Memories of the Awakening Day gave Kion chills.
Then, he'd been deemed soulless, but this time, he was sure it would be different.
The very thought cleansed all the nerves and replaced them with a newfound confidence.
He would awaken a fire soul today.
Kion put on his best outfit, a rich black poncho adorned with golden threads and garlands at the shoulders. He didn't have much in his closet, but he was happy to have a poncho in hand at least.
Kion had just left his room when his brother interrupted him with a firm hand to the chest.
"We'll see how well you fare when I get a soul and you don't."
Kion could only smirk, making his brother shift uneasily.
Of course, he wasn't going to give him the luxury of a few exchanged words, as all he did was walk out on him, which made Kai even more furious.
As matter of fact, the chances of Kion getting a soul domain should've been next to nothing. He wasn't of pure royal or noble blood like his brother. This fact alone tainted his genetic potential.
Commoner blood mostly lacked the bloodlines of true warriors with soul domains. Only Royal and noble blood possessed such genetic prowess most of the time.
In Kion's case, his blood was tainted with commoner blood, heavily hampering on his ability to be strong like his cohorts. It might've been so severe that he wouldn't awaken a soul domain at all.
This was what Kai was sure would happen. His brother had been weak right from birth, and most of the advisors and members of the royal court had already dismissed him as soulles because the signs were too clear.
So what was this unusual confidence that Kion had gotten lately?
It was the confidence of someone who controlled the room, someone who was certain of his potential and what he would become.
It was almost as if Kion had seen the future, and knew that he would dominate.
Kai held this in mind, knowing that this facade of his brother's would all come crashing down when he was deemed powerless.
Meanwhile, Kion walked ahead, weaving through the stretching corridors adorned with gold and lights.
He'd known this place all his life, and was glad that in this timeline, the intricate interior of the castle didn't change.
Not just anyone could navigate the labyrinthine structure of th Stormholt Castle. It was built that way to defend against infiltrators, ensuring that they would lose their way in its maze-like hallways.
Only the people who resided within its walls knew the way, and anyone who stopped to ask many questions on directions was immediately marked as a suspect.
This gave Kion some relief knowing well that if the castle had changed even in the slightest, he would've lost his way and potentially be seen as an impostor.
The Royal court wasn't too far from where his room was stationed, and Kion really looked forward to meeting the king.
In his last life, King Aurelius was seen as a ruthless brute who ruled with an iron fist.
There was no escaping his wrath nor judgement. No exceptions were even made for his own wife and children.
Kion also looked forward to seeing who the new queen was, considering that in this timeline, Gina wasn't.
Other times, he would go to the throne room with a bit of fear in his heart, but this time, he went there with absolute resolution and cofidence.
Kion was close now, taking a quick turn to the left to cut past the armoury, and a delayed right past the courtyard.
Just as he was about to cross the threshold that led to the throne room, he glimpsed something.
Or rather, someone.
She stood tall in her shining silver armour, her navy blue hair cut short just above the shoulders.
She looked a little different, but Kai wouldn't have mistaken that face for anybody.
The scar across her left eyebrow, the golden longbow and lightning bolts perched on her back in a fletching…
The phoenix sigil brandished across her breastplate. Three feathers representing three elite ranks into the Imperial Army.
One feather representing The Lieutenant, two for the Deputy Vice Admiral, and three for the Vice Admiral…
Geneva.
Kion felt a knot form in his throat.
It took all his will to remain calm and composed as he walked with firm authority.
Regardless of who she was in his past life, Kion knew that he was still a prince, and within these walls, she had no power over him.
She slightly bowed as he walked past, acknowledging the prince of Stormholt, as tradition demanded.
In his past life, before she'd killed him, Geneva was a strong follower and respecter of the crowned prince.
This was until she was ordered to hunt down his mercenary squad and kill him.
Kion wasn't sure who had ordered her to. He hadn't really unraveled the mystery behind the death of his past self.
All he knew currently was that, in this new life, he should be wary of Vice Admiral Geneva.
One thing was sure. She wasn't to be trusted.
The throne room was designed for the awakening ceremony, a high priest stationed at the ritual grounds for what was meant to be the most impactful moment of the young princes' lives.
King Aurelius and Queen Vera sat on their regally adorned thrones, the latter watching almost with a bored expression, as her husband's son, or rather, disappointment, walked himself through the grand throne room doors.
She wondered within herself why he had even bothered to show up in the first place, knowing well enough that he wouldn't awaken anything.
When the king announced to bring him in for the ritual, she'd protested against it, stating that it was a complete waste of time.
But Aurelius was adamant in his decision, and not even her could dissuade whenever he became like that.
