Ru lent Cyziel a shirt that she got from her father's room but only after she took a little bit of peek at Cyziel's body. She thought that Cyziel was actually quite fit and do not know what kind of training or battles he had faced before. The truth was that Cyziel's everyday life for the past years was always a life and death scenario.
The group went back up from the training room to the living room. Ru's mother prepared food for the group but she also sarcastically inquired why did Cyziel need a new shirt if they were just having discussion downstairs. Ru, of course, immediately responded what actually happened before her mom starts to get some other thoughts.
Cyziel was currently sitting on a yellow colored armchair. In front of him was a similar arm chair where Vera was sitting. Northwest of him was also a yellow sofa where the rest sat. Everyone was currently focused on him.
Ru, who was currently seated closest to him, crossed her arms."Cyziel! You asked us about magic and combat arts before but were you just fooling us?"
Cyziel waved his two hands in front of him. "No! I definitely can use magic but before I don't really know how you categorize the types and levels of magic! Same with combat arts. I just know that I need to focus Aether to either my arms, feet or weapons to empower them."
"Then how do you grade in your race how far someone's achievement is?" Jorak followed up.
"Oh! That is pretty simple. Whoever wins the fight is higher. It doesn't matter how large of a spell you can make or how strong your body is. If you lost then you are weaker. There was really no concept of magic levels or combat arts but it is how you use it!"
"Then how could you cast silent magic? That is only plausible if you could already understand magic symbols!" Vera's eyes were twinkling as she was very much interested with topics with regards to magic.
"Ah! You are right. So you guys also know them. I said that there were no concept of levels but we still recognize that some spells are more difficult to use but it is not always stronger. Regarding magic symbols, we start studying the basic symbols when we are young.
Vera abruptly stood up. Her eyes was looking at Cyziel as some monster. "But that is impossible! In order to use magic symbols you need to have a strong connection with the elemental planes or you need to have contracted with an elemental spirit!"
"Oh!" Cyziel finally understood where her confusion was coming from. "You got a point. You are not actually wrong but my family is pretty special even in our race. This would be long if I try to explain and I don't know if you guys would like to listen to it all."
"Just say it!" The four shouted in unison.
With everyone wanting to hear it, Cyziel started to tell them information about his race without telling them that it was in this planet. He told them what his elders have told him before that even he did not understand them all. They said that their race was born with different purpose but everything was meant for a single goal which is to guide the future.
He explained that their race have some kind of principality and marks. The marks are something that are not acquired through battle but more of a birthright or inheritance. For example, some people are born with the mark of nature. They are able to converse with animals and they are born with an elemental connection with the earth.
There are also rarer marks like the mark of champions. Those who are born with them have great strength and have connections with at least three elemental planes. Another one is the mark of the sage which have knowledge that others cannot comprehend. They are born with connections to all the five basic elemental planes.
Lastly, there are unique birth marks like the mark of the ruler. The one who is born with it is given an unfathomable power and long life. It is usually dormant and it would only awaken when the time is right.
Principalities are technically just the kingdoms that they live in. The first kingdom which has the highest principality is where the owner of the mark of the ruler lives together with his family. The next mark of the ruler has also only appeared within the owner's relatives so for thousands of years, the first principality has never changed.
It is also in the first principality where rare marks are usually born. The relatives of the ruler are also usually blessed with rare or unique marks.
"Since my grandfather previously had the mark of the ruler and my uncle inherited it then most of my family are also born with the rarer marks!" Cyziel who was feeling relieved as he was finishing his story got startled by the reaction of the other four.
Vera stood up again but this time, the three others also stood up.
"Doesn't that mean that you are part of the royalty?" Rika asked.
"Uhmm.. I guess so?" Cyziel slowly answered as he was scared at the four looking at him with wide open eyes.
"What do you mean you guess so! You are royalty!" Ru squinted her eyes. She was angry at how Cyziel was taking everything so casually. "I'm telling mom! You should be sent to the capital for your security!"
Cyziel knows that he was special but he do not understand why they are so agitated. Was royalty even that special if you are not a king? He has lots of relatives that are part of royalty that does not seem different to him.
What Cyziel do not understand is that royalty in other races was quite different. Being born a royalty in Cyziel's race was only like a title. They still usually follow the path that they are born with but other races do not have marks like his own race. This means that authority is really important. His people usually accept what they are born for. If they are born a champion then they would only challenge those that born with marks related to warriors. They won't suddenly attack those that are born with marks of lord or sage. They won't also be thinking of suppressing the people far weaker than them.
Cyziel snatched Ru's arm. He was looking at Ru with pleading eyes. "Stop stop! I already have plans to go to the capital in 6 or 7 months! I am just trying to learn here first so don't tell anyone else what I said. Please?" Cyziel understood his mistake. Maybe he should not have told them about his heritage.
Ru suddenly got flustered. She only looked at Cyziel for a second before she shook his hands off then sat back down then kept quiet. Looking from a third party's perspective, it would look like Cyziel was trying to court her and that was actually what she was imagining.
"I see so that's why you have those golden eyes! When I was a kid, I saw some people with similar color of eyes in the Capital. My mother told me before that they are from royalti--- Uhmm I shouldn't have said that. Shouldn't I?" Vera, lowering her head, sat back down.
"Golden eyes? What do you mean Vera?" Rika bended her neck as she tried to talk with Vera who was hiding her face.
"Nothing! I said nothing!" Vera hardened her tone to stop the others from prying.
