Wandering the Origin Sea… Becoming a Wanderer… That had always been what Alnea had been striving for. And as time had passed, becoming a Wanderer had become an obsession for him. He did not wish to become just a Wanderer, he wished to become the greatest Wanderer. At first, it was because of his father, and the sacrifice he made. Later, he wished to become the greatest Wanderer for his own sake. But at some point, that thought changed once again.

Becoming a Wanderer… It was not just about solitary Wanderings. Anyone could Wander the Origin Sea. But to become a great Wanderer, much less the greatest one, was not so easy. Only those who had something they wished to protect, be it a thought, a philosophy, or even a piece of a memory, could keep surpassing their limits, and reach the ranks of great Wanderers.

For Alnea, what he wished to protect were the people he loved. His mother, big sis Serena, Cecilia, Yuri, and even his master, he wished to protect them all. But protecting the people he loved was not as easy it seemed to be. And it was not just an insecurity, or an excuse that he made for himself to become stronger. No, it was a reality that he had experienced over the past year.

At first, it was just the Lotus clan that had been trying to subdue him, but just the month before, more than a hundred Heterodox Wanderers had come to capture him on the day of his Spirit Test, and all, but one of them had turned into Enthralled Wanderers, wreaking havoc in Anneve. Just to capture him, they destroyed the entire branch of the Lotus clan in Anneve… What exactly did they want from him? What did their Supreme Lord want from him?

Alnea did not know the answers to his questions. Maybe his master had some inkling to what the Heterodoxies wanted him for, but she refused to tell him about it, feigning ignorance. No, not feigning ignorance. She did tell him that she might know why the Heterodoxies were searching for him, but she also told him that he did not need to worry about it… How could he not worry about it?

The last time the Heterodox Wanderers had come, they had dared to kidnap Cecilia. If not for the guards that big sis Serena had arranged for his mother, then they would have probably also kidnapped his mother. But big sis Serena was not with him anymore. She had gone to the Grand Chasm. And even though his master was still there, she could not come out in the open, or things might become disadvantageous for her, and Yuri.

Besides, for how long was he going to be weak? It was just a few True Rank Heterodox Wanderers this time, but what if some stronger Wanderers came to trouble him? What if the Tes clan, or the Lightning clan came to deal with him, or his master, and Yuri? Would he be able to protect them? Would he be able to keep them safe? Would he…

No, he was too weak. If he wished to protect something, or someone, then he had to do it by himself. He had to let the world know that it could not take anything from him. He had to become strong. He had to become cruel. As long as his conscience, and Heart were clear, everything was fine. That was his path to strength. That was his Serenity. And that was his way to gaining Clarity.

Gaining confidence within himself, Alnea took a deep breath, before concentrating at the midpoint of his brows, entering his Spirit State. Unlike his usual Spirit State though, this time, he did not just feel the existence of a barrier inside his head, but was even able to penetrate through that barrier, and enter into a dark, and desolate world; his Spirit World. Of course, his Spirit World was not completely dark. There was still a faint source of light in his Spirit World. His Spirit.

There, surrounded by darkness from all sides, was his Spirit, giving off a bluish white light. Compared to the vast, and an almost endless Spirit World, the size of his Spirit, and the light that it gave off were nothing. In fact, the darkness was so overwhelming, that his Spirit almost looked like a flickering Glyph lamp, about to deactivate, and lose its final light. However, it never lost its final light. No matter how overwhelming the darkness was, it could not swallow his Spirit. It could not drown his will.

As Alnea concentrated on his Spirit, he felt his senses shift towards it, and within a moment, he was already near it, observing his Spirit half in detail. Just like Yuri’s Spirit, his Spirit too, was just a translucent figure of humanoid shape, with vague, and blurry facial features, making it hard to recognise himself. But there was no need to recognise the Spirit. This was his Spirit World. Whose Spirit could it be, but his?

