"I guess I wasn't expecting that basic of a question, especially not from someone with one of their marks," Markus sighed as he picked up a tool that looked like a soldering pen, "The Five are the heads of our government. Four are chosen in specific contests and the fifth is voted in by the Legion. You do know what the Legion is, don't you?"
Emory shook her head, "Let's assume I don't know anything about the government."
"Where are you from that you know so little?" Markus scowled, "The Legion is the main governing body. Each city throughout the empire picks one representative that joins the Legion, and collectively, they make the laws for everyone. The Five lead the empire as a whole."
"You said four are chosen by specific contests. What does that mean?" Emory questioned.
"Every ten years, a contest of power is held for each of the four magik schools," Markus huffed, "The winner of the contest is awarded one of the four spots based on what school they competed in. That mark on your hand is from one of the four, the longest serving of the four actually."
Emory nodded, "Do you know the names of the Five and what position they hold?"
"Obviously, the person who left that mark is Athos of the Spirit school. There's Bramimond of the Primal school, Elimine of the Light school, and Hanon of the Dark school," Markus replied automatically, "And Soren is the Fifth. If you're lucky, you may even get to see him. He buys a lot of gear from this store and has a package waiting for him right now."
"I told you I'd be here after lunch, you little serpent!" a man called from the entrance. This man was a little shorter than Innes, about six-foot-two or so, with broad shoulders and a toned body. His black hair was messy but straight and covered his ears and eyebrows. Unlike the normal clothing she had seen on the street, he was clad in golden chainmail with black leather gauntlets and greaves. But what caught Emory's eye wasn't any of that; this man couldn't be much older than her, thirty at the very most. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see that Markus had another client here. Please forgive my earlier rash words," the man apologized as he bowed slightly to Emory.
"Lord Soren!" Markus exclaimed, "I'll have your order as soon as I finish this work. Forgive me for making you wait."
Soren laughed, "It's fine; she was here first after all. My name is Soren. Could I have the pleasure of learning yours, Miss?"
"My name is Emory. The pleasure is all mine," Emory stuttered, "I'm just getting some boots debossed. He should be done soon."
"I bet you got a lot of stares, not just because of your beauty either. That's some magik you have there, Emory. How come I've never met someone with this large of a mana pool before?" Soren grinned.
"Thank you very much," Emory blushed, "I'm not from here which is probably why we haven't met before. I just got to the city earlier today."
Soren chuckled, "I'm not from the city either, but I think I still would have noticed someone as enchanting as you are before. Who did you come to town with? I don't see anyone else around."
"Lord Athos brought me and then left me on my own," Emory scoffed, "This is the first store I've been to."
"Athos? Then you must his honored guest that he's been raving about. Such poor manners for leaving you by yourself though. May I have the honor of showing you the city?" Soren asked charmingly and extended his hand towards her.
"Once my boots are done, I'd love that," Emory agreed, "Aren't you picking something up as well?"
Soren's cheeks turned red, "I'll be around all week; I can always pick them up later."
"No need, Lord Soren. I just finished these boots," Markus commented as he sat the finished product next to Emory and stood up, "I'll go get your order now." He hopped off the chair and ran to the back through a pair of swinging saloon doors. Moments later, he came back with a rectangular box about the same size as he was. Soren caught the box just as it was slipping out of the young boy's arms. A slight glow came from the bottom of the box as Soren used magik to hold it midair while he removed the lid. Once he removed the outer covering, they could see a black rapier with a golden, gem encrusted hilt and guard. He flicked his wrist with the blade in his hand, causing a sliver of magik to shoot out and carve an indent into the ground.
"The weight is better now," Soren mentioned as he moved it side to side, "Tell your father thanks. This is a piece of art." By the time he strapped it to his waist, Emory had already swapped out the new boots for her old ones and put them away in her bag.
Emory smirked, "Where to first?"
"Well, there's this rooftop café around here that has the best view of the city. Maybe we could start there and pick out the next place from there?" Soren suggested as he too cloaked himself in Arcane magik, though there was no comparing its luster to Emory's. She walked over to the sidewalk and transformed her cloak back into wings. He stared in amazement at her as he walked closer and did the same with his magik. His wings in this form were sharper with jagged edges like a crow or raven. With a shared look, they soared into the sky, reaching the clouds in less than a minute. Soren took point and led Emory down to the top of a skyscraper, guiding her with his hand. It was an enclosed patio with only a few guests, so they quickly found a small table and sat around it. A waiter came and brought them water and a steaming brown drink which Emory could only assume was like tea or coffee.
Once they were settled, Soren asked, "So, Emory, honored guest of Athos the Lucky, where are you from?"
"I'm actually from the Sol System," Emory smiled, "But I met Athos on a planet in the Ross 128 system. Oh, you probably have different names for them."
"The Sol System? Can't say I've ever heard of it. Wait a second, you're not Elandrian, are you?" Soren raised an eyebrow.
"No, I'm human, or at least part human," Emory sipped her water, "Technically, I'm the child of a born Hexblood and an Ancient."
