After waking up and regaining his focus, William hurried his father to contact the Emperor, not wanting to waste his time in explaining things twice, since they were in a bad situation.

Malcolm looked at his youngest son in apprehension, taking a deep breath and sighing. Moving his hand in the air, a large glass sphere appeared on top of his hand out of thin air. As the commander of the expedition, he was given a spatial artifact to store a large amount of provisions and necessary equipment for war, making it highly convenient and essential to have.

Pulling a uniquely shaped magic stone , he placed it down and put the glass sphere on top of it. After a few seconds, the sphere began shining as the face of the Emperor appeared on it, prompting everyone in the room to kneel.

"We greet his Majesty, the Emperor."

Shouted all the soldiers in unison, showcasing the tremendous amount of discipline they possessed.

"Baronet Malcolm, I'm sure I entrusted you with winning the battle in the border, so why did you call me? There was a reason in making you a baronet of the empire despite you having no background whatsoever, so I hope by you calling me in such a time that it is important."

Spoke the Emperor, a slight hint of irritation showing through his words.

Malcolm didn't say anything about this since he trusted his son to not cause such a scene for no reason. Glancing at William, who had a resolute expression, he spoke.

"Your majesty, its not me who wants to have an audience with you, but my son, William."

Hearing his words, the Emperor's brows rose up in surprise. Turning around, he looked towards William, who was currently in a bad state and had clearly just woken up.

Since he had already made a deal with William once, he understood that this child wasn't straightforward, so he patiently spoke.

"Tell me, Child, why did you wish to talk to me?"

Although his voice didn't contain any sort of emotions like his previous words, they somehow felt more intimidating.

Taking a deep breath and calming the agitation in his heart, William spoke.

"Your Majesty, I have gone deep into the elven domain to investigate and have found out that almost everything has been corrupted with demonic energy. The World Tree has been damaged and all elves from common elves, to guards, along with the empress, have been turned into demonic slaves."

Hearing his words, Malcolm and the Emperor frowned, while all of the soldiers who were listening to the conversation were shocked. But things didn't end with that, as William continued speaking.

"However, that's not even the worst part, since I noticed the aura of a half-demon inside the destroyed palace. It's currently impossible for our current manpower to defeat even the corrupt queen, whats-more, a half-demon. Even if my father were to fight with it, he wouldn't be able to take the upper hand."

The Emperor listened intently to William's words, his expression growing more and more severe as he spoke. He knew that if what William said was true, then the situation was dire. A half-demon was not to be taken lightly, and the fact that the elven empire was now corrupted with demonic energy only made matters worse.

"Are you certain of what you say, child?"

Asked the Emperor, his voice laced with concern.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I have seen it with my own eyes. The corruption has spread far and wide, and the situation is getting worse by the day. We need to act fast before it's too late.""

Replied William with conviction, knowing full well that the situation was bleak and they needed to act as fast as possible.

The Emperor nodded, his mind already racing with possible solutions to the problem at hand. He knew that he couldn't ignore the situation any longer, and decisive action was needed if they were to save the Dreghel from total destruction, along with getting rid of a significant enemy for their own empire.

"Very well."

Said the Emperor, his voice firm. After a second of silence, he continued with his words.

"I will send my best troops to aid you in your mission. They are all aura saints, so it shouldn't be difficult to defeat the half-demon, but restoring the World Tree will be close to impossible. We need to either kill the elven queen and promote a new caretaker or somehow release her from being a demonic slave. If there are any major updates in the situation, you can inform me through the communication device."

William breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the Emperor was taking the situation seriously. He knew that the road ahead would be long and perilous, but with the Emperor's help, he was confident that they could overcome any obstacle.

Although sending a few saints was just barely enough for them to deal with demonic elves and the half-demon, William knew that he had to add more to the mix just to make sure that things would go well, but for now, his nerves relaxed a bit. He knew that the half-demon had discovered him and would be expecting them, but he was not worried since half-demons were known for their inflated ego and overestimating themselves.

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"Thank you, Your Majesty, we won't let you down.""

Said William, bowing deeply.

The Emperor nodded, and a slight smile was on his lips.

"I know you won't, now go, for the glory of the empire!"

He said, prompting all of the soldiers to shout in unison once again.

"For the glory of the empire!"

With that, the Emperor's image faded from the glass sphere, leaving William and his father to prepare for the battle ahead. They knew that it wouldn't be easy, but with the Emperor's help, they were ready to face whatever came their way.

As the Emperor's image faded from the glass sphere, William and Malcolm were left with the weight of their mission on their shoulders. They had to venture deep into the elven empire, face the corrupted elves, restore the World Tree, and defeat a half-demon, all while ensuring the safety of their own troops.

Malcolm placed a hand on William's shoulder and said.

