Ashkan' slowly got up from the bed, and as he got up he carefully analyzed every part of his body to see if nothing strange had been done to him during his naps. This process was done every time he woke up in that place.

"I always heard rumors about nobles giving up their quarters to do unholy things while their guest was sleeping. I could never forget that."

That comment in his mind gave him a shiver, so he looked more carefully at his body, especially the buttocks part.

"There's nothing..." Relieved, he looked the same as he came to this place, his clothes were not foul smelling with sweat, much less his clothes were dirty. The fatigue that had suddenly settled in his body was gone. It was strange, but he was as refreshed as he had ever been.

Slowly, he pulled the blanket that was around his waist out, cautiously placed one foot on the floor. He wanted to make as little noise as possible.

"So you woke up..."

A female voice, echoed in his ear, going towards his brain so that it could process the fact that he was not alone, let alone that his attempt not to attract the attention of anyone who might hear his footsteps, turned out to be futile.

A white mist, not too dense, slowly dissolved in front of him, presenting him with a tall woman, platinum hair and light red eyes like the purest ruby, the crystalline skin that stood out from her black armor was like a pond bathed in moonlight at night. At his waist was a sword with its handle forming a coat of arms, he had never seen a coat of arms of that type, but due to its complexity it must have been from an extremely noble family.

The noble families had the habit of making complex coats of arms to show their respective places in the hierarchy. At least where he came from this was common, he didn't know if his common sense applied here.

"Hurry up, Your Majesty is waiting for you."

"Well, it's... Could you give me a moment?"

That woman stared at Ashkan', yet he did not flinch at that intimidating look. With that the woman's lips made a movement similar to a slight smile, and without objection she stated:

"I will be going ahead, as it is your majesty's order be ready as soon as possible. A guard will be waiting outside the room to guide you.

"Thank you very much" Ashkan' thanked him with a brief bow.

"But first, who is your majesty? And why are you waiting for me?"

She stopped, waited a bit however did not follow up on Ashkan' question, promptly following the room's exit.

"What the hell, why is it so hard to gather information in this place, where the hell am I, what happened to Florence, and who is this majesty with such overwhelming power"

Ashkan' was going in circles during his stay in that room, soon he would have to go to meet that being, but he didn't know any information to negotiate properly.

"Well, knowing now that he is a ruler of this place, should I treat him as I treated the Kings who visited the court when I was younger?"

This was a quality of Ashkan', even with the pessimism taking over he somehow managed to see a positive side of the other side of the coin.

Ashkan' slapped his face, trying to build up the courage to head for the exit of his room.

"Well, on three I open that door. One...two....

I can't!!!"

Ashkan' couldn't move his way to the exit and time was passing, leaving a Ruler waiting for too long is something intolerable, especially in his territory.

"Come on Ashkan, let's go. On the tenth we leave... One...two...three.... four...ten!!!!"

And then Ashkan' mustered all his strength to open that door and get out, the guard was fixed waiting for him and greeted him. But Ashkan' was already psychologically fatigued after this internal battle that he delayed in his curtsy.

"It's...I hope it didn't take too long" he asked the guard. But with no answer, it seemed that everyone was intentionally not wanting to answer his questions.

As he walked down the hall Ashkan' saw how immense the palace was, from the outside he had barely noticed it due to his attention being totally focused around it due to the hostility present. But now, everything looked so magnificent, not luxurious like the nobles he had known, who used a fortune to have the best stones, the best marbles and extravagant sculptures. But it was something quite simple, looking at it in detail and comparing it to what he had seen in his life, but the glamour was a thousand times greater than anywhere else.

Each pillar was so correctly arranged that none of them were more than 24 paces apart, and they were set with runes, the same rune that he had given Alice and had written on the crystal, obviously he couldn't read it but he understood what runes that was.

The arched ceiling was a color he had never seen before, perhaps a mixture of dark blue and white. No, there is no way to deduce what color mixture that was.

As he looked more and more, Ashkan' noticed that everything here had shades of color, not like when he first arrived where everything he saw was monotonous with scales of black and white or gray.

"You must be wondering why you don't see more in gray scales, correct?" The guard asked, it was as if he could read Ashkan' thoughts, or Ashkan' was making that thought of his very evident.

"Yes..."

"Upon entering here, your body was covered in Miasma. Even the little protection you had could not withstand long journeys here. Your Majesty took it upon himself to remove it completely from your body, so you fell into exhaustion soon after."

Ashkan' understood, and felt happy to receive such generosity even though it was an invader in his territory. But how did this guard know this information? There were only three or four warriors at that moment. Well, at least so Ashkan' figured.

"We're here!"

The guard subtly opened the huge gate, the gate was lined with scales of some animal resembling Dragon scales, there were two huge warriors protecting the entrance, their stature slightly matched giants, holding two large axes in each hand, with heavy armor they both saluted the guard as he opened the gate.

"Who is this Ruler to have subjects as strong as giants?" Ashkan questioned himself.

