Later that night, the mansion gradually fell into silence.
Kaelen and Jess returned inside after spending the evening outdoors beneath the stars. The quiet conversations had ended, replaced by the peaceful stillness that only night could bring.
Denma disappeared into his room shortly afterward.
Faith wished everyone goodnight before closing her door.
Gene, still half asleep, wandered into his room without even opening his eyes fully.
Kimotsu quietly entered his room with his sword resting across his shoulder.
Kaelven stretched lazily before heading upstairs.
Alzwalt and Britanya had already retired for the night, while John and Tessandra had long since disappeared into their own rooms.
One by one…The lights throughout the mansion went out. Everyone fell asleep.
The next morning…Golden sunlight poured through the windows.
The first person to wake was Alzwalt. Still wearing relaxed clothing, he quietly walked downstairs into the spacious kitchen.
He calmly prepared two cups of tea. Steam slowly rose from both cups.
Taking one of them, he sat comfortably on the couch and enjoyed the peaceful silence while sipping his tea.
Several minutes later…Footsteps echoed down the staircase. John descended calmly.
"You're up early."
Alzwalt smiled.
"I'm excited for what's coming."
John chuckled before preparing himself another cup of tea.
Then he quietly prepared one more.
Just as he finished…Britanya walked downstairs. She grabbed a slice of bread from the table, took a bite, then picked up one of the cups of tea.
She smiled as she drank.
A moment later…Tessandra came downstairs. Her silver hair was still slightly damp as she gently dried it with a towel after washing it.
She walked over and naturally sat beside John.
Without saying anything, she picked up the cup of tea he had prepared for her. Britanya looked between everyone.
"So…Today's the day?"
John nodded.
"Yeah. They'll be arriving today."
Tessandra smiled faintly.
"It's been a while since I entered Circuit Embodiment. It should be fun."
Just then…Kaelen walked downstairs.
"Morning."
He sat beside them. Tessandra looked at him with a teasing smile.
"So…My student finally found his wife."
Kaelen immediately rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Master… stop."
Alzwalt burst into laughter. Kaelen smiled helplessly before his expression became thoughtful.
"I had a weird dream last night though…"
Tessandra placed her cup onto the table.
"What was it about?"
Kaelen looked toward the window.
"It was as if…Time itself was an entity and I could feel what it was feeling."
John slowly turned toward him.
"In your own opinion…What did you feel?"
Kaelen remained silent for a few seconds.
"It felt…Threatened."
The room suddenly became quiet. John stared at Kaelen before speaking.
"I see…"
Tessandra frowned slightly.
"So…Something is capable of threatening time but how can the effect be in the past why is Kaelen feeling it now and not at the moment time is threatened?"
John nodded.
"Time is not linear. It doesn't travel in a straight line. At least…That's how humans view time."
He calmly lifted his cup.
"But the effect can happen before the cause…because you already made a decision or move."
Tessandra slowly set her tea down.
"So the effect is just as fast as the moment he made up his mind to do something or a certain action?"
John smiled.
"Yes. Precisely, babe."
Tessandra looked toward Kaelen.
"So…Kaelen participating in this war caused him to feel that time will be threatened in the future?."
Alzwalt nodded.
"Yes, Exactly. Chronos—the God of Time sees the past, present, and future. To him…It's no different from the current moment."
Kaelen slowly nodded.
"I see."
A determined smile spread across his face.
"I'm looking forward to it."
John smiled.
"That's the spirit."
At that moment…Kimotsu, Denma, Gene, Faith and Kaelven entered the living room.
Breakfast was soon served. Everyone ate together. Kaelven stuffed another piece of food into his mouth before grinning.
"This could be my last meal today…So I'm enjoying it."
Kimotsu calmly continued eating.
"A swordsman never plans his own death."
Denma clenched his fist confidently.
"Just punch through anything in your way."
Faith sighed in annoyance.
"Could you guys shut up?"
