In a grand dining room, three people sat at a table that nearly filled the entire space. The room was dimly lit, with red curtains drawn over stained glass windows. At the head of the table was the King of Helios. To his left, sipping on wine, was his eldest son, Julius. And to the King's right, picking at his steak, was Lucius, the youngest son.
The king was dressed in heavy red silk, and long grey hair cascaded down from the golden crown on his head.
Smiling, he put down his fork and looked at Lucius.
"Have you made any progress?"
His smile was cheap, and his red eyes—so bright when talking with Julius—had dimmed. His voice was monotone, all business. Lucius had noticed this lack of affection long before he turned ten.
Still, he offered a bright smile in return.
"Not at all. In fact, all the resources you gave me seemed to have gone to waste. I'm sorry, Father."
Gritting his teeth, the King returned to his meal.
Hehe. You gullible bastard.
The room remained silent, with only the sounds of chewing and gulping, until the King slammed his fist onto the wooden table.
A few glasses of wine shattered, and Julius's steak nearly flew from his plate.
"You need to be more like your brother. He graduated top of his class and serves Helios with all of his might," the King said through heavy breaths.
Frightened maids rushed forward to clean the broken glass, but Lucius raised a hand.
"I'll take care of it."
They hesitated, glancing between the King and Lucius. When the King said nothing, they returned to their posts at the back wall.
Kneeling, Lucius swept the shards into his hand and rose. Still ignoring his father, he smiled and tossed the glass into the air.
Julius's eyes widened, glowing until they burned with bright red flames. As the shards separated midair, two laser beams of concentrated sunlight shot from his eyes. The beams zigzagged around a chandelier, melting the glass before disappearing.
Clapping, Lucius retook his seat.
"I guess you're right. A Stage 3 Helios Scion is great for cleaning up broken glass. I'd better catch up, or I'll be bleeding a lot in the future."
Especially with your tantrums.
Currently, as a Bronze, Stage 2 Helios Scion, Lucius could only conjure small flames and emit a quick, blinding light. The magic buff granted to him from being a Gold Stage 3 Loki Scion boosted his overall magic output, affecting his Helios abilities as well. While giving him a little bit more firepower than a regular Stage 2 Scion, Radiant Spark — the first stage Helios ability that allows him to create small flames — can not be elevated to a point of true firepower. Lucius would need to become a Grade 6 Scion to see any significant difference in that ability.
"Hey, I can do more than that. I'll even get rid of the vegetables you don't like," Julius said, laughing as he ate a carrot.
The brothers had always been close. Unlike their parents, Julius made an effort to spend quality time with his little brother, and Lucius reciprocated.
"Enough of the games!" their father roared.
"Mocking Helios will not be tolerated. If you weren't a prince, I swear you'd be exec—"
"Father!" Julius interrupted, shocked.
"Don't finish that sentence! Lucius may be rebellious, but he is our family and this nation's Prince. He is our hope."
The King offered no reply and picked at his steak with stubborn indifference.
Lucius used the opportunity to rise and bow.
"I'm going to take my leave."
His father said nothing, and his brother's expression showed sorrow. But Lucius didn't care that his father hated him. While it would have been nice to receive love, he had long grown used to its absence.
As he left the grand hall, the King's low voice called out.
"Don't forget—you must bring Mother her food. It's your turn today."
Shit…
There was little Lucius hated more than bringing his mother her dinner. It might have sounded wrong, but it was the truth.
…
Knock!
Knock!
"Come in," a tired, sickly voice came from the other side of a massive wooden door.
As Lucius stepped inside, he spotted his mother immediately. She was lying in bed, dressed in a simple red nightgown. The sleeves did little to hide how gaunt she had become, and the light reflected off her pale skin like water.
"Oh. It's you," she said, managing to turn her head toward him.
"Yeah, it's not a thrill for me either. Let's just get this over with."
Sitting down beside the queen, Lucius began to feed her soup. They exchanged no words, nor did either of them want to.
Their relationship had always been rough, even when Lucius was a toddler. His mother would often tell him how she regretted birthing him, how he was a failure of a prince, and how she couldn't wait until the day he died.
At least my father tries to hide it behind phony smiles.
About a year ago, she had grown very sick. Three months ago, she became bedridden, which meant Lucius rarely had to see his "lovely" queen. When he did, his mind drifted elsewhere, and his body moved on autopilot, spooning soup to her lips.
Right now, his thoughts were fixed on his Loki pathway.
[ Loki Pathway Progression: Path of the Trickster ]
Stage 1: Minor Glamour - Create small illusions (distorted faces, shifting colors, or fleeting images).
▸ Bronze ✔
▸ Silver ✔
▸ Gold ✔
Stage 2: Silver Tongue - Speech gains subtle magical influence, making persuasion and lies far more convincing.
▸ Bronze ✔
▸ Silver ✔
▸ Gold ✔
Stage 3: Trick Fire - Conjure deceptive flames that burn at will; they can cause real damage or appear illusory to mislead foes.
▸ Bronze ✔
▸ Silver ✔
▸ Gold ✔
Stage 4: Doppelgänger - Create near-perfect clones of yourself that act independently for a short time.
▸ Locked
Stage 5–10: Locked
So far, he had only used the first three abilities on rare occasions. Minor Glamour had only ever been used a couple of times. The most noticeable was that he'd conjured a third eye on his forehead during Halloween to terrify a child. Silver Tongue was too frightening to use at all. And Trick Fire? Using that would immediately expose his sin of leveling the Loki pathway. Helios fire was forged from the sun itself; it burned hotter, brighter, purer. Any Helios Scion would spot the difference instantly.
Lucius sighed.
Just a little longer. Once I reach Stage 4, I'll have a clone doing this for me. With the next batch of resources Father gives me, I should be able to break through.
He dipped the spoon back into the bowl, but this time it met resistance. His mother hadn't opened her mouth, and the spoon clinked against her jaw, splattering soup across her pale face.
Annoyed, Lucius wiped the mess away with his sleeve.
"All done, then?"
She didn't respond. He rose to leave, but her frail hand suddenly caught his wrist. Her touch was ice-cold, and for the first time in years, Lucius looked her thoroughly in the eyes.
She was crying.
Shakily, she reached for an envelope on the nightstand and pushed it into his hand.
Her voice was little more than a rasp. "Take this…"
Confused, Lucius obeyed. His mother had never cried in front of him. She had never once asked him to stay longer than necessary.
"What is this?"
"A… letter," she forced out, every breath ragged. "For you."
Lucius went to open it, but the edge of the envelope sparked and pricked his finger.
"Ow."
"It… won't… open until I'm dead."
Startled, he tried to press her for answers, but she closed her eyes and would not speak again.
Lucius stood there for a moment, the envelope heavy in his hand, then turned and left—half confused, and, though he hated to admit it, half saddened by the sight of his mother in such a decrepit state.