Inside Arias’ room, the young man was asleep on the soft white bed. He was tired after last night when he was busy practicing his combat skills. The whisper of the wind that grazed his ears as he moved, the stench of the blood of the beasts that he had slaughtered, everything was still engraved in his memory. It seemed like luck was on his side last night as Arias finally found what he was looking for: a big great boar with white and brown fur. It may look like a half-witted wild animal, but it was a mid-level beast. A striped boar might be quite slow and rather stupid, but its defensive power was strong. It took him quite a lot of effort to beat the creature, and Arias still had a green bruise on his side that he got from when the boar charged at him.

    “Arias, wake up. It’s very late now, dear. People are waiting for you.”

    A knock on the door came from outside of the room and a familiar voice woke Arias up from his slumber. He slowly got out of bed, still drowsy. This voice belonged to Maria who often came to wake him up so Arias could eat breakfast together with her and Albert. Arias was not very thrilled about it at first, being woken up this way. But as time went by, it became a part of his routine and he had already gotten used to it.

    Looking back to the past when he was still a mage named Tanos, he never ate a single meal with his family when he was young. There was no voice telling him to wake up, no eating a nice meal that had been prepared until all he needed to do was just put the food into his mouth. Back then, it was only the call of death and danger closing in on him that always woke him up from his sleep. As for food, he could say that there was hardly any day that he could have a proper meal like other kids his age. The hunger he felt back then drove him into doing anything including stealing scraps of food from others. That was right, just the scraps. If he did not count those evil cousins of his and the fiancée who resented him so much it made him feel repulsed by her, this life that he had now seemed to be a whole lot better than the previous one.

    “No more knocking, Mother. I’m awake. Give me a moment to get dressed and I’ll be right down.”

    Arias shouted back in response so the one who kept knocking on his brown wooden door would know that he was awake. As he stepped down from the bed, he could feel that his body was still tired. It only took a while for Arias to change his clothes. After that, he went down to the dining room.

    “It’s bad manners keeping your elders waiting. Haven’t anyone taught you that, Arias?”

    A harsh voice said, full of criticisms. It came from a middle-aged man who sat opposite Maria and Albert. While the words seemed like a reprimand meant for Arias, a part of it was meant as an insult to his parents as well. The two young men sitting beside the middle-aged man chuckled. Maria and Albert glared at Merson in irritation, seemingly displeased by his words.

    Arias, however, was completely unfazed by it. He let it go like it was the sound of wind blowing past his ears. It was nothing of importance. The only thing that surprised him was today’s morning situation which was different from any other morning. His eyes darted around to inspect the pure white dining table that was made from marble and was beautifully carved with a look of surprise. On any other day, Albert and Maria would be the only people sitting here and waiting to have breakfast with him. Aside from them, there would just be a few servants waiting around in case they need anything. Today, however, there were four more people joining them. At the end of the table was Farhan who sat there waiting with a stoic expression. Opposite of Arias’ parents were Merson and his two sons who were staring at him with disdainful eyes. Beside the dining table stood Kanl, the family butler who took on the duty of supervising the servants himself.

    “Is there something wrong, Mother?”

    Arias asked in a soft whispering voice as he sat down on the chair next to his mother.

    “Shush…or you’ll get scolded by your grandfather too.”

    Maria raised her index finger to her lips and softly told Arias not to ask any further. Arias could only remain quiet and kept the question he had to himself. The last time he saw his grandfather, it was when the Hobson had come to talk about the annulment of Arias and Sophiar’s engagement. This time, it seemed like Farhan had an important matter to announce as well, or else he would not have called everyone in the family to gather together like this.

    A moment later, dozens of dishes and desserts were brought out and set down beautifully. The dining table was engulfed by the nice aroma of the golden roasted chicken carefully made by the family’s top-level chef. There was a beef stew that had been braised until it had a wonderful flavor, fruits that had just turned ripe and were perfect for eating, and other dishes that could be picked to their liking. The sight of this alone was mouthwatering.

    “Now, the reason I asked for all of you is that I have important news to let you know.”

    After everyone had finished the meal, Farhan began to explain the reason why he called everyone in the family here.

    ‘Finally, the main topic,’ Arias thought.

    “Is this about the Tournament?”

    Mashelle blurted out before he could stop himself. His voice was not very loud, but it was loud enough for everyone sitting at the table to hear. It made Merson turn to glare at his son with a scolding look.

    “Seems like some of you already know about this. In three months, the Hargen will be holding a tournament at the fighting arena inside the city. Every youth below the age of twenty can participate in this Tournament. The first-place winner will be rewarded with the Black Burn Armor, and the rest of the winners will be rewarded accordingly. This year, the gate to the Land of the Heavenly will be opened. The first to ninth-place winners would get to enter the Land of the Heavenly.”

    Farhan said every word with clarity, his voice echoing throughout the area. As he mentioned the Tournament, there seemed to be a glimmer of expectation and excitement hidden behind his eyes. The Tournament was not held just for entertainment, it was also an indicator that showed how strong the great clan’s heirs were. As for children of the common folks, this Tournament was an opportunity to try their luck as well. If they were a star that could shine bright enough to catch the eyes of someone from the big clans, they could be hired to work in important positions for that clan. If they were lucky, they could even be given an important position in Bernier City as well.

