Meanwhile - Somewhere in the universe:

Somewhere in the depths of the universe, a pair of eyes opened in the darkness.

The left eye was pure white, crossed by three black halos that slowly swirled in its center.
The right eye, black as the abysses, let three white haloes turn in its heart.

These eyes that gave off nothing else apart from an unimaginable and indescribable power, stared at a distant point... the Earth.

Then, in a whisper carried by the nothing himself, a voice resounded:

"Finally... a heir worthy of the name."
"I hope he won't disappoint me. "

A shiver crossed the space...
And a smile appeared in the darkness.

Return to earth:

A few minutes later, their lightning that enveloped Lucas disappeared.

He removed his hand from the sword, and in his golden eyes, white and black flashes crackled in his right eye, while golden lightning danced in his left.

As everyone looked at him, Lucas suddenly started laughing. But just a few seconds after that, he slowly stretched out on the grass, and fell asleep quietly next to the sword.

With Lucas asleep, his revelation ceremony had officially ended.

The family members, who had observed the entire scene, were amazed by Lucas' potential future abilities.

Raphael, silent, went towards Lucas, and slowly leaned over to take him in his arms.

He stroked her hair, and with a slight smile on his lips, he whispered:

"You were amazing, my son. "

But after that, he looked at the sword that Lucas had touched for a long time.

"To whom could this sword belong? " he wondered.

But Raphael did not ask himself too many questions, and turned to the members of his family, and left the field of swords, Lucas asleep in his arms.

As Raphael approached his family with Lucas in his arms, the family members let their expressions burst, as if a heavy tension had finally dissipated.

"Your kid knows how to steal the show, Raphael," Logan said, stretching, a slight smile on his lips.

"You amaze me. Just his choice of sword is surprising... I wonder what he has in store for us for the future," Andy added, sighing, arms crossed.

"Frankly, I had bet on the sword that was a few centimeters away... But hey, I can't ignore that he chose an interesting sword," joked Arya, laughing softly.

Then Andy approached Lucas asleep, and blew in his ear:

"Eh... if your father is too strict with you, you can come see Uncle Andy at any time and I will make you discover wonderful things in the world. "

Raphael calmy hit Andy's nape, and said:

"Stop talking nonsense to my son, I don't want my son to be like you"

"It's not cool brother, I'm not that terrible," Andy replied while rubbing his nape.

After that, everyone stared at him, and they started laughing, because they all knew how Andy was.

Then a sudden idea crossed Arya's head.

"By the way Raphael, could you let me teach my nephew the art of the sword?" She asked calmly, smiling on her lips.

Raphael immediately wanted to answer in the negative but instead, he calmed down, and sketched a slight smile without answering.

Arya stared at him for a few seconds, then a mischievous smile appeared on her lips.

So, the three continued to talk to each other, while leaving the place of ceremony.

Anna, for her part, walked a little back. She watched her children talk and laugh, a softened glow in her eyes. It had been decades since she had seen this. And this harmonious moment between them, she savored it silently.

Suddenly, Logan turned to Raphael, looking mischievous.

"Ohhh, by the way brother, now that the ceremony is over, you can have a little duel, can't you? Just to remind us of the good old days, you see? "

Andy raised a clenched fist with a carnivorous smile.

"Oh yes! What an excellent idea you have there Logan... it's been too long big brother, let's also cross our irons, and show-us that you haven't lost your hand. "

"Besides Raphael, I heard that you were at the front some time before Lucas was born, so you can all face us at the same time... can't you? " added Arya while cracking his fingers.

Raphael swallowed his saliva, and wanted to turn his gaze to his mother, hoping to find an escape.

But as soon as he turned his head slightly, a golden energy enveloped Lucas and made him levitate.

And a few seconds later, Anna gently grabs Lucas with her left arm.

"Go ahead my son, go have fun with your brothers. And don't worry about my grandson, I'll take him back to the mansion myself," she said calmly with a slight smile on her lips.

Following his mother's gesture, Raphaël found no excuse.

"Seriously? It looks like you didn't hold back the beating from last time, huh..." Raphael sighed while gently shaking his head.

"But be.. Come on, we're heading to the training grounds, and there I'll remind you why I'm your big brother," he says in an intimidating tone with a smile on his lips.

Arya began to smile, and said:

"Well... it looks like you're confident, but I hope you're ready, because we're not the same as before. "

After that, they all exchanged fiery glances, as if they were going to fight from one second to the next.

Before joining the training ground for their duel, Raphael gently approached his mother, and leaned slightly.

"Mother... can I have a private discussion with you a little later?" He said calmy.

Anna nodded calmly, a slight smile on the corner of her lips.

"Of course. Come find me later. "

They exchanged a complice look, then Raphael joined his brothers and Arya, who were already waiting for him down the path.

A few hours later:

The evening was already well underway. The duels had taken place in an atmosphere that was as noisy as it was lively, amidst bursts of laughter, sibling teasing, and devastating blows. Raphaël had not lost any of his duels, and even tho Andy and Arya had managed to put him in a tough spot, he had managed to pull himself together and win the duels, much to the delight of the family knights who were happy spectators. 

Back in his room, freshly out of the shower, a towel tied around his waist, Raphaël rubbed his soaked hair, while sighing with ease.

"Fiou... it feels good to let off steam a little," he whispered.

Arianne, sitting on the bed, was reading a book. Hearing it, she closed the book and put it on the bedside table.

"So? How was your day with your brothers? "

"Fun, but also tiring. Andy is still as energetic, and Logan is still as strict. "

"And Arya? " asked Arianne.

Raphael shrugged his shoulders with a smile.

"After each of her defeats, she always insisted on having a rematch by making excuses like: -I slipped, the duel didn't count- "

Arianne burst out laughing.

"That's just looks like her, She's always trying to be the best," she said with a smile.

Raphael sat down next to her, still shirtless, drying his hair. Arianne stared at him for a few seconds, her cheeks turning red.

She then looked away, and said in a calm but slightly icy tone:

"You know, a knight told me something interesting during the day..."

Hearing this, Raphael froze on the spot as if tetanized, and said:

"Ah... really? "
"Well, I can't wait to know what he told you. "

Arianne took a light breath and said:

"He told me that you and Andy had made a bet. And this bet stipulated that if Andy beat you in a duel, you promised him to listen to his arguments about taking a second woman. "

Then she turned to Raphael, and looked at him with a threatening smile on her lips.

"Well, it's lucky that you won all your duels, isn't it... Raphael?" She said in an icy tone.

Raphael felt a fear invade him, and had a slightly panicked expression, lowering his head, he said:

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist the dry cleaning he put on me, that I had to accept this bet. "

Arianne smiled tenderly when she saw his panicked expression.

"It's good how you apologized. I hope it won't happen again," she said in a soft voice while patting her thighs.

Raphaël smiled slightly, then lay down gently on Ariane's thighs.

Arianne looked at him with a smile, then she began to caress his wet hair.

They stayed for a moment, in a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere.

Then, after a few minutes, Raphael looking at the ceiling, said:

"I have to go see my mother soon. "

Arianne nodded softly, without asking any questions.

"Very good. Do you want me to wait for you? "

He gave her a gentle look.

"Yes... don't fall asleep, please. "

She smiled.

"I Promise. "

Raphael got up, quickly put on clothes, and left the room.

It was time to have a conversation with Anna.


                                                   To be continued...