《Masquerade of Life》 Chapter 0 Applause. As I opened my eyes, moonlight pours through, blindingly bright, sickeningly pale. The crowd¡¯s jeers reaches my ears, but as any good jester knows, jeers are a form of applause. For after all, they prove one¡¯s existence, one¡¯s actions, worthy of acclaim, regardless of actions. We jesters hunger for such applause; and what greater laudation does one receive except one at the culmination of life, the curtain call of the Reaper? ¡°The criminal, Pierre Osmanthus, have been charged with theft, murder, and high treason. He has been found consorting with the Black Hand, with numerous irrefutable evidences of his traitorous deeds. Thus he will now undergo purification of his soul through death, found at the cleansing fire.¡± The rasping voice of the preacher resounded harshly within my head. I glance about, noting the stake I was tied to, the rough rope that digs into my flesh, the dry tinder about my person, and the audience, the ever present audience. I lightly laugh, inciting the anger of the crowd. ¡°Fucking traitor!¡± ¡°Burn in hell you bastard!¡± ¡°Worthless son of a bitch!¡± So cries out voices that had lauded my name in the streets not even a week ago. Oh how fickle are the hearts of men. ¡°Pierre, do you have any confessions to make upon the eve of your death?¡± the preacher contemptuously inquires. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Oh priest, what are confessions, but the revelations of secrets which one has held within the deep recesses of his heart? And what are secrets, but hidden desires and actions? What use is it to speak of such secrets when my actions have so clearly been revealed?¡± I respond, lightly sighing, in that flowery speech I am so accustomed to. ¡°But your actions make no sense, why did you--¡± a soldier at the side inquired, but was cut off by his comrade who dug his elbows sharply into his sides. I turn my head to glance at him, recognizing him as one of my more ardent fan, one of many that had attended every one of my performances with a zeal. Ah what a pity, that although I long for the end of this play, that I would leave the audience behind. ¡°PEOPLE! Look upon this unrepentant criminal, one that refuses to alleviate the burdens of his soul but would rather mock the intelligence of the people that stand witness here. Let us not tarry, light the fire!¡± The torches are set to the tinder, which is set ablaze, setting my vision within an amber glow. I close my eyes, reminiscing, as the flames lick upon my soles, desiring to consume my flesh. Yes, I reminisce, of simpler days, the days in which I had no recollection of my gift, my affliction, my curse. I open my eyes, glancing at the moon, the accursed moon, that whose light is hollow, as I am. I then turn my head towards the crowds, and smile maniacally. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you to my last performance. I appreciate your support over these past few weeks, but I regret that all good things must come to an end. And so, I bid you adieu. ¡± Then with a grin, I¡­. Preamble- Recollections of the Pierrot I was born in the capital of the kingdom of Candidus as the third child of the Osmanthus family, consisting of four children all one year apart from the next and a single father. I suppose my family was well off, as compared to other families within the capital, as we were one of the 20 minor noble families of the kingdom. We didn¡¯t really lack for anything, nor were we lavish spenders. Unlike other nobles, however, our family disdained utilizing servants for our household, preferring to do the general chores ourselves. A rather unremarkable minor noble family. When I was a child, I was often told that I was a docile baby, quiet, seldom crying. I apparently had my family¡¯s trademark black hair when I was born, but over time the color faded away, leaving behind drab, gray locks. These two traits combined resulted in a rather unsettling look for a toddler, causing the general populace of the capital to be rather wary of me, but pretended to not be in front of me, as that would be rather cruel to a child. Of course, I noticed. When I was 5, my siblings and I were tested by a court mage and a knight, for our affinity in magic and in blade, in order to test what our future paths should be. My father¡¯s bloodline proved to be rather excellent, as my siblings all had potential in magic and martial arts, not one had potential lower than a superior rating. Except me. I had proved to be the only one that is average in all aspects.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Despite this rather disappointing result, my father¡¯s plans and aspirations for me were no less than that of my siblings. Rather, it seemed as if he was determined to prove my rating wrong. Because of this lack of discrimination, as well as his fervent support, I rather loved my father. Of course, I loved my siblings as well, as they would help me out in my training and in school, in whichever area I struggled, and I could feel their own love for me, their brother. So, I strove my best to follow their wishes, to meet up their expectations, to not let them down. ¡­.. ¡­. ¡­ .. . I also hated them. I hated them, because whenever grievances arose between us, I would oft hold in my bitter words, my anger and misery, as to hold the harmony within the family. I would constantly compare myself and my skills with my siblings, and find myself lacking. Of course, I would eventually lash out, but more often than not I would be proven to be in the wrong of the conflict, and accept their reasoning the logical thoughts that were so much superior to mine. ¡­. ¡­ .. . But I loved them. Isn¡¯t it amusing, isn¡¯t it interesting, isn¡¯t it so¡­ human? That such a contradiction would exist even within the heart of a child. That the expectations and love that one had poured out could turn out to do so much harm. That it came so naturally to the child lie, to hide, to