He began to turn and walk towards his house. On his way home, his mind drifted back to Rivenn's words, that what he saw was not a woman, but a man. He began to feel uneasy, wondering if two people were following his trail.
The atmosphere became increasingly tense; the air felt cold, the leaves swirling in the wind. Lixs quickened his pace, trying to reach his house as quickly as possible.
Upon arriving home, he opened the door and immediately went to his room. His purpose was clear: he wanted to sleep as quickly as possible, to banish the anxiety that haunted him. However, as soon as he lay down on the bed, his body was startled by the appearance of the mysterious woman who had appeared twice on the same day.
"Who are you?" Lixs asked firmly, staring at the woman with suspicious eyes.
The woman was silent for a moment, her eyes gazing at Lixs with an unreadable expression. Lixs could feel the air around him tense. Her sharp gaze did not intimidate him; she felt that Lixs would not be able to hurt her, even if he intended to kill her.; she felt that Lixs would not be able to hurt her, even if he intended to kill her.
The woman finally spoke. "My name is Virellia Nyxaria. Thanks to you, I can now partially reveal my form, thanks to the mysterious power that sealed me 480 years ago."
Lixs fell silent for a moment, trying to process those words. Curious, he continued his questioning, "What really happened 500 years ago?"
Virellia turned her gaze to the window. "Once, a great war unleashed a devastating power. That power destroyed many things, including my race. Some of us vanished, and some were sealed, like me."
"So, you're the mysterious creature people often talk about?" Lixs asked, his voice filled with wonder.
Virellia nodded. "That's right. I was split into two parts, and one part was released after you destroyed that plant."
Lixs stood up, approaching the woman, looking angry. "Then why did you attack me? What's the meaning of all this?"
The woman bowed her head gently. "I didn't attack you intentionally," she replied softly. "I was surprised to wake up so suddenly. I'm sorry if I used you as a means to overcome my confusion."
Lixs sighed deeply, his frustration beginning to fade. "Forget it, it doesn't matter anymore," he said, lying back down, deciding to sleep and forget the problem for now.
Virellia, feeling uncomfortable, began to disappear little by little, moving towards Lixs's light sword, which he often carried everywhere. She stood there, waiting for morning to tell Lixs how important he really was.
The crowing of a rooster was heard, signaling the arrival of dawn. Sunlight began to illuminate Lixs's house. Claude, hearing the rooster, woke up quickly and hurried to wash her face. She was going to wake Lixs so they could go to the village chief's house.
"Wake up... wake up! Why are you still sleeping there?" Claude shouted, her footsteps quickly approaching.
Lixs woke up, feeling annoyed. "What's going on?" he said in a hoarse voice, confused why Claude was so hasty.
Claude was impatient. "You forgot? We have to go to the village chief's house immediately!" She looked at Lixs with an unbelieving gaze, trying to wake him up with the water she had prepared to pour on his face.
"Oh, why does it have to be like this?" Lixs complained, trying to calm himself. "What's so important?"
Claude stepped back with a serious expression. "You forgot, didn't you? You yourself said there was something you wanted to ask after we finished going to the room."
Lixs finally sat up, still a little confused. "Oh, that... It's not that important anymore," he replied listlessly.
Claude snorted, a little surprised, but didn't ask further. "Okay, eat quickly. After that we'll go."
After they bathed, the sound of kitchen utensils began to be heard, accompanied by the aroma of delicious food. Lixs felt his stomach rumbling, and he immediately sat at the dining table. The aroma of freshly made soup and soy-sauce eggs filled the room, making Lixs's stomach growl, the aroma of soup and soy sauce eggs filled the room. A few minutes later, the clinking of plates was heard, followed by Lixs groaning in satisfaction after eating.
"Ah, this food is always delicious, even though I eat it every day. Never gets boring," said Lixs with a smile, feeling full.
Claude, hearing him, just shook her head. "Eggs, rice, and a little soy sauce... Can make you that happy."
Lixs continued to eat quickly. In a matter of minutes, he was finished, leaving an empty plate in front of him. Claude blinked, surprised at how quickly Lixs finished his food.
After that, Lixs said goodbye to go to the rice paddy, leaving the house and heading to a small hut in the middle of the rice paddy. There, he placed his light sword.
As soon as the sword was placed, Virellia suddenly appeared before him again.
"Why do you keep following me?" Lixs asked with increasing curiosity.
Virellia bowed her head, hiding the expression on her face. "Because you released my seal. Since then, I have promised to serve you with my power."
Lixs, increasingly astonished by this reality, stared at her sharply. "Do you know about the great war going on out there? What caused it?"
Virellia nodded slowly. "Arcana," she replied seriously. "One of the mysterious objects that is the key to the seven sealed wills. Every country, even large countries, is trying to find its whereabouts. Including Sichibukuten."
Lixs listened to the explanation seriously, but his confusion grew. "What do you mean by Arcana? Why is it so important?"
"Arcana is part of the power that controls everything," continued Virellia. "And you should know, your brother who has been protecting this country. He's part of that effort."
Lixs was shocked to hear that. "My brother...? So he's involved in this?" he asked, with a worried expression.
Virellia looked at him, then said, "Yes. He and his small team are moving to protect the country."
Lixs stood up quickly, unable to contain his worry. "I have to find my brother. Is he still at home?"
When he opened the door and saw no one there, his heart became even more anxious. "No... He's gone," he murmured.
Virellia, standing behind him, asked softly, "So, will you look for him?"
