Over the coming days, Vincent redoubled his efforts on his training. He wanted to reach 50 in his magic stat before departing for the north. In the meantime, he got in touch with General Aster. The world tree was located deeper inside the Emerald Forest and would require experts from the Evergreen Ranger Corps to act as guides. This was his opportunity to get close to the princess.

Vincent had a feeling he would be away for a long time, and so he took his tests and examinations ahead of time. The rest of the time was spent on training and earning CP through minor subjugation missions around the capital. Throughout this time, rumors of Vincent going out to play began spreading amongst the student populace. His poor reputation grew even worse since he didn’t clarify the truth behind the rumors. After a few weeks passed, Vincent checked his status once more.

“Status.”

===

 Status

[Strength] (24.1)

[Endurance] (25.9)

[Agility] (26.3)

[Perception] (42.5)

[Magic] (50)

 Talents

[Flexible Body] (null)

[Origin Magic] (Beginner – Rank 1)(EXP 0%)

 Titles

[Inheritor of the Aion Ring]

===

Vincent smiled with satisfaction; he had done it. Over this short but intense period, he had become very sensitive to mana. His Origin Magic talent had reached the pinnacle of the beginner level. Not much longer and he would be able to advance to the intermediate stage. He could feel the mana from all living things in his surrounding unless they know methods to hide it. Most of all, though, was the fact that he would be able to enter the Aion Ring.

“Sanctus Aeternum.”

He felt a vacuum suck up his consciousness as his vision went black. When the dizziness faded, he opened his eyes. He was standing in a field of snow. There was snow as far as the eye could see.

“Where am I?” This wasn’t the dark world that he saw in the last two times he entered the ring. He reached out and caught a snowflake in his palm and couldn’t feel any cold from the melted snow.

“You’re back.” An old man stood facing away from him. Who knew when he had appeared, he was like a ghost, coming and going as he wished. The next thing Vincent knew, the old man was standing before him.

“Grandfather.” Vincent probed.

“Who are your parents?” The old man asked to confirm once more.

“Catherine Silverlight and Zeke Redwall,” Vincent stated.

“That’s impossible. Are you lying to me, Boy?” A threatening tinge came over his tone.

“Believe what you want. I don’t have a reason to lie to you.” Vincent shot back.

“But Kitty wouldn’t… With the Redwall boy?” The old man shook his head, “Where is Arden Valencia?”

“Arden Valencia?” Vincent felt the name was familiar, but couldn’t recall.

The old man studied Vincent’s expression and let out a sigh before continuing, “That tells me everything I need to know. I hope kitty knows what she’s doing. Boy, what is your name?”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but I am Vincent Silverlight.” He decided what the old man was saying was unimportant at the moment. He had some questions of his own he wanted to ask. “What is yours, Grandfather?”

“Me?” The old man smiled amusingly to himself. It had been a long time since a whelp spoke so confidently in front of him. Moreover, they had the same name. “I’m Vincent Silverlight.”

“Are you mocking me?” Vincent furrowed his brow.

“It should be me saying those words, Boy.” A threatening chill erupted from the old man’s relaxed demeanor.

“Then… Mom named me after you?” Vincent asked dumbstruck.

“I’m not surprised.” The old man shrugged, this action was nearly identical to Vincent’s gesture.

“Then how do you supposed we resolve this confusing way of addressing one another?” Vincent asked, maintaining his polite tone.

“Just call me One, and you’ll be Two,” said One. It was easy to tell that One didn’t care enough to think too deeply about such matters. “Let’s get down to important matters. Your time here is still limited since your strength is still not high enough.”

“I understand, One.” Vincent echoed, He tried to grow accustomed to the awkward way of calling his Grandfather.

“As I thought, this naming is quite atrocious.” One muttered, “Just call me Grandfather.”

“I agree. I’ll just call you Grandfather.” Vincent concurred.

“Then back on topic, Boy.” Vincent didn’t like the way his grandfather called him, so he interrupted.

“Call me Grandson.”

One looked amused and asked, “I find Boy a better name. Don’t you think so, Boy?”

“If that’s how you like it, then go ahead and use it, Old Man.” Vincent shot back, refusing to give up on this matter.

“Cheeky Brat.” One smiled while tousling Vincent’s hair.

“You asked for it, Old Man,” Vincent remarked and tried to dodge One’s hand, but it honed in on his head like a bird of prey.

“Before anything else, let me ask you. Do you know anything about Aion’s Ring?”

“Aion’s Ring? Wasn’t it called the Aion Ring?” Vincent asked.

“You read the information table?” One was referring to the display that popped up last time Vincent was there. “These two names could be used interchangeably. The Aion Ring and Aion’s Ring are one and the same. Aion created this ring, and the ring’s fate is to last for eternity, thus they could both be the name of this ring.”

“Aion? I’ve never heard of him.” Vincent commented.

“I don’t expect you to. Aion is not a person. Aion is an existence far above the world of gods and immortals. He has no gender, neither male nor female, but for the sake of speaking of him, they assigned him a gender.”

“They?”

“Our predecessors. The previous holders of Aion’s Ring.” One answered.

“I still don’t understand, why would such a supreme being create this? I still don’t understand what this ring is capable of. Can you tell me what it does?”

“Even I don’t know the full extent of the ring. Who are we to question the decisions of a supreme being? Aion might’ve done this because he was bored. He might’ve had a greater purpose in forging this ring. Or might've even forged this ring to wage eternal war amongst the minor existences. Your guess is as good as mine, Boy.” One shrugged and walked forward.

“Then, what do you know?” Vincent felt like his grandfather was speaking in tongues.

“What I know might not be appropriate for you to know. I can tell you what you need to know, but any more and it can be harmful to you. Only when you are strong enough to shoulder the responsibility of this knowledge will I entrust them upon you.”