evade. Chapter 1 "Wake up, sleepypie." At the sound of a familiar, gentle voice, the figure on the bed slowly arose, rubbing the sleep out of his pale, stormy eyes, his gray locks spraying out in a wild bedhead. Grumbling slightly to himself, he looks around for the instigator of his awakening, spotting her by the doorway to his bedroom. "Morning Leah. And good night." With these parting words, the youth then turned to his side, and attempted to fall back into the world of dreams. The girl chuckled, then with smooth, practiced movements walked over to the bed, and unceremoniously ripped the bedcovers off the boy, leaving him shivering and balled up in a fetal position. "Come on Pierre, get up. It''s already 7:30 and you need to eat breakfast before Grant and Theo steals it all." said Leah. "... Did you make the food?" "Yeah. It''s nothing much though, just eggs an-" With a bolt, the gray locked boy rushed out his bed and flew down the stairs to the dining room. "Morning bro." The two boys who were already chowing down on the eggs and bacon merely waves to the greeting, and concentrates back on the food. Pierre joins them in eating, whilst Leah merely shakes her head at the trio of gluttons. "I swear Pierre, some days the only thing that''ll get you out of bed is food," Leah sighed, with equal parts mirth and resignation. "Nuh-uh. Somethgqoeapgflwelkasfn."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "Yes, yes, finish your food first." Pierre finished chewing and swallowing his mouthful, and then unabashedly spoke, "No way. It''s not just any food that can pick me up from my bed. Take for example Grant and Theo''s cooking. Like do you remember the time they burned water when they tried to boi- oough" At his elder brothers'' simultaneous elbow jabs, Pierre grinned and then turned his attention back to the food. A few minutes later, all that was left upon the table were dirty plates and cups of milk, as the siblings took their time to savor the morning breeze and relax before facing the day. "Oh by the way Dad''s returning from the palace tonight," spoke Grant, breaking the serene silence. At his words, Pierre''s heart clenched, but his visage reflected none of his inner emotions. "Do you know what time exactly?" asked Pierre nonchalantly. "Should be a bit after dinnertime. Speaking of him coming back, everyone did the homework he gave us?" replied Grant. "Yeah. I still don''t know why we''re not allowed to show each other the results anyways," grumbled Theo. "Well, Dad told us to hide it from others, and he always has a reason," sighed Leah. """True."""
"Hey, we''re gonna be late." At Leah''s words, three pairs of dark brown eyes and a pair of storm-gray ones turned to stare at the clock hanging upon the dining room wall, and then the room burst into action. After a couple minutes of panic-induced preparations, Leah corraled everyone out the house, whilst Grant stayed behind to lock the gates. The group rushed out into the cobblestone streets of the Capital, merely waving their arms in greeting to the morning passersby while running as fast as they could, slowing down only when they saw the cold, white peaks of the Academy. As they slowed down, however, the drifting conversations of others could barely be heard, worsening the moods of the siblings. "- unnatural-" "-an affair-" "-their mother?-" "- picked up-" " -literal ''black sheep'', pfft- " Pierre''s visage grew harder, as he bit his lips and pretended he heard nothing. No use in explaining, as he''d tried to explain many times. No use in making others late because of him either. "Excuse me sir, were you perhaps talking about us?" But that didn''t mean that his family was as willing to let it go. Chapter 2 "Huh?" As Grant approached, the grey-coated man who had slung the last slur at Pierre stepped backwards, as if to ward off the angered teen''s advance. "Did you not hear me correctly? Do I have to repeat myself in order for your simple intellect to catach up with the rest of humanity? As that may seem to be the case, let me speak once more. Were you perhaps spending this fine morning to release the frustrations you may have in your poor, unfulfilled life upon my family?" Grant spoke, with a cold glint flashing within his eyes. At the insult, the man flushed deep red, then mumbled, "Nothing." "Ah, then am I supposed to assume that you were speaking of some other people? My apologies," Grant smiled. "However sir, should the subject have been about a member of the nobility of Candidus, I expect that you know the consequences that comes with such slander," Theo added in, also smiling. "Y-yes, of course," the grey-coat responded, visibly whiter in visage at the thinly veiled threat. Meanwhile, Leah merely glanced around, a gentle smile upon her face, but none that reached her eyes, her gaze lasting a moment longer upon those who had spoken before. The recipients'' faces paled as well, as they hurried off to their respective destinations, silent. WIth the ensuing silence, the grey-coated man took it has his cue to leave as well, before these young nobles decided to follow up on their threats. "... you didn''t have to do that," Pierre muttered. Grant, Theo, and Leah gave a collective sigh at Pierre''s words, and then responded simultaneously, "Yes, we did." "Come on Pierre, you don''t need to let them walk all over you like that," Theo complained. Pierre merely nodded, staring at the multi-colored cobblestone paving the road. Sighing once more, Grant said, "Well, at least the rumors should die for about another month with this." "Pierre, if anything''s bothering you, you know you could talk to us anytime," Leah spoke with concern. Pierre nodded once more, then, with a small smile on his face, said, "Let''s hurry guys, we''re gonna be late." With these parting words, he started walking once more to the Academy, approaching it''s metal gates. Grant, Theo, and Leah each gave another looks, then walked once more to catch up to Pierre.
