Odyssey of the Guardian Emperor

Alaric knew a bit about this story. Nothing concrete, no details, but a summary of how it went down. He knew how the Matriarch abolished child trafficking in her Merchant City shortly after finding a child with an abnormally high affinity towards Holy Magic, a rare gem which, based on Alaric's knowledge, never appeared again.

At the time, Lucy's bond with her guardian had been shattered, and the Matriarch did everything in her power to preserve the broken pieces of the bond before the girl lost complete connection to the aether around her. From what the Matriarch had told him earlier, though, he wasn't so sure about the details of the bond's nature anymore. Either it was the old bond manipulated, or a new, 'patchy' one.

Without a guardian, using aether became infinitely hard for any human, and a child with this much Holy Magic was a resource the Matriarch couldn't afford to lose. Or at least, that's what she told herself. Alaric couldn't exactly rationalise how one child could be worth a city, even given her innate gifts.

What he had learnt only recently, however, was that she'd resorted to Dark Magic to achieve the messy bond.

Alaric thought of the golden ring in his Storage Bracelet. He wasn't going to test his theory yet, but he had a sneaking suspicion that back then, the ring had appraised the child to be extremely valuable.

Somewhere along the way, perhaps she came to love the child as her own and wanted to protect her. Then again, Alaric wasn't one to judge. "June has been trying to protect you?"

Lucy chuckled to herself, "You can look at it that way if you would like, but Merchant Cities succeed, and fail, mostly because of their lack of domains. There is a lack of protection, but at the same time, without a domain, shady activities can take place. You can imagine how much people are willing to pay for some kind of fix. With the Matriarch banning such activity, the people who benefited from it came to resent her.

She received several threats and had to put some of those people down just so she wouldn't be taken lightly. Business tanked, and she had leaned into Auction Houses and the Sisters of Fragrance to keep the city running while fighting off her enemies. But merchants of clean businesses love stable conditions. She made promises here and there, investments and managed to keep the city barely scraping by. Without a domain, though, Melbourne became a sitting duck. She needed a one if she was to protect it."

Alaric looked at the ground, "I might have been naive in my assumptions."

"That's okay," Lucy answered as their dance came to an end, "I think a bit of naivety brings some colour back into this dark world. If it weren't for you, Melbourne would be gone. Thank you."

Alaric nodded reassuringly, stunned at how much she'd said given how they'd started their dance. Her cheeks were no longer flushed, and she managed to stare into his eyes longer this time. Enough for him to catch her clear grey eyes flickering with hope before she flicked her gaze to the side.

Their dance came to an end, and the boy bowed. Before he had the chance to spot his friends, a woman stepped in front of him, "Ah, we meet again, Mister!"

"Layla!" Alaric smiled, only for it to fade, "Don't tell me you also want to…"

"Dance? Yes," she grinned, "Might I have this dance?"

'Crap!' Alaric internally groaned. He didn't miss the smirk that played on Lucy's lips as she left. His night was only beginning. He was about to take Layla's hand when a blue fan patterned with immaculate drawings of white whales unfurled right between the two of them.

A girl dressed in an aqua gown stood at the side, her presence overwhelming with a scent of lilies rolling off her in waves. Her hair stood atop her head, styled to look so poofy that Alaric suspected it was being held up by wind enchantments. Her face was pale, and her eyelashes were so long he was almost sure they were weapons of some sort. She was beautiful, but in a more unnatural way than Alaric was used to.

"Ohoho! Layla, dear!" the girl hooted, flashing her fan so voraciously that it stunned Alaric for a minute, "I was here first."

"No, you weren't," Layla responded, right before a man appeared behind her, dressed to the nines in an outfit customised to fit someone of his build.

Rounder than he was tall, the man cleared his throat to announce his presence, "Ahem! Layla dear! Only well-established women or daughters of well-established merchants are to have a dance with the local hero before he tires. You've seen how it's been going so far. I'm sure you understand the situation."

Alaric coughed, "Do I get to decide who I…"

"No," the three answered in sync.

'Right,' Alaric nodded, drawing his lips into a thin line, 'This is going to be a long night, isn't it?'

[ His Majesty is desired by all. I say grab as many spouses as possible. Do they still call the concubines? Yes, have many concubines, Your Majesty! ] WorldHammer yelled from inside the In-Between.

[ No, that's barbaric. Especially for the Guardian Emperor. ] Sabre pitched in angrily. The two of them started arguing inside Alaric's head, making this whole situation all the more comical. He couldn't get a word into either conversation, so he could only watch.

