[Author’s Note: I am back… Now there is no need to hold anymore… Let’s gooooo~]
The meeting room fell into an eerie silence as the weight of the revelation sank in.
The return of Mother’s energy, a.k.a. Clarion Energy, was something no one had anticipated, and now that it was happening, the implications were beyond terrifying.
The Archpriestess and Helena were the first to react, their expressions shifting from disbelief to sheer shock… More than anyone, they understood the gravity of what this meant!
Their bodies trembled slightly, as if their minds were struggling to process the information. The Archpriestess’s voice wavered as she hesitantly asked, “You mean… Mother Goddess herself? Are you saying that Clarion Energy is truly coming back?”
Victor exhaled a deep breath as he gave a firm nod.
The Archpriestess’s eyes widened in raw horror, her fingers trembling against the table as she stammered, “T-That means… the current Arcane energy will be destroyed… And if that happens… all of us who rely on it… we will be wiped out?!
Everything will be erased, and we will have to start from nothing?!!”
A heavy tension gripped the room, the weight of her words pressing against everyone’s chest… like a doom that was about to come!
Kai swallowed hard, his voice coming out softer than usual as he nervously asked, “W-What do you mean by that? Start over… from nothing?”
The Archpriestess let out a slow sigh before straightening her posture,
“Listen carefully. Mother’s energy is the purest and most fundamental form of existence. It is the direct opposite of Arcane energy.
The two cannot coexist in the same space. If Mother’s energy is reintroduced while Arcane energy still lingers… they will collide. And when they do, the impact will be catastrophic beyond imagination.”
A deep silence fell upon the room.
Except for one.
Kaelen frowned, his gaze flickering with scepticism as he scoffed, “So what if it’s just energy colliding? It happens all the time in the natural world… I mean we had both of them before, right?… There is nothing to be afraid of. We are strong enough to withstand something like this.
We will survive!”
Aria, who had remained silent until now, suddenly lifted her head, “Kaelen, did you forget… what we are made of? Do you not remember the essence of our existence?”
Kaelen’s expression faltered for a moment before his brows furrowed in confusion. But then, as realization slowly dawned on him, his breath hitched. His eyes widened in sheer horror, his voice cracking as he muttered, “W-We too…”
“Yes,” Dora confirmed with a solemn nod.
“Ever since Clarion Energy disappeared, our very core—the foundation of our existence—shifted. Arcane energy took over, and our bodies mutated to survive in this new state. Over time, we became completely dependent on it. Now, we are nothing without Arcane energy. If Clarion Energy truly returns… we will either be forced to undergo another painful mutation… or worse… we may cease to exist entirely.”
A sharp gasp echoed through the room, followed by an unbearable stillness.
Then—
“No way…”
“This is a disaster!”
“There’s no escaping this!”
Murmurs of fear and despair spread like wildfire across the table.
Even the strongest among them found their resolve shaken. Only two remained unaffected—Mary and Nyx—who sat still, their expressions unreadable.
Victor observed the panic rising in the room before shifting his gaze toward Sandra, who was gripping the armrest of her chair. She took a deep breath to steady herself before voicing what they were all thinking,
“We can’t tell this to the people. Not now. They are already terrified, knowing that their Empire is on the verge of collapse. If they learn about this on top of everything else… the chaos will be uncontrollable. They will lose all hope.”
Her words resonated deeply with the other rulers.
They knew she was right.
The moment this knowledge spread, it would mark the beginning of the end.
Then, amidst the uneasy silence, Victor said, “That is where the Chosen Ones come in.”
Leon asked, “What are you trying to say, Victor?”
Victor leaned forward, “Unlike the rest of us, the Chosen Ones are different. Their bodies are unique.
They possess the ability to adapt to Clarion Energy without suffering the same fate as the rest of us.” He paused, reaching into his coat before carefully pulling out a shimmering Rainbow Crystal, a.k.a. the Origin Crystal. He placed it on the table, sliding it toward the centre.
Kai and Leon’s eyes widened at the sight of the crystal, their expressions turning to shock.
“How did you—” Kai started, but before he could finish, Victor cut in.
“I found it while fighting a monster during my search for the Ebon Stone in my Empire.” His gaze flickered toward Leon, who huffed in frustration at the mention of the Ebon Stone.
But Victor ignored him and continued, “This crystal holds a small fraction of Clarion Energy. It may be weak, but it contains the power to slowly modify a body, allowing it to adjust to the presence of Clarion Energy. However…” He paused for a moment before continuing, “This method will only work for the Chosen Ones. Only they have the ability to withstand the transformation.”
