At the end of the long five-hour conversation with the Grand Elder, she commanded the villagers to gather in the town square of Frigiod, which was smack down in the middle. Upon a pedestal, The Grand Elder, with a sorrowful expression, faced the transfixed Apithiens and declared that Solgen and Volken had passed away. At first, the townsfolk were flabbergasted at the words coming out of their Grand Elder's mouth and outright denied her words.

"How could our two prominent leaders of the Apithiens die so young?" One girl shouted with knit eyebrows.

"It's inconceivable!" A frail man screamed with a balled fist.

"Are you pulling our leg here, Great Elder!"

"This isn't funny at all!"

"Who are those two by her side? I've never seen them before…"

The shouts of the angry mob echoed off the buildings, growing louder and more chaotic by the second. The Grand Elder stood atop the platform, patiently waiting for the angry voices of the mob to quiet down. Laila and Isaac were standing at the Grand Elder's side, fidgeting with their hoodies. This kind of reception was not what the two expected. They thought the Apithiens would accept the Grand Elder's words in a heartbeat, but they were stubbornly denying the truth. Was Solgen and Volken respected so much that death in the same sentence as their names was unthinkable?

"I can't take this anymore," Laila sighed. Just as she was about to berate the mob for being delusional, a howl so loud that shook even the ground itself was heard upfront.

"HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!" one elder roared in fury. The veins on his neck bulged as if his heart was on the verge of bursting. "THE GRAND ELDER HAS JUST DELIVERED US GRAVE NEWS, AND THIS IS HOW YOU ACT?"

At their Elder's violent tone, the chatter of voices quickly died away, leaving only the sound of the wind rustling through the tree branches. Once the Elder confirmed that the masses had quieted down, he let out a small grumble that only the one closest to him could hear.

"What a despicable display," he sighed. This Elder was one of the older ones, with skin that could give a dried raisin a run for its money. He had eyebrows the size of bricks, and a beard that could scrape against the snow-riddled ground. The Elder's appearance looked like he came out of a gag comic, just like Quilon.

"Now that everyone has calmed down thanks to Matarath..." The Grand Elder cleared her throat, keeping the same composure as before. "There is no reason for me to lie about my own children's deaths. Though you see a calm Grand Elder standing before you, on the inside I am a devastated mother about to burst into tears. I'm only able to hang on because of my position as Grand Elder."

When she revealed her genuine emotions, the Apithiens were completely taken aback, their faces dropping like kids who had just been caught in a misdeed. There was a mix of frowns, fixed gazes on the ground, and teary faces. The surrounding people grew increasingly solemn as the news slowly sank in.

"A memorial service will be held for Solgen and Volken in a few days' time. As I begin the preparations for the ceremony and proceedings, the Elders will send letters to their respective villages, and then some. This upcoming ceremony will be the biggest we Apithiens have ever held as everyone from North and South Osmen will be joining. It will be a time of mourning and acceptance. The leaders of the Apithiens may no longer be walking among Athiens, but their souls will lives on in our hearts!"

The Apithiens, who were just silent moments ago, all roared in unison, raising their fists to the sky.

"Yea! We owe this much to Sir Solgen and Sir Volken!"

"They may be gone from this world, but they still live within us!"

The sorrowful faces of the Apithiens were no longer there, as it was replaced with a new feeling. A feeling of pride that they had the fortune of living the same lifetime as Sir Solgen and Sir Volken. The energy the crowd was exerting had the siblings appalled. They hadn't realized that Solgen and Volken had the hearts of the Apithiens in a chokehold.

You were more amazing than I thought, Solgen, Laila mused. For whatever reason, in the young woman's heart, she felt relieved that Solgen had this much unwavering support. Instead of bawling their eyes out or feeling hopeless, the Apithiens would rather think positively about the passing of their leaders.

Laila took a quick peek at the Grand Elder's face. The tall woman had a faint but proud smile on her face. Just one look told Laila that the Grand Elder had no intentions of revealing her son's actions. For whatever reason that may be, she decided not to pry. It wasn't her place nor the right to do so.

"And with that, you are dismissed! Ah, except for the Elders and Taligen. I must speak with them."

"Yes, Grand Elder!" the mob cried with their hearts. It didn't take long for the crowd to disperse as the only people present were the Elders, Grand Elder, Taligen, Isaac, and Laila. All ten of them conjoined to a huddle as Grand Elder and the siblings hopped off the platform. The Grand Elder was the first to speak.

