City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Proofread by Thomas F

Cath

“I had started feeling the pressure,” blurted Lorle as we were making the rounds.

“Me too,” “Me also,” replied the second and third trainee behind me.

“Don’t worry about it too much. It means the things are going well,” I replied without stopping.

I had been feeling it for a few minutes. It’s not light, but it isn’t high either, and Madam Caena had said it is nothing to be worried about.

I am a little worried, but I didn’t project that to these trainees.

I hope it goes well. It seemed to be going well; I could already feel the small changes happening in the legacy. It is more pronounced in the bathhouse.

It’s like the day of the casino’s opening. Everything went well.

…

Lord Aardwyn, Tranquill Bathhouse

“Anything?” asked the Prince. “No,” I replied with anger and frustration seeping into my voice.

I have been trying to tear my core out of a frustrating, invisible prison, but those bastards held it so tightly that I can’t bring it out, no matter what I do.

The thing that is worrying me most is that they are still extracting it.

Initially, the extraction was conducted in small trickles, but it increased rapidly over the past few moments.

A few seconds ago, the incredible speed at which they are extracting my core had increased manifold once more.

At this speed, it won’t take them more than a few hours to extract the entire core, despite my fighting tooth and nail to stop the extraction of every drop.

I had already informed the Prince and team what was happening. I hoped they would have ideas, but none of them are good or applicable.

I am pushing my core to resist hard, but with every drop that is extracted, the core gets weaker, and with it, its resistance.

They have also somehow been trying to weaken my control over it

“Fuck! It felt like Valdu’s rampage; everything we do, the beast rips through it,” cursed Prince. Naming the monster that nearly destroyed the kingdom.

I shook my head and was about to focus on my thoughts when an idea came to mind.

“I could destabilize the core. Turn it chaotic,” I said to myself more than to them.

All of them looked at me in deep shock. It is not something the masters of legacies even think about, but I am thinking of doing it.

“What are the chances of you being able to control it back to stability?” asked the Prince. “I have good confidence,” I replied.

I have none, but I am not going to let Silver consume my core. I’d rather let it die.

Although my plan was not that, I had intended to use the chaotic core to destroy the prison; the moment it was, my core would go for Silver’s.

It is based on the book that my grandmother had found. It is ancient and forbidden by the synod.

According to that book, it is nearly impossible to control the chaotic core. Especially in a condition like this, it suggests that we didn’t even try.

Instead, throw the chaotic core at the enemy,

While it does that, it will calm down a little. Giving the master a chance to regain control and restore stability.

It is perilous, but I am left with no choice. I understand it very well, but if I didn’t do anything. Silver will eat the core of my legacy.

I would be left with nothing.

“Do it,” he ordered. Even if he hadn’t said so, I would have done it. I am willing to pay any price and cross any boundary for my legacy to prevail.

For it, even if I had to go against this little prince, I would have done that.

I took a deep breath and focused on my core, the pure emotion it evoked. Emotions are the most volatile thing, and the core is made of them.

Therefore, I must be cautious. A mistake would result in a heavy price to pay.

It does not need to be completely unstable; that would be bad. I need it enough that it broke free from the bonds that were holding it.

With that, I moved to make the core unstable.

It resisted. I might be the master, but the core has its defences. I need to pass through them to do the anathema.

I pushed through the connection harder and harder, but it resisted. Seeing that, I gathered the power of all three artifacts.

It made me feel like my soul is going to be torn apart. Earlier, my core used to save me from that strain, but it no longer does.

I cannot even power the two artifacts with the essence. Only the Rhidon’t Vitae, which is connected to my core, but its power is suppressed.

I bore it and pushed through, and for the first time, I felt it working.

Feeling that, I gathered even more power, till I felt like I could, and pushed it all against the resistance, breaking through it finally.

Now, the core is mine to influence, and I didn’t waste any time.

Hun!

A moment later, I was surprised. I willed it and it happened immediately; there was not the faintest resistance.

The previously calm pool now had small waves appearing on its surface. I could feel it pushing against the wall that confined it, but a moment later, an invisible force came wanting to calm it.

It seemed to have some success, seeing that I willed it to become more chaotic.

Focusing on emotions such as anger and frustration, which I am feeling right now, the small waves turned into big ones, and even the pool began to shake.

