-- Audeo Tavern (Third floor, Middle room) --

Cyziel stood up from his previously lying position. "What the hell guys! Why are they so scared of you two?"

"Not me! Its that guy!" Ortix pointed his thumb at his back where Volus was standing.

"Its a long story." Volus sighed. "You should already know part of it."

"What long story?" Ortix looked at his back as he made an uppercut motion with his left hand. "You just beat them up!"

"I'm not talking about that." Volus snorted, turning to Cyziel. "My people might be afraid of me but the others are probably just being cautious."

"Okay! I actually have lots of questions for you two. Since we have lots of time right now then lets start." Cyziel took one of the available chairs beside a circular table then sat down and Volus followed suit.

"Wait! Wait! Let me take some more drinks and food first." Ortix quickly went away and returned in just a few minutes with a tray of alcoholic drinks and munchable treats. He then took some stacked glasses in the table which he distributed to the three of them.

"So why where the two of you together?" Cyziel asked.

"Ah! 4 days ago after exiting the rift, I saw an image of the planet that I came from in pieces. I thought that the space tunnel would threw me out there! I would obviously die if I was sent out in a broken planet with how injured I am but luckily, I still continued to wander in the space tunnel. When Volus exited the rift, I probably was thrown together with him there." Ortix answered.

"That's right! He was lucky he was thrown out in my home planet and I landed somewhere near him otherwise my people would have killed him." Volus jokingly interjected.

"Huh?" Ortix twitched, not finding the joke funny. "I would have killed them if you didn't interrupt me!"

"Your planet was destroyed and you are okay with that?" Cyziel asked with a concerned look.

Ortix poured alcohol to the three glasses in the table and started drinking. "Okay Cy. Let me clarify! I came there but It was not my home world."

Ortix continued to narrate his story before arriving in Daraksta. His race was a family of thieves. They travel from planets to planets and ransack them but the last planet that he was in didn't want to surrender. The war between the two races lasted for years and there was no signs of it ending in the near future. Well, at least until Ortix learned what is called the heart of the planet. It was said that the planet they arrived was special and it is alive. He obviously got curious. He changed his focus towards it and after a year, he successfully found it and stole it. After all, they don't call him the prince of thieves for show.

The king of the enemy world was so angry and he made some weird speech that they don't understand. They thought that it was probably something like I would not surrender and I would prefer bringing you down with me speech. They didn't care much about some dying speech but what happened next was something they didn't expect. The king sacrificed himself, a black rift appeared then me and my people got sucked in.

Ortix paused and drank another glass of alcohol.

"The rest is history! We arrived in Daraksta. One by one my people died due to those bastard creatures. I have no choice but to absorb the heart to survive. You found me. I attacked you and now we are brothers and-- I am no longer a thief. Ahh! I really miss Raxus! He would probably interject something like *Your people are not only thieves but also murderers. If it was me, I would have also killed you all!* hahaha! " Ortix laughed as he remembered their friend that was always against him.

"I bet he does not miss you!" Cyziel jested as he drank from the glass with alcohol. "Okay! But how did the two of you come here?"

"Let me continue his story! After I saw Ortix, I showed myself to the people who found him and luckily they still recognized me. As I told you before, I was a disciple of the master of the strongest sect in my planet. So, I just told them to leave and keep quiet. We used two days to recuperate in some hidden place before I confronted the remnants of the sect." Volus interjected.

They used those two days to get some information of what is happening. After all they already saw this massive planet approaching their own. Me and Ortix were actually panicking because this planet Venturia was traveling very fast and its huge size would surely destroy my planet if they collided. Luckily, I learned that my people are already preparing to evacuate. This is actually perfect since our planet is already dying...." Sadness filled the face of Volus as he was continuing his story. ".. due to the incident that I caused.."

"Volus! I already told you again and again that it was not your fault and it was your master's fault." Cyziel worriedly reminded him. He already knew a gist of Volus' story and he knew that Volus has always blamed himself.

