Shizen held onto his breath. Before him, a dense mist covered all signs of matter, bringing his advancement into the Illusory Canyon to a halt. Venerate Maurice was by his side, smiling down at the nature boy’s tensed-up state. He remembered the days when he first tried to explore the Illusory Canyon. That anxiety… The feeling of his heart being pumped at a million kilometres an hour as cold sweat dripped down his very existence… They were all present in Shizen.

The only explorer to have visited ninety percent of the world’s Empyrean Wonders, Venerate Maurice knew how dangerous this current position of theirs was. Thus, he repeated his instructions: “Remember, don’t stray too far from me.”

“How could I?” Shizen snorted, shaking his wrists three times. Clank… Clank… Clank… A metallic resonance echoed out into the foggy canyon. A handcuff was secured on Shizen’s left hand, and the other was on Venerate Maurice’s. Connected by a thick metal chain that measured about a metre long, the handcuffs were as heavy as a sack of rice. “Even if I tried to wander around, your overwhelming strength would pull me back in an instant!”

“Don’t underestimate the Tree of Illusions, Shizen...” The Spirit Venerate’s voice lowered by two octaves in an instant. Shizen felt a cold chill run down his back, and he unconsciously clicked his boots together. It was rare for Venerate Maurice to be this serious.

“We’re intruders on its turf. The moment we step into the fog, we’ll be identified by the Tree of Illusions. If it’s indifferent to our presence, we’ll be running around in circles. If it deems us as the enemy...” The Spirit Venerate didn’t complete his sentence, but even Shizen could tell that it was anything but good news. Till this day, no one has ever forcibly found the Tree of Illusions. The only ones that encountered the legendary tree were those that had been chosen. If the pair weren’t chosen by the Tree of Illusions, the only thing that they could do was breathe in the oxygen that the tree photosynthesised.

“So don’t be overly complacent,” the Spirit Venerate reiterated. “You might be bound to me by chains, but against the wrath of the Empyrean Wonder… We’re just maggots on a rotting log waiting to be burnt.”

“I understand...” Shizen gulped.

“Good, this place will be our camp.” Walking a few metres back, Venerate Maurice created a simple campfire near a deep cave that was routinely used by travellers. The Illusory Canyon was a popular pilgrimage destination after all. It made sense for there to be a shelter or two created by the humans of old.

“We’re going to spend only two hours a day exploring the outskirts of the Illusory Canyon. If you somehow got lost, come back to camp by following the smoke,” Venerate Maurice’s finger pointed straight towards the soot that was billowing up into the air.

“Understood...”

❖❖❖

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Pitter patter… Pitter patter… Pitter patter...

A rhythm dominated the sounds of the ground, caused by the constant bombardment of the grey, overcast skies. The darkened pieces of wool in the heavens were wrung by the God of Rain, sending billions of water droplets flying down upon the earth. Wild animals rushed into their burrows and abodes, hoping to escape the sheets of endless water that fell like shrapnel. Winds going at a hundred kilometres an hour pushed any life back, and the trees were bent so much that it looked like they were doing the limbo. It was a disaster for the dwellers of the thick forest, particularly when it was so close to the freezing point.

However, in the middle of the tempest, one single entity remained utterly unfazed. No matter how many billion drops were sent their way, the mansion located in the middle of nowhere didn’t budge a single bit. A considerable energy barrier protected the colossal home from any winds, storms or even stray debris that might come its way.

Light-filled with warmth glimmered out from the mansion, making it seem rather cosy for its dangerous position. There wasn’t any snow, water or broken paths within the barrier. Everything was completely stable and fit for human life. Which made it the ideal place for life to be contained… and born.

“ARGGGHHH!!! ARRRRRGGGGHHH!!” The screams of a woman in pain broke the monopoly of sound that the rain had. Two men sat on the floor outside of the chambers. The brawny one, who was at least two metres tall, paced back and forth as if he were dancing the waltz. Though, there wasn’t much delight in his steps. The other man, sat back with his head leaned on the wall, his eyes were as carefree as can be.

“Why is it taking so long?” The burly man stamped his feet on the floor, shaking it somewhat.

“Senior Vellan, there’s no rushing childbirth,” Junius said. “The most skilled midwife is already helping in Shia’s deliverance, that’s what you said right? She’ll be fine...”

“Why are you the father, less worried than me?!”

“I could ask the same of you,” the viridian-haired man sighed. “The father isn’t worried, so why are you?”

“T-That!” Vellan was forced to eat his words. “I’ve watched Shia grow since she was just this tall; naturally I’ll be worried for her safety!” The Spirit Emperor remarked, his hand placed on his knees. “You know Shia… She’s not the most physically adept person… Even among us survivors, her constitution is rather weak. If something happens to her...”

The Awter Clan had lost too many members already. The massacre had annihilated so many of the kin. Survivors of the carnage had also been thinned down over the years. Junius’ father was one of the many casualties. Thus, it was a bittersweet occasion for the remnants of the Awter Clan. On the one hand, Vellan couldn’t wait to welcome the new life into the world. However, he also didn’t want to see Shia suffer and potentially lose her life.

Thus, the next sound that graced the hallway placed a massive smile on the old man’s face.

“WAAAAHHHH!!! WAAAAHHH!!! WAAAHHHH!!!” The wails of a baby reverberated through the halls of the mansion. It was deafening loud, a good sign to determine the health of a newborn. At the same time, the chippy voices of Shia and the midwife sounded out, signalling that there was only happy news to be heard.

“HAHAHA!!!” Vellan chortled, slapping Junius’ back thrice. “They’re fine! They’re fine!!!”