The room fell into silence once again.
Helena, who had been listening intently, suddenly felt a pit form in her stomach. Something about Victor’s words unsettled her. Her lips parted hesitantly as she whispered, “…Only us?”
Victor nodded. “Yes. Only the Chosen Ones have the potential to survive this change. No one else will be able to handle it.”
For many of them, this was their first encounter with something as mysterious and powerful as this crystal. Some had never even heard of such a thing before, and even those who had were struggling to comprehend what it truly meant.
This was something far beyond their expectations.
This was something they could have never prepared for.
And now, their fates rested upon a truth they had no choice but to accept.
“What would happen if an ordinary person took it?” Aqualina asked curiously, her eyes fixed on the crystal with keen interest.
Victor had anticipated this question. Without hesitation, he clapped his hands together.
Suddenly—
Thud!
The throne room doors swung open, and Thalia strode inside, dragging an unconscious monster bear behind her. She held it by the scruff of its massive neck, her expression one of mild annoyance as she carelessly tossed it toward the table.
“Sigh… You have no idea how hard it was not to kill this thing,” she muttered, her tone laced with irritation.
The rulers and the Chosen Ones frowned, exchanging uncertain glances.
Victor, however, remained calm as he reached forward and carefully slipped the Origin Crystal into the monster’s mouth. Then, he stepped back and waited.
Seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
For nearly a full minute, the bear lay motionless, its massive body unresponsive.
“Hmm… I don’t th—” Kai started, but before he could finish—
The bear’s eyes shot open, glowing an unnatural shade of gold before suddenly turning a deep, iridescent rainbow.
“GRRRRRR!!!”
A feral snarl ripped through the air as the monster abruptly sprang to life, its burning gaze locking onto Thalia with raw, unfiltered fury. Muscles bulged grotesquely beneath its hide, veins twisting and pulsing as if its entire body was being reshaped from the inside.
Its aura darkened, surging with a terrifying intensity that sent a shiver down everyone’s spine.
It was getting stronger… Much, much stronger.
A sense of unease spread across the room. Everyone could feel it—this was no ordinary transformation.
The monster’s breath came in ragged, guttural gasps, its deadly stare fixated on Thalia as if she were the only thing in existence. It dug its claws into the ground, its body trembling violently as if something inside was desperately trying to break free.
“Victor?” Dora called out, her voice tight with concern.
“Just wait… it’s not over yet,” Victor replied, his sharp gaze never leaving the creature.
Then—
BAM!
The monster lurched forward, but before it could move an inch—
Its entire body convulsed violently.
A strangled, weird screech tore from its throat as its limbs twisted at unnatural angles. Its flesh began to tear apart, its muscles expanding beyond their limits. For a brief second, its entire form grotesquely distorted—before—
BUFF!!
The monster exploded into countless chunks of flesh and bone, its remains bursting outward in a gruesome spray.
Dora reacted instantly, raising a hand as an invisible force held back the chunks of gore before hurling them out of the room.
Silence.
Victor dusted off his hands and turned back to the group. “See? That is what will most likely happen to an ordinary person,” he said, his tone grave.
The rulers and the Chosen Ones sat frozen, unable to form a response. Their minds raced, but no solution came to them.
Even though it was a monster… they knew how they and the monster were similar when comes to Arcane Crystal everyone levels up using that.
This was a dead end.
For ordinary people… this was nothing short of a death sentence.
Victor clapped his hands again, and this time, Thalia returned, leading a young child by the hand while carrying a tray of fresh fruit.
“You all remember Aqualina saving a few children who had been used as test subjects, correct?” Victor asked.
The group nodded, their gazes shifting toward the child.
The boy stood motionless, his face blank, devoid of any emotion. His eyes held no spark of life, no will of his own—just the eerie emptiness of someone who had been broken beyond repair. He moved only when guided, like a mere puppet awaiting orders.
However, the moment his gaze landed on Victor, something strange happened.
For the first time, the boy’s expression shifted ever so slightly. His lips parted, and a thin string of drool dripped from the corner of his mouth. His lifeless eyes twinkled with an odd fascination as if Victor were the most mesmerizing thing he had ever seen.
Victor, however, paid him no mind. Instead, he reached toward the tray Thalia was holding and picked up one of the fruits.
Without a word, he handed it to Helena.
“Hmm?”
Her brows furrowed in confusion as she stared at the fruit in her hand.