The moment his mask came off it was as if time itself held its breath, the vast throne room falling into a hushed, silence under the weight of unveiled perfection. Felix and Helene both stared at him as if they had seen a ghost, their eyes wide with a mix of awe and disbelief. His face was the epitome of beauty, the epitome of perfection—flawless skin glowing with an otherworldly luminescence, long white hair cascading like strands of starlight, and mystical golden eyes swirling with infinite depths. Not only that his mask further released his 'Cosmic Allure' this made the two of them completely entranced, but the aura also washing over them like a divine enchantment.
Helene looked at Set as if he was some prey, her gaze devouring every detail from his long white hair to his mystical golden eyes everything made her quiver, a forbidden heat rising in her core. Felix on the other hand became something like a soldier willing to die for his master, his posture straightening with fanatical loyalty. Dustin and Elise were least affected, Dustin was behind them, so his mind was just foggy, thoughts muddled in a distant haze. Elise well, she was already entranced long ago so she was fine, her bond shielding her from the full onslaught.
Set shook his head seeing this and suppressed his cosmic allure as much as possible, the golden glow dimming like a veil drawn over the sun. However, the damage had already been done, and the flow of this meeting had already shifted, unknowingly, the power dynamic tilted in an instant. A moment later Felix and Helene regained their senses, blinking rapidly as if emerging from a dream, but Dustin? He was too weak to have a clear mind in Set's presence; he would be motionless until Set left or put his mask back on, his body frozen in subtle reverence.
'You should be careful what you ask for mother...' Elise thought as she facepalmed, a sigh escaping her lips amid the awkward tension.
Felix's gaze hardened on Set as he tried to comprehend what had just occurred, his mind reeling from the violation of his will. 'What... was that? I felt my free will being stripped away from me...' He thought before speaking, clearing his throat to regain composure.
'H-how can anyone be so beautiful?' Helene thought as she felt herself heating up, a flush creeping up her neck despite her best efforts.
"Ahem, as you know that information you hold is important.... since you're already at the Epic Rank then why not we handle this more civilized?" Felix asked trying to wash over the little situation, his voice steady but laced with underlying caution.
Set raised a brow, amusement flickering in his golden eyes. "Hmm, what do you propose?" He said this and as he spoke even his voice was mesmerizing to the point it sounded like melodies, each word a symphony that echoed in their souls. "However, I will say this now. I won't be restrained to any rules or bullshit traditions. Also, I will be entering into those S rank Gates whether you like it or not."
This made Felix think for a moment. He eyed Set for quite a while as his mind raced with a plausible solution, strategies flashing like lightning in his thoughts. He then spoke.
"How about you join the Sunbelt Family? You will be a Sunbelt only in name, this way you can still be... you and also won't cause any unforeseen issues."
"Unforeseen issues? What could possibly cause an issue for the strongest family in the world?" Set asked as he didn't have too much knowledge on all of the top brass around the world, genuine curiosity tinting his tone.
"Although we are the strongest... it isn't by a mile. Our Sunbelt family is the strongest simply because of what run through our veins. This doesn't mean other families don't specialize in other things as well. We have a treaty between the top 4 families, this treaty states only us four can complete S rank Gates."
Felix summed up the situation to which Set nodded before speaking.
"Alright, I initially had plans to come here in search for Elite skills. That was before I went ahead a cleared those S rank Gates myself and also before meeting your lovely daughter." He said the last part with a smile which caused Elise to blush and look away, her cheeks blooming like roses under his gaze.
Helene noticed this and thought 'These two.... it's something going on..." Normally this would've pissed her off thinking of their future plans, but that was the last thing on her mind right now, Set's image lingering like a persistent echo.
"But this is a bit better I suppose... I will accept the title, but once again you have no control over me." He said before preparing to leave he then looked to Elise and flashed another smile before saying. "I will also be clearing the remaining S rank Gates...."
"Haha! Now, I may not know how you managed to clear those 9 gates, but there are 85 S rank Gates all over Earth. You think you can clear them all is ridiculous!" Felix said as he laughed, the sound booming but edged with unease.
"Believe what you will," Set said before looking at Elise. "I will be going, if you need anything call me." After saying that he disappeared using his null stride, the air rippling faintly in his wake. Once he left Dustin's mind cleared and he came back to his senses, blinking in confusion. Helene on the other hand, well she couldn't get Set's image out of her mind, her thoughts drifting unbidden.
"Tsk, we will keep our eyes on him. In the meantime, continue to prepare for the arrival of our guest. Dustin you must reach Epic rank within the next 5 years, go and complete as many Gates as possible. Once you return, I will give you a batch of cores from the vault." Felix said before his eyes shifted to Elise.
"You.... since you're already at Epic Rank. Return to the side of Set, watch him and keep us informed on his movements. After 5 years return." This caused Elise eyes to widen in confusion.
'Is he okay?' She thought. It was clearly not smart to send a beautiful young lady like herself into the den of a Dragon. However, despite this thinking she nodded and left.
-----
Set stood in the skies as he talked with Vyrak, clouds drifting lazily below them under the vast blue expanse.
"Now, do you mind explaining how you plan to find a starship on this world?" Vyrak asked as he sat on Set's shoulder, his tiny form coiled comfortably.
"Actually, I have no idea. I just planned to clear gates and hope to stumble upon one." Set said while shrugging, a casual grin on his face.
".... You really just think those things are something you can just stumble upon?" Vyrak asked in a bit of confusion, his eyes narrowing.
"Ha! well why don't we go and find out?" Truthfully, he was banking on his absurd luck. According to his experiments every time he cleared a gate it would reward him with something from the Reality treasury.
'Surely, I can get hands onto something nice.' He thought.
"Yea...." Vyrak said finding no way to counter him.
'Honestly the way things had been going then he might just stumble upon one.'
Set smiled and felt his phone ring.
He answered seeing it was Elise. "Yo, my lovely Elise, miss me already?"
She blushed behind the phone before spilling the beans. "My father instructed me to follow you for 5 years until the arrival of those people. Soooo, where are you?"
Set took a second to respond as he thought. 'Is that old man alright in the head?'
He then said "Well, I'm about to clear some gates. You however can just go back to my residence. Kaiya is there... so bond well. I will see you two in about a week or two." He said before hanging up then flying to the nearest Gate, the wind whipping through his hair as he vanished into the horizon.