Year 26, Third age of Astron;
Town of Elinor, Divinian Republic, Xynnar Continent;
A dashing young man was walking in the streets of a town. As he entered, heads turned and conversations halted.
All eyes were drawn to the guy with a solid and chiseled jawline, piercing blue eyes, and a head of tousled dark hair. He seemed almost too perfect for a human.
But, it wasn't just his striking appearance that made him stand out.
Behind him, there were atleast 25 guards, fully dressed up as armored soldiers with their energy cannons out, instead of bodyguards, making sure that no one approached their young master, especially the press.
If anyone wonders whether he is a prince or something, well, he actually is.
21-year-old Qin Yu is the heir of the wealthy Qin clan with a net worth of about 96 billion Zeni, almost equal to 20% of the country's GDP. They also have many mines of Arcanite under their control.
Arcanite is a metal infused with magical energy, often used by adventurers to enhance their spells and abilities.
The metal was very expensive and that made the Qin clan the wealthiest in Divinia, once a monarchy but now a republic.
Qin clan isn't exactly considered royalty at first, but after inheriting the royal castle a couple of centuries ago through the family tree, the citizens started treating them as such, although formally not recognized by the government.
As the heir to such a family, Qin Yu was well protected from any harm. Of the guards that were protecting him, the weakest was at Tier 5, and the strongest of them was at Tier 8.
Until the end of the second age, there used to be magic swordsmen, sorcerers, and archers, but now, most people prefer to use Energy Cannons as they need the least amount of training to use them.
While the experts still prefer traditional weapons as they allow them to use certain skills, for those in security services, there aint no better weapon than a handheld cannon. Not to mention, they weren't protecting not one, but two young masters.
Walking beside Qin Yu is 10-year-old Qin Wei, his younger brother.
Qin Wei rarely steps out of the Divinia castle, and hence, was curiously looking at his surroundings.
His eyes then fell on a building that was shaped like a pyramid. He tugged his brother's velvet coat.
"Hmm?" Qin Yu looked at his younger brother, "What is it, brother?"
Qin Wei started making signs for him. The soldiers who were following them closely didn't understand a bit.
However, his older brother understood it.
Qin Yu nodded with a smile, "Yup, it is the Divinian Hall."
Little Qin Wei smiled and made a few sets of signs as if he were saying that he was looking forward to the following day.
Qin Yu ruffled his hair with a hint of sadness on his smile, "I'm sure the ancestors will bless you."
Divinian Hall is the resting place of the ancestors hailing from the specific region who did great service to humanity.
It is also the place where 10 to 15-year-old kids will be going through the awakening process.
Qin clan ancestors are all famed Astron warriors and even Qin Yu himself is an S-class Hero at the mere age of 21, meaning a genius blessed with mana and the pride of Divinia.
The only problem is that their late mother is a plainfolk, one with no mana. And people in the family often say that Qin Wei took after her.
But then again, they weren't wrong to think in such a way either. Qin Wei was born mute and had absolutely no mana.
Only one of ten kids who were born with mana could successfully awaken their Astron spirit
As for the children with no mana, the chances of success are below 0.00001%. Only one person in a hundred thousand people could have such a miracle of awakening a spirit beast alongside the mana during the awakening process. And this chance would even become slimmer as the child's age increases.
Hence, even his father and grandparents gave up on him.
That is why Qin Yu was worried about his brother. If Qin Wei doesn't become an Astron warrior in the first attempt, then, his future will be at tremendous risk.
Qin Yu could only pray for a miracle.
After touring around the town and meeting the locals, Qin Yu returned to the castle with his brother.
As they were on their way to meet their father, in a corridor, both of them were blocked by a middle-aged fellow with a few bodyguards in suits behind him.
"Welcome back, Lord Qin," greeted the scary-looking middle-aged fellow. Qin Wei immediately hid behind his brother.
Meanwhile, Qin Yu's face darkened. He couldn't hide his hatred as he growled, "What the hell are you doing at our home, Ren Gengxin?"
Ren Gengxin answered in a calm manner, ignoring the young prince's behavior, "I'm just here to inform my brother-in-law that his pregnant wife is doing well at her maternal home. She also sends her regards to both of her sons."
"We are not her sons, Ren Gengxin. And our mother's name is Liu Xin," replied Qin Yu. He didn't bother to stand there and converse with the older brother of his stepmother, whose existence he blamed as the reason behind his mother's suicide.
As he walked forward and was about to go past him, Ren Gengxin grabbed Qin Wei's hand all of a sudden, startling the kid.
"Don't you want to greet your uncle, Xiao Wei?" His hand went for his hair as he looked straight into the kid's eyes.
The ten-year-old shivered in fear as his eyes met the man's eyes. He immediately tugged his brother's coat from the back for help.
Qin Yu turned around and pulled out the sword without any hesitation. The guards quickly stood before their master.
As the concentrated amount of magical energy pushed out of his body and poured into the sword, the sparks of the purple lightning started dancing around its blade.
Pointing the sword of lightning at them, the elder brother spoke, "Step away from my brother. I'm warning you. When I say leave my sight, you leave my sight. Test my patience, and I don't care even if you are the son of the Supreme Commander."
Ren Gengxin narrowed his eyes for a second before he let out a fake grin, "Alright, Lord Qin. This is your home. You are the king here."
He gestured for the guards to stand down and left the place.
Once they walked out of the castle, a young man who was considered Ren Gengxin's right hand growled out in frustration, "How dare he disrespect Lord Ren by addressing him in such a way, without even addressing him with the title. Even his father spoke in the same tone earlier."
Ren Gengxin raised his hand, gesturing for him to shut his mouth.
As the bodyguard apologized for his loudmouth, Ren Gengxin looked back at the castle made of white granite and let out a smirk, "Their doom has already been set into motion. We'll just sit back and watch."
The next day morning;
Qin Wei and his brother appeared at the Divinian Hall in secret, not intending to give any chance for the media to cause an unnecessary commotion.
And to make sure no one spread the news too, the Divinian Hall's Bishop was also informed beforehand.
As a result, a notice was placed outside that it would be closed for the day.
Both the brothers secretly entered the hall through the backdoor and met the Bishop.
The Bishop asked them to follow him to the awakening chamber.
The awakening chamber was rather simple without any decorations. In a plain room, there was a marble stone in the shape of a prism. While the stone holds no significance, the mystical runes carved on it are important for the ritual.
The Bishop of the Divinian Hall then asked the kid to sit down on the platform before the awakening stone.
Qin Wei nodded and followed the instructions. After sitting in a lotus position, he closed his eyes.
"Verdathor enarandu, solinthar..."
The Bishop then recited a spell of long incantation, activating the runes inscribed on the awakening stone.
The runes lit up, and golden chains of energy shot into Arceus from the stone.
In the next instant, they passed through his body like sunrays and shot out of him before disappearing into thin air.
The Bishop looked at Qin Yu and shook his head in disappointment.
"A plainfolk, huh?" Qin Yu let out a deep sigh and sat down on the floor, not knowing what he should do now.