The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

Brinnnnnnkkkk!

The sound of something metallic being dragged on a rod and the dawning sun pouring mercilessly into his room woke Aeric up that morning.

His maiden threw the curtains wide open, flooding the once-dark chamber with an intrusive brightness. Aeric groaned and turned his head, burying his face into the plush pillow.

"Evelyn, what a crude way to wake up your Prince!" he exclaimed, though much of the noise was muffled out by the pillow.

The sudden illumination painted the room with the early morning golden hues, casting grey shadows of ornate furniture and the thick, dark wood beams of the ceiling.

"Good morning, my Lord," the maiden chimed cheerfully, clasping her hands together as if the act of waking him was her greatest triumph of the day. "It is an eventful day you have today!"

Aeric winced as he lifted his head from the pillow, his eyes fluttering open reluctantly. The light stabbed at him like tiny needles, and his groggy voice rasped, "Was it absolutely necessary to blind me?"

The maiden, unfazed by his grumbling, walked to the bedside with the poise of someone used to dealing with morning irritability. She was ever glad to serve Son Aeric, and even though he didn't need her help with the same activities she used to perform for him before, she found usefulness in minor things such as this.

"Lady Alzera is here for your training," she said with a smile, ignoring his complaint.

Aeric squinted at her. "Training?" he echoed, sitting up slowly. He rubbed his face, trying to wipe away the remnants of sleep. Then realization struck him.

His expression shifted from confusion to mild annoyance. "Oh, right," he muttered. "It's the last day of the week. No school today."

He sighed deeply, realizing that he had miscalculated the events of today and the weight of what he knew was about to come was already pressing on him.

"Alzera probably wants to utilize the free day to teach me as much as she can." He ran a hand through his tousled hair and sighed. "I told Melina she would wear the Crest again today..." he murmured, almost to himself. His lips pressed into a thin line. "But with no school, I guess that's not happening."

He sighed again. "Tomorrow, then."

The maiden pretended not to hear him or not to understand what he was saying and just continued arranging the books that he had left scattered on his reading table.

With that, Aeric pushed himself out of bed and began unbuttoning his nightshirt. "It can't be helped really, and this is a really good opportunity for me to get stronger. Especially after crossing 70% Condensation rate after last night's exercises."

'If I could even be half as strong as Alzera after today's training, then I'm certain I can make a major difference inside that Beast Glade.' He sighed once more.

'That's a big 'if' because Alzera is pretty good with the sword. The beast core of my biggest kill that day is already gone because of that.'

Turning her face to him unknowingly, the maiden's cheeks colored as her eyes plastered on him. She saw his body for the first time in a reasonable long while;

His broad shoulders, his defined chest, and the lithe, muscular frame that spoke of both strength and Divinity refinement. Her admiration and desire was barely hidden, but luckily for her, Aeric seemed completely unaware — or perhaps uninterested.

Continuing with his mental ramblings, he pulled on a simple set of dark and red training clothes, the fabric was snug as his mother had ordered it personally from the royal Tailor in the Rainbow Shores Tailoring factions.

Same place where most of the royal clothes were made.

It was comfortable, sewn for ease of movement. Aeric then rolled bandages methodically over his forearms, extending them down to his fingers.

It was a look he had come to like after seeing many characters from Mortal Kombat to other kungfu games having it. He did the same for his forelegs and once he finished, the maiden stepped forward hesitantly.

Aeric lifted his head to see her incredibly close to him, enthusiastic for some reason. "Is there anything else I can do for you, my Lord?"

'Hmm?' He turned around and waved her a dismissive hand. "No, it's fine. You can dress the room or whatever," he said flatly, his tone devoid of interest.

Before he left, he reached for a small vial in one of the drawers of his desk, the Condensate Elixir Lady Magda had given him, and tucked it into his belt.

Without saying anything else, he strode out of the room.

Descending the grand staircase, Aeric met Jontel who greeted him with his courteous nod. "Fine morning, my Prince."

"Morning to you too, Jontel!" Aeric replied. Then he halted, looking around with lowered brows. "Where's Ilyon?"

Jontel hesitated before answering. "On a quick errand, my prince. You'll see him later today."

