CHAPTER 3
The night came and Sorayael was called out to the office of the Grand Duke. She left her little brother who's sleeping at the moment.
The door were so big for the little Sorayael.
The butler opened it for her. Sorayael's gaze wandered across the Grand Duke's office, taking in the sprawling workspace and the cutting-edge technology that seemed to pulse with energy.
She was greeted by the imposing holographic display projecting from the desk, surrounded by a sea of data pads and sleek, silver documents.
The soft hum of machinery and gentle glow of screens illuminated the room, casting a futuristic ambiance.
But her attention was inevitably drawn to the sword on the wall, the Aethenroth's emblem and storied history radiating an aura of quiet power.
As she approached the desk, the Grand Duke looked up, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her heart quicken.
'wow...'
Sorayael already knows about what the Grand Duke said and wants to know what's the purpose of bringing them at the residence of the National's Hero.
The Grand Duke looked at Sorayael as if he was scanning her and her soul.
"Archelumen" the Grand Duke cast a spell to analyze Sorayael one more time and as he thought, she was undetectable.
'interesting'
Sorayael looked at Grace confused while the Grace just smiled at her as if he was serious by what he said. Sora just let a deep sigh and drink a cup of hot cocoa.
Her eyes twinkled like shining stars as if she tasted the most delicious drink in the world.
The Grand Duke noticed it and smiled. He thought that it would be best to have a hot cocoa everytime she visits.
Sorayael opened her mouth to object, but the seriousness in the Grand Duke's gaze made her falter. His expression held no cruelty, only a firm, unshakable determination.
'Looks like I don't have a choice,' she thought silently.
The sincerity in his voice left Sorayael speechless. Despite her confusion, she found herself nodding in agreement. After the meeting, she returned to her room, still unsure of everything that had just happened-but determined to figure it out.
'Knowing that brat's attitude...' she muttered internally, half-exasperated.
Sorayael was also surprised by the Grand Duke's attitude. All the nobles she encountered, they were so rude that they didn't care about the commoners' situation.
Sleep overtook her not long after, the weight of uncertainty and exhaustion finally pulling her into quiet rest.
The next morning, Sorayael found herself sitting under the shade of a large tree with her little brother, quietly observing the young master's training.
'This is getting boring to watch,' Sorayael thought with a sigh, resting her chin on her hand.
As the clash of practice swords continued, Sorayael's thoughts drifted. Fragments of the incident flashed in her mind-the light, the strange energy, the unfamiliar words that poured from her mouth.
'What was that? I want to understand more... but I don't even know what to call it.'
A sudden thought stirred in her.
'Could it be...? Was I chosen by a star too?'
In their world, when someone was supported by a star or a constellation, they were granted extraordinary powers. It could manifest as magic, enhanced strength, heightened senses, or other mysterious abilities. It was said that the stars only chose those with a destined purpose.
'I forgot what kind of world I've ended up in...' Sorayael thought, eyes drifting across the training grounds.
They were on a planet called Earth X, a planet altered by an ancient catastrophe.
During the reign of the former Emperor Ashvonn, monsters emerged from rifts, brought by an unknown force.
In response, the stars chose certain individuals, blessing them with power: magic, strength, or other mysterious abilities.
These powers came from constellations that supported them from beyond the sky.
To keep the chaos contained, monsters were sealed within gates, also known as Dungeons, and now served as training grounds where people ventured to subjugate them in exchange for rewards.
'But if I've been chosen... I should've gotten a notification window...' she muttered to herself, confused.
In Earth X, being chosen by a constellation came with a unique phenomenon: a transparent system window-like in a game-would appear in front of the individual's eyes. No one else could see it. But Sorayael? Nothing. No window. No sign. No call.
He scoffed. "I'm heading to the library now."
Sorayael nodded but didn't move. A thought crossed her mind.
'Should I come along and browse some books? Maybe learn more about what's happening to me?'
She hesitated. What if someone got suspicious?
