Pureblooded Royalty

Teleportation magic did not exist.

At least, that was until Aya, Drystan, and Aiden found themselves somewhere that was most definitely not the Royal Palace. There’s barely enough light for them to see. Around were beds of rocks. The air was also damp and cold.

They were underground.

“YOU FOOLISH GIRL!”

Drystan was livid and close to spiraling. Aiden was too astounded to utter a word. Aya, meanwhile, was suffering from her own success.

‘That worked…? S-S-Scary!’

From what she could recall, after the chant, a dizzying light had surrounded them for a few seconds. Her stomach lurched as if she had fallen from a great height. She had then crashed onto her knees while air rushed into her lungs. When she’d looked up, the castle library was gone.

All it took was some past research, present verification, and a little bit of imagination for them to recover a long-lost magic.

It began with hints and clues from historical accounts. Then, the Evertread came up. The three of them had experienced passing through the gate that Aya suspected to be a portal. That provided a strong enough basis to further develop the theory.

Afterwards, they collected references that completed the trail. While the princes scoured grimoires and scriptures, she rummaged her memory for other works of literature with mentions of teleportation that she encountered before. It, once again, proved to be effective. Like what happened during the beast attack in the royal capital, she managed to find and use specific excerpts in a book she had read.

‘So, ‘Crisostomo the Hero’ again, huh? The character there chanted, then the setting changed.’ She pressed her lips together, deep in thought. ‘Before, it’s the Void the Veils. Now, it’s teleportation magic. Could the novel be a coded spellbook?’

“Amazing.” Aiden let out a breath of awe. “I know about some espionage and intelligence memoirs that use cryptolects, but… I didn’t expect novels to also have them.”

Aya nodded ecstatically. “I know, right? Then again, fiction is a mirror through which we see reality! It can’t be a coincidence, too. I already deciphered other parts before.”

“Interesting. Can you recommend those to me?”

“Sure! I’ll prepare a list next time-”

“That sounds nice and all, but this is hardly the place and time to be chatting about books! Where are we?! What did you do?!” Drystan shouted in exasperation.

“Sorry, I mostly followed the text and made a few minor edits, so…”

“And how much mana did that consume? I still feel lightheaded.”

“Let’s calm down for now and assess the situation. We have to find a way out."

They appeared to have ended up in a temple buried beneath the earth.

Clusters of jagged, jutting crystals cast a mystic glow all over the place. Thick roots curled through the ceiling. Golden braziers flanked the altar at the center. In the corners stood pillars of the gods, with stone tablets embedded on the walls between each.

All had a god, except one.

“There are the six Precedents. Who is supposed to be there?” Drystan wondered out loud.

“It might just be some extra space.”

“The room was clearly designed like a heptagon, though…”

“That side is empty for a reason.”

“Maybe an exit?”

“One way to find out.”

They read the tablets.

Unfortunately, it was no use. Aya couldn't comprehend the content. It’s written in an ancient language she hadn’t learned yet. Drystan couldn't seem to understand either. Only Aiden was able to read everything.

‘Awww… I would’ve studied in advance if I knew this would happen.’

“What does it say?”

Aiden gave Drystan a pitying look. “Hiraya is one thing, but you? We had ancient languages last year.”

“J-Just tell us!”

“It’s the kingdom’s origin, but…”

The kingdom was a living divine realm that chose its eyes and voices, or so the myth went. Yet over the course of history, several attempts were made to secure the succession within one bloodline —

To have “birth grant the crown.”

Whenever power was passed to blood heirs whom the gods had not chosen, calamity followed. In time, however, these disasters established an important distinction—a king or queen could still be conceived, not only selected. As long as the gods chose that individual, descent from previous ruling lines bore no consequence.

“Pureblooded royalty are what they’re called,” Aiden told Aya and Drystan. “Etor Gallahan is the first in centuries—and thus far, the only.”

If Calixtus became the Divine Vessel of Light, and ultimately, the king, he would also be a pureblooded royal. That seemed to be significant enough for an entire group to be fixated on him. Now, the name, “Pureblood Covenant,” made more sense. This happened to be less about the individual and more about what he represented. 

