Lyon POV:

By the time I arrived at Central Guild, the sun had already begun to set. I stood alone in the main square; my gaze resting on the words ‘Central Guild’ carved into an embedded banner that sat firmly in the middle of the huge building.

‘Hmm.’

I observed the several entrances that led to different parts of the building complex before making my way through the largest one.

A receptionist sat in front of a large desk that jutted out in a cone-like shape. It connected to the two wide hallways on either side and contained a tall bookshelf fully stacked behind her.

Her emerald eyes flickered away from the desk piled with papers and stopped on me. I watched her lips form a polite smile as she dipped her head slightly.

“Good evening. Are you here to register as an Adventurer and take the aptitude tests?”

Her tone of voice was soft, and she maintained eye contact with me confidently. She had blond hair tied up neatly into a ponytail, paired with glasses that rested comfortably over her small nose.

“That’s right.”

I nodded my head as I moved closer towards the desk. The receptionist examined me carefully before pulling out a folder from a drawer and placing it down in front of her.

“May I have your name?”

“Lyon Asphalios.”

Her fingers flickered, causing the pages to blur as she reached the end of the large folder in a matter of seconds. After placing it back in the drawer, she got up from the desk, revealing her large bust while turning her head back towards me.

“One moment please.”

She dipped her head and disappeared behind the back of the tall bookshelf. A few minutes passed as I waited there patiently for the receptionist to reappear.

“I apologize for the wait, Master Lyon.”

‘Master? Not again...’

I sighed inwardly, wondering how she knew to add honorifics to my name. I didn’t mind addressing others with such titles, however, I preferred to just be called by my name in most cases.

“Just Lyon is fine.”

Her emerald eyes shimmered as her gaze swept over me several times. She remained quiet for a while before slowly parting her lips.

“Then, Lyon, you’ve already been registered as an Adventurer. You have also recieved special admission.”

“Special admission?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Normally, I would recommend that those with special admission still take the aptitude tests, but after s-seeing who put in the request; I recommend forgoing this procedure.”

Her hands overlapped as they rested against her wide thighs. I saw a faint shade of red spread across the bridge of her nose while her eyes looked elsewhere.

The receptionist quickly bowed her head again but refused to sit down. Eventually, she stretched forward her hand in a shy manner while carefully observing my movements.

“Pardon my manners, but this is an exceedingly rare opportunity for someone of my status. I am Lois Row, and it is an honour to meet you, Master Lyon.”

“The pleasure is mine, Lois.”

I sighed helplessly before shaking her hand with a soft smile. Lois still didn’t sit down, instead, she examined her hand with sparkling eyes, so I turned my attention back to my current situation.

‘Special admission and skipping the aptitude tests...’

I had already ruled out Tobias since he would have let me know prior to leaving, so that left only one other option. I resisted the urge to smile but failed to stop the corners of my mouth from rapidly rising.

It had been a few months since we had parted ways, but I needed to make sure. I opened my mouth while my gaze rested firmly on Lois.

“...And who put in this request?”

Her face flushed, and her eyes shone vibrantly. A bright smile formed as she parted her lips once more.

“The Pantheons.”

***

3 years ago.

I made my way through the dark forest before finally arriving at a large clearing that connected to a vast lake.

My gaze shifted towards two large stone slabs half buried in the ground. I bent down in front of them as my eyebrows curved inwards.

No matter how much time passed, this pain... It ate away at me. This indescribable feeling of sadness and anguish swallowed me whole, stabbing away at my heart; reopening closed wounds.

My fingers trembled as I wiped away the dirt clinging to the gravestones. The names ‘Grey Asphalios’ and ‘Lia Asphalios’ were neatly engraved on the slabs. I don’t know who honoured them like this, but I was grateful for it.

“I miss you both... so much... Ugh...”

Unable to hold back the tears that pooled at the corners of my eyes, I bit my quivering lip. I raised my hands, desperately wiping away the tears that flowed endlessly before giving up.

I curled over and sobbed loudly.

“I’m so sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry...”