Lixs was silent. "No. I'll wait for him to come home," he replied, although his heart was restless. He felt it was better to wait, even though there was a constant anxiety that bothered his mind.
With heavy steps, Lixs returned to the rice paddy, waiting for time to reveal everything.
The vast expanse of rice paddies was so captivating. The cool morning breeze began to pierce the skin, and the birds had begun their singing, welcoming the sky that looked bright and spotless.
Lixs slowly sat down in a small hut in the middle of the rice paddies, before finally opening an important conversation with Virellia.
"Do you know anything about this world? And… can you tell me where all the people who mysteriously disappeared fifteen years ago went?"
The question began to bother Virellia's mind. She pondered, trying to formulate an answer as best as possible.
"It's impossible for me to know about that incident. I've only just been freed from the seal that has bound me all this time. And don't you see—I can only appear in this imperfect form," she replied softly.
Lixs began to consider the possibility that Virellia had no connection to the horrific event. He got up and walked towards a place he didn't explain. Virellia, curious, decided to follow him.
Their journey took them to a strange location—a place that resembled a cave. Without a single light, the corridor swallowed them in utter darkness. Lixs decided to use his Zensh power.
What is Zensh?
Zensh is a technique for channeling energy, shaped by the user's abilities. The more energy one possesses, the greater the potential of their Zensh. that can be shaped according to the user's abilities. The higher the energy possessed, the greater the potential of the Zensh.
Lixs summoned fire from his left hand. The fire floated and slowly illuminated the place, revealing its true form.
Virellia, feeling that the place was very familiar, asked, "What kind of place is this? Why are there so many ancient relics, similar to what I saw before?"
Lixs looked at her and asked, "So… have you seen this before?"
Virellia was surprised when she recognized a writing held by Lixs. "Impossible…" she murmured in confusion.
To confirm its truth, she pleaded with Lixs to channel his Zensh, so that she could restore her original form—at least temporarily.
Lixs agreed to the request, and began channeling energy into Virellia's spiritual body.
"This body is quite good," Virellia commented, examining the writing more closely. "Let me see… Is this really the ancient manuscript my people have been searching for?"
As soon as she touched it, a new inscription appeared, shining faintly:
"You have come this far. When that time comes, the end of all beginnings will soon come."
They looked at each other, trying to understand the hidden meaning of the message. The illuminating fire began to dim, and they immediately left the place to return to the village.
In Ao' Village, the atmosphere felt different. The village chief's house was filled with villagers who were discussing various worrying events that had occurred outside the village area. Tension began to be felt.
A young man gave his opinion, "Are we going to remain silent, Chief? We must rise up and protect this homeland with all our might."
The statement stirred the audience. Another person replied, "What Arthur said is right, Chief. We shouldn't just wait. It's time for us to move and face the enemy that has threatened us."
Arthur's words stirred the villagers' spirit, and soon, they all voiced their readiness to fight. All the villagers expressed their willingness to participate in the battle.
When Lixs arrived at the village, he was surprised to see the villagers preparing to leave. He immediately met the village chief and asked about their purpose.
The village chief explained that all the villagers had agreed to fight to protect their territory from external threats.
"So, is it true that the inter-country war has begun?" Lixs asked.
"That's right," the Chief replied. "For the past twenty years, Ao' Village and several other areas have just been silent. But now, some are starting to show resistance."
Claude's name suddenly came to mind. Lixs then made a request to participate in the attack mission, which was immediately approved by the village chief.
Someone then approached Lixs. A tall man with brown hair and black eyes greeted him warmly. "It's been a long time since I talked to you, Lixs."
Lixs looked at him for a moment. "Eh? You look taller now, Zuxsin."
Zuxsin chuckled. "Still the quiet type, huh?"
Instead of answering, Lixs chose to leave. But his steps were stopped by the shout of a villager who reported a clash in Yorkwes. He asked the village chief to immediately send help.
The village chief immediately ordered that troops be dispatched to help Yorkwes. Arthur ran ahead, followed by a number of villagers ready to join the mission.
Zaresha, who was beside Zuxsin, invited Lixs to help.
In the midst of the battle in Yorkwes, two figures faced each other. The burning fire raged wildly, destroying buildings around it. Even the wind felt hot from the flames.
One of them shouted an attack:
"Flameus Inferno!"
Flames attacked from all directions, turning the once peaceful city into a sea of fire.
A man tried to stop him. "Stop! Enough!"
But his plea was ignored. Angrily, he decided to take more serious action. In an instant, he stood before the attacker.
The Yorkwes attacker was surprised. The man who had seemed passive before was actually connecting himself to an object nearby. In an instant, he dragged his opponent into the influence of his power.
"Ting."
He clapped his hands, creating an illusion that trapped his opponent in a boundless dimension.
As the battle continued, a small group finally arrived in Yorkwes. They consisted of three people.
"You're great too, Araka," said one of the men.
A woman asked, "Did you manage to trap him, Araka?"
Annoyed, Araka snapped, "Claude, Franz, be quiet. I almost lost control of my avatar!"
The sky of Yorkwes was blackened by smoke and the fog of battle. From the gaps in the ruins, the sounds of the people's screams fleeing mingled with the roar of power.
In the city center, Araka stood tall on a collapsed building. His cloak swayed in the gusts of explosions in the distance. His r
ight hand stretched forward, weaving invisible threads into the air.
"Illusion is not just deception," he murmured. "This is a second reality—which I can shape as I please."