“So, let me get this straight,” began Valerian with a serious expression on his face. “The brother of the Dragon Emperor attacked the Water Clan while making it seem like the Phoenix Clan had attacked instead. He believed that any of those survivors would spread the word as they tried to seek either refuge or revenge against their attackers. After that, he used his mages to mind control those that he captured to make them attack the Phoenix Clan while he upstaged a rebellion against his brother.”

Lakshman nodded and said wryly, “You’ve summarised it too shortly when it took me several minutes to make you understand.”

“How can I simply believe you when you tell me such an extremely complicated plan was carried out by the Dragon Emperor’s brother?” Valerian asked sceptically.

To that, the Phoenix Titan shrugged his shoulders and said, “I suppose it can seem disbelieving, but it is the truth.”

The opposite man stared at him for a moment in silence before he sighed and said, “Yes. I believe you.”

This surprised everyone in the room, who simply stared at him while blinking in surprise.

“You do?” Ondine asked uncertainly.

“That was… rather quick,” commented Tetra in bewilderment.

Emilia eyed him curiously and asked, “How can you be sure?”

“I can… because I can tell that he speaks the truth,” replied the human form of the last surviving Leviathan.

“Huh?” Asked all three women in the room, blinking in confusion.

Lakshman, however, quickly realised something and asked, “Were you… in tune with the spirits?”

This made Valerian raise an eyebrow and ask, “Do you see spirits anywhere around here?” When Lakshman shook his head, he smiled and stated, “Of course not because it’s one of my skills that I used while you were explaining away your side of the story.”

“Skill?”

“That’s right,” the man asked as he seemed unwilling to disclose his skill before sighing weakly and muttering dully, “Damn. What a mess I’ve created?”

As they were surprised by his words, he turned to the women and apologised with, “I’m deeply sorry for the trouble I’ve caused. I truly regret the damage that I might have caused to your family and environment by jumping to conclusions.”

“It’s fine! Nothing serious had happened, plus you were also confused, so it’s fine,” expressed Emilia while looking troubled.

“Even so… I tried to destroy simply based on my… befuddled memories…” he said in a quiet voice while lowering his head. “The shame of my actions… it’s frustrating.”

With that, he rose to his feed and walked out of the house by taking brisk strides.

“Lucky! Go after him!” Emilia advised her husband firmly.

“Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid!” Ondine warned worriedly.

“I know,” he said to them simply and quickly followed after him.

He followed Valerian all the way to the beach, where the man came to a halt and remained standing there while facing towards the open ocean. Lakshman walked till he was a few meters behind him before coming to a stop and remained standing there behind him. Using his Elemental Sense, he could tell that Valerian’s emotions were in turmoil as he was troubled by his actions that had disrupted the peaceful lives of the Chand family.

“Why are you here?” He asked Lakshman without turning around.

Lakshman ignored his question and asked, “I’d ask the same of you. What are you going to do now that you know the truth?”

There was a moment of pause where the only thing that moved were the ocean waves as they washed back and forth on the sandy shores.

“I… caused you and your family...,” started Valerian slowly while still facing the ocean. “I mixed things up, got confused, attacked the wrong person, and worst of all, the person that I must take revenge against is already dead. Now… I don’t know what to do anymore, especially since this is not my time. I don’t know anymore.”

As they remained there with the wind buffeting them smoothly, Lakshman heard Asura ask, “Seriously? He’s troubled at the fact that he’s living in a different timeline? In that case, how am I supposed to feel when I was sure I was dead?”

“Drop it,” muttered Lakshman under his breath so that only he could hear him. Then he looked at the man and asked a question that had been bothering him since earlier, “How can you be so sure that I speak the truth.”

Valerian let out a deep sigh and explained, “It’s a skill call Character State. When activated, I can see the colour of their aura and that’s how I can judge whether they are speaking the truth or not.”

“Oh!” Lakshman exclaimed, sounding surprised. “That’s surprising. It’s similar to Elemental Sight.”

“Elemental Sight? What’s that?”

“It’s a spell that lets me known whether the people I face are allies, enemies, or just on the neutral side as well as other many things that come in handy at tricky situations.”

“Oh wow. That is quite a handy spell to have,” admitted Valerian in admiration. “Too bad such a spell never existed back then.”

Lakshman smiled sadly and asked, “Even so, how can you be sure that I speak the truth? After all, guessing based simply on your explanation of what your spell lets you know, it feels like it reveals the hidden colours of the other person. However, does it do the same if the opposite person is so talented in hiding his true colours even from such a skill?”

This startled Valerian, who turned around and faced him in surprise, to which the Phoenix Titan merely smiled at him.

“Just from that, you were able to guess so much about my spell?” He asked, looking impressed. Then he sighed and admitted, “Yes. You make a valid point as I, too, am aware of the shortcomings of my spell. But I will still believe you because as you told your end of the story, it jogged my memories of the past… and I remembered the events that had happened before I blacked out.”

