In the Valerian capital of Freya, the Royal Castle was bathed in the moonlight of the night sky.

Located within the center of the city with four large walls separating its palisades from the common citizens, the Royal Castle personified the strength of the Human kingdom.

Within the fortress were four towers that surrounded the main palace, each designating one of the cardinal directions of the globe.

At the base of the palace, the central tower rose high into the sky, standing as a beacon of hope and prosperity for the people below.

Inside this central tower, a lone man stood on the balcony of the highest room of the tower.

His outfit consisted of a white silk robe embroidered with golden designs, signifying his status as a high-ranking noble.

With an expression that showed he was deep in thought, he gazed at the moon that was partially obstructed by cloud cover.

The sound of someone knocking on the door brought him back to reality.

“Enter.” (-)

Giving a short reply, the man did not look away as the door behind him opened.

Another man dressed in noble attire entered the room with light footsteps and kneeled as soon as he reached the entrance to the balcony.

“My lord, I have important news to report.” (-)

“Go ahead, Maxwell.” (Lord)

“Very well.” (Maxwell)

Being given confirmation, the man called Maxwell retrieved a small piece of parchment that had been tucked away.

After unraveling it, he read its contents.

“According to our spies, all five Saviors returned safely from the labyrinth and have already used Transportation to travel to the Elven capital of Druein.” (Maxwell)

The man’s lord stroked his chin upon hearing that information.

“Hmm, I see. Has the rest of the Order received this news?” (Lord)

“Affirmative. They are already making preparations to depart to Druein, my lord.” (Maxwell)

The man gave a satisfactory nod to that reply before speaking.

“Very good. Oversee our own preparations for departure.” (Lord)

“Understood.” (Maxwell)

“I also want to be notified once they enter the Elven capital.” (Lord)

“Of course.” (Maxwell)

“You may leave now.” (Lord)

“Yes, my lord.” (Maxwell)

Maxwell stood up, bowed to his lord, and then left the room.

Once his adjutant had left, the man looked down at his right hand.

A white glove covered the entirety of his hand all the way to the wrist so that the skin beneath it could not be seen.

Gently removing the glove, he studied his exposed hand.

However, what he was staring at was not the hand itself, but distinct pieces of jewelry located on his fingers.

The pieces in question--three gold rings.

In addition, his eyes looked over the symbol 王 that was engraved on his palm.

After gazing at those features for a matter of minutes, the man returned his gaze to the moon.

A wide smile spread across his face as he spoke.

“This world is about to get interesting again. I can hardly wait.” (Lord)

The man then turned away and headed back into his room, but not before laughing gleefully just before the doors to the balcony closed behind him.

“Ahahahahahahahahaha!” (Lord)

The man's laughter echoed throughout the grounds of the castle below as the night came to a close.

END OF PART 1

Author’s rant: I just want to thank everyone who has been reading my story so far. I honestly did not expect my first work to be read by this many people so quickly. While some people may think this isn’t a big deal, it is very important to me.

Please keep reading to find out what happens next!

Thanks again and goodbye for now!