I apologized profusely while somehow managing to replace the flowers in front of their graves with shaky hands. Even if I wanted to tell them something, death wasn’t kind enough to let my voice reach them.

Three years had passed since I lost my parents, and I had achieved nothing during that time. It was disgraceful.

‘...’

I stared at their gravestones in a daze. Time moved on, but this wound refused to heal properly. Perhaps visiting them so frequently did more harm than good.

The setting sun pained the sky a vibrant, reddish-orange colour that illuminated the forest below. Its descent began when my tears had finally come to an end, leaving behind bloodshot eyes as proof of their existence.

An exasperated sigh left my mouth as I stumbled to my feet. I trudged over to the bank of the lake and peered down at its tranquil surface.

“This is all our family has left, Lyon. This is your heritage.”

My father’s words echoed in my mind while I took a step forward. The level of the water quickly reached my ankles, and then my chest.

I gazed at the sky for a while before taking a deep breath and plunging myself into the depths below. I dived down until I could clearly see the light refracting as it hit the surface of the lake, before eventually fading away into the darkness.

I closed my eyes and recalled the many times I had watched my father perform the Sea Dance. It didn’t take long for a clear image to form in my mind as I moved according to it; mimicking my father’s movements like a mirror.

His figure soon overlapped with mine as my eyes flashed open. My body moved on its own, free from the restraints of the water while the fish in the lake began to swim around me; forming a spiralling wall.

I sank deeper into the dance.

It was like I had become one with the water; I felt so free, yet an inescapable sadness lingered on my chest.

‘Is this how my father felt?...’

My tears were swallowed up by the lake as I neared the end of the dance. I felt my hands tremble—the shakiness rapidly travelling up my limbs, constricting their movement in the process. I clenched my teeth, struggling to recall the finishing sequence as my eyes narrowed.

‘...Damn it!!’

The mirror shattered apart; the connection severed, forcing the wall of fish to abruptly disperse. I winced in pain and annoyance that after all these years... I still... I still failed!

‘!’

In the midst of my despair, a man appeared in front of me. He had short, dark blue hair that was curly and a well-built physique.

‘DAD!!’

My eyes widened in shock while my hand instinctively reached out to him. I watched his lips spread into a warm smile, as his calm blue eyes observed me with a gentle gaze.

I desperately called out to him in my mind, trying to close the distance between us as I clawed away at the water. Each time I was a hair’s breadth away, his body would pull back; pushing my anxiety higher.

‘Dad! Please... Please! Stop running from me!!’

I tore through the water without a care in the world as I begged him to stop running. Just one hug... If I could hug my father one more time...

‘!’

He suddenly stopped moving, and my face crashed into his chest. I ignored the trail of blood gushing out of my nose as I squeezed him tight.

‘I won’t let go this time.’

The corners of my mouth rose. All that was missing now was my mother, and then my family would be complete again.

I looked up at my father with a bright smile only for it to fade instantly. I immediately backed away, confused by why two large, black holes had replaced his eyes.

Blood streamed down from them, emphasizing an almost demonic look. His skin became ghastly white while he tilted his head to a perfect 90 degree angle; allowing for the audible sound of his neck breaking to enter my ears.

“You KILLED me!!”

The lake rippled from his death-filled roar. His mouth was devoid of any teeth, and his limbs abruptly bent awkwardly at different angles.

I froze.

My mouth dropped open in fear, allowing the lake water to rush inside. I closed it quickly, but my lungs had already been compromised as I struggled to breathe. However, I never looked away from my father.

‘I’m sorry... I’m sorry...’

I continued to apologize while stretching out my hand toward him. Tendrils of darkness crept into the sides of my vision, stealing away my strength as well as my sight.

I stared at my father’s horrific appearance when a wave of relief abruptly washed over me.

‘I miss them.’

My lips curved into a thin smile as the darkness swallowed up the remaining light. It consumed the rest of my thoughts, taking my fading consciousness with it.

***

“Hey! Wa—up!”

“Si... Don’t wo...”

“There’s—ime. So—eckless!”

My eyes flickered open intermittently. I barely made out two hazy figures standing over my body as I blacked out once again.

