Terra POV:

I sat alone at a desk in the centre of the large library. Actually, calling it ‘large’ was doing it a disservice. I think humongous or colossal were both adjectives that described this precious place in a more accurate manner.

Several sets of books were stacked on top of the desk in front of me, forming small towers that cast a shadow in my direction. I adjusted the bridge of the small rim glasses that sat snuggly on top of my little nose while I flipped through the pages of an open book.

‘Not this one either.’

I fanned my fingers behind my back, manipulating the air that I recently discovered I had control of. I say ‘recently,’ but all members of the Skyblade family could control the wind; I just happened to be...

‘Ouch!’

...Very bad at it.

The book that I had slowly ejected from one of the many bookcases spiralled out of control and crashed into my head. It plopped on top of the open book while I rubbed the sore spot with both hands.

“...You suck.”

Kana’s voice echoed in my mind, and I immediately bit my lip. I knew I had started training much later than the two of them, but... I was really trying, so it hurt being told how bad I was.

Encouraging people was important to helping them grow; that’s what my parents had always taught me, so I didn’t understand why some people took such pleasure in bringing others down. It was mean.

‘She probably didn’t mean it...'

“Useless as always.”

‘…She definitely did.’

I let out a helpless sigh and turned my attention back towards the new book I had pulled over. I was currently researching Lyon’s lineage, as I refused to believe that someone with that much power could be so unknown family-wise. Of course, there were always outliers, but there was no harm in checking.

‘Hmm.’

I recalled his blond hair turning several shades lighter while hints of blue added a finishing touch to it. The way the torrents of water wrapped around him was an example of his incredible control, despite the simplicity of the action.

My gaze shifted to the black cover of the book; its title worn away a long ago. I had already combed over family names from 100, 200, and even 500 years ago. This book had detailed recordings going back to the last 1,500 years. Contrary to what one may think, the book, while an antique, still had a few copies available for purchase for a large amount of gold.

Efros was a country that had an extensive history spanning a few millennia. It started off as a tiny village in the middle of nowhere until it eventually expanded into the country it was today.

The close bond formed when building, defending, protecting and so on is one of the reasons why most people are so kind and caring to one another.

The statistics prove it too! Efros has the lowest crime rate out of all the countries in the Cotis Empire, followed closely by Yoran, the heart of the Empire, which was only founded in 9,640AF, 10 years ago.

‘Oh, I’m getting side-tracked again! But who doesn’t love a good history lesson?’

I smiled to myself before opening the book. I skimmed through the long lists of names on each page as I made my way through the thick book. It was a pity that it wasn’t written in alphabetical order like the others, but I was very good at speed reading.

‘Found it!!’

My cheeks puffed out, and I tapped myself on the back. I hovered over the small name in fancy writing while I parted my lips.

“Aenon Asphalios?”

My finger continued on the same line as a hyphen connected his name to a long title.

“The Emperor of the Sea.”

Underneath it was a short description about the man. He was unexpectedly killed in a war before this book was compiled, so his inclusion must have been an honorary mention. By the time of his death, Skill Books had already declined several millennia ago due to their glaring disadvantages. However, this wasn't the reason why his complete cultivation technique was never passed down. As a result, the Asphalios family lost their power, fame and eventually nobility, becoming ordinary citizens that left Efros at some point.

‘!’

My eyes widened in shock. Lyon had to be from the same lineage as Aenon—it would explain his Ki Nature and that strange form he had tapped into.

“My lady, a guest has arrived for you.”

Hubert’s sudden call interrupted my thought process. Now wasn’t the time to meet with a guest! I needed to see if I could find any other information about Aenon Asphalios. I would personally apologize to them later; this came first!

“My lady, it’s Lord Zane.”

My hands froze while the blood rushed to my cheeks. My head felt dizzy, and I panicked. I adjusted my hair, putting the small glasses down on the table.

‘N-no, wait... Maybe I should wear them?...’

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

I stumbled over my thoughts, frantically removing any creases from the dress I was wearing. By the time I got to my feet, I tripped over the corner of the table and flopped forward.

“Careful.”

Two dark arms wrapped around me, gently helping me to my feet. I felt the steam rise from my face as I looked up at him. His golden brown eyes pierced through my heart, making me wobble.

“T-thank... You...”

He smiled and pulled me into a deep hug. His warmth spread over me while his heartbeat paced itself in a constant rhythm. On the other hand, mine felt like it was about to explode; I even started sweating!

‘O-oh... N-no...’

“I’m glad you are safe, Terra.”

My lips spread into a wide smile while his hand rubbed my back. I wished this moment would last forever, just staying in the arms of the person I love... Love...

Steam rose from my face again, and my head became dizzy. Zane always made me feel this way, but at the same time, it always felt good!

‘G-get it together, Terra!’

“...It’s thanks to your disciple, Lyon... He fought with everything he had...”

Zane stepped back and folded his arms, which often meant he had something important to say.

“He did well. I’m proud of him.”

He smiled contently as a golden brown light erupted out from him. It covered the entire Skyblade estate while another colourless light expanded, overlaying the golden brown light with hues of grey and black, making the surrounding area look like a still black-and-white picture. It was Zane's unique Territory.

“I’m aware that the Skyblade mansion is safe, but precautions are necessary. I won’t let you get hurt again.”

‘G-gah..! My heart...!”

I kept my composure as much as possible while the inner me squealed like a little girl. How he could say such things with a straight face was beyond me, but I loved it!

“Terra, tell me what happened in that dungeon.”

