27th Chapter ♣ Ancient History

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

"Arlandia—second to the largest under the rule of the Wyldens."

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Ancient History



Valeriana pulled her hair and screamed in frustration. Corvan, annoyed by her antics, shot an irked glance at her direction. The Twelve knew what was bothering the girl though. The fact that she was going to have her second duel was already spreading like wildfire. It was hard to miss the news, although since Lord Corvan wasn't very much fond of gossip, there was no doubt that there was a big possibility he didn't hear of it yet.

"So you aren't aware of it, yet."

The Cold Prince dragged his gaze lazily towards Rowe, who spoke with his usually gentle smile, and glowered at him. "What? Is there something I need to know?"

Before Rowe could open his mouth, Tamara interrupted and casually answered his question. The usual cheerful smile lit up her face and she plopped down on the nearest chair.

"Well, Valeriana will be having her second duel sometime soon. Everyone is looking forward to it," she said, chuckling. "Provided that the challenger doesn't misbehave at all before the duel ensues. It's really an interesting setup."

"Quit with your rude manners, Tamara." Charles snarled. "How many times do I have to tell you not to speak when not being spoken to?"

The third-ranker looked up at Charles with a confused gaze. "Huh? Oh, well." She shrugged. "I forgot."

The fourth-ranker fumed in anger, shooting a heated, unwavering glare at Tamara's direction. The third-ranker seemed oblivious of this though, and continued humming to herself gleefully.

Charles pulled back and took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. He fixed the glasses that framed his cobalt blue eyes and trained his gaze on Valeriana, who was currently pacing back and forth restlessly around the room.

"Why did I have to agree to that stupid duel?"

"I do understand the pressure, Valeriana." Charles told her. "But be informed that the second duel you perform as the fifth-ranker is regarded with much more importance than the first."

"If you understand the pressure, then you shouldn't have told me!" she yelled at him.

"You're lucky though," Keelan said cheerfully. "You're being given three days instead of just a few hours to prepare! Unlike the last time, this will do you more good right? After all, you were only asked to prepare for a very short period of time but still managed to defeat Courtney!"

"It's not how you think it is! That was just damn luck! I keep telling you it was damn luck!"

"Then pray to your god to grant you that damn luck again," Aneeka said jokingly, polishing the already shiny gun in her hands. Her purplish blue eyes flickered to Valeriana's direction, the ever brown hair with that reflected a color of red under the light snaking down her shoulders.

"Oh, hell I will!"

"But you have to remember that your fight is against Zion Brunhild. He isn't just any normal student in this academy," Rowe reminded, flashing the girl his usual smile that made all girls weak-kneed.

"What? Isn't this academy not normal in the first place?"

"If you put it that way . . . then Zion is not a normal student in a not-so-normal academy!" Tamara exclaimed, bursting into laughter as if it was the funniest joke she ever heard in her entire life.

Valeriana sighed. "In what way?" she asked.

"Well, I remember Zion," Charles remarked. "He's someone who managed to stand up against Corvan for quite a while. I admit he's really quite impressive."

The lord gritted his teeth in annoyance and snapped the book he was reading close. "I prefer not hearing his name in my presence."

The lord could not erase the look of utter aggravation on his face. For him to lose his composure over something like fighting Zion made the thought even more daunting for the poor girl. Corvan was considered as the school's best student. To think that someone else aside from the members of the Twelve were able to stand up to him in a manner like they described, she could only shiver in fear as she thought of the possible outcome of events after the duel.

"I-is he really that good?"

The first-ranker closed his eyes and breathed out in exasperation, a crease appearing between his brows. "You'll have to face him yourself. For him to be able to stand up against someone like me would be enough to consider as a remarkable feat, so I won't blame you if you're anxious," he stated rather arrogantly.

"Geez," Valeriana muttered, nipping on the edge of her nails. "Can't you get off your high horse for once and try to comfort someone on the brink of insanity?"

