Vesper run with a huge shit eating grin on his pale face, as he moved further away from the old coot’s house, who would have thought he would also get a dagger from the exchange though an old dagger wouldn’t help him in the long it was better than nothing if he didn’t get a combat-based shard after the trial.

  He turned corner to corner in the maze that was the slams of the Capital city of the Empire of Kasnador of the empires home planet of Aliria, the young empire was in the scope of the universe a fledging nothing more than an empire that rose to power more quickly than others.

  As of today, after 100,000 years of war and success the empire has amassed 100 worlds under its banner, though it was never peaceful with cursed creatures being everywhere even on the main world planet there were areas that were called death zones where corruption run rampant.

  The main planet was where the imperial family was stationed and where the most qi could be found among the empire’s planets, with Aliria being a planet of the Alpha grade in qi dense energy emission that was as far as Vesper knew about his home planet from the old man.

  But Vesper didn’t care about that, because all in his mind right now was a way to survive the upcoming trial. What the old man said that the heavens were going to give him a small fighting chance was a great weight lifted of his shoulders.

  Still thinking he would survive with easy would be his death sentence, for the last 2 years he trained and ate whatever he could so he could at least have a somewhat physical advantage in the trial with... let’s say minor success.

  What could he do? He was always broke getting chased around by the debt collectors, that were more numerous than rats in these godforsaken slums, what he usually ate consisted of some hard lumps a bread and rats’ meat with the occasional beating he got when he tried stealing fresh meat.

  As of now his only real actual worthy items really was the dagger the old man has given him and the half-broken leather amor he stole from a gang members corpse sometime ago not knowing it would come with to the trial, he had some dried and salted rat’s meat and bread with his one silver in his pouch that was strapped tightly on his waist.

  ‘Let’s hope this is enough if I survive for something’ Vesper thought as he made his way towards the main city gates.

  …

  ““NEXT!!!” the inner-city gate guard said as a pale young man went Infront of the gate leading into the inner city.

  “State your name and purpose for entry” as he stared at the pale youth in front of him.

  “Vesper, purpose of entry is the trial taking place at the solstice Square and here’s my slot ticket” said the boy in a monotone voice.

  !!!

  The guard was surprised. This little thing was going to be entering the trial. He looked more emaciated than your normal slum rat with barely any muscle showing and more beat up than usual, he seemed more like a ghost with his dirty silver hair that was held in a ponytail by a piece of string, creepy pale skin and rubylike eyes. Why was he wearing a piece of half torn leather Armor that clearly looked too big for him and smelled like piss was anyone’s guess, he couldn’t help but let out a snort.

  “You are going to be entering the trial like that?” the guard said clearly holding in a laugh as he read and stamped the ticket giving it back.

  “…”

  The youth just stared at the guard with a deadpan expression on his face while his ruby eyes extruded bloodlust.

  “Hmph, ok you can pass, good luck on coming back” the guard a little taken aback.

  Nodding his head the brat continued ahead before disappearing behind a corner and from the guard’s view.

  “What a weird brat… NEXT!!!”

  After a couple of more standard proceedings came and went a stunning beauty of utter proportions came into view with a guard standing behind her, she had hair that of a phoenix, eyes of a light pink mixture and sense of beauty the guard couldn’t ever imagine. She wore a neat white T-shirt and a pair of black pants with a sword strapped on her back.

  “Uhm... state your name and purpose for entry please”

  “Alexandra Ze Kasnador, purpose of entry attending the trial of the wrathful heavens at the solstice square”

  “…”

  “…”

  After hearing the name, a deafening silence could be heard around the usually loud gate entrance.

  “Your imperial majesty this lowly one greets thee, of course you can pass” the guard said as he quickly took the knee while sweating buckets, who would have thought the emperor’s grandchild would be taking the trial in the commoner square and not in the confines of the royal palace.

  The princess just stared and started making her way inside but stopped after feeling the gaze of the guard.

  “What?”

  “AH I… um”

  “Spit it out you imbecile” The princess said clearly not happy at the lowly guard taken up her precious time.

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  “Uh I’m sorry for asking your majesty it’s just you… don’t seem to be wearing any Armor...”

  “… humph” Alexandra laughed a little.

  Suddenly the princess’s whole body was enveloped in a pale golden light before reliving a slick but fashionable golden Armor that covered her whole body, once she revealed her Armor, she just walked closer to the guard and asked him.

  “Is this better”?

  “A... a high Tier armour type shard!!” The crowd murmured and guard stood up his eyes couldn’t believe it, he only had the tier 2 protective shard that he got from the system after his trial, after fighting tooth and nail all those years ago and killing the abomination after a lucky jab withs sword the entered straight throw the beast brain and his tier 3 sword that he paid and arm and a leg to buy with his Realm coins.

  Items that were rewarded by the system or given when slaying corrupted Monstrosities were called shards, they were categorized as in 4 groups them being Utility shards, protective type shards, Offence type shards and multi type shards. With the last one being a combination of 2 or 3 Category of shard types and were extremely hard and suicidal to get, they came in the range of 9 tiers with the tier one shards just being a somewhat better mortal item with a small enchantment.

  Shards could also be crafted by Shard smiths who had gained a utility type alignment that was better for crafting that fighting’s, in the Kasnador empire they came from one of the 3 different clans and 1 family that had a lineage in shard smithing.

