"It would not be a lie to say she is still in secluded training," Jinkan said calmly.

There was a pause—deliberate, measured.

"But the truth is more complicated than that."

Emery felt his chest tighten.

"She is trapped inside one of the Ancient Domains," Jinkan continued. "And yes—she could be in danger."

The Dark Avatar's composure cracked.

"An ancient domain?" Emery demanded, the words coming out sharper than he intended. "What kind of danger?"

The emotional surge rippled outward, sharp enough to stir the restrained aura of the Grand Magus standing at the back of the room. For an instant, the pressure in the suite thickened, like air before a storm.

Atlas moved immediately, stepping between them with practiced ease.

"Let's calm down... We are here to help.. to find her."

Jinkan watched the exchange without alarm. If anything, there was a trace of genuine concern in her eyes now.

"I am… attached to her as well," she said after a moment.

Her words seem sincere, afterall Klea came to the Nephilim Sector under formal invitation—personally sanctioned by the Grand Overseer of the Amarhiks, Jinkan's own family.

She exhaled slowly. "Enough small talk. Come with me."

Emery followed without hesitation, though his thoughts churned violently beneath the surface. Despite the cooperation they had shared in the past, Jinkan was still Nephilim royalty—calculating, layered, and dangerous to trust outright. Only Atlas's presence kept Emery from suspecting a deeper game.

They boarded a sleek Nephilim flying vehicle. Three Grand Magus guards followed close behind as the craft rose smoothly into the air, heading toward one of Ebiru Neo's most heavily guarded portal districts.

Security tightened with every checkpoint.

Formations flared, resistance forming as the system rejected both Emery and Atlas.

Only when Jinkan asserted her authority did the resistance relent. Temporary permits were issued within minutes—conditional, limited, and fragile. Even then, only one of the Grand Magus guards was permitted to follow them through.

"We're entering the Inner Sector," Jinkan said quietly.

The portal was activated.

Space twisted.

When the Dark Avatar stepped through, the world changed completely.

They emerged onto a different planet.

Endless green fields stretched across the horizon, illuminated by gentle starlight. Vast skies arched overhead, where massive clouds drifted between floating islands, each crowned with glowing formations. Far above, other planets hung visibly in the heavens, their presence close enough to feel, distant enough to inspire awe.

"This place," Jinkan said, "is known as the Sanctums of Aeons."

As their craft moved forward, she explained.

The Sanctums were not a single world, but an entire solar system—twelve planets, each a self-contained realm. They were reserved exclusively for Nephilim elites, geniuses, and nobles who had earned the privilege to cultivate beyond conventional limits. Most who trained here were Magus or Grand Magus preparing to challenge the next realm.

Spiritual energy saturated the atmosphere, so dense it shimmered visibly. Cosmic fluctuations pulsed faintly through the skies, responding to thought, will, and bloodline alike.

To Emery, the resemblance to Hyperion, once managed by the Magus Academy, but this was magnified multiplefold and owned privately by the Nephilim.

Structures soon appeared below.

Elegant residences scattered across the plains, followed by vast cultivation complexes and, at the system's heart, a colossal citadel perched atop a mountain range. The citadel radiated authority, its walls carved with ancient Nephilim script and reinforced by formations far beyond universal standards.

"These citadels house the finest facilities the Magus Alliance can provide," Jinkan said. "Specialized cultivation chambers, recovery sanctuaries, armories stocked with high-grade artifacts."

Emery's gaze paused on one particular structure—an immense building crowned with rotating celestial rings.

"The Divine Instruments," Jinkan said, following his gaze. "Facilities designed to resonate directly with cosmic law."

This was the structure most famously owned by the Nephilim and envied by countless factions across the universe. The Divine Instruments were said to dramatically increase one's chances of breaking into the Grand Magus Realm, while also assisting in the refinement and stabilization of cosmic power afterward. Only top-tier factions—those with ancient bloodlines and overwhelming authority, like the Nephilim—possessed the resources and legacy required to construct and maintain such facilities.

Then, almost casually, she added, "There are eleven more like it. Had you accepted the title my father offered you last time… all of them would have been at your disposal."

The Dark Avatar Emery said nothing.

Grand Magus–level individuals moved openly through the citadel grounds—some in quiet discussion, others deep in solitary cultivation. Trainees bearing bloodline sigils practiced within layered formations, while heavily armed guards patrolled with disciplined precision. The air itself felt dense, saturated with refined spiritual and cosmic energy that responded subtly to status and authority.

As Emery, Jinkan, and Atlas descended, numerous gazes turned toward them.

Curious. Measuring. Discerning.

