Journey Towards Dao

Gentle spring rain that had been lingering throughout the entire day had gradually abated.

The setting Sun, previously obscured by the dispersing gray clouds, was finally reminding the world of its dazzling existence from just above the distant horizon. Birds chirped joyfully as they flew out from the shelter of the trees into the clearing sky as deep orange rays of light fell towards the grandest city within the Western Empyrean Continent.

The Imperial Capital of the Augustus Empire characterized abundance. The growing city was relatively new, having begun construction just over one-hundred years prior. Home to tens of millions, the Imperial Capital was a gathering place, attracting the wealthiest, proudest, and most ambitious characters amidst the entire Empire.

Shopping districts, arenas, bath houses, and theaters were only a few examples of the innumerable recreational establishments generously distributed among the endless stretch of buildings.

The branching streets extending like veins throughout the city were bustling with residents, visitors, servants, and slaves, all traveling like schools of fish across the winding, marble-tiled rivers. Streams of figures steadily entered and exited the Capital, passing through the heavily guarded and secure gates that lined the humongous white stone walls that encircled the expansive city in a terrifying paradigm of defensive engineering.

The most magnificent district of the Capital was the Inner City. Divided from the rest of the city by layers of thick stone barriers, compact arrangements of large edifices sat upon elevated terrain, allowing them to be easily visible from anywhere within the Capital. And upon this higher ground, a palace of immense proportions towered above the rest imposingly.

…

Underneath the shadowy covering of fragrant Apricot trees, several large, horse-led carriages were coming to a halt. Inside one of the rather spacious carriages, Aiden breathed deep and low, trying to distract himself from his nervousness by gazing outside through the right window.

The awe-inspiring Imperial Palace entrance was positioned not too far away. Ornamental columns extending into an arcade of pointed, quatrefoil arches spanned the tall, covered corridor, which seemed to wrap around the entire ground floor. On the upper floors, delicate railings enclosed beautiful balconies, framing the pointed, crystal windows gorgeously. Crimson flags fluttered high above, the golden image of a two-legged serpentine dragon coiled around a phoenix imprinted upon each, the emblem of the Augustus Imperial Family.

Just as Aiden’s blue eyes raised upwards to continue their detailed observation, a soft knock sounded against his carriage door.

Aiden looked calmly at the young manservant that opened the wooden door, and with a silent nod of appreciation, Aiden stood, sighing as he adjusted his golden circlet. He took one last deep breath, thinking through the extensive number of instructions and warnings his father had given him before their arrival.

With measured steps, he finally walked through the open door, the heels of his black boots lightly clacking against the wooden steps.

Meeting him on the marble path were six Bright Forest Guards that bowed respectfully at his descent. Their silver armor was polished to a mirror-like shine.

While the young manservant circled around Aiden in efforts to adjust his dark green, golden trimmed formal robes, the sound of footsteps attracted Aiden’s attention.

Cedrick, dressed identically with a golden crown upon his head, was walking towards Aiden from the carriage up front. But not far away, a slender man unfamiliar to Aiden could be seen exiting Cedrick’s carriage as well.

His presence caused confusion to well up in Aiden’s heart. He didn’t remember ever seeing this man before, nor his joining their entourage at any point during their journey from the Bright Forest Capital. But something about him caused Aiden to feel somewhat uncertain.

His pupils contracted as his Soul Force unintentionally extended outwards, examining the approaching handsome man as subtly as he could manage.

Long and straight pink hair glided against his shining silver armor, which was partially covered with a thin, black robe. Brown irises ornamented his soft featured, almost androgynous face, which was affixed with a delicate smiling expression.

However, with only his freshly advanced Foundation Establishment realm strength, Aiden failed to ascertain the man’s cultivation realm.

“Your scrutiny is too obvious, Aiden. Restrain your Soul Force.”

A deep voice transmission shocked Aiden into removing his gaze from the pink-haired man. After quickly coercing his unwieldy Soul Force back inside of the confines of his body, Aiden curbed his embarrassment and looked back to Cedrick’s expressionless face, who continued to silently communicate with him.

“You have to control yourself. It's both discourteous and potentially dangerous to casually examine cultivators with your soul.”

Aiden bowed his head to show his understanding. But what he really wanted to ask was how his Soul Force was detectable in the first place. Unfortunately, he had yet to learn the voice transmission technique, and this wasn’t the time for public discussion.

However, Cedrick seemed to have read Aiden's mind.

“Although cultivators belonging to any major realm cannot directly detect your Soul Force or its inherent strength, cultivators with a comparatively more powerful soul can still perceive its presence indirectly.

"When your Soul Force extends outside of your body, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi Field will resonate with it on a minute scale, creating micro undulations within the Qi Field that indicate the existence of your observation.”

Once Cedrick stopped next to Aiden, he abruptly ceased his miniature lesson and gestured towards the man next to him. He introduced aloud, “This is Duke Metsavana, the leader of the Royal Palace Guards.”

Not minding Aiden’s previous clumsy scrutiny, Metsavana’s smile widened. “Pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Aiden.” His voice was smooth and pleasant as he spoke.

'Something's off. Surely we haven't met, but...'

