'Why can I only see his name? How high a rank is he that even I can't see?' Frantic questions passed through her mind.
The duke stood up, adjusting his necktie. "Okay children, I am traveling with Duke Asterion to the Valenmarch. I won't be back for a while."
Duke Anaxagoras had a lot of responsibilities as the overseer of Sunken Isles; he hardly had meals with his children due to his busy schedule. His wife passed away after giving birth to Nyerere. Ever since the tragic incident, the duke has hardly spoken to anyone, focusing more and more on his duty as a duke.
"I expect you to watch over them while I'm gone." He turned towards Acheron.
Acheron stood from her seat and bowed. "I will not fail you, Father."
The duke smiled and left the room, heading for the Continuum.
'Phew~ I almost died.' Acheron sighed, dropping back to her seat.
Since their father was gone, William and Nyerere dropped the act of quiet children, and so did Arthur and Jamie.
"Big sister Acheron," Nyerere said, leaning in on the table.
"Can I use your room to play with Catherine and Steven?"
Acheron smiled slightly. 'I figured since I wasn't an original character that some things would change with the family. I wrote Nyerere to ask William that question since he was the oldest. I guess that changed now that I'm here.'
"Yes, you can."
Nyerere's face lit up with excitement as she stormed out of the dining hall.
William, on the other hand, lazily lay back on the chair, attempting to take a nap. "Wake me up in an hour… ~Zzz."
Arthur rose from his seat and dragged the sleeping William towards the exit. "Come on, let's go get dressed."
"No! Just one nap!" William struggled but couldn't resist.
'The special ones are always the lazy ones.'
Acheron went back to her room to change into her academy uniform, parting ways with Jamie, who also went to do the same.
Wearing the uniform, Acheron looked over its design. It was exactly as she wrote it, with the Anaxagoras bloodline emblem on her chest. The cloth was light with neat golden patterns along the edges.
Stepping out, she headed for the Continuum, where her siblings waited for her.
The Continuum was a private chamber created by the duke himself, designed for teleportation across the kingdom. It served as his personal space, though his children also used it from time to time.
Entering the chamber, she picked up the stone, the light gleaming in her eyes.
All her siblings laid their hands on her back and…
Shiek-!
…the light exploded.
・
・
・
Golden Plains, Arcane Collegium.
They arrived at the academy checkpoint. The light blurred out of Acheron's eyes and the main building came into view.
It was built like a palace with several entrances, each leading to various classes. Trees scattered around the area. And the air was filled with mana.
It felt so refreshing to those who had a certain level of mana control.
To the right side stood a small building, comparable to one of the main building's training halls. This was where commoners trained.
Students who lived near the academy usually walked to the main building, while those who lived farther away would use a Continuum instead.
"See you later, big sis, big bro!" Nyerere gave them a hug and followed her peer.
William went the other way to the foundation class building while Arthur and Jamie followed Acheron into the main building.
The entrance hall was massive with a lot of passages. Many students moved around in random motion.
The moment they stepped in, everyone's gaze was focused on them.
"It's the Anaxagoras family…"
"I heard they are one of the top five strongest families in the kingdom!"
"Lady Acheron is as beautiful as ever…"
"I want her to step on me!"
"Forget her, I want Lady Jamie!"
Acheron kept walking despite the whispers. Her [Perception] skill picked up every word but she ignored them, her lips curving into a smile.
They walked deep into the building. Then, she heard something different. Sounds of impact.
She stopped and turned her head towards a corner.
"You good for nothing scumbag!"
Thud-!
"Urgh…"
A boy curled defensively on the floor. Three others stood above him, delivering back-to-back kicks while laughing.
"I think we should-"
Before Arthur could finish, Jamie had already stormed off.
"Hey! Knock it off!"
She stepped in between the bullies and the boy who was on the floor.
"Leave him alone!"
Jamie had always been a soft person. Even in the real world, she goes out of her way to protect even animals from people who would try to hurt them. She just could not stand such behavior when she could stop it. A quality not many possess.
The lead bully, a tall boy with a sinister look on his face, changed to amusement.
"Huh? It's the Anaxagoras girl." His grin widened even more. "Don't forget, I am a noble too... I CAN DO ANYTHING I WANT!"
The other two guys closed in, flanking her from both sides. One of them stretched his hand to touch Jamie.
At that moment, something inside Arthur snapped.
He vanished from where he stood with insane speed, reappearing in front of the bullies.
Cr-crrrack-!
The sound of one of the bully's hands resonated through the walls.
"Get your hands off her." His expression was cold. The look on his face could be mistaken for killing intent.
Everyone in that instant was shocked, even Acheron. How could a mage possibly move that fast?
This was Arthur's innate ability he got from the forgotten god after reincarnating.
❰ Mirror Guardian ❱
This skill was made to protect Arthur's mirror self, his twin. Any type of danger that tries to harm Jamie in any way will trigger this skill, stopping whosoever tries to bring harm to her. The skill raises the power level of Arthur to overpower the enemy, whosoever that may be.
'The hell?! That's an overpowered ability!'
「 I could not think of any better ability to give them at the moment… 」
'Them? Jamie has the skill too?'
「 Yes, it's a joint ability. Her version of [Mirror Guardian] protects Arthur and vice versa… 」
'That's reassuring…I guess I don't have to protect them most of the time...' Acheron felt a sign of relief.
The lead bully stumbled backwards.
Whispers from the other students could be heard out loud.
"Hey look! Darius of the house Avanti is getting beaten up…"
"Darius got pushed back? No way!"
The voices of the students got into Darius's head and he could not let it slide. That would mean tarnishing his family's name in the process.
"Bastard…! You dare humiliate me!"
He started charging towards Arthur. The other two guys charged as well. More and more students gathered to watch the commotion.
'I should probably step in but how do I even use my own skill or ability…?'
She gestured her hand forward and thought "Fire ball"
"…"
But nothing happened.
Embarrassed, she sought out the forgotten god.
'Stellar, how do I use my skills?'
「 That should be easy. Just think of the word 'skills' 」
Acheron closed her eyes briefly and focused.
'Skills'
[Skills]
[Origin Skills]
» Predominance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
» Author's view ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
She focused on the skill with the highest mastery.
❰ Predominance ❱
⤷ Releases a wave of aura that suppresses those within its range.
⤷ Current range: Unpredictable (10-30 meters)
Acheron opened her eyes and thrust her hand forward.
"Predominance."