At some point, the girls tugged at his hands in competition, threatening to pull him apart. Fortunately, a single glare from the Matriarch prevented things from escalating to this level.

The evening blended into a chaotic ruckus of dances. Layla offered Alaric VIP entrance into any auction they could be holding at the Lotus Auction House, claiming she 'smelled' opportunity on him. Besides dancing with Layla, however, Alaric found himself dancing with five more ladies with whom he'd never met.

All five were daughters of prominent merchants within the city, all of high standing and with strong ties to the Matriarch. Their fathers, and sometimes mothers, were boastful and arrogant enough to believe the 'hero' owed them something even though he was the one who saved them. On some occasions, these characters seemed to manifest in their daughters.

An hour later, he found himself seated by the fountain, catching his breath. At the end of the last, Byron had stepped in to turn another merchant down, giving Alaric the resting space he needed. However, without another word, the blonde slayer left Alaric to himself.

For the first time since coming to the festival, Alaric breathed the air and enjoyed the cool blue radiance of the fountain behind him. The ring in his Storage Bracelet hummed, begging him to test it out, but alas, now was not the time.

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Finn walked up to him moments later, holding two cups, happily sipping from one, "You didn't have to dance with that many, you know?"

Alaric looked up, "I know."

"Then why? I've seen you turn people down for a lot less," Finn asked.

Alaric could only laugh at that question, "Why not? Those ladies were all trying so hard to impress me; they didn't notice how much spilt out of their mouths. Marcus, that round merchant with a peacock hat, prides himself on ferrying the very best meat, though he has no restrictions on the type of meat. He even funds poachers to find the rarest types, even when it comes from dangerous aether beasts. His daughter was trying too hard to sound impressive that she forgot to introduce herself. I didn't bother asking.

Tamarin hates her father's business. He's an art collector with a love for history and ruins. Boring as she made it sound, that hobby of his tends to get him lots of money from the bits of treasure he 'accidentally' uncovers in ruins. He's developed quite the habit of making these 'accidental' discoveries. Ludicrous as that might sound, the girl wants to marry into a Noble House and live in the Emerald City, surrounded by, I don't know, wealthy men or whatever.

Sammy hates fish… or was it Sky Fish? I've never heard of them, but…"

"Okay okay, I get it. You're a good stalker," Finn cut him off, handing him one of the cups he was holding. In the blue light, the liquid looked dark, but Alaric could tell it was supposed to be amber from the scent coming from it.

Alaric took it and sipped the sweet liquid inside. 'Passion… Wow. We rarely got this at the orphanage,' he mused before getting back on topic.

"I like to think of it more like being a good Seeker. Information is valuable. I learnt that much in the Tower," he responded with a smile, "Still, I'm spent. How's your guardian?"

"She's…" Finn paused, "More than I could have asked for. But why did you choose her?"

"Your life is your own, Finn. I know we swore to avenge Jared, but that doesn't have to define our lives. Listening to those girls helped me learn the kind of diversity that lies within this City. It's thriving beyond my imagination, and that's comforting," Alaric responded. "Do you remember the world we dreamt of as kids?"

"How could I forget? You let us drag you everywhere back then, just like you did today. We all wanted to know your preferences. Other than getting revenge for Jared's death, there was only one other thing you've ever wanted. A world of peace. It took me a long time to realise you were serious, and that's why I want to help you. That's why I will help you no matter how much you try to push me away," Finn explained with a grunt, "Scarlett has been pouting the whole day. You should say something to her."

Alaric's shoulders fell, and he rubbed his temples. "What's with this evening? It's nothing like the Coming of Age Ceremony."

The sandy-haired boy chuckled, "You're a local hero now. Just deal with it."

…………………

Scarlett was seated quietly on a bench in the cover of some dark shade, hidden from everything else that was happening. People came and left. Couples fooling around, maidens crying about a rejection, low lives seeking a private place to strike some questionable deals, and in some cases, lovers(mostly illegitimate ones from what she could tell) looking for some time to themselves, away from the attention, noise and music.

This place wasn't just poorly illuminated. It was the dark side of the party. The perfect place for a gloomy former assassin.

She saw them all come and go, glared at a few who gave her lecherous stares, before this one man came stumbling by. His clothes were roughed up and creased, especially around the collar, like he'd just gotten out of a scuffle. He reeked of alcohol and had the foulest odour to ever enter Scarlett's nostrils.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing here all by yourself?" the man slurred.