"Before we start, let's go somewhere more… private. Everyone hold hands," The Grand Elder said. No one questioned the authority figure and clasped hands in a circle. The moment everyone was connected, the white and brown landscape of wood and snow vanished and was replaced by a room with a long table and chairs. The walls were a collage of paintings with Apithiens in various postures, along with banners featuring peculiar emblems. At the far end of the room stood a painting more fashionable than the rest, as it had a black frame. Inside of it was a handsome man with gelled hair and a chin so sharp it could cause earthquakes if he were to fall over. Under the painting was a single sentence:

Charitan, The First Apithien

"Everyone, have a seat!" The Grand Elder clapped. "There's ten of us and ten chairs right here! The chairs near me are reserved for Isaac and Laila."

A few Elders cast a sideways glance at the two, their disapproval obvious in their demeanors and body language. Nonetheless, everyone took the seats closest to them. The Grand Elder sat at the end facing away from the Charitan painting while Taligen was across from her.

"I'll cut straight to the chase," the Grand Elder began. "You're probably wondering whether these kids' testimonies are true or false."

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

"That is correct, Grand Elder!" Quilon spoke first. Isaac's eyebrows were knit as he scowled at the old geezer. He couldn't help but think Quilon hated their guts and was blatantly wearing his heart on his sleeve. Isaac's heart was pounding and his chest was heaving with rage, but he had enough wisdom to not act on it.

"Are you really going to believe these children so easily? You've never met them until now! Not to mention how they received this information. For all we know, they could be lying!"

"Quilon makes a good point, Grand Elder," said a new female Elder. The term Elder did not fit this woman at all since she seemed to be in her late forties appearance-wise, yet still youthful. She had a shag haircut with bangs that reached her eyelashes and a knockout face with kind lavender eyes.

"I don't doubt your decisions, Grand Elder, but wouldn't it be wise to soothe the doubter's minds?" The Elder drummed her fingers along the hard surface with a bored look on her face.

"Hmm~ That's a fair point Yala~" Another Elder purred. This one had an infectious and bubbling energy to her, like a hyperactive kid who had sugar injected into their veins. She looked around the same age as Yala and had curly, shoulder-length hair. There was also a small scar on the woman's left eyebrow.

"Grand Elder~ You don't mind explaining, do you? We all gotta be on the same page, you know?" She grinned, showing pearly-white teeth.

The Grand Elder, her composure unwavering and her smile still beaming, examined each person in the room with a steady gaze. The room was filled with an oppressive mix of anxiety, boredom, and anticipation of the Grand Elder's next words. Laila and Isaac were shuffling in their seats, their uneasiness only festering as each minute passed, until the Grand Elder sighed.

"Astren, Gozan, Naton, Yala, Quilon, and Matarath…" The Grand Elder listed her peers' names gently. They all held their breath, each individual's back ramrod straight. "My dear friends… Do you so desperately wish to hear why I trust these two without a second thought?"

Everyone nodded their heads almost immediately.

"…So be it. Laila and Isaac had so graciously informed me they were there when it all happened. The night my children died happened just yesterday on the Ashia continent and on Port Silis' soil. The person responsible for their deaths was none other than the Pillars, or to be more precise, Luna."

Sharp gasps rang out through the petrified Elders. A bead of sweat trickled on each of their pale foreheads.

"Y-You say the Pillars are responsible for their deaths?" Quilon repeated shakily. The Grand Elder solemnly nodded.

"Yes… the very same Pillars who arrived ten years ago. I don't have to remind you guys who gave us this information, right?" The Grand Elder glowered at Quilon. Under The Grand Elder's smoldering gaze, Quilon turned his gaze elsewhere.

"…It was Sir Volken and Sir Solgen," Astren answered.

"Correct. Upon the Pillars' arrival in Athiens, they wreaked havoc on Athiens. Before Solgen, Volken, and a few others departed to stop them, my children had told us of their plans to defeat the Pillars. A man named Nicholas had supplied them with information about the Pillar's current whereabouts and supposed weaknesses. For how he got that information, he would never tell us. Though it was sketchy, Volken trusted the man since Nicholas was a wealth of information."

There goes that name again… Cardinal Nicholas. Why is this guy at the center of everything along with the Pillars, Laila wondered. She'll have to do something about this guy or else he'll cause more trouble…

"Laila, dearie, do you know anything about Nicholas?" A worried voice snapped Laila back to reality. Laila hadn't realized that everyone was now staring at her.

