SYSTEM ASCENSION

Rowen tapped Zeal against for the fiftieth time. He had gone still, since he grabbed Elias’s necklace.

”He’s not waking up.. ” Rowen muttered. He turned around, only to see Elias, sitting on the counter, without a care in the world, eating the tenth bun.

”You’ll eat every at this rate. Leave some for Rasy and Keen.”

Elias didn’t acknowledge him, neither did he stop eating away.

”He might get trapped at this rate,” Rowen muttered and began to pace. ”Should I forcefully wake him? If he get trapped in whatever—”

”Oh my. I didn’t know you care about your twin so much.”

Rowen cringe at the familiar voice. He turned around to see Zeal rubbing his temple softly.

”Are you alright?”

”Okay!” Zeal raised a thumb up. He looked around, and upon seeing Elias, he went over.

”Your highness, can I borrow this for a while?” He raised the necklace. ”I’ll definitely return it.”

Elias nodded.

”That easy?!” Rowen gasped.

Zeal chuckled. He stood up and turned around.

”Are we telling the palace?”

Rowen thought it over. He began to pace.

”Someone who evaluated him and hide it from us. Trapped him under our nose for six years. I can’t rule out the royal family not knowing about this.”

Zeal nodded.

”Master said,” Elias voice cut in. ”Master said ’don’t let the rest of the leading family know about this, especially the royal family’.”

The twins blinked.

”The rest of the leading family?” Zeal muttered.

”So the culprit is a leading family.” Rowen muttered. ”How could they do this, under our nose? What is their motive.”

”I’ll go to the palace myself.” Zeal waved.

Rowen stepped closer.

”What did you see in the sealing stone?”

Zeal raised a brow.

”Hmmmm....”

FLASHBACK _

”What girl did they plot to kill?”

Mona’s came.

”That A rank girl. Yvonne.”

”Yvonne...” Elias repeated. ”Who is that?”

”She was with you in the tub.”

”Did I like her?”

Mona snorted. ”No. Not really. She’s not important.”

Elias nodded. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the spear, and turned around.

Then,

Ding! The screen appeared.

[Bounty quest: complete]

[Sector seven trial: complete]

[Number of survivor: one]

[Name: Elias Morail]

[Age: 16]

[Height: 6’2”]

[Weight: 80kg]

[Species: human?]

[Occupation: S rank raider]

[Status: player]

[Ability: creation]

[Reevaluation in progress...]

Elias stared at the panel he had grown familiar with. ”Human...with a question mark?”

[Re-evaluation complete]

[Name: Elias Morail]

[Age: 16]

[Height: 6’2”]

[Weight: 80kg]

[Species: Mortal?]

[Occupation: S rank raider]

[Status: Chosen/Sector seven sole survivor]

[Ability: creation]

”Chosen?” Elias narrowed his eyes. ”Chosen for what?”

FLASHBACK END

”I discovered something intriguing. I’ll go to the palace myself.” Zeal announced. ”We’ll talk after I return.

Rowen nodded.

Just then, Keen ran into the kitchen, carrying the little girl.

Keen dropped the girl, and turned to Rowen.

”Father! I can’t find the new tall freak! He left—”

His eyes drifted sideways and locked with Elias, who also chose that moment to stare at him.

”Hick!” He found shield behind Rowen. ”He’s scary.”

Rowen sighed.

”Elias, this is Keen. Child number ten.”

Zeal raised his hand.

”That was a bit too blunt.”

Rowen continued.

”And Rasy,” he went over and picked her up. ”Child number fourteen.”

”Is he one of my siblings?” Keen adjusted his glasses.

”No. Never.” Rowen objected. ”If I adopt him, I’ll die before my time.”

Zeal was the only one who found it funny.

”Won’t he live with us?” Keen tilted his head.

”No.”

”For the main time, yes,” Zeal cut in.

Rowen frowned.

”We have to return him to Black empire!”