Which was why she had to sit back and watch everything unfold. She already knew within herself that he was deemed soulless even before the ritual began.
Kion scanned the room, his eyes skimming over the several advisors and elders to his father and step mother.
There was an unspoken tension in the air, as all of the royal court, who were usually very into debates and conversations, remained silent.
Kion finally glimpsed Kai, wondering how his obnoxious brother had gotten there before him.
He quickly concluded in his head that either his brother had always known more shortcuts than him around the castle, or his memory regarding the castle structure was incomplete.
Either way, he chose not to bother about it too much.
The inevitable was about to come.
In his past life, Kai had awakened a Light Soul Domain, including a hidden sub-talent of Illusion manipulation.
His genetic potential had been Mythic level, a high level talent yes, but nothing less was expected of pure royal blood.
At his best, he would've been a force to be reckoned with, especially with the subsidiary illusion domain, a talent that most light mancers would only dream of possessing.
In short, Kai had met the expectations, even as he was nowhere as strong as his brother . And everyone had expected Kion to surpass him.
It was a different kind of shock when Kion was found to be soulless.
A different kind of disappointment.
"Without further ado, we would initiate the procedures for our princes. One of pure royal blood, the other of merely corrupt half-blood."
Snickers rang through the courtroom as elders and advisors alike sneered and chuckled at the priest's subtle mockery.
Kion finally realised one thing. That he was not respected even behind these castle walls.
He would be more than happy to shove their doubts down their throats when he actually awakened.
As custom demanded, the crowned heir Kai was the first to go, standing within the mana circle that would unlock his meridians to ensure proper flow of dormant mana and energy throughout his body.
An ancient chant began, ensuring that his meditation procedure was pristine.
The meditation of the said awakened individual was usually the most important phase of an awakening ritual. One's mind had to be clear from all impurities, as they entered a state called "enlightenment" which involved learning and re-learning of ancient techniques and skills of past ancestors, physical and genetic changes, and the final phase, which was soul branding, involved the identification of the newly acquired soul domain as well as its rank and subsidiary domain if any.
It was a sacred process that usually took between 7-10 minutes. It was so important that the priest also had several apprentices surround the subject, ensuring the procedure went well.
The first few minutes usually didn't take much toll on the individual. That was until the second stage came, and beads of sweat could be visibly seen on Kai's forehead. It usually demanded more concentration, as the enlightenment one would go through at this point was very intense.
It was like jamming old scrolls, techniques, memories of wars and battle instincts, in the head of someone all at the same time. If proper care wasn't taken to ensure circulation of mana, one could lose himself in this phase to a permanent bout of madness.
This was why the priests and his apprentices increased the immensity of their chanting, ensuring that Kai's meridians were properly unlocked and that his mana was flowing to all the right places. His mental battle was his to fight alone.
The third stage finally came, as in the final minutes of enlightenment, Kai could be seen visibly shaking, his mouth muttering some incomprehensible words which were widely rumoured to be the language of his ancestors.
A gold coloured symbol of the sun appeared right above his head, signifying that he'd gotten a legendary grade light domain.
The light domain was a rare find among all elementary domains. It was also powerful if used well.
The courtroom murmured their approval and praise as a second symbol appeared next to the sun. The mirage symbol of illusion, also gold in colour
Kai had gotten a dominant light soul core with a sub-domain of ice. Both legendary in rank.
There was no other sign needed to determine that Kai indeed was of Monarch-level talent.
But when the symbol of a golden rune appeared above his head, confirming the widely suspected fact, the entire courtroom couldn't help but descend into cheers.
The crowned heir was not a failure, but a force to be reckoned with.
Ten minutes had finally elapsed, and Kai slumped forward in a daze of consciousness, the awakening procedure taking a toll on his mortal body. An apprentice rushed to help him stand, supporting his figure on her shoulders.
The physical changes, while they were hardy observed as he sat down, could be seen clearly as he stood. His icy blue hair had grown down his neck. His iris dilated, the shade of blue within almost like an ethereal glow, and he had gained a solid set of inches in height.
Kai may have been easily 6'1" before, but currently, he could've been said to be a standard 6'4".
As the apprentice escorted him away, Kai's eyes opened for a brief moment, roaming to where his brother, Kion, stood.
Even in his dazed state, he couldn't help but smirk at his fortune, knowing that his brother's demise came next.
"Good luck." He mouthed, as the apprentice led him through the doors to his quarters.
With Kai gone, everyone in the room turned to Kion.
Even through their disinterested gazes, their doubts of his ability to match up to his brother shining forth, Kion was sure of one thing.
It was time for his Awakening.