"Er… Isaac and I had some experiences related to him," Laila awkwardly chuckled.

"Okay then." Grand Elder brushed the topic aside. "Once Solgen and Volkens party arrived at the Pillars doorstep- mind you, Solgen had told her dear disciples the order of events, every single one of Solgen and Volken's comrades other than Morgac was slaughtered. Through the skin of their teeth, the three of them escaped, though they had to go into hiding for years to avoid the Pillars gaze."

"That would explain Sir Solgen's ten-year absence," Matarath said, furrowing his brow.

"Volken had informed me Solgen was hiding out in a cave, recuperating, and that was when she met these two humans, Laila and Isaac. Stowaways from Earth who had been transported on Athien soil because of some higher being."

Another collective gasp reverberated. If their interest wasn't piqued before, it most certainly was now. The Grand Elder had mentioned that these two were from Earth and are humans. A race from a whole different planet is standing right in front of their very eyes. All the Grand Elder did was confirm it. Their lips trembled as their wide eyes fluttered between Isaac and Laila.

"What made Solgen accept these two as her disciples were because of their skills and capabilities for a bunch of novices. In that very cave were spritsies, demogres, and magus demogres. These two had never held a sword in their lives, nor had they taken a life. In a matter of hours, these siblings were adept enough to kill a group of spritsies and demogres as if they've done it a million times. I don't have to remind you how monstrous of a feat that is…"

The Grand Elder squinted at the crowd before her. An agonizing silence surrounded the room as the Grand Elder waited for someone to speak up.

Yala took the chance to talk first. "If no one is willing to speak up, then I'll do it. Grand Elder, how do you know all of this? If I remember correctly, it's been ten years since we last saw Sir Solgen, and about four for Sir Volken once he took up the vacant spot for the leader position. As mentioned before, the humans could very well be lying through their teeth. How are you so sure?"

Yala spoke in a monotone voice. She still had the face of a person listening to their professor drone on during a lecture, but deep down she was invested. The Grand Elder saw through Yalas' façade and replied.

"It's been ten years for you, but for me, it was one month. After all, Solgen had a private meeting with her mother a month ago."

"REALLY?!" Everyone but the Grand Elder blurted out all at once. The walls and windows shook from the collective volume of intermingling voices. If an Apithien happened to be strolling by the lodge, they probably could have heard them through the bitter winds and the log walls.

"During that meeting, she had told me she had the fortune of meeting two promising individuals with terrifying potential. She even mentioned that they had the power to rival even Solgen herself, if not become stronger than her someday."

"T-That's blasphemy!" Quilon spat, slamming his fist on the table. "We Apithiens are a species notorious for our genetic advantages and latent skills in combat! We are second to none other than the dragons themselves! Are you saying these humans are stronger than we Apithiens?" He roared in fury, spewing spittle all over the table. Naton, who sat closest to Quilon, edged away from the steaming man with a disgusted look on her face.

"Okay, I can't take this anymore," Isaac sighed, rising from his seat. The boy has been holding in his distaste for the man for as long as he could, but he couldn't sit here and let the old geezer bad mouth him anymore.

"Listen here, old man. I don't know what your deal is, but you seem awfully racist. What makes you think Apithiens are all that? From my view, YOU seem like a weak old man who only fights using words," Isaac mocked.

"You insolent boy…" Quilon's face darkened. The old man slowly rose from his seat, his pale face turning red from anger. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as the man revealed the pent-up mana he had been holding back. For an old man, his mana had a powerful presence that made the siblings feel the intensity of its pressure.

"Quilon! What on Athiens are you doing?" Gozan nervously asked.

"The man lost his marbles now," Yala yawned.

"Wow! This type of development is quite fun~," Naton jumped out of her seat excitedly.

"You wanna fight, old man? I'll gladly accept the challenge! I wanted to beat you to a pulp ever since you ran your mouth!" Isaac reached into his Inventory and grabbed the Torqinite sword out, the crystal blade gleaming under the light outside.

"Isaac, calm down! We can't be doing this in Solgens' hometown!" Laila pleaded with her fired-up brother.

"Hm… Why not?" A voice near the siblings spoke. Everyone snapped their heads to the person who uttered such words, and it was none other than the Grand Elder herself.

"I, Grand Elder, will permit Isaac and Quilon to fight one another."