“Future young adults of Asteria, today is the most important day of your lives.
Today is the Lineage Ceremony.
On this day, you will discover whether you will live as lions soaring through the skies or as lambs waiting for slaughter!” The man’s presence echoed throughout the hall, but what stood out the most was his graying mane, along with the muscles that still stood out even beneath his ceremonial robes.
Countless young people exchanged glances and began whispering beside their parents.
Among them was Kair.
However, he had no one by his side.
A few weeks ago, the island where he lived had been unable to deal with an invasion of creatures, and his uncle had stayed behind in an attempt to defend his city and evacuate as many civilians as possible.
Days later, he received word from the government that his uncle had died and that he was to travel to the heart of the Empire for his Lineage Ceremony.
Still processing the memories of his uncle, the powerful voice of the old lion rang out once again.
“Cassian of the Aelionmane Archipelago.” Kair could see the displeasure on the faces of several parents present, even those whose Lineages significantly altered their appearances.
“Of course the old man would choose someone from the lion Lineage as the first,” one father whispered near Kair.
Another whisper, somewhat childish, reached Kair’s ears.
“Mommy…
Why does he already have a mane?
And do people from the Aelionmane Lineage have green manes?” Kair’s eyes fell upon a young man climbing the steps toward the ceremonial altar.
He had expected to find a muscular young man, but he seemed…
Kind of slender?
Cassian wore a black formal outfit with green accents, which made the young, green mane covering his body stand out even more.
Soon, the young lion approached a crystalline statue standing at the center of the altar.
Everyone knew whom the statue represented.
It was the Empress of the Asterian Empire.
Her eyes were deep slits that revealed the Lineage of the Empire’s ruling family.
Since the earliest records, a member of the Serpent Lineage had always sat upon the throne.
Cassian soon bowed before the statue, and a deep, sickly shade of green began to glow from it.
When the glow faded, the old lion’s face showed a mixture of bewilderment and, soon after, profound pride.
“Asterians!
Look closely!
The lion Lineage has given birth to a previously unrecorded variant!
Cassian, you may name it!” The old lion’s proud voice was directed at the young man, and Cassian quickly named his variant.
“Vaelmane, sir.” The speed of his response caused a stir among the crowd, but the ceremony soon continued.
Dozens of young people displayed countless Lineage variants, but nothing as new as Cassian’s, at least not until a certain name was called.
“Elyra of the Imperial Family.” Everyone bowed with frightening speed, and traces of apprehension soon appeared among all those present.
Kair quickly realized that he was the only one who had yet to bow and, with a small, anxious jump, lowered himself.
But from the corner of his eyes, he saw a figure climbing the steps.
At that moment, even the old lion lowered his head.
Soon, Elyra stood before the statue of her aunt.
“Do you think she’ll have the same Lineage as her aunt?” one of the parents whispered near Kair.
“Impossible!
The Empress is unmatched!” One of the young men who had awakened a goat Lineage ended up half-shouting and half-speaking far too loudly.
Silence echoed through the hall, only to be broken by a slight snort from Elyra.
She stared at her aunt’s statue, and soon, the lights of the hall reflected against her deep red hair.
Her reflection could almost be seen within the Empress’s finely polished crystal.
I will not bow to you, old woman!
Elyra’s thoughts screamed loudly, almost as if the Empress could read her niece’s mind through the statue.
A faint light began to emerge, and the entire hall started to glow with waves of heat.
It’s so hot!
Kair began to sweat, along with many of the young spectators.
Only the parents with well-established Lineages managed to remain unaffected, and even then, many stopped bowing.
“Something is wrong…” “Since when has the Royal Family had a Lineage of fire?” “Im…
Impossible!
Serpents have cold blood!” The whispers replaced the fear rooted within every Asterian, and disbelief became evident.
“La…
Lady Elyra…
Your variant is unique.
Please, grant us the honor of naming it, Your Highness.” The old lion now looked like something close to a frightened kitten.
Everyone in the Empire knew that the greatest fire Lineages came from the Aelionmane and certain lizard Lineages, who preferred to remain shut away in their forges rather than involve themselves in politics.
“Igniviper!
From now on, I shall be known as Elyra Igniviper!” Every word came with a strong hissing accent, like a snake expressing its frustration.
Another shock swept through the hall.
“She…
She abandoned the royal name?” Kair was becoming increasingly confused.
Perhaps because he came from such a distant island, he still didn’t understand the weight of what had happened today.
Soon, his eyes met the Princess’s, and those dark slits quickly dismissed him among the crowd.
Little by little, the hall began to recover.
Many young people were given their surnames on this day.
Some carried those of their parents, while others received names from different variants, but almost none showed any sadness.
“Kair of the Duskfang Archipelago.” When his name was called, Kair froze for a few seconds, but soon began climbing the steps.
With every passing second, someone made a comment about him.
“Duskfang?
Could we be getting a wolf variant now?
They’ve all been pretty normal so far,” one of the parents commented.
“The Duskfang heir already went through the ceremony and awakened the family’s Lineage.
Apparently, the Duskfang Archipelago is experiencing its highest number of crises in a century, so he didn’t attend today’s ceremony,” One of the parents, who looked more like an elder thanks to his goat blood, explained to a young man standing beside him.
Finally, Kair stood face-to-face with the Empress, or rather, her statue.
So imposing and cold…
Before he could lose himself in his thoughts, he felt a sense of death pass down his back, following his gaze.
The old lion was staring at Kair like prey.
He realized it immediately.
He hadn’t bowed.
With surprising speed, he bowed and waited.
And waited.
He waited…
Nothing.
Silence began to vibrate throughout the entire hall.
Even the old lion began to grow uncomfortable.
Even the most ordinary human in the Empire possessed some kind of Lineage.
Cases of someone failing to resonate with the crystal were so rare that, over the last century, there shouldn’t have been even one.
In reality, I don’t even know if there has ever been a case…
The old man’s thoughts wandered, but when he looked again, he could see profound shock in Kair’s vacant eyes.
The shock was caused by something that everyone who went through the ceremony could see.
A small crystalline screen, similar to the Empress’s statue, formed in front of Kair.
Written upon it in mystical letters were: [Kair] [Lineage: None] CREATORS’ THOUGHTS 7Black_Dragon7 Hi, Black Dragon here!
Thanks for taking a little time to check out Kair’s story!
A lot is going to happen as the chapters go on, and I hope I can have a great time sharing this journey with you.
I don’t usually ask for this kind of thing…
but this dragon is tired, and the coffee supply is dangerously low.
So, if you’re enjoying the story, consider adding it to your collection and, if you can, spare a few Power Stones to help feed this poor dragon…
I promise I’ll use the energy to keep writing!
Thanks for the support!