Their voices kept cutting off while a loud ringing sound threatened to burst open my head. I let out several pained groans, unable to muster up any strength in my body.

The darkness soon welcomed me back with open arms.

***

A throbbing pain emanated from my head. It was accompanied with a severe burning sensation in my chest that brought me back to the land of the living.

‘...’

It took me a few seconds to realize that I was resting against a tree. I ignored the soreness of my back and looked up at the sky, quickly noticing that the sun was at its highest peak.

“I’m glad you’re awake.”

A teenage boy, wearing black clothes with gold around the edges, walked up towards me before crouching down a few metres away.

His dark skin had a relatively dark complexion. The sides of his hair were mostly shaved while the head of a panther was tattooed at the top of his right arm.

‘A... Pantheon?!!’

My eyes popped. The Pantheons originally hailed from Vidris but came to Efros over a millennia ago.

Upon their arrival, the King immediately gave them the status of nobility, granting them authority just below his own. They had a special place in the hearts of the people of Efros and were always held in high regard.

Furthermore, the Pantheons were well-known throughout the Empire, but they didn’t serve the Emperor; they were only loyal to the King of Efros. I had only lived in Efros for three years, yet I gained that information within the first week.

In other words, I was currently sitting down in the presence of someone who might as well be equal to a King. Naturally, my whole body shook as I immediately tried to get up to pay my respects.

“Take your time. You almost drowned.”

His rich brown eyes swept over me with a concerned look while he rested his hand against my shoulder.

“...Thank you for saving me.”

I didn’t know why he was here, but I was grateful. Before I could properly take in this incredible moment, I saw his gaze rest on two gravestones in the distance.

“...My parents. They died three years ago buying time for the villagers to escape a monster horde caused by a dungeon break.”

I bit my trembling lip as my eyebrows curved inwards. I squinted, trying to hold back the tears while my heartbeat quickened. For some reason, he continued to stare at the gravestones for some time.

“I’m sorry for not being able to help at that time.”

I could hear the sadness in his voice as he stood up. I got to my feet as well and shook my head in response.

“It’s not your fault. Besides..., it was the village that refused to become a part of Efros. They just wanted to maintain their trade relationship which mostly benefitted them in the first place.”

A hint of anger slipped into my voice even though I knew I was in the wrong. I thought I had gotten over this whole situation, but here I was trying to shift the blame on the village.

I was right. I needed to stop coming here for a while; it made my head even more clouded.

“Your village came to Efros for help, we should have been more proactive.”

I looked into his deep brown eyes and knew that his concern was genuine, but I bet the Village Head had turned down any sort of protection from them.

Could I blame her? The village had never suffered any real damage from monster hordes in many decades.

‘...Damn it.’

I... I had enough. I just felt so... frustrated.

“It was an honour to meet one of the Pantheons. Once again, thank you for saving me.”

I bowed my head politely. The teenage boy didn’t say a word; he just stared at me silently with a gaze that seemed to look right through my troubled mind.

I glanced at the gravestones one more time before gritting my teeth and walking away.

“Do you think running away from all your problems will solve them?”

My feet stopped. A shadow cast over my face as my hands balled into fists. I felt my veins pop while I struggled to contain my boiling rage.

“Or perhaps your thoughts are much darker than that? Time is precious.”

My head creaked back as my pupils dilated to the extreme. I knew I shouldn’t, but I just couldn’t control myself in that moment, so... I lashed out against a noble.

“What do you even know?! There is NOTHING I can do! I tried... I tried so damn hard! I thought something would happen—some change would occur if I did this and that... And yet... Here I am...”

My gaze shifted down to my opened hands as my vision blurred. I pointed my shaking finger towards him while the tears continued to stream down my face.

“YOU DON’T KNOW ME!!”

The trees rustled around us violently as my mind finally caught up to what my mouth was saying. Contrary to my expectations, his lips curved into a content smile before flickering in front of me.

‘?!’

I couldn’t register his movement at all as he gently pushed my extended arm back down to my side.

“Good. There is hope after all. Lyon Asphalios, would you like to become my disciple?”