"There's one thing that doesn't make sense to me," Aurelius said, hands on his forehead. "How could Alexander the 5th force himself on Id even though she had the title Hero of Zalfari? Alexander the 1st had the title as well. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"Can't you just eat breakfast like a normal person?" Cade asked with a sigh. "Did you stay up all night again?"

"Wait a second,' Solomon said. He sounded so baffled. Aurelius met his eyes out of curiosity. "Where did you hear that?"

"I, uh..." Aurelius wondered how to tell Solomon about Izir. "A migrant from Lundkirk told me. Back in Mircrest."

"Huh, and you believed him?"

"Well, I thought..."

"It isn't true then?" Cade butted in.

Solomon scratched his head. "I don't know. Kendrick is the one who really started that rumor. I suppose it's plausible due to Alexander the 5th character, but from what I know, the two were lovers."

Aurelius and Cade shared a look.

At that moment, Aurelius couldn't help a dangerous thought occurring to him, 'What else might be false about my lineage?'

Was Kendrick's image just a fabrication? If he'd used lies to justify the Zalfarian War, were all his other campaigns based on lies as well? Was the Conqueror of the West really nothing but a warmonger pretending to be a savior? How many had died for lies? How many lived for them even now?

"Also, you pronounced it wrong," Solomon said.

"What?" Aurelius asked, waking from his speculation.

"Your grandmother's name. It's written as Id, but pronounced as 'Adii.'. That's warrior names from the north for you."

Cade chuckled. "I told you it was too simple and short for a Zalfarian name."

"Ah, shut up,' Aurelius groaned in his hatred of ignorance.

"You really should've known that at least," Solomon said, sipping on his dark tea. "Buying into Lundkirk's propaganda on another continent is a new low."

"You too, hermit?" Aurelius shook his head. "Kicking a man when he's down. No honor."

"At least I know how to pronounce my grandmother's name," Solomon said, bellowing a laugh that Cade joined in on.

Aurelius took a piece of dried meat and ripped a bite.

Solomon seemed to have an idea and got serious. "Say, Aurelius, you mentioned that you're weaker than before, but you're not getting back into training just to get back to your previous level, are you?"

Aurelius read into his meaning and scratched his head. "Well, I don't even know if it's possible for me to get much stronger than that."

"Come now. Ambition! Humility looks terrible on the young." Solomon gestured to Cade. "Exhibit A. Look at how beautiful this arrogant young lady is."

Aurelius glanced at Cade, who drank her tea proudly with her eyes closed. "Indeed," he said, nodding. "But I'm still not sure. I abused my genetic compatibility with enhancers to get where I was. I won't do that again."

"Hmm, understandable. But there are many ways to get stronger. Take ID for example."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, right. You're as ignorant as a tree root." Solomon shook his head. "You need to develop new techniques."

"I have my slash."

"A cheap version of your father's Divide, you mean?"

"I can get it on the same level as his Divide now that I have a handle on the true essence of nature."

"And you still won't have anything of your own."

"Well, what did my grandmother have? She didn't know true essence, did she?"

"No, but she was advanced, nevertheless. She called her signature technique extended long-range essence usage."

Aurelius raised his brows. "Isn't that just a modification?"

Solomon rubbed his temples. Then he hit the table and shot out of his chair. "Time for a little demonstration. Come. Both of you."

***

They walked up a mountain, led by Solomon. They were all barefoot. Aurelius felt he was the only one who appreciated how soft and warm the snow felt when reinforced. Solomon was right. He and Cade didn't remember the cold. He feared he soon wouldn't either.

When they made it to the peak, Solomon tested the ground a little and seemed irritated. Then he did something Aurelius had never seen before. Not in that manner at least.

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Solomon materialized a huge blade that was completely detached from his body and then moved it. And with that floating blade, Solomon sliced the top of the mountain off. The humongous rock fell and broke into a hundred boulders that crashed into the fjord.

Aurelius stood there, mouth agape, looking back and forth between Solomon and the mountain. Cade shrugged like she'd seen it before. Just what was their training like? Solomon had just sliced up a mountain for a smoother platform to demonstrate on!

"You know you could've just materialized a platform for yourself," Cade heckled at Solomon, her hands crossed.

"Not for this," Solomon said as he walked on the snow-free clearing. "This requires concentration."

Aurelius furrowed his brows. "Do you know what he's going to do?"

Cade shook her head, keeping her gaze on Solomon. "No idea. Old man is crazy."

"Watch now as grandpa does magic," Solomon said, rolling up his sleeves and facing toward the distance.

Cade snorted. "Good lord."

Aurelius waited to see. Extended long-range essence usage must've had something to do with beams. But what made it so special? Just how long did it go? What did Solomon need all this space for?

The surroundings quieted. No wind, no birds. Solomon stood straight, facing to the left of Cade and Aurelius, who watched on the side. He extended his outstretched arms and connected his palms. But instead of exhaling, he inhaled.

Aurelius knew then that what would've been the ending of the setup was just the beginning.

Solomon turned like a dancer but kept one hand still. When he moved the other hand, he put the other into line with where it had been. Like that, he moved forward on the platform, keeping himself in line with where he'd started while gaining momentum. The essence flowed in Solomon towards one unified goal. It was like Aurelius could see it.

Expectation rose in Aurelius' stomach. Cade no longer grinned. Their mouths hung open.

Though he was an old man, Solomon moved with the fluidity and naturalness of a prodigy. He twisted and flipped, and his momentum built. Solomon's face was unreadable, but his eyes were alive.

It was maybe 7 seconds that it went on before he reached the other end of the platform. Aurelius felt like it was already night.

Solomon completed his final turn and smashed his palms together. Only then did he exhale. A single streak of essence twitched at his hands. Then a vacuum sucked in the noise of Aurelius squeezing his fists.

There was a flash. Essence exploded from the tips of his fingers. It was a beam, but one so energetic and violently spasming that Aurelius froze in fear just watching it shoot at the distance. It was headed towards a mountain. Aurelius's posture relaxed when it got further away. Solomon took a few steps back and mouthed off a word or two.

The beam hit the mountain. Aurelius's entire body recoiled from the sound that struck his eardrums. It left a ringing noise. Cade said something, laughing with her eyes wide. Aurelius opened his jaw and felt his ears pop.

"Look, look!" she screamed at him.

He turned and gazed into the distance. The sight gave him pause. The mountain's peak stood where it had, but below it, in the middle of the mountain, there was a hole so large one could see an entire landscape through it.

Cade laughed at her side as he blinked. "What was that?" he asked under his breath.

"That was extended long-range essence usage with a sprinkle of compression, but not in the sense you know it," Solomon explained as he walked towards them.

Aurelius kept staring at the mountain, convinced that he'd just witnessed the height of essence. He had never quite realized Solomon's power, but now as he stared at it, a hint of anger seeped into him. How could such a powerful man leave the world in the unsteady hands of others?

"I'm tired now," Solomon said and laid a hand on Aurelius' shoulder as he walked past. "Consider expanding your techniques while you stare. And don't worry, nature will raise more mountains."

Aurelius gulped, thinking, 'I can do that too?'