I regressed and became the Sword Ice King-Chapter 436- Festival 167- The Sun Comet 16
The Great Families weren’t a small bunch. They were large.
Centuries of history stack up to a number broad enough for a small army.
Of course, this information was limited to the public.
Even most of the Nobles weren’t aware of the true numbers of each Household.
They didn’t bother– and weren’t meant to.
The Great Families had their ways. Their reasons.
Their logic.
Why did they choose to keep their numbers hidden?
It wasn’t meant for others to understand, but to simply awe. To reverence.
If the Merlin household were more than just Kira and Ciara, with uncles and aunts existing somewhere in the Kingdom...it would foster fear.
And so would any of the Twelve Great Families.
Such information would make them appear as a mountain not worth climbing.
Because at the top, only a wicked downfall existed.
Much to the displeasure of the Kingdom’s true rulers– The Swanstorm Royal Household.
They couldn’t– wouldn’t let such news fly beyond control, and as such, limit it to only a sparse few.
Many of whom weren’t even aware of the King’s court.
’I was surprised as well when I first heard it.’
Raph recollected the memories of the past.
The first five years of his life were filled with the rage and coldness of a Regressor who had seen it all.
The time when Revenge was all he sought.
’But it all melted away after that day...’
The day his father saw through him...and the day he chose to ignore it.
Raph sighed at the thought.
He was gone. And so was the promise.
Footsteps echoed as their presence stomped on the deserted ground of the Academy.
For a while, he had been lost in thought.
Sewing together the pieces of a plan that proved difficult.
’I’m pretty sure none of my elder sisters are aware of it.’
He pondered.
’But...I may have to bring it up after this.’
Perhaps, it was time he admitted.
The fight with the King and the Great Families.
’I’m not strong enough to shoulder it, myself.’
Then again, no one truly asked him to.
He had simply taken it upon himself.
A vow. A promise, and it shall be fulfilled.
Not revenge in cold blood...but something else. Better.
His expression shifted into a frown as his thoughts settled.
A finality in the array of thoughts that had riddled him.
He frowned. Deeply.
An unsettling gaze took root on his face while his sister observed.
Thalia’s gaze narrowed, and her expression turned serious.
She saw right through him.
Raph had never been one to hide his emotions, but when he revealed them, it held weight.
He was nothing like his peers.
A young boy who faced the world as an adult should.
’Perhaps a bit too arrogant about it.’
She turned her head away slightly as they emerged from the Complex of Academy Lecture Theatres– or what was left of it- and arrived on the path to the Cafeteria.
There, they saw it.
The Portal.
No, Portals.
They stopped mid journey, Jane and Darrell whipping their heads about in complete astonishment.
Astounding was the last thing they could use to describe this scene.
Perhaps...
’Insurmountable.’
That one word rang in Jane’s head as he took in the sight.
Eyes narrowing to pinpricks at the thought.
Over a hundred portals floated about, mid–air.
Warping with a vibrant flow of mana and surging with life. Iridescent in colour.
A constant flow of light exuded from the edges of the Portals, plastering the air around them with an alien warmth.
Its contrast with the rainy night was evident through the simmering steam around them.
The sight was remarkable, but somewhat...ominous.
It made Jane’s skin prickle with goosebumps.
This showcasement of power...the reveal.
It felt wrong.
He turned to Raph and Thalia.
"She summoned all this?"
It was unmistakable, still, he wanted to confirm.
But how?
Thalia’s gaze lingered on the Portals for a bit before she turned to Jane.
She was just as mesmerised as the others.
"Yes, she did." She replied with a sigh. "That comes without mention. She’s a Merlin."
Unlike her, who was a mage from a family of Swords, Kira Merlin was a true, bred Mage.
Manipulation of mana was a norm for her, and so were the concepts that came with it.
"Didn’t you mention a Mana Reflux?" Jane questioned, his gaze darting to the lone Portals.
"This is more than I expected. Multiple Portals like this...in a zone riddled with constant mana storms is..."
Though he lacked practicality, Jane was somewhat familiar with the theory.
Quite frankly, it made No. Sense.
Raph shrugged.
"Mana reflux is simply that– scattered mana particles moving in an uncontrollable state.’
He stopped for a moment, grabbing their attention as he continued.
"It’s random. It’s dishevelled, and it has no distinct path. To control it, one simply has to manoeuvre past its unpredictability..."
Jane glanced down for a moment.
Taking in the words with an intent focus.
It made sense.
Mana particle control was a ridiculous concept on its own.
What they absorbed was Mana as a whole.
Not its molecules or its constituents.
