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In a cubic-shaped room, a being made of blood was positioned in the middle. Eerie liquid splashes occurred as the blood took on various shapes, sometimes humanoid, sometimes a near-perfect round ball the size of a fist. Outside the room, an abyss seemed to stretch endlessly, with screams and groans echoing incessantly, rattling the mind, soul, and body. Each time the screams paused for a few minutes, a flow of reddish liquid would ethereally enter the room and mix with the blood.
At some point, the screams ceased for more than a few minutes, and the being made of blood stopped its movement. With a sigh that shook those in the abyss, the blood coalesced into a middle-aged-looking man, with black hair tinged with gray and eyes resembling rubies. As the man took a breath, his savage aura began to cool, and some beings in the abyss found a moment of peace.
As the middle-aged man focused, the darkness outside the transparent room with shades of white illuminated a path, and he opened a pathway to three people. Leading them was a giant man, moving with a momentum that pleased the being. He gazed upon the woman to the right of the giant man, holding his hands, and although she seemed to notice his gaze, she couldn't quite pinpoint its nature. Lastly, he looked at the tiger that proudly strutted forward, its nose raised towards the heavens, undeterred by the abyss, deeming it unworthy of its attention. The being wore a strange expression before smirking slightly, letting out a breath that echoed in the darkness. The tiger shivered, then stopped as the giant man looked at him. Undeterred, the man continued to smile as the room around him began to bend to his will, creating a plush seating area.
Simultaneously, Arslan noticed what the man in the room was doing. Realizing that the being had no one around him as expected, he furrowed his brows before understanding and easing his expression. He was used to this, after all.
Arslan extended his Mind toward his wife and child, enveloping them, and with a momentum that bent time and space, arrived within the room a few meters away from the being. Derin stepped forward, slightly bending her back, and said, "Royal Father," while looking at the floor. It was a tradition of the Luvi Empire’s royal family. Despite being the wife and Empress of the Empire, she bowed to the man before her, one of the strongest beings in the Shattered Continent, following the long-standing tradition that required reverence for the previous Emperor, regardless of who they were.
Following her, Arslan made a similar gesture, albeit more reserved. As the current Emperor, even he was not exempt from this tradition.
Lastly, Kaplan, the youngest of the family, bent his front legs and said, “Old Man.” The moment he spoke, he regretted it as he was drawn toward the Old Man and laid on his back, purring helplessly as the Old Man rubbed his belly.
"Look at the prince of our Empire. So noble, so prideful, so arrogant. He doesn’t even fear the abyss where the most terrifying beings that our Empire had locked up era after era. Even I, Barut, was shaken to my core when I visited my father here for the first time. Time flies, it’s just a pity time doesn’t have much of an effect on me anymore, but I still can't reverse it," Barut said as he gazed upon the giant man. He continued, "Come, my son and daughter. We have important matters to discuss." Upon hearing this, Arslan and Derin sat on the floor mattress that Barut had created.
As an Immortal, a high-ranking one at that, Barut had the ability to create with permanence, a basic method available to him. Although it had limits, the creation depended on the cultivator, the path they treaded upon, and the accumulation of their minds, be it knowledge or experience.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
After escaping the clutches of his grandfather, Kaplan questioned the old man, “Where’s Lady Roza?”
Upon hearing his question, his father said, “Where can she be? Father likely upset her, and she couldn’t bear it.” After sighing, he continued, “Some foreigners are really difficult to handle. But she deserves all the love and care you can give. But you, father, still won’t spend a little time taking care of her and your son with her.”
After he finished, Arslan noticed his old man had a complicated expression and said after a sigh and joy, “It’s because I sensed that your mother reincarnated and sensed it due to our Divine Vows.” He pointed at an ancient and incomprehensible golden pattern running on his right ring finger that had been dark and faded a few years ago.
Arslan, Derin, and Kaplan also brightened upon hearing this. Arslan said, “The seers were right. Our paths are laid; all that is left is to tread upon them and survive. I wonder what it will be like when the family unites again.” He paused before continuing, “As for Lady Roza, she is your wife too. The first one at that, even though it was arranged. Although, with your strength, you can’t make Vows of Marriage with Divine Laws a second time, you can promise to do it when you make a breakthrough. That should fix it unless you continue your ways. My big brother is likely missing you too.”
Derin spoke up right after Arslan and said, “Erdem asked about you the last time I saw him. It would not be wise to have a distant relationship at these times. We need to be united. When the time comes, our family will be the key to our way to Divinity. As for the news about Mother, congratulations. I hope everything goes smoothly. Some societies are heartless towards individuals who are born with Divine Vows. Those with it remain the same gender and awaken their memories and their talents at the same time.” Although she stated the obvious, everyone within the room knew that she was explaining in detail so that Kaplan would broaden his horizons.
In normal circumstances, mortals in the early stages can’t know some of the Divine Secrets. After all, even she could only speak about them because she was a Limit Mortal like her husband. With her father being strong, in his domain, he could mitigate the Divine Laws from erasing Kaplan's memories of the knowledge they spoke of. But it needed to be in moderation since Divine Laws would never do something without a good reason. In this case, mortals fall into despair because of some knowledge of Divinity they learn. Cultivators, after they become Immortals, will gain the right to delve into Divine Secrets. She had been dreaming of having Marriage Vows with Arslan for a long time.
It is stated in ancient texts that, once upon a time, a mortal ascended to Divinity step by step. However, due to losing her husband, being a new God without following the path of Death, and not knowing someone who had it, she sacrificed her divinity to create the Divine Vows of Marriage and cast it without hesitation on her husband’s souls before he reincarnated. It’s still unknown what happened to the Goddess and the man who had the unconditional love of the Goddess. Some say that divine beings can’t be killed completely, so she waited for her lover to be reborn with the mark of the vow. With this mark, memories of the family can be protected even after samsara. However, no one is sure what happened after.
One thing is sure, though; she is alive. Because divinity can be shattered but can’t be erased.
After listening to the words of his family, Barut could only agree. He appreciated them and would never trade them for anything, not even Divinity. One of his worst fears was always staying alone after the death of his wife, all because of the Divine Physique she was born with. After he thought so far, he moved on to another topic and said, “Arslan, how is your Innate talent? I sensed your momentum, and it felt like it was due to that. I fear that there will be complications when you break through. The Concept of Domination—I still can’t see what it’s capable of. And you inherited only half from your mother upon her death.”
“I trust in my Momentum!” declared Arslan, and Barut eased upon that. At his level, he could gaze upon the Truths of existence, thus when Arslan made his declaration he noticed Existence didn’t reject the notion. That was a good sign.
With a wave of his hand, he created a blood-red ball as small as a pill and handed it to Arslan, saying, “Give this to Damon. He will know what to do with it.” With that, he looked up at the starry sky and said, “They came early. Looks like I can’t interfere more. They must have noticed I would leak some information. At least they are fair.” He waved his hand again and sent them out of the abyss, which returned to its former silence.