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Besides, the moment that he had entered his Spirit World, Alnea had already felt a connection with the figure in front of him. A special connection that existed only between Wanderers, and their Spirits. And following that connection, he soon found himself observing his Spirit World from the eyes of his Spirit. Or rather, from the senses of his Spirit. Sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Not that there was much to observe in his Spirit World at the moment.

Having just reached the False Rank, his Spirit World was empty, and desolate. Only when he would be able to tame the Aspects of the Origin Sea, and bring them back to his Spirit World, would his Spirit World gain some life. Thus, without any hesitation, or delay, Alnea concentrated the senses of his Spirit to the thread connecting his Spirit, and his entire Spirit World, to the Origin Sea. It was, after all, a manifestation of his Roots.

Of course, that the thread was his Roots did not mean that it would obey his will so easily. Just as he had experienced it with Yuri, when he searched for the thread, he found it all around his Spirit; at the base of his neck, at the tail end of his back, around his wrists, at the base of his feet, within his navel, and many other places.

Alnea had thought that with the experience that he had gained from Yuri searching for her own Roots, searching for his own Roots would be easier for him. The thread though, remained just as elusive to him, as Yuri’s Root had been to her. The Origin Sea remains unbiased, and treated everyone equally…

It looked that part was true for even within one’s own Spirit World. Still, it was not as if his experience of Wandering the Origin Sea with Yuri had not taught him anything. Drawing lesson from Yuri’s action, he pulled on to the thread, as if he was trying to borrow Oren from the Origin Sea. Almost immediately, he felt all his other senses collapse, leaving just a single thread within his senses; a golden thread, tainted with the darkness of night. His Roots.

Although he had made use of his Roots many times, this was the first time he was observing it in such detail, with all its colour, and substance. And a sense of Mystery to it as well… No, not just one Mystery. He felt the existence of Mysteries that his Roots were based on. Of course, he just had a faint feeling. He could not comprehend these Mysteries. Not yet. But one day, not so far in the future, he would surely comprehend these Mysteries, and gain the ability to truly wield his Roots like it was meant to. For the moment though, he had something else to do.

Tugging on the thread that was in front of him, Alnea did not reach for Oren within the Origin Sea. Instead, he himself went along that thread, and tried to climb his way into the Origin Sea. Once, that action had given him a severe headache. At the moment, however, not only did he not face any backlash, but the thread also accommodated his request, and he soon found his senses shifting away from his Spirit World, into the thread itself.

What followed next was what he had already expected. Within moments, he felt the world itself shift around him, as he climbed up the thread—or was it down? It did not matter. Neither did time matter. Time mattered only when the world itself existed. When he existed. But at the moment, his existence itself had lost all its meaning. He was not Alnea Oathkeeper. He was the Roots of Alnea Oathkeeper. And he was not in any world, he was within the barrier between the world, and the Origin Sea.

And so, he did not know whether it was a long, or a short journey. He just knew, that at some point, his Roots had brought him to his Domain. To the dark, and empty space, where nothing existed, not even space itself. Of course, that was just temporary. In future, just like his Spirit World, after he comprehended some Mysteries, he would be able to turn his Domain into a miniature form of the Origin Sea.

Besides, it was not as if nothing existed in his Domain. There was still the Oren, existing just within his reach, waiting for his call. And his Roots, the chains of his Oaths. He could not see them, but he could feel them, existing somewhere within his Domain, guarding him from the rest of the Origin Sea. From the temptations, and lures of the Origin Sea. From its endless attacks.

Then there was the gateway to the Origin Sea. A link between his Domain, and the Origin Sea, that would manifest itself with just a simple tug of his Spirit. It did not exist physically, but he could feel it existing beyond the fabric of material existence… Just like the Mysteries of the Origin Sea. Maybe that was also a Mystery of the Origin Sea… A manifestation of his Roots? Maybe. But all Wanderers had a gateway in their Domain…

In any case, he would know when he would pull the gate into existence. He did not have anything to within his Domain anyways. The price of his Roots was different from the price of Yuri’s Roots after all. Thus, once again, without any hesitation, he reached into the depths of his Domain with his Spirit, and—

“So, you are finally here, Son of Chaos.”