’In fact, it makes perfect sense for a Merlin.’
Mages were the closest things to Atheists, and the concept of Mana atoms...was on par with them.
’If anyone could control it...it would be them.’
His curiosity was quenched with that and their walk commenced after a moment of quiet.
The Portals had stood along the pathway and around it.
Pooling mostly around the cafeteria.
And their numbers seemed to increase the closer they got to it.
The boys observed.
Jane especially.
Deciphering what little he could from the raw information around him.
’It’s almost like she summoned a portal for each student...’
Like she required an immediate departure of every student in the vicinity.
Was it for their safety?
It was a generous act. An over expenditure of mana which concerning her name and heritage, would be considered a waste to them.
So why did she do it?
The question bothered him.
It didn’t concern him, but his ever-growing curiosity begged for answers.
He glanced at Raph.
"Why summon so many? It’s effective, but doesn’t it use up a lot of mana?"
"I was wondering the same." Darrell perched in.
His head had been turning about, inspecting the world around him.
He was just as intrigued, though, he didn’t seem to care about answers.
He simply took it as it was.
But since it had been asked already...
’Wouldn’t hurt to know.’
"What else but a display of power? The Merlins were known for that, weren’t they?" Raph replied with a scowl. "Showboasters."
The duo reeled at the response.
Both casting a glance at one another.
’Who wasn’t?’
The entirety of the Great Families were showboaters.
Raph. Included.
Still, he made a point, but seeing as how it was Kira Merlin.
The response seemed subpar.
Thalia visibly sighed before she turned to him.
"Don’t let your rage get in the way of your insight. We both know Kira Merlin is more critical than that...besides..."
She glanced at the portals once more.
"Like Jane said, not only is she wasting energy, but also making way for enemies to escape."
Her words hit home.
The duo spun towards her with flared eyes while Raph snapped in understanding.
"The spell...it’s general...it doesn’t restrict passage and no one is here to control who goes in..."
Thalia continued.
"Though, it seems like it’s a one-way ticket out."
Raph turned around slightly.
"You’re right. It’s too risky...this isn’t like her."
"Exactly."
Just then, a distance away. A few figures came into view.
Their contours were lined by the falling rain as they walked towards them slowly.
Their identities were masked by the rain, and energy levels stripped by the Reflux.
What existed were just two presences that appeared as either foe or friend.
Darrell and Jane grew tense, but Thalia and Raph eased their expressions.
And noticing this, so did the boys.
"Who are they?" Jane questioned.
A lingering silence followed while they neared closer. Inch by inch.
Until Raph broke the silence with a heavy, broody sigh.
He had been way over his head for a while, and understandably so.
Still, he calmed his nerves.
"It’s just Phestus and Rebecca."
His reply came with the coolness that took over him.
Soon, the distance closed and their images came into view.
Phestus Greenhorn and Rebecca Jun stood side by side, gazes sweeping over the group of four.
Silence hung in the air, pierced by the heavy beating of rain as it crushed the decaying world.
Then...
"You found others?" Phestus asked as his gaze landed on Thalia.
"We did...how about you? How was your search?"
"The last year’s were mostly left, and they would have arrived with me, but the Portals appeared just in time."
Thalia narrowed her gaze, and Raph’s grew stern.
"More appeared? How many?" He asked.
Rebecca turned to him, her head tilted in suspicion.
"What is it?"
She could sense it.
A lingering tension hung in her siblings, and even the duo behind her.
It startled her, and very much intrigued her.
"It’s nothing. We’re just worried about who can leave through the portal."
Thalia replied.
"It’s suspicious she would summon this many."
Rebecca arched her brow at her reply.
Thalia was right, and quite frankly, that didn’t sit well with her.
She folded her arms silently as they pondered over it together.
Leaving the other bystanders to their own devices.
Phestus had watched for a moment.
His lips tugged into a smile as he placed his arms behind him.
’Well...this is...interesting.’
Phestus was well aware of the beef between the Great Families.
The Merlin and Jun, especially.
They were like two opposite sides of a coin, magic and swords.
Yet, their similarities were as far as the moon and the sun.
Still, they needed to move.
Now was not the time to stop.
"Alright, that’s enough."
His voice snapped the others from their thoughts, grabbing their attention as they turned towards him.
He smiled at them while ignoring their frowns.
’Hah...such a scary family.’
His smile disappeared and he said.
"We saw the Princess."
Rebecca sighed as she turned away.
Vivid annoyance etched in her gaze.
The others glanced at her in surprise, turning their attention back to Phestus as he continued.
"She refuses to leave."
