"Welcome, Lord Samarth, to my small empire," King Sacaler said, spreading his arms wide, welcoming as Samarth stepped gracefully out of his carriage. King Baltazar stood beside him, smiling warmly just as King Barlet Sacaler was. He approached Samarth and stopped a few respectful steps away, still sporting a genuine welcoming smile.
"Yes, welcome, Lord Samarth," King Baltazar Vorthis added warmly and sincerely. He noticed three figures standing behind Samarth. While he recognised two of them immediately, the third remained unfamiliar to him; it was Seraphina, leaving him genuinely puzzled.
"Father…"
Baltazar glanced at Seraphina curiously. Her gaze was directed elsewhere, but the sound of Emily calling out to Barlet drew his attention immediately. Emily then rushed forward to him and embraced him tightly.
"I miss you, Father," Emily Sacaler said, expressing her heartfelt feelings as she hugged him warmly. King Sacaler turned his head toward Samarth as Emily embraced him tightly, his attention briefly shifting back to Samarth, who nodded and smiled in acknowledgement of the touching family moment.
King Vorthis observed the warm interaction but quickly redirected his focus back to Samarth. "Lord Samarth, you look quite unwell. Did something happen to you during your travels?" He expressed genuine concern, having noticed Samarth's unusual silence and noticeably pale complexion. Vorthis held great respect and deep loyalty toward him, crediting much of his success as king to Samarth's invaluable guidance.
"Oh, I encountered something during my travels that intrigued me greatly. I attempted to capture it, but it proved too difficult to even touch, and when I tried to approach it, I was thrown back violently, which is why I look this way currently. It will heal within a day," Samarth explained thoughtfully, choosing his words carefully, without exaggerating his profound experience with the being he referred to as Ocean-Heaven or Gap—the mystical space between heaven and earth.
King Vorthis was genuinely stunned by this revelation. He had always believed that Samarth was someone who couldn't be defeated or touched, a being beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. The shocking revelation that he had encountered a foe who couldn't be approached indicated that this adversary existed on a level far beyond Samarth, making those around them feel like mere insignificant ants.
Samarth noticed the fear flickering in King Vorthis's eyes immediately. He smiled reassuringly and warmly. "Baltazar, you don't have to worry; nothing is going to happen," he assured him, recognising the panic that had begun to wash over the king's worried face.
"If you say so," King Vorthis replied somewhat flatly, scepticism still evident on his face. Lost in troubled thought, he struggled to process the frightening situation until a new voice interrupted.
"Father, what are you staring at?" Jane asked, having noticed her father's intense gaze directed upward at the sky. She could see her siblings standing behind him, though she had never properly met them before. Jane had previously been close to Emily, viewing her as a rival initially, and they had both lived with the master. After running away from her palace and being abandoned by his father and family, but after knowing about his relationship with the master, they had finally accepted her again, though their relationship was never publicly acknowledged. Despite this acceptance, Jane still struggled to fully respect her father for abandoning her and not returning to the Vorthis Empire. She had only come back because Emily wanted to reunite with her family, yet they were not proceeding to the Vorthis Empire, leading Jane to reluctantly agree to this particular visit.
King Vorthis turned his head toward his daughter as he snapped out from his trance, "Oh, Jane. Meet all your siblings, come here, and Lord Samarth, you too." His smile remained evident on his face as he looked at both Samarth and Jane Vorthis. She was puzzled by his casual reaction as though she had always heard about her sibling. She had always wished desperately to meet her siblings, but she never had the chance because of their father's distance.
"Yeah, sure. Introduce us," Samarth replied smoothly as he could read the mind of Jane, and he let the environment flow without unnecessary awkwardness.
King Vorthis smiled, hearing those words from Samarth and walking ahead of him with purpose. "Follow me, lord Samarth," he said, starting to lead his way toward his gathered children.
