"This confirms his inclination," Psychic Ancestor Marble sighed in relief. "Thankfully, despite losing all attachments to his previous life, the attachment towards his current life grounds him with humanity."

"Or should I say," He let out a self-deprecating laugh, "As long as Heima is alive, Jyorta is on our side."

He glanced outside the cave, looking at the sprawling city, an area surrounding him comprised of marble buildings, all magenta in colour. "I will bank on your decision, Atika."

Mount Nilgiri spanned a height of two kilometres, the only mountain within Marble City. It spanned a radius of three kilometres, forming the centre most region in Circle Zero. The peak had been levelled out, forming a flat surface. Constructed above it was a palace, one where the Ancestors resided, enabling a grand overall view of Marble City.

Situated all across the mountain at various elevations were protrusions, their peak facing the sky, levelled out into flat circles. Constructed over them were various institutional buildings, in charge of the city's administration.

Psychic Ancestor Marble usually resided in a cave situated at the foot of the mountain, spanning 20 metres above ground level. He usually changed his spot every year, creating a cave based on his whims. After all, mount Nilgiri was a mountain just in name, named in favour of the actual mountain that existed in the spot during the Dark Ages.

Currently, mount Nilgiri was a Tier 6 Artifact, created by Psychic Ancestor Marble using his Unranked Skill, Marble Sonata. No natural mountain could rival his Unranked Skill in terms of sturdiness.

A psychic arm slithered out of the cave, approaching the palace situated at the top, entering a certain inconspicuous room within. The room spanned 30 metres in length and 20 metres in breadth, looking dark, the traces of light having been snuffed out.

The psychic arm noticed the Relics embedded in the room functional, emitting light as usual. The only difference was their luminance absorbed by darkness, originating from a certain corner. The psychic arm vibrated the air, producing a sentence that echoed across the room.

"Light, how long are you going to be depressed? We have a lot of work to enact."

A voice trailed out from the darkness, brimming with exhaustion, "I just realised that all of my direct descendants have died. I have become an orphan, Marble."

Before the voice from the psychic arm could reply, the voice from the darkness resounded, filled with a sense of resolve. "Summon Strongest here; I will pass everything to him. We have to give him sufficient time to get accustomed before the five races war erupts."

…

Sector 1, 3rd Ring; there existed a wide road, spanning a kilometre in width. It trailed from the walls of the 4th Ring, stopping 300 metres before the walls of the 2nd Ring. The road formed a depression, situated two metres below ground level.

It was fully marble, magenta in colour, shining with a pink hue. A funeral procession was ongoing. Marching at the forefront was a band of soldiers, donned in armours, readily emitting their Tier 4 aura, one belonging to Shifters. Held in their hands were drums, shaped into flattened cylinders, with their flat surface impacted by palms, producing a sonorous rhythm.

The drumming soldiers numbered 51, with each separated by a distance of 20 metres, spanning along the width of the road. Marching behind them were citizens, each pushing forth a funeral parlour withstanding their deceased relation.

Only one family member took charge per deceased, silently pushing the funeral parlour forth. A Relic was attached to it, emitting a gentle flux of psychic energy, fuelled by a Brain Crystal embedded inside. It allowed the funeral parlour to hover in the air, forming a gap of a centimetre between its bottom surface and the ground.

On the two sides of the wide road, a flight of steps—with each spanning the width of a metre, and possessing a height of metre—were arranged, numbering five in total. Their length spanned the totality of the road, allowing the family members of the deceased to converge and watch the funeral procession.

In the first row behind the drumming soldiers was a young lady, barely in her late teens. She donned a set of white, cotton clothes, draped loosely around her body. She pushed forth a funeral parlour, controlling her emotions from erupting, striving her best to exert strength in her trembling hands.

Her eyes were slightly hollow, as a result of excessive crying. Placed on the funeral parlour was her father, a middle-aged man who was slightly turning old. He sported a pair of sideburns, his wizened expression looking stoic, concealing kindness within. He had his hands crossed before his chest, assuming a defensive posture.

