Nero, unaware of the turmoil spreading through the country, decided to sleep when he noticed the first light of dawn. A few hours of sleep was better than no sleep. Considering that he expected the next few days to be filled with studying and learning rather than physical exertion, even a few hours of sleep would be enough to bring him to top form.
At the same time, Edward drove to town, unafraid that the ever increasing Apparition curses might strike Nero while he slept. These days, it was incredibly dangerous to sleep alone, and without someone to keep watch. Fortunately, though it appeared as though Nero was home alone, there were guards hidden around the house, protecting it.
Neither curses, nor enemies would bother Nero.
Within the city, a heavily armoured train arrived, carrying supplies, troops, essential materials, and a small number of civilians. Trains were a relatively new addition to Kolar, having been brought into use only twenty years ago. Even so, they had become the backbone of Kolari logistics in the country, and were one of the key ways in which troops moved.
Unfortunately, there were very few tracks throughout the country, mostly because it was too difficult to maintain the tracks and prevent curses from attacking them. Even the tracks leading to Aetherpeak had only been completed a couple of months ago, and had been completed after the existence of the ruins was brought to light.
This was one of the key contributions of Nova to Kolar, and was one of the conditions for cementing the alliance between the two countries so many years ago. Even now, though Kolar could produce its own train tracks, the actual train engine was still produced in Nova, and merely assembled in Kolar.
For a moment, Edwards thoughts wandered to the reports of Nova having discovered a reliable method for air travel. If such reports were true, then the future…
His thoughts paused as he finally caught sight of a graceful, blue haired woman making her way through the crowd unimpeded. People would move aside to give her space, all without even realising, allowing her an easy route to the exit.
Her silky hair, even tied up as they were, bounced with each step she took. Her fair skin, though, which was usually without a single blemish, bore the signs of sleep deprivation in the form of dusky rings underneath her eyes - a silent testament to sleepless nights.
The enchanting lady seemed distracted as she got off the train, but soon her eyes caught sight of a man, dressed in a simple button shirt and pants, holding a fresh bouquet of flowers.
Her posture straightened automatically, her head rising high as she walked up to him, her cold gaze focused, as if piercing into the secrets of the man.
"For you," Edward said as he held up the flowers, and Marilyn bent forward to smell them. The bouquet contained Forget-me-nots, Snow Gentians, Arctic Poppies, and Daisies. Marilyn naturally recognised all the plants not because she was an enthusiast, but because numerous crafting materials came from these flowers.
Specifically, the materials that these flowers provided were used in elemental cards that had to do with ice and frost.
"They smell real. I can't tell if your illusions are getting better, or if you were always so good."
"What do you mean, illusions? These are real flowers? I went out in the morning to pick them myself."
Marilyn scoffed, and then looked at the man with a solemn gaze. She had now ascended to the rank of Mystic, which meant that she had to select a Profession. Although Kolar had access to most Professions, owing to the fact that two of the six Sages in Kolar were Monarchs, that Profession somehow became the most preferred in the country. Marilyn, too, had become a Monarch.
Whereas previously she was introduced only through her realm, now she would be introduced as a Mystic Monarch, depicting her rank and Profession. Both were important. The rank represented her power level, as well as the number of times her innate ability had been enhanced. Since she was a Mystic, which was the fourth realm, that meant her innate ability had been upgraded or enhanced three times.
The Profession represented the type of additional abilities gained.
Each Profession had its own set of active and passive abilities, and for each realm a Profession would gain an additional active ability. So as a Mystic Monarch, Marilyn had one active and one passive ability from her Profession, which were the same for anyone who had the Monarch Profession. These were aside from her own innate ability.
If she gained another level and became an Ascendant Monarch, her passive would become stronger, and she would gain two active abilities.
As a Mystic Monarch, Marilyn had the passive known as Regal Command. It basically just gave her more influence and command. At a glance, it seemed like an unimpressive passive, but since it was a passive shared by every Monarch in existence, the limits of the ability had been thoroughly explored.
The influence extended to the obvious, such as the people around her in the train who made way without even knowing it. But it also extended to her control over aether, and her command of Eldrim cards and how they worked. As a Mystic it was still at a basic level, but Sage Monarch could even command natural phenomena and expect to be obeyed.
Her active ability was called Monarch Dominion, which basically just created an area around her in which her allies were strengthened, and her enemies were weakened.
Now, standing face to face with Edward, she activated Monarch Dominion, and selected her husband as the enemy. He suddenly paled, as if all the blood had drained from his face, and he nearly stumbled.
"Okay, okay, the flowers were an illusion. No need to be upset, honey!" Edward exclaimed with a weak smile, but Marily narrowed her eyes and kept staring at him, as if searching for something.
"How many years have you been an Arcanist, with no signs of promotion?" she asked, though her voice was tinged with scepticism.
"Not everyone is as talented as you, honey. Another four or five years, and I'll definitely get there."
"No. I cannot abide by weak men. You either fight me and prove to me you're strong, or you find a way to become a Mystic."
Edward only smiled weakly as he put on the expression of a husband struggling to meet his wifes unreasonable demands.
In truth, Marily suspected that Edward had broken through to the Mystic realm years ago, but was hiding it. The problem was, she had no way to prove it, as Edwards' acting was perfect. His damned illusions were even more insufferable, and gave him the perfect means to keep any secret he wished.
A few hours later, Edward and Marilyn came home. Edward grinned and brought Marilyn to the kitchen to show the breakfast he had prepared, while Marilyn continued to wear a frustrated and sullen expression. The result of their fight… she didn't want to think about it.
Upstairs, Nero, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly woke from the faint noise downstairs. Though he was drowsy, he knew what that sound meant so he jumped out of bed and rushed downstairs.
"Mom!" he exclaimed as he rushed in to hug her. He hadn't seen her in months. But the moment he saw her expression Nero froze. She was in a bad mood. He looked over to his father and gave him a silent curse, but the old man just shrugged, as if he had no idea what was happening.
"Nero Grant, your father has told me that your girlfriend has taken to hiding from you in the shadows. What kind of behaviour is this? I raised you to respect women, so why is this poor girl going around hiding from you?"
"No, wait, what? She isn't hiding from me! No, I mean she's not my girlfriend, she…"
"Oh, so you have random girls hiding from you? Since when have you become such a beast?"
"No you don't understand! This is a misunderstanding!" Nero exclaimed as he tried to run, but how could a mere Neophyte run from a Mystic.
"Stand still as I set you straight!" she said as she commanded as she kicked her slipper into the air and caught it in a practised fashion. Nero, despite his desire to run, discovered that his legs wouldn't move.
"He's lying! It's an enemy of the state! It's a spy!" Nero tried to quickly explain, but there was no point in reasoning with Marilyn at the moment. Nero cursed his father who threw him under the bus, while Edward praised his son who took the heat off of him.
The Grant family was back together again, for however brief a time, and the once quiet neighbourhood was again filled with rowdiness.
Gabriel, who was leading a small group of teenagers towards the Grant house, was completely unaffected by the screaming, though the rest looked at each other with doubt and concern?
Did that sound like… Nero? How was that possible? Even the darkest horrors within the depths of Lumina could not make him howl. What could he possibly encounter here that was scarier than that?