“...” Junius didn’t show the same outburst of emotion that Vellan had. Instead, he wore a sardonic frown. That slight change of expression wasn’t caught by the overenthusiastic Spirit Emperor. Still, Junius somehow managed to control himself by gently rising from the ground. Dusting off his shirt, Junius grabbed hold onto the bars of the door and pushed into the chambers.

The midwife was rather obese for her age. Her chest and stomach were protruding out as if there were three boulders within her. However, oddly enough, that proved to be calming for the crying baby. Resting comfortably on her bosom, the infant who was as little as a kitten, babbling happily as it went to sleep.

Seeing that the viridian-haired man had entered the room, the midwife smiled and brought the baby over. “Congratulations, the delivery was an overwhelming success! Look! It’s a boy! He’s your son!”

The midwife graciously handed the sleeping infant over. With gentle arms, the young Spirit Lord held onto the baby, doing his absolute best not to wake the child. The baby had rosy cheeks that were inflated like a squirrel’s. His sweet and supple fat was layered like milk buns and the adorable four limbs attached to him randomly swerved around. His mouth opened up like a fish as small saliva bubbles were forced out.

“Junius, let me see him...” A weak voice called out to the man. Shia, who had remained bed-ridden in the pile of her own blood, reached her left hand out. Over the years, Shia seemed to have aged quite a bit. Already in her thirties, wrinkles and strands of white hair had started to grow. Even after Junius had passed the first barrier of mortality, the woman stagnated at the Spirit Core realm. She wasn’t some super-genius like Shin or Junius. In the end, just like many others in the world, the woman was only a small fish in the vast ocean.

However, there was one thing that she could be proud of. One achievement that would trump any of the child geniuses that dominated their realm. She was a mother and a proud one at that.

“Come here, little one...” Shia watched as Junius went down to his knees, showing the supple face of their newborn. He was beautiful. Those adorable cheeks, that beautiful smile… Everything that the child had, Shia wanted to pamper. It was her child. It was their child…

“Are you sure you can handle him?” Junius asked, his brow slightly raised. The woman had just undergone one of the most significant challenges known to humans. It wouldn’t be strange for her to simply faint out of exhaustion.

“Of course I can! I’m his mother!” Shia protested. She sat up straight on the bed, despite her wobbly conditions. The midwife instantly ran over and held her by the back. Shia was shaking like a leaf. The blood-stained white towels were hampering her movements, so she kicked them away with anger. “Give him to me...”

“Hah… If you say so,” Junius dropped his shoulders as a helpless sigh came running out of his nose. The baby gently moved into his mother’s cradle, and a peaceful smile crept up his lips.

“This is it...” Shia said, her voice was as tender as a lamb. “This is what I was looking for...”

“A child?”

“No, his name is Errol… Errol Laenar Awter… Have you forgotten?” The newly ordained mother questioned.

“Of course not,” Junius dapped his wife’s forehead with a wet towel, cleaning up some of the remaining sweat. “If it’s a boy, we’ll name him Errol after the deceased Clan Master. If it’s a girl, Cassiel, after the madam. And his middle name will be… My father’s… My real surname...”

“That’s right...” Shia chuckled. Apparently, Junius hadn’t forgotten this critical fact. The new mother’s smile was as radiant as can be. However, after a few seconds, her eyebrows got stitched together, and the corners of her lips curved downwards. “We’re gifting him the Awter surname… Do you think that the young master would be displeased?”

“...” Junius’ smile turned upside down almost instantly at the mention of the young man. The towel on Shia’s forehead stopped, while the man’s face turned grim immediately. “You should forget about Shin, the sooner, the better...”

“Junius… No matter how far gone he is, he’s still our young master… He’s still your younger brother… We should...”

“Enough, Shia...” Junius stroked the woman’s sweaty hair, silencing the woman. “Let’s not talk about him today. It’s your special day, it’s Errol’s birthday… We should just celebrate...”

“...” There was silence in the chambers for a full minute. No one dared to breathe a single word, not even the Spirit Emperor Vellan. The only sound that could be heard was the newborn infant’s adorable snores that tickled his parents’ ears.

Before anything else could happen, furious footsteps could be heard running down the hallways outside. Due to the silence, Junius was able to hear it coming from a kilometre away.

“Sir Kshatriya! Sir Kshatriya!” The voice yelled. A young black-robed man stormed into the chambers, his face all red and sweaty. It looked like he had ran a full marathon just to reach the famed halls of the viridian-haired young man.

“Didn’t I tell you not to disturb me?” Junius low voice grumbled out. His mood was already bad, to begin with, and yet this little asshole had come to worsen his day.

“Yes, but sir! This is an emergency!” The Black Mask cried. “The Illusory Canyon… There’s a smoke source coming out from its entrance!”

“A smoke source?” Junius finally took an interest. “Is it a wandering pilgrim, or an explorer?”

“That’s what we’d thought… So, when we sent some scouts to confirm...” The Black Masks brought over a report that had been penned down on a piece of yellow parchment. “It was a short glimpse, but… We’ve confirmed the identity of the intruder… It’s Venerate Maurice!!!”

“The explorer?” Vellan was the first to speak out. “But there shouldn’t be any reason for him to come back here, unless… Has the Alliance found something about us?”

“Hmmm, no matter what it may be, we can’t let a Spirit Venerate roam this close to our western base…” Junius stroked his chin as he formulated as many plans as he could. In the end, the man heaved a deep sigh before saying to his wife: “I’m sorry, Shia. I’ll have to trouble you with Errol for the time being.”

“No, I understand,” the new mother returned Junius’ worry with a warm smile. “Work is more important. Also, I wouldn’t rest well, knowing that a Spirit Venerate from the Alliance is camping this close to my baby.”

The viridian-haired man smiled and leaned in for a kiss. “Thank you, dear. I promise I’ll keep Errol and you safe… No matter the cost...”