Tyrant of the Ruined Sun-Chapter 196: Joust of Jewels 3

Speeding behind the two, we found ourselves herded into the mysterious fourth tent of the Yue Dynasty, where we beheld a massive disk like stage, surrounded by a semi-circular ring of ascending seats.

But we had little time to appreciate the sight before us, that was previously hidden and barred from public view, as Weixiao urged us into the seats of honour, where we all sat in continued and ever increasing suspense, born out of our heightening curiosity at what the surprise Weixiao seemed so giddy and excited to show us.

Thankfully, said suspense did not linger beyond it’s welcome, as within moments the rest of the impromptu stadium they had constructed became an overflowing estuary of excited men and women, as they half orderly half chaotically filled all the seats, just as the stage’s verdant and crimson curtains parted, revealing an astounding array of beautiful young women, none of whom seemed to be beyond the age of twenty five, arranged in a complex pattern mimicking that of a budding flower on the verge of blooming.

In response to this scene unfolding before them, a loud, resounding gasp of unblemished awe echoed through the air, as all who beheld them couldn’t contain their reaction; not due to the beauty of those before us, but because of the implications the stance they were now stood in entailed.

For it was clear to all who were present here today, that they would bear witness to the famed Dance of Blooming Petals, an esteemed cavort, known for it’s complexity and difficulty, which is only further convoluted by the fact that unlike most others of their kind, that only a few dozen experienced and well choreographed dancers were at most needed, you would instead precisely require a hundred for it to properly function, all of which made it near impossible for one to ever have an opportunity to ever view it’s magnificence.

Yet while everyone was concentrating on this newfound stroke of surging luck they were experiencing today, our focus was instead fixated upon the heart of the still motionless formation, where a pair of silver eyes, belonging to none other than the princess of the east herself, were gazing smilingly upon us.

We all held her gaze the entire time, even smiling encouragingly in reply, only to very quickly come to the realization that it was not I nor Cyrus that she was looking up to, but upon Nizam and her own brother,

The danse then commenced in all it’s mesmerising beauty with the gentle declaration of the serenading overture, as their performance progressed in a hypnotic painting of twirling bodies and twisting fabric, until the once budding flower bloomed in full glory several minutes later, heralding a standing ovation so great, a lengthy line of inquisitive nobles and kings began to form outside the tent, wondering what would ever cause such a flagrantly joyous racket.

Yet while the rest were absorbed in their cheers, which included Cyrus, who was standing, whistling and clapping by my side in unabashed amazement, I in stark contrast remained in my seat, my hands slowly meeting in a controlled applause, all the while maintaining my true focus on Nizam, who did not praise or congratulate, but merely sat still beside me, his eyes unblinking and his mouth slightly agape, as an unintended scarlet blush dominated his stunned and smitten features.

The sight of which brought forth a sound that finally broke him free of his stupefied stupor, which was the desperately stifled laugh of content, gratitude and appreciation from the eastern crown prince to the side, who much like me was splitting his attention between his beloved sister and his future brother-in-law.

Following this, Nizam went completely red in the face, as his usual mask of maturity fully fell from his countenance, showcasing all his ordinarily well kept and hidden feelings, much to the amusement of Cyrus, who’s evil grin was a dark promise to all the teasing he would bring down upon him for the forceable future.

Yet with the culmination of the dance, and with it my brother’s swift retreat to his betrothed side, in an attempt to evade our brother’s mischief for the time being at least, so too did my interest in the second event.

And so, deciding to take a page from Octavian’s playbook, I too decided to abstain from joining the Joust going forward, believing it a superfluous squander of time, as nearly all objectives I had wanted to accomplish in the Banquet were effectively done by now; as I had already found my Eve, overseen the debut of my brothers on the international stage, made sure that the maintenance and expansion of international relations was properly done, not that I was ever worried about this with Darius by my side, with the only remaining target yet not seeing a satisfactory conclusion being the quest to learn more about my great grandfather mysterious legacy, but that would have to wait until I reach Sophentia anyway.

As such, finding no reason to further indulge in the Banquet other than sheer necessity, I resolved to abandon the first day of the Joust of Jewels midway through, believing it better to spend the time with either Eve or by practicing my divine power and martial arts, especially as Nicholas has already regained his empyrean ancestor’s prophetic visions, which undoubtedly and promptly propel him back into the path he took in his past life.

And so the second half of the first day, followed by the second and third days passed, as I spent with them either training, dealing with some matters that needed handling, or simply talking away the night with Eve, half in mundane, casual conversation and half in Machiavellian intrigue and conspiracy.

