Hal looked down at the important-looking letter on the table that separated him and Eugene. On the seal, he could make out an 'AP' insignia.

When Eugene said he was leaving, Hal had to admit that it took him by surprise, however,

"I'm guessing you are not just here to tell me you're leaving without even explaining why you were here in the first place" He said but judging from Eugene's expression, the older man was only here for the former.

Hal had to admit that he was upset.

If Eugene could take the time to come then he had better yet open his mouth and speak up right now.

He was about to show his frustration when Eugene sighed,

"It's a long story..." He said and Hal waited for him to begin and so Eugene told his tale.

He was also from this Duchy, also called the Silva Duchy in respect to the family that held the tile and while he had not said anything or shown any indications, he knew who Melinda was and he also knew of the Danes. Melinda's light gold eyes were not as disturbing to him as they were to others.

Anyway,

Eugene was part of the Swanson family that had ties within the Astral palace and despite how rare the ability was, so many in his family had always been able to discover it.

In fact, past this city, there were families and Clans that have built their foundations atop this rare ability.

Unlike his Brothers and certain other relatives, When Eugene's Astral sense was discovered, it was not at a particularly high rank and as a family built on the ability, he was far from being anything special so he was doomed to live as an ordinary cultivator.

According to Swanson, this was an insult in a family such as theirs. After all, in this world, too many could cultivate, even commoners could, so they found it... Common. Astral sense made them special and having a high-ranked one right from discovery made them special among specials.

That he was to be an ordinary cultivator was his family's way of telling him, they would not spend any resources to bolster his Astral sense and it would remain the way it was.

But Swanson did not approve of this fate and so he went to the only place he could ever have hope of becoming a Rune-Master, he went to the Astral Palace.

As it has been stated already, the Swanson family had ties to the Astral palace, however, they were far from being the governing party. In the eyes of those at the top Echelon of this great sect, the Swanson family were subordinates.

That said, without his family's backing, Sixteen-year-old Eugene had no sure way into the sect and he was always turned back at the gate. So he resorted to large and loud demonstrations at the Palace gates.

With the size of the large sect, his words being merely at the Cosmic Pearl realm could never go past the entrance which in itself was large so there was no certainty that Eugene would get the attention he needed.

When his family got wind of his actions, they all but disowned him, saying he was an embarrassment and a disgrace to the family. At that moment, even though he was still a Swanson, he had rights no higher than that of a servant.

And even then, Eugene never gave up or stopped seeing them as family. He spent months attempting to attract attention and eventually, the guards finally stopped taking pity on him and tagged him as a nuisance.

He returned home dejected and finally ready to accept to become an Ordinary cultivator when someone came for him in the Swanson home.

Not just anybody either, it was an Elder in the Astral Palace who told Eugene he could feel his potential and would be interested to see him flourish.

At first, Eugene saw it as a dream, one that once he woke up, the spell of joy would be broken but no such thing happened and his new life began.

The Elder grilled and trained him hard and in a hundred years, he was a Rank 2 Runemaster. The methods of training and refining Astral sense were quite lacking seeing as Astral Sense refining arts were referred to as a legend.

Advancing one Rank in a hundred years was quite impressive, most disciples did not manage it in twice as much time. At least this was the explanation Eugene had been given while being patted on his back for a job well done.

Back at the Swanson home, Eugene was apportioned due honors for becoming an Elder's direct disciple although they did show skepticism at his slow and steady progress. Apparently, they expected more from him as an Elder's disciple.

All the same, he was let in on the family plans and everything he was told, Eugene related back to the Elder as long as he was asked... and he always was.

This was someone he was indebted to and he could never dream of withholding anything from them.

Years passed and Eugene became a Rank 3 Rune Master, with his progress looking as though it had stagnated, also he discovered that the discussions his family was having were involving him all the more.

And was targeting the Elders.

His family was plotting a coup!

This became a dilemma for Eugene.

Was he to stick with Family? The same one that had once come close to banishing him.

Or

Should he report the incident to the Elder who has rescued him and allowed him to gain that recognition from his family?

The choice should have been easy, but Eugene had never been the type to turn against family, so he kept quiet.

Eventually, the plans grew in scale and the execution of it came closer at which point Eugene could no longer hold his piece and told it all to the Elder.

He kowtowed and hit his head on the ground numerous times as he pleaded for forgiveness at having kept it all to himself to this extent.

Especially to a benefactor.

When he quieted down from his rants, the Elder laughed and said the words that began Eugene's despair;

"I knew I could count on you"

The Elder then told him that the Swanson Family had been under suspicion for years and despite their stupidity and lack of vigilance, they still managed to keep it all in their little circle.

When the Elder had heard of a nuisance at the gate and discovered Eugene's last name, he had informed his colleagues that this was the way in.

Simply lending a hand was enough to guarantee Eugene's loyalty and also enough to allow his family of fools to let him into the inner circle where every information he got would be relayed back to his benefactor.

Their whole mindset had been that they needed all the help they could get and having Eugene close to the Elder was a guarantee for success.

So it became a choice between family and benefactor.

Of course on occasion, Eugene had given the information he knew about the Elders to his family but the Elder boasted that he had never been worried.

Emphasizing how stupid Eugene was for not even realizing that he was not making as much progress as he should have with his Astral sense.

And how stupid he was for believing the words of an old fox like himself.

That day, Eugene confessed, was the worst day in his entire life.

His family was completely destroyed. The battle was brutal and even though they took many down, every last one of the Swanson family died.

Everyone except Eugene.

The problem for Eugene was that he felt, even as his family was killed, that he had been right to report them, but the guilt remained strong as well.

Their death was his fault and so were the deaths of many others...

And then, as though to add insult to injury, he was recognized for the role he played and the very same Elder that laughed in his face was the same one that apportioned his honor and made him an Elder (a junior Elder but an Elder all the same) in the Astral palace.

The Elder spoke in his ear,

"Come on Eugene, smile for the Public. You became an Elder and I got rid of a thorn, it's a win-win"

The Elder wound his arm around Swanson's shoulder and laughed proudly like a Master to his disciple but Eugene knew better,

He had been a pawn of Astral Palace politics and,

small as his family had been, they were a faction that had now been erased thanks to him.

At that point, he was hailed as a hero by many and dissed as a traitor by few.

The memories were too haunting and so (In Eugene's own words) he took the coward's way out and came to reside in Salmon City where he employed Orn to be his manager.

His original plan had been to live out the remainder of his days in this city but even that now seemed a fool's dream.

Hal narrowed his eyes,

"And you wanted me to join Astral Palace. Despite all your experiences. That's cold. And here I thought we were friends" Hal said in a falsely dejected tone of voice,

While Grimoire made retching noises.

Eugene looked sheepish,

"Technically, I was only thinking that when you were my apprentice and also, while I was chewed up by the system, I've had time to reflect. That I was a victim, does not mean you will be"

While he had not been allowed access to those resources before, Eugene now knew just what those resources were and had Hal still being his apprentice, he would have been able to use them, as an Elder of the sect.

"Okay, then. Eugene..." Hal said and tapped the letter on the table,

"Why exactly are you going back? Or more accurately, what's in the letter"