The half-melted candle flickered ominously, casting shadows over the expensive-looking wall adorned with pictures of a happy family. A black-haired young man with blue eyes gazed blankly at the moons, through the Palladian window that stood right beside his personal writing desk, his thoughts a jumble of reminiscing and worrying.

"How long has it been again?" Nix muttered to himself.

He was lost in thought, trying to remember his past life by asking questions he already knew the answers to.

'Nineteen years, huh? Time sure flies. If I consider my past life, I should be around forty years old now. Old enough to enjoy this cheap wine, I guess.'

He chuckled, pouring the wine into a gaudy-looking cup.

'It's getting harder to remember my past life. The faces of the people I loved are becoming blurrier each day.'

He pulled open one of his writing desk’s drawers and took out a worn sheet of paper. The only word written on it was:

"Joachim."

He muttered the name, his old name from the previous world. He would have forgotten it if not for the worn paper he kept as a reminder.

*Sigh*

"How did it come to this?" he silently said to himself, as he remembered a much easier memory to recount.

His second life was far from easy. He was born into a declining noble house at the edge of the kingdom, just beside the infamous Everdark mountain ranges. Being born a Forgotten did not make things easier either.

In this world, power dictates everything. Being without power or the potential for it is tantamount to surrendering your fate to the more powerful. He learned this the easy way, through books that recount the history of this world, a privilege he had being born a noble.

The easiest way to measure power is through what people call "The Archway" or "Gate" in some kingdoms and empires. Being born with zero potential, he dedicated himself to studying the intrinsic nature of mana and archways.

He discovered that the Archway was like a gate leading to many branches. Through this gateway, mana flows from the mana core into the branches and it's node. The mana that flows into the branches then harmonizes in specific patterns, creating specific spells that can nurture or destroy.

Each person in this world was born with a set number of Archways they can open and utilize. Normal people are usually blessed with the potential of two Archways. The most common nobles almost always inherit a minimum of three Archways to open.

Then there was himself, a noble with only the first Archway. He was what people called "a Forgotten."

'A forgotten noble,' he mocked himself. 'What kind of bad luck do I have to deserve this kind of talent? Even a four-Archway noble is more common than a Forgotten one.'

Knock, knock

"Nix, may I come in?"

His thoughts were interrupted by a cold, familiar voice, a voice that never failed to bring him comfort in his younger days when he was always mocked as a Forgotten by his relatives.

He might not have been lucky enough to wield power or the potential for it, but he was more than fortunate to have a loving family that truly cared for him, not for what he could be or bring to the house but simply because he existed. The image of his brother’s relieved face, full of tears and snot when he was born, would forever be etched in his mind.

"Yes, brother, the door is open."

A six-foot-tall, dashing black-haired man, dressed in a fine red-themed attire, walked into the room. Their blue eyes locked for a moment in silence. The man then walked in front of the fireplace, staring into the dancing fire. Nix silently stared at the back and shoulders of a man not older than thirty. The shoulders were wide, strong, and sturdy, yet Nix knew the burden they carried alone.

"So, brother, how’s the balance this month?" Nix asked, standing beside his brother, gazing deep into the fire.

"In a month time you’ll be venturing into the infamous Everdark mountain, and our house’s balance is the only thing you worry about?" his brother replied not sparing a glance.

"Well, it would be hilarious if my sacrifice is for naught and the house goes bankrupt the very next day." He said while shrugging his shoulders

"The house economy should be the least of your worries, you should focus on your journey and make sure you come back in one piece"

"You still have hope that I will come back in one piece? No one who has ventured beyond the first layer has ever come back, I'm as good as dead" Nix said in a flat tone as if the possibility of his death did not bother him.

"Hope is the only thing I have left; I refuse to give up on it" His brother replied, his eyes refused to leave the fire.

"Well, I also have hope that our family will not go bankrupt after I'm gone."

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"You and your untimely remarks. But yes, the house will be fine, the royal envoy arrived not only with a royal decree but with something they called… compensation," His brother spat out the last word with disgust. "They think they can just throw my family into the devil's pit then sprinkle some coins and expect me to sit tight as if nothing happened, even dogs have their own limits, one of these da…"

"Will you miss my untimely remarks?" Nix abruptly interrupted, his gaze fixed on the flickering flame, ignoring his brother's tirade.

Only the crackling of the fireplace could be heard for seconds that felt like days under the sad and oppressive atmosphere, from the corner of his eyes he could almost see his brother's demeanor shift from anger to impassive. Then, his brother's voice broke the silence.

*Sigh*

"You know, when I was very young. The wide hallways and expansive training grounds always made me feel. Suffocated. I, felt alone. Dad was rarely home, and Mom…"

"The day I rest is the day this damned estate will turn to dust," Nix replied with a low voice, prompting a chuckle from his brother.

"Yes, that's what she always said, and apparently, that's not the case."

Silence hung once more for a couple of seconds.

