Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Her crimson-gold eyes and long cherry hair that hung on her naked back, accentuating her fair skin that was revealed by the especially unusual dress she wore – open at the back to the waist, was tantalising to the eyes.

Her slender, curvy figure and upright stance was both provocative and confident, cancelling out the half-assed wills of most men in the hall that had started to get the intention to walk up to her.

Another deterrent to this was the two veiled guards on both of Darwel\'s sides. Their eyes were sharp and so were their sheathed swords.

Only Darwel had had the honour of bringing in her guards into this place.

Her status was so much higher than that of others, so much so that the many arriving Families behind her had been pushed aside for her to get her share of shine.

Brenn unravelled himself from the Bryne Family bind and briskly approached Darwel who wore a look of familiarity as the two met.

"I feel violated," Setkh said with a drink, his discussion with the Governor\'s son having been axed as soon as Darwel appeared.

"What did you expect? We don\'t hold a candle to her in terms of importance and potential influence after all," Stylla said while taking a seat.

"Who is that?" Skullius asked with a frown.

The long ears he sensed were the first things to throw him off along with the vastly different way in which Darwel\'s energy flowed.

It was as if she was from a different world altogether with how her mana seemed to seep from her skin and create a cascade of condensed spots around her.

"That, is Darwel. Daughter of the High Family of the Sif," Silrat explained, repeating what the Knight at the entrance had said.

"I see..." Skullius said. The news of the alliance with Opungale was not lost to him after all. He had just never \'seen\' a Sif before.

"Why is she here though?"

"Why wouldn\'t she be? She was probably invited as a privilege to scout interesting contenders. Analysing us must be intriguing for her. I\'ve heard that her parents are a special breed of Sif unlike the others. Something special and unique. She might be interested in seeing the contenders up close for the fun of it. Then again we haven\'t shared ties with Opungale in millenia so who knows? Maybe it\'s all a lie."

"She\'s so beautiful," Yuyui remarked with wonder while munching on a golden brown biscuit that no soul here had seen her retrieve. Even Skullius was a bit perturbed.

"The way her mana flows is so different from what I\'m used to seeing," Skullius commented while folding his arms.

"Of course it is. Remember how in Inhone most mercenaries and Knights prioritised their cores over their Stages? The opposite is true in Genhuis. If we make the scale a bit bigger, Pelian, Emeradis and Maqi have different ways of harnessing strength despite the basics being the same. It stands to reason that on an even larger scale, things are even more so when different races and continents are concerned," Silrat pointed out.

"Fair enough," Skullius said. If he remembered correctly, Oliviana had mentioned something similar.

Speaking of...

"Where is Oliviana by the way?" he asked.

"I have no clue," Silrat responded.

As everyone was distantly fawning over Darwel who was speaking to Brenn and his sister who had hurried to join, more Families began to arrive.

The Kreaim Family.

The Dodj Family.

The Flatbed Family which was represented by a profoundly flat chested woman whose gaze darted to and fro with a menacing swish, daring anyone who ogled hollowly at her chest to try and make a comment.

The Bust Family.

The Oldd Family which was represented by a rather expressive middle aged man who carried himself like a celebrity, waving here and there while hugging the waist of a woman he proudly announced as his fiancée without anyone asking.

The Goard Family.

The Tret Family.

The Jill Family represented by a group of very short individuals – genetics – save for one man who had an indifferent gaze, on his body a long robe that painted him as someone not to be taken lightly.

A Mage.

Only a few names and faces garnered the attention of the ever growing crowd. At some point, even Skullius had gotten bored of trying to keep track of everyone and having to guess who was the contender and who wasn\'t. After all, everyone had the Control Seal on their arms.

He was also looking for Gabel among the many arriving individuals.

As this continued, another name and presentation garnered the attention of everyone in the hall.

"Pelian\'s pride in restoration and quality, the Kinn Family, represented by Lady Vali Kinn, in attendance!"

Shortly after the announcement, five figures walked into the hall, two on either side of one individual who looked and dressed differently from the rest.