Aiden repeatedly tried to place the slight familiarity that pricked his subconscious as he returned the gesture, lips lifting into a faint smile.

“The pleasure’s mine.”

At this moment, a small procession of servants arrived, and the young man leading the orderly group stepped forward and bowed politely.

“Greetings, esteemed guests from the Bright Forest Kingdom. Please allow me to escort you into the Imperial Palace.”

…

Aiden’s hands were folded behind his ramrod-straight back as he and the rest were led to the striking Imperial Palace, its golden structure so tall and large that Aiden felt swirls of vertigo attacking his balance just by looking up at it. His eyes glanced here and there, taking in the exotic trees and flowers just before the entrance, which was heavily secured by rows of Royal guards.

They stepped through the open palace gates, arriving underneath the loggia before walking along the rows of gold and vermillion columns.

Beautiful frescoes decorated the ceilings and paintings dominated most of the walls, the material of the visible wall tiles glistening with aged luster. However, Aiden didn’t get much of an opportunity to carefully observe the halls and pathways they passed through as they were escorted quickly across the veined marble floors.

Soon, the group slowed down as they arrived in front of a circular stone hall, the joyous sounds of chatter resonating from within the open stone doors.

The servants escorting them from the front turned and stepped aside with a polite bow with permittance to enter, passing them off to a different servant coming from inside. Meanwhile, the accompanying Bright Forest Guards also retreated to the sides.

Aiden took a secretive deep breath as he stepped inside the brightly lit Banquet Hall with Cedrick to his front and Metsavana to his rear.

Uniformly dressed servants walked to and fro, carrying large trays across the Hall capable of comfortably containing hundreds. Some held piles of delicious smelling meats and vegetables, while others held glasses filled with water and wine.

Aiden’s brows scrunched slightly from the noisy discussions assaulting his still-sensitive ears, as he hadn’t much time to acclimate to his transformed body after his recent breakthrough.

Smoothing out his brows after a quick moment, Aiden surveyed the hall.

From afar, Aiden could see four long tables that were aligned next to one another in parallel rows, each packed with seated, merrily talking nobility from all across the Western Empyrean Continent. All of the tables had a dark brown stain finish with entangled carvings covering the sides.

The atmosphere exuding from the four tables was incredibly lively, loud voices booming against the tall, vaulted ceilings. Aiden had never been to a public event such as this, so he was very unaccustomed to this sort of noisy setting. The Bright Forest Royal Palace was nothing like this.

Of course, Aiden knew that this cheer and unrestrictive attitude had little to do with the currently reigning Emperor, and was more so a continuation of the exuberant culture left behind from before the Empire changed hands over 130 years ago.

Further into the Banquet Hall was one very long formal table placed perpendicular to the four tables. This was the table that the servant was leading Aiden, Cedrick, and Metsavana towards.

The volume of the surrounding conversations dimmed by several degrees as many of the attendees noticed the new arrivals.

Standing near the entrance, a servant sucked in a deep breath before loudly announcing, “The honorable guests from the Bright Forest Kingdom, King Cedrick, Prince Aiden, and Duke Metsavana have arrived!”

In a wave, the noble attendees stood with voiced jubilant greetings, bowing respectfully towards the trio walking at a steady pace through the hall.

“Welcome, King Cedrick!”

“Greetings, my King! Prince Aiden!”

Behind Cedrick, who merely nodded his head slightly, Aiden's lips curled into a warm smile as he looked at the surroundings.

He waved his hand gently like he practiced with his mother, who couldn't to come to today’s banquet, as she wasn't feeling well. Instead, she chose to let Aiden accompany Cedrick as a replacement.

By the time they made it to their appointed table, the standing nobles had sat and begun conversing amongst themselves once more.

The first thing that Aiden noticed once he arrived at his seat was that, unlike the rest of the tables, the banquet attendees seated here were far more restrained. Quickly observing the meticulously dressed male and female figures, their overly thoughtful movements and quiet voices allowed Aiden to immediately understand. This table was designated for royalty.

“Prince Aiden and Duke Metsavana,” the servant began, politely motioning towards the seats facing each other at the right end of the long table. “Here are your seats.”

Nodding in thanks, Aiden walked towards his seat. From his right peripheral, he noticed his father being led towards the head of the Banquet Hall, where a total of six massive and unique golden thrones were placed on a marble platform that extended the entire width of the hall. Two of the six were already occupied.

Styled with drifting clouds and flowing mists, the leftmost throne supported a gorgeous, seemingly young woman, dressed in a modest blue and white gown. Her gray hair was coiled into a plain, braided bun, the only visible indication of her advanced age. Her pale, slender hands were crossed, laying still on her lap. The silver crown on her head was simple, but large and heavy, allowing no room for anyone to mistake her identity.

She was the King of the Phantasmal Mists, Hosanna Pereira.

As Metsavana seated himself in the chair on the opposite side, Aiden’s gaze drifted to the throne on the rightmost side, which Cedrick had just sat down upon, the back formed into intertwined golden tree branches.

On the throne directly to Cedrick’s left, A silver haired middle-aged man was seated sternly. The entire throne was fashioned entirely out of golden, crossguard longswords.

