Genesis Sync

“So, John, John, is it true?” Kaela asked with shining eyes as she ran through the pictures beside them.

“Is what true?”

“Can you really use magic? I overheard the three of you talking about it.”

“You mean you were eavesdropping again,” Sarah said with a smirk.

“It’s not my fault you just happened to take that particular entrance into the inner palace and then spoke so openly about it.”

Adria smirked at Kaela's response before asking, “And I suppose it has nothing to do with the fact that you overheard that John was arriving today and that Mother wished to see him personally and so you chose the entrance closest to the throne room?”

“Pure coincidence,” Kaela replied, though the three of them noticed that she avoided eye contact as she did.

“Wait, the throne room?” John asked after hearing what Adria said.

“Well, that is the place where the empress meets important guests upon arrival,” Adria replied as she glanced back at him.

“What important guest?” John asked. “I’m probably one of the least important people in the human race; I mean, I had to work while still underage.”

“Work while still underage?” Kael repeated before angrily asking. “How is that niece of mine even ruling the empire? Such a thing is shameful and makes us look bad before the other races.”

“That was then, John,” Sarah said softly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Things are different now, and you're starting fresh in an entirely different city.”

“Sarah’s right. Mother wishes to apologise once again to you personally in the throne room, as custom dictates that any action done by the empress within the throne room stands above the same action done elsewhere,” Adria explained. “Don’t worry, there won’t be anyone else present.”

“Yeah, thanks, but pass,” John replied while shaking his head. “I have no need for such a grand apology; just a normal one is fine.”

“You have no wish to be addressed by the empress in the throne room?” Kaela asked with a look of surprise while Adria and Sarah showed similar looks. “Do you even understand what you are passing up?”

“Not really,” John replied. “I mean, I kind of got the gist of it from Adria’s explanation, but I honestly have no interest or desire in receiving such an apology.”

“Why?” Kaela asked with interest.

“What difference does it make to me whether the apology is in the throne room, in this hallway or in the garden? From my perspective, it’s the same apology regardless.”

The three women studied John carefully for a few moments as if trying to decide if he was being honest before Kaela suddenly smiled and said, “Heh, I like you, John. I will permit you to be this princess’s friend.”

“Err, thanks,” John replied.

Kaela pouted at John’s response before asking, “What? Are you telling me you don't want to be friends with this princess?”

“No, I never said that. It’s just your decision caught me by surprise.”

“Then it’s decided, we’re friends,” Kaela beamed before turning to Adria and Sarah with a smug grin. “See that, now I’m friends with John, so you better treat him well.”

“We say,” Adria nodded while Sarah tried to keep herself from laughing.

As they continued to walk, Kaela studied John more closely before suddenly turning to Adria and saying, “Adria, I have a suggestion.”

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“What?” Adria asked.

“You should take John as your husband and make him your emperor consort after you ascend to the throne,” Kaela declared, causing all three of them to trip over their own feet.

While John and Adria placed their hands against the wall for support and stopped themselves from falling over, Sarah ended up tripping in John’s direction and colliding with his chest.

“You ok?” John asked as he glanced down at the black haired beuty now leaning against him.

“Ye… yeah, thanks,” Sarah replied with a slight blush, though John noticed it took her a few seconds longer to pull away from him.

Adria, on the other hand, missed their exchange as she turned on Kaela right after stabilising herself, asking, “Excuse me?”

“It’s a good idea, right? He obviously has no interest in the throne and he can use magic. It’s perfect.” Kaela said while giving a proud look before thinking of something and adding in a mumble. “As long as he doesn’t end up like your father and brother.”

“That’s not the point,” Adria replied in exasperation.

“That’s exactly the point,” Kaela stated while folding her arms. “You know very well that the imperial throne is passed via matrilineal succession from mother to daughter; because of this, you are next in line to the throne, not your useless elder brother Thomas. There are only two stipulations a member of the imperial family must follow when selecting a spouse; they must be human and they must be capable of using magic. John here ticks both boxes.”

“As do countless other men in the empire,” Adria shot back after giving John a quick glance and flushing.

“Not countless, no,” Kaela replied. “You're obviously forgetting that only fifteen percent of our race can use magic and some of those are women.”

“Stop, stop,” Adria replied while covering her face with her hands. “I haven’t even known him a day.”

“And yet you were purposefully walking in front of him the entire time,” Kaela remarked while giving Adria a knowing smile.

“I was showing him the way,” Adria stated defensively.

“Uh-huh, sure,” Kaela replied while giving Adria’s ass a quick glance.

“Why is it you can be so childish one moment and so… so…” Adria began but couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Accurate the next?” Kaela finished while wearing a smug smile.

{She looks super cute when she’s embarrassed like that, but I should probably put an end to this.} John thought before saying, “I think you’ve teased her enough, Kaela.”

“Teased?” Adria asked in surprise while Sarah laughed from the side.

“Oh, you noticed?” Kaela replied while giving John an impressed look.

John smiled before explaining, “There is no way you would allow your descendant to marry someone you’ve known for less than five minutes. I expect you did all of this as revenge for Adria’s teasing earlier.”

“Huh, huh?” Adria said as she swung her head back and forth between the pair in confusion.

“You got me,” Kaela said while holding up her hands. “I’m honestly surprised you caught on before she did. Most men would jump at the chance if I mentioned them marrying the future empress.”

“Yeah, well, I know my worth and recognise when a woman is out of my league,” John shrugged.

“Hmm,” Kaela replied but said no more on the subject.

“Damn you, Kaela, that was mean,” Adria stated as she glared at the childlike appearance of her great-aunt.

“That was revenge; maybe you should be careful how you treat this princess in the future,” Kaela proudly replied.

“Whatever, let's keep going,” Adria huffed before she started walking again while fanning her face. This time, however, she didn’t walk ahead of John but beside him.

“Speaking of the matrilineal succession,” John suddenly said, making Adria jump slightly. “I’ve always been slightly curious why the empires have always been ruled by an empress and never an emperor.”

“What, upset that your gender is being hard done by?” Kaela asked with a teasing smile.

“No,” John replied. “Just curious. Before today I never really cared about the imperial family or what gender sat upon the throne since I never thought I would meet any of you, which is why I was only slightly curious.”

“Well, it’s because of the elves,” Adria began to explain as she fiddled with her access band. “The elves have a similar custom of matrilineal succession, because Elmyra, the Mother of all Elves and the first to be born from Yggdrasil, was female. Since then they have carried on the tradition of passing the throne from one daughter to the next.

Our race adopted the tradition after the elves first came to the continent of Eloa. At that time our race and many others on the continent were still in their infancy, and so some of the elves' customs were adopted.”

“But in school we were taught that prior to Genesis all the different races were at war with one another, though aliances where sometimes made and then broken,” John replied.

“That's because what I am speaking of happened before the wars started; remember that as the first race, the elves are far older than any of the other races,” Adria continued. “We ourselves do not have records from the time of our race's first meeting with the elves, but while our race was still learning to write, the elves were already crossing the seas.

In that time, the elves travelled each of the other four continents and left their mark in different ways; this is one of the reasons why the elves are so well respected by each race and why they could bring them to the table to sign the Genesis agreement.”