In a room that exuded elegance and was dripping with opulence, the cackling of fire in a marble fireplace emanated comfortable warmth, making the atmosphere inside cozy.
Adrian Ashford knocked once, then stepped inside the room, stopping a comfortable distance from the gorgeous boy who sat on a velvet armchair with a teddy bear in his arms, his face annoyed as he shut his laptop.
Adrien bent his head slightly in a respectful bow. "Young Master."
The golden-haired boy turned to look at him, then clapped his hands excitedly.
"It's good you are here. Do you want to play?"
He was already walking toward him, clutching the teddy with an excited expression.
"We can play with Cushy Paws, or we can play hide-and-seek. No, those are boring. Hmm… let's play tag!"
Adrien didn't reply, nor did he raise his head. He simply waited.
Then a voice nothing like the one that had spoken moments ago emanated from the boy. It was deeper, colder, and even managed to make a shiver travel down Adrien's spine before he realized it himself.
"How are the preparations going?"
Adrien finally raised his head, his heart feeling unsettled under the weight of those apathetic eyes shining with golden radiance.
In front of him was his Young Master, his head now tilted apathetically toward him as he waited for an answer. The teddy was no longer in his hands, but was now a ripped mass of cotton lying across the floor.
Adrien hadn't even realized when it had been torn apart.
He smiled bitterly. "Numerous factions have arisen under the banners of various noble houses and the Harmonic Council. But the only factions that can be a threat to you are those under the Resonant Prince, Cael Avon, and Lirae Calden, the little Saintess of the Choir of Dawn. They have already pulled scores of Apprentices to their side-"
Eric interrupted him, walking up to one of the figurines in the room and running his hand over its surface.
"The Blade of Justice wants no faction of her own?"
Adrien shook his head. "She is either good at keeping it hidden, or she simply cannot be bothered starting one."
Eric sighed, his voice disappointed. "This news doesn't change anything I know, nor does it feel like new information. Is that all you have for me, Adrien?"
Adrien's face turned pensive. "I haven't verified the news, but there are rumors of a girl at the Concordia Labs with strength comparable to the three known Apexes. I believe her name is Sophia Veil."
He continued, "If this turns out to be true, then their candidates will probably stand out as one of the major threats that should never be underestimated. After all, a Chordbearer can be predicted, but an Artifact Forger simply has numerous methods…"
He didn't finish. After all, his Young Master could infer the rest on his own. As a butler, the best he could do was give his opinion, but the final word belonged to the young man right in front of him.
Eric began to laugh, clapping his hands excitedly.
"Now that's what I like to hear. Variable, variable, variable. Won't all this be a bore if it goes according to expectations?"
He turned toward his closed laptop, his lips curling even further.
"And there is still the biggest variable of them all. Tell me, Adrien, have you ever heard of someone crossing two sub-ranks to become an F+ Ranker in a single night?"
Adrien furrowed his eyebrows, feeling skeptical about what he was hearing right now. But since his Young Master had asked a question, as a butler he could only give a logical answer.
"That's impossible. It takes half an hour to even absorb a single Echoform fragment, even for the most talented, and about half a day for those who are average. To break through two sub-ranks in a night means an absorption rate of seconds…"
He shook his head. "It's ridiculous."
His Young Master turned toward him, both eyes now narrowed slightly. "There is always a first time for everything, Adrien. Maybe I may be mistaken, but I would like to think I am not."
Adrien couldn't help but take a deep breath, his shoulders trembling slightly. "Young Master, do you really mean…"
Eric didn't reply, only tapping his chin before walking toward the doorway.
"Since I am awake now, I should at the very least stretch a little before that idiot takes control again. They are all training in the courtyard, aren't they, Adrien?"
Adrien nodded, keeping pace behind him. "They haven't been slacking ever since you passed on your orders, Young Lord."
Moments later, the two of them were in a wide arena, tons of teenagers fighting atop platforms as the sound of explosions rocked the entire stage, followed by the sounds of songs and the clanging of steel.
BOOM
BOOM
🎵🎵 REEEEEEEE
🎶🎶 DRON DRON DRON
It was chaotic madness from the mishmash of songs as Resonance Strings rippled and awakened abilities were used over the roar of battle.
