Boots resounded loud upon the dry arid ground.

Armour of gold and black covered the infantry of Jupiter head to toe.

The field gave way to what looked like a golden sea, such was the march of Jupiter’s army with Prince Erus at the helm.

They had set out from Jupiter but a mere two days ago, and here they were, a few miles north of the city.

Their number was ten times greater than the thousand man force that the prince had sent with his sister before to seize the Sanctuary in Venus’ lands.

This was a natural thing, for a Gold Class settlement such as Mercury, whom was their target, possessed numbers on average between the late thousands to the early tens of thousands in range.

That was a totally different animal from a single Sanctuary, regardless of whether a Gods Beacon was involved or not.

This force encompassed nearly a full fifth of Jupiter’s total population, it was a mighty army commanded by forty Platinum Class Lieutenants under the prince himself.

The Gold Class made up ten percent of their number, the Silver Class made up thirty, and the Bronze Class made up the remainder.

Such an army was rarely mobilised, even by Jupiter.

The prince himself stood upon a small hilltop as he took in the sight of this ten thousand man march stomping the ground as they passed. He wondered, had his father led men like this during the war in Alfheim? The thought was then struck from him as he turned his gaze towards the large cliff nearby.

He sensed a presence there, it was not malicious, however.

“Well, well, what are you doing here?” He said as he raised his hand to halt the army's march. “Everyone can take a break here until I return, don’t get the rations out yet,” He said to one of his lieutenants as he passed him by.

“As you wish,” The lieutenant replied, “Where are you off to, do you need an escort?”

“No need,” Said the prince, “That girl couldn’t hurt me if she tried.” He leapt forward, vertically ascending the cliff face from even the smallest jutting out structure.

He climbed it without once using his hands and even flipped over once in mid air when he reached the top of the cliff, for no other reason than he could. He slammed his boots down upon the ground and looked forward at the ten figures cloaked as he was, in white. Their leader was, as he sensed earlier, his little sister.

Erus didn’t need to wonder why Lucretia was able to catch up with him. With her small group, not to mention they were all Platinum Class peak human beings, it wasn’t hard to even out maneuver his much larger and slower army. “What’s so important that you’d go to this much trouble, little sister?” He asked her.

“I wanted to talk to you. Alone. Erus,” Lucretia said, signalling her nine followers to back away. They did so, eventually they even faded into the distance. The prince crossed his arms and then faced her with a stern look.

“Speak your mind, but don’t be long.”

“It didn’t occur to me until I was already on the road,” Lucretia said as she pulled down her hood, “Erus...be extra careful when you get to Mercury.”

“That’s a given,” The Prince replied.

“I can’t shake the feeling that this is all part of our grandfather’s schemes,” Lucretia said, shaking her head. She had brushed off these thoughts once before, but even if her grandfather wasn’t behind Cain that didn’t mean he wasn’t opportunistically using them. “You know, as I do, that our grandfather has lived an unnaturally long lifetime, right?”

“That is true,” Erus replied. Typically a Platinum Class could live up to about forty years, yet their grandfather was three years short of eighty, even a child could tell something was wrong with this. Something unnatural in fact, they both suspected.

“I think he’s found a way to lengthen his life, but this probably isn’t news to you either,” The princess continued on. Indeed Erus and many others had suspected that maybe Julius had found a way to lengthen his human lifespan. Legends told of immortals long withdrawn from the world, it was not a stretch to assume that merely lengthening the years of a mortal life was possible too.

“What of it?” Erus replied, “Even if that’s the case, he’s already old, and he will die soon, if he did have a way to lengthen his lifespan, wouldn’t he have exhausted it?” He felt the argument was not unfounded, but understood his own naivety the very minute he spoke those words.

Erus assumed his grandfather had exhausted whatever means he was using to keep himself alive, else he’d not be showing so many new signs of old age in recent years. However, he knew his grandfather to be the cunning sort, cunning enough to predict, even encourage, such a naive thought.

“But that’s the thing, what if he hasn’t?” Lucretia thus asked him, “I’m worried all of this might just be his way of getting rid of us, my marriage, and your “duty”, I wouldn’t put it past him.”

“Even he wouldn’t dare end the life of his heir,” Erus replied. Yet now, more than ever, he knew his mistake. He had not planned to underestimate that old bastard, but he did so all the same.

“You’re going to have a child soon, aren’t you?” Lucretia said with a troubled stare. Erus paused and peered into her. Were he to assume she was right about all of this then now would indeed be the best time to kill him off. They didn’t know what technique their grandfather was using to extend his life, if it was at its limits then they were safe, otherwise they were very much not.

“Be careful, Erus, please, I don’t want to be the only one left,” Said the Princess. Indeed she didn’t want to be the last person who could challenge their grandfather’s authority and right to rule. This was especially true when she was about to be married off to Mars where she’d lose any right to speak out against the politics of the world within its walls, nevermind beyond them.

“Alright,” Erus said, uncrossing his arms and turning away from her, “You’ve got a point, I’ll keep my guard up.”

“Thank you, Erus.” The prince heard his sister’s heartfelt words and then paused in his steps. He looked at her through the corner of his eye.

“You didn’t just do this just to avoid having to head to Venus, did you?” He asked, and then Lucretia froze. The princess clenched her fingers shut until the nails started to pressure her palms. She couldn’t deny that she’d only figured all of these things out because she was looking for excuses not to have to go to Venus.

“Nothing good comes from procrastinating, it’s not like I can’t understand why you’re doing it though,” Said the Prince.

The Princess then watched as her brother took one step over the cliff edge. With his powers landing safely was a guarantee so she didn’t worry for him. She sighed and turned back to face the northern direction.

Lucretia could not deny that Erus' words bode all too true.

She could not run, nor hide from what must be done.

She had to go to Venus and she had to deal with the matter objectively, she could not avoid it no matter how much she wanted to.

____________________________________________

Erus returned to the side of his army and then glanced over his shoulder towards the cliff on high.

He sensed that his sister had regrouped with her guards and was now walking away. She was heading in the direction she was supposed to, the direction of Venus City.

He could sympathise with her, truth be told, but that didn’t mean he could be soft on her, quite the contrary, now was exactly the time to be stern.

He prayed for the best as he turned to face his lieutenants. His will was conveyed without a word, and before long it was obeyed by all the soldiers in the field.

The men rose up and returned to their march.

Twenty days hence, they would be in the territory of Mercury City.

Fifteen more days and they’d arrive at the city proper.

Whatever happened then would shape the future in no small way, at the very least Erus felt it was so.