Grimoires & Masters - Chapter 1.

In the land of White Winter, where snow covered the fields and mountains, where the wind blew and froze your breath, where the sound failed to travel far, a civilization existed. The people addressed themselves as the people of snow. White Winter was an Empire that was ruled by three kingdoms, and the three kingdoms fell under the control of the Crystal City, where the Emperor and his family resided in the Crystal Palace. 

The history of the Empire of White Winter was profound. The people of snow lived here for thousands of years, and despite the harsh climate of this land of deadly beauty, the people lived here without troubles. They were the children of snow. They were hardened men, who held the honor in esteem, but their hearts were soft and caring. 

The Powers in the World of Aurora ranked the Empire of White Winter on the 13th Place. The ranking constituted of the strength of the economy, the army, and the number of High-Ranked Masters in the Empire, and the number of High-Ranked Beasts under their control. It was considered one of those Empires that could not be conquered by a single force, and even the Powers stronger than they wouldn’t dare to look down on them. Of all the 27 Empires, White Winter was the only one whose ruling family was still the same as the beginning of their history. The people of snow loved the Blood of Zaryven. The Royal Family was their pride and strength. 

Allister Zaryven, the Emperor of White Winter, was an Emperor-Ranked Master. He was strong enough to be counted among the top powerhouses of the world. He was respected all over the world, and he deserved every bit of it.

The world was ruled by Masters; Individuals who could wield the power of Elements, who could use magic, and could command the Beasts. Each time a child was born, the Holy Grail bestowed him with a beast. The Beast resided inside the heart of a child in the form of an egg, and when the child reached the age of 13, he would have the opportunity to awaken as a Master. The child would stand before the Relic of the Holy Grail, and place his hand on it. The ones who were deemed worthy were granted their awakening, they would gain an Element and would be able to summon their Grimoire, and those who failed would have to try their luck the following years.

No person after the age of 18 could achieve his awakening. And after that, the Beast in the heart of the individual would never come out of its shell. The man would live his life as a Mortal, and would never be able to stand among the Powerhouses of the World. A Mortal wouldn’ t have his grimoire, and that meant that he wouldn’t have his Beasts and Magic. The world was cruel just as much as it was beautiful, and one victim of the cruel fate resided in the Crystal Palace, of the White Winter Empire.

In the Crystal Palace, inside a courtyard, decorated by blue roses and snow flowers, a crowd was gathered. They were mostly Guards of the Palace, some Loyal Knights, and the rest were the butlers and the maids. And in the center of the courtyard, near the fountain formed on a geezer, were the two people who had the crowd hooked on their display of the art of swords. 

One was a man who looked to be in his early twenties. He was tall, handsome, elegant, and wore a crown on his head. His hair was long, and of soft brown color, his light beard was of the same color. The most mesmerizing feature of his was his piercing blue eyes. Overall, the man exuded an Aura of Majesty, and the long sword in his hands danced together with him as he battled with his opponent. 

The other man was relatively quite young. From his appearance, he looked to be around eighteen. He was tall, just over six feet, and compared to the man he was fighting against, his physique was leaner and a couple of inches shorter in height. His hair was dark brown and draped over his shoulders. His skin was fair, and his charm was deadly. He had the same piercing blue eyes as the other man. And he was wielding a long sword as well, but unlike his opponent, he wielded it with a single hand. He danced under the assault of his opponent, with the beauty that roused the admiration in the hearts of people who witnessed it. 

“The two of them have been going on for nearly an hour now, and they don’t even seem tired.” A knight in a blue armor commented. 

“You are not observant enough,” a senior knight by his side, whose white hair and grey pupils defined his age, answered him. “Look carefully, the Second Prince has a clear advantage. The only reason why Crown Prince is able to last so long is that he has his mana, and he’s a Master, but now he’s slowing down a little.” 

The assessment of the old knight shocked the new knights who were witnessing the spar between the two princes for the first time. No matter how hard they looked at it, they could not find the differences the old Knight highlighted. 

“How is the second prince able to last so long against the Crown Prince. He is still so young, and his highness isn’t a Master.” A knight couldn’t keep his curiosity.

Those that heard him turned silent. The old knight glared at him and then turned his eyes back to the princes as he sighed.

“The second prince loves his sword. He’s obsessed with it, and over the years, he has learned to wield it as his hand.” The old knight informed the new batch of the knights. “He’s naturally gifted in the art of swords. And he has been trained by one of the best there is.”

“You trained him, old man, Saul?” Another newcomer inquired him. 