“The events that lead up to your deep slumber in the bottom of the ocean?” Lakshman asked, becoming curious. “What happened?”

“I,” began Valerian hesitantly before he firmed his resolve and said, “I remember someone attacking us as we were retreating away from my home. Along the way, I was captured and, in that process, my mother came to my rescue and… was severely injured. I wanted to help, but I was also badly injured but was able to move, so she gave me the task of… of…”

He suddenly became unable to finish his sentence as if something had grabbed at his throat while his expression intensified.

“Gave you the task of getting help from the Phoenix Titan?” Lakshman finished, widening his eyes in alarm.

Valerian nodded and there was another moment of silence before he continued saying, “She gave me a task, and I wanted to fulfil it at all costs, but… at that moment… that man attacked us, and I was…I was…”

He, once more, did not finish his sentence, but this time, Lakshman did not need to finish it for him. Obviously, the man he was referring to was Lagron’s brother, and at that time as he attacked, Valerian was blasted back from the explosion and was rendered unconscious. Perhaps, his mother saved him from the attack at the last moment and used her powers to put him to sleep and make him sleep for a very long time at the bottom of the ocean where he would be undisturbed by the goings on above the ocean depths.

“That is one dumb plan of hers if it is true,” thought Asura coldly. “That basically left him to sleep for an endless amount of time until he would’ve been disturbed by our battle with Chandra.”

Lakshman smiled wryly and thought, “We will never know what she had in mind, only that she cared for his survival.” Then he addressed Valerian with, “So, what will you do now?”

“I don’t know. Maybe go back to sleep? I don’t achieve anything by staying here anymore where I no longer have a purpose in life. I’m alone now after all.”

When he said that, his whole face was filled with sadness that Lakshman did not like seeing. The poor guy had woken up because of his conflict with the Calamity Titan, and even wrongly attacked him before coming to realising the truth. With no purpose, and no comrade to rely on; the last living Leviathan was completely and utterly alone.

Understanding this, Lakshman did not like it as it reminded him of the pain he experienced when he found out about the death of his parents, friends, and everyone he knew from the Rodfox Kingdom. They believed in his greatness and praised him very much, but he felt he failed them when he was not there for them when the Rodfox Kingdom and the surrounding area was destroyed by the Calamity Titan.

“Perhaps, Valerian is also feeling the same kind of loss and hopelessness I had felt back then,” he thought to himself sadly.

“I can assume he will be, considering I, who would not be easily moved to tears, broke down at the loss of my family,” replied Asura in his mind.

This made Lakshman make up his mind as he faced the last surviving Leviathan in his human form and asked, “In that case, why not come and join the Nine Pillars of Power?”

This took a moment for Valerian to digest and react with, “Huh?”

“Have him join the Nine Pillars of Power?” Asura asked in surprise. “Are you sure? Is he even that strong?”

“Come on, Asura. We can’t measure him based on the standards we set. We’re too powerful, remember?”

“Point taken, but still, going straight for recruitment instead of offering friendship? That seems odd of you to do.”

“Isn’t everyone in the pillars friends to one another? And besides, two of which are currently empty, and based on his demonstration of power, I believe he is best suited to joining us than be alone.”

“Mmm. Though we took help from the Elemental Spirits, it’s best to rely on those from the Physical Plane. Very good. I like this plan,” agreed Asura willingly.

Lakshman nodded and asked Valerian, “So? Will you join the Nine Pillars of Power?”

“Can you answer my question first please?” Valerian asked politely.

“Sure, what is it?” Lakshman asked back energetically.

“What is the Nine Pillars of Power?” The man asked looking confused.

“What we are huh?” The Phoenix Titan asked himself and going into thought. He remembered his words to Asura just now and smiled as he said to Valerian, “We’re a group of friends that are the self-appointed guardians of the world. Protecting the world and its peace is our duty as well as the responsibility we bear by being the nine strongest warriors from around the world. Currently, there’s only seven of us, so if you joined us, that’d make eight. What do you say to that? You can make new friends in this era and maybe even find something you like doing.”

“A fresh start… in a new era with new friends… and the world to protect…” he said slowly in a quiet voice while appearing to think about it. Then he looked at Lakshman and said with a small smile, “Sure. I will join. I would also like to see what has changed over the course of these years and make a fresh start with this opportunity I got now.”

Lakshman grinned with joy and extended his hand out much to the surprise of the Leviathan in human form.

“Um…?” He asked hesitantly while shifting glances at the extended hand and at the face of the Phoenix Titan.

Understanding his hesitation, Lakshman smiled and said, “We’re officially a world renown group, but we’re still friends.”

To that, Valerian made a small smile before extending his own hand out and they shook firmly.

“As of today, a new titan is born!” Lakshman declared happily. “Valerian, the Storm Titan!”