The Martial Unity

"What?!"

"He's suddenly his son and his chosen heir?!"

"Unbelievable..."

"The Kandrian Throne War has changed forever."

"Who could have known..."

A wave of murmurs erupted from the crowd as the Emperor made his final declaration.

Rui himself was frozen where he stood, shell-shocked.

"...What?" A single whisper escaped his mouth.

The Emperor did not respond to him, instead waving his hand.

A servant walked over to Rui with a prepared ostentatious tray with a ceremonial blade and an insignia atop it. A platinum-gold adorned insignia that bore the crest of the Royal Family.

"Commence the blood seal," The Emperor commanded.

Rui had no idea what that meant, but the circumstantial context and evidence were enough for him to rapidly infer exactly what was expected of him. He took the knife, cutting his palm, allowing the blood to fall on the insignia.

VMMM!

The artifact absorbed the blood, shaking and glowing, before finally subsiding.

"The Royal Insignia is proof that you are of the Kandrian Royal Family," The Emperor declared. "And the Royal Sword of Kandria…"

He extracted his sheathed ceremonial blade from his robes. "…

is proof that you are my heir."

Rui stared at him with uncertainty.

"Come forth, my son, and accept my offering of heirship." The Emperor commanded him.

to the throne with a measured gait,

upon each other's. Rui's eyes bored into his with askance,

through the throne hall as he bestowed his Royal Sword upon the kneeling Rui. "The

CLASP

mind jarred back to reality as he broke out of

real?' Uncertainty grasped at his heart, squeezing it in

hoped he was having a

heart, that he would wake up in the Quarrier Orphanage as just another ordinary orphan blessed to have been accepted by Lashara thirty-one years

denied

him into a world where he was somehow a

uncertainty as he returned to

Sword weighed down

It was heavy.

was a burden he didn't ask

burden

upon him

the part where he could calmly evaluate his circumstances

too shocked about the nature of his own circumstances. He didn't even know how to begin processing everything that had just happened. He

"My subjects."

tumultuous atmosphere as the Emperor took the opportunity to

"My children."

royals gathered closer

Ceremony," The severity of his tone reflected the weight of the circumstances.

one aside from the

left. Know that I have fought, with all might, against this curse that addles my body for far longer than any of you could have imagined. I have fought… and I have

powerful gaze. "This is my final act. This is my will. I believe that this, even as

weight of his words

made my choice," He told the many powers and forces of Kandria that had gathered within

The air grew electric.

hall understood what the Emperor was telling

prince had entered the

prince who bore the will of Rael Di

the throne had emerged from the woodwork. It was bound to be the

great opportunity if exploited