I could feel the prison that is keeping it had started to shake, seeing that, a smile appeared on my face.

I won’t increase the chaos now; I feel it is enough to break through the bounds. However, if it doesn’t, I will make it more chaotic.

As I have declared, I will do anything to remain the master of a legacy.

…

Caena Aris

I looked at the progress, and a smile couldn’t help but appear on my face.

I didn’t expect it to be smoother, but it was more complicated than I imagined. If not for the greater preparations and efforts of everyone, especially of Remus, things would have gone very badly.

Now, things are good.

I am still feeling immense pressure from operating the spell. So is everyone, making sure everything goes smoothly, but there is still doubt in my heart.

It will be tough, but we will be able to do this.

Besides, as time passed, the pressure would lessen as we consume more of the core.

The core of the Velvet Garden had consumed only a small part of it, but I could feel the changes it was bringing to it.

Velvet Garden hadn’t consumed enough to get an aspect, but it is on the way to that; within twenty to thirty minutes, it will consume it sufficiently to get an aspect of the bathhouse.

That is the first target. There are two more.

The legacy skill and master’s skills are much harder to achieve, not because we won’t be able to, but because they depend on the percentage of core that merges with the Velvet Garden.

The core of Velvet Garden will only swallow the essence that aligns with its vision.

It could be either 10%, 20%, 30%, or more. The bathhouse we created should help the core absorb more emotional essence.

I looked at spells and talked to madams; they all are feeling the pressure, but it’s not big enough to stop them from working.

I turned to Remus and saw him in immense strain.

There for a moment, I was scared. He wasn’t able to finish the anchor strings in the practice session, but as always, he pulls through the adversity and improves.

Hun!

I was looking at everything when I sensed something from the core, and terror filled my heart.

“He is crazy!” I said, and they opened their mouth to ask, when they realised what the master of Tranquill Garden was planning to do.

He is lighting a match on the wood soaked in oil of alchfire.

The Synod explicitly forbade it after the core spiraled out of control, because once it did, no one could rein it in again.

It will not destroy just his core, but it will also destroy ours.

The waves appeared on the pool, and they pushed against the prison planet. Bringing such pressure on spell, that my veins popped and I vomited blood, but I didn’t care about it.

Immediately, I moved to calm the core, Bell moved to suppress it, while five reinforced the walls so that no drop would leak out of it.

We were barely managing it when the bastard increased the chaos in the core, targeting the highly volatile emotions like anger.

Big waves appeared, and the pool itself began to shake.

I could feel the girls bleeding under the sheer pressure. Looking at the state, they won’t be able to last long. Especially Eudo, Lola, and Margaux, they don’t have the support of an aura.

They aren’t the only ones bleeding; the colossal pressure is giving a soul-tearing pain and making me bleed through all the orifices.

I turned to Bell, and she nodded.

Things have turned terrible, and there is only one way out of it, and only one person can do it: Remus.

…

Greltheaven

‘Aardwayn, this is madness! You won’t come out of this unscathed,’ I cursed.

‘I will and I will have your core!’ he replied, and I could feel the madness. It’s not every day madness of losing one’s mind, but of losing all inhibitions.

Even the mad have inhibition, but this man does not.

This man is willing to do anything to get my core. Even to turn his into chaos.

I looked at the waves, and it is putting immense pressure. All of them are bleeding and not through just orifices, but also through their fingernails.

‘Lord Silver, we do not have much time,’ said Bell in my mind, and the next moment, I felt her aura strings moving.

They connected to one person after another in the third circle.

Within seconds, it connected to all of them.

She didn’t say a word, but I know what I have to do to stop it. Yes, I must stop the core. If I didn’t, it could kill the five and pollute my future.

It could even swallow my core, leaving me without a legacy.

There is only one way out of it: the third circle, but it is nearly impossible. There are too many connections to make, and I’m already at my limit.

The third circle didn’t have fifty anchors or a hundred of them. It has two hundred and forty of them.

The girls, the patrons, the staff, and everyone else in it.

I am already at the limit, but I have to do it somehow, if I want to save them and save the bright future of my city and dominion, which is intricately linked to the legacy.