A dense and heavy mist covered the entire floor of the hall, a circular hall with a large table in the center, around the table were seats that were particularly decorated, each one distinguishable from the other, there were twelve chairs in total. In front of that table were some small steps that gave access to the lathe of that being, such strength was exhaled through the air. Each being in the chair had a heavy energy that made the whole environment frightening, but the ruler of the place sitting in his vise was so majestic that no king Ashkan' had ever known could match.

"I present myself to your majesty, my name is Ashkan' King Regent, of the Kingdom of Florence!"

All twelve beings who were there looked directly at the Ruler, it was as that being who had shown the way here had spoken, mentioning about the Kingdom of Florence was a wise choice.

"I see, so that little seed still exists...Ashkan' correct? What situation is Florence in?" Your Majesty asked.

Ashkan' was brief, there was no point in raising information that would lead to the same place.

"We are being annihilated!"

The ruler himself, showed no surprises it was as if he had already expected this event.

"We must act your majesty now" affirmed one of the beings who was sitting on the fourth chair. But your majesty with a lift of a finger ceased the continuation of that comment.

"Ashkan, you are not aware yet, but this is partly my fault. I am sorry for what is occurring in Florence."

Ashkan was startled by his sharp deduction, even though he didn't make it explicit in words it was clear that he already knew the real reason Ashkan came to do. But what made him more intrigued was the fact that that being possessed a finger in this.

"Maybe he is some enemy of Florence, in that case what should I do?" He asked himself.

"I understand that it is difficult to help a nation, and even more difficult is that I can use something to bargain for help, myself, knowing nothing about the history of this nation, your majesty or everyone present... however... however this feeling of powerlessness, this feeling of my fate always being placed in the hands of others..."

Ashkan could not bear his emotions any longer and tears flowed from his eyes, he forcefully tried to stop the tears but they flowed down like a river going towards a waterfall.

The ruler rose from his throne, descending the steps with steady steps, and all the beings who were sitting in the chair rose to their feet and immediately knelt to make way. With each step he took, it felt like an earthquake, increasing the intensity of the steps and echoing in Ashkan's heart, the vibrations were so strong that Ashkan for a while imagined he would die.

"Ashkan, are you willing to give up your life for Florence?"

Ashkan exited, perhaps from the fright of that sudden offer, but it didn't matter how hard he was willing to save Alice, or even the Bronze Order or save the kingdom if he had the strength to do it, but giving up his life was not something he could agree to so easily, even though he had been fighting death since the moment he was left by his family. Accepting that offer was like throwing his entire struggle away.

"Let me explain one more crucial point to you, you also have Aether blood circulating through your arteries, even if very little I can understand your relationship with Florence. Perfectly"

Affirmed one of the beings who was in the ninth chair.

"Do you think you could stay alive here, a human with that little barrier made by Urtiogo? How ridiculous!"

Said the one in the tenth chair

"If you don't possess Aether in your blood, circulating all in your veins you would never be able to break the seal-"

The eleventh was interrupted only by a simple gesture from the being who was ahead of everyone, the one sitting in the first chair...

"I believe by today you have had to much information Ashkan', go rest!"

"But..."

Before continuing any further, Ashkan understood his place and humbly accepted and withdrew from the hall.

Time seems to pass differently here, I believe it has been a few days, but I feel as if it is still the same day. Once you get used to this place, it doesn't seem so desolate. The guards have a routine similar to any palace, but they don't take turns at their posts, it's as if there is no fatigue among them. It's hard to escape the gaze of any guard, they are always there. It was as if I was in a big cage. The warriors are almost always in training, their movements are regular and steady, nothing compared to their soldiers in Florence who looked more like a poorly organized milita. Even if these details distract my mind a little, I can't sleep properly, that offer always reappears in my mind, any hypothesis that I try to deepen in order to have a fair way to get out of this situation, always ends with my death. It's as if fate offers no escape for my soul...

Sigh! I'm exhausted, maybe I should try to go for a walk outside for a while, the garden looks beautiful since I've regained the ability to see colors, I should enjoy it more...

"If I were you I wouldn't try to go out now"

That same female voice appeared, and as always her white mist disappeared revealing her physical body.

"You were watching me?"

"Since you entered before the gate I have been watching you on your majesty's orders"

"Then you already knew from the beginning that I had entered in your territory"

She moved her head in agreement.

"Well, it's not like that's going to change anything..."

Ashkan got up from his bed and went towards the window, extending his hand, and leaning lightly on the glass.

"What does your majesty think about it?"

There was no answer, and that was dismaying Ashkan.

"Damn it! Can I at least have a dignified answer. I am the Regent of a nation after all!"

"Calm down, no acts of hostility will be tolerated here. It was your own choice to come here, in the end even though you have aether in your blood, there are limits you cannot cross.

Ashkan felt deeply ashamed, after all no one was obliged to answer his questions, it was he who had violated this territory.