Aeric frowned slightly. "Okay."

He continued towards the main door, feeling a bit out of it that morning, even the cold stone beneath his boots seemed to echo his thoughts.

The doors pulled open, and once he was greeted by the outside, he barely had time to register the crisp morning air before a sudden splash of icy water hit his face.

Aeric froze, drenched and unamused. "What... the... fuck?"

"Good morning, student!" Alzera's voice rang out with unrestrained glee.

Aeric shifted his pupils and found her just a few paces away, holding an empty wooden bucket. With a careless toss, she flung the bucket toward a worker nearby, who caught it midair.

She then pointed tauntingly at Aeric. "That was poor reflexes and situational awareness that you just showed there," she said, her frown clearly fake.

Aeric wiped his face, his wet hair clinging to his forehead. His tone was dry as he replied, "You're very lively today."

"There are many reasons why I should be!" she quipped, her voice carrying a mischievous edge. Then, stepping aside dramatically, she gestured to someone behind her. "Guess who I brought with me!"

From behind her, Delva stepped forward being pushed towards Aeric with Alzera's palms, the royal companion has an expression a mix of embarrassment and amusement.

She gave Aeric a sheepish wave. Read latest stories on empire

The Prince's brow lifted. "Delva? What are you doing here? It's the weekend."

Alzera chimed in before Delva could answer. "She offered to join us for practice today. We're all going to put our hands together to mold you into the strongest of Awakened Players!"

Aeric remained unimpressed at first, but then her words registered. "All," he repeated, his eyes narrowing. "Do you mean—?"

Alzera's grin stretched wider. "That's right, student! I brought the whole squad with me."

With a theatrical flourish, she stepped aside once more, revealing the familiar faces of Aeric's first Dungeon Squad.

All three of them, they were there! But they were all standing awkwardly, their expressions ranging from nervousness to faint disbelief.

Kael

Ryn

Bel

Aeric smiled at them nervously, standing straight and tilted his head to the side. "Howdy, old friends!" he said with a wave.

Ryn's face dropped. "You're kidding."

"Fucking fat toads, he really is the Prince."

Kael, the massive and soft-spoken tank, was the first to step forward. His clasped hands and hesitant smile were a sharp contrast to his towering frame. "Young Master," he said formally, bowing slightly.

"Kael, don't," Aeric said, laughing. "I'm still Aeric to you." Then he scratched the back of his head. "I suppose I would be Dagwood, but just call me Aeric okay?"

Next was Ryn, the aloof Ranger-type Player whose apathetic demeanor hadn't changed a bit. He gave Aeric a once-over and smirked faintly. "So you're the Prince, huh? Definitely fooled me. You looked nothing like this back then."

Aeric chuckled. "Good to see you too, Ranger Ryn."

Bel, the youngest and slimmest of the group, was the last to approach. Her cheeks flushed as she bowed deeply. "It's a pleasure to officially meet you, Your Highness," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm so sorry for making you carry bags and run errands back then!"

Aeric waved it off, chuckling. "It was courier work. You did say everyone had to do it in their time, right? I didn't want special treatment. It's all fine."

They all continued staring like him, as though he was the proof that some ancient fable about a god truly existed. It really was strange for them to see that the same boy they had ordered about that day was the Prince who was born from an anomaly.

The biggest talk of the Realm in centuries.

Thankfully, Ryn's voice cut through the moment. "So, now that we're all here... what's this about fighting the Beast Glade in Mursbridge?"

"No, no, no!" Alzera interjected, stepping in between them with her hands raised. "First things first. We're here to train Aeric, okay? And maybe we can use the opportunity to train ourselves in the Training expanse too. We can talk about Mursbridge later."

Aeric narrowed his eyes and nodded his head.

Then Alzera's tone shifted to something more teasing as she looked at her student. "For now, our unified duty is to make sure that Prince Aeric has the worst day of his entire life."

Aeric blinked, his nervous smile betraying his unease.

Today, they were to begin learning Divinity in Combat, a skill that would require Aeric to blend his Divine Powers seamlessly into his fighting style. The squad formed a loose circle around him, their expressions varying from determination to faint amusement.

"Let's begin," Alzera declared.