"Anyways, I always felt alone, and the only thing that made the days bearable was the continuous routine of studying and training. But at some point, the routine alone wasn’t enough. I almost broke under the constant pressure of responsibility, boredom, and the lack of purpose. I almost broke, until… you, came around."

His brother weakly smiled at the fire and continued.

"I’ll never forget how my heart stopped beating for a second when the healer pronounced you dead. And I’ll also never forget the relief when you opened your eyes and stared right into mine. With you around, the wide hallways weren’t suffocating anymore. I felt relieved. I felt a sense of purpose. I had someone to protect, someone I could rely on, someone who understood me and would stand with me through every horde that the Everdark mountain sends. I felt like I could take on the world with you by my side."

His brother then shifted his gaze from the fireplace to him, staring him right in the eyes.

"So yes, brother, I will miss your untimely remarks."

"I-"

"Have you said your farewell to Lily?" His brother abruptly asked before he could even start muttering his thoughts.

The response made him realize that he didn’t want to pursue this sad and depressive topic any longer. He was all for it, since he didn’t want to end the night with depressive thoughts.

"No, not yet. I'm afraid she might not understand the situation and won't take it very well"

"Don't delay your farewell, trust her, she's not the kid you used to tease anymore, the past few harsh years have made her strong"

Nix clenched his fist, the thought of his little sister being robbed of her innocent childhood, and forced to face the cruelty of life in haste made him a bit, agitated.

"Anyway, the main reason I'm here is not to chat, but to bring you this" His brother then took out a long rectangular box from his spatial ring.

He held the box gingerly as if afraid the content inside the box might break if the box was to touch the ground. The intricate pattern on the box only grabbed his attention for a moment because he immediately recognized the symbol in the middle of the box.

"An item from the golden order?" Nix muttered in reflex.

"From the capital's holy church specifically" Ray said while handing the box over.

Nix opened the box and saw a necklace resting on a velvet cushion. The necklace featured a golden chain leading to a purple crystal pendant, half of which was surrounded by an overly complicated, intricate and beautiful design.

"This is.."

"Holy Aegis pendant" His brother replied calmly.

For a moment, Nix stared at the pendant in silence, his brows furrowing deeply as his mind raced to recall where he had heard the name before. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization as the memory came flooding back.

"Where… did you get this Ray?" Nix asked in disbelief.

"I bought it from the holy church of course"

"This item, is not something money can buy" Nix replied, refusing to believe his brother's lazy excuse.

The item in question serves both as a protective pendant and a divine stone. The divine stone is a rare artifact that allows its bearer to glimpse their divine progression, a concept known in this world as the "divine path."

This stone reveals extensive information, including one's class, archway, branches, and more. Such insight into one's divine path is exceptionally rare, as it requires peering into the divine realms. Crafting such a stone demands the expertise of a legendary enchanter and materials of at least mythical quality.

What truly makes the pendant priceless, however, is not merely its divine stone function but the exceptional protection it offers. It is rumored that the purple aegis pendant can withstand several Tier 3 archway spells. According to the book Nix read, it is even speculated that the pendant might be capable of defending against a single Tier 4 archway spell.

"How I obtained the item is none of your concern"

"None of my concern? are you out of your mind?" When Nix managed to identify the item, he instinctively knew that his family would never be able to afford the item. His family didn't even have the influence for an opportunity to procure one. It only means Ray traded something very valuable for the item.

"How can it be none of my concern when you possibly traded your future, our house's future for nothing! You are throwing an epic treasure to a dead man! No one who has ventured beyond the first layer has ever come back! You know that, Ray," Nix said in an angry desperate voice while slowly walking to his brother and continued "Father made his sacrifice and took his responsibility years ago and so did you when he passed away. Now, it's time I take mine, and all of this for NOTHING?"

"Then tell me brother, what am I supposed to do? You want me? To Send you, my only brother to your demise with nothing but a smile and encouraging word? You expect me to do nothing while I watch you slowly marching out the city gate? To stand here, dine in this big and empty estate while I watch you cease to exist?"

Ray dropped his head as if he can't bear to see his brother in the eyes, then he continued in a slower tone.

"I'm doing this not just for you Nix, I'm doing this for myself too, I'll never forgive myself if I don't at least try… everything I can, to increase even just a minuscule chance of your survival" Ray continued, shifting his gaze into the dancing flame.

Nix didn't know what to reply, he just slowly walked to the Palladian window overlooking the estate' courtyard, the night was dark and the sky looks empty but still his gaze wandered towards the heaven, as if questioning the Gods what he and his family did to deserve all of this.

While his mind was empty and his eyes full of the dark empty sky, he could clearly hear the receding footsteps, slowly leaving the room, but suddenly the footsteps stopped and he heard the familiar voice of his brother again

"Nix, never forget what father always said, don't ever disrespect your importance and value to someone, it's the quickest way to lose yourself."

The sound of the receding footsteps then continued, followed by the soft creak of the door opening and the definitive click of it closing shut

Silence filled the room once again as if nothing had happened, the candle still flickered, the man still with a heavy heart and the gaudy looking cup was still full of wine.