The werewolf was unable to understand.

“I’ve never seen someone… wait… are you also an outsider?” The werewolf struggled to keep his voice from shaking but he failed so. This realization slightly eased him yet still didn’t remove the overwhelming sense of dread building up within him. He had already anticipated both the Great Dragon of Moonlight and Great Demon of Domination but never in his wildest dreams could've he expected another creature to appear.

“You don’t want to kill me. It’s not worth it.” The werewolf immediately took out a small pendant from his chest. It was encrusted by some kind of mystical power that seemed to be well beyond this world. “Since you’re also an outsider, we can help each other here.” There was a simple letter engraved on it, the letter 'C.'

“Listen, before you do anything you might regret. I’m affiliated with a collective of outsiders, you don’t want to mess with us.” His sharp claws clung to the pendant, hoping that Sammuel would find it within reason to let him go. If he failed this then it would serve to be a severe burden to his organization.

Sammuel humane form took a step forward. He had immense strength swelling up within himself. It was to the point that it had become difficult for him to limit his power. One wrong move could decimate everything around.

“I know you want the Hatchling but there are deeper plans set in place. You have no idea just what a Great Being is, much less a Supreme Being. Ruining their plans will only end in your demise.” The werewolf followed Sammuel’s footsteps. Each time Sammuel took a step forward, he took one back. This motion kept moving until the werewolf was backed into a corner.

“Last chance.” The werewolf gathered up as much courage as he could.

Yet it just as quickly crumbled.

“Please don’t…”

Sammuel slowly raised his hand, reaching out to the werewolf’s head. The werewolf was far too terrified to do anything. He had prayed within his heart that Sammuel would come to his senses yet his hopes were immediately dashed. Even without the injury he received from Verim, he would’ve been killed here.

Tightening his grip, bone and muscle faded away, slowly condensing itself into a bloody mess. The werewolf that had won over Verim had died so pathetically.

[Gained Ego: Sebastian Winston | Card Quality: Platinum | Star Quality: 3 (178/200)]

“Instead of the species, it’s a name.” Sammuel placed this matter for another matter. An outsider, when killed, bears his name while natives of this world will give in to their species. This was evident from this incident.

[Switch Ego: Sebastian Winston]

[Failed due to Ego Overdrive]

Sammuel raised his brow, he didn’t expect this to occur. “If I want to keep my state, I need to run out Ego Overdrive. It no longer matters. Somehow, someway, I’ve won.”

With this much power... can I take on Alyur? Sammuel quickly shook that thought off. He was unable to do anything to Riccen at all. It would be suicidal to try and do something so stupid at this point.

[Ego Overdrive Deactivated]

The near god-like power he received just as easily dissipated into nothingness. Now, all he had left was [Ego: Base], [Ego: Human] from Verim, and [Ego: Sebastian Winston] from that werewolf. From his grand accumulation of thousands of achievements, he had lost it all. A large surge of weakness befall his body.

[Switch Ego: Sebastian Winston]

An influx of information rushed through Sammuel’s mind. This was the details of what kind of power this werewolf had.

“A beastmaster, able to control any creature and tame them for combat. A special ability that could capture entities in a preserved state.” Sammuel kneeled down and grabbed the three orbs of white light on Sebastian’s clothes. He casually threw them out, releasing three entities. It was a special orb that only Sebastian could use. Sammuel violently coughed out before realizing that he was taking on a burden much greater than before. [Ego: Sebastian Winston] was far too powerful for him to handle for a prolonged period of time. Still, he had to if he didn't want to collapse.

Lawrence turned his head to see that everything had already changed. “I didn’t expect you to be this strong.” He sighed, he had been pulled into a giant troublesome situation yet it somehow ended well.

[???]

Fian turned her gaze away, seemingly troubled by what she saw. “Sammuel, meet with me later. Come with me, Lawrence.” She took Lawrence’s wrist and dragged him away. Marie tried to reach out to Fian yet she immediately stopped herself. It was a bridge that had been burned down.

Always quick on the uptake. Sammuel placed his attention on the wee lad still clasping her hands.

“Marie, how are you holding up?” Sammuel reached out his hand, awaiting Marie to respond. Yet it seemed as if he was far too reserved with it as Marie came out and ran up to him. She reached her hands out and hugged him.