”And say what?” Zeal raised a brow. ”Here is the remnants of the people you sent to us ten years ago for an alliance. We attacked and killed them, but were generous enough to return the boy. Just ignore his injured leg, lack of feeling, lack of proper upbringing, and lack of basic etiquette and accept him back. Let bygones be by—”

”You have made your point!” Rowen snapped. ”So, we can’t just return him.”

”First, we need a proper alliance with his little highness alone,” Zeal beamed. ”Then we’ll return him, and compensate for the lost. Hopefully they accept and will have a twenty percent rate of survival.”

”Can you not say that with a smile?”

Rowen dropped Rasy on the counter, and began to prepare her meal.

”Huh...” Keen raised his hand. ”What is the black empire?”

”People with black eyes like Elias over there.” Zeal pointed.

”So why can’t we return him?”

”Wearing glasses but dumb,” Zeal tapped Keen’s head.

”What?!”

”The black empire and Salvador were originally one empire.”

”Wow...” Keen gasped. ”What happened.”

”Salvador empire was founded by two friends who had big dreams to unite Aoi continent during the flood of portals and creatures thousand of years ago. One was Rodio.”

”Our founder.” Keen snapped his finger.

”Yes! That was smart of you.” Zeal tapped his head again. ”And the second was Muon.”

Keen frowned.

”Who is Muon?”

Zeal swivelled around, to Elias who had finished all the buns and was now staring at them.

”Let’s ask our dear friend Elias.”

”Black empire founder.” Elias flat out replied, which startled them a bit.

”Good boy!” Zeal gave thumbs up.

Keen nodded.

”So they made an empire, and split it?”

”No. At least history said they splitted. That’s not what happened.”

”What happened?”

”Let’s ask our dear friend Elias!” Zeal gave the spot light.

”Salvadors are wimps.” His answer left shock on their expressions.

”I’ll just explain it myself.” Zeal sighed. ”Ten years after Salvador was founded, another massive attack happened. Rodio wanted to escape to the upper ground. Muon wanted to face the foes and fight to death. In the end, they couldn’t agree. Those who wanted to fight, stayed behind, and the rest flee to the upper city.”

”Wow...”

”We are the upper city. Like Elias said, ”the wimps”.”

”So Muon started the black empire?” Keen tilted his head to stare at Elias. ”And he painted his eyes?”

”It’s not paint,” Rowen replied this time. ”We believe it has to do with the condensed energy from the numerous portals in the lower city, that uttered their genes.”

Zeal nodded in agreement.

”So, after twenty years, the upper city learned of the victory and the founding of black empire. Rodio apologized, but things couldn’t go back to normal. Until his death bed, he requested an alliance with the black empire but it wasn’t granted, so he wrote his final words on the royal ground.”

”What final words?!”

Zeal raised a finger.

”Rodio wrote ”secure an alliance with the black empire, because karma will caught up to us sooner or later”. Since then, every raising emperor sort an alliance, but black empire rejects it.”

”And we messed up our chance ten years ago.” Rowen added.

Keen furrowed his brow.

”What about Torzi?”

”Oh...” Zeal shrugged. ”I think Torzi was founded around two hundred years after Salvador and Black stood. Bunch of people and stuff... this and that. I’m not sure. In anyway, those are the three empire of Aoi continent.”

”Wow!” Keen clapped. ”You’re smart, sir Zeal!”

”Of course! Of course!”

”You should heard to the palace now.” Rowen interrupted.

Zeal smiled.

”I should.”

He stepped closer to Elias.

”Your highness, I’ll be back soon.”

He swivelled around and match to the door.

”Why do you even call him your highness?” Rowen muttered.

Zeal stopped dead on track.

”Why do I call him your highness? Didn’t you say his surname is Morail?”

”Yes? So?”

Zeal laughed.

”Does Muon Morail ring a bell?”

Rowen slowly paled.

”Wait ...you mean...”

”We went and picked on Muon direct descendant. There is a ninety nine percent chance we are holding the direct heir of black empire.”