NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Family tradition (1)
Within the Ingriss family, there is a tradition that stipulates that every newborn must undergo the Awakening Ceremony in the presence of every adult member of the Ingriss family, whether from the main or secondary house:
The Awakening Ceremony is a ritual where each newborn is placed in the middle of a sword field containing the swords of previous patriarchs and those of other Ingriss members who have made a name for themselves on the continent.
During the ceremony, the Patriarch must unleash his personal power, derived from the divine stigmata, to determine the potential future gifts the child will possess.
**3 MONTHS LATER:**
At the Royal Palace:
As Raphael walked down the hallway with Hallan, he began to think:
"I believe the Awakening Ceremony for Lucas is approaching soon. I think I should start preparing."
Then Raphael said to Hallan:
"Hallan, can you send out invitations for Lucas's Awakening Ceremony to the two heads of the secondary houses and to my sister Arya, the Captain of the Royal Guard? Tell her to return to the capital and temporarily leave command of the Eastern Front to the captain of the Knights of the Order of the Phoenix."
Hallan replied:
"As you command, Your Highness."
Afterward, the two headed to a meeting with other nobles.
The Royal Palace is a massive building with white walls adorned with gold, a vast garden filled with flowers of every species, and a sparkling courtyard.
Arya, Raphael's sister, is a slim yet well-built woman with short white hair and red eyes. She is the Captain of the Royal Guard and has reached the stage of Sixftera (6 wings). She is considered a grandmaster swordsman and, despite her youthful appearance, is in her thirties.
She is deployed on the Eastern Front, where the Kingdom of Ingrissia is in conflict with the Solaris Empire, one of the three greatest powers on the continent, as they attempt to reclaim lands lost by their ancestors in the past.
The Order of the Phoenix is one of the five orders created by Raphael and Captain Daymond, who leads it. Daymond is an intelligent man with exceptional mastery of the sword, which earned him his rank as captain.
The Phoenix Knights wear red and orange uniforms reminiscent of flames, with red armor featuring wing-like shoulder plates and capes adorned with flame motifs.
**A FEW MOMENTS LATER:**
In Queen Arianne's chambers:
"Go ahead, Your Majesty, you can do it," said Arianne's servant, Jasmine, crouching and smiling as she reached out her hand to little Lucas, who had just started crawling on all fours.
"I knew that children of the royal lineage grow faster than normal, but I still haven't gotten used to it," she said with a slightly sad expression.
Arianne laughed and tried to comfort her:
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it."
Then Arianne said with a smile:
"Perhaps we can take a little stroll in the courtyard since Lucas is already 3 months old, and it's also been 3 months since I last saw my daughter."
Jasmine stood up and replied:
"As you wish, Your Highness. I'll also prepare a mat and a picnic basket for us."
"Go ahead, Jasmine, let's get ready," Arianne said cheerfully.
Queen Arianne wore a light green dress and a straw hat, while Prince Lucas was given a small hat to protect him from the sun. Arianne then picked up Lucas and headed to the courtyard.
Upon arriving, Arianne and Jasmine found a spot under a tree with magnificent greenery.
Jasmine spread out the mat and said with a smile:
"Please make yourself comfortable, Your Highness."
Arianne sat down on the mat and enjoyed the fresh air.
Lucas, experiencing the outdoors for the first time, was mesmerized by his surroundings. His red eyes sparkled with excitement as he wanted to observe and touch everything.
Arianne let Lucas explore while she enjoyed the picnic, chatting and laughing with Jasmine.
As the two women talked and Lucas discovered the outdoors, Arianne suddenly heard a voice calling out:
"Mother, Mother, there you are!"
A small figure came running toward them and, upon reaching Arianne, jumped into her arms, showering her with kisses. Arianne hugged her tightly and said:
"Layna, my princess, I've missed you so much these past 3 months without you."
Lucas, startled by Layna's sudden approach, instinctively hid behind Jasmine and peeked out at her.
Layna noticed she was being watched and looked around, spotting little Lucas. She was amazed and said excitedly to her mother:
"It's him, it's him, my little brother!"
Arianne picked up Lucas and said with a smile:
"Yes, this is your little brother, Lucas."
Layna was in awe, and her red eyes sparkled with excitement.
Layna Ingriss, the first child of Arianne and Raphael, is a talented 4-year-old girl who has already reached the stage of Ftera (1 wing). She has black hair like her father and striking red eyes. It is said that she is destined to become a great knight like her paternal grandmother, the former matriarch of the family.
Jasmine, Arianne's close servant, is a petite woman with blonde hair and yellow eyes.
Wanting to spend more time with Lucas and her mother, Layna said:
"Jasmine, can you braid my hair?"
Jasmine replied:
"With pleasure, Your Highness. Please sit here in front of me."
After Jasmine finished braiding the princess's hair, Layna smiled at Lucas and said:
"What do you think, Lucas? Is your sister beautiful?"
Lucas smiled, and his smile enchanted all three women, who exclaimed in unison:
"He's so CUTE!!!!!"
Layna then said, looking at Lucas with a smile:
"I hope you can make the same impression on Dayvon, Lucas."
A few moments later, Layna made a flower bracelet and placed it around Lucas's wrist. With a calm expression and a small smile, she said:
"I will protect you for my entire life, Lucas, and I will become stronger to protect you from the bad guys, my brother."
Arianne smiled softly, reassured by Layna's words.
**A FEW HOURS LATER:**
"Ugh, these long meetings with unreliable nobles are driving me crazy. I just want to remove them and replace them with deserving nobles," Raphael said, exhausted, as he left the meeting room with Hallan.
Hallan, equally tired, looked at him and said:
"You're right. They're only here to annoy us, and most of them are useless."
"I'll support you if you decide to dismantle these worthless houses that only care about their own interests without contributing anything good."
As they continued walking, Raphael said:
"Let's hope we can do that one day."
Just moments later, as they walked, Raphael and Hallan sensed a powerful, menacing aura around the palace.
Raphaël suddenly became enraged and said with a face full of fury:
"That damn flying mutt is back."
Then Raphael said to Hallan:
"I'll deal with him. You go ahead and send out the letters you need to, and also have Dayvon return temporarily from the family academy."
"As you command, Your Highness," Hallan replied.
In a cave beneath the field, in a secret chamber:
Raphael stepped forward, his face filled with rage, and unleashed his aura, saying:
"So you're finally back, you giant mutt," he said, staring at a massive black dragon covered in scales with a long body.
The giant dragon looked at Raphael and said:
"I came because I sensed that something interesting is about to happen, and I also want to attend the Awakening Ceremony."
"And be nicer to me. Don't forget that it's thanks to me that the Ingriss family managed to stand strong during the time when your family was greatly weakened."
Raphael glared at him with a murderous expression, keeping his hand on his sword.
TO BE CONTINUED…..