Charmy’s mother, the ruler of the Aeth civilization, was in front of Arran, looking at him with a gentle smile.Arran was overwhelmed with incomparable shock. On this trip, he had not expected to meet any of Charmy’s parents. Arran’s only goal was to meet Charmy’s siblings, then slowly get in their good graces before finally moving on to meet her parents.But things had turned around on their head right now, and Arran’s plan was basically scrapped.It was a surprise that one of the rulers of the Aeth civilization would be willing to meet a small character like Arran. After all, the rulers were very busy dealing with important matters relating to the civilization.This was even more in recent times with the issues of the shades and traitors that had supported their invasion last time. Then there was also the news that Arran brought back about what happened four hundred years ago.All of this kept the rulers and the council members very busy, which is why nobody had contacted Arran afte
Under the Empress’s gentle gaze, Arran found himself calming down inexplicably. The nervousness that was eating up his insides like a rot seemed to be washed away by a cool feeling of bliss, like staying in the shade on a hot sunny day.Arran didn’t know what sort of power the Empress had that could affect him, but he didn’t overthink it. Rather, Arran couldn’t think about it even if he wanted. Everything just seemed so natural to him, like he wasn’t affected by any power at all.Following Empress Fleur’s invitation, Arran walked towards her and sat down on the seat closest to her. His position was across from Eris. Soon, Charmy came and sat by his side.The rest of the siblings were already seated in their own places. With everybody taking up a place in the center area, they were like a normal family gathering to talk about their day.There was a round table in the center with various delicacies in places on them.Reaching toward the table, Empress Fleur picked up a scone before offe
Arran spent a long time with Charmy’s family. He told them about his life on Earth. How he was raised by his parents as a fighter, a killer, and a mercenary, and how they had wandered from one place to another, never staying in one place for too long.For over eight hours, Arran retold his entire life story that spanned a total of nineteen years.During this time, Arran mentioned every memorable moment he could recall about his life. Every happy event, every sad experience, Arran mentioned everything... even the embarrassing and downright outrageous moments in his life.Somehow, Arran was compelled to say everything he could about his life, almost to the point he wondered if he was under some sort of spell. But Arran knew he wasn’t influenced by anything of that sort.Instead, the thing that compelled Arran to say everything was the feeling of loneliness that had settled in his heart and was eating up his insides like a cancer worm.That’s right... Arran was lonely. After all, this ti
“Do you know there is an ability that works similarly to the way yours does? This ability is just as useful and powerful as yours is, but doesn’t come with the same restrictions as yours. It is an ability that isn’t easy to interfere with and can be used in many situations.”“Best of all, his ability is a universal one that can be learned by anybody as long as they reach a certain level of expertise in a given aspect.”“This ability is called the High Mind.”“Have you heard of it?”Arran shook his head in denial. He hadn’t heard about this ability before, but hearing the empress describe this ability, Arran could imagine how amazing it was.Wanting to learn more, Arran quickly implored.“Aunty, what kind of ability is the High Mind?”Empress Fleur’s smile grew even brighter as she heard Arran. She loved the way he called her aunty, which made her feel she had adopted a son from outside.The empress explained to Arran in delight.“High Mind, like its name suggests, is a psychic type ab
For the rest of the day, Arran toured Maenan along with Eris and Charmy. The two of them took him around the city, where they had a lot of fun and enjoyment.Throughout the day, Arran was worry-free, and his mind was very relaxed. Thoughts about growing stronger and finding his parents left his mind completely, and he didn’t even think about what Charmy’s mother, Empress Fleur, had said to him.Currently, the academy gave its cadets a few days of rest and Arran was determined to spend these few days with the girls in relaxation. He wasn’t going to think about anything but that until they went back to the academy.There were a lot of things to see in Maenan and plenty of fun activities to perform. The trio spent the entire day exploring all these fun places.The only pity was there wasn’t enough time to truly see all the fun spots like the lava catacombs and the jettison valley. But though Arran didn’t get to see them, he still enjoyed his time with the girls.When night fell, Arran wa
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