When Sternon found himself face to face with the Emperor of Water, memories of the past emerged in his mind. Real memories from the time that the Emperor had visited a secret training camp in the territory of the Evolutionary Army in East Moridia. And of course, inherited memories from the deceased Supreme Commander.
One set of memories was actually quite positive and had planted the seed that would eventually get him to leave the Evolutionary Army. The other memories were rather jarringly negative. It created a blend of positive and negative that were hard to square off.
"You've grown up."
Rui's voice drew his attention as he patted the young man on his shoulder, smiling at him knowingly. "You've grown well."
Sternon's expression softened as he nodded with a hint of gratitude. "Thanks to you, Your Majesty."
"You give me too much credit, young man. This is your accomplishment. Be proud of it," Rui turned towards Ria. "You've made some good friends, Ria."
