(Sygni Oden POV)

Waiting impatiently for this farce to be over with, I try to locate my son’s booth for the prominent clans while walking towards the ring I see him with my magically enhanced vision looking flabbergasted. I smile, but a thought enters my mind. ‘Sometimes I think he’s too expressive to be a one-year-old child. I'm sure that he understands more than he lets us know, like watching the glass mirage filled with propaganda and documentaries about this rotten Kingdom.’

I am angered at the thought of my son ending up as a mindless drone for the Elder Council to control, so young but already given the favor of the Gods by the sheer amount of mana he attracts. I shake my head as I reach the arenas stairs, taking large strides I reach the announcer.

“Now, for the opponent of the blood huntress we have a man who has clashed many times with the demons and returned victoriously!” the announcer grins towards me and continues, voice booming towards the crowd. “ It is my pleasure to announce, Reynold of the Emiurgen clan and a prodigy!”

“He is new to clan tournaments, young and not very experienced fighting against magicians but on the other hand a very powerful and proficient warrior. The young promise of the clan”

I shake my head in displeasure. ‘Maybe I should do as my husband and overwhelm this boy.’ But I soon decide not to, my union with my husband proved to be very troublesome as both my clan and his clan almost expelled us, making our union frowned to all. If I don’t give some face to them trouble surely would ensue after.

Who would expect in the past for people to take such liberties with me, the once claimed to be one of the best mages in the country and triple element magic caster, a true genius in the battlefield now demoted to a simple dull housewife in the eyes of others.

Reynold, a shorter and thinner man than normal by our standards, approached the ring and put on a haughty expression before me and mockingly said. “As the former archmage of Edden, you better watch yourself now that you aren’t backed by your clan, we younglings are the future so please be a good stepping stone for me!”

I lift my finger in disgust as I watch the rotten face of this young man, ready for the signal. I start to rotate the mana around me through my totem, making sure to calibrate my wavelengths to get the desired effects by first multiplying the particles for more abundant mana in the environment. signaling with his hand and leaping out of bounds the announcer initiates the confront.

Reynold swiftly raises his sword to his shoulder showing just how immature he is and starts to run really fast in my direction, he laughs as he thinks me of slow and unable to dodge his shoulder strike. “Watch as I use you to further my military career and prestige.” I frown, before the marriage no one would have dared to speak to me in such insolent mannerisms.

I reach my limit of insults becoming my past self and will the thick mana particles on the tip of my finger, being able to use three elements one has to have an even bigger control over their body. For example, if one person is proficient in fire magic and dedicates ten decades to reach the first level of magical apprenticeship they will take twenty years to become knowledgeable on two elements and so forth and so on, for me, it took twenty-four years to reach intermediate apprentice and almost thirty to reach master magician.

After years on the battlefield slaughtering demons as a “blood huntress” gaining respect from the commanding officers, I fell in love with one of the campaign generals and married him, due to our clans hating each other over petty squabbles dating millennia they opposed our wedding and almost withdrew any sort of backing we had from them.

It turned worse because we decided to retire to the middle of nowhere four years ago and start a family, as such it is of no wonder that this sixteen to seventeen-year-old does not fear me nor respects me, but as I am now no more than a branch existence attached to the main clan even the ones who know about the real me have no fear.

I guess its time to show them how wise and fearsome I’ve truly become after growing in other aspects of my life.

Smirking, I Ignite the mana concentration modifying it to suit my lightning style launching forwards a blinding blue flash of pure force and electricity. I do not even bother aiming the lightning as it is so overbearing that it turns to charcoal the entire arena. This is not only to show youngsters respect but also to slap the elders in the face, as I don’t care for the rules engagement.

Dust lifting I hear cries of fear from the crowd, expecting to see an almost obliterated person on the floor what greets me is the four elders protecting the arrogant child with deep frowns and unhappy faces. “Are you mad?” The first one with black hair and a black tunic shouts towards me. “You could have killed thousands were we not here!”

I grin at those words. ‘So what you old coot's? Of course, I knew you would be here. This is a reminder of how I retired by my own accord, a reminder to not send this pathetical youngster to make a fool out of me.’

“You must be seeking punishment Sygni, for you to defile such a sacred tournament” The oldest looking of the Elders has the passing of time imbued in his wrinkles and rebukes me for my actions. Turning to him with a murderous gaze I recognize my father.

“You have no strength to touch me ‘Elder’ not even you with you thousands of years in magical training wouldn't be able to harm me.” I throw him an insult, to which he fiercely looks at me but does not dare to respond knowing I am right.

These Elders live behind the walls of the Kingdom not ever participating in life and death battles, how could they reach enlightenment in their magical proficiency like I did?

“Enough!” Not getting any face from me the Elder from the Nörm clan tries his luck in making me lose any credibility I have. “You clearly have lost some normal aspects of a sane person, therefore trying to kill so many people. What would have happened if we four didn’t notice such mana gathering on your finger?”

“Mass murder, she would have killed countless innocents!” The fourth Elder speaks with a solemn expression.

Unable to control myself, poisoned words start pouring from my mouth.

“To think you Elders care about the people. Were you not the ones sending younglings towards war only to be slaughtered, all to shield yourselves inside your pristine palaces?” I furiously look at them, gaining satisfaction realizing they flinch at my words as my aura surges in waves, my totem gleaming in the sunlight. “I wouldn’t have killed even one percent of the people you have sent to their deaths, you gain power and live lavishly treating other races as inferior and unfit to rule your hypocritical and broken system!”

Flabbergasted by my rash words the crowd can’t speak nor move, forming a silence around the circular stadium.

“Nonsense child, we protect the Kingdom, not through violence but through knowledge, therefore, steering the nation to bigger things!” My father yells, making his voice boom in the stadium.

I snort at his pathetical attempt at an excuse and turn around to leave having spilled my mind only to see my husband at the entrance of the stadium with his left hand in ‘Mjurn’ his most powerful sword and a grin in his face. ‘Sigh, I even told him to not make a scene with the Elders and it turns out I am the one to do it!’

Not daring to get closer to me, the guards and master magicians alike part ways from my path as i approach the entrance of the arena to go fetch my son from the most arrogant Elder out of them all.

“So…” My husband teases with a silly face, making me smirk involuntarily. “It's you who has a debt to pay if I remember your words from last night correctly?”

He hugs my sides and we hurriedly walked towards the booth of Orven’s family. I look at my husband and say.

“It seems we have to relocate from the capital, with this kind of afront to their authority we can’t afford to be lenient, even if almost every competent warrior is fighting in the frontier they will come for us without a doubt labeling us as traitors. I will only miss my dear sister, I hope she won't face trouble even in the murky frontlines.”

“So what? We should just move!” He smiles sweetly at me making me melt at the core. “and your sister will defiietly be fine.” Making me feel like this was the best decision we made so far, he ruins the precious moment.

“Its not like I didn’t know I married a hot-headed and bold woman!”

We bicker with each other playfully as we walk through the white polished marble floor eager to leave.