The return of the first son of King Progeny made a sensation inside Waverith.

Folks gathered, then began to sing the Song of Fire and Blood.

That was the only song they knew.

Pitiful creatures.

It had been a long while since the last time they saw Dain Warborn, so the people became eager. Not because of him in and of itself, but simply because it was a good opportunity to show their ruler their devotion to him.

And what was better than hailing his son as a hero? They knew how to touch the heart of a father.

So, to thank King Progeny for his fairness in rule, and his unyielding protection against the threats caused by nearby beast settlements and other strongholds, they proposed to celebrate the day.

The Day of Return, they called it.

Some talented poets amidst the plebeians began to write poems regarding the heroic journey of Dain, big brother of the Hero of Waverith.

They whispered that his return was accompanied by a mythical beast called a Griffin, a beast bathed in glory and divinity.

How heroic — the folks cried out, tears streaking down their cheeks — the bloodline of Warborn was. Deep with honor, heavy with responsibility. Yet their shoulders remained broad and straight, not hunched and weak.

How glorious!

Admiration boiled inside them like scalding water, and that admiration increased even further when the Warborn siblings paraded the cobbled streets of the stronghold together.

They witnessed the borgne eye of Daela, and said she had sacrificed it for the good of the people.

They cried in gratefulness.

They witnessed the scar-filled body of Dain, with Griffin atop his head, and sobbed about the pain he went through to guide them toward the right direction.

And finally, they took in the starry crimson eyes of Kaden, and knelt in submission, saying the Heavens themselves had blessed their Hero.

All of this was nothing but rumors and whispers entertained by bored men who fancied fantasy. Who fancied myth.

But Lady Ouroboros and Lady Heavens would be damned if they didn't use this opportunity to reaffirm the Warborn's position.

They fueled these rumors, paying some to write poems, others to put in place theatrical productions regarding the siblings.

After that, the siblings scarcely appeared in public. Steadily and in time, everything that was known about them became a speck of truth glazed with thick lies.

That was when Lord Duty — or Orator, for some — entered the political game.

He wove into this play worms of words about the Snake Princess, the Daughter of Fear, and the Daughter of Frost in relation to the Hero.

Mortals loved romance. They craved it, even. So they extrapolated these rumors and created even small books regarding Kaden, Rea, Inara, and Meris.

The girls, too, rarely appeared in public in their true appearance.

The aim of all this was clear, and the nobles who remained after the purge watched with dread as everyone became slowly brainwashed.

It would take time and effort for this plan to bear fruit. But time was something they had. And patience was their strongest virtue.

Soon, the people of Waverith would believe in this imaginative reality woven by their Rulers.

Once they believed, everything would be settled.

The rule of the Red Crown and the Silver Crowns would be set in stone, unchanging. For seeking to change it meant going against a common belief.

And what a task that was.

The pieces were set. The myths were slowly growing.

Soon enough, the rulers of Waverith would be unknown except through their proxies. And the folks would only share their grievances with them through only one being.

The Orator.

…

"It gives me the creeps," Dain grated, eyebrows knitted together. "Why must we do this useless thing?"

"Ask Ouroboros and Heavens," Garros said, shrugging. "They found the idea of us being a mystery better than being in constant contact with the folks."

"How does that even make sense? We must be in contact with the ones we rule to better rule them!"

"A fair point," Garros nodded, "and that was my first thought. But those two ladies said something that made me think more deeply."

Dain frowned, but listened.

"They said," Garros followed, "and I quote: Humans stop fearing something they are used to. Make them used to your presence, and they will think you are a mortal like them. One they can control. One they can oppose if some bold, reckless idea creeps in."

"That's how a society begins to turn against its rulers."

Dain fell silent at the words. Even though he was not the bright type, he found a certain truth in them.

Still, that didn't mean he particularly fancied the idea of being feared through rumors.

He wanted to be feared through his own actions. Like a true warrior. Through blood and pain. Through death and rebirth.

"You will get used to it," Serena said with a smile. "And it's not like we have lied. Everything we told them are things you have done. It was them who twisted it and made it bigger than it should be."

"That's how myth works," Kaden added from the side. "A semblance of truth coated in a thick layer of extrapolated lies."

"True, but…" Dain suddenly laughed. "Hahaha! No way, youngest, you are meddling with three women."

Dain snapped his head towards his parents. "How is it possible? How did you accept him having more than one wife?"

Serena shrugged. "I cannot say no to my baby."

Garros mirrored his wife. "I cannot say no to my wife."

Dain turned his head towards Daela.

She shrugged too. "Always yes to little brother."

Dain looked at Kaden next, his crimson eyes judging him harshly.

Kaden's lips twitched. "I am innocent," he defended himself, turning his head to the other side in embarrassment.

"I must meet them," Dain added. "I must ask them what they see in you!"

"Jealousy? Don't be. I know a beautiful abomination. Want me to help you?"

Dain ignored his brother with a click of his tongue.