He was the late Sky Controller, Wunris Marble. Pushing him forth was his third child, the one who shared the closest relationship with him. She draped a necklace around her neck, the locket being a thumb-sized sphere, yellow in colour.

The lady, Wisha Marble had recently turned nineteen, brimming with the youth of life. She had a bright future ahead, having a Sky Controller as a father, powerful siblings, and not to mention her own accomplishments.

At present, none of that mattered to her, having lost her family. She mechanically followed the drumming soldiers, following the sounds to push forward.

"Part!" A drumming soldier in the centre shouted, causing them to retreat to the sides. The procession took less than an hour, having reached the end of the road.

Faint sounds of a river reverberated through the air. At the end of the road was a river, its top surface spanning below the road level by 10 centimetres. The river water was murky black, possessing no smell or sound. The sound from before was an illusory phenomenon, having disappeared once arrived in its range.

The flow of the river was akin to a crawl, equivalent to the speed of a metre per second. It lacked mass, its aura being non-existent.

"The dead have passed the torch to us, the living. Their physical existence may have perished, but they are immortalised in us. As long as we persevere, we will continue their legacy." A flash of magenta appeared, turning into the figure of Psychic Ancestor Marble.

Due to his responsibilities, he couldn't come in person, sending his marble figure to take his place. Under his guidance, Wisha Marble arrived before the river, grabbing hold of her father's body. His body felt light, lacking any substantial weight, causing her to break down in sadness.

She brought his body forward, gently placing it on the river. A flash of magenta coursed through the air, forming a layer around her hands, to avoid making contact with the water. Psychic Ancestor Marble ensured that none touched the river water accidentally.

After all, the river water was a product of Rhachis Ancestor Strongest. The full extent of its functions was unknown even to him. He took the duty upon himself, to prevent any unforeseen accidents from happening, lest it crumpled the already fragile atmosphere.

Wisha Marble had the urge to jump into the water, planning to rejoin her father. She had just taken a step forward when the thumb-sized yellow sphere—forming the locket of the chain around her neck—flashed with a gentle light, imbuing in her body a sense of warmth.

It was only for an instant, the energy dissipating into the air immediately. But, it was enough for her to regain her bearings. Wisha Marble retracted her foot, raising her right hand towards her temples.

"Glory to Marble City! Glory to Humanity!" She saluted, shouting with all the voice she could muster. Her voice resounded through the area, silently amplified by Psychic Ancestor Marble. Perceiving her voice, all the people standing on the side of the road saluted in response, shouting in return, creating a sonorous sound.

"Glory to Marble City! Glory to Humanity!"

'Floating Spiders…mark your days. I'll annihilate the lot of you.' Wisha Marble's eyes spewed forth uncontrollable hatred. Her back was erect as she remained in her saluting pose, watching the body of her father float on the surface of the river.

The body of Wunris Marble steadily turned ethereal as he floated across the surface, sinking in bit by bit. Soon, he dissolved into a speck of light, fully submerging within the river, disappearing from view.

Wisha Marble turned around, walking towards the side of the road, having concluded her part. She rejoined with her siblings, glancing at the face of her mother who looked like she had lost her soul, standing in a daze, watching the spot where her husband's body had disappeared.

Wisha Marble and her siblings helped their mother, proceeding towards their home.

Situations similar to her happened as citizens from all around Marble City had converged upon the area, placing the dead bodies or ashes of their beloved on the river, watching them turn ethereal and eventually dissolve into it.

Unable to bear seeing their beloved depart from them, some citizens followed suit, taking a plunge into the river. Their bodies soon turned ethereal and dissolved into it. To the people who no longer had the courage to proceed forward in their lives, it was better to accompany their loved ones to the afterlife.

Similar proceedings were happening across many locations in Marble City, signifying the massive number of deaths that had recently occurred. The source that actuated such misery was an individual hated by everyone, Rhachis Ancestor Parasite.

'Only two existences can counter Parasite to a certain extent. I hope you can develop to such an extent without getting killed.' Psychic Ancestor Marble thought, silently forming a prayer.