Gene laughed.
"Don't worry. If you all died…It must be one of my dreams."
Everyone laughed.
Soon… Breakfast was finished. John slowly stood.
"Seems like it's time."
The heroes were already dressed and prepared. John looked toward everyone.
"Let's go."
He snapped his fingers. Snap. The scenery instantly changed.
They now stood atop one of the tallest buildings in the middle of Arkion.
A familiar voice greeted them.
"You all made it."
Kaelen looked forward.
At the very edge of the building sat Arata. One leg dangled over the side while the other rested comfortably on the rooftop.
His expression remained calm.
To Arata's left stood Lord Zenith. To his right stood a woman Kaelen had never seen before. She possessed flowing silver hair, silver eyes, and an elegance unlike anything he had witnessed.
Queen Nullis. Kaelen smiled.
"Nice seeing you again, Lord Zenith."
Zenith returned the smile.
"Excellent. You have become a true Stage Seven Circuit Master since the last time I saw you."
His golden slit dragon eyes slowly swept across every one of the heroes.
"So…These are the heroes of humanity. Good I can rest assured."
John and Alzwalt walked toward the edge of the rooftop. Tessandra and Britanya quietly joined them.
Arata looked toward the two conceptual beings.
"John, Alzwalt..,This is Queen Nullis. A conceptual being."
The two nodded respectfully toward her.
Then…Arata slowly lifted his eyes toward the heavens.
He stood.
"They are here."
The sky rippled. One figure after another materialized above Arkion.
A man with tall black hair, silver eyes, and a sword resting at his side. He calls himself Kitakim.
Beside him floated an elegant young woman with pink hair and purple eyes.
She is known as Serene.
Another man possessed golden hair and matching golden eyes. This is Reinhart.
Nearby stood a woman with long silver hair and ocean-blue eyes. She is Megan.
Suddenly a figure shot down directly from outer space. He crashed onto the rooftop with overwhelming force. The surrounding buildings trembled as the impact obliterated the rooftop beneath him.
Dust exploded into the air.
When it settled…A young man with short blue hair, blue eyes and a slim athletic build stood calmly within the crater. He is called Leo.
Across from Arata…On another ruined building…Six more figures appeared simultaneously.
One woman and five men.
The woman possessed long blonde hair and amber eyes. She is called Genesis.
Beside her stood a man with short red hair and crimson eyes.
Urah.
Another man had short black hair and black eyes. This is Ferax.
A tall silver-haired swordsman stood with one hand resting upon the hilt at his waist.
This is Yamamoto.
Next stood a man with long purple hair and matching purple eyes.
This man is Sinai.
Beside him appeared a man with short black hair and green eyes. He is called Champ.
Finally…A man with short white hair streaked with blue and mismatched eyes calmly folded his arms. This is Jaotsu.
Each of them stood around six feet tall. Each possessed a calm, pragmatic demeanor. Each radiated an overwhelming presence. Kaelen instinctively swallowed. He stared at the gathered figures.
"They're strong…I can feel the pressure of death standing over me."
Yet…he smiled.
The wind swept across the rooftops. Silence blanketed the city. Then Kitakim stepped forward.
His silver eyes settled upon Arata.
"User of the Soul Circuit…For many eons, the First Circuit Being Era fought in an all out war. Will you work with us…or allow history to repeat itself?"
The entire world fell silent.
For the first time… Arata's expression became serious.
He looked directly at Kitakim.
"You are the second being to come here and ask that question. What's with you all?"
His crimson eyes remained unwavering.
"Furthermore…I create my own history. Something existence has never seen before. I don't repeat what others do."
He paused.
Then asked calmly,
"Now tell me…are you speaking for yourself…or everyone?"
Kitakim remained silent for nearly a minute.
Finally…He answered.
"Some will choose neutrality and the majority…will wage war."
He slowly looked toward the other arrivals.
"So make your choices now…fellow users of the First Circuit Being Era."