Elsewhere in the palace—
Far away from the bright ball and the silent schemes that were simmering in the shadows, an old man sat quietly beneath the moonlight. The open-roof room was vast yet strangely empty, built more like an observatory than a person's private chambers.
The old man lazily leaned back on his chair, slowly puffing on a long black pipe that was vaguely carved to resemble an eastern dragon.
Faint smoke drifted upwards, entangling his beard and caressing his face.
On both his sides stood two silent figures clad in the armor of the Royal Guard. Neither moved nor spoke, they simply stood there like one would when attending to an elder.
These two were among the Emperor's Royal Guards, terrifying experts feared throughout the empire, but unlike the other ten, these two did not answer to the current Emperor, at least, not in private...
No, they 'belonged' to the old monster sitting beneath the moonlight—
The Old Emperor!
The man who had nearly unified the entire Cross Continent beneath a single banner!
The old man quietly exhaled a puff of smoke into the air.
"…Little Theo, oh little Theo…" His old voice softly drifted through the air. One of the guards lowered his head, pretending not to hear the muttering.
Yes, that's right!
In truth, every time Rotell cursed her father for recalling Theo from her side, it wasn't actually his order, no, not at all, it was the Old Emperor calling back his eldest disciple!
The old man chuckled weakly.
"Ah… I really am getting old, aren't I?"
His cloudy eyes drifted toward the moon…
If the emperor were here, he would realize that this old man looked a lot more aged than he did during their conversation a few weeks ago. As an early Fifth Order cultivator, his lifespan should theoretically be around one thousand years. Compared to ordinary mortals, he could already be called a long-lived monster, an existence that had lived a whole ten human lifetimes!
But even the greatest monsters eventually age…
When cultivators first step onto the path of cultivation and absorb the natural energy of heaven and earth, their lifespans immediately increase by several decades.
After entering Foundation Establishment, most people could already live around two hundred years if nothing unexpected happened.
From there, each major realm brought further transformation and an increase in lifespan.
As time passes, the body strengthens, the soul evolves, and the mind changes and grows with age, yet regardless of how far one climbs, all things eventually come to an end.
The increase in lifespan was naturally unique depending on one's race, but the average human lifespan of a Soul Formation cultivator was quickly approaching its limit. Time exists as an omnipresent force, and no one can escape the inevitable grinding of the river of time…
All lives come to an end; this is an absolute rule!
One may prolong it, one may transform it, one may even undergo reincarnation, but when the [END] inevitably comes, none can escape!
And unfortunately, this old man had lived through far too much of his...
The Old Emperor slowly closed his eyes…
"…Back then…"
His voice became quieter as he slowly spoke…
The space remained completely still as the old man drifted into the depths of his memories.
-
His mind turned back to hundreds of years ago, returning to the time of the migration…
Back then, the Cross Continent was still an unexplored land, and during that period, called the end of the Desolate Era, the Cross Continent was a hopeful haven for the human race. The Hellion Empire did not yet exist, and the land was much crueler than it is now. Even the territory overseas was embroiled in constant war, which was part of the reason behind the initial migration.
There were no cities or roads, and every inch of land was bought with the lives of the migrants.
He remembered hearing about the Green Wind Forest for the first time…
Back then, it was considered a treasure land, a place of great prosperity!
He remembered receiving the command to run north and colonise that massive forest!
He remembered the look on his face, the excitement and anticipation!
He remembered his friends and family, their fervor and unending enthusiasm!
Then—
He remembered 'that thing'.
A monstrous creature from the depths of the north…
Even now, even after hundreds of years, the Old Emperor still remembered it clearly.
Instead of calling it a large beast, it was better to call it a moving mountain.
Although the majority of its body was concealed behind the forest, that did not stop its silhouette from blotting out the sun! It was a towering beast with white fur, occasionally scarred with streaks of golden lightning-like patterns. Its shape was like a llama, but with the spine of an eastern dragon. Its body was massive, blocky and muscular, and its every step was like thunder, shaking the world.
Two balls of glowing white light peered down, splitting the darkness!
He still remembered that noise, that cry, that strange sound that caused his entire family to all explode into blood mist in an instant!
"Ohooooooowwwwwwww!"
The roar carried a might so great that it shook the forest!
Not many people survived, but those that did could be considered the unlucky ones.
Thinking back, that creature 'was definitely' 'above the fifth order!'
What a terrifying existence!
It wasn't until many years later that he learned it was only one of three giant monsters roaming the Green Wind Forest. Around that time, the 'Green Abyss', a mysterious power located deep within the depths of the Green Wind Forest, surfaced to make contact with the Cross Continent's newest inhabitants: the human race!
-
The old man quietly rubbed his forehead.
"…What a disaster that was…" Even now, he still remembered it clearly…
The Old Emperor slowly puffed on his pipe.
At the time, humanity had been powerless to resist.
If 'those things' from the Green Abyss had wanted to expel them from the Cross Continent, they easily could have. Fortunately, they didn't seem to care and even welcomed them. The fragmented forces that had come to the continent were like scattered sand before that disaster, however, after his family was sacrificed as the 'chicken' killed to warn the 'monkey,' everyone began to take the situation more seriously. They understood in their hearts that while none of them could resist alone, together they could fight off the unknown threats of this ancient land.
