In the middle of a gray cell densely etched with runes, there sat an old man on the brink of death, his skin clinging to his bones and his long, unkempt hair entirely white. The man stared at the ceiling with his starry eyes, lost in thought, as if reflecting on his entire life within that small, silent cell.
But that silence was soon broken by the sound of firm footsteps approaching. This caused the old man to slowly turn his head toward the energy barrier on the left, from where he could hear the steps. After a few moments, from the darkness emerged a tall, handsome young man with black hair adorned with countless stars and galaxies and emerald-green eyes that gazed forward full of confidence.
Upon seeing the young man, the old man's eyes, which seemed to hold the universe much like the young man's hair, couldn't help but cloud over with a flood of conflicting emotions. Madness, disdain, hatred, fear, regret, and even a hint of nostalgia and affection flickered in the old man's starry gaze. After taking a few steps to stand in front of the cell, the young man remained completely silent, staring at the old man, almost as if studying a strange animal.
"You truly are the spitting image of her… That beautiful hair… Those enchanting eyes… That beauty straight out of a painting… But I don't understand… Why don't I feel the blood connection…?"
The old man broke the silence with a heavy, broken, and somewhat eerie voice, looking the handsome and elegant young man up and down with visible confusion shining in his starry eyes. The young man smiled with a hint of mockery and replied in a cold tone.
"That's obvious. I'm not your son."
"What?! Impossible! You're identical to her!" the old man retorted, full of disbelief. Erik smiled coldly and remarked.
"I did the lineage test. You're not my father."
"Impossible… It was there before… I felt it… The baby was definitely my child… It was my chance… The final ingredient…" The old man muttered, filled with disbelief, anger, and madness. Erik looked at the dying old man with a trace of surprise and commented.
"I originally thought my mother had managed to deceive a decrepit, crazy old man, but it seems it's more complicated than that…"
"No, it can't be… You're identical, the spitting image of her…" The old man kept repeating like a madman, twitching his fingers in a strange manner. Erik looked at the crazy old man with disdain and commented in a cold voice laced with murderous intent.
"You know, I almost lost all desire to kill you when I found out you weren't my father, but you still tried to slaughter me like livestock, so rejoice—someone very much like the woman you raped and murdered will execute you, you filthy rat."
"It's impossible… I was sure… It can't be… It's a trick… It's a plot…"
The old man muttered over and over like a lunatic, but soon his eyes filled with crazed rage. He lunged at the barrier, pounding on it with all his strength while shouting at the top of his lungs, spitting blood in the process.
"It's a lie! You are my son! My ingredient!! You're trying to deceive me!!! I won't allow it!!! You were born to be the final step in my ascension!!!! You belong to me!!!" As the old man screamed and battered the barrier, Erik looked into his starry, madness-filled eyes and commented with a small, playful smile.
"Who would've thought those eyes were the result of a bio-mystic technique? You're really good at keeping secrets. Over 500,000 years of history, and it was never leaked that Eldora Wood was just a byproduct of cultivating a small, unknown fungus—the key ingredient for the potion needed to practice [Gaze of Arkhé]… Truly impressive. No wonder no one could replicate such valuable wood for so long…"
The old man's eyes lost all traces of madness and widened in horror, and soon he whispered in a choked, faint voice.
"How…?"
"How else? Just like you discovered it—on a jade slip in the ruins." Erik replied with a mocking tone, which drove the old man completely insane. He began smashing his head against the barrier and screaming so loudly that his vocal cords tore.
"Liar!!!! You damned liar!!! That's the life's work of my ancestor!!!! Something he sacrificed his life to understand, something only I know!!!! You bastards!!! You read my soul!!!! You read my soul!!!! Damn hypocrites!!! You can't steal my ancestors' legacy!!!! It's mine; it belongs to me!!!! I won't let you take everything from me!!!!"
