Alma 8 The Celebrity

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That's right, I might have been a late-bloomer, but now people have finally seen me for what I worth!

Or not.

You see, I've gotten myself in a bit of a pickle this time around. I kind of, you know, did something that's gotten the attention of everyone across the world.

I....hatched today. As in, I came out of an egg just like a bird. Perhaps I've always been related to chickens from the beginning and my Alma took the form of an egg in response, heh. Goddamnit.

It'd had been a couple of hours since Reed's 'birth', as people across the world had come around calling it. The spark had already become an uncontrollable fire and Reed swiftly became a famous person overnight. His face and name spread across all four empires like wildfire as people speculated the relationship he had with the Will of the World.

Some rumors spoke of him being the illegitimate child of the Lion King and the Queen of Shadows, and others believed that he was the incarnation of some ancient conqueror. All sorts of wild, nonsensical theories were being thrown about on the Nexus, as people commented on the recording of the storm that a student from the Northern Training Academy had uploaded several hours ago.

Reed, of course, knew none of this as he laid about in a confined room. He had been taken, or rather, personally escorted back to the spire by the entire faculty a couple of hours ago.

"They put in me this room and told me that'd they let me out in a bit, but I'm starting to believe that I've been lied to." He tossed and turned in bed as he held his growling stomach and yelled out, "At least feed me if you're going to imprison me; even prisoners get three hots and a cot where I'm from!"

His room's locked door suddenly opened and a familiar face entered the room. Reed immediately scrambled for cover. Axtorious looked at the pathetic boy in front of him and took a seat on the bed beside him.

He stared at Reed dead-on and said, "You're really good at stirring shit up, boy. I'd even go as far as to call it a talent. But that's not a bad thing though; variety is the spice of life, after all. Getting into unpredictable situations is the best part of an adventure."

Reed shook his head slowly and said, "But I don't want sort of life, Instructor. Sounds dangerous and unforgiving. I was planning on settling down near some beach down in the South. With a fruity drink in one hand and a cute girl around my neck..."

Axtorius burst into tears when he heard the boy describe his dreams; it'd been too long since he'd heard of something so fucking stupid. What kind of dream was that supposed to be?

This was the 'special' person that the Will of the World had chosen to bless with its fortune. A cowardly brat that wished to loaf around and chase bikini babes...

He held on to his sides as he cackled loudly and thought, "This is the chosen one that's attracted the interest of the four royal families and the three great guilds. They're in for a goddamn surprise once he begins his ascent to the top."

Eventually, he finally calmed down wiped his tears away, satisfied with what he had heard from the kid. He coughed and said, "Well, I won't stop you from chasing your dreams, boy. But if that's what you want to do, I'm going to have to disappoint you with some troubling news. You're not going to be able to enjoy that sort of idyllic bachelor life anymore."

Axtorius smirked and said, "You're a celebrity now, 'Mr. Reed'. Sorry, but it was impossible for us to hide the events that occurred at the sinkhole when made your pact with the Will of the World."

He pulled out a tablet and played the video of the events that transpired during the time that Reed had been asleep inside the egg. A massive storm raged havoc across the land and then a massive hand dropped off the egg that he had been inside like some sort of divine postal worker.

"What in the fuck was all that about?! I didn't even do anything when I arrived at the Soul of the World. I fell asleep in that comfortable wheat field and by the time I had come around, I had already been placed inside that goddamned egg!"

Reed didn't dare reveal anything out of fear of potentially implicating himself. He knew that remaining silent was the best defense he had at the moment. He simply kept a blank expression as he watched the video.

Axtorius wasn't an idiot and had long since seen through Reed's feeble attempt at a poker face, but didn't call him out on it. Despite his reputation amongst the students, he wasn't a villain. He was simply a hardass and believed in tough love above all else. At the very least, while Reed remained a student at the academy, he'd protect him from the hungry vultures that would soon set their sights on him.

In any case, not knowing was better than getting spoiled. When conquerors reached his age, any form of stimulation was greatly welcomed. He'd watch intently as the boy's story developed...

"The reason we threw you in here was for your safety," Axtorius said. He took Reed's pillow and laid down on the bed before he continued his explanation.

"What we feared was that someone was going kidnap you, so we had to take some drastic measures. This cell is located in the deepest level of the spire to give you an idea of where we're at right now. We've had an instructor personally guard your cell in shifts for the last couple of hours. We've been waiting for reinforcements from the Northern capital, Almdalir."

"I imagine that the Kingscrown family will be sending some of their guardians. They're high ranking conquerors loyal to the crown, entrusted with the noble duty of protecting the direct descendants of the royal family, as in, the 'main branch' of the Kingscrown family. Lucky you, eh? "

Axtorius yawned as he finished his explanation and said, "That's about all you need to know for now. You can go back to your dorm now, just follow your tome's directions and get going. Don't worry too much about the hard stuff and let us take of it. You should probably meet up with the other kids, right?"

He grumbled bitterly and said, "I'm sure they're all worried about you. Ahh, youth and the beauty of friendships. How fast they form..." Axtorius had fallen asleep mid-sentence and never ended up finishing his thought as he lay curled up on Reed's cot.

