System Ascension: The Vermillion Legacy

CHAPTER ONE

It was a buzzing ballroom and every noble of the land of Alanoir gathered for a celebration of an accomplishment. 

Invitations had been sent and it was answered by every noble in the land, viscount Philip Lurande the man behind the party or would call it the host of the party was in the upper chamber greeting VIPs of the occasion. 

“Don't you see what is happening? It's a party and I want to let everyone know that this is an astonishing accomplishment” Viscount Philip Lurande said while letting out a huge laugh. 

And there was Aiden Vermillion, a charismatic young man six feet tall, the last of the bloodline of the house of Vermillion known for their distinguished white hair and blue eyes and considered by everyone as a weakling. 

He worked in the healing department of the empire and even though he had no social status he worked himself off and made a breakthrough in an elixir. 

The elixir of mana, as the name implied, was a groundbreaking discovery of a dose that could replenish mana after being drained. 

This had everyone in the whole department talking but there was a problem. The person who sponsored the project was his father-in-law who was no other than Viscount Philip Lurande, the arrogant and boastful viscount.

But it was a great day for Aiden, he just made a discovery, was at the party that would be announcing the onboarding of the elixir, and was going to be named and known as the man who made it possible.

“Aideen!” Exclaimed one of the nobles that knew his father and with a bow Aiden gave his greetings to the noble before moving on them there goes the whispers of his bad blood, how they were into making vials that were harmful to the lands and how they were bad seeds in the noble standings. 

Aiden walked past them with his head bowed as he went to a corner to stand trying to take his mind off the words that came out their mouths.

“Don't let it get to you, Aiden. You know it doesn't change the fact that I still love you” Elizabeth Lurande said as she walked up to him and hugged him then held his face in her two palms while looking into his eyes with a smile.

Elizabeth Lurande, the daughter of Viscount Philip Lurande, was married to Aiden. She was seen as the beauty of the Lurande house, she was astonishing and beautiful with a radiance of perfection that was drilled into her for years of being a daughter of Viscount Philip Lurande. 

Everyone looked or turned to look every time she passed, they either pointed with gossip or admiration in their mouth. She was always an everyday topic to all the male children of every noble house.

With a smile, Aiden looked at his wife and told her as he held her gently around her waist, “I wasn't expecting you to be here, I thought you would be with your father.” 

With a smile, she rested on the wall where Aiden rested and said,

“My father has a lot of visitors and you know I'm not the visitor kind of person,” Aiden affirmed with a nod of his head as she handed him a glass of champagne while they looked over to the podium where her father was getting on. 

Clinging his fork to the glass of champagne in his hand Viscount Philip Lurande drew the attention of everyone in the ballroom as he spoke up

“It's such a wonderful day, and I'm happy that I could make this happen. I'm so honored to have you here today. I'll just go straight to the point. As the chief head of the medical department of our great land of Alanoir, I made a shocking and outstanding discovery. I had been on the experiment for years until I finally had a breakthrough. It was a hard road, but I kept trying and finally, I did it. I made the elixir of mana. The one thing every continent in this world has been trying to get their hands on. I finally did it and I made it here in Alanoir.”

As he kept giving his speech Aiden was stunned by what he heard because he was the one that had burned the midnight candle to manufacture the elixir. 

As the speech was getting done with and the crowd cheered and clapped in praise and admiration of the Viscount, Aiden’s world was crumbling as he believed he was going to be honored for the production of the elixir. 

Even his wife who knew everything about him being the brain and founder of the elixir cheered on and this made him hurt as he walked to balcony of the ballroom and sat on one of the chairs that was fixated around a table while he thought of what went wrong and how he felt betrayed by his father-in-law.

Still thinking, he asked himself, “is this all I get for devoting my time to this land?” He kept pondering as he saw his hands shaking as he fell into panic and anger but he had no choice but to keep calm.

After much thought, he decided to approach his father-in-law after the party to find out what happened and why he did what he did but he couldn't hold it in as he got up to go to his father-in-law but he was blocked off by his wife as she pulled him aside and asked him,

“What do you think you're doing?” 

“I'm going to get credit for what I deserve credit for,” Aiden replied as he tried walking off again, Elizabeth pulled him back again and said, “You don't have to do this, my father would just be given some praise from the king and faction of the throne. After that, he'll be given some irrelevant lands or money as compensation for the work.” 

With pain in his eyes, Aiden turns to her and asks, “Don't you think I deserve those things you just called? Wasn't I the reason for the elixir accomplishment?”

“I know and you also do deserve them but let this go Aiden, just let this go,” Elizabeth said as he pulled his hands away and kept walking towards her father who was already down the podium.

*****

“What happened up there?” Aiden asked as he got to the front of Viscount Philip Lurande which made the viscount stop his talks and look to Aiden and ask in reply, “What do you mean boy?”

Aiden spoke up to reply, “I mean, what happened up there? That was my accomplishment, my discovery and you took the credit to yourself. I thought you said…” Before he could finish his statement Viscount Philip Lurande cut him off and said to him. 

“I said I would give you credits for where credits are due but it seems you dont know your position you this filthy scoundrel. I funded this project and you should be grateful”

Looking from left to right to see who was around them Aiden replied, “That's true, you did fund the project but I made it, don't you think I deserve some credits?”

“And you've been given credits” Viscount Philip Lurande replied as he turned to leave but Aiden walked over to the side he was leaving in to block him and said,

 “This was my discovery and you're taking my credit”

With anger brewing inside the viscount he looks at Aiden and asks, “Did I just hear you say ‘taking’? Did you just say that to me?”

He added, “I gave my daughter to you, I gave you a roof over your head when no one wanted to. They said you're intelligent and smart which I saw but I don't know much about it.”

“But I at least deserve some form of payment, don't you think?” Aiden asked as he tried holding the hands of the viscount.

With rage in his eyes, the viscount looked at Aiden and told him, “You dare not touch me, boy, your payment has already been made. You have a roof over your head and a beautiful wife which I also sponsored for the wedding. I also feed you and you're not satisfied, isn't that a bit greedy?”

By now the voice of the viscount was being heard over the ballroom as the music was going low and the whole ballroom went in silence as some nobles began to murmur and the rest pointed fingers and made gestures of Aiden. 

With his head bowed down in shame and disgrace he has nothing else to say as the viscount walked away while his daughter followed behind. 

Pain in his heart he looked behind and watched them leave while he walked towards the balcony and sat down as he thought of his steps and how it got to this.