Flashback to that night:
Jin: "Director... are you a Constellation?"
Albert: "What is the reason for such a question?"
Jin: "The voice you spoke with just now... it belongs to the Celestial Beings."
Albert laughed softly. "Do you have a legendary source of information or something?"
Jin: "I've encountered that voice before. And yes, you could say my source is powerful (referring to Borin). But I thought you knew everything."
Albert smiled with a touch of sadness. "The imagination of you children is truly marvelous. My boy, I don't know much, but all I know is that the reason for what is happening around you is very simple—even though you feel it is a cosmic conspiracy. Don't trouble yourself for now."
Jin didn't know what to say. He no longer understood anything happening around him, but there was nothing he could do. After a while, he asked: "Sir, do you know anything about the two creatures I asked that Knight about?"
Albert placed his tea cup on the table. "Unfortunately, not everything is available for me to know." He paused, then continued: "Don't you want to know something about your father? You aren't trying to find out why the Tower knows him, or why a copy of him was placed before you."
Jin fell silent for a few moments, the sadness visible on his face. Finally, he spoke: "Honestly... I don't want to know anything about him. All I want to know is whether my home is in another world or on this very same planet."
Albert: "You will know soon."
In the present time—two days after that night, at 2:00 PM.
Jin stood on one of the peaks of the Ten Thousand Mountains, wearing the uniform of a Squad Leader, his sword sheathed at his waist. Confusion was written across his face as he thought: 'What is this nonsense? Even Director Albert knows something and is hiding it. He tells me it's "simple," yet everything that happens makes me feel like I'm the center of the universe... or is it just because I've searched too much that it started to seem this way?'
He continued walking until he reached a massive pavilion. Standing before the outer gate, he spoke to himself: "The All-Hands Meeting, huh? Attended by the Council of Elders, the High Demons, and the Three Guardians. Damn it... I'm sick of all this."
He stood before the gate and looked at the two guards.
One of the guards: "Who is this teenager? What brought you here, kid?"
Jin looked at him, his expression completely hollow, then shifted his gaze to the other guard. The second guard focused for a moment, his eyes widening as he whispered into his comrade's ear. They immediately opened the door for him.
The first guard: "Why did you tell me to open the door? How can a random person just enter?"
The other: "Don't you recognize that uniform? Those are the clothes of the Blood Sword Squad Leader. Do you really not know the Demonic Dragon?"
The first guard: "Damn... it's a good thing he didn't kill me for that."
Inside, Jin stood before the massive door of the closed pavilion. He closed his eyes, opened the door quietly, and stepped in. He scanned the attendees: all the Elders were present, while only three of the High Demons had arrived. The Great Guardian sat in the center of the hall.
They welcomed him, and the boy took his seat. After a while, the Great Guardian looked at the historian beside him and spoke: "On this day, the first day of the seventh month of the year 7020 of the International Calendar, the All-Hands Meeting begins. The attendees are..."
Jin's eyes widened as he heard the date! He knew this calendar all too well.
The Guardian began naming the attendees, starting with himself and the other two Guardians, then the High Demons who were present: Jung Seo-Rin, Mok Tae-Joo, and Bae Seul-Yoon. He continued until he reached the Council of Elders: "The Fist King, Han Mu-Hyeok... and finally, the Demonic Dragon." The Guardian whispered into the historian's ear to ensure no one else heard: *"Jin V ^&£@&."
Jin was mentally drained, but he looked at him and wondered: 'He was talking to the historian in a low voice, but why did he whisper in his ear when he recorded my name? Forget it, I don't want to know. I'm sick of this.'
The meeting began. It wasn't about war or anything of the sort, but rather about the affairs of the Cult, the clans, and the status of the squad leaders. They started with the squads, beginning with Jin.
The Guardian: "What is new with your squad?"
Jin: "Not much. We've added two historians, I've changed the official sword style of the squad, and new custom weapons have been forged for the members, along with a large number of training and standard weapons. Everything has been recorded and will be submitted to the Bureau tomorrow."
The Guardian: "That is good. It seems you care for your subordinates."
The meeting continued. The boy didn't notice anything strange or absurd; the situation was completely normal. After nearly 12 full hours of discussions regarding the clans and the squads, the meeting concluded.
Outside, the Great Guardian, the Head of the Council, Jung Seo-Rin, Bae Seul-Yoon, and Jin stood together. They talked for a while, and eventually, Jin looked at the Great Guardian and asked: "Who established the International Calendar?"
The Guardian: "You don't know? Well... he was a great man. People called him the Sword Ruler. He was strong enough to rule the world, but he settled for the Empire and for establishing a strong generation. He is the founder of the Akran Empire, Immanuel Avalanche."
The Great Guardian thought to himself: 'I made a mistake by mentioning the International Date out loud.'
Jin looked at the sky and spoke: "Sword Ruler? Even Nelson Evelyn, who is classified as the strongest person in known history, is titled the Sword Emperor. Why was that person called the Ruler?"
Jung Bae-Ryun: "When people talk about a King or Emperor of great authority, they like to call him a 'Ruler.' The word in its essence signifies righteousness and justice, unlike a 'Tyrant' or a 'Monarch.' Therefore, he wasn't called that because of his strength—for as you said, the current Sword Emperor is stronger—but because of his justice and the love the commoners had for him."
Jin: "I see. And... how many continents follow this calendar?"
Seo-Rin: "They are..."
The Great Guardian interrupted him: "They are only our three inhabited continents."
At that moment, Bae-Ryun sent a telepathic message to the rest: 'Don't say a word.'
Jin looked at him with a cold face, but his eyes betrayed a raging suspicion.
Jin: "So... Estron, Astarion, Elfnheim. Are there other continents?"
The Guardian: "Yes... there is an unknown continent in the North. Almost no one has recorded anything about it. Everything mentioned in history books dates back 3,700 years, and it is said that... True Dragons live there."
Jin fell silent for a few moments, thinking: 'True Dragons? So this isn't the continent I came from, but...'
After a while, everyone departed. Jin was on his way back to his headquarters, looking deeply saddened. He remembered a conversation from his past.
Jin (Age 9): "Mom, why is the year 7000 special to you?"
The atmosphere around him was foggy, and her features were unclear.
His Mother: "Because you were born in it, of course."
Jin: "Hmm, is that the only reason?"
His Mother: "It's special for you too. Do you want to know why?"
The child replied with great excitement: "Yes, yes! Tell me!"
His Mother: "Look, my dear child. They say people born on the first day of the month have a special birthdate. They say those born on the first day of the year might be special people. And those born on the first day of a new century... special people will emerge from them, and history will remember them. But do you know who is the most important among them?"
"Who?"
She continued: "Those born in the first year of a Millennium, and on the first day of that year. From them, a person will emerge who will change history entirely."
The child sighed: "Mom... do you really believe these superstitions?"
The mother laughed: "This is no superstition. This has actually happened over the last 6,000 years. Who knows... maybe you will be the next one."
In the present moment, Jin sighed with sorrow: "Haah... my home is truly on this planet."
'But... how is there no mention of my continent anywhere? Have they not discovered it yet? But how? The Founding Emperor's calendar reached it... Damn it... I'm sick of all this.'
Author's Note:
The symbols in Jin's name represent his full name, but I have hidden them for now so I don't spoil the revelation for you! 😁