Level Up Legacy

"Oh, foolish masters of Runera. History will remember you as the men who dug their graves by becoming the enemy of the strongest man the world has seen. I will throw your bodies into the graves once this war ends."

"We will see whose death comes quicker," said a man in the council with a laugh. Julia sensed the familiarity in the voice but could not pinpoint who it was. Then, before she could find out, she was teleported away."

Julia fell on the hard, bricked ground, barely stabilizing herself enough to avoid falling on her head. This teleportation has been the worst so far, not even retaining her body\'s alignment. Looking around, she realized she was in a prison cell.

"Who is there?" asked a weak voice from the shadows, and Julia raised her eyes to peer through the metal bars. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, they widened with surprise before she rose quickly.

"Dad? Is that you?"

"Julia?" her father was chained in the opposite cell, and he tugged on the chains to come forward. Instead, they anchored him to the wall, rendering him immobile. However, it did not prevent him from looking at her joyfully but then with despair. "Why… why are you here?"

"It doesn\'t matter, Dad," said Julia as she rushed toward the bars and pressed her face against them. "I\'m so glad to see you well."

"See me well?" muttered her father with confusion before he realized what her words implied. "Have those rotten rulers threatened to harm me just to get you here?"

"They have," Julia nodded, but she did not seem worried. Instead, she looked relieved to see her father again. "I thought that I would never see you again, Dad. I thought that they would do something to you."

"Foolish girl, and how would you change anything?" asked her father with sadness. "I should have sent a letter to Arthur, so he would stop you from doing something so foolish."

"He doesn\'t know I came here," said Julia with a shake of her head. "Even if he did, he would understand that I could not wait for his army to arrive."

"…then, those rotten rulers never changed their mind," her father sighed. "I tried my best, Julia. I advocated for peace, but it did not work. So, I tried to persuade them that Arthur is the Seika of the legends, but that led me here."

"Their own hands will bring about their fall," said Julia as she let go of the bars. "I\'m going to get us out of here, Dad. I\'ll find a way to save the both of us."

"No mana could be used inside this prison," said her father with a shake of his head. "Let us hope that we won\'t die in the collateral damage of the war. Then, Arthur himself could get us out of here."

"…we won\'t have it that easy," said Julia as she pressed her palms on her forehead. "The Runic Council decided to execute us both on the walls of Runera. I have no idea why, but I think they want to shake Arthur by killing me."

"…petty means."

"These fools don\'t realize that if this attempt proves successful, it will spell doom for them. No, it would be far worse," said Julia as she pressed her head harder. Her father could sense her panic.

"What do you mean, Julia?" asked Julius with a frown.

"If Arthur is enraged, then Runera will be flattened."

The words were even absurd in her ears. Runera was the most powerful city in the world, rivaling the seven families without fail. Despite their short history compared to those ancient families, their runes and knowledge made them a titan that no one could mess with.

"We must prevent that, then," her father never doubted her words, and his face turned solemn. "However, we are helpless to save ourselves."

"I will find a way," said Julia, looking at her father with a determined gaze. She could not tell him the plan because the guards monitored the prison. If their plan gets exposed, it would be worthless.

Her father nodded, albeit seeming unconvinced. Then, he leaned back on the walls and smiled at her. "You seem tired," he said. "Have you eaten?"

"Not for the past day," said Julia with a smile as she sat in her cell. "I doubt we would be given our last meals before the execution."

"If Arthur wins before we die, they might not be the last. Tell me, is he strong enough to make Runera fall?"

"I," began Julia before pausing, "have seen him at his strongest and most destructive states. Both of them are not things that this world can handle."

"Are you afraid of him?"

"I would never be afraid of him, just of the monsters he tries to tame. He became like a younger brother to me, Dad. It\'s the first time I treasure someone in such a way. However, that also means I want to protect him, but he is far stronger than I am."

"He needs you exactly as much as you need him," said Julius with a smile. Then, he rubbed his bruised wrists. "I remember how much you wanted a younger brother as a child, but I could never give you one."

"That foolish wish must have hurt you a lot," said Julia with guilt. Her father never loved anyone after her mother died and never slept with a woman. Thus, her naïve wish seemed like a knife stabbed through his heart.

"It made me think about finding another wife, but I could never move on. I could never bring myself to love someone else," said her father as he closed his eyes. "Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is your mother."

"Let\'s visit her grave after this is over," said Julia with a smile as she held back tears. "We can find her favorite flowers and plant them around her grave."

"She would like that," said her father with a sad smile. "I wish she could see how much you have grown and how much I failed to be the reason behind that. I only succeeded in bringing you troubles."

"You made me who I am, Dad," said Julia with a frown. "I carry myself with pride knowing that I\'m the daughter of a great man who never scumbled to the temptations of power. Everything you taught me made me a good person until this day."

Her father opened his eyes and stared at her with emotions. She could see them glistering in the dim light, and then he praised her. "I am proud to have you as a daughter too."

Before Julia could react, distant sounds echoed throughout the prison as doors were flung open. Then, several footsteps approached their cells to reveal Marcel leading a group of Runic Guards.

"We meet again, Julia," said Marcel with a twisted grin. "We wasted a lot of time because of your little escape. I have to hurry now and torture you properly."

"Touch her, and I will castrate you," said Julius with a growl. Marcel flinched as he met his eyes but regained his composure when he bumped into one of the guards.

"You have no power anymore, old man!" said Marcel before gesturing toward one of the guards. "I will put you in your damn place now!"

The prison gates opened, and Marcel rushed toward Julius. Julia ran toward the iron bars, shouting, "Leave him alone, Marcel!" However, Marcel did not stop. Instead, he kicked her father several times, making him bleed as he shouted profanities at him. "Stop!"

Ding, ding, ding!

A bell rang from a distance as Julia banged on the iron bars to make him stop. It made everyone halt their actions, including Marcel. He stopped and looked toward the small windows, listening to the bell ring several times more.

Ding, ding, ding!

"Six times means an important person arrived," muttered Marcel with a frown. "Who could be coming at this time?"

Ding!

"…a seventh time means war," said Marcel with a pale face before he turned toward Julia. "Your damn army is here, whore! We have no time to waste anymore! Bring them both!"

The Runic Guard rushed toward the two, opening her cell and pulling them out. Her father was carried as his face leaked blood, but no one listened to her cries to help him. The two were escorted out of prison in their chains into the streets of Runera, filled with fleeing citizens.

When the group reached the streets, they all stopped to look at the object peeking from the city walls. The Runic Dome could be seen from within Runera, and standing atop it was a single figure.