Princess Maia Moon's eldest son Prince Craig Moon was not only the heir to the throne of Athledon but also eligible to fight for the position of the next clan head. He was a direct competitor to Estella, although the latter looks down on him because of his purple grade Arcana, which mutated to gold grade during the rank-4 breakthrough.
On the other hand, their mothers were known to be quite competitive since young and see each other as rivals.
Just like other times, as soon as Maia and Scarlet encountered each other during the festival, they competed in several games. The record was 5-5. To get a proper result, Maia challenged Scarlet.
Here, the rules are simple. The time limit will be 60 minutes and the venue will be the Xerad Lake, which is known for its clear water and has a maximum depth of over 100 meters.
Within the time limit, the two of them will catch the fish. Due to how transparent the water looks, it is easy to find them. But, there's a small twist. They can only catch rainbow carps, which are a mutated species of gold fishes.
At the same time, each one can choose a partner. As Estella is too impatient to help with fishing, Affea ended up as Scarlet's partner. On the other hand, Princess Maia had her husband helping her, purposely trying to rile up Scarlet by acting all romantic.
Scarlet Moon lost her husband several years ago and it would be a lie if she wasn't envious of them but then again, she came to terms with the reality a long time ago. So, she put her attention entirely on the task.
As soon as the gunshot was heard in the air, the wooden boats started moving. About half an hour into the race, Maia Moon appeared to have fished more of them.
From the shores of the lake, Estella was watching it blankly, wondering what she was even doing there. Prince Craig approached her and then tried to provoke her, "it looks like your mother is gonna lose."
"Not that I care," replied Estella.
"You would if there had been some kind of wager like, for example, you forgo your claim for the clan head." Prince Craig let out a sigh, feeling that his mom let go of a nice opportunity.
Estella snorted in response, "Only weaklings can think like that. Congratulations, you once again proved that you are trash."
"You…" Prince Craig came to provoke her but he got provoked in return by her remarks.
It was at that moment something shocking happened.
A gigantic portal opened in the sky where a gigantic whale descended from it. The beast was atleast 10 kilometers long and probably more than a kilometer in height.
Everything stopped a moment as a part of the city was plunged into darkness.
Meanwhile, the tourists in other parts of the Lunaris city got scared, fearing an attack and they don't want to become casualties in the battle of powerful forces. On the other hand, the citizens were a lot calmer and kneeled right on the spot. They appeared familiar with it.
Looking around the people and then at the beige ceiling that covered the sky, Avia tugged her father's shirt and asked, "Papa, what happened?"
Oakley was shivering in fear at the moment. He returned to reality because of Avia. Clearing his throat, he said, "I don't know but it seems more powerful than even Lord Qridus."
Avia's heart skipped a beat when she heard them. She wasn't daring enough to sense its power and tightly hugged her father.
The whale disappeared, returning the light to the people around, and a handsome guy who looked like he is in his early twenties was seen in its place as he slowly landed on the water.
A smile appeared on Scarlet as she rose to her feet. Princess Maia also stopped fishing and flew towards the mysterious visitor. Her husband stayed behind as he didn't have the royal bloodline. So, he was not qualified.
Landing before him, Scarlet greeted him with a bow, "Welcome to Lunaris City, Your Grace."
The princess also followed the suit.
"Are others ready?" The mysterious fellow asked Scarlet without any change in his expression. It is hard to read what he is thinking.
Scarlet answered politely, "Yes, Your Grace. The representatives of the Sun and Dragon clans were already here, staying as guests at our clan village. However, there's a small issue with the Angels and Asgardians. They informed us that their leaders cannot participate and their successors will replace them."
While Scarlet is answering his question, Princess Maia just looked at the two of them in a daze as she couldn't hear a thing. There's an invisible barrier around the kid and Scarlet Moon that is blocking her hearing sense.
The mysterious visitor then nodded, "It is alright as long as they were responsible for their actions."
"And there's another thing." Scarlet briefly hesitated for a bit and then, asked, "It's a request from me. Can my daughter witness the meeting? She will not interfere or even talk and will be nothing but a spectator."
"Estella?" The mysterious visitor thought for a bit and said, "She's a twin platinum grade user and is a future demigod. If nothing goes wrong, she will become the next Matriarch of the Moon clan. I guess it is acceptable."
"Thank you, Your Grace." Scarlet bowed once again with a huge smile on her face. Princess Maia wondered what is going on.
Soon, the invisible barrier was removed and Scarlet directly told Maia that the latter has won the contest and congratulated her. She then escorted the guest, leaving behind a dumbfounded princess.
Sometime later;
In a dim-lit chamber, there's a round table with ten thrones placed around it. Each throne has a unique insignia dedicated to each hidden clan.
The respective elders of the Dragon Clan and Sun Clan were seated in positions reserved for clan heads. Meanwhile, 15-yr-old Estella stood behind the current Matriarch of the Moon Clan and her ancestor, Elyssa Moon.
*Clap*
"Okay, let's summon the others." The mysterious guy spoke to Elyssa who in turn unleashed a secret technique only known to other clan heads and their successors.
In an instant, projections of several people appeared on the thrones. They looked around at others.
Qridus was the first to greet him, rising to his toes and bowing to him with respect, "Greetings, Saint Ravens."
"It's been a while, Qridus." The guy surnamed Ravens spoke casually towards him. He further added, "You are at the end of your lifespan. I hope you focus on making the breakthrough."
As the others stayed silent, Qridus replied, "I can only dare to think about it after a worthy successor replaces me. I don't want history to be repeated. Moreover, I have lived for nearly 9000 years. I will be content with my life as long as there will be a worthy successor."
Even though his reply appeared to be humble, in fact, he was criticizing the hidden clans who conspired together with other Supreme Realm experts in killing Aelius Crescent all because he aimed to become a Demigod.
A brief silence filled the room because everyone knew that their previous clan heads were also involved in the matter.
Seeing that no one is responding, the guy slowly got up on his feet and changed the subject, "Since everyone is here, let's start without waiting any longer. With the authority as the judge of the round table, I hereby commence the 319th Hidden clan meeting."
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