The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

His heart rested in peace as he basked in the bright light spilling from the open windows, their reach increasing as the two suns ascended toward high noon. Oscar was leisurely reading a book in the quiet library of his estate, his fingers gently flipping the smooth pages. Surrounded by shelves of books, he exhaled deeply and was engrossed in the words, engraving each penned letter to memory. He couldn't have asked for more.

A grandfather clock audibly showed the passing of time, matching the time revealed by the two suns: noon, almost lunchtime. His ears ignored the clock's ticking, and he smiled faintly and moved to the next page, not in a hurry, awaiting the special alarm that would come through the doors any moment. Right on cue, the doors opened widely, and a small figure scampered, pressing her tiny shoes over the carpet. She leaped up and rolled onto his chest, smiling widely.

"Dad! It's lunchtime!" The little girl, Gloria, pulled on his shirt, straining to tug him up, her adorable face reddening. Her short brown hair, which stretched to her shoulders and was held by a long blue hairbow, swayed up and down as she pulled again and again. Oscar chuckled and patted her head, glad to see her so joyful after all she had experienced nearly two years ago. He still could not believe how much she had grown from three years old to five. She pouted, "Grandpa Declerd said it's all ready!"

"The moment you learned how to talk properly, you started to nag me. Tell me. What is for lunch?" Oscar poked her bulging cheeks, and she giggled, holding up her arms, a request to be held. He complied and cradled her in his arms. "You've grown bigger again, but you need to eat more. You're like a bean."

"I am not a bean!" Gloria squirmed in his arms, settled her chin on his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Hoisting her higher to relax her body better, Oscar thumped her back, his hands careful not to hurt her small frame and tender skin, and headed for the dining room. Close to his ears, she spoke in a loud voice that hurt his eardrums, "Will you be leaving today again?"

"No. I can rest today." For the past two years, he worked hard in the foundry, helping Aunt Rosett put together more Sentinels and enhancing the airships with Gol-4's designs. Gloria always cried and begged him not to go until she learned to stop and wait for him. Still, he always saw her face that held back tears, a look that pained him every time he left her in the estate. Gloria reacted with fanfare, cheering loudly. Rubbing her head, Oscar settled her down. "After lunch, you can play with your brother, Tevn, Selph, and Iode."

"Eh? Everyone is coming over?" Gloria perked up again, so easily excited as expected for someone her age. She leaned back, Oscar's hand preventing her from falling, and cheered, her eyes wide and dazzling in wonder. "I like the snacks they brings!"

"Gloria! What are you doing bothering mister?" Renn crossed his arms, still easily frustrated and irritated. A deep frown or pout formed on his lips, and he tapped his foot on the floor ceaselessly. He pointed at Gloria. "Get down from there."

"Bleh!" Gloria stuck out her tongue and refused. "Jealous. Jealous. Jealous."

"Hah?" Renn's finger shook, and a red flush filled his cheeks as he clawed upward, trying to catch her, but Oscar's height was too much for the seven-year-old boy to overcome. Out of breath, he gasped and glared at his sister. Oscar sighed and scooped up Renn as well. Whereas the girl had become very direct and honest, the boy became the complete opposite, never able to admit his true feelings, such as wanting to be held as well. Carrying the two arguing siblings, Oscar groaned and entered the dining hall, where Butler Declerd and the maids, Arlen and Eris, greeted him.

After settling the rowdy children into their seats, Oscar sat between them, noticing the significant drop in the quantity and quality of the food. The table had bowls of thin and watery potato soup, a few strands of dried meats that looked depressing on the large white plate, and a salad of only thinly sliced cabbages. Thanking the servants and chef for the food, he slowly ate his meal, sipping a spoonful of the potato soup and eating a piece of jerky before dividing the rest among the children.

Declerd approached, his shoulders slumped in distress, and whispered out of earshot of the children, "Forgive me, my Lord. The food reserves are running out. We had to stretch it out."

"Did you and the others eat? Don't mind me. Just make sure there are enough for everyone else." Oscar told Declerd, worried the servants may starve themselves out of their loyalty. The situation was getting worse than anticipated. The dwindling food supplies were a cause for concern, not only for his household but all of the remaining territories. Most of the farmlands had been lost in the previous incursion, and the great swell of refugees far surpassed what the remaining food sources could provide.

"My Lord, your guests have arrived." Arlen interrupted before Declerd could speak further, leading a large group of people into his dining room.

"Hello! Excuse our intrusion." Serena said cheerfully, carrying her son in her arms. Tevn, the six-year-old boy, peeked at Oscar with his blue eyes, whimpered, and snuggled into his mother's embrace, frightened like a bunny. His red hair perfectly matched Serena's. Gavir sighed and patted his boy's head, apologizing wordlessly to Oscar.

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"Tevn! How are you?!" Gloria leaped off her chair and stomped over to Serena.

"Good…." Tevn said shyly, still hiding his face.

"Gracious, Tevn. You're six years old. Uncle Oscar isn't that scary." Serena scolded and tried to pull Tevn off her, clearly holding back not to hurt her son.

"Listen to your mother, Tevn. You're a Rudinberg. How can you be the future captain of the Drakiri if you're afraid of a tall man." Gavir helped and peeled Tevn, who stretched out his arm, flailing them around to catch his mother. He placed Tevn on the floor, and Gloria jumped at the opportunity to drag her friend away to the playroom. She waved goodbye quickly and vanished with Tevn, her giggling echoing from the hallway.

