Caught off guard, Deon was left speechless. He wanted to answer, but nothing came to his mind. Nox was about to speak again when the front door suddenly burst open.

A familiar voice echoed:

"Oh! Nox?"

Tilda froze on the doorstep, surprised to see her husband home earlier than usual. But when her eyes fell on Deon, also in the room, she immediately understood.

"So it's time…" she murmured, giving her husband a critical look.

Nox shivered when her gaze met his. She was the only one capable of putting him in such a state. And right now, her eyes seemed to be screaming:

"Why didn't you wait for me before starting?"

"I messed up…" thought Nox. "Oh, darling, welcome home," he said with a familiar smile.

"Welcome home, Mother," Deon added as he saw her enter.

"Thank you, my little beloved prince," she replied with a smile, and Deon automatically smiled back.

Before, he used to feel embarrassed when his mother gave him affectionate nicknames, but over time, he had gotten used to it.

As for Nox, Tilda didn't answer him. She simply gave him an almost angelic smile before leaving the room to change clothes.

Nox trembled at that smile. It was a clear sign. She meant:

"You're going to wait for me, aren't you?"

After years of living together, Nox could understand his wife just from her expression. They had promised to talk to their son together, but since Deon had arrived earlier, Nox had wanted to set a good mood before Tilda arrived… which had led to the current situation.

Seeing his father's expression, Deon couldn't help but laugh inwardly. His father could be frightening at times, but he always softened when his mother was around. But that was understandable: Tilda was both fire and ice. Gentle and calm by nature, she could become truly terrifying when angered. Deon swore that if she found out he had just come from an irregular portal, the entire house would be turned upside down.

Fortunately, his father always managed—more or less—to handle her.

Nox was already thinking about how to make up for it when Deon's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Father?"

"Yes?" he replied, coming back to himself.

"When someone ascends in rank… do they get closer to immortality?" he asked hesitantly.

"Immortality? No. No one is truly immortal. But as one ascends, aging slows down and life expectancy increases."

"Just… slows down?"

"Yes. It's due to mana. But there are special cases. For example: me," he said with a hint of pride.

"By practicing martial arts and reaching a certain level of understanding, a particular phenomenon can occur: what we call body reconstruction."

"Body reconstruction?"

"Yes. Once that stage is reached, the body transcends its limits and reaches its peak. From that point on… you no longer age. That's my case. I can't grow older anymore. But don't get your hopes up: very few ever reach this stage. On the continent, there are barely ten of us. And even then… if you manage to pierce their heart, I'm sure they won't survive. "

"So you're one of the strongest on the continent…"

"Yes…" Nox admitted with a smirk.

Deon knew his father was powerful, but not to that extent. He wanted to ask his rank but didn't dare.

Sana had said she was immortal. Maybe she simply had an incredibly long lifespan… But if she could be defeated, then she could be killed.

I should wait until she wakes up to ask her.

"And Mother?" Deon asked, intrigued. "Is she also nearly immortal like you?"

"Your mother, she…"

"Yes, me what?" Tilda interrupted them.

Tilda had just returned, cutting Nox off mid-sentence. Seeing her enter, he immediately fell silent.

"What were you talking about?" she asked, sitting beside her husband.

"Oh, nothing important. Just small talk," Nox replied.

"I see…" said Tilda. "Have you told him yet?"

"No. I was just about to when you arrived."

"Phew…" Tilda sighed in relief. She wouldn't have appreciated him starting without her. After all, it concerned her just as much as him.

"Alright. You can begin."

"Where should I start? Ah, yes… the village."

He took a deep breath.

"First of all, know that we are somewhere in the Nefaria Forest."

"Huh?!" Deon exclaimed, eyes wide. "The village… is really inside the Nefaria Forest?"

Living in such a place seemed impossible to him.

He had always believed the village was perhaps hidden within an empire's territory, near a forest… but that was far from the truth.

...

Eridoria was governed and contested by two great empires on the continent of Eriol. The north of the continent was ruled by the Empire of Kyralia, known for its military might and warrior spirit, and the south by the Empire of Erian, known for its mastery of magic and science. It was called the cradle of magic. Between them stretched a small neutral territory: Elyndor, the Sacred Kingdom, whose power was far from negligible.

Despite tensions between these two empires, two things united them: Nefaria and the ocean.

The threat of the Nefaria Forest and that of the ocean, both isolating the continent of Eriol from the rest of the world, forced the two nations to cooperate. These two areas prevented any exploration of the outside world.

The Nefaria Forest was a place of mystery and danger, filled with the strangest and most terrifying creatures near the border between the two empires. At times, monsters of all ranks emerged from it and ravaged the lands. To face them, both empires had to join forces. Those who dared venture into the forest had to be ready to face death with every step.

As for the ocean, although it was just as dangerous and inhabited by unknown creatures, it was filled with untold riches. Since Kyralia lacked scientific knowledge, it had relied on Erian for its exploration. Thanks to the combined efforts of both empires, even though they had not conquered the entire ocean, they had managed to explore a small portion of it.

In the end, no one — at least publicly — had ever fully explored or conquered the Nefaria Forest or the ocean.

For that reason, they were classified as extremely dangerous zones, constantly monitored by guardians from both empires.

...

"If we can live here peacefully,> Nox explained, <it's because a large-scale spell is currently protecting the village. And whenever a dangerous magical creature approaches, we eliminate it immediately. Same for portals that appear nearby. That's my role as the village chief," he said, pausing in his explanation.

Deon had always known that his father was the village chief. As for the nature of his work, he didn't know much: nothing important ever seemed to happen here. Nox returned home late, often covered in dried blood, sometimes bringing back meat. Deon had thought it was just a hobby.

Now he understood better.

"Father must be at least rank S to protect the village in a place like this," he thought…

But another question burned in his mind: why were they here? And what was this village really?

Seeing his son's expression, Nox smiled bitterly.

"You're wondering how and why we ended up creating this village, aren't you?"

"Yes," Deon replied with a nod.

"Where should I begin…? About seventeen years ago, I was the captain of the imperial guardians of the Empire…"

N/A:

Dear reader, we are approaching the end of Volume 1 of this work.

If you've read this far, it means either you've enjoyed it or you're simply curious. Whatever your reason as a reader, I am grateful.

Certain information that has been hidden since the beginning of the story will be revealed in the upcoming chapters. I ask that you read them carefully to avoid confusion. If you have any concerns about the story, leave a comment and I will respond.

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.