Once more, I took a deep breath and created an anchor string and then another.

I quickly made thirteen of them, one after another, but at the fourteenth, I failed. When I tried again, I failed again and again and yet again.

The anger and frustration wanted to cloud my mind, but I kept my mind calm.

Giving in to my emotions would be terrible.

So, I kept trying and failing while enduring the immense pressure.

Puh Puh Puh!

I was trying, when I felt Ina vomiting, a moment later, it was Eudo, and a few seconds after that, Margaux.

It is not the food they are vomiting, but blood.

“Are you fine?” I asked. It is a stupid question. Of course, they are not. Bleeding in every part of the body, vomiting blood, is not fine.

“We are fine, Master Silver,” Margaux replied, wiping blood off her mouth. “Don’t worry, Lord Silver, we will not let the single drop leak out,” added Eudo.

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but feel guilty.

I have such amazing people, and I am letting them down. If my control had been a little better, I wouldn’t have made them bear such pressure that it would have injured their spirit and bodies.

There is a real chance that it could kill them, too.

The gravity of it settled in my heart, but I didn’t let it weigh me down. Instead, I let their loyalty inspire me.

I turned to the strings, and this time, I didn’t hurry; I moved slowly. Yes, this approach will take time, but I will trust my people to do their job and I will damn sure do mine.

I ignored everything, including their plight, trusting them, while I focused on the strings.

The string dissolved, and I looked at the reason for a moment before trying again slowly. This time, too, it had dissolved, but I tried again.

…

Margaux Swan

Puh!

I vomited once more; this is the third time I have vomited on the floor. It is less than Lola and Eudo.

I felt like there was a mountain on my shoulder, wanting to crush me into pieces.

It is doing that, seeing how we are bleeding nearly every part of the body. Still, we have a job to do, considering the three of us are barely handling a third of the pressure.

Half of it was borne by Carla alone; her aura covered half of the planet, blocking every drop that tried to escape.

Ina’s aura covers the next 20%, while the last 30% is divided among the three of us.

Despite having an aura, they are also under immense pressure. I could see them bleeding through every part of their body, including the nails, like us.

Even with blood leaking out of their mouths, they are still doing the job; we have to do it as well.

We will.

Once more, a wave crashed against my presence, and it shook my whole body and spirit, making me vomit once more.

I vomited, but I remained firm in my place.

It worries me, as the power of these waves is increasing, and I don’t think I would be able to bear it if it reaches a certain power.

If that happens, the prison might break. If it did, essence would leak and infect the core of the Velvet Garden.

A few more waves came, each stronger than the previous ones, and we bore them until the most significant wave came.

“It is big,” said Lola, swallowing the blood that came into her mouth. “No matter, we will have to stop it,” replied Eudo.

There will be no help as Carla and Ina are dealing with even bigger waves.

So, I pushed everything I had, and I could feel the others doing the same. We need to use every wisp of our power to stop it.

The moment passed, and the wave clashed against us.

Puh Puh Puh!

Immediately, all of us vomited, but we held on. Still, the wave didn’t disappear and pushed against us hard, and I could feel the cracks appearing in my defense.

It will break through me, and once it does, it will not only leak out but also create a path for others to follow.

I can not let that happen, but I am powerless against it. Still, I have to stop it, even if it is impossible.

Velvet Garden is my home; it has given me everything I have. If not for it, I would still be a lowly whore, scrapping by everyday with my daughter languishing in a mediocre academy.

The least I could do is protect it. Protect its potential. With that thought, I dug deeper into myself like I never had before and pushed the power, excavating deep to defend.

Crack!

I heard the crack and thought the planet had cracked, but soon realised it had come from within me, and power as vast as the sky burst forth from me.

I was watching in shock when I felt the suppressive power, and it was not mine.

I turned and felt it from Eudo. A moment passed, and I felt it again, this time it was from Lola.

I was shocked – an aura awakening by one person was shocking enough, but here were three of us. Our eyes met, and I could see the joy in them.

While we three were still in shock, we sensed it again. We three turned together.

The last person who didn’t have the aura was also awakened to it. I was shocked, but not surprised; she is one who bears the most significant pressure, other than Master Silver.

It would have been genuinely shocking if we had and she didn’t awaken the aura.

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