"Where did you hear that name?" she asked, her voice noticeably quieter than usual.
The table went silent.
"I was scrolling through the library, and I found the name in a book there," Aaron replied.
"Oh, is there a book that mentioned this name?" Charlotte said with some suspicion.
"Yeah, there was," Aaron answered, keeping his expression neutral.
Charlotte was quiet for a moment, her eyes studying Aaron carefully before she finally spoke.
"Bliss is not just a name, Aaron. Bliss was a Demon General, one of the most feared ones from the Great War that took place 10,000 years ago. He was said to be so powerful that it took the combined effort of multiple kingdoms to bring him down." Charlotte said, her voice low and serious.
The table went completely silent. Even Lucy, who had been twirling her fork absentmindedly, stopped and stared at her grandma.
"A Demon General?" Emy repeated slowly.
"Yes," Charlotte confirmed. "But he died in that war. His soul was sealed into a Soul Stone and buried where no one could find it. At least that is what the records say." She paused for a moment. "Why was his name in that book? Which book was it?"
Aaron felt the weight of her gaze on him.
"I am not sure; it was an old one. The cover was worn out," he said casually, picking up his glass of water.
Charlotte kept her eyes on him for a second longer before slowly picking up her spoon again.
"Stay away from books like that, Aaron," she said quietly. "Some names are better left forgotten."
"Okay" Aaron replied.
Aaron noticed that his grandma was not telling them everything about this Demon General. He was eager to know more but could not push further without raising suspicion.
Just then Lucy, who had been listening with wide, curious eyes, leaned forward and looked at Charlotte.
"Grandma, was Bliss really that powerful? And what did he do that his name should be forgotten?"
Aaron's eyes sparkled. He quickly glanced at Lucy and gave her a mental thumbs-up.
'Great job, big sis. Sometimes you can actually think about something important rather than just sleeping and eating sweets.'
Charlotte let out a slow breath and set her spoon down again. It was clear she had hoped the conversation would end there, but with Lucy's innocent and eager eyes fixed on her, she could hardly refuse.
"Bliss was not just powerful, Lucy. He was terrifying," Charlotte began, her voice dropping to an almost cautious tone. "During the Great War, entire armies fell before him. It was not just his strength; it was the way he fought. He did not just defeat his enemies; he broke them. Body and mind both."
The table had gone completely still. Even Emy and Jenny were listening now, their food forgotten.
"Then how was he defeated?" Aaron asked, unable to stop himself.
Charlotte looked at him for a moment before answering.
"To defeat Bliss, we first need to understand what his power was," Charlotte began, her expression growing serious.
"Bliss was a demon of unknown origin. There was no record of him anywhere, not even among the demons themselves. He was entirely new to everyone. No one knew where he came from, and to add to the mystery, he was extraordinarily powerful, not only physically but magically as well."
Lucy had completely forgotten about her food now, her eyes glued to Charlotte.
"His power was unlike anything anyone had ever seen," Charlotte continued. "He could trap his enemies inside their own minds. In the real world they would simply freeze, completely still like statues, but inside their minds they were fighting for their lives."
"Fighting what?" Lucy asked.
"Three things," Charlotte said, holding up three fingers.
"First, they would fight their own shadow. Not a simple copy, but an exact replica of themselves, same strength, same physical abilities, same magical power. Every technique they knew, their shadow knew too. Every weakness they had, their shadow had too. It was like fighting a perfect mirror of yourself."
The room was dead silent.
"Second, if they somehow managed to defeat their own shadow, they would then have to fight every single person who had fallen under Bliss's control. And the twist was they had to fight all of them, every last one. If one million people were under Bliss's influence, that one person would have to fight the remaining 999,999 alone. One against an army of familiar faces."
"That is almost impossible," Emy murmured.
"It was," Charlotte said grimly. "Most warriors never even made it past the first trial. Fighting your own shadow is one thing, but your shadow knows every move before you make it. And those who did somehow defeat their shadow would then face an endless army in the second trial. The numbers alone were enough to crush any hope of survival."
Aaron sat quietly, absorbing every word. His expression remained calm, but inside his mind was racing.
'And I have to defeat this guy.'
"What was the third thing, Grandma?" Lucy questioned, leaning even further forward in her seat.
"The third was Bliss himself," Charlotte said. "And he was in a league of his own. Those who somehow miraculously survived the first two trials would then have to face Bliss directly. And by that point they would already be exhausted, broken, and barely standing. Fighting Bliss in that condition was not a battle; it was a death sentence."
The table fell silent for a moment as the weight of Charlotte's words settled over everyone.
Aaron, however, was still stuck on the second trial, his mind turning it over and over.
"Grandma," he spoke up. "What if someone simply refused to fight in the second trial? What if they just stood there and did nothing?"
Charlotte looked at him with a tired expression.
"Then they would be trapped there until they died," she said plainly. "Inside their own mind, with no way out and no way to wake up in the real world. Their body would remain frozen, and their mind would slowly wither away. It was a fate many considered worse than death itself."
"And no one wanted that," Jenny added quietly, her eyes distant as if recalling something she had once read or heard.
"No," Charlotte agreed. "No one wanted that."
Lucy, who had been listening with wide, horrified eyes, finally spoke.
"Grandma, then how was he ever defeated?"
Charlotte was quiet for a long moment.
When Bliss arrived in the Human continant he started his rampage many human soilders died under him he had no army whenever an army was sent each and everyone Bliss saw froze up and went under trails which no one survived and there was no one to tell how they lost or what bliss did human empire asked help from Elfed continent or kingdom (Elves) Meta continent or kingdom (Dwarf) Beast continent or kingdom (Beastkin) they sent teir army with power full people but no one survive now Bliss was slowly masacaring human continant citizens and vowed that son he will visit every continant.
"When Bliss first arrived on the Human Continent," Charlotte began, "no one took it seriously at first. It started as rumors, whispers of a strange demon appearing in the outskirts. But those rumors quickly turned into something far more terrifying."
"He began his rampage without warning. Human soldiers were sent to stop him, but every single army that was dispatched met the same fate. The moment Bliss laid eyes on them, every soldier froze on the spot. Not a single one was able to lift their weapon. They were all dragged into his trials, and not one of them survived."
"The worst part," Charlotte continued, "was that there was no one left to report back." No survivor, no witness, no one to explain what had happened or how they had lost. The armies simply marched out and never returned. The Human Empire was fighting an enemy they knew nothing about."
Lucy had gone completely pale.
"Desperate and out of options, the Human Empire sent out a call for help to every continent. The Elfed Continent, our kingdom, answered. The Meta Continent, home of the Dwarves, answered. The Beast Continent, home of the Beastkin, answered. Every major power came together and sent their strongest warriors and their most powerful armies."
Charlotte paused, her expression heavy.
"But it made no difference. One by one they all fell under Bliss's power. The greatest warriors from four continents, brought to their knees without Bliss even breaking a sweat. And when the last of them had fallen, Bliss stood in the middle of the Human Continent surrounded by frozen bodies and made a vow."
"What vow?" Aaron asked quietly.
"That soon," Charlotte said, "he would visit every continent."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
"He was not just powerful," Charlotte added softly. "He was inevitable. That is why his name is not spoken lightly."
"Then how was he defeated?" everyone at the table exclaimed at once, their eyes all fixed on Charlotte.