"I know! But I was the one who committed it! I killed not only tens or thousand or millions but billions of my people! These ones here are what is left of my people." Volus emptied the whole glass in one drink as if he wanted to swallow his sorrows.

"Yes! But it is also due to you that some of them survived! Your master wanted to sacrifice everyone but enough of that.." Cyziel could see that Volus has started to get emotional and tried to change the topic. "Continue your story!"

Together with Ortix, Volus confronted his people! Some of the elders were angry at him and the others were just afraid. The angry ones are the ones that helped place the towers of doom around their planet. The towers were said to be created to protect their planet during a catastrophe but the elders knew that its real purpose is to siphon the life and soul of everyone around it. They knew that the grandmaster was planning to use it to sacrifice their people to make himself stronger. Before Volus was sent to Daraksta, his master tried to activate it, reasoning that a catastrophe is about to happen in a few years and the elders agreed but what they didn't know is that our master planned to sacrifice each person in the planet.

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He accidentally learned of it. That is why before their grandmaster could activate it, he activated it himself to kill his master. He only wanted to activate the main tower where they reside but he didn't know that it would also activate the rest of the towers. He tried to stop it but a lot of their people already died. What's more is that his master was able to borrow the power of the tower before he died even though he was the one who activated it. His master was the one who sent him to Daraksta so he didn't really have time to help his people.

"Those who were against me tried to catch me so they could put all the blame on me on what happened years ago but I overwhelmed them with my power. Seeing what happened, the other elders got even more fearful. They finally acknowledged that I really successfully activated the tower. This means that all who died from the towers was sacrificed to empower me. I have billions of my people's soul in me and that's what made them fear me." Volus unconsciously made a fist.

Ortix' face was already a bit red and was seemingly drunk. "Wooo! Billions! Scary!"

"Do not mock me Ortix. I am not Raxus and coming from the prince of thieves and lies. Kind of ironic." Volus who seemed not in a mood for jokes surprisingly did not get angry.

"Hey hey! I told you I am a changed person. Yes I know. I stole from a lot of people. I made a lot of people suffer but that was because I thought before that I was entitled to do that. I also stole a lot of lives and I would probably steal more lives but only if they hurt my brothers. I promised that to all of you didn't I?... Ahhh! I can hear Raxus saying your promises are shit! Hahaha!" Ortix who had drank the most was seemingly getting louder.

After hearing the whole story, Cyziel was looking at his 2 drunk friends. "I have really extraordinary friends and I am really glad you are all on my side!"

"Shut up Cy!" Volus and Ortix shouted in unison.

"Stop bullshitting us! We already told you our story. You tell us yours." Volus who was already getting really tipsy shouted.

"I still remember the story you told us on how you arrived in Daraksta. *I was just a normal boy who grew up in a special family. My relatives are all strong so that is probably why I am also strong. I forgot my memories of that specific day but before that I was secretly following someone then--*" Ortix was making a Cyziel impression with a childish voice.

"Stop that Ortix! I don't talk like that! And I have been telling you for long.. I don't have some incredible story that the rest of you have." Cyziel, who was getting bothered by Ortix' impression, interrupted.

"For real? I get it now! It is probably during that time that you forgot!" The drunk Ortix was raising his index finger and seemingly thinking that he had thought of something smart.

"Well I can't argue with that! That seems plausible but that was just a single day and I already remembered some of it." No! Wait! Ortix is right! Volare told me that they arrived here 100 years ago so am I missing more than 100 years of memories? Cyziel who heard what Ortix said suddenly thought of something. "Volus how long were you missing in your world?"

Volus, pausing for a bit, tried to remember what he heard a few day ago. "They said that I was away for 4 years but the elders said that my body didn't change at all so I looked still the same."

"Ahh! I am really getting confused!" He was only missing for four years and I was missing for more than a hundred? Cyziel was starting to scratch his head. "It doesn't make any sense!"

