Leonard sat in his office, surrounded by towering bookshelves filled with leather-bound tomes on law, history, and aether. The afternoon sunlight poured through the window and cast long, dancing shadows on the wooden panels lining the walls while the earthy scent of the herbal tea on his desk slowly billowed in the air. He was reading a letter again and again, pausing every so often to scribble notes in the margins with his enchanted quill when his wife burst into the room, her green eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Darling!" she exclaimed, her scarlet hair catching in the light. "You won't believe it! Elena just broke through the Iron Tier!"

Leonard looked up, taken aback. "Already? Didn't she reach the Copper cap a month ago?"

"Yes," his wife replied, a proud smile spreading across her face. "I told you she'd pass Brandon in no time."

Leonard felt a pang of disappointment at the thought of his son falling behind his daughter. As a Guardian, he had always had a soft spot for Brandon over Elena, who was an Elementalist like his wife. But Leonard also knew how hard Tier breakthroughs could be—he got stuck at the cap of the Silver Tier for nearly five years before finally becoming a Gold Wielder a decade ago. And now he soon would hit the almost unbreachable Gold cap—the giant mountain that only two men had been able to conquer in Kastal.

His wife noticed his expression and sighed. "Stop with the long face. Your daughter just broke both our records. You should be thrilled, like you will be when it happens to Brandon."

Leonard gave her a weak smile, realizing deep down that she was right. He should be happy about their daughter's accomplishment, not worrying about his son's progress—or his own. "You're right, my dear. I'm sorry," he said, setting down his quill and leaning back in his chair.

His wife approached him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know how much you care for Brandon, but he'll find his Path. Elena's breakthrough is something we should celebrate… even if it means her brother is falling behind."

Leonard nodded. "We should visit her next week."

"Fantastic idea!" his wife exclaimed, kissing his cheek before striding toward the door. Clearly, she had been hoping for that idea all along. "I'll go scour the market to find some Iron spells for her!"

"Try to pick at least one with an Ice affinity!" Leonard called as she left his study and closed the door behind her.

The main reason for sending their children to Trogan Academy instead of Oskon's was because of his daughter's affinity: Water and Wind—the two components of the powerful Ice affinity. Even though she could have excelled as an Ice Elementalist in Kastal's capital, his wife had insisted on enrolling her at Trogan so she could work with the Glacial Empress Geraldine Storm, a Cryomancer renowned for her exploits during the Red War against the Bridan Empire.

She was convinced that having such an exceptional role model would be great for Elena. It was probably an Elementalist's thing because Leonard couldn't see how having a mentor would have helped him as a Guardian.

As he sighed, his eyes drifted down upon the letter in his hands. In a month's time, he would need to provide assistance to the Black Reaper, alongside the remaining nobles and military officers who had signed the soul-contract nine years ago and somehow still hadn't been caught… and executed by the king.

After fulfilling that obligation, they could finally make another attempt to overthrow the crown—if they were successful, the marshal would hopefully distribute the nation's resources more fairly among the Houses rather than hoarding them all, like the current king.

A dull ache flared behind Leonard's eyes, which prompted him to get up from his desk and head to the lush garden behind the house. A bit of fresh air always helped.

As he walked, he passed walls draped with elaborate tapestries of heroic battles and breathtaking landscapes. The cold marble underfoot felt at odds with the warm sunlight streaming in through countless windows. Near the backyard door, he caught his reflection in a full-length mirror; deep lines creased his forehead, and shadows darkened his once sharp eyes. Time spares no man. Not even Wielders.

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Despite the life-expectancy's boost that came with the Gold Tier, his body seemed to have still aged faster than ever with the stress that had weighed on him for the past decade. All that is almost behind me, he thought before glancing down at his hand.

Leonard Surani

 

Class: Guardian

Rank: 186 | 188 (High-Gold)

Subclass: Crusader

[...]

Strength: 642 (+5)

Arcane Power: 202 (+1)

Toughness: 782 (+7)

Well Capacity: 307 (+1)

Agility: 385 (+4)

Regeneration: 359 (+1)

Spells:

- Divine Fortress [Gold 〜 Rare (Refined)]

- Law of Valors [Gold 〜 Uncommon (Flawless)]

- Mountain Shield [Gold 〜 Uncommon (Exceptional)]

- Justice Strike [Silver 〜 Epic (Flawless)]

- Unstoppable Charge [Silver 〜 Epic (Flawless)]

- Lightning Tribulation [Iron | Silver 〜 Epic (Flawless)]

[...]

Hopefully, there would be some Gold spells in the king's treasury for a Crusader like him. The fact that he had only been able to find two in a decade outside of his subclass' Revelation, Divine Fortress, was quite depressing.

Yet it was still better than most Gold Wielders of the country, which explained why so many of them prayed each night for that selfish king to suddenly drop dead. Well, except maybe for those from certain Houses, like the Faertis, the Cranner, the Aureus and the Durengar, who all supported the crown's oppressive politics and received great gifts in exchange.

Leonard took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders, steeling himself for what lay ahead. If everything went as they planned, in a year everything would be better.

Just then, a man with short gray hair and a wide scar on his right cheek entered the room, clad in a silver armor with the Surani House's red cross on the breastplate—George, the captain of the guard, and his closest friend.

"Good afternoon, Leonard," the man said, offering a slight bow of his head. "By any chance, do you have news about Jenna?"

Leonard's lips curved in a wry smile as he rubbed his neck. "You might want to ask Marissa. She's the one with Elena's communication orb, so she knows far more about what's happening at the academy than I do."

George nodded. "Very well. And any updates in regard to the… assistance?"

"No, we're still waiting for the location of the Temporary Rift," Leonard answered, meeting his friend's gaze.

Aside from his wife, George was one of the few who knew about the impending coup and everything related to the Black Reaper. At first, the captain of the guards had been reluctant about the idea of overthrowing the king, but two decades of oppressive laws targeting commoners had shifted his stance. The one that granted any royal family member the authority to execute a commoner because they didn't appreciate how they spoke had been the final straw. As a commoner himself, George had joined the cause shortly after.

"I'll let you know as soon as I get something."

The captain of the guards nodded, his gaze briefly flickering toward the window as the sound of marching soldiers echoed outside. "Alright, I should get going. Young knights to train."

With that, George turned on his heels, his silver armor clinking softly while he strode toward the front door. The moment he was about to step outside, a thought struck Leonard.

"Wait, George," the noble called out.

The guards' captain stopped in his tracks and turned back. "Yes?"

"Marissa and I are planning to go visit Elena and Brandon next week," Leonard said. "Why don't you come with us? It'd be a good opportunity to see your daughter."

A smile curled up on George's face. "I'd love to," he replied. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see me."

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