In front of the approaching caravan, a young woman rose on a white horse. The young maiden's bright red hair danced in the wind as the convoy approached. From this distance, I could tell who she was—my younger sister, Sophitia Sirena Martindale, by a year. House Martindale's pride is next to my younger brother. Of the six of us, she was the most talented in magic. Her grace with a bow is also legendary. The pristine blue eyes look ahead with certainty. She was a younger version of Lady Aiko or more of a carbon copy.

With pride, she wore the shared uniform of the Knight Academy and Mage Academy. She wore a blue double-breasted coat with a white and blue-lined skirt. Her white knickers and tan-heeled boots gave me an impression of a modern-day schoolgirl. The blue witch's hat displayed her place in the Mage Academy, and the silver and blue cloak, the Knight Academy. Both our bands meet, and the young mage rides up to us.

"Goodness, my sweet dear Sophitia! I hadn't expected you to arrive so early this season!" Lady Aiko said.

"I had hoped to surprise my father and you. What seems to be the occasion for your traveling?" Lady Sophitia questioned.

"Your elder brother has also miraculously woken up his magic and made significant advances in swordsmanship. I have sponsored his scholarship into both the Knights Academy and Mages Academy," Count Asa explained. "Still, it is good to see you, my dear Sophitia," he added.

"Asa Sung has awakened magically? That's impossible this late in life," Lady Sophitia said.

"My dear, it is true that your brother has manifested. I saw it with my own eyes," Lord Alfred stated.

"I dueled him myself during the incident. I would have suffered serious injuries without my enchanted armor," Sir Duncan admitted.

"This is unprecedented. The King will want to know if this. You have no idea what this means," Lady Sophitia said.

"I don't think it's that spectacular at all. So why would the King want to see me?" I questioned.

"Because if this is the truth, you are the second to achieve such a thing," Lady Sophitia revealed.

"What do you mean, second?" I asked.

"A boy from House Villanueva has awakened recently and has started attending both academies. It's the talk of the Kingdom. He's a prodigy by the highest standards. Because of this, there has been a string of false claims by others around the Kingdom. Consequently, the King has declared that anyone who makes this claim and can prove it true will face the death penalty," Lady Sophitia revealed.

"That can't be right. King Galen would never make such a decree. He's a kind-hearted and just man. So there must be some misunderstanding," Count Asa said.

"No, Father, I'm not mistaken on this. I saw him declare the decree myself. In his declaration, King Galen stated that Lord Alden Titus Villanueva, Son of Duke Issac Maxwell Villanueva, is the only genuine case of a person awakening this late in life. I've seen what happens to those that have come forward. Have you not heard of this, Father?" Lady Sophitia said.

"No, I have not heard anything about this declaration. But, surely, the King would certainly dispatch envoys throughout the Kingdom for such a message of this scale would have been distributed to all the nobles in the Kingdom," Lord Asa explained.

"I can't believe the King would issue this. I've known him since he was a boy, and this is outside his character, exactly as Count Asa said. We must travel to the Capital at once," Lord Alfred suggested.

"That may be a mistake. However, if what Lady Sophitia is saying is true, then the Royal Knights and Royal Army will carry out this order without fail," Sir Duncan said.

"Yes, when word gets out about the young master's awakening, he will be in grave danger. House Villanueva holds considerate power. It would be easy for Duke Issac to convince King Galen to enact such a decree," Sir Josiah stated.

"Dear, you cannot let any harm come to our dear son! You must do something!" Lady Aiko scolded.

Seeing my former wife upset was painful. Even worse was I was the reason why. The reality is this was a shocking turn of events. My life could be in danger. The word of my awakening hasn't traveled more than a day away from this area. That means there's plenty of time to reach the King and resolve this situation. My life would be in grave danger if we assumed that people from this world's justice are dealt with like my father did yesterday. All this is happening because of a duel. Something bothers me for a moment.

The wind is still. No wind in an open field full of crops with little to break the wind was odd. This entire time since my sister arrived. The wind hasn't blown, not a single breeze or gush of wind. The beautiful clear blue sky above catches my eye as I gaze up, capturing my attention. It's still early in the morning, with the sun shining overhead. I scan the surrounding area and notice no one is on the road—just our two caravans. The city stood in the distance, still busy as ever, but the scene was wrong somehow. I felt my father put his hand on my shoulder.

"Here, take this sword. No matter what happens, take care of your mother and sister," Count Asa whispered.

I hear the scraping sounds of iron sliding from a sheath. Sir Duncan and Josiah had drawn their blades. A choir of clashing swords fills the once-tranquil silence. Nella, Orzella, and Elene exit one of the carriages. There is a sense of danger in their eyes. Their lives were different from mine in the past and the present. There was a tingling in the air. At first, it was a slight background sensation. Then, there was a sense of bleakness in the once-clear sky. Everything had a gray-scale tint to it.

"What's going on?" I whispered.

An instant before I got an answer, my eyes were blinded by a flash. Suddenly, I am thrown from my horse by a mysterious force. A chorus of shouting and metal clashing erupts around me. 'This is bad!' I scramble to my feet just in time to lift my sword to block an incoming attack—a warrior grunts, pressing his sword against mine. Remembering Sir Duncan's training, I parry the warrior, throwing him to the ground. There's little time to celebrate my first successful parry. The warrior is back on his feet in seconds. I recognized the warrior's uniform. This enemy is a soldier in the Royal Army. 'What the hell is going on here? There's no way they'd be here now.' Again, I block the onslaught of attacks. I notice that Royal Army soldiers surround us from the corner of my eye. Other Royal Knights are in mortal combat with Sir Josiah and Duncan. 'How can they attack two members of the Round Table?' My father has his own problems tackling a group of soldiers.

"Lady Aiko??" I yelled. "Mother!!" I screamed.

Her voice almost seems distant in the chaos of the attack. I managed to hold off the royal soldier for a while. Eventually, I saw Royal Knights forcibly dragging my mother from her carriage; she fought as best she could as the knights carried her away to a different carriage. Orzella and her sisters were fighting for their lives, too. Everyone was fighting for their lives. The Royal Army came at us from all directions, this was an ambush, and they grossly outnumbered us. I didn't need to be a soldier in my past life to know we were in trouble.

"Asa! Behind you!!" Lady Sophitia yelled.

Another soldier charges at me from my exposed rear. My training and instincts kick-start in overdrive. I parry and attack my opponent's weak point, as directed by Sir Duncan many times during my youth and Asa's youth. His memories were mine, and I used them to my favor. The blade impales him, driving through his torso and instantly killing him. I withdraw in time to sidestep the second opponent. With the fallen warrior's sword, I cut the second assistant down. I couldn't believe it.

In a few moments, I killed two men, two people that had a family. It weighs heavily on my soul, but this isn't over yet. First, I had to get to Lady Aiko and Lady Sophitia.

The carriage with my mother flies by in an instant. With luck, I find Raven and mount her just as fast. She charges off behind the carriage. Lady Sophitia in front of the path before us.

"Your hand, Sophitia!" I screamed.

She holds out her hand just as I extend mine. Using all my strength, I pull her onto Raven with our hands locked together. Together, the two of us charge after our mother. As I looked around, I could see the battle around us, and this was a battle. The odds were more than against us, but my memories tell me nothing. The House Guards of Martindale are the finest warriors in the Kingdom. An elite force in itself. More talented than the Royal Army. Among our adversaries is the House Guard for House Villanueva. Their banners outnumber the Royal Army. It was clear this was an attack on our family, an unprovoked attack. Right now, I have one job to do. Find my former wife, Lady Aiko.