Swoossshhhhh
A gentle breeze whispered across Arkanis, stirring the air as he hovered above a crushed, monstrous elephant sprawled within a massive crater that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
The sheer scale of the destruction was almost mesmerizing!!
“Your Majesty!” one of the soldiers called out, bowing deeply with a grave expression. “The origin of this creature is unknown, and we couldn’t locate anyone responsible for its death. Whoever did this… vanished without a trace.”
Arkanis continued to stare at the creature’s remains, his gaze hardening as he murmured to himself, “There is only one person I know capable of this level of destruction…” A vein pulsed visibly on his forehead as he lifted his gaze toward the sky, where he spotted her—a woman watching him from above, a knowing smirk playing across her face.
His lips tightened into a twitch of irritation before he disappeared, reappearing instantly before the Principal, demanding, “What the hell do you think you’re doing to my empire? And what was that… thing?” His voice was laced with an edge of authority and frustration.
The Principal merely shrugged, her tone indifferent, “Since you’re off dealing with your dull little tasks, I thought, why not shake things up a bit… make things interesting.” Her eyes glinted mischievously, “So yeah.”
Veins bulged even more noticeably on Arkanis’s forehead as he fought to keep his anger in check, “Are you aware of the chaos that could have erupted if that creature had attacked innocent people?” he pressed, voice taut with barely restrained fury.
The Principal gave him a disinterested look, a brow arching as if surprised that he seemed to care about such trivial matters. With a dismissive shrug, she replied, “But I killed it, didn’t I? So no harm done.” Her tone was as flat as ever, hinting at no remorse.
Arkanis clenched his fist, his jaw tightening as he weighed his words. He knew better than to lay a finger on her; such a move would be pointless.
With a scoff, he finally muttered, “Fine… whatever that monster was, you’d better be prepared to answer for the destruction it left behind.” Turning sharply to face her, his tone shifted, laced with something almost detached, “By the way, today is my son’s engagement. It would be… considerate if you attended.” His voice was carefully neutral, giving no indication of whether he wanted her presence or not. With that, he vanished, returning to the festivities.
The Principal’s eyes widened briefly, but she quickly masked it with a small grin, “Oh… well, congratulations, then,” she murmured with a glint of amusement.
Meanwhile…
Victor approached the towering black castle, as he mentally reviewed his new skill. His eyes sparkled with anticipation as he read over the description, a pleased grin spreading across his face:
[Skill: Teleportation]
[Effect: Activating this skill allows the user to instantly move from one location to another within a specified range.]
[Additional Benefits: Enhances spatial awareness, giving the user a heightened sense of their surroundings. As the skill level increases, the range and efficiency of teleportation improve.]
[Limitations: This skill can be used freely within a single World/Empire. However, teleporting across Worlds/Empires costs 1,000,000 Affection Points (AP). To teleport, the user must either have visited the location before or possess a clear mental image of the destination. The skill cannot bypass magic barriers or restricted areas with anti-teleportation wards. Attempting to teleport with an unclear mental image increases the risk of ending up at a random location.]
[Cooldown Time: 2 minutes per use]
Victor let out a slight sigh as he weighed the limitations. ‘Well, it’s not so bad… maybe even interesting,’ he thought, smirking. ‘Let’s test it out,’ he decided, reaching out mentally to summon his clone through their shared connection.
“…”
There was no response. Victor’s brow furrowed, sensing an odd emptiness as if the connection was blocked.
He attempted to deactivate the skill, but—
!~Ding~!
[Error! Deactivation failed due to an unknown error!]
Victor’s frown deepened, and his gaze flickered down to his status log:
/
Name: Aether
Sex: Male
Race: ___________ [Unique Ether Bloodline + Crimson Elixir of the Null (Mutated)]
Level: 81 🔒(Temproary)
Title: The Progenitor of Unknown Species, Eternal Contract to ########, The Only Holder of Ether and A Past-less, Future-less Entity
Skills: Freedom (Active), Clone(Active), Eternal Seal (Passive), Clarion Energy(Passive), Eternis Storage:- 332↓/1146 (Passive), Crimson Veil, Teleportation
Attributes:
Strength: 810🔒
Agility: 810🔒
Intelligence: 810🔒
Magic Affinity: 810🔒
Charm: 810🔒
Soul: 891/255
Compatibility: 99%
[Survival rate: 79.3%] [Remaining Time: 177 days 21 hours 23 minutes 04 seconds ↓]
Affection Points: 3,378,563
Seduction: 4/10 :-
Stella: Error!! Unable to use due to Your Current Level
Aria Zephyr: Origin Weapon:- Twilight Eclipse
Aqualina Naiadia: Origin Weapon:- Oceanic Tempest
Helena Sunfire: Desired Weapon:- Blessed Aegis
XXX–Liora Darkfang: Dreadwolf Fenrir–XXX
/
Victor shook his head with an amused expression.
