–Fenwell village, Hyperion –
Awakening from his abrupt recollection, two streaks of water subconsciously went down Nox’s seemingly calm face, as he felt grieved and angered. His youth was buried and forgotten.
The desire to defeat those so-called gods had always been there, yet he forgot the reason.
For countless years Ling and Stella believed Nox's family had passed before he ascended. That he still had new generations of family somewhere, but that wasn't the case. He had told them that his family had died long before he and Ling met, and although that wasn't a lie, it wasn't the whole truth. Nox didn't want to tell them the specifics. That they were killed by a race known as gods. That he had their blood... and that Stella inherited that blood. He hated them so much, that he felt compelled to stay vague. He refused to be known as a half-god.
It all changed when Ling and Stella died. It was the second time he went through that kind of hell. It was too much to handle. For the next 7,000 years all the way until today, Nox's fractured mind had supressed his youth much more than anything else. Throught the years he always knew something was missing. Something that no matter what anyone said, he couldn't remember. No, it wasn't that he couldn't remember. He refused to remember.
Long ago, a few people had called Nox a Nephilim, but he never believed them. Not even his revered master, someone akin to family. His master had told him countless times that he was a Nephilim; that his family members were actually killed before he even left the Mortal Plane, and that he was even there to witness the aftermath and save him, but that never changed anything. Never brought back those memories.
No matter your age, no matter your power, no matter your mental fortitude and will, some things could still hurt you and leave an everlasting scar. As long as you had life, even if you were thought to be emotionless, no one would be exempt from this. But, although painful, these scars would also build an individual. Define them. If you desire it and see them in the right light, they can create a better you. Give you something that many aren't lucky enough to have.
‘How... how did those memories just disappear without me realizing? How!?'
Nox felt frustrated. It felt like a seamless loss.
'Mother was a god… I was a Nephilim… god and human… They were right… Master was right all along… He never lied to me... Why would he? I was never solely human. ’ Nox muttered, touching around his eyes and hair whilst anger began to build after remembering and realizing that he was also part of the race he hated. Compared to that teenage youth of the past, the information gleaned on that day, along with the experiences of his lifetime, came forth and pieced together countless unknowns.
‘Damn, forget it...’ Nox clenched his fists, but loosened up after a moment, feeling mentally fatigued.
‘Mother… I’m sorry. I refused to acknowledge your bloodline… Ours. I may hate gods, but I’ve come across a few good ones, and you are the greatest example of them all. ’ Nox stared into the sky, as if he saw a vision of his mother. He was briefly angered by his recollections, but what was the point?
A god killed Nox’s family and he’d rarely seen good ones, and although that god bloodline caused immense grief, it also helped his growth. It saved him from destruction, and it was something his mother and sister had. Even his own daughter, Stella, originally had it because of him. He couldn’t and shouldn’t hate his family’s bloodline just for being associated with gods. It’s a part of him, even if the bloodline was now gone due to his remade body. Nox used to see most of life in black and white, but as you grow older and gain more experience, you begin to realize that life is not so polarized. There are many different circumstances. Different perspectives. You don’t need to let everything go. Some matters shouldn’t, but it was beneficial if one had the capability to differentiate between them. It might have taken years and a multitude of curious, recent events, but Nox finally acquired the ability.
'I'm a fool for not believing you, master... You told me so many times. Saved me. Your concern and faith in me. One day... I'll make it up to you one day, this I swear.' Nox opened his hand and created a small, unique symbol made of lightning. A symbol that although made from the mana of Archaeos, appeared unnatural and out of this world.
‘Wait… if the parent with a stronger bloodline determines the child’s main features, shouldn’t Stella have black hair as well? I awakened such a powerful and complete bloodline, so Stella’s should definitely have been a good purity… This means that Ling’s bloodline was on par with mine... Hmm, I should probably investigate this one day. ’ Nox dispersed the symbol and put his hand on his chin while thinking. Stella had his eyes, while her hair was from Ling.
Interrupted from his rumination and suddenly moving his vision to another portion of the sky, Nox sensed an extremely well hidden, piercing and murderous energy descending from above, heading straight towards the little girl in the distance.
