh! Yes I remember. Wait for me I would like to go with you~” That seemed to be her plan all along.

“Take your time. I will be outside,” Kai responded with a smile; it had been such a long time since he saw her eyes light up like that.

“Okay!”

After some time— longer than expected, Chelsea stepped out of the mansion. Wearing a sleeveless midnight blue gown, with her hair swaying in the wind. She looked like a dream.

“I can see that you took your time. I have to ask, Are you sure you are going with me?” Kai was in awe of what he was seeing but he didn’t have to necessarily ogle at her.

Chelsea looked confused because of Kai’s question. “What do you mean?”

“How do I put it? You look breathtaking as though you were going to see your fiancé, or something.” Kai said with a smug expression.

“You are crazy, I have to look good everywhere I go. I am the city Lord’s daughter— That’s the requirement for my social status,” Chelsea said, flinging her hair in the wind.

“Right, this way our little diva.” Kai stretched his hand to help her into the carriage. She stopped and turned around to look at Kai.

“Who are you calling little? We look the same age, you know.”

“Of course, I know we are the same age. Hurry up we are running late.”

“Okay…Okay…Don’t rush me!” Chelsea stepped into the carriage as slow as humanly possible and Kai followed behind her—at a safe distance.

“Open The Gates!” A soldier ordered.

The carriage had been going for some time, a long time. Such that he had to ask, “Chelsea are we not there yet?”

“Hmm? Ooh, soon. By the way, Kai I have something to tell you...” Chelsea was tense now, and he noticed.

“Tell me,” Kai responded.

Chelsea adjusted her posture to face him. Her face was stern but it made it look more like a carved artwork… She was simply beautiful; she had the mix of cute and domineering in its best proportions.

“Remember what happened a few days ago?”

“Yes, I do.” This was a topic Kai didn’t want to talk about; he dreaded it.

“Remember what you did to me?” Almost immediately, the carriage’s temperature dropped and it became hard to breathe. It was as though someone held a knife to his neck and this feeling was not coming from Chelsea.

“Yes, I remember. I apologized didn’t I?”

“You have, but you defiled me, you know?” Kai almost died from the blood lust coming from the outside of the carriage.

Chelsea noticed the change in Kai countenance but waved it off because of the issue they were discussing.

“I only kissed you and it was by mistake.” After those words escaped his mouth, the room changed from chilling cold to boiling hot.

“Yes, I know but what is done is done.”

“So what do you want me to do?” Kai asked.

“Marry me.” Anyone could see that she was dead serious at that point.

“Say what now?” Kai almost puked out blood partly from the shock of what Chelsea said and the killing intent coming from outside the carriage.

He had to come up with something to get himself out of this. “You are serious?” Kai asked with eyes wide and his neck bent forward.

“Yes I am serious. Kai I want to tell you something.” Chelsea’s already solemn face got even more grave.

“I see you are serious. Tell me, what is it?” Kai’s expression also became solemn.

“Kai, I have had a suitor since birth…”

“That’s good, no?” He simply wasn’t seeing anything wrong with having a suitor, not minding the sharp pain he felt as he heard those words from her.

“No it’s not!” Chelsea paused for some time. “…The suitor is the first son of King Sullivan, Denzel.”

“Sigh, tell me more,” Kai could only lean in closer, he was in for a long ride.

“He, I mean Denzel is worse than his father… I want to tell you more but we have entered the lands of the academic bureau. I’ll tell you after your assessment.” Chelsea sounded as though she was scared of someone hearing them.

“Okay,” Kai glanced out the window and all he saw was a vast green land. So extensive, as though it had no end.

The carriage stopped and they stepped down. The moment his feet touched the ground the scene changed from an empty grassland to a grassland filled with people and structures. Kai saw people from different backgrounds and households. All the guards there had different designs engraved on their armor.

The least rank of a soldier here was the 4th rank, clad in red armor.

“It’s a relic, exclusive only to the bureaus. Please close your mouth you are embarrassing me.”

Kai marveled, So much so that he did not notice that the pressure from the killing intent had stopped. Chelsea continued to talk after they had started moving towards their tent.

“Everybody present here for the test is either the child of a prestigious family or winner of the academic bureau’s competition or a loved servant of a prestigious family; that’s where you fall in. But your status is higher than theirs because your backer is my father, a Lord level mage and the strongest Lord level mage in the five continents.” Chelsea said with pride in her eyes.

“…” Kai nodded in affirmation.

By the time Chelsea had ended her explanation, They were in front of a large tent with a banner of a blue Chinese dragon.

“This is where we would stay before you are called up.” The tent’s flap was opened by a bowing servant.

“Please do come in milady.”

The tent was larger than he anticipated. It had everything, from a beautiful blue dragon embroidered rug for the floor to the exquisite furniture inside this was even more majestic than Lord Marshall’s study.

As all good things must come to an end; before he could get comfortable, an academic bureau official came to inform them that it was his turn.

“Already?” Kai was on the verge of fictional tears as he asked Chelsea.

“Yes, already. Remember what I told you about my father; that’s why.”

“Sigh…how long will it take?” The question he wanted to ask was what was the test like? But he knew his only informant would refuse to tell him.

“Enough time.” Although the official said those words, she said it as though it was what she was told to say; her words sounded so unnatural.

The official led Kai to a larger tent. Where he was to be registered.

“Your rune?” The registrar asked him for the rune which he handed over to her.

After she had read the name of the household he came from, her head shot up to look at Kai. “You are from the house of Lord Marshall of the Blue Dragon City.”

“I guess that’s what’s on the rune.”

The registrar handed over the rune to him, “Please move along.”

“Thank you.”

