PREVIOUSLY-
A smile crept across Vincent's lips,
"This is interesting." He whispered to himself.
Suddenly, the platform began to tremble again.
Caelum's eyes widened in shock at the scene before him,
"What the—?!"
--x—
All the swords, gladiuses, longswords, estocs, falchions, greatswords, claymores, sabers, rapiers… Every type of sword in the vicinity glowed with a black pulse.
Silence hit the training grounds like an uncalled tsunami. However, sound soon exploded.
"WHAAAAAT!"
Henry screamed, scaring the people nearby.
"Everyone," he raised his hands to the sky, "SEE THIS!!!!"
"My," he slapped his chest, "My nephew is a genius that comes every millennium!!"
As the crowd was still in shock, Vincent flashed a canine at his brother,
'An SS grade talent? Not bad. But you will need something more important for that.'
Panic spread on Alexander's face as his eyes traced a faint lavender-a light shade even in lavender-coloured wisps awakened from the tusked mask.
"Fuck," he whispered to himself, nudging Sophie towards the view.
Sophie's eyes widened at the view, "Oh no," beads of sweat trickled down her cheeks, "it can't be."
Her face then turned to the other ladies- Olivia, Orianne, Amelia- all of them visibly shocked, no, visibly worried.
"Thomas," Olvia leaned closer, "Why is that cursed thing here?"
Thomas smirked at the sight, "Oh, that thing?"
"It was Henry's idea."
Henry's hand trembled in excitement,
"DEAR ALL!!!" He shrieked at the top of his lungs, "I hereby wish to direct your attention to the favourite item on the list- The Mask."
Nobles paled as servants nervously chuckled.
Then, as if to confirm their fears, Henry opened his not-so-blessed mouth again,
"For anyone with even a shred of doubt," Henry spread his arms wide. "Yes—this is the same Mask all three generations of Duskrane have awakened!"
He stretched his hand towards Thomas,
"My father, the count of Duskrane had awakened the same in a pale violet colour, a shade lighter than our nephew here."
His fingers arched to his chest as he raised his head in pride,
"I awakened a deep Indigo while," his face turned to Vincent,
"My adorably, arguably, perfect son here awakened a pure black colour."
5 YEARS LATER-
"So, what hapwened next?" A young girl, no older than two looked up, golden pupils peeking through bangs of white hair at the young boy who held her in his arms. His hair mirroring hers.
"Vaywen?"
The ten-year-old Vincent looked at the girl, his hands tying her hair in a perfectly styled braid.
"Little Elise," Vincent cupped her cheeks, a warm smile etched his lips, "That was it."
"Huh?" Elise turned her head, the cuteness sending a lethal pang in Vincent's heart.
'She is too cute!' Vincent stretched her cheeks playfully as a wooden sword swung in a vertical arc, aiming for his unguarded skull.
"You see, little chipmunk," Vincent calmly raised his arm, his fingers catching the sword with the finesse of a surgeon holding his scalpel.
"Nothing happened because," air curled around Vincent's fingertips as a simple flick sent the figure behind him flying two-feet away.
"Brother Leon is still very weak."
The figure rose up again. As the dust cleared the silhouette of a young boy of about five years of age came to light.
Brown hair tied in a short ponytail. Green eyes like twin shards of emerald and a wolfish grin that suggested that the spar was far from over.
The boy possessed the predatory features of a warrior house—a clean, sharp profile set against cheeks still softly rounded with the last vestiges of baby fat.
Despite his youth, his body did not carry the typical softness of a pampered noble child. His body slightly well-built, leaner and taller for most of his peers.
"Isn't that right, Leonatus?"
Leon only reflected back the wolfish grin,
"Who knows Vayren? Maybe I will win today."
However, Vincent's figure vanished from his sight, appearing behind him like a shadow.
"Leon, good work." Vincent smiled, calmly patting his head. "You have improved much."
Leon's brows furrowed,
"Its not fair! I see you beat Ralph more than me!"
