The Land of Origin had existed for countless years.
One of its newest groups of visitors—the Awakeners from Aurora—had only been exploring its vast territories for a little over 200 years.
Yet compared to the realm’s ancient existence, that time was pitifully short.
Across the universe, there were races that had accessed the Land of Origin for ten thousand, twenty thousand—even thirty thousand years.
And even after all that time, they were still exploring.
Why?
Because of a select few within their realms—beings known as Awakeners.
Though Awakeners were few in number within each realm, when counted across all the realms that touched the Land of Origin, the total became significant.
But when those numbers were spread across the immeasurable expanse of the realm, even a million felt like a drop in the ocean.
Still, their presence left marks.
Massive ones.
Chaos.
Revolution.
Moments that changed history.
They brought miracles, shattered limits, and rewrote rules.
Yet, despite their impact, most Awakeners blended in.
They were hard to recognize.
To the common native, they were just outliers—unusual wanderers in a world already filled with strange things.
Only a few scholars, those who dug deep into history and patterns, began to see something different.
A thread.
A clue.
All long-lived Awakeners were strong.
But the truly public ones—the ones who made headlines—were unreasonably strong.
Not just geniuses.
Monsters.
The best of them?
They showed terrifying potential from a young age.
It was a consistent pattern, one that the wise could identify.
Those with access to ancient records… or certain secrets.
The Great Mage standing in front of Michael was one such person.
Princess Priscilla.
After the king stepped down to prepare for his ascension into the Great Stage, it was she who took the reins.
The move caused ripples within the inner circles of the kingdom—but surprisingly, not negative ones.
For the princes, it was actually seen as good news.
Priscilla couldn’t claim the throne permanently—for several reasons.
That meant the crown was still up for grabs.
However, it also revealed something troubling:
The king had no clear favorite.
If he did, one of the princes would have been appointed as acting ruler.
Instead, the burden—and power—fell to the princess.
To the royal sons, this was both a blessing and a curse.
No favorites meant they each had a chance.
But it also meant uncertainty… and chaos.
The first time Princess Priscilla heard of Michael was during a private meeting requested by Grand Mage Lian.
As was customary, she received such reports with the solemnity and poise expected of a ruler—even an acting one
However, when Mage Lian’s mission reached her desk, she expected nothing out of the ordinary.
That expectation shattered about halfway through the meeting.
Mage Lian, ever dutiful, recounted his experiences in crisp detail.
He spoke of the strangeness of the forest, and then, with a subtle shift in tone, he began to describe a youth.
“His origin is unclear,” Lian had said, brows furrowed. “Alone, unregistered, with no crest or seal of any known family. Yet his strength…”
Priscilla leaned forward slightly, not interrupting. That caught her interest.
“A mage under twenty,” Lian continued, “with Grand capabilities.”
She had tilted her head at that.
Rare, yes. Unheard of? No.
The Empire, which the kingdom served under, boasted of countless talents hidden in secret enclaves, away from the eyes of smaller kingdoms like theirs.
Powerful bloodlines.
Elixirs brewed from beasts older than mountains.
Some youths born from these legacies could wield terrifying power from the cradle.
So she had assumed the youth was a scion from one such lineage.
But then the oddities began to pile.
Mage Lian mentioned the boy’s physical strength. “His base strength was… monstrous. I watched him match my flying speed easily with no magic.”
That wasn’t normal.
Not even for battle mages. One could train their bodies, yes. Some kingdoms even raised magical knights—hybrids of warriors and spellcasters—but to excel in both to that level?
She didn’t interrupt. She simply took mental note.
And then came the part that caused a true pause in the meeting.
“He summons undead,” Lian said, “However, one of them simply appeared—mid-air—no magic.”
That caused Priscilla’s eyes to narrow.
She leaned back in her seat, expression unreadable. “Are you certain?”
“I saw it myself,” the mage replied firmly. “I searched for a summoning circle. Nothing.”
“That’s not all,” Lian added. “Three. He had three summons. All Grand-level.”
Silence settled between them. Lian waited, unsure what more he could say.
Priscilla, however, was deep in thought.
Three Grand-level summons. A body strong enough to rival a an Advanced Knight at least. Magical aptitude that could be compared to monsters.
Alone, each of these traits was exceptional.
Together? Unnatural.
Still, she had not yet decided.
It could still be some hidden genius, she told herself.
The Empire had many secrets.
She had met a few such monsters in her youth while studying in the Imperial Capital.
But suspicions had begun to stir.
What solidified those suspicions came days later, at the Skyport.
And that was when she saw him.
From afar, the youth stood.
Putting aside his somewhat flashy get up that was armed to the teeth, to her senses—trained, honed, and enhanced with years of magical refinement—he was like a beacon among candles.
He wasn’t simply strong.
He was… abnormal.
She activated her [Mystic Eye], a skill that allowed her to perceive beyond the veil of illusions and restrained auras.
The moment she looked, she realised something.
His form…
He wasn’t human.
Or at least, not fully.
What was he?
No race came to mind that fit what she sensed.
A hybrid, perhaps? Or maybe—
An outsider?
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
A tall theory even to her.
The thought had crossed her mind.
After all, according to the ancient texts she discovered years ago, the Land of Origin was not sealed.
It was a fact too. Once she was able to confirm with her ability to enter the void.
The concept of outsider wasn’t exactly theoretical.
But to actually meet one?
If he was one?
Then it changed everything.
No wonder Mage Lian had been confused.
He wasn’t part of the known structure.
He was something else entirely.