Marie’s tears flew down like two streams of rivers, unending.

“I was so scared. I thought I would’ve lost everything.” Marie’s whimpers continued on. “And I did.”

Facing a child, Sammuel found it difficult to converse with her. It was heavy. A child like her shouldn’t have to face such a tragic situation yet fate had other plans. “Marie, life’s hard. It kicks you while you’re down. It spits on your face when you’re beaten up. And at most times, there’s nothing you can really do.”

“Then… what’s the point?”

“Well, if you want to know the point, then I’ll have to answer that question with a question.” Sammuel pointed up at the stars. “Why do stars shine in the night sky?”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Because they’re stars.”

Sammuel pointed at the grass below.

“Why does the grass grow in the forest?”

“Because… that’s what they do?” Marie was unsure of her answer.

Sammuel pointed at himself.

“Why am I here?”

“I… I don’t know.” Marie was lost and confused. She didn’t know where this was going.

Sammuel lightly laughed, causing Marie to feel silly.

At the very least, she’s no longer crying.

“Life’s not about what the point of it is. It’s what you make it out to be.” Sammuel pointed at the stars once again. “They shine to illuminate your world. Make everything you do sparkle.”

“The grass on the ground lets you step and connect with the world. Feel free and unrestrained.”

“And I’m here… well, I’m here to tell you that, life’s going to be hard but it’s not yet the end. You still want to meet up with your mother. Even though she’s not your real family, she might as well be. She took care of you with all her might. The situation about your circumstances is irrelevant. Just act how you want to. If you love Fian just as much as she loves you, don’t let your origin get in the way of that.”

Marie quietened down. She looked up at the sky and let her body fall to the ground. Closing her eyes, she sorted out her thoughts. She was tired.

“Why did it have to be me?” A question that had been building up within her the entire time. “I miss the days when we lived in the library. Those were the happiest days of my life.”

Sammuel followed along with her motions, falling flat on the ground as well. “As do I. Those were fun times, weren’t they?”

A brief moment of silence as Marie gathered up her thoughts.

“What if I don’t want to be the Hatchling? I don’t want to be someone special. I just want to live a quiet life with my Mom.”

“Do you want to run away?”

“I want to run away.”

“Then run away. You’re free to do what you want.” Sammuel felt the air start to turn cold. “As long as you’re strong enough. You can do anything in the world.”

“Strong?” Marie saw the glimmer of moonlight shining down on her start to become heavier, in a sense. It was as if she was the sole focus of everything. “Like you?”

“I wish I was strong enough to do anything I wanted. But it’s not like all hope is lost. You’re the daughter of a very strong entity. You can be so strong that you can do anything in the future.”

The starlight illuminating the skies dimmed out as a vibrantly white light of moonlight started taking over the entire scene.

“But I don’t want to be strong. I don’t want to be special. What do I do now?” Marie wanted an answer that she could fully accept. Her ideal life wasn’t this.

“You play life out.” Sammuel felt a cold breeze flow over him as Alyur finally arrived. She was no longer held back by the Great Devil. “Alyur, how nice of you to finally arrive.”

“Mortal… Sammuel, as much as I hate to admit it, you’ve done your part. I’ll be taking the Hatchling and leaving now.” Alyur retained her Dragon form, her majestic white body shone as it captured moonlight.

“Not so fast.” Sammuel stood up and walked confidently before Alyur. He didn’t want her to know what he would say next. “What will happen to her now?”

“Groomed to be the next successor.” Alyur’s hollow tone suddenly had a slight shift of mockery. “Did you think you would leave so easily? The Hatchling’s imprinted on you. I cannot let you simply be free.”

Sammuel had already somewhat expected this. Turning back, he gauged Marie's expression. It was a mix of a sensation of relief and burden. She wouldn’t have to face the future alone at the very least.

“That’s going to be a problem. I think the person you’re trying to take is Fian. I’m just an observer here.”

“We’ve played this song and dance before. I can clearly see the bond she has formed with you. Might I remind you that I have already deemed you as the Hatchling’s guardian? Fian’s no longer a factor in this.” Despite using her power for an extended period of time, even fighting another Great Being, she was still confident in tackling any problem that may come about.