Kai took the rune and walked towards a place where chairs were arranged and sat down, waiting. After some time all the chairs were filled.

“Hi,” he heard a female say beside him.

“Do I know you?” Kai for some reason, was not in the mood to talk. He didn’t even raised his head to respond.

“No, you don’t. Let me introduce myself. I am Darcy.”

“I am Kai,” he answered still not raising his head.

She felt a little dejected, Kai was treating her like a pest. “Can’t you look—”

Her words were cut short as he raised his head. “What?! Can’t you see I am not in the mood to…” Before Kai could completed his words an announcement was heard.

“Please Kai of the household of Walter, step forward…”

“No wonder he is arrogant. He came from the house of the Lord Marshall,” the blonde girl said to herself as she saw Kai stand and walk towards the announcer.

Not waiting to hear what else Darcy had to say, he walked towards the small exquisite tower of around twelve floors.

“Come with me.” The official who had made the announcement said.

Kai followed the official into the tower. They walked towards the stairs instead of going up, the stairs led downwards. “Take this way, keep going till you reach the end.”

The official turned around and left without letting Kai say anything after he had finished speaking. The stairs were lit up dimly by fire torches making him feel relatively alright.

Before long, Kai felt the wind and the torches abruptly went out. He could not even see what was before him in this darkness. At that time green specks of light came to be, escaping through the stone walls and floating around Kai, giving this sinister vibe.

Kai continued his walk downstairs, nonetheless. As he kept moving, more and more specks of the ominous green light increased in number. It got to a time when they stopped floating around and swam towards him.

The instant one of those lights touched Kai’s skin, he felt an excruciating pain all over his body. It felt as though a thousand needles were used to puncture his skin, it drove him nuts.

He was on the verge of ruination when he felt something snap from within him. The green specks flew out of his body at a speed visible to the eye.

“THIS IS ENOUGH!”

A voice, that sounded like it came from the underworld come out of his mouth. He had lost control of his body at that point. It was as if he was watching a drama of some sort.

“How dare you insignificant pests disturb my slumber?!!” The green specks of light that had gone out of his now-possessed body turned blue. “Boy! What is the meaning of this?”

“This is a test, I didn’t know it would turn out this way... Who are you?” Kai responded still in shock. This voice was his, but the voice that responded was foreign, it sounded so surreal.

“Young boy, I don’t take tests; I am above that. Have you forgotten me so soon? I am the one who brought you back to life!”

“It’s no wonder you sound familiar. I still remember our deal. Just so you know, I still have to take this test.” The sense of familiarity washed over Kai causing him to be in less shock.

“Alright if you insist, take your test. I’ll have to leave you now.” The voice died out, as if it was never there. It was one odd sight, Kai’s voice alternating; it was as if he had multiple personalities or something.

He shrugged and waved any thoughts he had aside, Kai still had the test to finish. After some time of walking, he stumbled into an enclosure. “Welcome,”

Kai saw a strange old woman dressed in the academic bureau’s uniform. The strange thing about her was the floating staff by her side and not the fact that she had a blindfold on.

“Please do have a seat,” she said as she pointed towards a chair in front of her.

As He walked deeper into the room, he looked around. The room was small and very dimly lit, weird inscriptions lined the walls of the room they glowed a white light periodically, oozing out an eerie vibe.

“Thank you.”

Kai sat on the chair she wanted him to sit on. “You have passed the first test, now for the second test.”

“I passed the first test?” He had to be sure that he heard her.

She chuckled a bit before answering, “Yes, you passed the first test.”

“What’s this second test about?” Kai asked filling good about himself.

“This second test is the final test. You have to place your hand on my crystal ball and your potential as a mage as well as your elemental affinity will be shown.” This woman spoke so slowly that it would bore anyone just listening to her talk. Nonetheless, he could not help but pay attention.

She touched her staff and said some indistinct words. The occasionally glowing wall had a steady blue glow this time. The ground between them cracked open and a crystal ball came out of that crack being held up by an earthen altar.

“Place your hand on the crystal ball,” the woman said and he obeyed and placed his hand on the crystal ball.

The ball glowed a majestic blue light the moment he touched it. But soon enough, the majestic blue light changed to a deathly blood-red brilliance.

“This is strange, very strange,” the old woman whispered to herself as her furrow was deeper, making Kai who sat before wonder what the problem was.

“What is strange?” He simply had to ask, her face was as though she was between a rock and a hard place.

“It’s not important. It’s just that I have never seen a red glow in all my days of being a bureaucrat bureau. The rings don’t even appear, how strange.”

“Alright, I’ll take my leave.” Kai sensed that the test was over after a few moments of silence between them.

“Thank you. Young man, for broadening my horizon,” the woman said as he stood up to leave the room through the way he came. “Remember to take your results from the official at the entrance of this edifice.”

“Thank you.” He was already outside the room at the time those words escaped his mouth.

‘What is this?’

The stair’s orientation had changed again, he was now going downstairs instead of upstairs the structure had changed even what the stairs were made of had changed.

He looked back into the room, and it still looked the same. “Any problems young man?”

“No.”

“Right then, I’ll be seeing you around.”

‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ Kai thought as he took the stairs going down.

“Hey, the one-who-brought-me-back-to-life, you there?” Kai called out as he took the stairs.

“What is it?” The formerly majestic voice was groggy at the moment, but still sounded otherworldly as it came out of Kai’s mouth.

“Could you explain to me why I am going down instead of up?”

“That’s why, you disturbed me. I should have let those pests take a bite out of your soul… Sigh. This phenomenon is simple, it’s a sub-level teleportation array, and that room you were in is the center point of the array,” the familiar voice explained.

When he got downstairs the scene had changed it wasn’t the waiting area that he remembered. The scene had changed again.