"Oh?" The first-ranker gave Valeriana a questioning look while cockily raising a brow. Valeriana mirrored his expression with a glower while the young lord crossed his long legs. "If you are saying you are in the brink of insanity, and if by any chance you do go mad, I'll be more than happy to personally escort you back to your world and permanently be rid of you."

Valeriana grinded her teeth together in infuriation and clenched her fists, withdrawing the nails she was chewing on. "If I go mad, the first thing I'm going to do is claw your eyes out before ripping out all those hair on your head! I'll even make sure that not a single strand is left!"

"Why you!"

"On second thought, I'll leave one poking on top of your head!"

"Then I—"

"I heard, though . . ." Tamara piped in, cutting off Corvan. "That you got your first aides?"

Valeriana glanced at the third-ranker and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"Haha!" Aneeka exclaimed and slapped Elfre on the back. "I win the bet! Pay up!"

"I did not make any sort of bet with you," Elfre denied fervently, shaking her head and looking away.

"Anyway . . ." Tamara said again, trying to drown out the noisy argument between Elfre and Aneeka with her voice. "That's good for you. I never thought you would have aides though. Usually, aides immediately step forward after the first fight. You took a whole week and you only got a few."

Valeriana couldn't find the answer to that question.

"Although, that's a good progress," she hastily added.

"Yeah, right." The fifth-ranker rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I never got the chance to ask what aides are . . ."

"Consider them your disciple," Tamara answered. "They're your followers and usually assist you with the things you do. They help you out with things and in exchange, you teach them things you know."

"What . . . ? What the hell am I supposed to teach them? I don't know anything. How many aides do you have, Tamara?"

"Ahh . . ." She trailed off and began to laugh. "It's not something I can count easily."

"What about Corvan?"

He made a noise of irritation at the back of his throat. "Aides are a nuisance. I don't need anyone following me around. I can perfectly manage on my own."

"Keep acting like that and I'm sure your ego will burst and pop someday," Valeriana commented, rolling her eyes. "I'm really feeling stupid for what I did this morning. I shouldn't have punched that stupid guy."

"Actually, it was a good decision that you did," Charles said as he pushed his glasses back. He sat down on a loveseat and took out a small knife from his pocket, twirling it between his fingers in a repetitive pattern. "It's a sign that you won't allow anyone to talk badly of you very easily. You just showed your superiority. If you didn't, the students will grow audacious and think that you are just weak and easy to push around. Things took a better turn. I think this opportunity came just the right moment."

A gentle knock called the attention of the Twelve. They all turned to look at the front door. Charles took the liberty of opening the door, letting the form of the lady knight appear into everyone's plain view.

"Pardon the intrusion," Seraphina greeted, a small smile on her lips.

"Lady Seraphina? To what may we owe your visit to?" Charles asked, appearing polite. "Have you come to join us for dinner?"

"I would love to, really," she replied. "But there are dire matters that have called my attention, so I regret to inform you that I must decline."

"That's a shame. Valeriana and I were just about to start the preparations."

"Ah, yes," she added. "May I ask for Valeriana?"

Hearing her name called, Valeriana jogged forward and stopped just before the lady knight before saying, "I'm here!"

The woman sighed. "There you are. I assumed you would be here. And I want to say that I'm sorry, but I need you to prepare dinner alone," she told Charles. "You people don't mind if I borrow her for a moment, do you?"

"Of course, not," Charles answered.

"Alright. Then, please come with me, Valeriana."

Valeriana waved at the Twelve before walking alongside the lady knight. She wondered about Seraphina's intention and gazed up at her with mild curiosity.

"I assume you're wondering why I called you out." Seraphina watched the girl from the corner of her eyes and gave a smile.

Valeriana nodded. "I am."

"Well, I cannot hand over the responsibility to another person when you need coaching before your duel, aren't I right?" She craned her neck to fully look at the human and grinned when Valeriana's eyes went wide.

She could not hide her excitement. "You mean you're going to teach me again?"

"Of course," she answered. "Why not? Besides, although Zion acts inappropriately all the time, he's no commoner. He can act the way he wants. If he behaves, then he does, if he doesn't, then he doesn't."