Vincent turned back, amused,
"Raphael? Where is he?"
Leon lunged again, the sword cutting the air in a ragged swing,
"You can't play favourites Vayren!"
Vincent leaned back, the sword missing him by millimetres as his fingers curled around Leon's collar, the mere flick of Vincent's wrist sent the boy rolling to the floor, ultimately crashing into a tree.
Vincent calmly walked towards Elise,
"Elise," He picked her up gently, as if he had not been tactically beating up his younger brother earlier.
"Do you want to hear what happened to brother Raphael?"
Elise only nodded in response. Vincent's gaze traced to the sky,
"So, what happened was—"
FIVE YEARS AGO-
"Anyways," Henry dramatically twirled towards the marble again, "I know my nephew Leonatus is bound to become an amazing swordmaster but lets not forget my other nephew!"
He stretched a hand towards Amelia and Edward standing side by side. Raphael cuddled in Amelia's arms.
"Here comes, Raphaeldor Tigranclaw. My nephew who already gives me a competition for handsomeness!"
Edward and Amelia took gradual steps before calmly setting Raphael on a velvet pillow in the middle of stone.
Henry's frame slightly trembled like a crack addict finding his dopamine.
"Time for another reveal!"
His hand slapped the stone platform, marble crumbling against the force of his palm as the mysterious scroll turned into ashes once again.
Time and silence stilled again as the weight of expectant eyes from the crowd weighed on the newborn's talent.
Then, slowly, like a ritual taking its time, a black pulse began swirling around an 'astrolabe' and a square prism.
For a few seconds, nothing changed, then the black wisps curved around the spear while deep purple fumes wrapped around the tusked mask at the end.
The red poppies and the purple wisps making a beautiful work of art across its ivory surface.
"DAMN!" Henry's voice made ears ring as his fingers practically reached for Raphael.
"Did you see?!" Henry pointed to the baby, "This little boy, he has a talent for being smart while having an enormous talent for the spear?!
"Is this what they call beauty, brains and brawns with a healthy pinch of freak?!"
Amelia wiped a tear as Edward gently kissed her forehead,
"See honey, our boy is a genius. Thank you for giving me such a gift."
Amelia wrapped her arms around him, her silence louder than any words. Slowly, the couple climbed the stone, walking towards their reason of happiness.
As Edward stepped back into the crowd, his eyes met Alexander's.
'It seems you really are a lucky bastard.' Alexander winked.
Edward craned his neck in response, 'I could say the same to you.'
The two shared a short chuckled followed by a deep stare,
'But, what do we do about the 'mask' part?' Alexander's eyes darted to the mask.
'Lets just try to avoid that as much as we can.' Edward sighed.
BACK TO THE PRESENT-
"And that's how brother Raphael's ceremony ended." Vincent looked down at Elise who responded with an awed gaze.
'Oh my, how can a human be so cute.'
His eyes stared at her soft cheeks, fingers twitching for a pinch.
"Vaywen!" Elise shouted, pointing to Vincent's right as a wooden spear shot towards him.
"My dear Elise," Vincent snapped his neck, catching the spear before a dagger exploded towards his face.
"Even brother Raphael is dumb and weak." He smirked, catching the wrist holding the wooden dagger.
His eyes traced the countours of another young boy, the same age as Leon. Five years.
Black hair sat in short, disciplined cut as his green eyes darted immediately to Vincent's exposed liver.
The boy swiftly raised a kick to Vincent's side but before he could blink, his back lay flat on the green soil.
Beads of sweat trickled down his refined, straight and proportionate features that portrayed him as a noble in all ways imaginable.
"Raphael," Vincent crouched beside the black-haired boy, "You still need to work more on predicting your opponent's power."
However, Raphael only winced in exhaustion,
'As if! Whenever I see him, all I see is an insurmountable wall. He is just as powerful as mother or father.'
Then, as if hearing Raphael's thoughts, Vincent's expression softened.