The Academy. Located in the Capital, it stands as the kingdom of Candidus''s most prestigious center of learning. The students are required to attend from age 10 and onwards, until their graduation at age 18, marking their entrance into society and adulthood. Their first 4 years are to be general studies, namely etiquette, language, arithmetics, and physical training. After this introductory 4 year course, they are to separate into 3 separate branches for their remaining 4 years: the Pen, the Sword, and the Shield.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The Pen refers to studies of the arcane, of mysteries and magic, tapping into the enigmatic energy present within the world, mana. The members and graduates of the Pen strive to improve humanity''s understanding of mana, inventing new applications of it in both combat and domestic affairs. The Sword refers to the studies of military might, of plain flesh, blood, and steel, augumenting their strength into further heights to the force of life dwelling in every creature, aura. The members and graduates of the Sword invest their prowess in battle to defend the Kingdom, as well as to strike their foes if needed. The Shield, although given the moniker of a military equipment, refers to domestic affairs; politics, engineers, lawyers, etc. They serve to protect the livelihood of the Kingdom, as well as to improve upon it.
Once at the Academy grounds, the siblings split off, Grant to the Sword, Leah to the Pen, Theo to the Shield, and lastly, Pierre to the introductory course. As Pierre walked the familiar route towards the intro building, he received an impact from the back, with a cheery, "''Sup!" "Hey Ned." Pierre responded, rubbing his back, yet with a smile. "Do you always have to hit me in the morning?" "Aw come on Pierre, you know my day doesn''t feel right without a hearty hello," Ned responded, as he proceeded to jostle Pierre. "So, are you excited that this''ll be our last day in the introduction course? What kind of branch are you thinking of going to? " "Eh, I don''t really know. Don''t they recommend you choose something that best suits your aptitude from the test today? Besides, I''ll probably just enter the Shield like Theo." Pierre said, a bit despondently. "Huh? Why?" Ned asked. Pierre glanced at him. They had been friends, if friends could be people you hang out with during lunch, and talk about trivial things, such as schoolwork and rumors. Especially because of the rumors surrounding Pierre, he hadn''t had the chance to have alot of acquaintances, much less friends he could confide in. Ned, a bit uncomfortable with Pierre''s stare, said nervously, "What?" "You know I''m known as the black sheep of the Osmanthus family, right?" "Yeah, so what of it? Doesn''t mean anything if the family itself doesn''t care," Ned spoke carefreely. Pierre took a deep breath, as if to bolster his spirits, then decided that Ned was a good enough friend to know more about his situation. "When we were young, my siblings and I underwent an aptitude test. I was the only one with a mediocre rating." Pierre looked at Ned expectantly, expecting to see shock of some kind. Instead, Ned pondered a bit, then asked, "So?" "So? Doesn''t this further prove that I''m not really an Osmanthus?" Pierre laughed bitterly. "At least that''s what everyone else seems to think." "Dude, it doesn''t matter. Maybe your siblings took all the talent and left you with the dregs in the womb," Ned joked. "Besides, maybe your rating changed from the last time. Still doesn''t change the fact that your the awkward yet cool Pierre I know." "... Thanks." "No problem"