Loyalty and Knowledge. Such a beautiful combination of names, isn't it? The Veda clan who values and finds pride in their knowledge more than anything, and "Etorre" who was born on a cold- yet splendid winter night. The heir to the noble Veda family. Etorre whose name means "loyalty" Ah, how tragic. His fate was already bound to him like shackles before he was even born. The Veda clan is a long-standing noble faction in Alista that dominates the field of knowledge. Even their name- "Veda" means knowledge. However- in the Empire of Alista where power and strength are everything, humans who were born with weak bodies- but are intelligent- had to work harder than anyone. Their words and knowledge will not keep them alive in an Empire where wars are more frequent than rain

Yet when the Crown Prince of Alista was born- hope rose through. The signature crescent mark of the Royal Blood- Valiere, with the gifted blond hair that looks like it was made from gold, and dark red eyes that resembled rubies. It was the prophecy child. In the Royal Family- the gender or sex of the ruler does not matter. The only thing that matters is the signature blond hair and red eyes of the newborn child. Why? Because the founder of the Empire of Alista- was not a scholar, mage, knight, nor saint. He didn't belong to those four aspects. Instead- he bore a power close to mana (what mages use) but very different from it. The founder of Alista called it the "Void" Yet despite having three children, the founder of Alista only had one child who inherited his exact traits. Blond hair and red eyes. That child did not show any sign of mana, nor was he intelligent either, he wasn't talented in wielding a sword, and he wasn't the saint whose called the child of God. Instead- by the age of five, he showed signs of bearing the founder's powers. And that's when the people of Alista realised it. Gender doesn't matter nor if you're the oldest or youngest. In the Royal Family; Valiere, the one born with blond hair and red eyes is the set heir and soon to be ruler of the empire

Since the one born with blond hair and red eyes is the only one who inherits the Void

The Veda clan stood as the Royal Family's right-hand man with their intelligence and knowledge. Out of the four factions; Scholars, Mages, Knights, and Saints- the Scholar faction remained the closest to the Royal Family. And because of that- just as it's been passed down as tradition, Etorre was set to be the Crown Prince's right-hand man and advisor once he takes over the throne

Fortunately- Etorre and the Crown Prince; Lewellyn, were only apart by a few months. Lewellyn was born in the summer, while Etorre was born in the winter. The Veda and Valiere families raised them both together, making them close playmates. Lewellyn was a bright child. His smile was as warm as the sun, and his voice was loud yet as refreshing as a breeze. Etorre on the other hand- was already such a mature child. He was quiet and only spoke when needed, and always sat in a corner- reading books. Even so- the two of them oddly mashed up well

They stuck together through thick and thin. Even when Lewellyn became the Emperor at the fresh age of eighteen

By killing the current Emperor back then that is

Now- they're both 29 years old. Lewellyn is still the emperor of Alista, and Etorre is still his advisor. The empire of Alista's noble and commoner system has long since crumbled ever since Lewellyn sat on the throne. The line between the rich and the poor disappeared. Everyone is a normal living Alistanian. Although Lewellyn also wanted to demolish the Royal family- it was the wish of the people for a ruler to remain that stopped him from doing so. The bright and gentle Lewellyn is still present, very much so. Yet it has been long since tainted with unfathomable blood and cracks. Even though he claimed the throne through blood- he was able to turn Alista into a new leaf. "Poverty" wasn't a word in their Empire

But of course- such a great Empire came with a lot of sacrifices. Sacrifices that Lewellyn did