His expression darkening and turning into one of rage, a loud, ear piercing crackling occurred, as Nox’s entire body was surrounded by coiling serpents of lightning .
‘Master!?’ Nyx, currently a good distance past Fenwell's wall, was alerted to Nox’s presence and gazed at his action in surprise, seemingly seeing through the wall between them. Nox was angered when they were attacked at Sylvie’s banquet, but she could feel that it was different this time. Much more powerful and deep. Something could anger him more than his own fiancé getting attacked?
An arrow of wind piercing through an orcs throat and heart, Sylvie halted her attacks, also sensing Nox’s overpowering emotions. Disengaging from battle, she stared in his direction with a worried expression.
That energy which was now only a few meters away from the little girl, came into full view and revealed a small white, needle like energy. High in the sky where the attack originated from, a white haired and black-eyed woman was staring down below with an arrogant smirk.
“Having fun, I see… “ Nox’s cold voice resounded he instantaneously arrived in front of the little girl, shielding her with his body and a layer of mana. Facing the woman’s attack descending from above, Nox extended his arm and faced his palm towards the sky.
Feeling Nox’s outburst and hearing his cold voice directed at her, the woman’s smirk vanished.
Staring at the woman directly beyond the needle, Nox simultaneously noticed that his own arm was flickering between its physical form and one of blue-white, seemingly about to transform into the purest lightning. Only curious for less than a second before burying the thought, he currently only sought to destroy this woman.
As the woman peered into Nox’s eyes from above, all she could see was the piercing color and energy of lightning. There was nothing physical in there. But, although there wasn’t anything physical, she felt as if she was staring into an abyss. An abyss which would swallow her whole and lead straight to oblivion.
Faced with Nox’s lightning filled eyes and arm, every cell in her body cried danger as a look of shock, terror, and resentment appeared in her eyes ‘He wasn’t a weak little human!?’
‘THESE ARE MY LAST WORDS! SOME TYPE OF HUMANOID LIGHTNING ELEMENTAL HAS APPEARED IN HYPERION. MALE, BLACK HAIR AND GREY EYES, HE APPEARS COMPLETELY HUMAN AND IS AT LEAST 7-STAR! NOTIFY THE SUPERIORS AND KEEP VIGILANCE, HE IS NOT TO BE UNDERESTIMATED!’ the woman frantically sent a message via mana as she watched the lightning serpents around Nox congregate towards his palm. Her thoughts were sent faster than her physical body could react.
Knowing that she’s sending a message, Nox could have disrupted her, but chose otherwise. He wanted them to know they had a new enemy. One that could easily kill their brethren.
The woman almost definitely gave a somewhat detailed description, so they would eventually find him, which was much easier than actively searching himself. Normally such a thing would run a serious risk of getting others involved but allowing mana communication like today wouldn’t occur again.
Even if he did and they learned of Sylvie or others close to him, after witnessing the woman’s smirk and her distinct aura, Nox realized that her race on Archaeos was exactly the same as on Tian. He felt with absolute confidence that they were.
They were too proud and arrogant, therefore relying on threats and provocation to kill a single person, much less one capable enough to kill them, was out of the question. If they did so, it would be a sign of weakness. That they lacked the capability to deal with a single ‘mortal’, and face was all too important for them. This obviously had a limit, like most things, but he wasn’t stupid enough to allow that scenario. His life wasn’t lived for nothing, after all.
After finishing her message half a second later, the white-haired woman’s vision was filled by a massive maw made of the purest lightning.
*BOOM*
A blinding light and earth-shattering clap of thunder resounded, temporarily blinding most of the people in the area and causing them to cover their ears in pain.
Far away, villages were winding down and ready to enjoy the evening but were soon shocked into commotion. It was if the sun had risen and brightened the entire area. Gazing at the sky, they caught a glimpse of an utterly enormous serpent of lightning piercing upwards through the air, dissipating all clouds in its path and disappearing beyond the sky.
The blinding light dying down, the needle and white-haired woman were gone, as only silence remained. It happened all too quickly.
