Alma 161 A Woven Myth

He was equal parts horrified and awestruck of her astonishing decisiveness when it came to the big question. 

How was Reed supposed to have answered? That he was secretly afraid of making such a big jump, even if he really did love Lu'um? It didn't sound very mature answer and felt like it would've betrayed everyone's expectations of them.

Reed bashfully smiled for the cameras and scratched his head. He sputtered out, "O-Of course, of course! W-We're just focused on finding the right time to have it, given how busy we usually are..." 

Take a slow, deep breath, Reed! Play it cool! Deep breath, deep breath, deep breath...

His flushed, nervous expression was not practiced facade — Reed really was utterly embarrassed at the moment. It was already one thing for him to open himself up to a stranger, but talking about his love life and future wedding? In front of millions of people and a live audience? 

Even for Reed, it had been too much to handle. His calm, dignified facade had broken — for a brief moment, the Stainless Prince had disappeared and Reed had taken center stage.

For a vast majority of the continent, barring a handful of people, it was the first time they had seen the Stainless Prince for who he really was inside — a young man in love. 

In simpler words, a normal person. 

It was an important, cultural moment that resonated with mortals across the continent for a variety of reasons. For generations, mortals had been under the impression that Chosen were of a different breed than them. 

That Chosen were near-perfect creatures without flaws — beings that could not err. They were special, unique individuals who had become as close to a God as a Mortal being could achieve. 

This belief was especially true when it came to the four royal families of the Mulia — the Old Blood — as they were considered living proxies of the Four Sovereigns' wills in their absence.

True, Reed's verbal hiccup was just a small matter, but it would not have happened to say, Haydn Kingscrown, had he been asked the exact same question. He would have calmly answered the question without even the slightest noticeable change in emotion or expression. 

Neither would it have happened to any other prince or princess of the Old Blood — the question would not have broken the impenetrable public facade they had been taught to create for themselves. They had been taught to act in a matter befitting their noble blood.

And yet here was Reed, who had broken his 'Stainless Prince' persona because of a single question — transformed into a pile of mush. 

There was, surprisingly, a normal person behind the composed mask and the magnificent title. 

It was rare enough for mortals to catch a glimpse of the royal families, let alone know of their personal lives, so it was highly attractive that they had accidentally caught a glimpse of something truly special. 

A bit of the royal families' perfect illusion had died but in return, something brand new had taken hold instead... 

Mortals, if only for a fading moment, felt connected to Reed. Here was something that they, too, understood. A commonality between both Mortalkind and the Demigods. There was no distinction between races, ages, and divinities when it came to matters of love. 

It was yet another small thread that Velvund would use to weave the narrative he desired. 

Reed had to become someone that every person could feel a connection to, be they Chosen, Mortal, Human, Avunian, Eisalon, Old and Young. An individual who they could feel confident in following. 

...To clearly describe and demonstrate the shared experiences a person has with another person was also another deliberate method to encourage and foster a powerful, meaningful relationship with a person. 

Showing that you and the other person aren't so different, after all, despite whatever impression they may have had about you. 

The questions that Wasserman had asked Reed and Lu'um had all been written by Velvund beforehand -- all designed to weave their experiences into shared threads of common interest between themselves and the entire continent, be they Mortal or Chosen. 

Their likes and dislikes, their hobbies, their fears (a question that would have been asked to any other royal members ever), their future dreams, their funniest stories, and anything else of interest. 

...To show one's own vulnerabilities and open one's heart to another was not a weakness — it was a sound method to foster a closer, more trusting relationship with another person. Dropping your guard was an effective way to develop trust, something only a very few royal people knew how to do in public.

Reed had already done this on his own though, as Velvund had anticipated. It was a long-con three years in the making and was the reason he had pushed for Reed and Lu'um to become engaged. 

He had exploited his own grandson's pure, bashful feelings about love on international holovision for the benefit of the grand narrative. 

This was the kind of man the legendary Silver Reaper was at heart — a god-like manipulator of facts, lies, and rumors. He was still the lord of half-truths, whispers, and fleeting shadows, even if he was not King of the East anymore.