“Then what can you tell me?”

“Like the last time you were here, I want to warn you not to let any gods see this ring. The power of Aion’s Ring can disguise itself in the presence of the gods, but if you’re not careful, they still might detect it. I know you’re going to ask why the gods hate the ring so much. Let me explain.” One bent over and scooped up a pile of snow.

“Do you know that gods are immortal? That cannot die. But what if there was a weapon that can kill a god? If such thing were to exist, what kind of uproar would this cause in the heavens?”

“Then, are you saying that this ring is a weapon?” Vincent couldn’t see how a ring can kill a god. Can it somehow expand and choke a god to death or something?

“It’s precisely as you’ve said. Aion’s Ring absorbs the essence of a god when they sustain a fatal wound. If the person didn’t have a ring, the god would just disappear and reappear after recovering from their injuries. The ring cannot be destroyed since it was forged by an existence of a higher realm. Thus, the gods covet the ring, since whoever wields the ring, holds power over the heavens.”

“Then why are we mortals? We’re the bearers of the ring, and yet here we are.” Vincent was skeptical of his grandfather’s grandiose storytelling.

“Fool, did you think we don’t know?” One looked smug and explained, “Your predecessor was betrayed, and Aion’s Ring was stolen from him. He was killed; his essence sealed away in the ring. In the ensuing chaos after the ring was stolen, the heavens waged war amongst themselves over its possession. Finally, a lucky mortal chanced upon the ring after it had fallen into the mortal world. That’s why until this day, the gods are still searching for it, and they would kill anyone they find that possessed the ring. However, every time, your predecessors were able to send it away before it fell into the gods’ hands.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just hand it back to them?”

“Why? And live a life of mediocrity?” Scoffed One. Vincent then understood the reason behind every predecessor’s desire to keep the ring. With the power to kill even gods in your possession, what is there not to covet?

“Is there anything else I should know about this ring?” Vincent wanted to ask about more secrets of the ring. Right now, his interest as a reader was piqued. Why had he never heard of such a subplot within the novel? In fact, this plot would’ve been way better than the original novel.

“There are too many things to explain right now, you aren’t ready to know more. All I can tell you about the functions of this ring is that it allows the bearer to inspect their inner self. They can understand more about themselves and use the information to improve. Another function is as you’ve witnessed. It allows you to speak with past bearers of the ring. Aion’s ring is called the ring of eternity for a reason.”

“Then if I’m speaking with you, Old Man… Then doesn’t that mean…” Vincent felt a sense of loss.

One smiled and nodded.

“What should I tell Mom?” He planned to tell his mom about meeting his grandfather.

“Don’t tell her anything. It’s best if she doesn’t know the truth.” One tried hard to protect Catherine from the secrets of Aion’s Ring. “If you tell her anything, I’ll come out of this ring and kick your ass, do you understand?”

“Pfft, fine. Whatever, Old Man.” Vincent felt respect for One, but couldn’t help replying childishly. “I promise I won’t tell Mom anything… If you tell me about the Origin Magic that you gave me.”

“Origin Magic? Hehehe.” One chuckled for a moment and then asked, “I guess you must be curious. Let me tell you about another function of Aion’s Ring. It’s the power to steal a god’s power. This is the true worth of Aion’s Ring.”

“What?!” Vincent straightened up in shock.

“Any god killed by the bearer of the ring will have their essence absorbed into the ring, effectively stopping their revival; a form of death. At the same time, their powers and abilities can be used by the ring bearer. That’s why the gods fought so hard to obtain this ring.” The daunting words struck at Vincent’s eardrums like the sound of thunder. He finally understood the severity and meaning in possessing such an artifact.

“Then this Origin Magic that you gave me was from… a god?” Vincent tilted his head in admiration. This could only mean one thing: his grandfather has slain a god.

“It was only a minor god. A subordinate of the God of Magic that hasn’t even developed the ability to ascend to the heavens. I believe they were called earth deities or something, it doesn’t matter.” One waived the compliment aside looking irritated, but a corner of his mouth was twitching. “I gave you this skill because it was what you needed at the time. I hope you can master this skill before picking up any others.”

“Then, you are saying that you haven’t looked much into this ability?” It was the ability to control the elements, how could One not be curious. Unless One had obtained powers more formidable than…

“Why settle for a match when I can use a torch?” One answered proudly. “I’ve told you all that you need to know. Leave.” One waved his arm once more, Vincent began to feel a sucking force, but he quickly shouted to get One’s attention.

“Wait!” Suddenly the vacuum disappeared.

“What else do you want?” One looked annoyed like a doting grandparent.

“Old Man, from now on I’ll have to do lots of things and travel a lot. My shoulders become sore so often from carrying all these heavy equipment. Don’t you think your grandson deserves a better life than that?” Vincent shamelessly smiled over at his grandfather. It’s as plain as anyone can see. He was begging his grandfather for a favor!

“Cheeky Brat.” One’s lips twitched once more, but he navigated through an invisible menu, then Vincent received a notification.

===

Inventory has been unlocked.

===

Vincent broadly smiled when he saw the notification.

“Thanks, Grandpa!” He embarrassedly scratched his cheek.

“You got what you wanted, Boy. Now leave.” Not a second later, Vincent was thrown out of the ring’s inner world. One turned around and affectionately looked at the spot Vincent had been standing. Then he let out a sigh and disappeared.

Vincent woke up after leaving the world of the ring. When he woke up, he found out he had a letter sent by General Aster in reply to his pleads. He had been selected to participate in the escort mission for the Church of Light. It was under the pretense of in-the-field training for a potential recruit.

Vincent applied for leave and left for the north the very same day he received the letter.