Saul was on the King’s Guard, and he was one of the most renowned knights in the Empire. His skills with the sword were commendable, and even in his age, he could beat the best of the best. To have him teach someone the art of the sword, was nothing less than an honor of a lifetime.

“I did teach him the basics, but no, I am not the one who honed him in the art of the Swords.” The old Knight’s voice turned solemn. “His master is the Ice Witch.”

The words shattered the thought process of the people who didn’t know about it. They dumbfoundedly looked at the second prince of their Empire, and a cold chill ran up their spines. 

It was a well-known fact that the one who the world feared the most in the land of White Winter was the Queen of one of its Kingdoms, Ice Witch, who was also known by the alias 'the Queen of Ice Coffins'. She had been the queen of the Northern Kingdom before the current Emperor had even taken his throne. And the current Emperor had been on the throne for over two hundred years now. 

The Ice-Witch was known for her cold nature, brutality, and love for bloodshed. She was a nightmare to her enemies, but surprisingly, the people in the Northern Kingdom loved her just as much as they feared her. She was the best queen a kingdom could ask for, and every individual in her kingdom, whether it be a child or an adult, was willing to lay their life for her if she asked for it. Despite being a remarkable Queen, she bore the title of the Ice Witch. 
Outside her kingdom, her fear in the hearts of people shrouded everything else. And unlike other two kings of the Eastern and Southern Kingdoms, she lived here in the Crystal Palace, and not in her Ice Palace, back in her Kingdom. It was believed that she lived here to ensure the safety of the Royal Bloodline. Her presence here, over the years, annihilated the numerous assassination attempts on the lives of the Royal Clan. How she made an example of those assassins was darkest of the nightmares to everyone. 

“But the Ice-Queen never associates with people too much. It’s unheard of her to have ever accepted a disciple.” A curious knight voiced his thoughts.

“That’s true.” Saul acknowledged his words. “But she dotes on him and dotes the princess as well. No one knows why, and even the Emperor doesn’t understand it. She had accepted him as her disciple five years ago. And it was a shock to everyone.” 

“Five years ago? After the Second Prince’s awakening ceremony?” A young knight asked in disbelief. “She accepted him after he had failed to achieve his awakening?”

“Silence!” Saul growled at the knight who had just spoken. 

The threat in his voice made the hearts of the young knights shudder. No one was allowed to look down on the Second Prince in his presence. Saul was not a man who tolerated such insolence. 

Every man and woman of the snow knew about the second prince of the White Winter. He was born two decades after the birth of the Crown Prince, Alexis, and his mother was the younger sister of the Emperor. The Emperor had three children; two sons, and one daughter. The Crown Prince was from the emperor’s first wife, who was Emperor’s elder sister. She was the Empress of the land of the White Winter. The Second Prince and the Princess were from the younger sister. It was the reason why the Second Prince had darker hair than the Crown Prince. He got his hair from his mother. He was raised with great care and was believed to be just as talented as his Older Brother. However, the Prince had failed on the most important day in his life. The Holy Grail had not bestowed its blessing to him on his 13th birthday. 

The land of White Winter had been in shock that day. It had never happened with anyone in the Royal Family before. That day was a sad day for the Empire. The much-awaited celebrations had never arrived. The Prince failed to live up to the expectations of everyone. And the next year when the prince tried again, the Holy Grail didn’t respond. The Grail didn’t respond the year after that as well. 

People lost hope of ever seeing their Prince become a Master. They felt sad for him, and some even began to look down on him. It was the way of the world. The weak ones were looked down upon, no matter what their background was. And after his unsuccessful third attempt, the arranged marriage he had for him was canceled by the other Empire. How could a princess of an Empire be married to a prince who failed to achieve his awakening not once, but thrice? The world no longer held any hope with the Second Prince. And the Prince himself seemed to have given up as well. He did not appear before the Grail last year, and it was unlikely that he would try it for the last time this year. 

The crowd’s attention once more shifted to the two princes. No one voiced their thoughts anymore, there was silence, and soon that silence was in appreciation of the fight they were witnessing. It was a delight to see how good they were, and for the Knights, it was a great lesson to learn from their styles. 

“That’s a nice sword, Aoun,” The Crown Prince smiled, and evaded the attacks that were coming his way. 

“It’s not as good as yours,” The second prince commented. 

There were smiles on their faces even when things were heating up. The Crown Prince could feel that he was losing momentum, and so he burst forward with a little more of his energy, he wanted to finish it now. 