"By the way, how did you arrive here?" Volus, seemingly trying to keep himself awake, noticed the troubled Cyziel. He tried to change the topic.

"Here? This is my home planet. I am glad the rift threw me back here." Cyziel answered with a thankful expression.

"What?" The other two exclaimed as they were jolted awake for a second.

"Have you seen how large, scary and abnormal this planet is from the outside?" The drunk Volus was making a huge circle with his two hands.

"Nope! Never got out of this planet other than when I was sent to Daraksta." Cyziel answered as he was also now thinking how weird they were never able to get out before.

"Oh shit! So your story now makes sense. If your uncle is like the king of this weird and big ass planet then he is like a king of kings!" Ortix reacted with an enlightened face while touching his chin.

"You are exaggerating things. We are actually only able to access a part of this planet. You are right though that my uncle is pretty strong! Probably the only one as strong as him is my father." Cyziel expressions now change to a proud one as he crossed his two arms in his chest.

"You are not able to access all parts of this planet? What does that mean?" Volus asked with a confused face.

"Well! That is what I plan to find out! I will recuperate a bit in here then go continue north to where my family lives." Cyziel answered with anticipation in his eyes.

"Oh I am definitely coming with you!" Ortix uttered as he raised his glass and drank from an empty cup.

"Our elders are invited to go to the capital further north...... Maybe the capital is near where you live...... It will be in two weeks... They also told me that the capital invited our youth aged 30 and below to register in the Capital University in 7 months... For now... they said that we can enter some fundamental schools.... We can go with the elders in 2 weeks or go there in 7 months... You decide.." The drunk Volus was now speaking in phrases.

For some reasons, I get the feeling that I won't get what I want even if I immediately look for my family. Am I just scared to meet them again? Or scared that I won't be able to find them. Okay this is the last time that I will delay this. After 7 months, I will definitely see them. Cyziel pondered for a bit. "Okay! Let's go in 7 months. For tomorrow, maybe we can check out the school you mentioned."

The three continued to drink and narrate stories about themselves. Volus was the first one to pass out and fall asleep in the table. Ortix followed as he fell down his chair while continuing to snore. Cyziel forced himself to crawl in a corner of the room before resting.

-- Audeo Tavern (Third floor, Rightmost room) --

"Volare! Geir! What do the two of you know of that kid?" Captain Pryce closed the door and looked at the two men who are already inside the room.

"Captain Pryce! I met him in the southern forest after the aether storms. He also seems to be familiar with magic." Volare answered as he stood straight without making any unnecessary movement.

"We also concluded that Cyziel and the tattooed guy are related. Fortunately, it seems that they are not enemies." Geir added.

"Magic huh? That's good." Pryce continued as he walked back and forth in the room. "What about his character? Do you knowing anything special about his race?"

"I believe he means no harm to others and he is really just curious about a lot of things. He doesn't seem to be different from Earthlings except.." Volare paused, wondering if he should say it. "He can change the color of his eyes." Volare then remembered that Cyziel told him that it was not a racial ability so he started to mull over it. Should he say it? But the other guy might have also not have been born with it.

"Hmm.. what a weird ability but it seems to be just the same from what I heard of the other one named Ortix." Pryce nodded his head, thinking that it might not be anything special. "Anyway continue observing them. No need to check on the Dielif kid. He seems to have a special position in his clan that made their elders respectful of him but I doubt that he would be any different from the rest. Anyway what of his strength?"

"I actually haven't seem him do anything too exceptional except for his magic but it was all simple magics." Volare said.

"That's impossible. If that Ortix could scare the Dielif elders then he should be strong. The Dielif elders are no slouch. I could feel that they could give me some trouble if I fight them."

"Should we try to question them?" Geir asked.

"No. We can't be sure that they would tell the truth and it is not our place to interrogate them. They would probably come with the hooded kid in the capital soon. We will let those in the capital handle them." Pryce stopped walking. "You two may leave!"

As the two left, Pryce was suddenly mumbling by himself inside the room.