"Well done, son. You have done a great service to the empire. I don't know how you managed to snoop out of the camp and went so deep into the elven domain, but that doesn't matter right now. Just know, that when all of this is over, prepare for the greatest training experience of a lifetime."

Cold sweat drenched Williams's back when he heard his father's words, and goosebumps covered his entire body. Smiling bitterly, the only thing he could do was comply, clearly accepting the punishment without causing a tantrum.

"Yes, father."

Malcolm nodded at his reaction as he ordered his troops to quickly gather outside and left to do his own tasks.

William remained in the infirmary, recovering from his fatigue as much as he could, ordering the worried Eddie to wait outside, along with the rest of the staff.

He knew that Eddie was mainly worried about his sister and not actually his well-being; after all, Pandora was only helping her because of William.

Sighing, William decided to contact one more person, just to make sure that things would turn out well.

Pulling out a small glass sphere similar to the one his father pulled out, he channeled his mana into it.

After a few seconds, a connection was created, and William heard a voice coming from it, prompting him to smile bitterly.

"Who is this? Don't you know I'm busy at this hour."

"Trader Bill, it's William. I need your help…"

Said William, looking at the glass sphere. He couldn't see Trader Bill's face since it was an artifact that only transmitted their voice, but it was more than enough for him to get his message across.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the surprise box once again. What can I do for you?"

Replied Trader Bill, his voice full of amusement.

"I need you to find someone for me. His name is Vincent Blackwood. He should be currently residing in one of the villages surrounding Kelsein."

Said William, his tone serious. He wanted to make contact with this person at some point in time, but he didn't think it would be so soon. However, he needed to succeed.

"Vincent Blackwoode, huh? That's my first time hearing that name, but the surname does ring a bell. I'll see what I can do. Give me a day or two and I'll get back to you."

Said Trader Bill, his tone still maintaining its calm.

"Thank you, old Bill. I owe you one."

Said William, feeling relieved that he had someone like Trader Bill on his side. If he didn't have the manpower that Trader Bill could wield, it would be too late for them.

"Don't worry about it, kid. It's all part of the job. I'll be in touch."

Spoke Trader Bill before the connection was cut.

William placed the glass sphere back into his pocket and leaned back, feeling the weight of his mission heavy on his shoulders. He knew that finding Vincent was just the first step in their mission, but it was an important one. Vincent was a monster that not even the demons could kill without using all of their methods. He remembered the bloodbath that maniac had caused.

Vincent Blackwood, also known as the "Blank Madman" during the period of the demon invasion. His background could be said to be nothing more than pitiful, having gone through a fate even worse than his own.

Born into a family of commoners, both of his parents were killed by demonic apparitions when he was eight. It was then that he awakened his aspect, [Death Sworn].

It was a unique darkness element aspect that boasted incredible power, especially during the demon invasion. Once he used his aspect, he would become the 'death sworn,' completely changing his baseline personality with one that only hungered for battle and death.

Once the aspect is active, he would gain incredible abilities that allow him to manipulate the souls of the deceased, including their own, granting them immortality as long as they have a soul to anchor themselves to. He is also able to see and communicate with spirits, even those who have not yet passed on to the afterlife.

One of his most impressive abilities is the power to call forth a spectral army of the dead. By calling upon the spirits of those who have passed on, the [Death Sworn] can create a powerful force to fight alongside them in battle.

He is also able to inflict powerful curses on his enemies, often leading to their eventual demise. These curses can range from causing illness to inducing a sense of overwhelming fear, depending on the Death Sworn's preference.

Finally, he possesses the ability to enter a state of "Death's Embrace," where he becomes one with the darkness and the souls of the dead, granting him even greater control over the realm of the afterlife. In this state, he can unleash devastating attacks that can wipe out entire armies in one fell swoop.

Just from knowing what his aspect did, one would realize how broken they were, but also how much of a strain such powers would have on a young child, especially one that had just lost his family.

Vincent went on a rampage, destroying the demonic slaves using his parents as his weapons and later bound their two souls into two pieces of jewelry. However, as time went on, the burden of seeing the dead and realizing what he had done to his parents, he would lose himself in guilt.

When the apocalypse began, he was a middle-aged man with a hollow gaze who, for some reason, fervently fought against the demons and almost managed to push them back on his own before his demise.

Vincent was just a teenage boy at this moment in time, probably around the same age as Adam. William hoped that he could recruit him and somehow cure him of the trauma his aspect had caused him.

Closing his eyes, William took a deep breath, calming his nerves. He knew that the road ahead would be long and complicated, but he was determined to see it through to the end. He needed to be thorough, not only for his family or empire but for the entire world of Roia.

After recovering enough, he got up and left the infirmary to prepare for the journey ahead; he trusted trader Bill would contact him soon.