In the Counts Manor

A grand three-story estate with pale cream walls and a long slate-gray roof dotted with dormer windows, surrounded by an expensively manicured lawn.

Though simple, it bore an air of elegance compared to every other building in the county.

Guards patrolled the estate, some dressed in muddy yellow light armour , the majority in the signature crimson of the Vulcan army.

In the main study of the building sat the Count.

Count Asher Pyrewood of the Pryewood County.

An elderly man with metallic red hair.

He signed away at documents, his rim glasses hanging loosely on his nose.

Knock! Knock!

"Come in," he straightened his back, ready to attend to whoever was at the door.

Stepping through the door was his assistant.

A middle aged man with similar but slightly darker metallic red hair.

Aodh.

A commoner without a family name risen to his rank by his accomplishments.

"Count, there is great news..." Aodh beamed with a smile as he walked through the door.

The Count only stared at him, blinking slowly in indifference.

"What is it..." He turned back to his documents, uninterested in whatever news it was.

Aodh’s smile didn’t dim.

"A Supreme has been born in our county..."

The Count’s feather pen halted.

He looked up at his assistant wide eyed.

"What did you say..."

"A Supreme has been born in our county..." The assistant repeated. The Count abruptly stood up in shock, his rim glasses falling off his nose.

"Really? Are you sure..."

"Yes, many eyewitnesses have seen her... It’s Kai, the local flower shop’s daughter."

"..."

He sat back down in disappointment.

"Eyewitnesses... did you see it yourself..."

His doubt was understandable.

Supremes were not diamonds in a vault of gold. Though rare, it was possible to find them, but they were like antimatter in the observable world.

So rare that people only knew they existed, yet almost no one had seen one.

How could his small county birth one?

Not to mention, people often misconstrued strange phenomena of awakening as supremacy.

"No, but..."

"I understand what you want to do, but the kingdom won’t trust us again..." He cleaned his glasses, the lenses reflecting the solemnness on his face.

His two sons had joined the battle for glory, but upon experiencing the horrors of war, they fled the battlefield, abandoning their duties.

A disgrace to their family name.

Though he wasn’t directly responsible, as their father, he was implicated.

And he was sure he would lose his title after the battle.

The Kingdom had already sent troops to monitor his household.

The kingdom was too busy with the war now, but he was sure they would strip him of his title very soon.

He could only wait for it to happen.

"Let’s check it out. If it’s true, you can even be promoted and the disgrace will be washed away..." The assistant urged.

"Sigh, go verify... We should make sure it’s true before letting the Royal family know..."

"Right, I will go right away..."

.

.

.

"Thank you... Oh, thank you... Thank you..." Kai’s mom received gift after gift.

The small gathering, which should have ended hours ago, had continued till sunset, everyone trying to build connections with the family of a Supreme.

They believed she was sure to join the courts of the Vulcan household.

To become a force akin to a god.

It was rumored that only one Supreme existed, the Supreme Mage of Earth.

And as for his status, he could stand on equal footing, if not above, the two kingdoms.

How far could another Supreme rise?

They had to build their connections now.

As they thought of the positive sides of being a Supreme, Alaric sat among the crowd, his gaze unsteady. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Won’t this put her in danger..." He thought.

He looked at the bigger picture.

Though as a supposed Supreme she was sure to rise in status, what about enemy nations?

There is no way they would allow a Supreme to grow in an enemy country.

Now that she had potential but lacked power, they were sure to try and snuff her out quickly.

"What have I done..." He looked at the smiling girl in panic.

His act to rewrite a childish mistake had caused a misunderstanding that could claim the little girl’s life.

He was sure he was the champion; Maria had confirmed it, and so had the elves.

Only one Supreme could exist at a time for an element. There was no way this girl was a Supreme.

Which meant his interference in the girl’s awakening had caused this huge misunderstanding.

"Hey son, what are we still doing here..." Raika, who had been bored out of her wits, asked for the thirteenth time.

"Didn’t you say you want to try out the tower..." She added, yawning.

"I have to find a way to rectify this..." He couldn’t hear Raika over his own thoughts.

Raika, confused, followed his gaze, which was practically glued to Kai.

"Is he at that age..." She wondered but shook her head. "No, he is too young for that."

"Hey, let’s go..." She pulled Alaric from his seat, unwilling to entertain such thoughts.

"Wait..." Alaric resisted, Raika taken aback.

Alaric had never once pulled away from her. Never.

"Is she bewitching him..." Her eyes blazed, lightning crackling around her fingers.

"Can we take her with us..."

Thunder clapped.

Lightning tore from sky to ground, shooting out from Raika.

" Huh "

The crowd pulled away, screaming in panic at the unknown. Some of the more agile ones had already leaped over the backyard fence, bolting without checking what the danger was.

"The Thunder Princess..."

A voice cut through the chaos.

People began to turn, a few recognizing the portrait of Raika.

She looked different because of her long hair, her wild beauty replaced by maturity, well in appearance not heart, as she remained the same wild, untamed unit of war.

"Thunder Princess..."

"Thunder Princess, where... where..."

The chaos subsided. Those that lay on the floor rose, the guards who were trying to curb the chaos turning their attention to Raika.

Kai and her mother, who hid behind the guards, peeped through the gaps.

Alaric stood in front of Raika, unshaken by the lightning that came his way.

His expression stoic as he looked straight into her eyes.

"This isn’t me being unfilial..."