‘Ouch! What the---’

Just as he noticed that the man’s eyes were closed, even as he spoke pleasantries with Cedrick beside him, Aiden’s own eyes began to redden. He suddenly felt as if his pupils were being stabbed incessantly by thin needles just from staring in the silver-haired man’s direction.

“You should withdraw your gaze. I’ve known several who've gone blind due to their insistence on staring at my Father.”

Aiden blinked repeatedly before averting his slightly teary eyes from the man he recognized to be the Silver Scale King, Orion Xinos.

Brows rising moderately, Aiden turned to his left to see a handsome, blue-eyed youngster, who looked to be 18 or 19, smiling amicably towards him. His long silver hair was identical to the King the young man previously called his father. The strands glinted against the light, draped loosely on layered black robes, which was inscribed with dense, subtle patterns and glyphs.

‘That robe...’ Aiden paused before the faint image of a sword stitched on the young man’s chest, near the location of his heart, caught his attention.

'An Inner Sect Disciple of the Five Profound Elements Sect?' Aiden thought suddenly, remembering the signature garments from one of the Inner Sect Mountains.

After Auslen had left to join the Five Profound Elements Sect last year, Aiden made sure to learn as much as he possibly could about the Sect, hoping to calm the recurring anxiety that occasionally manifested in his stomach at the thought of his little brother left to his own devices so far away from home.

“Excuse my rudeness. Allow me to introduce myself." Aiden immediately realized he was staring and apologized, his tone restrained and gentlemanly. "My name is Aiden Lawrence, First Prince of the Bright Forest Kingdom. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

The young man chuckled, his eyes shining like sapphire. “The name’s Artorius Xinos, Prince of the Silver Scale Kingdom. It’s my pleasure as well.”

Of course, Aiden knew of Artorius before he revealed his identity.

“If I may ask, are you a disciple of the Five Profound Elements Sect?” Aiden asked as if he didn't know, vigilance hidden under his smiling expression.

"Yes, I am."

Aiden's head tilted slightly. “I thought I read somewhere that disciples weren’t allowed to leave the boundaries of the Sect?”

“That may be the case for Outer Sect Disciples, but Inner Sect Disciples are granted a two week leave every year,” Artorius answered before looking at Aiden curiously.

Artorius smiled, his handsome face bright with friendliness. “You seem to have some interest in the Sect. Are you planning on joining like your younger brother? His name was Auslen, correct?”

“No, that’s not it," Aiden replied without pause, not at all willing to discuss his brother with the young man across from him. "I just did a bit of research...”

The two teenagers continued to chat, outwardly cordial. But they didn't get to continue for too much longer before they were interrupted by the announcement of new arrivals.

“Empress Anastasia and Prince Imperial Janus have arrived!”

Suddenly, the Banquet Hall steeply fell into an uncomfortable bout of silence. Aiden stood with the rest while turning his gaze to meet the slow moving figures of a woman and a child being heavily escorted by Imperial Guards into the Banquet Hall.

The magisterial woman’s frame was tall and lithe, heavy looking vermillion palatial robes hanging off of her slim body as it dragged half a meter behind her. On top of her robes was a coat composed entirely of long, crimson-gold feathers. The sight of the feather coat alone summoned domineering waves of warmth to assault Aiden’s young body.

Her deep black hair was half-coiled into a beautiful, gravity-defying bun, scored with pins and jewels that each emitted a soft, ethereal glow. The other half of her long, straight hair dragged on the ground behind her, conveniently riding atop the silk cloths of her over-extended robes. Pendants hung from her neck and brooches shined from her waist, her soul-snatching curves visible even when covered by an abundance of clothing.

But her facial features were impossible to describe. Obscuring her face was a mask of rippling heat waves, space fluctuating just enough to block the observation of everyone in the hall, including the Kings up front, who were standing with the rest of the attendees to bow in silence. Each of there expressions emotionless.

Aiden and the other attendees didn’t sit back down until a soft, crystal clear voice spread throughout the Banquet Hall.

“Please sit.”

Aiden sat, only briefly wondering why the Emperor didn't make an appearance before subtly observing the mysterious Prince Imperial, who was discussed frequently within the Bright Forest Kingdom.

Sitting beside his mother on a plain golden throne, the black haired boy was silent and his expression passionless. Golden embroidered black robes fit his six-year-old body perfectly, and his hair was coiled into a knot, held together with one long hair pin.

‘So that’s the Prince Imperial?’ Aiden thought, somewhat disappointed, although he was unsure why. All he knew was that he still found his own younger brother much more agreeable.

The Empress's clear voice was released once again, pulling his attention away from the child.

“I’m endlessly thankful that each of you could be here today to celebrate my precious son’s Coming-of-Age Banquet.”

Nothing but silence followed the Empress’s announcement.

She allowed the silence to continue as she gently ran her fingers over the golden arm support, designed to resemble overlapping wings. The abrupt lack of cheer didn't seem to bother her in the slightest.

With a light tap of her finger against the arm rest, servants began to immediately serve the guests as she continued.

“Alright everyone, let us begin the festivities.”