"He's a pretty laidback guy once you get past his drill instructor act," Reed thought as he walked out the cell. A professional type of person that clearly separated his work life from his casual time and took his job seriously. He was a sweetheart beneath the rugged exterior that put up in public. Reed admired that but knew that this casual side of Axtorius would likely only make a rare appearance from now on.

When he returned to the dorms, Reed saw a sight that left him exasperated. His classmates had been waiting for him and were hanging around his room in anticipation. Once they caught sight of Reed, all hell broke loose. A horde of excited classmates swiftly surrounded and drowned him with their questions. He knew that they probably meant well, but it was too much for him to handle.

Flashing lights blinded him as he tried his best to escape the crowd; he felt his anger rising as he thought, "Fuck, I've been completely corralled like a goddamn animal. These idiots are treating me like I'm some sort of zoo exhibit." He gritted his teeth in frustration as he struggled to escape his confinement, but had little success until somebody spoke up and caught everyone's attention.

A thunderous voice suddenly said, "Leave him alone. You've already pestered him enough for a lifetime." Astor's booming voice resounded across the hall like thunder as he walked over to pick up Reed. The crowd immediately yielded and dispersed when they heard Astor's command, like rats who had heard human footsteps.

Astor grinned when he saw Reed's haggard complexion and said, "Yo, buddy, still alive?" He put his arm around Reed's shoulder and escorted him back to his room under the watchful gaze of the horde.

"It's pretty nice having friends in high places," Reed thought as they chatted about nonsense. When they walked into Astor's room, he found that everyone else had been waiting for him.

Horatio and Ophelia were playing some card game when they had entered but stopped once they saw Reed.

Astrid had been reading something in her tome; Sebastian had been playing games on his tablet when they arrived, but they put down their distractions once they saw Reed.

They all looked at him a little oddly...as if they were inspecting an alien or some unknown creature.

Reed noticed their inquisitive gazes and said, "I'm still human if that's what you're wondering. I don't know why I came out of an egg. Stop looking at me like I'm some carnival freak." He sat down and deeply sighed.

"Can you blame us? You came down from the sky in a fucking egg, man. Are you the descendant of some legendary hen?" said Sebastian. This bastard never missed a free opportunity to spit his poison. He suddenly felt a connection between Astor and himself as his frustration grew...

Astrid coldly gazed at Sebastian for what seemed like an instant and it put the fear of God back in Sebastian. He coughed lightly and hid behind his tablet, wishing that he could fade out of existence.

The fair maiden said, "Don't listen to anything that comes out of this flea's mouth, Reed. He's a bit special and sometimes doesn't bother thinking before opening his mouth. We're all glad that you've returned safely, isn't that right, Sebastian?"

"Ah, yes, yes! It's great that you came back in one piece, man!" sputtered out Sebastian as he bemoaned his fate on the inside.

Ophelia laughed at Sebastian and said, "Look at you now, Ashborn, how the mighty have fallen..."

Horatio finally spoke up and said, "It's about time we get to the main purpose of this meeting, don't you think? We can mess around later, so let's get the boring part out of the way first."

Astor nodded and said, "Yeah, you're right. Let's just get into it. The reason we've all assembled today is to give you some advice and offer you help if you need it, Reed. I don't know how much you know about your situation, but I'm going to keep it short and sweet."

"You're in danger, Reed. The kind of danger that will tear you into pieces. For better or worse, you've attracted the attention of every major power in the world yesterday, and they'll do anything to learn your secrets. Get you under their control. Some powers will even try to kill you outright to preserve the balance of the world if they see you as a potential threat."

"The only reason you still breathe is because you're under the protection of the Northern Training Academy at the moment. Contenders and conquerors are forbidden from killing mortals, and although we've all been formally inducted as contenders, we're still trainees and are considered not fully-fledged. It's like a provisional license of sorts, so we're still technically 'mortals' under the current international legislation."

"That's the main reason you still draw breath right now; that and the fact that the politics surrounding you are complicated. The North is trying to claim you under the pretense that you arrived here first when you were sent to our world. The other empires wish to claim you as well, claiming that all training grounds are neutral grounds and as a result, the North's claim to you is invalid."

"Simply put, the gods are deciding your fate as we speak. That's why we've all come together today, to give you a way out of this mess. All you have to do is come along with anyone of us once we graduate. Anyone of our families has a strong enough background to keep you safe.

"You can visit the personal domains our families have set up and raise your strength in them. They're protected areas that our main families reside in, so you can rest easy. Just think of it as you crashing at one of our pads for a while until you become strong enough to handle the outside world."

Reed didn't immediately respond and kept silent for a while. He looked torn as he stared at the floor pensively. It looked like Axtorius had been right; the beach would have to wait for another time. Staying alive was the number one priority at the moment.

"Give me some time to think about, guys. There's no need to worry about this issue for now but I'll keep your idea in mind as we get closer to the end of our training. I'll give you an answer by then, for sure."

"Don't sweat it, bud. We just want to make sure you don't get manipulated the moment you leave the academy, or worse..."

Chapter end