***

Upon a mountain of sand, a man with tanned skin looked out over the Empire that had shaped him into the man he was. He noticed a movement from behind and turned to see the people who had been following him for two years. As they approached, he looked into their eyes and said, “Kante and Lyra, the Emperor said they will be coming in two days. Don’t delay anymore by flirting and playing around.” After giving them a warning, he noticed the embarrassed look in the couple’s eyes.

The couple appeared to be in their early twenties, a young age, but in this world, appearances were deceiving. Their wounds were impossible to miss, indicating they had experienced much despite their innocent vibe. It was clear there was a story behind their behavior; they wouldn't be following the Empire’s most talented cultivator on an expedition to kill monsters and gain experience if there wasn't.

Lyra, noticing her partner had not replied, said, “Sorry. We are excited to meet the rest of the gang. I believe everything will be different after we go through with our plans in the sea of stars.” She then looked up at the starry sky, lost in thoughts of the possibilities.

Seeing his girlfriend’s gaze fixed on the stars, Kante added, “Same. I really can’t wait to meet my big brother and sister. As for the flirting, Damon, you are just jealous.” With a provocative look, he glanced at Damon, who had become a legend. Kante respected Damon a lot, but he always tried to provoke people to know them on a deeper level. However, Damon wasn’t someone to tolerate such behavior.

As the couple reached Damon’s left, they gazed upon the endless wall that separated the Empire from the horror they had left behind hours ago. The wall, though it seemed ordinary, had been enchanted by the royalty and capable citizens of the Empire. It had withstood near-extinction events, always standing tall. The more they gazed at it, the more it started to give Kante and Lyra headaches.

Seeing this, Damon got his little revenge and activated the royal seal on the back of his hand with Mind energy, creating a cracking sound that surrounded them. In a blink, they were gone.

***

In the capital city of the Luvi Empire, named Ephesus, there was a tavern called Erdem’s Tavern. It was mostly constructed from wood and brick, but with a modern design that made people wonder about the mysterious person who had opened it so close to the Empire’s Castle, where the royalty lived.

Inside the tavern, there were people from all kinds of backgrounds: bards who had traveled through the Empire’s lands, telling songs and stories, members of the sect that the Empire oversaw, and even some cultivators who came from the starry sky.

At a table in the corner of the establishment, four people sat, discussing with solemn faces. The most eye-catching of them was a woman with red hair and red eyes, known as the Lady of the End. Whenever the group attracted curious gazes, one look from her was enough to stop them.

However, if the timid people, or at least those who avoided incurring her ire, knew that her secret lover was drawing heart shapes on her back, they might be even more scared.

The daring man who had the chance to have this kind of contact had a slender build, dark eyes and hair, and an ordinary face. As he continued to chat with the other two men—a handsome man with a similar build but with otherworldly grace, resembling the Lady of the End with red hair and eyes, and a very fit man with broad shoulders, black hair, and blue eyes—Dante asked, “I wonder when Damon will arrive?” while continuing his hand movements.

“Again, you are underestimating the two rookies, aren’t you, Dante?” the man with blue eyes questioned him. He didn’t mind how Dante always ignored the existence of Kante and Lyra. It was just unknown why. He never told, and no one asked as they too were doubtful.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“So what? When is he going to arrive?” Dante turned his head towards the red-haired man, the brother of his secret lover. “You should know, Angel,” he said, as Angel was known to be the most suited for these questions. Snickering inside, he only doesn’t know I am at Scarlet’s bed… He didn’t dare let the previous thought cross his mind, fearing his dear lover would notice.

He didn’t fear Scarlet getting mad. He even loved it when she was mad. It was just that she was a little sensitive whenever he thought about her brother's weird acts. Dante acknowledged their past, which was why he also had a soft spot for Angel. Brotherly spot, of course. However, he just couldn’t empathize with him, thus the current situation. After all, he couldn’t imagine how he would have fared if he were in Angel’s place.

“They should arrive pretty soon,” Angel answered, looking to his left. “Why don’t you answer them? You are better at these calculations. I’ve already lost three percent of my mana. You didn’t answer intentionally, did you?” he said, his face contorted with discomfort.

“Dammit, Chris! I really will kill you if you keep doing this!” the Lady of the End said as she put her hand above Angel’s on the table and caressed his hand with her thumb. “Relax, my Angel,” she said with an adoring face, but she suddenly lost her composure as her secret lover seemed to find this moment the best time to explore more of her back.

“You really are a good sister, Scarlet,” Dante said after he put his left hand above their hands and looked towards Chris. “You have three seconds to add yourself into the mix and apologize. Or, you might find yourself a little unlucky these days.”

Upon hearing Dante, Chris immediately put his hand on top and looked serious for a second before turning towards Angel and said, “Sorry. Though I don’t trust myself enough to promise it will not happen again.” Looking at Dante, he shrugged and right after pulling his hand away, he noticed the seal of the Empire light up on Dante’s hand. The rest of them also noticed, and they directly pulled their hands back while straightening their backs. Right after, reality bent to open a space right to Dante’s left, and in a blink, that space had three people instead.

All the heads in the tavern snapped to the same space as the three people materialized, and they caught their breath for a second. Immediately after, some acted like nothing had happened, while others chose to leave before they acted more unnaturally than they already had.

In their hearts, the Lady of the End would always be the number one woman they would be afraid of in this part of the world that had seen unimaginable things. However, when it came to the people they feared and respected in the current era, no one could beat the person known for his feats. He was known by many names. Most people, however, knew him by his title, Unbreakable.

A few decades ago, there was a child who slaughtered hordes of monsters. No one knew why this kid, barely fifteen, used a battered sword that would hardly be picked by anyone if they saw it on the streets to wake up every morning and kill at the Point of No Return, the most dreadful place closest to the Empire. Upon hearing this, the previous Emperor went to see this little guy for himself.

The right hand of the Emperor at that time, quoted in his drunken stupor a decade ago, said, “When we went there, a little guy no bigger than my child was being dragged by the monsters. We saw four monsters, each pulling from his hands and feet to break him. But no, he did not! I gazed at the Emperor and wanted to ask him if I should help, but the answer I got was, ‘Why would this little fellow need our help? Do you think a person like that is easy to bend, easy to give up, easy to break?’ right after I turned to the kid’s position, I no longer saw four monsters that would rip the kid to pieces, but I saw the kid lying in a gory mess.”

It was the creation of a legend. Over the decades, that little kid had grown up, creating more and more legends. And that little kid’s name was Damon.

The only person whose reputation beat Damon’s when it came to unattainable feats would be the current Emperor. No one dared mention the legends of their Emperor in broad daylight. Fathers would tell their children before bedtime, and the children would grow up learning the legend. He was feared by many but respected by many more. He is also known as the Emperor of Domination. However, that being’s legend was not the time to resurface yet.

As the tavern started calming down a little, the two people beside Damon looked upon the people before them, and said at the same time, not noticing how people in the tavern nearly shat their pants upon hearing, “So, let’s go and see the Emperor and the Empress. Let’s not dilly-dally here. My big bro and sis should be dying to see us.”

This day might be the start of another legend for these people in the tavern. Well, except for those that are not from this world.