"He's really terrified of me." Oscar sighed.

"Give him time. Tevn will soon grow as tall as his great-grandfather. I'd be laughing if he became scared of himself." Gavir gave a hearty laughter, his body quaking from how hard he laughed.

"Oh? It seems everyone is enjoying the break." A new pair entered the room, Austin Taylor and Mary Jones, his former companions from his student days who had been at the western front the entire time. Mary's petite figure held a small child, one struggling to escape her mother's arms, shouting excitedly to be freed. Selph, the five-year-old girl, leaped off and landed safely on her two feet, her brown eyes shining with glee as she followed the playful noise down the hallway.

"That girl!" Mary clenched her teeth, raising a fist. "Not even a farewell or greeting. She definitely gets that part from you." She accused her husband, Austin.

"She's your spitting image. I'd say it's your fault." Austin teased back, his usually stern expression softening.

"Alright, everyone. Let's not argue while we're guests." Serena stepped in before the two could continue their argument.

"We're arguing? Let me join in." Fred whistled his entrance. Emily smacked him on the back of the head for a good scolding. Behind them, George Harper and Rachel Foster greeted everyone, a rowdy boy shouting on George's shoulder.

"Hey, Renn! Let's fight!" Iode, the seven-year-old, grinned cheekily and used George's clothing to climb down. He had Rachel's red eyes and George's black hair. He stuck his tongue out and goaded, "Are you chicken? Bawk, Bawk, Bawk!"

"You're on!" Renn ran down the hallway, presumably to find a good place to fight as they usually did.

"Don't hurt each other too much! You're in trouble, otherwise!" Rachel shouted to their retreating backs.

"My, my. Look, sister. Everyone else is already here." Charles barged in, the free-willed prince never letting down his reputation.

"Don't be so rude, Charles. You're a Marshal Exalt, for goodness sake." Celestina scolded her brother and greeted everyone. Behind her, Phillip and Eleanor thanked Oscar and joined the group.

The last time they had gathered was quite a while ago, and they had always hosted at his place since he had the largest estate, except for Celestina, but having a gathering in the Imperial Palace was not the best for them. He didn't care. He welcomed them every time, enjoying the sounds of children's laughter and chaos ringing through the usually empty estate, and relaxed in the company of his good friends. After a few seconds of ensuring the children were safe, everyone sat in the common area, occupying several couches. Since it was winter, a roaring fire crackled and released soft warmth that tingled the senses.

Oscar chatted with his old friends, their conversations often reminiscing about their young days as students. He lost count of how many times they'd gone over the old days, but each time, it felt fresh and new, as if reliving it in memory never ceased to be old. Serena's face would turn red every time they discussed her previous pursuit of Oscar, and Gavir would frown, declaring that would not have happened if he were there as a student. Fred groaned whenever they brought up his wayward deal with the wraith of Eliren Manor.

He wasn't immune to the embarrassing tales of the past either. They brought up his previous love for the princess and how he tried his best to be worthy of her. For the first time, he felt glad not to have Avril here to meet his friends and hear the shameful past. The older they got, the more they fondly recalled the past, retelling every moment in great detail. When they spoke of Erik, they remembered his great moments and lifted their glasses to him above.

After the tenth bottle of wine was shared, Oscar mumbled incoherently, barely able to keep his wits about him. They lunged and attacked in that moment of weakness, bombarding him with questions about his wife and their relationship. He had given them a general rundown, but they wanted details, or as Fred put it, juicy details.

"If I'm to tell, then everyone else, too. Not you, Fred and Emily. I already know too much of you two." Oscar challenged them.

"That's cruel, Os. We haven't met your wife, and you've met all of ours. To make it equal, you provide more details." Fred poured him another cup.

"I knew all of you from the start!" Oscar was suspicious of the wine. It was particularly powerful today. Erden yawned in his small form, sleeping in a corner away from the rambling mess.

"Come on. That's unfair, Oscar." George laughed.

"What do you want to know? Her hair is a nice indigo and very soft that I can't resist. I've never seen such beautiful golden eyes that look at me lovingly in every moment. Whenever I hold her in my arms, I never want to let go or get up. When she gets mad, she tugs on my ear and pouts adorably. When she smiles, I can't resist kissing her. The best is when we…." Oscar twitched, wondering why he was speaking so much. Was his face hot from the wine or because of the words he said?

Fred lifted the bottle and whistled, "Wow, this bottle is the best! That's the most you've said personally of her."

"No wonder it was stronger!" Oscar lifted a fist at Fred, who dodged away. "You bastards…."

Everyone's laughter filled the room. However, a loud bell rang clear and true, drowning out their voices, a high tone that pierced through all the walls. The children started to wail, but the bell tolled again, masking their cries. In beats, it rang, alternating the sounds between it and the children's sobs. The drunken haze lifted from his eyes, and Oscar stood up first, followed by the others. He knew what the bell meant. They all did.

"Wyrmir…has fallen." Celestina paled and bit her lip. Quickly, she recovered, her eyes flashing a draconic gleam as her lips flattened, the look of a warrior. "Our break is canceled. Everyone, prepare for the last battle."

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