    Upon hearing the name of the ‘Black Burn Armor, Mashelle and Danesse’s eyes went as wide as chicken eggs. Their minds were filled with excitement and greed, both wishing to obtain the Black Burn Armor. The Black Burn Armor was a silver, light-duty armor with engraved black fire. Although this shield was only a mid-level magical shield, its power was similar to a high-level shield. It was forged from several kinds of strong metal and was carefully crafted. The estimated price of this shield was likely higher than two hundred thousand Crystal Coins.

    However, another thing that everyone was equally interested in was the Land of the Heavenly. Arias did not know what it was, but judging from the change of reaction of the more experienced ones at the table, it looked like this place was somewhere of high importance. There might even be some treasures hidden there.

    “The Land of the Heavenly is the mysterious land of the faeries. Although no one has seen a single faerie there for the past hundred years, the Land is still full of treasures that they have hidden. The Heavenly Water Spear – Duke Coven’s weapon – is also one of the treasures that were found at the Land of the Heavenly. I hope the two of you won’t disappoint me. If you had a chance to enter that land, reap the most of the benefit that you could, but do not overdo it. Treasures are not the only thing hidden inside of the Land of the Heavenly.”

    Upon seeing the confused look on the young ones’ faces, Farhan proceeded to explain. There were actually three young heirs to the Scarcia including Arias. But Farhan only put his hope into two of them, because the other already turned out to be a useless person. The Powerless did not even have the opportunity to enter the Tournament. Arias glanced up to look at the one who was gently patting his head, he felt his heart warm. The moment she heard Farhan’s words, Maria’s delicate hand had moved to pat Arias’ head. She gave a kind and reassuring smile that told him to not feel down by what he had heard. Albert also turned to look at Arias as if to say, ‘It’s alright, you’re still my son no matter what.’ Arias felt as if his heart had been filled with warm feelings because of the smiles they gave him. But what he could see from those two pairs of eyes was a mixture of sadness, guilt, and disappointment. When Arias looked into those eyes, a seed of guilt started to grow inside of him.

    “You needn’t worry, Grandfather. I will be the one who emerges victoriously.”

    “Me too. I will be the one to enter the Land of the Heavenly and bring the treasures to our clan. I will certainly not disappoint you.”

    Mashelle and Danesse responded to Farhan almost simultaneously. The two exchanged a look for a moment before glancing at Arias with a sneer. Although they had the same status as the Scarcia’s heirs, the two of them were like the sky and Arias was like a chasm. How inappropriate that they had to share the dining table with garbage like this. A useless person who was nothing but a burden to the clan was not even worthy of being in the same room with them. All they could feel for Arias was hatred.

    “It’s a shame that your son can’t participate in this Tournament, or our clan would have had more chance of winning. But that’s alright, dear nephew. You may not be able to fight like a man, but you could still pick up some embroidery skills like women, hahaha.”

    Merson said, his words full of mockery. The sound of his laughter filled the dining area. Even his two sons laughed along with him like they had heard a joke that made them unable to hold back. However, the expression of the one sitting opposite of them was full of anger that was being kept inside.

    BANG!

    “Shut your mouth!”

    The sound of someone’s hands slammed down on the dining table, leaving a big crack that looked like a spider web on the marble dining table. Brown magical aura burst out from Albert’s body. The thin thread of his patience finally snapped. The fire of anger burned within his heart as he looked at Merson furiously.

    “Did I say something wrong, Brother?”

    Merson lifted the corner of his mouth in a smirk, not showing any sign of fear. A red magical aura was released from all over his body, and the heat of the Fire element spread throughout the area. Sweats caused by the heat dripped down the faces of the three young ones. Maria quickly put her hand in front of Arias and a water shield appeared, protecting him from the magical aura. Merson’s power was only one level lower than Albert’s, which did not make much of a difference for him.

    The atmosphere had become tense. Albert and Merson were glaring at each other like they were enemies and not brothers. One looked at the other in anger, while the other was further provoking that rage. The situation had become tense.

    “Have you all forgotten that I’m sitting right here?”

    Farhan’s voice crushed the tense atmosphere. There was no pressure from magical power, only his words and the calmness in his manner, but as soon as Farhan spoke, both Albert and Merson immediately stopped their behaviors despite Albert’s displeased look. Farhan was like a lion who could roar once and make other animals cower.

    “I apologize for my foul manner, Father.”

    After suppressing his anger, Albert apologized to Farhan in deep regret. Merson only stopped all his actions. He did not say anything further.

    On the way back to Arias’ room.

    “Don’t take your uncle’s words to heart.”

    Maria offered comforting words to Arias in a soft voice. She was worried that Arias would still be thinking about what happened today. As for Albert, the anger he felt from back then was still there, but he kept reassuring Arias as well. This was not the first time that an incident like this happened. That included both Merson’s mocking and the conflict between the two brothers.

    Arias looked into their eyes with guilt, and the look of sadness appeared in his own eyes. It was the sadness that he had tried to keep hidden behind these eyes. Perhaps, it was the sadness that resulted from his own worthlessness in the past. He knew how much his parents were disappointed in him, but the two of them never mentioned this feeling of disappointment that they felt, not even once.

    “Father, Mother, there’s something I need to tell you.”

    Arias said through gritted teeth and raised his head to look at the two of them with determination. There was a seriousness in the tone of his voice. It was probably time for him to tell them the truth about his magical power. He did not want to see the sadness in his parents’ eyes anymore.