  The cost of using their services was quite expensive for normal people and with most common shard smiths could only handle up to the 5th tier shards if they had some talent of course and were affiliated with the 3 clans, with most other unaffiliated smiths managing up to the 2nd tier.

  While the best smiths who had the talent could craft to tier 8 shards were exclusive only to the rich Clans, Sects and the imperial family as they usually worked for not only gold but also needed Top grade materials that you could only get from slaying beast of the alpha grade and up or corrupted abominations of the alpha rank which only these powerful families and clans could manage to acquire for the higher level shards.

  Still for an unchained class cultivator to have such a high tier shard was almost unheard of, it was probably a tier 5 shard as it materialized from thin air but he couldn’t understand how that was possible as for shards of the 3rd tier and up to be used or even faction you needed to unlock the system so you could access your soul space ,he didn’t know how she did it.

  “that’s royalty for you and their stupid vast amounts of wealth and connections and I even forgot ask for a ticket” the guard stared at the princess with greed and jealousy before a huge hand found its way on his shoulder and it forced down on the floor.

  Looking up saw the huge bodyguard of the princesses staring right at soul with murderous intent feeling his blood shot eyes.

  “I... I AM SORRY YOUR HIGHNESS PLEASE FORGIVE!!”

  He yelled for forgiveness not wanting to die like this or worse being sent to the dudgeons anything but the dungeons.

  “For not only standing Infront of, but for also staring at me with those eyes of yours full of greed you pray for forgiveness? What a lame excuse of a man you are, Renald break 2 of his fingers”

  The Bodyguard named Ranald did as commanded and grasped the guard dominant hand.

  “NO WAI- “

  A sickening crunch could be heard to the crowd as the guard’s index and middle fingers were no bent in unnatural angles, the guard screamed in gut wrenching pain as he clasped his hand on the ground not even daring look up.

  “That what you get little mister guard” the princess said in a mischievous tone before going on her meri way.

  After a while of more screaming and then sobbing the guard tried to get his pouch wher4 his lunch and first aid kit were placed.

  “What in the nine heavens?” his pouch was gone, just who the fuck steal his pouch.

  …

  Vesper played with the sac he just “Borrowed” from the screaming guard, it wasn’t like he was going to miss it, it had some standard military rations and a canteen of water with a box of sorts nothing valuable unfortunately in it just some bandages and a liquid he didn’t know of, but it was a great boon for his stomach as he snaked on the rations.

  He didn’t know who that red haired lass was, probably some rich noble or something he could hear over in his hiding place, but she made him a great service showing off like that it gave him just enough time to grab the kneeling guards pouch before skedaddling from the scene. That shard she showed off just made him get a reminder on how different nobles and the powerful factions lived than the normal person unaffiliated person, a shard that could be used before getting access to your soul space just how wild was that?

  He sighed as he made to the square seeing the various stores and houses on his way his way to the square, he a came into the inner-city years ago after his mother begged a guard to let them in so she could try and at least register him as a citizen.

  Its was still as beautiful and deadly as he remembered it, with cultivators and nobles of various ranks and standing walking around, you could see the Imperial palace of in the distance being near the shore and all it had quite the beautiful back drop.

  The city was nice and clean with not much a speck of filth and bodily fluids being seen an exact difference of the slums he spent most of his life or the outer city.

  As s Vesper walked and was coming closer to the square, he couldn’t but help and notice the scrutinizing stares of some individuals he passed by, but what could he do? He looked like a walking corpse at the moment, smelled like one too. Just feeling those stares reminded him of bitter memories.

  “One day I will show them all what I am made of” he whispered under his breath.

  Once he reached the square Vesper just stared in admiration so this was the solstice square that his mother told him about. In the far end of the square there was a huge tree that even in winter still had its beautiful blue leaves. Around it a wooden stage was built aged by centuries of out in the elements it still looked magnificent.

  “Pretty” he thought.

  After admiring it for a little while longer Vesper moved to the far corner of the square facing the tree, it was so he wouldn’t be close to the crowd that was forming and waited for the one in charge to appear, he really didn’t know how the proceedings would go this time around with nobles seemingly also attending this solstice.

  Remembering the old mans words, vesper finally made up his mind he would survive by any means necessary, he would try his darn best so that he could also attend the academy and get that cursed citizen ship so he could escape the slums. Not because it would be nice to be somewhere clean and comfortable but because his life depended on it.

  There was no way back home anymore, his small shack that his mother left him before she died was reposed the same day she died now being home to some loan sharks as payment for not paying her dues. He also crossed a few to many powerful people the last few days on his mad scramble for information and stealing some valuables of the like, so going back there was a death sentence, it was do or die.

  Thinking these thoughts the chattering of the audience kept getting louder, and after an hour of waiting he saw a tall knight walking over to the stage while other knight with a sun emblem on there chest surrounded the square. Waiting for the crowd to shut up the knight just stood arms crossed in impatience, when the crowd still didn’t pay him any attention an aura so powerful that it was terrifying spread throw the whole Square that damn nearly made Vesper piss his pant and scream with fright. Once the crowd quieted down, the knight spoke.

  “Welcome dear sealed and unchained guest to your ticket to your future or damnation”