"Move along," Scarlett responded with an icy stare, "I'm not in a good mood."

"Oh, you're a feisty one. Let me get a closer look at you," he staggered close and squinted. His eyes flashed, and a wicked smile bloomed on his face, "Oh, I know you. Red hair. You're that wannabe assassin on the hero's party, ain't ya? What? You get sad that the hero is dancing with every other pretty lady but you? Bet it hurt, didn't it?" The man inched closer.

Scarlett drew a knife only for the drunkard to slap it away without the slightest hint of hesitation, "Oh, don't be like that, pretty girl. A man like him don't know your worth. You'd do a lot better with me."

"I remember the lady telling you to leave," Alaric's familiar voice filtered through the air, cold and chilling. The drunkard's eyes flashed with common sense for the first time since approaching Scarlett, and he turned.

"Oh? But that only means you've been standing there long enough to enjoy the show," the man slurred, "You enjoy seeing others in pain, hero?"

"I have been listening long enough to know that you should be running from me," Alaric responded calmly, "I'll give you three seconds to make yourself scarce."

"You don't scare me, boy," the man yelled, his face contorting with contempt.

"One…" Alaric started, unfazed. Another string of slurs spilt out of the man's mouth before Alaric added, "Two…"

The air grew tense, and the wind stopped blowing. Alaric's eyebrows furrowed into a soft scowl, enough to show his irritation. His fingers twitched, and aether poured into his system, radiating off him in preparation to punch the man's lights out.

The drunk raised his hands before he could finish, "Okay, okay, you wet blanket. I'll call it quits in honour of the Founding Festival." He lumbered away, stopping right next to Alaric to add, "You should watch your gems more closely, lest you risk them falling to the hands of those who crave them."

"Funny taking advice from someone too drunk to make good choices," Alaric answered indifferently, "Leave."

"Tch!" The man scoffed, and just like that, he was gone. Alaric picked up Scarlett's knife and held it out for her to take. Keeping her gaze on the floor beside him, she took it.

"I didn't get the chance to ask you to dance," Alaric tried.

The copper-haired girl shrugged, "That's fine. I don't know how to dance. It's not exactly something mercenaries teach their children."

"How do mercenaries have fun then?" Alaric asked.

"By killing people! I don't know. I was always training, eating or sleeping when I wasn't on a mission," she responded coldly, "Why are you here?"

It would take a heart of stone to miss the coldness in her tone. Scarlett reminded Alaric of a certain Fragile Flower he'd once met. While they were different people, they had such similar temperaments.

That said, Scarlett hadn't been like this when they first met. Back then, she just wanted to know what his deal was. He was just another source of entertainment for her. "If I'd known the deal with you back then, I would have never gotten involved."

Alaric felt this jab even more than the last one, "Did I do something to anger you, Scarlett?"

"The fact that you can't figure that out for yourself is even more annoying," the girl bit back, still not looking Alaric in the eye.

Was he supposed to just stand there and take all this? Alaric didn't know. He valued Scarlett's friendship, but her behaviour right now was starting to remind him of his brooding guardian, and that was a soft spot he couldn't bring himself to overcome. His heartbeat went up and his thoughts spiralled.

He clenched his fists and felt the wind turn colder. The sky flashed with lightning as the clouds turned darker, covering the beautiful stars above the City Square.

Alaric's eyes flickered to the sky in a light panic. 'No… Not today,' he took a deep breath, calming himself in the process. The flashes of lightning stopped, and he caught sight of the Matriarch eyeing him from afar. Rain would be bad for a festival as important as this one.

With a slight shake of his head, he managed to get her to leave him be, but talking to Scarlett was out of the question now. Defeated, he took a step back, "Alright, then. Try to stay out of trouble."

With that, he walked away in search of LionHeart. The clouds never completely vanished, but at least, they didn't let down rain, so Alaric could say he was handling his effect on the weather pretty well.

'Shouldn't my influence on the world be dull in a place with a domain?' he thought to himself.

Silence greeted his thought, drawing a sigh from him once again. Alia hadn't heard him. Sabre, who was still new to working their bond, hadn't heard him.

He found LionHeart seated at a table with Brett and Grun'am. Brett had them engrossed in one of the tales of his Academy experiences when Alaric slipped in and joined them. LionHeart handed him a plate of food and gently squeezed his shoulder. There were no words, but it was more than enough to put some stars back into the sky amongst the dark clouds.

There were no more dances that night courtesy of his security detail, and before long, the festival came to an end.