King Vorthis was walking toward the gate of the capital, his four children stood in formation: Darius, Viktor, Aeren, and Ellie. All of them showed their natural elegance of royalty as they stood proudly, looking down on everyone around them, showing no fear whatsoever, their posture straight and confident as they looked at their father and the men coming with them. Between them, no one stood on the empty road, and Samarth walked like a true king, making King Vorthis look like his loyal lackey, leading his way toward them. They all could perceive this dynamic clearly, but they ignored their father's submissive action toward Samarth; they could tell that he possessed something extraordinary, which was why their father was showing him such profound respect.
Darius and Viktor could tell immediately that Samarth was not normal in any conventional way, though he looked young, but his experience was beyond their initial realisation as they observed him carefully. Samarth's eyes were even looking down upon them, despite their royal status, which was unsettling. As for Ellie and Aeren, Aeren saw him with genuine interest and intrigue, while Ellie cared less about him. After seeing him, she felt normal about his presence and her curiosity was lost almost immediately.
King Vorthis took his daughter Jane Vorthis and Samarth with him, and Seraphina followed silently behind them; she had not spoken to anyone but did not feel fear either. But she was still staring intently at Aeren, as though she wanted to take revenge on him, but after hearing certain words from Samarth, she started to doubt that he was simply an ally. She began to suspect that Samarth was the mastermind behind all of this, and now she was stuck with him with no power to fight back. She was too weak compared to Samarth, and she could tell this clearly.
They stopped close to the children. "This is Darius Vorthis, he is the eldest son of mine, and one of the top geniuses at the Vorthis Empire," King Vorthis proudly introduced his son, as he showed his straight, confident pose to everyone. He nodded his head with visible satisfaction.
"Hello, sir. I'm Darius Vorthis," Darius answered Samarth as his voice sounded bold and polite, with confidence evident in his eyes and pride unmistakable in his tone.
"Oh, you have a genuine talent, I can sense it. Don't give up on it; you will reach the point you want to reach," Samarth replied thoughtfully as he observed Darius carefully. He could see that Darius had stuck to his color and thought he could not surpass it, but after hearing words from Samarth, Darius understood his deeper meaning and felt genuinely stunned that he could tell by just observing him. But he did not waver in his pride; even Samarth had seen straight through him.
"Thank you, Lord, for your insightful words," Darius showed his sincere gratitude.
And King Vorthis nodded his head with satisfaction, turned toward his second son with a pleased smile on his face, "Lord Samarth, meet my second son, Viktor Vorthis." King Vorthis pointed his hand toward his second son and introduced him formally.
Samarth observed him carefully, and as he looked, a smile came to his face. He can tell that he is special, as his radiant color is visible to him. "Oh, you are a genius, be good," Samarth commented briefly on Viktor, but he could see the shock on the young man's face as though he had seen a ghost.
"Thank you," Viktor also replied to Samarth, but he showed little interest in engaging further with his words, and there King Vorthis did not understand much about their cryptic conversation.
As he was confused about his second son, he thought briefly and ignored it, then turned to Aeren. "He is my third son, and my precious son, though he has shown little interest in anything, he is the next king after me. He is Aeren Vorthis, the Crown Prince and Fiancé of Olivia Sacaler, as you had advised us," King Vorthis said with pride evident in his voice, his posture reflecting his affection for Aeren.
Samarth stared at him and said absolutely nothing, appearing completely empty—nothing in his past, nothing in his future, and his present blind as he observed Aeren intently.
"Hello, I'm Aeren," Aeren's voice reached Samarth's ear. Aeren showed genuine interest in Samarth as he observed him closely, and he could sense the same profound thing he had sensed in the green heaven. He felt that if he could cut into him or do something inside him, maybe he could accomplish something to Samarth's very body. As he started planning after seeing him, he resisted the urge for now and decided to think about him later.
"Yes! I'm Samarth," Samarth replied as he heard Aeren's voice, and he looked at him at the same level as an equal, as he introduced himself to Aeren. Samarth had never seen anyone like Aeren in his entire life, and this realisation excited him deeply from within, filling him with an intense desire to know more about him. As he looked at Aeren, he thought: This is it, I found it finally. He could sense something on Aeren or realise that Aeren was his path—the path he had been searching for his entire long life. He could not tell exactly what it was, but he was absolutely certain he was on that path. On the other hand, he felt fear too. Something unknown—he was sensing something unknown.