While the old man screamed and slammed his head and fists against the barrier, blood staining his body yet not even making the barrier tremble a millimeter, Erik turned to leave the dark place. He had a smirk full of mockery on his face. With Erik's departure, the dark space was left with only the maddened voice of the old man, who kept screaming the same rant over and over with all his strength.
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…
"Are you ready to do it, darling?"
In a small but well-furnished and brightly lit living room, Eleonora asked, looking at Erik, who sat with spirits and wolves positioned on different parts of his body beside him. Erik nodded and commented in a calm, slightly cold voice.
"Completely ready. Even if he's not my father, he still tried to kill me, so he deserves to die."
"You're absolutely right, that bastard must die. But I feel like he's going to die too easily."
Ebonique commented with a voice equally charged with murderous intent. Sigrún, sitting on Erik's other side, nodded and added with exasperation while Seraphina restrained the cold light in her eyes, standing behind her young master as the perfect maid she was.
"I agree, a quick death is more than that filthy rat deserves, but there's no other choice. If we don't execute him, he'll still die in a couple of months."
"But Erik, are you sure you don't want to confirm if the royal family of Sylphium Valley is really your family?" Ignis asked with a hint of concern, causing a silence among the others. Erik shook his head and replied.
"Not really. Even if the princess was truly my mother, she's already dead, and all because they handed her over. Regardless of the reason, the fact is they gave her up to her death, so I have no intention whatsoever of meeting them.
"Besides, confirming they're my family would do more harm than good. Those people barely have a Sage-Peak on the verge of death as their strongest force, so I'm sure they'd love to know they have a direct disciple of the Arcane Order as kin."
"That's true. Royal families are never short of opportunists and desperate individuals willing to do anything for benefits, and they're really troublesome." Eleonora commented with a hint of disgust in her expression. Erik nodded calmly while stroking the wolves' heads, at which point a feminine voice sounded from outside the room.
"Everything's ready. It's your time, Erik."
"The moment of truth has arrived."
Eleonora commented in a serious tone and stood up as the door opened, revealing a stunning redhead on the other side. Erik also rose from his seat, while the wolves hid in his shadow and Ebonique and Ignis in his hair, and he spoke in a polite tone.
"Thanks for the heads-up, Master Sunforge."
"Don't be so formal."
Thalia commented with a smile, to which Erik nodded silently before stepping forward toward the guards at the entrance, who guided him to the execution chamber, with Seraphina following closely behind. Once Erik left, Sigrún looked at Thalia and commented with a mocking smile, clicking her tongue in disdain.
"Still single? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Time's running out; you'll be an old maid soon."
"Go to hell, you damn cradle-robber!" Thalia quickly retorted with annoyance, a strange light flashing in her eyes. Sigrún puffed out her chest and replied haughtily.
"Are you sure you want to talk to me like that? I can still tell my darling husband to leave you out of the Eldora Wood business."
"You're getting more repulsive by the day." Thalia replied with irritation, which made Sigrún laugh. She soon started walking toward the exit while commenting in a playful tone.
"Envy really is better to provoke than to feel. What an ugly sight."
"…One of these days, I'm going to kick that smug ass of hers to the end of the galaxy…" Thalia couldn't help but mutter through gritted teeth. Eleonora couldn't hold back a subtle laugh and commented in a calm, elegant voice.
"That's just her way of expressing happiness. She'll get over it with time."
"I hope it's soon…" Thalia muttered through clenched teeth, but soon let out a sigh of exasperation and commented in a strange tone, looking at the elegant and somehow more mature Eleonora.
"… Though, putting that aside, I still can't believe you two actually took that step… It's not an easy thing to do…"
"This whole ruin incident made us realize that life is too unpredictable, and a single misstep can leave us with eternal regret. Faced with the idea of losing the man we love, what others think isn't even worth mentioning." Eleonora commented in a calm voice, but at that moment, a memory came to her mind, causing her to lick her lips seductively and add.
