They both looked toward the horizon, and after a pause of silence,

Ren's eyes opened slowly.

He awoke on the broken battlefield. The sky above was still heavy with the scent of ash and the echo of an unforgivable war. The black sea inside him was quiet now.

The storm that had been raging within him was gone, leaving behind an unsettling stillness. His breathing was steady, but his body felt heavier, as if the thunders that had entered him had left more than just power.

For a moment, he remained stuck to the ground, then slowly gathered the strength to stand on the shattered field. The faint sound of his movements reached Seroi and Elara, pulling their eyes from the horizon toward him. They saw him trying to lift his body. Then…

Seroi stepped forward first. He helped Ren to his feet and said, "You're finally awake."

Ren's faint gaze shifted to him. His eyes felt too heavy, and light stung his vision, but somehow he forced them open to look at Seroi. "Yeah?" he muttered.

A small smirk touched Seroi's lips. "Are you okay? I've been watching you since you lost consciousness. How do you feel now?"

Ren tilted his head, unsure of the answer.

Before he could speak, Elara moved closer. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes searched his face carefully. Her movements were slow but deliberate, the faint swish of her robes brushing against the dust. She stopped in front of him, tilting her head slightly as her eyes swept over his face, searching for something unseen.

"I am Elara," she said quietly. "Seroi's daughter. I'm glad to see you awake. Tell me, how do you feel? We both have the same type of powers, but opposite in nature."

"I feel okay now. Nice to meet you, Elara. A creation mage," Ren replied. His tone was flat, but there was a trace of something beneath it satisfaction, maybe even relief.

Seroi's brows lifted. "How? How do you know her mage title? Did you meet her earlier?"

Ren looked between them, his voice steady. "No, I didn't. This is our first time meeting. But if you remember, you told me about a mage who had powers like mine, but opposite. So, when she spoke earlier, I assumed it. Anyway, what exactly is going on here? Why are only the two of you standing here? Where are the others? What happened to them?"

Seroi chuckled. "Yes, I did tell you that. I'll explain everything. But first…" He glanced toward Elara, giving her a silent signal. She gave a small nod.

Then Seroi decided to tease her. "Before I start, I should tell you something. Elara doesn't really know how to talk to others because she was sealed for a long time. So she's not always sure what to say or when to say it. Forgive her for introducing herself so directly."

Ren understood what he was trying to do and replied, "Yeah, that's normal. Don't worry about it."

Ren's voice carried no weight of judgment, just a simple acceptance. His gaze lingered briefly on Elara. She blinked once, as if she was trying to understand whether his words were meant to comfort her or simply state a fact.

Elara's lips parted slightly, but she said nothing. Her hands shifted at her sides, fingers curling inward for a moment before relaxing.

Seroi let out a short breath that could have been a laugh. "See? He's easier to talk to than most mages I know."

Ren gave a faint shrug, testing his balance again. His legs still felt as if the ground wanted to pull them back down.

"I don't care about formality," he said, adjusting the weight of his steps. "I care about knowing what's happening."

Then they both paused and looked at each other. A moment later, they both laughed like old friends reuniting after years apart. For a brief moment, Seroi forgot everything. Ren did too.

Elara, who had been angry before, now smiled at seeing them both happy especially her father, Seroi.

After those happy moments, Seroi placed a hand on his chest.

"I want to tell you everything, but before that… sorry, Ren. Sorry for everything. I was bound by the higher members at that time. I couldn't tell you the truth back then."

He nearly bowed to Ren for what had happened. In truth, it was fate's cruel game not something he had chosen. When he was about to kneel, Ren quickly moved, grabbed Seroi, and lifted him up.

"If a master kneels before his disciple, then that disciple is not worthy," Ren said firmly. "No matter what happens, the master will always be the master. No matter how powerful the disciple becomes, the master is always ahead."

Seroi's eyes filled with tears, but he did not let them fall. Instead, he controlled himself and spoke in a heavy voice.

"What's done is done. Now we must move toward the future. What matters most is talking about what's coming… and your place in it."

Ren folded his arms. "Then talk. Tell me everything, Master. What happened and what will happen."

Seroi explained everything to Ren. The conversation lasted a long time before he finally paused.

Seroi exchanged a glance with Elara before speaking again. "The seal on the Origin Core will break… and they will come for it. You are standing in the aftermath of a battle that should have been impossible to survive. And now…"

Elara interrupted, her voice low. "Now, the ones beyond the veil will start moving. If we waste time, none of us will live to see the end. I know that if we reach that level, the Core's seal will break but if we fail to reach it, they will kill us anyway. We have no choice. It's better to reach that level. Who knows… maybe after reaching it, we can defeat them."

The air around them felt colder.

Ren's jaw tightened. "Hmm… it's better to reach that level. Then tell me everything about how we can get there."

Seroi's smirk faded. "I will. But first, you must decide will you stand with us, or will you walk your own path and face what's coming alone?"

Ren didn't answer immediately. He looked at Elara, then at the black horizon. The silence stretched.

Finally, he spoke. "I'll listen. For now. Then I'll decide. Tell me first."

Seroi understood. No matter how much you trust someone, once that person betrays you, you can never truly trust them again. So he didn't force Ren. Instead, he began to explain his plans.

"I don't know what we will do. But maybe Elara knows, because she has already reached the planet level," Seroi said, glancing at her.

Elara was surprised, but she knew her father was right. She understood how to reach that stage, and so she began to explain.

"Before anything else… how much do you know about levels, magic, mana, and this world? Tell me."

"Vael told me about levels and magic, and also how a person awakens," Ren replied. "First, the heart barrier is destroyed. Then mana enters your body. First into the heart, then into other organs. Because of that, changes happen in the body, and based on that, your mage level is decided. That's what I know."

"That's just the superficial part. The actual truth is known only to a few," Elara said. "Vael must have told you that Arkenhall never explained the deeper aspects like levels. He was right. We don't tell anyone. The levels you know about were also created by him. He made the rule that only higher authorities have permission to access this knowledge. It was his order to hide the truth from others. He played with you to break that shield."

Ren's brows furrowed. "Then… what is the real truth?"

Elara's gaze sharpened. "The levels you know are only the surface. Beneath them lies the Origin Path a way of awakening that is not bound by rank, but by the strength of your own reality. Those who walk this path can surpass every so-called limit. We will talk everything but not now. Bcz you can see sunset was near. It's better to go Arkenhall. If you don't want to go there we can go my home too. I am right father."

"Yes, we can go. What you think Ren." Seroi spoked gently with smile on his face.

Ren not answered for a while. Seroi and Elara looked towards him. Than after a silence he spoked...

"Yaah, let's go. Anyway I want to see my parents also. Hope they are safe." Ren broked the silence.

"They are. Don't worry Ren. I know vestiges did everything but their intentions not to harm you parents. They just wanted to use your power to broke shield. And they succeeded. But they didn't harm your parents. If they did than we received an emergency signals. But during entire battle we didn't received that. So they are safe."

Seroi tried to comfort the Ren.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.