Yet none challenged them. Authority here was subtle—and absolute.

"Do not cause trouble," Jinkan warned quietly as they disembarked. "My authority has limits in this place. There are individuals here who would not hesitate to make things difficult." She paused, then added evenly, "Leave everything to me."

Emery understood. After all, even though Jinkan was royalty, the Amarhikks were only one among the three most powerful Nephilim families; the Azazels and the Aztebaz held comparable influence within the Twenty Families.

They moved deeper into the citadel complex, passing through wide stone corridors etched with ancient Nephilim script. Eventually, they came to a massive stone slab set upright in the center of a ceremonial plaza.

Names glowed faintly across its surface.

Records.

The current list of exemplary individuals who have completed Nephilim Ancient Trials.

Emery stepped closer.

His eyes scanned the inscriptions.

Then his breath caught.

One name stood out immediately.

Not once.

But twice.

[The Thunder Throne — Cleopatra]

[The Aero Throne — Cleopatra]

For a moment, the world seemed to still.

"She really is here…" Emery murmured.

He turned sharply toward Jinkan. "Where is she now?"

Jinkan inhaled slowly, her expression darkening just slightly—enough to betray that the answer would not be simple.

Before she could respond, footsteps approached.

A woman emerged from the inner corridors, her bearing calm and authoritative, her aura carefully restrained yet unmistakably powerful. She was clearly one of the overseers of the Sanctums.

Jinkan inclined her head politely and spoke first.

"I need you to explain to him," she said, gesturing toward Emery, "what happened to a Magus named Klea."

The explanation that followed was delivered without embellishment.

Klea had attempted a third Ancient Trial.

One of the Twelve.

The Frozen Throne.

Emery was escorted to the corresponding realm soon after.

The planet was a world of ice and silence—endless frozen plains broken by towering glaciers and jagged mountains that reflected pale light into the sky. At its heart stood a citadel identical in form to the others, yet colder in presence, its walls exuding an ancient, oppressive chill.

Before him rose an enormous gate.

Beyond it lay the Ancient Domain.

The realm of one of the Twelve Nephilim Aespers.

The Ice Monarch—Shiva.

It was said that Klea was among the rare few who had completed not one, but two Ancient Trials. Feats that alone placed her among the most exceptional of her generation.

But Ancient Trials were never meant to last long.

Most concluded within months.

A year was considered extreme.

No one—no one—had ever remained within an Ancient Domain for three years.

The conclusion was unavoidable.

Klea was presumed lost.

Or worse.

Dead.

"Let me enter and find her," the Dark Avatar said without hesitation.

The words carried a firmness that brooked no argument. For him, there was no longer any room for discussion, no space for deliberation. Klea was inside, and every moment spent standing before this gate was another moment she might be slipping further beyond reach.

The female overseer shook her head immediately.

"I cannot allow that," she replied, her tone measured but unyielding. Her gaze shifted briefly toward Jinkan. "Not even with your qualifications."

The refusal was not personal. It was procedural—cold, absolute, and backed by authority that had endured for ages.

For a heartbeat, the air between them tightened.

Jinkan, however, did not react with surprise. She remained perfectly composed, as though she had expected this response from the beginning.

"I have already prepared a proper authorization," she said calmly.

She raised her hand, producing a sealed document. The overseer accepted it with care, her expression tightening as she scanned its contents.

"This grants access to one special visitor," the overseer said slowly. Then she looked up, her gaze settling on Jinkan. "However, the conditions are explicit. Entry must be accompanied by a recognized member of the Sanctums of Aeons."

She paused.

"Are you intending to enter personally, Lady Jinkan?"

Jinkan nodded without hesitation.

The response was immediate. The Grand Magus guard who had accompanied them stiffened, clearly expressing his disagreement. Entering an Ancient Domain was no trivial matter—the risks were unpredictable, and the consequences irreversible.

"I cannot allow you to enter, my lady. It is far too dangerous."

"Enough," Jinkan said firmly.

Her authority pressed down like an invisible weight, silencing him at once.

"Do not be concerned. I have already arranged for someone more appropriate to accompany us."

The overseer frowned slightly. "Another Sanctum member, I presume?"

Jinkan's lips curved faintly. "Yes."

She turned her gaze toward the open sky beyond the citadel grounds.

"Here he comes."

Moments later, a ripple passed through the air.

A figure descended from above, landing lightly upon the frozen stone not far from the group. He was a blond-haired man whose presence radiated clear strength, his Grand Magus aura refined and amplified by pure Nephilm resonance.

Emery's eyes narrowed.

He recognized him immediately.

A genius of Nephilim descent.

"…Eeshoo."

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