"Besides, after trying it, I felt like a fool. I can't believe I wasted so much time… I should've done it from the very first day…"
After speaking, Eleonora left the room, leaving behind a shocked and curious Thalia, who couldn't help but stare at her friend's back. Now, Eleonora seemed more like a seductress than a troublemaker.
(Is it really that good…?)
As doubt formed in her mind, Thalia couldn't help but let her imagination wander. Upon realizing that the face appearing in her thoughts was that of the young man with green eyes, she quickly shook her head and left the room with a hurried, guilty step.
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…
After parting from his masters, Erik was led to a spacious, well-lit room with walls and a ceiling made entirely of glass, through which a large auditorium filled with people wearing various expressions could be seen. With a calm demeanor, Erik looked at the mad, desperate old man strapped to a sort of hospital bed, who glared at him with bloodshot eyes. The old man undeniably wished for his death with every fiber of his being.
"Today, we gather to carry out the execution of the greatest traitor in recent galactic history. His crimes number in the millions, the worst of which include conspiring with the Virelians and the murder and sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of people…"
A man dressed in black robes that completely covered him, with the only distinguishing mark being an emblem of an ancient balance scale holding a spear embroidered on his chest, spoke in a serious voice. He continued to list the crimes of the mad old man. Meanwhile, Erik looked at the people in the auditorium, noticing that there were no familiar young faces. They were all important figures of the Arcane Order, some known to him and others not.
"… For these crimes, the penalty of immediate execution has been decreed, and it shall be carried out by one of his victims, the direct disciple Erik Verne."
When the man in black finally gave the instruction, two other men dressed in similar embroidered robes, but in a different color, handed Erik a syringe loaded with a strange purple liquid. Taking the syringe, Erik began walking step by step with a calm expression toward the mad old man, who struggled with all his might in vain.
Meanwhile, outside the execution chamber, a beautiful woman with long blue hair and seductive allure, dressed in sensual clothing that maximized her appeal, couldn't help but frown. At that moment, a purple light gleamed in the woman's enchanting blue eyes, focusing entirely on Erik, and a look of horror spread across her face.
In her eyes, the handsome young man with starry hair no longer appeared as a young man, nor even as a human. He looked like a terrifying, bloodthirsty monster struggling against colossal golden chains and shackles to break free. But even more terrifying was that with each step he took toward the mad old man, the chains and shackles began to release one by one, causing an eerie, madness-laden laughter to echo in her mind, making her tremble in her spot.
"Is something wrong?"
At that moment, a man beside the woman, roughly the same age, with the same hair color and quite similar features, asked the seductive woman with a hint of confusion. She turned to look at the man and asked in a low voice, her skin completely covered in goosebumps.
"Don't you hear laughter…?"
"Laughter? No."
The man looked around a bit confused, which made the woman swallow hard and look again at the star-haired young man injecting the poison into the traitor. But although the young man's expression was serious, the woman somehow felt that he was laughing like a madman, full of macabre delight.
Feeling all her danger alarms go off, the woman quickly tried to reach for her staff, but upon seeing a certain pair of notorious troublemakers, she clenched her teeth and returned to rationality. Attacking would only lead to disaster; that pair of troublemakers was insane, and the boy hadn't actually done anything wrong. It was just her, scared of what she could see within him.
Soon, as beads of sweat rolled down the woman's forehead, the traitor finally took his last breath. At that moment, she could see the monster laughing at the sky in sheer delight before fixing its gaze on all those present, hungry for more. But as she clenched her fists, deciding to end this damned monster once and for all before it became truly dangerous, something happened that left her stunned.
The moment the star-haired young man took a step toward the exit, she could see the golden chains and shackles the monster had left behind come to life and imprison it once more. No matter how much the monster struggled and screamed, it was swiftly confined until it disappeared, leaving only a handsome young man with starry hair, one blue eye and one green, with chains and shackles on his neck and limbs.