This was also before they fully understood the scope of development left behind by the previous inhabitants: the High Elves!
Mm, eventually the Hellion Empire was founded...
Not through ideals…
Not through glory…
Not through battle…
No, through fear! The Hellion Empire was founded through a tyrannical and irresistible 'fear!'
The Old Emperor weakly laughed to himself.
"…Those old bastards refused for nearly thirty years! If only they bowed their heads sooner, if only they cooperated. For the sake of humanity, everything could have been much easier… We would have lost a lot fewer people too…"
The 'four great families' had not willingly joined him, at least, not at first.
Every single one of them believed they could survive independently, and they had no interest in becoming the four great families of the Hellion Empire.
They all thought they were special.
It wasn't until that massacre began...
With the Hellion bloodline down to its final member, he had no choice but to reach out and accept the olive branch extended by the Grasswind Family. After striking a deal and sealing it with a bloodline curse, the two families became eternally entangled.
As for the specific terms of that curse, even the old man seemed to have forgotten—or perhaps the loss of that memory was in and of itself a clause of the contract, it was impossible to know.
In the end, the Grasswind Family convinced the four tower bloodlines to jointly slaughter the patriarchs of the four great families, at least, those who were unwilling to bow their heads.
One by one, the large clans of the continent were carved apart.
With the help of the overseas Grasswind Family lurking in the shadows, it was a one-sided slaughter. Eventually, the four great families finally relented and agreed to unite beneath a single banner.
The old Emperor's eyes slightly dimmed.
It was unknown what he was thinking.
"…Only the Patriarch of the Azurefell Family remained in the end…"
At the time, the other three families were nearly exterminated, but the Azurefell Family had caught on early and willingly submitted. There was no magic contract or anything like that. It was a simple matter of listening to another's word. Despite that, the other three were far too prideful to even consider it. In the end, the Barak, Gallon, and Dimebeck Families needed a long time to recuperate.
In addition to the Hellion Family, only the Azurefell Family still possessed the power needed to continue exploring the early Cross Continent. Even now, the Old Emperor still didn't know exactly how many ancient High Elven artifacts they had secretly recovered, but he was certain that in the current era, all of them had already been transported back to the main family across the sea.
The old man quietly stared into the drifting smoke.
Hundreds of years passed through his mind like fragments of flickering light.
- The founding...
- The collapse of the strange eastern tribes…
- The first form of the royal palace…
- The appearance of the old city…
- The thousand-year treaty between the mage towers…
- The death of his family and the departure of his brother…
- The birth of his son and the death of his wife…
- The rise of the Royal Guard...
- The three princesses and that strange Celestial Phenomenon…
Too many years had passed, and he was getting old.
Suddenly, the Old Emperor laughed softly.
His gaze slowly drifted toward the distant horizon outside the palace.
"The Third Calamity is about to arrive…"
"The treaty with the mage towers will soon end…"
"The Mercenary Alliance is like a lurking nail…"
"The eastern storm and the white-robed cult have still not moved…"
"…The appearance of the 'Daughter of End'… (Petra)"
Neither of his disciples spoke, but both silently understood—
The old man was not reminiscing because of any nostalgia, he was not thinking about the past, no, he was remembering because something deep within his heart had begun to feel uneasy, signalling a coming storm…
* * *
In a mysterious place, unknown whether it was death or delusion, memories and dreams intertwined…
-
On a nameless battlefield, the sky was painted with a dark red light.
Countless corpses covered the plains while broken banners burned beneath a smoke-filled sky. Around a massive stone table stood the leaders of the four great families and the leaders of the four tower families, each man radiating a terrifying pressure while glaring at one another.
No trust existed between them, not anymore...
Only fear and hatred, bitterness and regret remained!
At the head of the table stood a younger version of the Old Emperor.
Blood covered half his armor, and behind him, the rising sun illuminated the horizon.
The young Emperor slowly raised a golden sword.
"We unite," he roared, his young voice booming!
"…From this moment onwards, the Hellion Empire will stand as the central pillar balancing the four families and four towers! From this moment onwards, the Hellion Empire will become the wall that defends humanity, the wall that protects the people from the onslaught of the unknown! From this moment onwards, I and each of my descendants will inherit my will, forever defending the foundation we build! From this day onwards, I and my descendants, with me as the root, will advance toward the future for the sake of the world and create an unbreakable empire that will stand until the final roar is cried and the last life has fallen!"
"From this moment onwards, I declare the formation of the Hellion Empire!"
Boom!
Then, one by one, the four families lowered their banners.
Silence followed his roar!
His each and every word shook the earth and stirred the wind! An oath was formed, and from that day onwards, those who lived on the Cross Continent could forever rely on him!
From that moment onwards, the Hellion Empire was born!
* * *
Cross Continent, a silver cliff overlooking the southern sea—
A young man stood at the edge of a mountain wearing silver black armor adorned with a white mane, laughing loudly into the freezing wind. His appearance vaguely resembled the Old Emperor, only younger, broader, and far more carefree and less attuned to worldly affairs.