'But... plenty of commoners know how to read now, right? Haha...'
Under the rule of the current emperor, life for commoners was cruel.
His Majesty didn't care whether they lived or died.
Many were thrown into warzones and gates, some even artificially awakened through brutal experimentation.
A dark secret buried deep within the Aethelgard Imperium-one Sorayael had yet to uncover.
Sorayael sighed and glared at him.
'nag-ta-tagalog naman pala' her thoughts.
The young master shot her a glare, clearly annoyed, but couldn't come up with a retort.
Sorayael's face instantly lit up. She shot him the same smug grin he had given her earlier-the kind that said, 'I win.'
'why can't I find anything?'
Sorayael was currently browsing through the library and searching for a certain book about the stars or constellations. The young master was currently in a room being tutored by his teacher while Krios is taking a nap at the corner of the library.
'Ancient?'
She picked it up and tried to open it. To her surprise, it contents a lot of information about the world and upon flipping pages, she saw a word that caught her attention.
'Auctoritas?'
She continued to read the entire contents.
Long before the world was plagued by gates and monsters, when the stars still whispered directly to the hearts of humankind, there existed a force not born from sword nor spell, but from presence alone-Auctoritas.
It is said that those who wielded Auctoritas didn't need to raise their voices or draw their blades.
The very air around them bent with weight, and their words, once spoken, echoed like divine command.
Auctoritas is not granted by blood nor title-it is earned through the force of will, the scars of leadership, and the unwavering stance of one who bears burdens others fear to lift.
Kings possessed it. Generals carried it into battle. Even monsters once hesitated at its invisible edge.
It is not magic, though many believe it to be.
It does not gleam like mana or explode like a flame.
Instead, it roots itself in the soul and grows with deeds.
Those with Auctoritas step into a room and silence it without speaking.
They command loyalty, demand truth, and inspire fear-not because they ask for it, but because the world knows who they are.
Among the constellations, only one ever achieved true Auctoritas-Velthira, the Crownless Flame.
Unlike the others who rose through worship, legend, or bonded warriors, Velthira ascended alone.
It is said she walked the battlefield of dying stars, unarmed, yet none dared strike her.
Her presence alone turned chaos to silence, war to stillness.
No star, no god, no celestial dared claim equality with her.
To the constellations, she is not simply a figure, they revere her as a symbol of absolute command, a being before whom even prideful war gods bow.
In the ancient texts, Velthira is depicted as a woman clad in dark iron robes that shimmer like burnt starlight, her face hidden beneath a helm shaped like a broken crown, and from her back flow threads of flame-not of destruction, but of unbreakable resolve.
She only reveals itself to those who are destined to command others by sheer presence alone-and even then, only under a sky untouched by fear.
She was captivated. There was something hauntingly beautiful about a figure who needed nothing but her resolve to command the heavens themselves.
'But... wouldn't it be heavy?' she wondered. 'To bear that kind of power all alone... wouldn't it break her eventually?'
Her fingers brushed over the page with reverence before she flipped it. And there, in bold ink, one word caught her breath.
It is rumored that her relic, "The Ember Mantle of Velthira," lies sealed within an SS-Rank Dungeon "The Soltice Grave" lost to time, a dungeon none have returned from. It is said to radiate her dormant authority, this cloak does not grant power, but demands the world to yield to the wearer's will.
But that spark dimmed just as quickly.
Her gaze dropped to the paragraph below.
The reality settled like a weight on her shoulders. She wasn't ready. Not yet.
Still, hope urged her fingers to flip the next page, but the moment she tried, the book's surface glowed, and a translucent window appeared before her eyes.
She didn't try to open it again and sighed.
'I guess... I need to train? But I don't even have mana to begin with...'
That night, Sorayael lay in bed, eyes open, mind buzzing. Questions, fears, and a fragile thread of determination tangled inside her as she quietly formed the first steps of a plan, one that might shape her path in a world far greater than she imagined.
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