Cyziel, on another hand, was quite elated on what Vera said. He didn't actually got angry because he learned that there are people with golden eyes in the Capital. Was it my family members? Where they helping the other humanoid species but why are they not included on the 7 races that was mentioned to me? But this is still a good news isn't it? His reverie was only broken by Ru who called out to him.
"Cyziel! You are hiding something from us!" Ru who was previously quiet started to scowl at him. "That's unfair!"
The really overjoyed Cyziel was in a good mood so he didn't think that it was a problem to show it to them. "Alright! Someone just told me that I should be careful of showing my eyes but I really don't have a problem letting anyone see it."
Cyziel's eyes have turned back to its golden color. At first, they were just amazed as he looked at his eyes but suddenly he thought that they fell into a trance. After a minute, they were still just looking at him without saying anything. He does not understand why it happened. Sometimes people look at him with just awe but in other times they fell into a stupor.
He tried to turn it again to a black color and the four started to act again. He concluded that there was really a problem with his eyes. Was it really because of the Abyss? Or was I lacking in control of my powers? He then looked at his hands. Five silhouettes of rings appeared in his left fingers. Yes. It is the rings that he immediately looked for when he got back.
These rings are one of his greatest secrets. It is similar to the crown of his uncle and the necklace of her mother. They are usually born together with those people who have unique marks but they start to materialize with different requirements. That is right. He was one of those of his race with unique marks.
These rings are not visible to anyone else unless he wills it. Unlike his uncle that has no qualms showing his crown to everyone, he saw no reason to let anyone else know that he had a unique mark.
My rings are still here. These rings have helped me control my powers since I was a little kid. Are they not enough anymore? No that isn't possible. These rings are a part of me. They grow together with me. Cyziel was pondering by himself while the people around was talking to him.
"Cyziel! Can you hear me? I said why did you suddenly turned it back to black!" Ru's face was in front of Cyziel and was trying to check his eyes.
"It was really pretty! Let me see it again please!" Rika was trying to make a cute face as she looked at him.
"Ah! Please don't show it anymore! I get it you got beautiful eyes!" Jorak muttered as he tried to look away.
Vera kind of felt weird compared to the last time she saw it. She thought that it was probably the reason why he doesn't show it. "Okay everyone! Stop now! I got another question to him! What mark do you have and what does it do?"
"Uhmm... I can't tell you that!"
"You are being petty! You should probably have something like a champion's mark or the one you said before like a sage right?" Ru pouted as she slapped her right thigh.
Cyziel started to scratch his head. He did not actually know what to say. "Well it is related to my safety and even if I want to tell you, I won't be able to since I also don't know what mark is it."
Marks are not always a positive thing. There are people in his race that are born with dangerous marks. One mark like that is the mark of thieves. They have an affinity to use enhancements to increase their speed but at the same time they got some kind of disorder for stealing. Some are able to control it. Otherwise, they are jailed for life. Another one is the mark of the berserker. Those that are born with that mark were born strong but when the mark awakens, most of them get an uncontrollable thirst for killing. Those born with this mark are hunted and killed.
Cyziel do not know what his mark is and it is possible that it is something negative. Luckily being born as part of the royalty, he is exempted from mark inspections and there has never been a royalty who was born with a negative mark as far as he could remember.
"Then wouldn't that mean that you have a unique mark? Maybe it is something like your uncle! You probably have an unawakened ruler mark!" Rika's eye brightened as she thought of the possibility of Cyziel being a king.
"Ohhh... Please no! I don't want to be a king! I don't even know if my people are still alive." Cyziel was actually just jesting but the people around him turned sad. Cyziel does not really think that his people are dead and with the earlier news that he heard, it was more likely that they are alive.
Rika, with a downcast expression, put together her two hands like she was praying as she looked at Cyziel. "I'm sorry! I did not mean it."
"They will definitely be found! Don't worry!" Ru tapped the shoulders of Cyziel.
"Yeah! Yeah! As you said, a lot of them are stronger than you! They probably just arrived in a different area." Jorak raised a fist as if saying to be strong. "It is just that we are kind of limited in our search to the outer parts of the southern forest."
"The capital are probably already preparing a new expedition team because of the previous aether storms." Vera nodded as she lightly smiled. "They are the only one allowed to go in the inner southern forest because of the danger."
"Guys! I'm not sad! Stop comforting me!" Cyziel chuckled. "Anyway, so you guys already know that the inner forest is dangerous. So you guys don't have any plan on searching there for the last flower?"
"No! No! Absolutely not!" Ru, with a far-fetched look, shook her head. "That is suicidal!"
Cyziel currently has a really bad premonition on going there but at least after hearing what Ru has said, he felt relief. It was something that the him of before would not even want to think of doing. But presently, it was something that he was already contemplating because the answers that he might be looking for could be there.
The group had quite a long conversation. Cyziel even asked Vera about the golden eyes that she saw in the capital. Unfortunately, she said that she was not quite sure what race are they because she was still a kid back then but she said that they are probably Earthlings, Varians or Lucrims like her. This still gave Cyziel hope because the external appearance of those 3 races doesn't look that much different from his race.
It was not until the sky got dark that they went home. Vera was fetched by some car outside. Rika had already planned to sleep with Ru. Ru together with Rika drove Jorak and Cyziel home. Cyziel still stayed with Volare but he was previously contemplating if he should rest where Volus and Ortix was staying. In the end, he chose not to because he wanted to read the electronic books that Ru had lent him. Knowing Ortix, he would probably be talking non stop that he would get distracted.