Grasping forward, Nox appeared to be clutching something in his hand.
‘Tell me, do you want to keep your worthless life?’ Nox calmed slightly and looked at the mass of energy in his hand.
‘Yes, yes, have mercy, Lord Primordial!’ The woman, now without a physical body and merely left as a soul, replied hurriedly. Horrified due to her consciousness as a soul, she realized Nox’s actual strength and race. There were very few types of beings who could accomplish such a feat, and one with such strength and a natural element transformation left only a single being that was mentioned in old records.
‘Answer my questions and I’ll allow you to reincarnate.’ Nox sent insipidly, unsurprised by her recognition. Her race was ancient and had a plethora of knowledge.
‘Yes of course, Lord Primordial, I will answer what I am able.’ The woman answered respectfully. At this point, her allegiances no longer mattered. Whether she liked it or not, she would have to speak, but didn’t think a being like Nox would lie. They were too proud for that.
‘Good. The child, why were you after her? What significance does she hold?’ Nox asked sharply, already guessing the answer.
‘The pure land notified me of a likely anomaly suddenly appearing less than a month ago and commanded me to eliminate it. Due to the timeframe of her appearance, I had ascertained that the child was the source.’ She replied respectfully.
‘Anomaly… As I thought. I presume you sent the orcs and salamander because you refused to descend?’ Nox looked at her with hidden disgust. The arrogance was ridiculous.
‘Ah… yes. I... dislike the mortal realm.’ She replied awkwardly.
‘What about this pure land? Where is it? And what about other gods, where are they located?’ Nox asked but didn’t expect much information.
‘I am unsure of the pure land. Only those with significant merit and status are allowed access. We currently have 4 gods on observation duty in Hyperion, excluding me, and about 20 in total on Divinus. But, I don’t know where any are for the other continents, I am not privy to that information. We change observers every 10 years, as we don’t want to stay here long. Before today, I had only been an observer for 3 years. “ the woman spoke quickly, ignoring the fact he identified her race so easily.
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‘Good, that’s all I need.’ Nox nodded. He just learned first-hand that Ilene was correct about their goal, waiting for anomalies such as reincarnator’s to appear and then kill them. Their “pure” land didn’t matter, as he would eventually find it, and any twisted gods who crossed his path would die.
‘Lord Primordial, do you not require any names? More information?’ the woman asked bewilderingly. Nox didn’t really ask for much and didn’t want any more elaboration.
‘Inconsequential. Whether it's now or later, most of your people have but one path remaining.’ Nox responded unemotionally.
‘Know that your death is only the beginning. A precursor of what is to come! ‘ Nox stared at her soul mercilessly, clenching his fist as a burst of energy exploded outwards from his hand.
Right before a complete destruction, the woman was in disbelief. All supreme beings were supposed to have a strong pride, refusing to lower themselves to a weaker being’s level and lie.
‘Your fate was sealed the moment you attempted to kill her. Reform into something less vile next time. ’ Nox looked at the dispersing energy of her soul unemotionally. He promised freedom only to make matters simple.
Pride? Of course, it existed, but why should it be the worthless kind? For Nox, gaining strength wasn’t for respect and appearances. It was to revive his daughter. When that goal was accomplished, it gave Nox immense happiness, yet also created a void. His goal after Stella originally died was to revive her, but what about after her resurrection? He couldn’t and shouldn’t watch over her forever. As an immortal, he needed a purpose. If not, how could the mind remain stable after endless years?
Unusual as it may be, it took arriving on Archaeos to finally gain a purpose and realize countless things. Realize that his power had endless uses and granted a freedom not many had. You didn’t require some grand purpose, and Nox’s new one was incredibly simple; it was to follow himself. His many ideals and desires that weren’t being explored before. He would follow himself and what he believes, no matter the views or perceptions others would have about him, whether it was amiable, respect, fear, scorn, disgust, envy, animosity, or anything else. Although the views of loved ones would be an exception, there was no need to care for the views of strangers and passersby. That’s what pride really is.
Gazing forward, that woman was of the god race, but wasn’t part of the minority like his mother.
