What Theo saw when he stepped through the doorway was an army of men and women all clad in different types of armour. Row after row of them, with some wearing plate armour, others wearing leather. The moment they laid eyes on him, the al fell on their knee with their heads bowed low.
"We greet you, clan leader!" They said in unison.
Theo stepped back, drawing the attention of Alec, who chuckled.
"What's wrong, Theo? Are you shocked?"
Theo remained silent as his eyes fell on each and every person kneeling in front of him. After a few seconds, though, he composed himself and stepped forward. At the very front of the many rows of people stood a girl who looked no older than he was.
The girl flinched and brought he head up only to see Theo's face only a few feet away from hers.
"What the..." She was interrupted by Theo.
"Uncle, who is she?"
"That is my youngest daughter, and also your cousin."
"She is?"
Theodore looked between them for a while, then focused on the girl. She was a beautiful young woman with jet black hair, pale skin, and the strangest eyes he had ever seen. He stepped closer, looking even more intently into them.
"Beautiful!" he said, maintaining his gaze.
Taken aback, the girl flushed red and in that instant, the colour of her pupils changed from emerald green to a bright violet. Even more intrigued, Theo stepped even closer, and reflexively, she scampered back in shock and turned to Alec.
Stepping forward, Alec chuckled. "What could you possibly be doing, Theo? You'll scare the poor girl to death."
"Father, who is this?'
"Well, this, my dear daughter, is..."
Theo interjected.
"Well, apparently, I am your cousin."
That proclamation drew the attention of all the others who stood behind the girl, and murmurs began spreading within the crowd.
"My what? What the hell are you talking about? I have no cousins!"
"Guess you were in the dark too."
"The dark about what? Father, who is this?"
"Like I said, I'm your cousin."
"I wasn't talking to you!"
"Well, I was talking to you, and why are you asking him about me when I'm right here anyway?"
"Because you're nothing but a goddamn liar! The mere thought of that is impossible!"
"Why is that?"
The girl raised her brows in confusion.
"Well, for one, if you were really my cousin, that would make you the child of my only uncle and aunt. The bright lord, and his wife, the frost queen!"
Theodore rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Were they the strongest in the world?"
"Are you seriously asking that?"
"Just answer the question."
The girl grumbled in protest for a few moments.
"Yes, they were! But what does that..."
"That settles it, then."
"Settles what?"
"The fact that I am your cousin."
"Are you saying you're some random no-name boy, the child of the greatest heralds to ever be born?"
"Yes, I am!"
The girl turned to her father in utter confusion.
"Father, are you just going to let this boy...."
Interrupting her, Alec burst out laughing at the developing situation.
"Father! This isn't funny."
"Oh, but my daughter, you don't know how funny it truly is."
The girl crossed her arms, her brow furrowing deeper as she glared at Alec, but before she could even respond, Theo chuckled.
"You think this is a joke?"
"Honestly, yeah, I do."
"You damn....."
The girl took a moment to calm herself.
"Okay, if you really are my cousin. where is your proof?"
"Well, I have one."
"Well, you can't just waltz in here claiming to be my cousin without any proof!"
Alec wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling.
"Oh, if proof is your problem, I can take care of that. All you two need to do is fight."
The girl raised an eyebrow, her confusion deepening.
"Fight? What does that have to do with anything?"
Alec leaned back, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"If it is proof you are after, a simple spar between the two of you would be no problem."
"Well, I'm down."
"No one asked for your opinion!"
"But no one asked for yours either. And you heard uncle, the only way to prove it is through a fight!"
"Look, I'm trying to stop this for your sake, so if you know what's good for you, you'll....."
"What's wrong, daddy's girl? Scared?"
A vein bulged on her forehead.
"You know what, you're on!"
***
Nearly an hour later, Theo and the girl were both standing in the center of a large concrete ring. Around them, a crowd of people had gathered and were awaiting the spectacle. Despite that, though, the atmosphere within the crowd was subdued.
Whispers and murmurs echoed off the concrete walls, with each spectator eager to witness the clash between the two combatants.
'Damn guys, I can feel the weight of your gazes from here.'
He glanced at the girl across from him, her expression fierce and determined. The longer he stared, the more the upcoming battle's reality dawned on him. For some reason, this felt like not just a fight for her.
He turned his attention to the opposite side of the ring and to where Alec stood. The man had a snarky grin as he waited patiently with his arms folded.
'Cheeky bastard! He wanted this fight to happen, didn't he?'
The chances of that were high. After all, he had just awakened and would be curious about what powers he had. It was a sneaky plan, but Theo didn't mind. It was a chance to test his fully awakened abilities and to confirm something else. Who was he?
"What are you thinking so hard about? Regretting your actions already?"
Theo chuckled.
"No, I'm just thinking about what I'll ask for in compensation when you lose and I prove my identity."
She scoffed.
"Keep dreaming!"
"Is there anything wrong with that?"
"You....."
"Alright! I believe that is enough preparation time. Today, we, the proud members of the Midas clan, stand here to bear witness to the official duel between my youngest, and newly awakened daughter, Amisha Leto, and this young man who claims to be the son of my brother, and founder of this clan, Theodore."
The crowd cheered in anticipation.
"Today, I stand here as referee, and declare that the rules of the bout are as follows. No fata, or cripling strikes, allowed; if any are attempted, that will be the loss of the attemptee. The use of relics is permitted, but none above the rank of dormant. And last but not least, to decide the winner, the fight will go on till one of the two combatants can't continue. And with that, we are underway!"
Amisha cracked her knuckles, a confident smirk playing on her lips.
"Ready to eat your words, cousin?"
Theo squared his shoulders.
"Let's see if you can back up that bravado, cousin."