For Kion, the talent scroll held so much significance.
This was because it carried [Fire Blade], a skill that coated his weapon in searing hot flames.
It allowed his slashes to be five times more deadly, slicing clean through just about anything.
Unfortunately, it was nothing when it came against a mythic-grade warrior.
It was only his first skill in his past life, but back then, it had also been his only skill.
As a soulless weaponeer, he was limited to certain skills, the only ones that could be manifested through his weapon, and not his body.
Which was why [Fire Blade] had been a unique choice back then, for its versatility and power.
As a soulless, he hadn't been able to upgrade the skill as quickly as he wanted.
But now that things were different, he swore to himself to master it to [Monarch] level, even if it took gruelling hours of training.
Eventually, Shaman dismissed him, allowing him to muse about his next plans.
At about the same time, Shaman found himself entertaining another royal, this one's arrogance a far cry from Kion's usual calm and composed demeanour.
SLAM!
"You're helping him get ahead of me!"
Kai accused, banging his fist on Shaman's worktable. The wizard, however, remained unfazed. He was far too used to dealing with the crowned heir's tantrums.
"I am only helping him to catch up with the basics."
"Oh so now you're helping people, wizard. I thought you usually just rot away in your toxic brews and potions." Kai yelled.
From the open window of his royal quarters, Kai had spotted Kion heading to the wizard's lone tower within the castle walls, and he had instantly known what it was about.
In fact, it bothered him so much that he'd left his meditation practice to personally take care of it.
He had missed Kion, as the brat had already left before he got here, but the issue wasn't even with him, but with the wizard, who seemed to have suddenly taken a keen interest in Kion, just like everyone else in their damn castle.
All this while, Shaman kept silent, not entertaining the spite in Kion's words nor the tone of his message, and it angered the young prince even more.
"You are to desist from associating with him any further. Is that clear?" He yelled while pointing a finger.
There was a moment of silence, as Shaman's composure even doubled as the tension got worse. Just when Kai thought the old man's silence meant that he had gotten his message and was about to leave, Shaman finally spoke up.
"As much I'd hate to put a halt to your childish episodes, I do have a meeting with the king that I need to get to. So unless you, my dear Kai, are ready to face His Majesty's wrath, I suggest you take your buffoonery somewhere else, preferably to someone who's got time. I suggest your mother."
Kai's nostrils flared.
It took all his willpower not to backhand Shaman across the face.
He knew it would've come with serious consequences, as while Shaman would not be able to do anything about it, it would be considered a huge sacrilege, attacking someone who was so close to the king.
All Kai could do to contain his anger was ball his fists and stomp aggressively towards the door. As much as he'd wanted to give Shaman a piece of his mind, he wanted to avoid his father's wrath at all costs.
"Oh, and need I remind you—"
Kai stopped just before reaching the door.
"I do not take orders from you, little prince. Not yet at least. I will associate with whoever I want, whenever I want, as long as it benefits the greater good of the kingdom. Save the orders for when you become king, that is, if you're still up for it, given that you have a new contender."
"You old—!" Kai managed to stop his hand hovering inches from Shaman's face, who chuckled at his reaction.
"Uggghh!" Kai threw his hands in the air out of frustration, marching out of the workshop and slamming the door with such force it caused the potion bottles on the shelves to rattle.
There was a deep silence in the workshop for sometime, and then, what followed was a hearty laugh.
"Ahhhh. My boy, Kai." Shaman said after moments of wheezing. Kai's arrogance was something that many servants within the castle walls feared, but not Shaman. One could say that this was due to his high rank, but it was also because of how well he handled Kai.
Shaman didn't care for Kai's insulting deamenour, neither did he give much thought to his usual chaotic episodes. He was basically immune to all that.
But he feared for Kion.
He admitted that something was different about the bastard son since the awakening. The timid boy was completely gone, and it was almost as if someone had replaced him immediately. He'd also seen firsthand how efficient Kion could be when put to the test.
But it was one thing to be strong physically, and another to be strong mentally.
If Kai took it to Kion with his schemes and mind games, he feared that Kion wouldn't be able to handle it.
Not because he was weak or anything. Shaman had already dismissed that idea long ago.
It was because this new version of Kion might get triggered in the wrong way, forgetting his place as the underdog and letting his anger pave his path.
And there was the part that confused Shaman the most. How and why had Kion connected with Tyril out of all ancestors?
This fact alone bothered Shaman so much.
Earlier, he'd told Kion of the old elf-human's heroics. But that was not the truth.
The Everglade lineage and all of Stormholt had only recorded that the great Tyril Everglade was a hero. But this was a twisted version of the tale. The real truth was termed forbidden knowledge due to how dark it was.
Factually, the Everglade's sole ancestor was actually a tyrant. In fact, the only reason he'd been the last Everglade alive was not because of his resilience, but because he'd killed them all.
During the Great War, he'd wiped out other notable bloodlines, alongside people from his own bloodline if they were foolish enough to get in his way.
In the end, he was the only one left.
He'd rebuilt the Everglade line solely on his own terms, not entertaining the thought of having someone get in his way.
It was the beginning of a golden age, an era built on the blood, sweat and tears of Tyril's enemies.
The true history remembered Tyril as far from a good person.
And given how strongly connected one's destiny was tied to the ancestor they met during their awakening, Shaman could only wonder why Kion would connect to someone so vile and wretched.
Above all, this was why he'd opted to keep a close eye on the boy, not just because of his immense power, but because no one, in the history of the Everglades, had, or was supposed to connect to Tyril, the tyrannical monarch.
And there was the way Kion's demeanour had changed, the icy aura his amber gaze held, and that indifference of his—
It was all too perfect to be tagged a coincidence.
He wasn't the timid boy he once was before. He was someone else entirely.
And of course, there was the most forbidden knowledge and quite possibly the worst part of this whole business.
Tyril was the only soul seeker to ever exist in the history of not just humanity, but the entire world.
The elf-human had a scary ability that allowed him to claim the souls of the opponents he'd killed in battle.
He was an anomaly that wasn't just a powerhouse with one soul, but a sponge for other souls.
If this one scary ability had followed Kion here. If somehow, the spirit of Tyril had found his way back into the world through the young prince.
Then they were all doomed.
"I need the boy to talk more on it. I don't want to hastily inform the king without having everything planned out yet." Shaman thought to himself as he imagined the arrogance that usually came with Tyril's type of nature.
If that same arrogance had followed Kion here, he feared that the young prince would make a grave mistake.
"Play the fool, boy." Shaman repeated the advice he'd given him. Around here, where hierarchies determined anything, it was the only way to truly survive.
Huff.
Shaman sighed to himself as he brought out a letter from within his robes. In it were discussions regarding a mission for the two young royals.
"I would frankly rather live with swamp pigs than be you right now, young masters."
Shaman said as he stuffed the letter back in his robes and left his workshop.