One of the teenagers standing outside the stage was the first to notice him, his eyes widening as he called out to his friends.
"Look, it's Young Master Eric."
His presence spread to those gathered, even bringing the battles that were still raging on to a halt.
"It's really him."
"He's the normal one, right?"
Eric stepped onto one of the platforms with his hands in his pockets, raising his forefinger to point at three people emanating the aura of E+ Rankers.
"Alicia, Ronan, Dylan…" He flicked his forefinger at them.
"The three of you should come at me together."
They were already stepping onto the stage before he was done talking, their Resonance Strings already rippling in front of them as they regarded him warily.
Throngs of teenagers had already surrounded the platform, their faces excited as they looked at the battle about to begin expectantly.
Excited shouts resounded across the arena.
"As expected of Young Master, he is so cool!"
"Hey, how long do you think they are gonna last?"
"Five minutes tops."
"I bet it takes less than a minute."
Alicia looked at him uneasily, already taking up a combat pose as her Resonance String shone with brighter, violet radiance.
"Please go easy on us, Lord Eric."
The other two guys were already doing the same, the situation on the stage tensing up until…
Eric scoffed. "Tch…"
He disappeared in a burst of speed.
VOOM
When he appeared again, he was right in front of Dylan, lazily throwing a punch.
Dylan's eyes widened, then he gritted his teeth as his Resonance String pulsed once, and then some more, until it rang loudly.
🎵🎵 VRAA VRAA VRAA
The fist never arrived. Rather, its momentum seemed to shrink, as if it were moving through infinite space.
Dylan roared, his voice cutting across the stage.
"Alicia, now!"
Alicia was already right in front of Eric, her Resonance String already pulsing as a long, gleaming dagger manifested in her hands in a whirlwind of bright sparks.
🎵🎵 SIAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Before she could even raise the dagger, Eric had already tilted his head, his golden eyes looking at her mockingly.
But she gritted her teeth, pulses of violet rays flashing from her Resonance String and coating the dagger as the surrounding area below her blackened, swallowed by decay.
She made to strike…
Only to find herself shooting in the opposite direction as Eric kicked her in the stomach.
BAM
Eric tilted his head, narrowly dodging a furious punch from Ronan as its momentum blasted back airwaves, causing the area behind him to come apart in a rain of dust and stone.
In a blur of motion, Eric's fist was already right in front of his face. Ronan's eyes widened as his orange-colored Resonance String shone brighter, ringing with increasing tempo.
🎶🎶 ARI ARI ARI
Eric's punch connected with his face. However, instead of being hurled backward, his body began to crack…
Then it shattered, his figure manifesting meters away, a trail of sweat running down his face.
The three of them no longer seemed to be in a hurry to attack, their faces grim as they regarded him somberly.
And that was because the entire time, Eric had yet to manifest his Resonance String, suppressing all three of them with nothing but physical force.
Roars of excitement resounded from the teenagers watching in the arena.
A group of friends shouted, their voices carrying over the din.
"Why does it feel like Young Master has gotten even stronger?"
"Hehehe… and just when I thought this day would be a little boring."
Eric ignored the noise, a sigh escaping his lips as he regarded the three of them with disappointment.
"Did the Eternal Hollow by any chance raise cowards?"
They snarled, their Resonance Strings ringing as their songs resounded through the stage with increasing tempo.
Moments later, they shot toward him, the battle starting all over again.
***
Elias opened the doors to the room and walked inside, taking a deep breath as he looked at the absurdly tall man floating midair with his legs crossed, golden Resonance Strings surrounding him like a mesh of wires as they rippled outward with a sound like that of a drifting lullaby.
🎵Saaa… liiii… caaa-uuuu… laa-yaa… shuuu… laaa… ooo…🎵
The room looked like a lab, the white marble walls reflecting the light from the chandeliers as machines beeped continuously.
Elias furrowed his eyebrows, watching as the man's eyes slowly opened, those same eyes now turning toward him with a smile.
Elias didn't like that smile at all.
"Fate has already whispered your coming to me, young man. So shall we begin?"
Elias felt a weight on his shoulders, turning to find Elyndra sitting leisurely while rubbing her nose with a yawn.
He let out a sigh of relief, walking toward the man who was already floating downward to stand on his feet.
'Let's hope that this ends with no surprises.'