"And yes. I heard they are back too," Kaden continued, his voice lowering as he frowned slightly.

"Inara contacted me, and I will see her today after Eimi's awakening. But Meris…"

He paused once more,

"…Meris is eerily silent. It's not in her habit."

His voice was filled with worry, and all of them could feel it.

At that exact moment, the door to the awakening room creaked, then burst open. Light footsteps began to echo.

"Seek her after this," Serena said, watching Eimi approaching. "Maybe something happened."

"If you need help, I am here," Dain added, giving him a thumbs up.

Garros nodded simply, while Daela, standing beside him, grabbed his hand gently.

Kaden nodded. "I will," he said, then looked at the approaching Eimi.

Today was her 10th birthday. The day of her awakening.

Eimi's heart was stomping furiously against her chest, uneasiness gnawing at her gut. This anxiety jolted upward when she stepped into the room, facing the eyes of the Warborn.

The young girl almost fell.

Eimi was delighted to know she was valued enough for them to let go of everything they were doing for her awakening. Surely, it was thanks to her master, Daela.

Still, Eimi would have loved not to have them here.

'They are so scary!' Eimi cried out internally, doing her best not to shed tears of stress.

She barely managed.

The crimson eyes of this family were too piercing.

She gathered herself, took one step. Another one. Eventually, Eimi strode forward with steady steps.

After what seemed an eternity of walking, she finally arrived in front of the awakening ball.

She stood straight, then bowed ninety degrees.

"I greet the Red Crown!" she bellowed, voice trembling.

"No need for such a thing," Serena eased Eimi, her smile motherly. "You can begin when you feel ready."

Eimi bowed even deeper. "Thanks for witnessing my awakening!"

The Warborn simply nodded with a smile.

"Hey! This Eimi is cute," Dain chuckled, "but hey, wait!! I remember having a candy!"

He began to search inside his pockets, spinning on himself, clown-like.

"Here!" Dain found it, smiling wildly. He grabbed the candy and threw it at Eimi.

The little lass caught it easily.

She looked at it. Strawberry-flavored candy, shaped like a heart.

Unconsciously, a stealthy smile crept onto her lips.

Her heart immediately eased, her breathing regulating. She lifted her head and stared at Dain. The man was smiling freely, his appearance nothing like the whispers she had been hearing lately.

The man in front of her was not a divine or a man. A conqueror of Old. No. The man in front of her was gentle and sweet.

Even more than Kaden, in some way.

Strangely — or maybe because of her emotional state — Dain reminded Eimi of Zaki.

The first one who gave her a candy when she was nothing but a beggar.

The first one willing to be her friend, when she was nothing but a stinky, dirty little girl sleeping on a floor soaked in piss and vomit.

The only one who gave her food when her stomach began to eat itself.

Zaki, her first friend, did all of that.

It had been so long since Eimi last saw him. Each night, she thought about him before sleeping. And each morning, she felt the loneliness overwhelm her without him.

In some cases, Eimi even missed her days on the street. Zaki was everything to her.

That was why she was ready to die for him. Ready to be raped by goblins for him.

And today was the day. Today, she would finally have the ability to follow his tail, and hopefully to catch it.

She would not give up. She would find Zaki, and she would be with him. That was her goal.

That was her driving force.

So with a grateful smile towards Dain, Eimi stored the candy inside her pocket. Stretching her slender hand, filled with scars, she put her hand on the awakening ball.

The room went dead silent, all of them watching intensely.

The awakening ball pulsed once, twice, then a blinding blue light erupted from it, bathing the whole room in an oceanic darkness.

The scent of salt, carried by a whispering wind, soaked the surroundings, followed by the sound of a breathing water.

Peaceful, the Warborn felt, watching in surprise. Eimi's appearance was slowly changing.

Gills — like those of a fish — appeared on the two sides of her neck. They opened, then closed, as if feeling their uselessness in the current environment.

At that sight, Kaden's and Daela's eyes widened.

Prometheus recognized this back in the Ruined Dungeon, on one of the numerous ruined corpses with Asael.

And Daela recalled this aspect during her first time in Fokay. Her first spawning place.

The Island of Sailors.

"How come?" she whispered, shock evident in her tone.

…

Meanwhile, in Fokay, on an island ringed by ships of all sides and colors, the ocean suddenly began to rumble.

The sky darkened, filled with thick, dark clouds that seemed to twist in anger. Lightning, followed by rain, began to thunder over both the sea and the island.

Restless tides erupted, the beasts of the depths fleeing in fear.

Deep into the island, in a place created to worship the Goddess of Depthless Depth, the statue of the goddess glowed with brilliant oceanic light.

The Saintess, kneeling beneath the statue, raised her veiled face to the sky.

Blood trickled down from her ears, mouth, and eyes, as the voice of the goddess shrieked inside her head,

"Not dead!"

The Depth bellowed.

"NOT DEAD!!"

—End of Chapter 364—

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