"Go, play. Like children your age should."
A soft tug pulled at Vincent's sleeve; he turned to see Elise looking at him with sparkling eyes.
"Vaywen, I also want to fwight you."
"Hahahahahahaha!" Leon broke down in laughter beside them, clutching his stomach, "Little girl! Do you really think you can defeat Vayren?"
Vincent only calmly stood up, "Okay, Miss Elise," he proceeded to kneel like a loyal knight.
"May I have the honour?"
Elise only gave a bubbly laughter in response before raising her tiny hands in what seemed like preparation for a very complex spell.
CRACK!
The ground cracked slightly as grains of soil began forming a ball of mud.
Vincent grinned crouching. Then, suddenly, a ball of mud the size of an apple flew towards him, the impact striking with a force which could only be described as an 'accidental bump'.
For a second nothing happened as the lump of soil fell to the earth with a defeated thump. But suddenly, within a moment, Vincent's body flew into a nearby tree.
Vincent rolled from the impact, getting up weakly, a terrible acting that seemed to only entertain the two-year old before him. And that was enough.
Raphael and Leon stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before them as Vincent gradually raised his hand.
"Oh my, Elise is too strong for me! I surrender!"
Their jaws dropped to the floor as the monster before them turned into a ray of sunshine.
'He is playing favourites!'
Both screamed together.
"Young Master Leon," A maid called from beside the weapon rack, "Her Grace, wishes to see you in the library."
Leon stood up quickly, brushing dust off his trousers as he turned to his brothers and sister, "Vayren, Ralph and Elise, I will be back in a moment."
Vincent warmly gazed as Leon slowly drifted away.
"Haa…" A slow exhale left his mouth as Vincent wrapped an arm around Raphael, Elise resting her head against his outstretched arm, the three gazing at the sky while lying on the lush grass.
"When are Aunt Amelia and Uncle Edward reaching Leonhart?" He turned to Raphael.
The latter glanced at Vincent, then at the sky, "By evening, I presume."
THAT EVENING-
The onyx carriage halted before the golden gates of the Leonhart Duchy. The beautiful gardens and moonlit fountains sketching together a breathtaking night view.
A foot descended from the carriage. A tall yet lean man exited, calm black eyes, trimmed beard, short hair kept neatly and sharp features that looked like a face chiselled to perfection.
His clothes fit his frame perfectly, tailored by experts as his physique, made for combat functionality rather than large muscles radiated both power and authority.
Edward Tigranclaw turned towards the carriage; he didn't just offer his hand; he offered his presence. He turned fully, his gaze locked warmly on Amelia's, a faint smile playing on his lips. His arm lifted, forming a perfect, steady guide.
He waited for the soft pressure of her fingers, and with a minimal flex of his wrist, he supported her weight through the elegant transition, ensuring her landing was secure and entirely comfortable.
"Thank you, honey." The Duchess smiled.
Duchess Amelia Tigranclaw possessed a chilling, ethereal beauty. Her skin was exquisitely pale, like untouched porcelain, beautifully contrasted by an immaculate cap of short, snow-white hair that softened around her serene, self-possessed expression.
Her gaze was magnetic, held by large, piercing emerald green eyes that communicated a bold, unwavering calm. Her long, graceful neck and straight, composed shoulders were accentuated by the high neckline of her elegant white gown, hinting at the lethal combination of both strength and beauty.
"Welcome, Aunt Amelia and Uncle Edward!"
A familiar figure of white hair greeted the couple. Vincent.
"Cupcake," Amelia's gaze softened, "How are you?"
Edward smiled at his nephew, "How is your training going?"
Vincent only bowed slightly, "I am fine, Aunt Amelia."
His gaze met Edward's, "I look forward to learning from you, Uncle Edward."
"But," Vincent leaned closer to the carriage, eyes searching for something, "Where are my little chipmunks?"
Two pairs of black eyes blinked in the carriage.
"Vayren!"