"Carsius?" a brown haired man with a stubble said with wide eyes.
Three men stood on a circular platform of an old ruin near Rinea. It was a secluded, quiet location rarely ever visited.
"Lovrin. It's been a while."
"How many years?" asked the aristocrat as he went to give Carsius a hug.
"I'm so sorry," he said to Carsius.
"Yeah. That your son over there?"
Lovrin nodded. "Yeah. It's Junas. How did you know?"
Carsius smiled. "I can see faces through helmets. It's...a blessing I have."
"Good to meet you sir," the guard said, unmoving, watching.
"I haven't seen you since you were still a kid. You're an Awakened too?" sskedCarsius, after further registering the son's aura.
"Yeah...Do you need something man?" Lovrin looked at him with pity.
"Well, besides reviving my family back from the dead...not much."
"I don't know how to help you man, you know that if I'm caught helping you in any way, Virtonis and basically every neighboring kingdom along with Mareka will make sure I'm dead or a slave for life. Maybe even my family too."
"Well, I've been wandering around aimlessly, slaying monsters and bandits alike to keep my head clear. But it's getting worse. The pain."
"I'm sorry man. Do you want money? You want me to get you something?
"Not really. I just want vengeance."
"Vengeance?" Lovrin squinted.
Carsius nodded, rage in his eyes.
"Against Virtonis, against Santerlis?! The grand dukes and the Vernore Kingdom?" asked Carsius' friend.
"Yes," he said with a straight face.
"How? Not even you have a chance."
"The Old World," said Carsius.
"What?" Lovrin frowned.
"Been there for a year. Well, I only scratched the surface of it. Stuff happened. But there's something there. Untouched. Powerful. Whatever caused the ruin of that continent could be...perhaps used."
"What are you suggesting?"
"My whole Awakened crew died there. I need you to assemble powerful criminals and bring a strong ship for me in a week. I'm heading back."
"Back to that graveyard of a world?" Lovrin grabbed his chin.
"Yes. I've gotten much stronger after I did something with the messenger that spoke to you. If I can slay even more powerful monsters over there, I might even be able to kill the Emperor."
Lovrin stared at Carsius, who met his gaze.
"I'll break their aura inhibitors on the criminals after we're already out on the sea. I'd like a couple of Awakened to accompany me as well."
Lovrin was silent, thinking.
He sighed.
"I could pull some strings with the Warden. The higher-ups too. They will never know about you though."
"That's good to hear. I'd very much like not to be alone in that hell. The criminals will definitely prefer a sea voyage over lifelong slavery. They might even get rich from it."
Lovrin grunted. A short silence ensued which Lovrin eventually broke.
"How did you even escape?"
Carsius sighed.
"A high-grade monster attack along with bandits interrupted our trip to the capital. The Red Rock Family's Awakened somehow managed to tame those powerful monsters."
Lovrin nodded. "They're the most infamous bandit group on the continent."
"I escaped in the chaos. Barely survived. It's a miracle. The princes, the Rage Duke and most of the knights went their own way after I was cuffed and had my aura disabled."
Lovrin slowly shook his head in disbelief.
"Wow. Well, it's good that you're alive and free at least. It's good seeing you, brother."
"You too. I got nothing here besides you. Oh and I'll need armor and weapons for the prisoners. The red ones."
Lovrin then formed a somber expression.
"Uh...that's too much of a demand, even for me. I can't. I can give you some other types though."
"Do you know about the Hero King?"
"What? Yes?"
Lovrin frowned.
"I found his armor. Broken, but repairable. Even if you can't repair it, it's still a priceless historical artifact that would have Santerlis coming to you."
"Dear Celestials...alright," said Lovrin, jaw hanging open.
"Give me the ship at the Pearl Rocks, bring the criminals there too. There, I'll give you the armor."
"How can I trust you though?" Lovrin frowned slightly. Unwilling to say something like this.
"I have no use for the armor, just like how I don't have any place to belong here, but fetch the cuffs and put me in them until we make the transaction at the Rocks. I'll wait here."
Lovrin stood there, silent for a while. A blank expression was on his face.
"No...I believe you."
Carsius smiled. "Thanks, friend."
And just like that, Carsius disappeared.
"Dad. Who was that?" The helmeted red knight looked at his father.
"An old friend. Second prince of the old Vernore royal family."
"Oh..." The shock on the son's face was hidden by the helmet.
"Yes. A tragedy. His whole family, kids, wife...executed. The man was met on arrival with the First Prince of Virtonis, the Rage Duke, the royal Mareka knights and the High Imperial Knights of Virtonis. Even two Awakened nobles of Mareka and the new First prince of Vernore."
"Dear Celestials..."
"He had sent out a messenger summon with his aura to notify us of his return, so those monsters knew he was coming," Lovrin sighed.
"And he's still wandering this world. A ghost of a man," Lovrin said with tears in his eyes.
The Awakened son stared at his father, silent for a few moments.
"Also, he was very powerful, dad...Perhaps more so than even Tasmon."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I don't think I would've been able to protect you there if he had ill intentions."
"Huh. Maybe, just maybe...the Emperor and the Vernore King are in for a surprise," Lovrin said, his gaze nowhere in particular, perhaps on a future that couldn't be seen.
"We'll see," said the young knight.
...
"By the way, how will you fetch the criminals? From the island?"
"Probably buy them, tell the warden I have a secret project of my own and need slaves to do it. He's a friend. He'll listen."
Lovrin's son nodded. "Should work."
The two walked back and descended the cliffs that surrounded Rinea.