Of course, he knew that levelling up as fast as he did would cause an imbalance in nature, so it was no surprise when the Log locked certain features temporarily. Ignoring the weapons section for now, he clicked on the mutated part of his bloodline,
!~Ding~!
[Due to the consumption of the Blood Heart of Draconic Pyres, the Crimson Elixir of the Null is undergoing a mutation process… The effects are currently unknown. The Log advises naming your race as soon as possible in the Elysiumis Aurora Empire.]
Victor let out a heavy sigh, his thoughts dripping with exasperation. ‘Well, that sounds like a lot of work right now—’
!~Ding~!
[Otherwise, Arcane will choose the name for you, which may not—]
“Say no more!” Victor flinched in horror. There was no way he’d let her name it! The last thing he needed was some cringe-worthy title bestowed by Arcane, who would probably take the opportunity to fuck him up!
!~Ding~!
[Hey! I’m not like that!! Do you even realize how many powerful, majestic names I’ve written down just for you? And let’s not forget who chose the alias ‘Lackey’ just because he lacked money! Seriously! Compared to that, I am leagues better… Hmph!!]
Victor’s eyes widened as he heard the voice, no longer mechanical but ethereal and surprisingly expressive, he was slightly horrified, ‘T-That’s not mean I was bored…. A-Anyway, You can speak to me now, Arcane?’
[Haha… I could always speak; it’s just that you were never hear me!]
‘Ah, I see…’ Victor’s surprise turned to intrigue. ‘Is this because I’m getting stronger?’
[Exactly! The stronger you become, the more clearly you’ll hear me and even see me…. So keep leveling up, darling~]
Victor couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. There was something oddly satisfying in her playful tone, even if she was a wild card on his suspect list. He cleared his throat, turning serious again. ‘So, was what she said really true?’
[….]
A brief silence settled.
Victor clicked his tongue but then,
[Well, that’s up to you… Believe what you will. But yes, it’s true. You are responsible for disrupting the natural order—your soul, specifically… and now even your body. But don’t worry about it, Aether. Just stay focused, do what you need to, and soon enough, the answers will come to you.]
Victor stared blankly at the the log for a moment before nodding slowly. ‘So… where are you, Arcane?’
[Oh, I’m in—–]
Just as suddenly as the voice had come, it was cut off mid-sentence, like a call that had dropped.
Victor shrugged it off.
For now, he entered the castle, noting the decorations lining the hallways and the crowds streaming inside.
“Hmm… What’s going on here?” he mumbled, glancing around with a mild frown. He stopped one of the guests entering the castle, “Hey, what’s all this for?”
The man scoffed slightly, barely glancing back as he replied, “You don’t know? Today is the engagement of the great and only Dragon Emperor’s son.” With that, he walked off, muttering something under his breath.
Victor blinked, his eyebrows lifting as a bemused grin spread across his face, ‘What? That scaly lizard really had to throw an engagement party just to stall for time? Oh, this should be entertaining…’ Chuckling softly, he followed the guests toward a grand hall…. And then, just about to enter, he spotted…. Velc.
Velc had an enormous grin, was busy greeting each guest with a seemingly bottomless enthusiasm. The moment he saw Victor approaching, he paused, his eyes catching Victor’s finely tailored clothes and the unmistakable aura of power. Immediately, Velc hurried over with a slight bow of respect, his smile never faltering.
“Hello, dear sir! You seem to be looking for something. Might you be a friend of my soon-to-be son-in-law, Leon?” he asked, his tone both curious and respectful.
Victor blinked, taken aback by Velc’s sudden humility, “Son-in-law?” he echoed, a flicker of surprise in his voice.
Velc’s grin widened as he nodded proudly, “Yes! Today, my daughter is to be engaged to the great Prince Leon Dragonheart!” He spread his arms with dramatic flair, his face glowing with pride.
But just as he finished, he froze, his body stiffening under an intense, frigid pressure—a pure killing intent that felt like the breath of death itself.
“Hmm.. sorry, I didn’t catch you correctly….. What did you just say?” The voice was cold, emotionless, and utterly lethal.