"No commoner? Who exactly is this Zion?"

"Well, he's one of the lesser nobles—if you can even call his family that—but he was educated in etiquette. It really is a waste."

"Ooh," she said. "Anyhow, thank you very much, Lady Seraphina! I'll try not to disappoint you!"

"Nothing less I would expect from you, Valeriana," she said, chuckling. "And please don't use my title when we're alone. Just call me Seraphina."

Valeriana hesitated, "Uh . . . sorry. It kind of stuck inside my head with everyone calling you that. Why, though?"

"It doesn't feel right coming from you," she admitted and stared at the girl thoughtfully. "Somehow, I see you like a younger sister of mine, if not, a very close friend. I don't know why but I can't help but feel fond of you."

Valeriana chuckled. "I feel really flattered about that."

"You remember when I said that you reminded me of someone?"

"Yeah. Who? If I may ask?"

"You seem to resemble her very much, not just by means of appearance, but also by attitude Maybe that's why I found myself acting the way I did . . . because I saw her in you. She was very close to me, you see. She was the mother I didn't have."

Valeriana remained silent at her statement.

When Seraphina realized the awkwardness, she immediately tried to change the topic. "I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me to bring it up. I'll try not to talk about it again."

"No. It's fine, really." Valeriana shook her head. "I'm curious though," she said. "Who is it that I resemble very much?"

"Well, let's see." She rested her chin on the space between her thumb and forefinger. She scrutinized Valeriana with her blue eyes and smiled. "There can only be one person we're talking about."

Valeriana felt herself licking her bottom lip. She brushed back her honey-golden locks and looked at the ground in embarrassment.

Valeriana anticipated for the answer and glanced up at the lady knight to find her sighing to herself.

"You look so much like the late queen. Lady Ayslia."

Valeriana's mouth dropped open in shock. "What?"

"That's a question we're all willing to find the answer to," she said, laughing.

"But why is her name von Versailles de la Vernados Rosellevienne? She has the same name as Charles but she also has the surname of the king."

"Queen Ayslia was from the family Vernados. She was originally an aristocrat who married into the royal family, hence, she adopted the name of Rosellevienne to symbolize her union with the king."

"I see . . . but how is Charles related to her?"

"Charles is the nephew of Queen Ayslia. His father was her younger brother."

"So you're telling me that Charles is a relative of royalty?"

"So is the man who you met a few days back . . ." she mused. "He was the elder brother of late queen."

"Who?"

"The man who just appeared out of nowhere during class and took me away," she replied. "Claude. He was actually the oldest among the three."

Valeriana looked down and started counting with her fingers. "What? You mean that baby face? Charles looks older!"

"Alright, that's enough about ages," she said, chuckling. "Come here."

Valeriana didn't realize, but it seemed that they were already where they were supposed to be. They didn't go to the arena like the last time; they were in an open field. Looking around, it dawned to Valeriana that they went uphill. She was too caught up in the conversation to even realize.

"Wow," she muttered, awed.

Standing on top of the hill offered them a great view of the majestic building of the academy. It overlooked the whole area and allowed the viewer to fully appreciate the beauty of the place. Having been given the chance, Valeriana began to size the school's immensity.

The panoramic scene was breathtaking and was simply picturesque. The sight of the grand structure standing tall and proud with the setting sun shining behind it made her think that the scene was something that just had to be either painted or photographed and encased in a golden frame to symbolize its worth.

Having seen the academy in full view, not only did Valeriana realize that it was larger than she had originally thought, but it took the shape of a regal castle with soaring towers. Her eyes could only go wider at the realization.

"I didn't realize the academy was actually a large castle."

"The main building is a castle. Structures were built the past few years in order to accommodate the necessary training."

The view was certainly something to behold. The academy was majestic, yet what really caught her attention was the lone, dark forest that thrived right outside the gates that bordered the school. The smile left Valeriana's lips.