Behind him stood the Old Emperor.
"Stop making that face, go, go! I heard that your wife is pregnant? I can't relate, but come on, don't look so sour! Hahaha!" the younger half-brother laughed while tightening the straps around his chest. "I'm not dying, I'm just leaving first! You don't need to worry, if you can't do it, then I'll rebuild our bloodline! Hahaha! Just wait for me!"
The younger version of the Old Emperor clenched his fists.
"…Rofill, you don't have to go... It's only been a few decades. Why not stay longer?"
The man grinned.
"But I want to go! I need to look for my two brothers! If I don't, then what will Hexin and Pluto do?"
He turned toward the endless southern sea.
"…Someone has to go find them, and who else but me?"
The wind violently howled, fluttering his hair.
Then, without an ounce of hesitation, the younger half-brother stepped forward, walked away, and disappeared towards the depths of the distant sea.
He never returned…
* * *
One day, the capital city shook in celebration while countless nobles gathered beneath the royal palace.
The moment the child was born—
The horizon split open, and beyond the northern sky, nine shining stars appeared!
They tore over from the horizon, their tails twisting and intertwining, dancing, and eventually reached the head of the newly born prince, before reforming into the shape of a sceptre—or the artifact known as the Star Crown! That day, a massive celestial phenomenon resembling a crown slowly emerged within the sky above the palace, before vanishing shortly afterwards.
For those few seconds, the entire empire fell silent …
* * *
Near an unnamed harbor—
Rain fell endlessly from the cloudy sky, striking the blackened water.
A tall young man stood aboard an enormous ship covered in ancient runes, while the 'current' Emperor silently watched his back depart from the docks. He had no idea that this scene resembled his father and uncle's eternal separation, but even if he knew, he could only say that it was fate…
This youth, like his father before him, was now facing the departure of his younger brother.
Unlike himself, the man possessed no interest in ruling. His only desire was freedom and adventure, to walk down that unending path!
"…Don't die," the current emperor muttered under his breath.
The younger brother burst out laughing.
"Relax!"
He casually leaned against the railing of the ship, then waved goodbye while yelling, "If I really die, I'll crawl back and haunt you personally!"
Ka-Ka-Kacha-BOOM! Lightning flashed, filling the sky!
The ship departed, disappearing into the storm…
-
Many years later, rumors would spread throughout the waters of Pillomal about a wandering 'monster' carrying the blood of a fallen family, the Hellion Family…
* * *
A beautiful woman, Lillet Greenwind, sat within a sea of golden flowers.
The future Empress quietly sat in the palace garden while reading beneath the sunlight. Her long, dark hair gently drifted in the wind while countless butterflies gathered around her like living gems.
The current Emperor stood nearby, completely silent.
At that time, he still did not know how to speak to her properly.
The Old Emperor, who was lurking nearby, laughed loudly beneath the cloudless sky.
"…This idiot is hopeless! How did I raise such a clumsy kid?"
-
'Despite everything', they still fell in love…
* * *
Then, a few final memories that were already dissipating like smoke, appeared in the old man's mind—
- Three births…
- Three daughters…
- Three omens…
-
The first princess—
The day Rotell was born, the sky split beneath a sea of silver light…
Countless sword-shaped clouds formed above the capital while a massive silver star descended from the heavens and lingered above the palace for three full days.
That year—
The empire experienced unprecedented prosperity.
The harvests flourished, trade exploded, and countless geniuses were born.
The imperial diviners declared: "The first star shall bring prosperity!"
-
The second princess—
The day Rorall was born, the sky split beneath a sea of golden light…
The entire palace fell silent.
The moment of her birth, no sound existed for nearly ten breaths of time, as if the world was bathed in a holy light and none dared to blaspheme it! The stars above the capital rearranged themselves into countless shifting rings before collapsing inward like turning gears, then sprinkled rain-like white light through the empire, touching everything within its borders.
That same night—
Several observatories across the continent all erupted without warning! The astrologers trembled in terror, feeling the world diverge!
The imperial diviners declared: "The second star shall bring great change!"
-
The third princess—
The day Rolilly was born, the sky split beneath a sea painted with a dark red light.
The crimson sky swallowed the capital while countless unseen black cracks spread across the night sky like shattered glass. The Star Crown appeared once more above the palace, but this time—
One of the nine stars began to bleed...
The old Emperor still remembered the expressions of those old star tellers, their absolute terror towards this unfathomable phenomenon, some even began to believe that the royal family was cursed… But at that time, there was only one thing that went through the mind of the Old Emperor, and it was the beauty of that blood red sky, the same scene that reminded him of the past…
The imperial diviners declared: "The third star shall bring… the curtain call!"
* * *
The old Emperor slowly opened his eyes beneath the moonlight, smoke drifting upward from his pipe.
"…What troublesome children…"
He puffed on his pipe, looked up at the stars, and wondered what those three little ones were doing right now? Were his three naughty granddaughters alright? He hoped so!
Slowly, very slowly, he closed his heavy eyes…
-
Mm, not to die, just to sleep…
* * *