Over the years, as terrible as parts of his life may have been, Nox had seen far, far less fortunate beings compared to himself. God’s that would capture the souls of the ones they killed and endlessly toy with them. Although most gods couldn’t destroy souls, they had many means to manipulate and torture them. Now that he regained those memories, he realized that the god Zale who killed his family as a child most likely would have used similar means if he didn’t awaken his mother’s bloodline. That was the purpose of his small flask. Therefore, Nox could show mercy to others and let things go, but not with them. At least the vast majority of them.
–In a remote corner of Hyperion, far above the sky–
Seated on a lavish golden chair surrounded by clouds, a golden-haired man was enjoying food with a golden-haired woman.
Smiling and chatting with the woman, the man suddenly stopped all his actions, as his face changed.
“Kar, what’s wrong? “ the woman asked curiously and placed what she was eating back onto the golden table and plate in front of her. What could cause such a change in mood?
“Diela sent me a message just now…” the golden-haired man, Kar, replied somberly.
“Diela? That’s rare. What did she want? “ the woman appeared confused.
“She… is dead. “ Kar replied slowly.
“WHAT!? “ the woman stood up in shock.
“Wasn’t she at some puny human village exterminating a weak anomaly? How!? Was it that retched Order? What humiliation! “ the woman was clearly vexed.
“Calm down, Ura. Humiliating indeed, but I am certain it wasn’t them. Her final words were about an elemental… an elemental that appeared to be a human male. It is presumably 7-star… and most likely killed Diela immediately. There’s no way that menagerie could have sent such a power on short notice. “ Kar stared at Ura severely.
“Nevertheless… such a strong elemental is almost unheard of… and if one so dangerous appeared, it could have almost certainly prevented Diela's message. “
“Your meaning… is that it allowed her? Some elemental ant is provoking us!? “ Ura exclaimed angrily.
“That ant just easily killed one of our comrades. Just because the lesser races are weaker overall, doesn’t mean they’re to be underestimated. You should know of a few individuals that even the Sovereigns must take seriously. “ Kar admonished.
“I… yes, you’re right. But that elemental must die! “ Ura acknowledged, clearly disgruntled.
“Of course! Anyone who offends us will die. Alas, it is imperative we do not underestimate this one. Diela’s estimation was 7-star, which would mean the elemental and I are similar, yet she still emphasized on its potential threat. Therefore, I believe it’s best we contact the Pure Land. I will not take the chance and allow any other observers to potentially die. “ Kar looked into the distance and asserted. He wouldn’t be able to handle the responsibility of multiple gods dying.
“The Pure Land should identify it for us as well. We must know exactly what this new enemy is.” Kar said seriously. He was currently in command of Hyperion’s observers, thus couldn’t afford to remain in the dark.
–Fenwell village –
All around the village, only silence remained. Brann, Markus, Eva, all the guards, the villagers, and even the orcs. Nox’s one attack halted everything. It was as if time had stopped. Most were still covering their ears and hearing ringing from the thunderclap.
‘I believe space cracked… 7-star… if that hit us, we would all be dead. It must have been that runemaster… to think he was so powerful. I don’t know what he attacked, but this was a fortuitous turn of events, indeed. ‘ Markus stared at the sky. In front of him, the Lesser Blaze Salamander was sprawled on the ground with a pool of boiling blood forming beneath it. Around him, the other living soldiers laid down their weapons, breathing heavily as they stared at the sky anxiously. The fires around them had been somewhat quelled due to Nox’s runic barriers keeping the flames at bay.
Atop the wall, Eva was on her knees holding her head in pain.
'That... power... Who... the hell is he?' Eva thought wearily. She was a sensory type and Nox's attack completely overloaded her senses, causing her to nearly pass out.
On the other side, Nyx and Sylvie’s eyes were fixed on the distant Nox beyond the destroyed part of the wall.
‘Nox… really is stronger than mother and father.’ Sylvie gazed at Nox in surprise. She had a feeling he was, and his attack just now proved it, but she simultaneously felt that wasn't all of it.
