Way of the Knights

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A silhouette of a person was standing in front of Raven as soon as he entered the Crown Space.

This person is a woman, stood about 6'3 inches tall. Just like Inos, she appeared as a mere outline, a ghost per se. Which gave of an impression of mystery for Raven. And because she appeared to be at the same state as Inos, Raven thought that this person must be an important one for the Crown. He also didn't feel any kind of ill intent from her.

"Well met, Young Candidate. I am Astrid, the 7th Heir to the throne." The silhouette performed a curt bow, to which Raven followed unconsciously.

"I thought as much." Raven mumbled, he then decided to introduce himself to her. "Well met, Madam. My name is Vendrick but I go by Raven. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, you." Astrid laughed merrily and said, "Drop the formalities. No need to call me Madam or something. Just refer to me by my name, and I'll do the same."

Raven was a little stunned to hear that, however it seems that she nothing could change his mind so he could only nod. 

"We've been watching you since the moment you touched the Ancestral Divine Crown you know." Astrid said, which made Raven perk up and listen closely. "Though it's a pity that we are reduced to such state, and were forced to slumber for the most parts. We still are aware of what's going on, specially with the matters of the crown."

"When you said 'We', that means you along with the rest of the heirs I assume?" Raven asked.

To which Astrid nodded. "Yes, the 8 of us had been watching you all along."

"Am I doing a terrible job?" Raven asked, wanting to receive some sort of guidance from her.

"Not really." Astrid replied, she gently sat down and gestured Raven to do the same. "You're doing just fine. You can take your time since you have lots of it. From what we've seen so far, you can tell when to pick up the pace and when take it easy so you don't need my advise for this."

Raven smiled wryly and sat down with her, now he was certain that she was the real deal.

"That's right, you have my thanks for helping me step out of my slumbering area and stretch for a little bit." Astrid said which made Raven confused.

"What did I do?" He asked.

"It's your Destruction Laws that awakened me." Astrid said in a meaningful manner. Raven's eyes gleamed as he ventured a wild guess to which Astrid confirmed. "Yes, I did cultivate the same Laws that you now possess."

"That's awesome!" Raven exclaimed, "If it's not too much, I might ask for some tips in the future whenever I hit a wall. Please do guide me then."

"That will depend if whether or not I'm awake during that time or on your questions." Astrid replied. She wasn't really refusing to help him but said that it will depend on the situation. "Laws that you comprehend by yourself would always be better. You know this right?"

"I do." Raven replied unhesitatingly, of course he knew that comprehending Laws will always be a long and hard-fought journey. Stumbling upon some roadblocks happens a lot and a little guidance from seniors would always be helpful.

But at the same time, relying on their knowledge would only lead to a flawed understanding, which is possible to completely block their way out and prevent them from going any further. This is why one has to rely to one's self in this journey.

"Comprehending Laws are akin to a never ending puzzle. You answered one, two more questions will appear. The closer you get to the source, the harder the puzzles are. But once you answered all of them and mastered your chosen Law, you will wield an immense power that could completely change the world according to you liking. But wielding a great power had it's own responsibilities as well." 

Astrid said in a profound tone, which sounds like she was talking to herself more than reminding Raven. Nevertheless, it wasn't his place to pry so he didn't ask any further.

"Is Inos still slumbering?" Raven asked, carefully in order to not offend her in any way, shape or form.

"Yes he is. He will be slumbering a lot like the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and the 5th. His soul is incredibly weak after all." Astrid replied, seemingly not bothered.

"Would you be able to tell me what happened?" Raven asked out of concern. He wanted to know since he wanted to check if there's something that he could do for him.

Astrid sighed and had a saddened expression on her face. "I know that you wanted to help him but for now, you're too weak to do so."

"Certinos is an extremely formidable man, he mastered Space Laws after all. At the peak of his strength, creating a space that is a big as a Universe is just a minor effort - a wave of his hand per se. He could even expand even the tiniest fabric of space if he decided to do so."

Raven's mouth twitched upon hearing that ridiculous tale of Inos. For some reason, it was hard to believe that the amicable man was that strong, but who amongst the True Heirs aren't formidable? In fact, he should've seen this coming. 

One thing that Raven took away from what Astrid said about Inos is that, he didn't just gain enlightenment to Space Laws, he Mastered it. 

It had to be known that even in the Divine Realm, those who could Master a Law could counted on both hands. And all of them are people who stood at the very top, untouchable existences that even someone like him could only look up to.

"You know about the Pocket Dimensions around us right?" Astrid asked, to which Raven nodded unhesitatingly. How could he not know when everyone he faced in those made his life difficult? 

"He's responsible for creating them." Astrid said once again, making Raven's lips twitch again. "These were created a few moments before his death, which is why they are a little bit unimpressive. He decided to place the remnant soul wisps, which were arranged by me, and place them inside some pocket dimensions in order to create a real testing grounds for the next potential heir."

"Wait! You were the one who place all those people here?" Raven exclaimed in shock.

"Yes." Astrid confirmed, "And by the way, they aren't just some random people. Those people are very similar to the current you, they were Candidates as well."

"That…" Raven was gobsmacked. He didn't know what to say nor feel after knowing that. 

So the people that he was fighting inside the pocket dimensions were people who got their hands on the Crown during their lives. And because Astrid said that they were soul wisps, it must mean that they all died already.

"My original plan on locking away wisps of their soul is to raise them through various means and have them to become foot soldiers when the ultimate showdown begins. Yet I died before I could release them, so instead it was Inos who put them into use. Which is of course, helping you a lot on your growth."

Raven understood this but he wanted to know: "Why did you say that Inos has to slumber frequently?"

"A large part of his original soul was devoured." Astrid answered, which caused the hairs on Raven's body to rise up uncontrollably. "The same happened to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th. Technically, none of them should remain after all this time. It was due to the mystical power of the 1st that the tiniest piece of them still remained in the crown. If it weren't for that, then they might've already dispersed."

"Is it the Abyssals?" Raven asked with so much fire in his eyes. Astrid understood his anger very well since she too felt the same but unfortunately it wasn't them.

"No." She shook her head, making Raven freeze on his seat. 

"If it weren't the abyssals, then who?" He asked in a confused manner.

"It is too early for you know. In our current state, we couldn't even utter its name. Else we run the risk of danger." Astrid shook her head in shame, parts of her memory that she hid at the depths of her mind started to get roused but she suppressed it. "Remember, all of us Heirs are formidable on our own right. But we all died at the hands of one enemy."

Her tone was grave, it was like she really wanted Raven to be extremely careful with his actions and inquiries.

"When it's time for you to know, you will know. And when that time comes, you will understand why we are asking you to be extremely careful. For now, all you have to do is to make sure that you are the person that we are looking for. Inherit the throne, and become the 9th True Heir of the Crown.. You will understand everything by then."

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