Soren's jaw dropped, "What did you just say? You're an Ancient? You're pulling my leg." Emory brushed her hair behind one of her ears to reveal the normal rounded shape of human ears. "Wow, I'm in shock," Soren breathed, "To meet an Ancient in person is amazing! I have so many questions."
"Before you start asking questions, I should preface by saying that I only learned of my heritage a couple months ago. Both my parents died when I was young, and they didn't pass any information onto me about my lineage," Emory warned.
"Oh no, that's terrible," Soren countered, "I'm so sorry for your loss."
Emory shrugged, "It's okay. That was over a decade ago. My turn for a question, and I hope it's not rude. How old are you?"
"I'm twenty-nine, the youngest ever member of the Five," Soren proudly proclaimed, "Why did you ask how old I was?"
"As I'm sure you know, it's rare to find someone our age at the leader's table. And I know Elandrian can live very long lives, so I just wanted to know if you were my age or if you just looked my age. Okay, Soren, how did you become one of the Five at such a young age?" Emory shot back.
"Intense training for almost a decade and a rare gift. Of course, my position in the Five is a little different than the others, so I was chosen from the Legion by a majority of the members. And to be a part of the Legion, I had to be the elected representative of my city which is called Ormsta," Soren explained, "Now, to the heart of the issue, why are you here? Not that I mind having such a beautiful woman around."
Emory glowed, "Well, ten years ago, the Mantoan came to the Sol System and tried to conquer humanity. We kicked out the mothership, but there's been some skirmishes since then. So, I'm here as an ambassador of humanity to join forces with the Elandrian. But I'm happy to visit; this is a marvelous city."
"Arcadia is a special place for us," Soren finished his water, "Our civilization started here over a million years ago. What's next? Do you have more questions? Is there anything you see from up here that you want to go check out?"
"Actually, I think I'd just like to soar around the area and see what there is. Can you keep those wings up?" Emory teased.
"I've rested enough to use them for awhile, but I should be asking you," Soren joked back, "You have been wearing your cloak since I met you in the armory, and yours is bigger than mine. Just how big is your mana pool?"
Standing up and unfurling her sparkling wings, she winked, "Guess you're just going to have to find out!" With a big flap, she took off into the sky. Soren laughed as he shook his head, created his wings again, and took off after Emory. Once he caught up, the pair shot off over the city.
Soren showed her the city first including a large park with a decent arboretum. While most of the trees look analogous to deciduous trees in the Sol System, they found a strange group that spiraled like a yew tree. Except these trees had what appeared to be glowing veins that swirled around the tree. He explained that this was called Winterwood and was the last of its family, the Elder Barks. These trees were the only ones in all their journeys that they found to draw in magik, hence what the pulsating lines were. Once a year, the trees bore a single fruit that looked spherical but was the size of a pineapple. This fruit would be divided into five pieces and served to the Five at the New Year's celebration, permanently increasing the size of their mana pool and tempering their internal organs to the magik.
"If you look at the base of the crown, you can see the fruit starting to grow," Soren pointed, "It takes a hundred years to be a mature enough tree to even bear fruit. All five of these trees are nearly a thousand years old."
"If there are five fruits every year, why do you only eat one between the Five? What do you do with the other four?" Emory furrowed her brow.
"The fruit is actually too strong for a single person to eat. A very long time ago, one of the Five got greedy and ate a whole one. Later that day, he exploded into pure magik. Since then, we've been very strict about not eating too much," Soren told her, "The other four are blended and mixed into the water supply, ensuring everyone gets some benefit."
Emory nodded and smiled, "What's next? We've seen the city."
"I'm a little tired and even more amazed by you," Soren breathed heavily, "If we could walk and see some sights, that would be preferable."
"No, I think I want to see the rest of the planet. Here, give me your hand," Emory smirked as she outstretched her hand palm side up. Soren's face contorted in confusion at the suggestion; he knew she meant to give him some of her magik, but he didn't understand how she was able to keep up her magik and have enough to share. Still, he cautiously placed his palm on top of hers and instantly felt a surge of magik rush into his body. Quickly, his entire body began to radiate sparkling light, even his veins began to pulse with magik. Emory pulled her hand away while Soren's legs shook slightly.
"How? How can you have this much magik and be younger than me?" Soren questioned lowly as he stretched his muscles, "What kind of life have you lived that made you grow this strong?"
Emory grinned, "Actually, I have a rare gift as well called Limitless. The wings only drain my mana continuously, not my stamina."
"You have the legendary gift? I am in the presence of a god," Soren prostrated himself before Emory and began bowing up and down at her feet.
"Stop that," Emory yanked him up immediately, "It's just a gift. I'm not a god. Please don't treat me any differently than before." Soren could see the emotion bubbling up in Emory's eyes as she made this plea.
He bowed once more, "If that is what you ask, how can I refuse? I will try my best, but surely, you know what kind of gift you have, right? There are legends about the greatest heroes of all time having that gift! No more than three Elandrian have ever had that!"