The individual rankings of power were split into 10 levels, or stars, and were accompanied by four thresholds which saw a large increase in power if overcome. These star thresholds were created due to the difficulty of overcoming them, as well as the strength increase that followed. They were 3-star, 6-star, 9-star, and 10-star.
Although the rankings were split into 10-stars, there was a rank after 10-star, which is why it was classified as a threshold. This rank was known as Supreme. The higher the rank, the harder to achieve it, to the point where those at that level would be nearly nonexistent, which would be a Supreme and why it was given a name instead of a number.
Gazing at Nox with passion filled eyes, alongside her goal of becoming a Grand Sorceress, the desire to close the strength gap between them was becoming more apparent. To have such a partner, she felt bliss, yet couldn’t help but also feel slightly awkward. Growing up with parents that were similar in strength to each other, she also desired the same.
Glancing at Sylvie’s expression, Nyx had an inkling about her current thoughts, but kept silent, as words didn’t always help. It was just how sentient beings with emotions were.
Fixing her gaze on Nox, an exited glint appeared in Nyx's eyes.
‘One of those curs appeared, yes!? You destroyed their soul, master?’ Nyx asked Nox via mana in excitement. It was finally beginning.
‘Mmm, we finally ran into one... That woman touched my bottom line… To dare try and kill her… She was seeking death!’ Nox replied coldly.
Souls were a very important matter to him, but there were lines one mustn't cross. Everyone had them. When you harm someone, expect to be harmed yourself. That is a rule of life, and more so for one that frequently fights and kills others; Nox had lived by this for many years. Although the consequences of your decisions are rarely severe, one might eventually lead to something irreversible… And Nox wasn’t exempt from that concept. He had already experienced it many times in his long life. Sadly, there was no medicine for regret. The white-haired woman just made one of those decisions and paid an immeasurable price for it.
‘Master… that little girl. Who is she?’ Nyx could still feel Nox’s anger, as she then moved her gaze onto the little girl that Nox was protecting, suddenly realizing that she bore a shocking resemblance to him. Black hair and grey eyes. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal, but the girl’s grey eyes, although immature, innocent, and not as deep, clearly resembled Nox’s. She had seen her fair share of grey eyes, but none gave off the same feeling as Nox’s, or even close to it.
Electing to keep silent, Nox turned around, placing his gaze onto the little girl. She was thin and very dirty, causing more rage to build upon seeing this.
‘Treating her like some piece of trash… Fucking mindless. Makes me sick. Whoever caused this treatment, prepare your damn neck for me!’ Nox thought, using mana to inspect all the villagers crowded together. Some things breached his bottom line and he couldn’t help but momentarily want to destroy this entire village, but reason was still there. One or two people were the cause. A group shouldn’t be condemned due to the actions of few.
Burying those aggressive thoughts, Nox stared directly into the little girl’s grey eyes. When he attacked the white-haired woman, the little girl was shielded by his mana, therefore didn’t feel any residual energy. A few feet away from her, the teenager, Brann, who was stunned in place, was also unscathed due to his mana barrier. Nox was angry, but not blind and unaware.
Ignoring everyone around him, including the orcs frozen in fear, Nox donned a light smile as mana released from his body and approached the little girl, completely cleansing her of all the dirt and impurities. Despite still wearing rags, she now appeared very bright and pure, which was a stark contrast to the previously hectic environment.
Frightened at first, the little girl’s expression changed upon closely viewing Nox and feeling that gentle mana. That gentle but familiar aura.
“Who… You… you’re…” the little girl’s heartbeat quickened whilst staring at Nox, clutching her chest as if she were in pain.
Staring unblinkingly at Nox, her eyes suddenly lost focus for a few seconds.
“Mom… dad… Big… brother? “ regaining clarity, she looked at Nox as her eyes started watering.
“Astra…” Nox knelt in front of her, looking at this little girl with a gentle gaze and smile, feeling the deep connection with her even more.
“BIG BROTHER! “ the little girl, who was inexplicably Nox’s sister Astra, cried out with tears streaming down her small face, running up to Nox and hugging him tightly.