He was still the acting chairman of the Council of Shadows, the East's intelligence branch, with over five thousand years of experience in making people believe his words. 

Unbeknownst to the world at large, Velvund had painted a portrait on live holovision, one that was endlessly endearing to the masses.

He had failed his grandson when he needed help the most, but he would not fail him again. And he would not fail the task he had been given long ago, either. Velvund swore to himself he would accomplish what he had been entrusted with, even if it meant getting his hands dirty if it came down to it. 

If a single shadow must fall so that the sun may rise again, then so be it. ...It is a price worth paying. Not that I have the right to reject that price, anyway...

Velvund would gladly do whatever was necessary to push Reed and Lu'um up into the sky, even if he had to chisel a staircase for them to climb with his own damned hands. 

But the greatest part of Velvun's act had not even begun... until now. The time had come to lay his final stroke of genius upon the world for today. 

Wasserman smiled in an understanding manner and said, "Don't sweat it and enjoy yourselves more before the both of you make the jump. Trust this old bag of bones here, there'll be plenty of time for changing diapers later! 

I'm three kids into the ol' song and dance and there's no end in sight to that, haha!" 

Everyone laughed. The show continued as planned and eventually reached the final part of the course. 

"Today, we have something very special to close off the show, folks! To commemorate the return of the Stainless Prince and Lady Evergreen, we're delighted to reveal a treat for all the little heroes in your home!" 

Hm? What's he talking about? A commemorative treat? What the hell is that supposed to mean?

The lights dimmed across the stage and then a pair of bright spotlights turned on to illuminate the large red curtain on the far left side of the studio. A dramatic soundtrack played, drumming up the tension in the room and when it reached its climax... they came out. 

Children flew out of the curtain as they hovered about a foot and half above the ground with large smiles on their faces. They were all mortal children, of course. Avunian, Human, Eisalon, Cuanian, so on so forth — no race seemed to have been left out, it seemed. 

They naturally did not have the ability to fly. No -- they were flying because of what was on their backs, or rather what they were wearing. 

It was the cloaks they were wearing that had granted them that ability. A restricted Anima flight-matrix (suitable for children) had been weaved into the nano-mesh of the synthetic 'Quentli' silk -- an Ancient Mulian metmaterial of old -- to allow even mortal children the joy of flight. 

A grand reveal of a brand new technology -- smart clothing capable of recording simple Animmatrices for civilian use. 

And the world's first piece of clothing to be publicly unveiled for this exciting technology?

Reed felt his heart stop when he recognized the design of some of the cloaks the children were wearing. It was as if his world had suddenly come to a halt. 

They had a sleek, polished black appeared that glimmered mysteriously under the spotlights. On the back of each cloak, there was an elegant embroidery of a large, golden sun and various stellar motifs. It was like each cloak was a glittering starry sky of its own, eye-catching as could be. 

The audience gasped in amazement as they watched the unreal show play out before them, stunned by what they were watching. 

When the demonstrative presentation ended, Velvund stood and explained the nature of Quentli silk to the world for the first time, drawing the attention of every Mortal and Chosen who drew breath. Of its wonderous properties when it came to recording Animmatrices and its potential applications.

"Truth be told, I myself have only been told of its existence. It was my daughter here today who discovered the ancient knowledge of Quentli silk a couple of weeks ago," said Velvund gesturing toward Lu'um. 

Credit was given where it was due, for it was Lu'um who had created added this part to Velvund's narrative after consulting with him. She had given herself an extra boost in popularity and reputation, but had also helped Velvund cement his narrative even further. 

She had given the narrative two symbols. One of the Sun and other of the Moon; tied them to herself and Reed with the reveal of the cloaks and the technology behind them. Pushed the myth one step further with something tangible. 

Lu'um stood up and said, "I hope you all enjoyed this little demonstration we have put on for you. We will be releasing versions of these cloaks so that every child can be a hero, too..."

Chapter end