“Fian!” Sammuel roared, calling out her name.

“This was supposed to be a quiet send-off yet you just had to complicate it.” Fian appeared alongside Lawrence. Before overwhelming strength, no trick was great enough to turn the tides.

Marie tried to go after Fian yet she still vividly remembered how Fian cut all ties with her. Sammuel turned his attention towards Marie and nudged her with a smile.

“I can’t convince Marie,” Sammuel admitted it. He was nothing more than an outsider to this situation. Alyur visually saw the bond that Marie had with Sammuel evaporate into nothingness. It was odd, although Alyur was unable to take her power back, Marie could. Sammuel lost his access to [Supreme Blessing of Attachment. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

“So you’re going to have to convince her yourself.” Sammuel took a step back, letting the main players of the story play their roles. “She's her own person.”

Marie recalled what he had just said. “With strength… I can do anything. If-If I don’t stay with Mom and Sammuel… I won’t listen to you.”

“Is that it? Rebellion? You should’ve tried harder. Mortals are too foolish.” Alyur snickered. She grabbed ahold of Marie, ripping her away from the rest. No one could stop her. She was far too strong for any of them to do anything about. As Sammuel was no longer Marie’s guardian, Alyur no longer cared for him.

Alyur no longer bothered to care for these reckless mortals. She started gathering up her strength and was about to fly off.

Marie desperately tried to pry herself off from Alyur’s grasp but was unable to do so. She was helpless. “Mom!” She deeply regretted holding herself back all this time.

“Marie.” Fian looked up with a somber smile on her face. “I’m going after you, mark my words. I’ll go to the Plains of Divinity and take you back myself. Wait for me. I might have forgotten everything about you, but I’ll never forget… that I love you.” Yet those words were said in a whisper, unable to reach Marie at all.

Yet, even without being able to hear her words at all, Marie’s eyes started tearing up. “I’m going to wait for you!”

“My daughter. Mom will come for you…” Saying so, Alyur had taken Marie away. One moment they were still face to face yet at the very next moment, they were thousands of miles apart.

Sammuel hated to intervene at such a time yet he needed to know something. Walking over to Fian’s side, he knew that she was supposed to lose everything related to Marie yet she was still somehow keeping her in mind. Yet once he reached closer, droplets of tears started flowing down Marie’s face.

“You…”

Fian sadly scoffed and looked away. “I used to be someone formidable, you know? It took so much from me but… I cracked it. I broke through the [Contract]. It’s the tiniest hole I’ve ever made but it was enough for me to reach out.”

Sammuel understood the meaning behind her words. She could've broken through at any moment yet she chose this pivotal moment to do so. Only when it was too late that she wouldn't be able to do anything that'll ruin their possible future. As this was her decision, Sammuel didn't hold it against her.

“Lawrence, have you made up your mind?” Amidst her emotional scene, Fian still pushed forward. She spoke in the same coldness as before yet there was a hint of an oppressive nature.

“Do you really mean it?” Lawrence couldn’t believe his ears. “If so then yes, I’ll gladly join.”

“You will not regret your decision. How about you Sammuel, would you like to join the Genesis Foundation? My words still hold some weight. You could have your own backing like Sadin. If it's you, you can make a difference like no other.”

Sammuel instinctively held the book under his clothes and sighed. The book that Riccen had given him in exchange for Sadin's life was going to be his guide in the future. “I have my own path to walk down. I’ve only stayed in Aganth trying to figure out how to survive. Now that I’ve done that, there are countless questions I want answered.”

“Through the library and the archaic scholars of the Genesis Foundation, any question you may ever need to know would be answered for as long as you seek it.” Fian wanted to gain Sammuel’s help in her quest to get her daughter back.

“The questions I want answered aren't something books can give me.” Sammuel was burdened with intertwining his fate with theirs. “When the time comes and I’m still alive, let me help you take Marie back.”

“As the bodyguard of the library, I would expect nothing less. Then, seeing as you don’t want to keep in touch with me until the very end, I hope you would traverse the Plains of the Divinity soon.”

“I’ll see where my journey takes me.”