As she tried to process the impossible scene, the young man with heterochromatic eyes suddenly turned to look at her with curiosity. At that instant, his eyes returned to normal, and the chains vanished. This caused her to panic for a moment, but being an experienced woman, she quickly returned his gaze with playful mischief and winked at him.
At that moment, the pair of troublemakers appeared beside the young man and whisked him away in a flash. Though before they did, the blonde troublemaker didn't forget to send her a warning glance, to which she responded with a scornful smirk. At that moment, the man beside her couldn't help but look at her and ask, somewhat confused.
"Is that boy so interesting that you're willing to provoke Sigrún and Eleonora? You know even I have trouble dealing with those two troublemakers, right?"
"Don't worry, he's quite interesting, but I was just playing a little…" The woman commented in a soft, ambiguous voice, though internally, her mind replayed the almost magical scene she had witnessed over and over.
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…
"Why were you looking at that vixen?" In the elevator of the tallest building on the university planet, Sigrún couldn't help but ask with an annoyed pout while looking at Erik, who replied in a calm voice.
"Because the Myst around her was acting a bit strange. I've never felt anything like it."
"The Myst was acting strange? How?" Eleonora couldn't help but ask, curious. Erik nodded and replied in a reflective tone.
"I don't know how to explain it, but it was odd… It was somewhat similar to how I use Myst to enhance my perception, but at the same time, it was different and quite subtle…"
"That vixen can enhance her perception with Myst? I never noticed anything strange about the Myst around her…" Sigrún asked curiously, completely forgetting her earlier annoyance. Erik shook his head and replied thoughtfully.
"I'm not sure, but that's the closest thing I can find to describe it…"
"Is it like the resonance of Myst with affinities?" Eleonora asked, visibly curious, since it would have to be something similar to go unnoticed by them but not by Erik. The star-haired young man nodded thoughtfully.
"It was similar only in how subtle it was, but not much else."
"How curious… What is that vixen hiding?" Sigrún brought her hand to her chin and murmured to herself, at which point Seraphina announced in a calm, professional voice.
"We're arriving."
"Erik, we're about to meet Brigid, the highest authority of the Arcane Order. She played a vital role in your rescue at the ruins. When you meet her, stay alert and mind your manners." Eleonora quickly commented in a serious tone, snapping Erik out of his thoughts. Sigrún sharpened her gaze and added with similar seriousness.
"That woman is quite strict and likes to exaggerate, so avoid talking too much."
"She sounds pretty terrifying…" Erik couldn't help but comment with a hint of surprise at seeing how cautious his beautiful masters seemed.
"She is… We learned a thing or two from her and suffered quite a bit at her hands…" Sigrún couldn't help but comment in a cautious voice, to which Eleonora nodded solemnly. Erik wanted to keep asking questions, but before he could, the elevator doors opened.
Soon, Erik entered the most important meeting room of the University, where he found an imposing woman with crimson hair and bright orange eyes, strikingly similar to Thalia. Immediately, Erik performed a formal bow and prepared to greet her, but at that moment, the stunning redhead looked at Sigrún and Eleonora and spoke with a dangerous light gleaming in her eyes.
"Seems like you two still enjoy talking behind people's backs…"
Sigrún and Eleonora trembled slightly under the woman's gaze but quickly returned it with fierceness, at which point Erik finally greeted her in a serious, formal tone.
"Direct disciple Erik Verne presents himself."
"I've been wanting to meet you for a while, Erik. I'm Brigid, wife of Lysander and chief justice of the court. By the way, don't believe what these two troublemakers say. I simply taught them some manners they didn't quite learn well." Brigid commented with a smile, to which Erik quickly bowed again and spoke.
"It's a pleasure to meet such an important figure of our Arcane Order."
"Come, sit. Let's talk a bit." Brigid commented with a calm smile, to which Erik nodded and walked toward the table with his masters and maid.
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