“Having more pureblooded royalty means succession to the throne might finally have the chance to be by blood,” he continued.

“Does it really, though?”

“Well, it says here…”

Because of the mortals’ penchant for centralized power, as well as the exacting selection process, an adoption system was established. This perpetuated political conflicts all the same, and soon came the misconception that magic identified potential but not destiny. But while training and choice mattered in leading a kingdom, the truth was that divine will alone dictated who ruled it.

People were made to believe otherwise due to the existence of the royal house, which served as a unified authority and provided a formative ground for future kings or queens.

“So, it can’t be hereditary, then? The royal family is already the closest to a central seat of power the country can get—a compromise,” Drystan stated.

“...Um, hey…”

“Aiden? What is it?”

“...Well, uh…”

“What are you reading now?”

Aiden stared at the last stone tablet, looking shaken.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. A hidden entrance on the wall opened up. As several people stepped into the temple, the three immediately hid behind a pillar. The empty corner turned out to be not the exit after all.

A group of adults in hooded robes crossed the room, dragging two children toward another secret passage descending deeper underground.

Aya went cold.

‘Those kids…!’

She met them before. She remembered their faces. A lanky boy, a timid-looking girl—they were from her hometown. The last time she saw them was during the Primer Beacon five months ago.

‘Irvin and Eunice?!’

“What should we do?” Drystan whispered.

Aiden sighed, “There is no other way out.”

“So, then…?”

“We’ve got to hurry.”

“I-I’ll use an illusion to hide our presence!”

The two boys smiled and nodded at her.

They followed the group down a narrow staircase, careful to keep their distance and stay silent.

The deeper they went, the colder it became. The glow of the crystals faded behind them until only the flickers of torchlight remained. They placed their hands on the wall as they climbed down.

At the bottom, the door opened into a dungeon, much to their horror.

‘What in the name of...?!'

Rusty, barred cells lined corridors that wound around like a circular cavern. Cages and tunnels stretched farther beneath. In the middle was a vast, subterranean arena. Massive iron gates stood at opposite ends of the deep pit. Each seemed huge enough for a giant to walk through.

“Looks like some old fighting ring,” Aiden muttered under his breath.

Drystan wrinkled his nose. “For what? I don’t even want to know.”

Aya breathed in deeply, trying to recompose herself. “L-Let's get going.”

“Where are they?” Aiden asked, and Drystan pointed towards the far end.

Something was sitting in front of it—something big.

At first, they saw the body. Then, it lifted its head. All three of them froze.

It was a wild beast.

The creature resembled a wolf, with its long muzzle, canine teeth, and whip-like tail. Its thick, black fur was streaked with patches of gray. As it rose, its claws scraped against the cobbles. Its eyes glowed golden.

Drystan quickly grabbed Aya by the arm.

“W-We should be okay…”

“What do we look like right now?”

“To it, we should be nothing but shadows.”

The beast tilted its head, and Aiden clicked his tongue. “It still smells us.”

‘Eeeekkk! I should’ve learned from that rabbit before! It figured out my carrots were fake because of the smell!’

A growl rolled around with raw intensity. It vibrated throughout the cavernous chamber. She could even feel it in her bones.

The beast wasn't chained. It stood freely between them and the iron door, as though it was guarding it. For a moment, nothing happened. They didn’t move. Yet eventually, the creature took one step forward.

Its lips curved, revealing rows of sharp teeth.

Her heart hammered against her chest. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but if she did, it would attack. As she kept still, she noticed something. A thin band clasped its neck, with magic symbols engraved into it.

‘Is that a collar?’

Voices echoed from somewhere, and the beast whipped around. Aya looked towards the locked cells, then at the creature, and then at the iron gate it guarded. Those people from earlier clearly did not want anyone reaching inside.

“We are somewhere underground, right?” Aiden spoke as quietly as possible. “Could it be that those wild beasts that attacked the royal capital were also…?”

“...From below.”

“It is…possible.”

“That’s why those beasts appeared out of nowhere. All this time, they’re right beneath us.”

Aya couldn't help but shiver. “Or it can also be teleportation magic...”

No matter what it was, these people had to be hiding more than whatever was beyond that door.