Alas, this comfortable routine we were just settling into was disrupted on the fourth dawn of the Joust, as it was marked by fact that it was the day Eve decided to honour her promise to Cyrus, by allowing him to accompany her through all the wonders of the second event, as he happily described to her everything around them in explicit detail, much to Eve’s enjoyment, as she later recounted to me all they passed by later that night.

The fifth day was again one of routine quiet, mimicking the first few days in it’s peace, allowing me to almost wholly focus on furthering my training with little interruption.

And though the sixth day appeared in my eyes to have followed the same principle as the day before it, unbeknownst to me at the time, and not until several days later, would I come to realize that a truly major event, one that would determine a great deal of our future, yet seemed so inconsequential at the time, would plant it’s first seeds on this day.

And it occurred just as Cyrus stood triumphant upon the blood soaked sands of the Kleossa Kingdom’s exhibition, his aura engulfing him in a brilliant golden blaze, as every wisp and flare of his smouldering power seemed ready to leap and roar, as he stood panting yet triumphant over his foe under the blackened sky.

The Kleossa Kingdom’s exhibition, as one would expect from the land known as the Nation of Warriors, and ruled over by the offspring of the God of War, was a simple combat arena, wherein anyone, regardless of expertise, age, reason, gender or even social standing could challenge anyone, or any group he so pleased without worry; and unlike other nations who had martial exhibitions, such as us with our sabre martial arts, or the Yue Dynasty’s, who fixated upon the bow, or even the Dunamis Kingdoms’, which focused more on wrestling and more brute force oriented sports, the Kleossa Kingdom cared not for any of this, as war was waged in all manner of ways and weapons.

With the only caveat imposed on the challenges being that blows that cause death being completely disallowed, and if found trying to act in violation of this singular rule, then the nearby proctor of the fight would instantly step in and disqualify you from ever participating again,

After all, even the sons of war, slaughter and honour, who were virtually obsessed with bloody armed conflicts, still cared a great deal about their honour, and they would tarnish both it and the Banquet, which they entered under a flag of peace and cooperation, by allowing the foul stench of murder to stain them.

So due to all of this, one could see why my martial obsessed brother found this display in particular to be so enthralling, as he was constantly visiting it throughout the day as he explored the venue, until he eventually could not quiet down that nagging itch in the back of his mind and on the palm of his sword hand, eventually caving to it and ending up entering and participating in it.

And by the fated sixth day, he’d secured his fifteenth victory out of his nineteen matches, an impressive score for a boy his age, which was only enhanced by his aggressive and ferociously valiant fighting style, something that constantly guaranteed a blood pumping spectacle for all who saw it, which very quickly began to accrue and audience who would rush to the arena, whenever word of my brother’s match would surface.

All of which only served to further fuel my brother’s reputation, which was the main reason I did not limit his actions then, and soon enough he began to be called as the Lion of the Eclipse by his new found fans, something I wholeheartedly supported, as I even had Isaac further propagate those words, so that this title of his, that has somehow managed to resurrect itself form my past life, would once again stick upon my brother. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

And yet, it was during this fifteenth triumph of his, as he was done basking beneath the shower of praise and compliments, all to the backdrop of a building chant screaming his new title, and leaving the arena through it’s side door, that a single token, one of a heart of rose quarts, inscribed with a peacock emblem, surrounded by a border of gold, and further decorated with small rubies around it, was thrown his way, as he instinctually caught it.

Turning toward where the precious item was dropped, Cyrus initially thought it must have accidently fallen from someone up above, yet when he raised his head to inspect from where it might have tumbled, he found not a single person who seemed to might have lost it, especially as he recognized to whom this emblem belonged, for it was the sigil of the queens of the Omorfia Isles.

Searching with his eyes for a couple more seconds netted him nothing more, so with a casual shrug, he pocketed the seemingly misplaced token, planning to eventually return it to it’s original owner when he got the chance, not knowing that a veiled and hooded figure had been eyeing him since the beginning from within the endless crowds of cheering masses.

And so the final few days of the Joust of Jewels continued, until it finally reached it’s culmination in a surprisingly peaceful manner, completely unalike the harrowing ups and downs of the Nights of Masquerade.

Yet little did I know then, even if I predicted and expected it to occur sooner rather than later, that Nicholas would be granted the privilege to witness a second imparting the curtains of time, and allowed another glimpse into the future.