While the other feminine figures were dressed reservedly in humble robes that disallowed any part of them to be guessed save for their faces, the drop dead beauty at the centre, with her long navy blue hair that was tied into an exquisite Dutch braid that reached her thighs, wore a dangerously seductive minidress.

Every single one of her trained motions drew the end of the dress to reveal more of her unblemished thighs, her signature step which stood somewhere between whorish and Queenly causing a few weak minds to fantasise depravity.

Thankfully, a stylish cobalt blue cloak that reached down to her knees saved everyone from the snare of her plump cleavage but the damage was already done.

Her steps were powerful yet classy and her relaxed gaze as she slid her eyes left and right exuded a quality seductiveness.

"I hoped I\'d steal the show. Looks like someone beat me to it," Vali said with a sweet smile on her ideal pink lips. "It\'s so lively already."

Swarms of men that recognised her and her Family and the few that didn\'t, fawned over her. Some offered drinks, some offered a seat while smile asked for permission to simply stare at her from a distance.

Such behaviour from the weak willed was nauseating to say the least but nothing could be done about it.

"She\'s the one," Stylla drew close to Skullius and said while swirling her glass.

"Oh?" Skullius raised a brow.

"Of everyone here so far, you should be mindful of her," the redhead warned.

"She\'s the one you say is called the most unpredictable?"

"Yes. Besides her bloodline, she\'s really crafty and extremely powerful. Only a handful of Families are raised on a pedestal above all the others and her Family is one of them."

The strongest, the most dangerous and the most unpredictable.

These were the titles that Stylla had told Skullius about some time ago, along with the names of the individuals attached to them.

He had finally \'seen\' one of them.

Save for one name, Stylla had notified Skullius of the identities of these three. This exception had a moniker instead of a real man.

One down.

Skullius wandered where Gabel fit among these.

Surely, that man... if he was contending, he had to have a title of his own, right?

It only made sense.

He had asked Stylla about Gabel after arriving at the mansion, mentioning his real name and nickname, Restless Mute, but she claimed she didn\'t know it.

As if to indulge Skullius\' restless curiosity, another announcement was made.

"The most esteemed and respected among all the Families, the Velanqi Family, represented by Lord Aurolio Velanqi, in attendance!"

A respectful lull ensued as many acknowledged the presence of someone who was regarded as uncontested in terms of strength among all the Families in Pelian. Someone who had never tasted defeat since his birth in any circumstance – duel or ambush.

A man with long, white hair tied into a ponytail, its pristine colour tainted with blue streaks on both sides of his head, walked in. He wore a white, oversized blanket-like jacket with a fuzzy exterior, his figure shivering under it.

He had a hunched posture that depicted a lack of confidence and his furrowed brows as he anxiously looked at everyone displayed unease.

Next to him, a formally dressed woman with a straight posture and calm gait turned to him, already expectant of...

"Idline. Look at them! Some of them are so strong! Far stronger than me! They could fuck me up very easily if they wanted to! I told you we should have investigated some more!" Aurolio nervously exclaimed while leaning over to his attendant.

...her master\'s panic attacks.

\'Here we go again,\' Idline sighed.

Everyone made way for the two with some giving respectful greetings, verbal or nod.

Others even shuddered a little but the general vibe was of respect.

"That man..."

"I get it," Skullius cut off Stylla. He immediately attached the name to this individual as soon as he heard what the Knight had announced.

Furthermore, Skullius had grown wary of individuals who lacked any form of a presence.

Aurolio was the same.

There was practically nothing to discern energy-wise from him.

No mana.

No Aura.

Nothing.

That said a lot.

\'So this guy is the most powerful, huh?\' Skullius thought as he sensed Aurolio and Idline getting a seat on a less attention-grabbing table.

Interesting.

The rhythm and clamour continued as many continued to arrive while others continued to enjoy themselves.

Unfortunately for Skullius, it seemed that Gabel wasn\'t going to show.

It fit his personality from what he had seen anyway.

After tens more minutes, the sharp ring of a glass echoed as Rearren EverSword stood from his seat and gathered everyone\'s attention.

It was time to begin.