Renji spoke quietly,
"Why am I called a trivial summon?"
The Monarch looked at him for a long moment before answering.
"I believed your father had already told you about us… about this world… about everything he knew."
Renji frowned slightly.
"My father?"
The Monarch watched his face carefully, as if searching for something hidden inside him.
"But it seems… he never told you anything."
Silence filled the chamber.
Ash slowly turned toward Renji.
The Old Man narrowed his eyes in thought.
For the first time, even Yara looked truly confused.
Renji stared at the Monarch, his voice trembling slightly.
"My father died when I was twelve," he said.
"I never knew he had anything to do with this world."
A heavy silence settled around them.
Renji swallowed before asking again.
"Did he… belong to this world?"
The Monarch shook his head slowly.
"No. Your father was not born here."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"But he was meant to become more than just a visitor."
Ash frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
The Monarch lowered his voice.
"Your father was meant to become my loyal commander."
Renji's breath caught.
"My… father?" he whispered.
The Monarch nodded once.
"Yes. He had the skill, the discipline, and the mind of a true warrior."
He paused briefly.
"But he refused."
Renji blinked in disbelief.
"Refused?" he repeated.
The Monarch's gaze hardened, as if recalling painful memories.
"He saw the Dark General with his own eyes," the Monarch said.
"He witnessed what rage, blood, and revenge can turn a man into."
"He chose to leave this world."
"He wanted no part in endless war… no part in the hatred that consumed the Dark General."
Renji hesitated before speaking again, his voice quieter now.
"My father… watched the Dark General's life with his own eyes?"
The Monarch nodded.
"We all watched."
Renji frowned.
"All?"
The Monarch stepped forward slightly.
"Yes."
He paused before continuing.
"The Obsidian Circle never had only one right hand."
"There was another general," the Monarch said.
"His name was Arkon."
"He was loyal… just like Valerius," the Monarch continued.
"The two of them fought side by side for many years."
"They were like brothers in courage—"
"in battle, in loyalty, and in duty."
"Valerius stood slightly above Arkon in strength and recognition… but there was never rivalry between them."
"They respected each other deeply."
"Both remained loyal to the Obsidian Circle."
"And both were feared across many realms."
The Monarch remained silent for a moment before speaking again, his voice calm but heavy with history.
"The scrolls you see today… both the golden scrolls and the dark scrolls… were created by a single person."
Renji frowned slightly.
"One person made all of them?" he asked.
The Monarch nodded.
"Yes. A man known across the ages as the Seer of Obsidian."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"He traveled across the Seven Realms."
"These curses were wild… uncontrolled… scattered across different worlds."
"He gathered them one by one, studied them, and began combining them into scrolls."
Ash listened closely, his arms folded.
"But not all curses could merge peacefully," the Monarch continued.
"Some resisted fusion. Some rejected each other completely."
"So the Seer separated those unstable curses."
Renji leaned forward slightly.
"What did he do with them?" he asked.
The Monarch's expression darkened.
"He discovered that certain curses directly affected the vagus nerve of living beings."
"The vagus nerve is the main pathway that controls communication between the brain and the heart."
"If curses take control of the vagus nerve, they can influence many things."
"They can control heart rhythm."
"They can affect fear responses."
"They can disturb consciousness."
"They can manipulate survival instincts."
"They can even override the body's natural control."
Silence filled the room.
"He allowed those curses to enter his own body."
"He used himself as their host."
The Old Man spoke quietly.
"No one truly understands why those curses behave in such a way."
The Monarch nodded.
"Those cursed creations later became what we now call Dark Scrolls."
Renji felt a chill run down his spine.
"And the golden scrolls?" he asked.
The Monarch answered calmly.
"The golden scrolls were different."
"They were formed from purified curses — balanced, controlled, and refined."
He looked directly at Renji.
"If someone unworthy uses a golden scroll… they do not simply die."
"They are denied Warrior's Mirage."
"They lose their honor."
"They lose their memory."
"They lose their very existence."
"They are erased… completely."
Renji swallowed hard.
The Monarch continued.
"Later, the Seer began taking students."
"He wanted to expand his creations… to teach others how to control scroll power."
"But despite all his teachings… only three individuals ever mastered the golden scrolls."
Renji listened carefully.
"And the dark scrolls?" he asked.
The Monarch shook his head.
"No one else could use them."
"Only the Seer… and one other."
"My brother," he said quietly.
Ash's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Your brother?" he asked.
The Monarch nodded.
"He desired power more than wisdom."
"He wanted to reach the same level as the Seer."
"But the Seer understood something important."
"He knew his brother could never be trusted with such knowledge."
"He saw the hunger for power growing inside him."
"So he refused to teach him."
"But his brother did not stop."
"He secretly trained himself using ordinary scrolls."
"He studied them in secret… without the Seer's knowledge."
"One day… he was discovered."
"The Seer caught him."
"And when he learned of the betrayal… he sealed his own brother into an unknown realm."
"No one knows where that realm exists."
"No one has ever seen him again."
Silence filled the chamber.
"After that incident," the Monarch continued,
"the Seer stopped taking students forever."
"He chose only three worthy individuals."
"Those three became the rulers of knowledge."
Renji spoke quietly.
"The three gods…?"
The Monarch nodded.
"Yes."
"They became the Three Gods of the Obsidian Circle."
Basaltos — God of Strength and Endurance.Oculon — God of Sky, Vision, and Strategy.Skayr — God of Shadows and Precision.
"And they were not alone."
The Monarch continued.
"He also appointed two warriors to stand beside them."
"Warriors chosen not because of power… but because of loyalty."
Renji whispered,
"Valerius… and Arkon?"
The Monarch nodded.
"Yes."
"Valerius — the symbol of loyalty."
"Arkon — the guardian of order."
"They stood as the living shields of the Obsidian Circle."
He paused briefly.
"After the Seer passed away… the Three Gods continued ruling the realms."
"And people began to follow them."
"Not as slaves… but as believers."
"They followed the teachings of the god they admired."
"They trained in the skills taught by their chosen god."
"Over time… groups began to form."
"Those groups eventually became clans."
"The Hawks followed Oculon's teachings."
"The Vastos followed Skayr's path."
"The Andros followed Basaltos."
Renji listened carefully.
"And what about the followers of Valerius and Arkon?" he asked.
The Monarch answered calmly.
"Those who admired Valerius and Arkon did not form clans."
"They formed armies."
"They chose service instead of worship."
"They became protectors… warriors… commanders."
He slowly looked around the room.
"And that…"
"Is how the clans were born."
The Monarch lowered his voice.
"All of this happened…"
"Forty-five generations ago."
Silence filled the chamber once again.
And for the first time…
Renji truly understood how ancient this world really was.