A ring of light opened up in a forest, whipping up a storm that blew fallen leave from the ground and into the air.The light blue color of the portal swirled as shadows appeared from the other side. Shortly after, the shadows solidified into reality as three figures emerged from the portal.Eris, Arran, and Charmy passed through the portal and appeared in a large verdant forest. Brilliant rays of sunlight peeked through the dense thicket of branches and leaves overhead, casting long shadows on the ground below.The size of the forest was vast beyond description. When Arran opened his eyes to take in the scenery, he was greeted by tall trees that extended to more than twenty meters in height with leaves and branches that were like a huge canopy that blocked out the sun.The few rays of sunlight that made it through this dense canopy were barely enough to light up the forest below. It only served to create deep shadowing areas that seemed to hide countless mysteries within.Arran obser
“You said there are multiple nodes of access?”When Arran was thinking about the peculiarities in the various kingdoms, he suddenly remembered what Eris said about the alternate space. She mentioned how there were many interconnected nodes that allowed access to the castle.Arran didn’t understand this point.Why would somebody open up multiple entrances into an alternate space if the goal was to keep people out?It didn’t make sense at all.Eris seemed to know what Arran was thinking. She said to him, “Follow me. I will take you to the node located here so we can enter.”After speaking, Eris started walking through the forest, leading the way for Charmy and Arran.At the same time, Eris explained Arran’s doubts to him.“I know what you are thinking, so let me explain things to you.”“The alternate space is like an enclosed bubble or a dam. A lot of power is contained inside the space to maintain it. But this power is too strong and needs an outlet. If not, it would destroy the altern
The other side of the node led into another forest, much like the previous one Arran and the girls had just left.Fortunately, the scale of the forest this time was much smaller.With a single glance ahead, Arran could make out the outline of a castle in the distance.The castle had brownstone walls with built a medieval gothic style that was very similar to the castle in Maenan. Huge Shadows were interspersed along the outer wall of the castle, giving it a satirical feeling of one trying to hide his elegance and luxurious essence, forming a sharp contrast to the obvious opulence of the entire structure.Arran was drawn in by the similar yet different styles the two royal families had with regard to how they designed their homes. He wondered if these similarities and differences were only shared between the Von Weissen and Von Vilysivich royal families or if it was a common motif between all seven royal families.If it was, Arran wouldn’t be able to find out anytime soon.“Come on, fo
“Hey, why am I the only one being thrown out? What about you?” Arran complained.“Well, unfortunately for you, I’m not a stranger, so Erin doesn’t have to put on an act in front of me. So, that sucks for you.”Urgh!All of a sudden, Arran was aggrieved. He felt like he had invited disaster from nowhere and Arran didn’t know how to deal with it.How was Arran to know that his very presence would lead to an awkward encounter with a sister-loving older brother who just so happened to have a comped about strangers?Already Arran could sense a gaze coming from Eris that made him almost want to burrow into the ground and disappear into thin air.That wasn’t a joke... Erin was literally looking at Arran as he spoke to Eris and asked.“I see you brought company, sister. Nicoletta, how are you? And what about this boy... who is he?”Erin’s face carried a tight frown as he looked at Arran. Although his face appeared calm, one could still sense distaste in his words when he asked about Arran.“T
Eris’ home was like an indoor garden. Despite how gloomy and shady the castle looked outside, the inside was quite homely.Colorful flowers bloomed within the hallways of the castle and green vines crawled through the gaps in the stone walls of the castle, which were allowed to grow freely and naturally, giving the castle a wild and uncontrollable air of beauty.It was like nature had made the castle her home and the inhabitants were but mere animals living off its gracious abundance.Of course, the inhabitants of the castle were not wild savages running around without a care in the world.Smartly dressed servants could be seen walking around the halls in ardent strides, their faces bright and filled with calm composure.Whenever Erin and Eris passed by, the servants would all bow in greeting before going about their own activities. Occasionally, Arran would feel multiple scrutinizing eyes on him from the servants as they looked over at him, trying to guess his identity. Those who rec
Once again, Arran failed to prepare himself for the unexpected impact of the ruler’s voice. His entire body shook like it had been hit by a hammer. But Arran ignored it.Right now, Arran had the feeling that everybody was looking at him after Eris’ father said his previous words. It was only for an instant, but it was like countless gazes were trained on him like a manikin on display.In the next moment, like an illusion, those gazes disappeared, and it was like nothing happened.‘What was that just now?’ Arran asked himself in doubt.‘Why did it seem like everybody was looking at me like they were expecting something?’Arran could not figure it out and he wasn’t given any time to do that either. At this moment, Eris’ mother had already arrived beside her husband.Patting him lightly on the back, Eris’ mother said, “Dear, do behave yourself. Our daughter finally returned after so long and needs to get some rest. You’re going to end up chasing her away if you keep this up."“Nonsense!
Hyperion Von Vilysivich is the name of Eris’ father, ruler of Aberdeen. From what the rumors said, he was a brilliant ruler with a strong personality who was always straightforward with his views on governing the civilization.Unlike most rulers who didn’t appear in front of the public eye very often, Hyperion was one of the few the Aeth was very familiar with. He was known as somebody who would never shy away from any trouble and was very upright and outspoken regarding all of his opinions.Would someone like this really go through so much trouble just to attack his daughter’s friend simply because he didn’t like him?Not likely!Although Arran admitted he was like an ant in front of Eris’ father, he was really not worth the trouble for him to deal with in this manner, especially since he loved Eris so much. He definitely wouldn’t want Eris to think badly about him for doing something like that.In that case, there could only be one reason for what was currently happening to Arran.A
Good thing Arran was a genius and his physique made it easy to control all kinds of energies, so the first problem was resolved. Now Arran just had to fine-tune his control over his energy.This part also wasn’t a problem for Arran, since he already had prior experience in doing something like this.This experience stemmed from back when Arran was training his bloodline in the academy after returning from Fort Crawford.The conditions back then were quite similar to now. At the time, Arran had to perform a handstand with a large earthen stake on top of him. The weight of the stake was as heavy as two mountains... literally. And Arran had to bear the entire weight with his own body.Fortunately, Arran didn’t have to bear the entire weight on his body... not exactly anyway. Instead, by using a mystical method, the weight of the stake was transformed into powerful pressure that was applied directly to Arran’s bloodline for the process of refining. During this process, Arran also had to a