Chapter 50 – Contest of the Kraidens

The feast of dazzling lights enthralled the majority of its audience, and exclamations stretched across the site like wildfire. Faces looked up in awe as the luminescence dawned over them the same way it did the darkness; sudden and dreamy. At the last moment, a culminating illumination flashed, and this time, several blue flames scattered in the air like an embroidery of lanterns.

“It seems as though a goblin made that fire.”

But goblins don’t exist, that is inherently known. And crucially, Levisia knew the one person who could prove this.

“It was obviously the doing of Siaphyl.”

‘Return of the King’ described those who died at the hands of the aforementioned; swallowed by his rage as if they were nothing more than a full course meal.

“Now that I think about it, it was quite a gentle expression.”

How could a mere display of sparkles rival that of a person in power burning ill-fated people to the death? She felt nauseous, and almost acted on it, if not for the show of fireworks airborne in front of herself providing a decent distraction.

The blazing azure sometimes morphed into flowers or the silhouette of trees; symbolizing the stark vibrancy of its empire. Then in a slow transition, fell back down one by one in traces of reminiscent flames, just like raindrops. The very same flame to touch the earth after its descent instantly spread, as if the fuses had caught fire. A few individuals surrounding the area let out a variety of gasps; both in shock and awe. Of course, this only lasted for a short while. And as the blaze started to wheel itself on the ground, encircling the center-stage, five people then emerged from pitch black.

“A sword dance…?”

Encompassed by speckles of blue, the five successors began to position their swords against the other. While the performance may seem like a scuffle to some, it reflected more a synchronized and coordinated sword fight; a dance of sorts to the professional eye.

“Their twisting and turning bodies are unusual.”

From a distance, the weapon held by Cassian, the first prince, looked quite sharp and loaded. Still, it was amazing how he did not look one bit sluggish. Which was very unlike the sword-searing Elizabeth, the second princess, who on the other hand, failed to possess any significant skill. But despite this, her bodily actions were still deemed impressive, light on the feet.

She began to spar with Merril, swords landing back and forth with the occasional clang, and cheers erupted from the crowd. For Levisia, it was momentary, as she chose to stare at the fluttering hem of the princess’ clothing.

“Merril…”

She was just holding a standard sword, nothing out of the ordinary. But beyond that, the unique rhythm of her movements made for an exceptional execution. The trajectory of the blade was clear; utterly fast that no eyes could keep up.

To summarize, Lidan, who had just performed a duel with Merril, proved an eminent dance. He was as light, free, unconventional, and impeccable as envisioned. And surprisingly, Siaphyl’s sword refused to spar much with his older brothers.

“How is it possible to possess such skills at that age?”

Wasn’t he supposed to be the elite, younger brother who could excel at anything? To be particular, and the wonderstruck could account for it, Siaphyl did do an admirable wave-like movement with his body between Cassian and Lidan.

“He looks like a snake.”

It took a matter of time for the sword dance to adapt the movements of a sinuous snake; flexible and covert. Which was an eerie resemblance to the nature of Siaphyl, who is set to reign supreme in the future.

“It must have been tough, trying to match each other’s movements.”

Each of the five members dominated their own kind of personality, and were quite strong. Surely, all of them couldn’t have done this in perfect unison without exhaustive practice over the course of one or two days.

“It’s an unexpected surprise.”

It never crossed Levisia’s mind that the five Kraidens would show up together at the fairy festival. And she especially never imagined them to work cooperatively so well in this light.

The troupes proceeded to lower their swords, visibly trying to catch their breath, all while gazing at each other throughout. Nelle then changed back into the shape of a cane, settling into Merril’s hand. The droplets of water produced by her very own ability poured down over Siaphyl’s blue fire in an elegant fashion. At the same time, strong winds from Lidan slowly withdrew Cassian’s darkness.

In a final act of astonishment, the gloom went completely lifted, causing the surroundings to be once again filled by the glow only belonging to that of the afternoon sun. The clapping of hands, the whistle of lips, and an array of shouts mixed together in exhilarating abandon as people applauded their presentation. It was nothing short of artful.

Despite this enthusiastic response, the five Kraidens remained to stand in line with the quest of greeting the emperor; not a vestige of joy on their faces. However, the crowd continued to cheer on as the ruler rose up from his throne to do the same.

“Splendid.”

Right when Levisia realized her ears were throbbing uncomfortably from the loud acclamation, she could see the 17th prince applaud fervently more than anyone else. As if a child, he didn’t dare stop his amazement, looking back at her only to say in an excited voice, “Wasn’t that marvelous?”

Levisia did not reply.

“How absolutely tense was it when the first prince’s darkness primarily covered the view! And when Merril ceased the fire by the end, that was completely…”

As she continued to stare at the 17th prince who could barely get his words out, a thought passed me, ‘Sick.’ But it wasn’t just him. Even the brothers sitting on his left had no difference in their reactions. Seeing this, she realized something yet again. It’s not lost on her how the Kraidens are regarded as ‘idols’ themselves in this empire.

“Huh, are they looking this way?”

The 17th prince was right; the Kraidens were looking their way.

Levisia knew, because the emperor is right behind us. ‘Although something tells me that isn’t the case…’ She blinked hard upon catching the unusually sharp gazes of Elizabeth, Lidan, and Siaphyl.

“What are they looking at?”