"Ashkan, I come to observe you. Even though you believe that your fate is always in the hands of others, it was your decision to come here. Equally it is your decision to yield your life to your majesty for the greater good."

"I know, damn it, I know. But to take my life, it's counter intuitive. My instincts don't allow it. And even if it did, this whole struggle of mine to survive would end up flying to the winds."

"I don't believe so Ashkan'. There are several ways to die, you can return to your Kingdom and die like anyone else and see all the doom of the Kingdom of Florence referred to your name, or... well, I believe I have already greatly influenced your decision, and your majesty has not allowed it. After all the vessel needs to accept only his own will."

"receptacle?"

"Exactly, you have Aether blood in your body, it is the same blood that flows in your majesty, even if little you are directly a successor of your majesty."

Ashkan did not understand how he could be the fruit of that being, so little did he understand what Aether was.

"There is no need to think too deeply about it Ashkan, if you decline the offer you can return and it won't make much difference to know more about it"

And again she disappeared into the mists.

"Always leaving more questions than answers..."

Those sentences scarred Ashkan's heart, if he really did possess some kind of connection with that being, then perhaps there was a greater meaning in having found that crystal.

"Ah, I am already exhausted again with so much information"

VIIIth Century, year 63, Brumáire. Day ??. In the Majesty Hall.

"What did you find Quebelle?"

"I believe my words will echo in your hard heart."

"Understood, but so Florence is still alive, I wonder what she would think if she knew that."

Quebelle only silently agreed.

"Well I believe it's about time to speed up the process, call Ashkan into the hall. I can't keep someone with so little Aether in that dimension for long"

Quebelle crumbled back into mist in compliance with Your Majesty's order.

"I wonder what fruit is left of your beloved Kingdom..." He muttered to the winds...

Ashkan was brought immediately by Quebelle as ordered by your majesty, however he did not hesitate to buy more time, he already imagined that sooner or later he would need to make the decision.

"Ashkan, you know that someone like you should not be here. You slightly astute, so I believe you can spare my words. But this place is out of your reality, the time you spent here was almost around ten days."

Ashkan fell to his knees, his eyes were wide open, his heart was beating wildly

"Ten...Ten days?" By now everyone would probably know about my disappearance, and probably the only option would be to take over the entire region of the Florence Kingdom, i.e. complete annihilation.

"However, the time you correspond here is as if not even 5 minutes has passed in your reality. But unfortunately I can no longer keep you here with so little Aether, should I do that this place would become chaos."

Ashkan understood, even though the information was vague, his experience confirmed that leaving any invader longer in a territory could cause serious problems.

"Then I need your decision now."

A strong wind was hitting Ashkan's body, like an aura imposing an immediate response. It was the decision of his life, and Ashkan would have to make it now.

Ashkan raised his head, staring at your majesty, and spoke his decision clearly.

"I will not give my life!"

All miasma that covered all beings present was gone. And now the expression on that Ruler's face was clear.

It was a smile, a devilish smile.

"I figured that, however you never had a choice."

Quebelle drew her sword, put it there at a 90 degree angle and pierced Ashkan's heart with a sharp blow.

"But...But...kof...kof, what?"

As Ashkan tried to process, his mouth gushed huge amount of blood, his skin turned whitish and his eyes reddened demonstrated that his body was on the verge of collapsing, but before that he looked steadily at that Ruler, his eyes of pure hatred mixed with agony.

"Do you have the courage to show that look before me? From the moment you possessed my blood and came to me, you never had a choice. I wish it hadn't turned out this way, but things always turn out the way I want them to. Cut his head off Quebelle!"

And promptly Quebelle drew her sword from Ashkan's chest, and struck a blow that cut Ashkan's head off.

Your Majesty rose from his vise, all twelve who were sitting in the chair appeared forming a row from first to last, Quebelle being the first one gave the honors to Your Majesty, offering Ashkan's head.

"Hail to the great God King!"

"Hail!"

"Hail!"

"Hail!"

And so The Great God King, ingested the entire head of Ashkan.

"Return to me, what always was mine"

Uttered the Great God King. His countenance changed, his curves shrank, his aura diminished dramatically, now his body was Ashkan's and his Soul that of the God King. The process of return had begun, and a new era was coming.

"And to believe that someone with my blood, possessed such insignificant power. Your mana core is in first-rate stage. I have a long trajectory before I can confront those who are boasting in the holy land." -The God King looked down at his new body as he uttered these words to himself.

"Well I believe it is time for me to return."

Quebelle, Naiver and Elahorn your souls will go with me, I will find a receptacle at your height. The others guard this place and continue to expand our forces, I will soon bring each one of you back.

"Yes! Your Majesty!"

The God King raised his arms vertically, his fist was drenched with a dense, black mist. As he finished the vertical movement, a portal opened.

"So it was true, only with a human body can get out of here kukuku"

And so the Great God King took a step to his return. This time with the name of Ashkan.