I nodded my head, ignoring Donovan’s words to not tell anyone what I had seen a few days ago. I couldn’t remember much, but I told Zane all that I was certain of.

“Z-Zane... I found some interesting information about Lyon... He’s most likely the descendent of Aenon Asphalios, The Emperor of the Sea.

That’s why he could fight against that strange Bloodborne Orc. Ah... No? I think I saw a flashing window calling it a Deviant Orc...? But maybe it was a trick... A-anyway...”

My words trailed off as I watched Zane’s eyebrows furrow the moment I mentioned Deviant Orc. I had no idea what that was, so I assumed the system was trying to make us despair again.

“Umm... Z-Zane... Lyon’s cultivation technique is incomplete... Aenon died before he could pass it on completely... D-did you know this?...”

“Yes. That is why the only reason he could tap into that power was because the Mark of a Pantheon stabilized his foundation. Otherwise, that very power would have collapsed; his body imploding from within as a result of Ki Deviation.”

I instinctively covered my mouth at the horror Zane had just described.

“Relax, Terra. This was one of the reasons I made him my disciple; it was to save him from himself in the event a situation like this happened.”

“O-oh... You... Knew he would fight alone... even if it meant sacrificing himself so that we could live...”

I bit my lip. I was glad that I visited and gave him my thanks. I couldn’t stand being ungrateful no matter how small the gift was, and in Lyon’s case, a thank you would never suffice, but it was all I could say.

“My disciple is that type of person. Don’t dwell on it too much, Terra.”

I watched his lips curve into a thin smile. It was clear that Zane was truly proud of the person Lyon had become and... I wanted him to be proud of me in the same way. I wanted to show him that I could be strong enough to protect others.

“...T-then will you tell him... About his lineage?...”

“No. It’s not time yet. Are you familiar with why the Emperor of the Sea died in battle?”

I shook my head. Though I had been interrupted earlier, the information directly under Aenon’s name only stated his death, omitting any finer details such as who he died against and the like.

“Arrogant, violent and hot-headed. These traits described Aenon Asphalio’s character, and his death was a result of it. He thought of himself as a god, wanting to prove to the king of Efros at the time that all men should bow before him.

Ignoring the king’s wishes, he actively provoked the Langeans not far from Efros and the Ilarians to the South East by killing thousands of innocent people.

However, he hadn’t foreseen that the two countries, Ilaria and Langia, would join hands and declare not a war, but a massacre on Efros due to Aenon breaking the treaty that was formed after decades of bloodshed.

The people of Efros knew this was his fault, but they were willing to protect him; for he was one of their own. But there was one person who disagreed with the consensus made; his wife, Cyrie Asphalios.

She was the mother of his seven children, but she knew well of his affairs with other women. She endured it because she hoped that her love would open Aenon’s eyes, but even the sun must set for night to fall.

As a result, Aenon stepped out alone on the battlefield that day. His epithet: ‘The Emperor of the Sea,’ was no exaggeration. He swept thousands of their armies away with his sheer power, but no matter how strong he was, Aenon was human.

The leaders of the two nations descended upon the battlefield. Both of them in the same realm of power as Aenon. Their battle lasted for 5 days, reshaping the entire landscape, forming lakes, valleys and mountains around them and beyond. Though Aenon alone destroyed their two countries, it ended with his heart being ripped out of his body, and eaten by the Langean leader.

Enraged by the disrespect shown to her fallen husband, Cyrie left her children behind and arrived by Aenon’s side. His last breath led to the words she always wanted to hear: “I love you and I am sorry.”

Cyrie killed the weakened leaders in a fit of anguish and rage before dying beside her husband due to the injuries she sustained, thus concluding a war that was lost to the annals of history.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks uncontrollably. It was such a sad story, but the way Zane recounted its events made it even more impactful to me.

“Aenon was too busy messing around with other women that he neglected his children, not even passing down the complete form of his cultivation technique: Tempest Storm.

However, there is a small possibility that this was on purpose. Tempest Storm is a cultivation technique that also affects the mind.”

Zane pointed to his head with his finger, and I immediately understood what his concern was. If Lyon were to complete the technique, it could completely change him as a person.

“Z-Zane... You’re not saying that... Tempest Storm might actually turn Lyon into a person with a violent god complex, right?...”

“I don’t know. The possibility I mentioned earlier is just a personal theory of mine based on the story my father told me.”

“I-I see...”

A sigh of relief escaped my lips. As long as it wasn’t 100% guaranteed to be the case, then it was always best to be hopeful. The white and black Territory around us disappeared, restoring the usual tones of the surrounding environment.

“Terra, what we discussed today is just between the two of us.”

‘Between the two... Of us...’

My cheeks flushed as I struggled to hide my embarrassment with my hands. I nodded my head somewhat while my gaze shifted to the ground.

“U-understood...”

I mumbled while twiddling my thumbs. I became incredibly self-aware all of a sudden, making it difficult for me to look at Zane properly.

“Train hard. You have a lot more potential than you might think.”

I barely caught a glimpse of his smile before he vanished. A deep breath left my mouth as I wiped the tiny beads of sweat off my forehead. Truthfully, I wanted to tell Zane how I felt, but I heard that he was already in a relationship with another woman.

‘...But the seal of a Pantheon hasn’t been performed yet...’

All of the matters regarding The Emperor of the Sea left my mind as I slapped my cheeks lightly. I still had a chance, so now was the time to train!

I dashed out of the library and called out to Hubert. I promised myself that the next time I met Zane I would confess...

Maybe.