Hugging his little sister, Nox couldn’t help but feel emotional while simultaneously beginning to feel disbelief due to Archaeos. Was it special in some way? The sister that died over 7,500 years ago when he was only 16 years old was met once more in another universe shortly after he arrived. All these events were unbelievable, even to him.
Observing the scene, Sylvie and Nyx were visibly shocked. Sylvie didn’t know Nox had a sibling, and while Nyx knew that Nox’s family died in the Mortal Plane at some point, she didn’t expect that one, much less his sister, would be alive on Archaeos, a completely different universe. If she reincarnated, how did they still look so similar?
'So Astra is her name... But, big brother?' Brann muttered in surprise.
'At least a 6-star attack… Maybe even 7-star. That little girl had such a powerful older brother? Then why was she in rags with amnesia and left in a rural village.' Brann felt incredibly confused.
'I swear, these last few years have really been toying with my emotions... A few years has provoked me more than 7,000 years combined...' Nox mocked himself a little.
‘System' Nox called out in his mind after some deliberation.
‘Yes, user?’ the Gifting System replied in its signature bland voice.
‘You are connected to the core in some way. How is my sister here? In the same body as before… as a Nephilim... What of our parents!?’ Nox asked, happy yet agitated. He wanted to know more. He needed to know more.
‘…’ there was no response for a moment.
‘Request granted. Sister of User, Astra Ferrum, born in the Tian Universe, naturally transferred to the Archaeos Universe upon death. As a consequence of naturally entering the Archaeos Universe from another, Astra Ferrum’s soul was left temporarily unrestricted, allowing Archaeos’ core to preserve it for eventual rebirth. Using Astra Ferrum’s previous body as a model, she was reborn upon User’s arrival and left to the discretion of Fate. As a Universe Core is prohibited from interfering with souls under normal circumstances, User’s mother and father, Rhea Ferrum and Liu Feng, could not be sent to Archaeos or prevented from entering Tian's cycle of reincarnation. ’ The Gifting System responded without pause.
Listening to the Gifting System, Nox remembered how Nyx held Stella’s soul for over 7,000 years ‘So the cores normally hold no sway over souls, but its inhabitants can interfere? I suppose that’s another reason why master always mentioned going against the heavens…’
‘I thought they would be living new lives, but to think only mother and father did… Similar circumstances must have happened to master, as well. Nevertheless, I can’t believe Astra slipped through… And that Archaeos was so sure of my arrival… or was it hopeful?’ Nox stared at the little girl in his arms.
‘System… I already agreed to follow the fate Archaeos’ core gave me. It didn’t need to preserve Astra… Regardless of its reasons, convey to Archaeos that I owe it a favor.’ Nox declared seriously. He couldn’t just ignore such a huge favor. In his entire life, besides Nyx holding Stella’s soul, abeit it’s not really a favor, and his master accepting him, Archaeos has given the largest one by far.
‘Acknowledged.’ The system sent before continuing shortly afterwards.
‘What User is carrying out for Archaeos, is much greater than what it accomplished for User.’ The Gifting System voiced blandly, conveying the will of Archaeos.
‘Much greater… Really?’ Nox thought to himself.
‘Helping Tian accelerate my training speed, a new life for Stella, Nyx and I, and now reviving Astra… to go through all this effort to gain my aid… What for? Why couldn’t I help using my original body?’ Nox pondered, unable to understand what Archaeos wanted.
He knew that this was something the system wouldn’t answer, therefore didn’t bother asking. Nevertheless, Nox decided in the usual fashion and quickly dropped the matter. Other than not wanting to ruminate on useless questions, Archaeos was clearly seeking his aid and had done far more than enough to not question its motives.
‘Although Astra’s much younger, Stella will have another aunt. She should be happy.’ Nox thought and couldn’t help but recall Stella’s excited reaction when she realized Elise was really her aunt.
‘Oh, right… ‘ Nox glanced at Sylvie and Nyx, especially noticing Nyx’s shocked eyes. Sylvie didn’t know his family had long been dead, but Nyx did.
‘I suppose some explanations are in order.’ Nox thought with a smile. Despite everything, today had become a very good day.