The forest emitted an eerie atmosphere—as if anyone who entered it would never come back. The trees looked dead. Contrary to the lush and fertile lands she was stepping on, the soil on the forest looked simply barren as though it wouldn't be able to sustain any life at all.

Touched by death, dark ash and cinders colored the bark of trees and the land itself.

"This is . . . the Forest of Valdis," she muttered to herself, thinking back on what Corvan had said before.

A chill ran down her spine.

"That dark, ominous forest was once a thriving woodland. It had the purest streams of water, the liveliest breeze. But, that was thousands of years ago, when the first king of Valemnia had yet to ascend to the throne. What you see before you is but a mere portion of the Dark Continent."

True to her words, the barren-looking forest stretched beyond where her eyes could not reach.

She gulped, but listened closely to the knight's words, deeply interested. She wanted to at least know the reason why the previously thriving forest suddenly turned into a patch of dead-looking trees and plants.

"Friedel was born to a simple family with his twin brother, Valdis."

She perked up at the familiar name.

"At that time, life was simple and people felt contented worshipping the five great gods. Larkov—god of the seas and water, Arland—god of the fire and volcanoes, Denovega—god of the earth and the mountains, Preluré—god of the wind and air, and Aether—god of the souls and spirits."

"I see."

"Friedel was a simple boy back then, and so was his brother. He was the younger of the two and he showed natural talent. Valdis was the same. The two competed, and though equal, Valdis was envious."

"Why?"

"Because Friedel was a natural-born prodigy. He, on the other hand, had to work hard in order to achieve his goals, and that thought alone frustrated him," she answered. "Also, because of Friedel's outgoing and friendly personality, he easily attracted people towards him, while Valdis was left out."

She was silent.

"And that's how it went for the two. Although Friedel loved his brother greatly, Valdis despised the way he felt like he was being left behind, so he acted very uptight. The competition between the two was very unremitting and not one of them allowed to be overshadowed by the other.

"Eventually, Valdis earned that recognition," Seraphina began. "The competition was known to be prestigious since it tested the skills of each individual, and since both of them came out the best, they eventually faced off at the last round. In it, Friedel lost, but Valdis didn't feel like he won at all."

"Why not?"

"Because Friedel gave it away," she answered. "Friedel purposely lost the fight to give him the recognition he was yearning for, hoping that would bring them closer. But the total opposite happened. The moment Friedel lost, Valdis exploded. He was angered at the thought that his younger brother pitied him and his hate for him even grew."

"Didn't Friedel think Valdis would catch on? It's quite stupid."

"Friedel made a foolish decision. He had no other ideas—no other way he could think of that would get Valdis to stop being so distant. So he hopelessly tried to make up for it through other ways, yet his efforts were futile," she said. "You could say it was naïve of him."

Valeriana watched the lady knight as she sank down on the ground, lying among the sharp blades of grass. The girl followed the woman shortly and felt an unusual sense of comfort as the wind blew and caressed their cheeks.

Seraphina gave her a motherly smile as well. "Eventually, it continued that way and Valdis never showed any intent of forgiving his brother. That was until a woman came along," she paused and smiled. "Her name was Bridgette, and she undoubtedly caught the hearts of both men because of her peerless beauty and kindness. Valdis enthusiastically told his brother about it, and fearing that the current development of their relationship as siblings would disappear, Friedel desperately tried to hide his feelings. But the heart was not something to be suppressed. Eventually, Valdis confessed his love, but was turned down. Do you know why?"

Valeriana gulped at her growing suspicion. "Why?"

"Because Bridgette fell for Friedel," she said. "And telling Valdis the truth devastated him. Why must he suffer being in his brother's shadow every time? Why must it be that he always had to work hard for everything when Friedel automatically got what he wanted? Why was it that everything he wanted kept falling willingly into his brother's open palms? These questions were the things he asked himself and eventually, the demon lord was born."

"Wait . . . this sounds like a romance story out of a cliché historical book." She sat up and stared at Seraphina in shock. "So the first demon was actually the twin brother of the first king?"

"That's

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net