The Second Prince had been waiting for this very opportunity. He understood that he couldn’t match his Older Brother in sheer strength and stamina. He lacked the mana to nourish them both. He could only rely on his sword art to win this, but without any openings, it was not going to be easy for him to win. 

The hour-long confrontation had proven that his sword art was superior to that of the Crown Prince, and now eventually, the movements of the Crown Prince slowed down as he had to give extra to keep up with his fighting style.

The Two-Handed way was the natural method to wield the Long-Swords. These swords were long, and despite the modest width of the blade, the swords were generally heavier than most other swords. It was unsafe to wield it with a single hand. However, if a person succeeds in wielding it single-handedly, it yielded terrifying results. The vacant hand would be an asset, and the freedom of movement would render opponents incapable of keeping up. 

Aoun had tirelessly worked over the years on his sword art. It was the only thing left to him that he could excel in, and it was his favorite hobby. Swords were his obsession and passion. He was not the conventional long sword wielder. He used a long sword that had a slightly smaller width on the blade, but, the weight was heavier than other swords. His sword art focused on the deflection, evasion, and capitalizing on his opponent's weakness. He rarely took a coming blade head on to repel it. He prioritized on catching it at an angle that would not stress his arm, and at which he would have to use minimal force. That was what he had been doing against his opponent for the last hour. And now the fight had entered the climax.

He watched as his brother increased the intensity of his assault. He backed up, evading the oncoming attacks, and concentrated on catching the most promising weakness of his opponent. He saw many opening to capitalize on, but he wanted the one that would end the fight in one stroke. He found it. 

Aoun suddenly withdrew his sword, and his opponent's sword nearly decapitated him if he hadn’t leaned back. His opponent changed the angle of the sword to come down on him vertically, thinking that he had made a mistake and presented an opening. 

The sword came onto him with great momentum, and he twisted his body at an extraordinary speed. He used his vacant hand to balance himself on the ground before rolling out of the direction of the attack. 

The Crown Prince had been prepared for it. He was aware that his little brother was not stupid. He wouldn’t just present him an opportunity, but right now, he had no choice but to play the game on his terms and try to beat him at it. He immediately drew his defensive stance and tried to gain some distance. However, he failed. 

Aoun took his opponent by surprise as he shifted his sword from his right to left hand. The escape route was closed, and his sword was already on its way to reach his opponent's neck. His opponent tried to close in his sword and counter-attack, but it was a moment late. His sword stopped a centimeter away from his opponent’s neck, and his opponent’s sword was still half a foot away from reaching his body.

“You lose, brother.” Aoun smiled and gently said. 

The crowd that had witnessed it all burst out in cheers. The maids and butlers clapped, and the knights roared with enthusiasm. The crowd cheered for the victory of the Second Prince and the respect and love the princes had for each other. 

Unlike the princes of the other Empires who considered their siblings as their rivals, the Princes of the White Winter loved their siblings more than their lives. That was how these two were. The Crown Prince sighed at his defeat, but then he laughed heartily at his brother's victory. He pulled his little brother's hand up in the air and encouraged the crowd to cheer some more. He was happy for his brother.

Aoun knew how much his brother loved him. He always treated him with care, and he was like a second father to him. A great part of the knowledge he possessed today was passed to him by his brother. However, after what happened five years ago, his brother’s affection started to make him feel sad. It was just another reminder that he had failed to live up to the expectations of the person who dearly loved him.

He palely smiled as he felt the emotions surge in his heart again. 

“I will take my leave now, Brother. I will see you at dinner.” He hugged him and bowed to him before taking his leave. 

“Aoun, do meet me before dinner. I want to talk to you about something.” The Crown Prince called after him.

Aoun turned around to look at his brother, and he could see what he wanted to speak about. It was his last chance to gain the Blessing from the Grail. And Alexis wanted him to give it one last shot. 

He mirthlessly smiled, and apologetically lowered his eyes. He was not going to stand before the Grail again. He didn’t want to go through that disappointment again. If it was meant to happen, it would have happened in those three tries. Now, there seemed not even a remote chance of it happening. 

The history of the world was witness to the fact that the people who succeeded in their last try, never proved to be Powerful enough for the world to revere them. And their numbers were enough to be counted on the fingers. 

Aoun didn’t want to bet on weak chances. He didn’t want the disappointment. The chances were low, but even if he succeeded at it, he understood that he had lost vital years of his life that would never return. His achievements on the road of Masters would be ordinary, or a little better than ordinary. He didn’t want that. He wanted more. No one in the world ever held more expectations from him than he himself did. And he had failed. 

It was better to live as a Mortal and die sooner than to live longer in a life full of disappointments.