"I don't get an insane legacy? Am I only lucky? Did you pity me? Did you know those scars would get to me? I hoped I could overcome that poison incident, but alas. While Ginn sees no signs of the end, I can barely stay afloat. I can travel with them once, but I don't know if I will last long on the other side."

Eloise sighed.

"Am I cursed to have to aim for a crazy bet on another life? I fear what Ginn is going to do."

---

"" Matt enchant-called.

The wand fired a small ball that hit the glass with Ben inside.

""

""

""

""

""

Every week, Matt returned to this place, repeating his actions for a few minutes without saying a single extra word.

---

"I finally discovered that you knew my father. They thought I already knew, you cheeky bastard."

Pax dry laughed.

"I reached the apex. Six thousand years. Holy fuck. I can't believe it. I might actually follow Ginn, and I can't believe it. They were quite surprised I didn't die and kept slowly rising. And no one believes you knew it, but I think you did in your weird way. I always felt you acted on instinct more than anything else. So, it's not weird if you didn't consciously know it."

Tears fell down Pax's face.

"If only I could talk to Dad again. He would likely yell at me that I don't deserve it, and you're too damn good. And I agree. I cannot pay you back. But I promise I'll use and protect our lives with all I have."

---

"I finally can inform you that we completed the preparations in Syd's home."

Mirana talked with Ben.

A small root unfolded around her left arm and into her face.

"A squirrel lineage will likely be the most lasting in this world. But we didn't hold back."

...

"Before I leave, I'll show you an incomplete flower. Ginn agreed to pay the price."

---

"Sir, they're gone. It was incredible. I don't think there could be anything as beautiful as their entourage harmonizing with space and time. I don't think everyone would agree, but I don't think this world will see an ascension as incredible as that."

---

"This is another part of our job. While we maintain the defensive foundation, we must also come here and about anything and everything."

"Dad, is he asleep?"

"He can hear you, and our ancestors left him behind. And he should eventually wake up."

"Wow. Is this Sir ancestor Ginn's friend?"

"They hid his identity quite well, so we don't know. But it must be important if he is in the central room."

---

"Dad, why must we come here?"

"It's part of our job. We must stabilize the defensive foundation."

"And why is a body here?"

"It's a relic of our past glory. And it was left behind by Ancestor Ginn."

"Wow! He must be a bad guy sealed here! Do we enforce the seal?"

"Not really. You're overthinking it, kiddo."

---

"King Holland is so mad."

"He almost dissolved our department."

"But he can't. He can't take control of the foundation. He can be as mad as he wants, but he can only fail."

"Forever living in the shadow of our ancestors."

---

"Is the ceremony completed?"

"Yes. So, from now on, please do a good job since maintaining our foundation is crucial. We must never forget our origins."

---

Giggling and love. Anger. Questionable acts. Small talks. Diverse sounds layered inside Ben's mind.

Hundreds of thousands of years of sounds from strangers drowned the voices of those he unconsciously wanted to remember.

Overwhelmed by the crazy amount of information, Ben's head felt like it would explode.

He wanted to wake up, but he fell into this trance.

After this change, every movement around the room hammered his head.

Even people's breathing was so loud that Ben wanted to shove his finger into his ears.

But he couldn't move.

Outside, the Empire grew worried after they noticed the wavering defensive foundation.

And their worries weren't unfounded because this was the first time in over seven hundred thousand years that this system shook unstably.

This ancient organization searched every nook and cranny of their homeland, yet they failed to understand anything.

But that surprised no one.

Since they knew if the Arrays needed repair, they couldn't do it. The knowledge was never on their hands.

So, as they felt the roof over their head almost falling, distress took over.

Fortunately, after a year or so, the situation stabilized enough to avoid any trouble with outsiders. But that wasn't before the circumstances poked at some apex figures' curiosity.

Meanwhile, after getting used to his new condition, Ben calmed down.

Once he regained his awareness slightly, he stopped the wild clashing of his mind with Dinna's Array.

He then used the next few years to stabilize his condition and understand his transformation.

Even with all the help from the system in place, the whole process was still like crawling. And the insane amount of memories didn't help, either.

But even when anxiety wanted to sprout in his heart, Ben took his time and slowly and comfortably rested.

He might've slept for a long time, but his mind and body were still exhausted.

---

A few centuries ago, foundation shook for the first time.

Although that crisis never repeated after the system stabilized, some still held worried faces. Since if it happened once, it must happen again eventually.

"Did you finish?" An Elder asked.

"Yes, Father. But isn't this too much superstition even for you?"

"You may laugh, but what else can we do? After that crisis, I searched for every crucial historical document I could find. You might find those rituals silly, but if our ancestors did it, they must've had a reason for it."

"Aren't the Elders being overly dramatic? Our home is as sturdy as ever."

"And maybe that's why that happened. We grew overly comfortable and forgot we lived in someone else's shadow. Who knows what we should be doing but just forgot because it didn't matter."

"But isn't praying to a coffin too much?"

"They called it whispering to the glass and mentioned it gave them good luck. And considering God Ginn's long impact on this world, I wouldn't be surprised if that was true."

"Were you like me in the past and regret it?"

The Elder nodded.

"Even if it doesn't make sense, we should keep trying everything. That's the least we can do while hoping to stay safe under Ginn's roof."

"Our Ancestor was incredible."

"Praise the !"

"Praise the !" The young man repeated fanatically.

---

Ben had been observing for a while.

If Ginn hadn't frozen him, he would've laughed out loud.

While he watched his surroundings, Ben became impressed by their lasting unity.

Even after so long, the past remained, casting this shadow over them.

Stories became legends, but they stayed at the top of the world while maintaining some resemblance to their origins.

Seeing his friends descendants moving around, Ben's desire to sneak out disappeared.

'I shouldn't cause a commotion that might lead to their downfall. Welp, but I still need to remember those people aren't my friends. I got to be careful.'

---

Centuries passed, and his father was gone, but Levi still followed in his steps.

However, today he was too tired. His pale face didn't even focus around the room as he proceeded with the ceremony.

Any other day, he would've noticed the missing body. But today, Levi's unfocused eyes barely went through the motions.

"Oh, father, I miss you. Please give me enough patience for me not to try killing Bruno. Ah, that asshole, he'll be the end of us."

Sitting on a couch at the side, Ben smiled. After preparing enough for it, he finally released himself.

Fortunately, while the sight was funny, Ben held many memories like this. Even when people stayed solemn during the ceremony, they often chose to vent. Once they were alone, few could stop themselves when they were overwhelmed.

"I believe he would say you're doing fine."

Suddenly hearing this stranger's voice sent Levi into shock.

Being an apex figure, he wasn't slow or lacked awareness of his surroundings.

However, despite his confidence, Ben still sent him into a spiral.

At that instant, Levi wanted to react and jump into high defense mode, but the system that protected him so far held him down.

The more force he used, the more his family foundation pinned him down.

But after a few seconds of struggle, his harmonization with the system suddenly rose.

The unique experience helped Levi breakthrough in that aspect. And sensing his tighter unification with his ancestry-ground, the second wave of shock overtook Levi.

"With this, we got this first thing out of the way," Ben laughed cheerfully.