Ben said, "The first step is complete," as he toyed with a crystal ball.

Ben's clear voice soothed Levi. And that made him realize that the restraints on him were loose.

So, looking around, Levi's mind raced to understand his situation.

Some never-ending line of thoughts sprouted from his mind after he looked at the person at his right and the empty glass block.

"You're quite the calculative smart-ass, so it shouldn't take you long to thread the situation together."

"Holy ," Levi whispered, holding his breath.

"Sit," Ben said while smiling.

Due to being lost in his mind, Levi's body acted by itself as he took a few steps back and sat on the couch.

Once he sat down, the space between the two, this empty room with the vacant coffin, felt even more silent.

While waiting for the apex cultivator to regain his sanity, Ben's smile slowly disappeared.

Ben's calm and stern eyes stared at Levi Aravyz.

"Your father's guess was somewhat right. However, things aren't that divine."

Suddenly, like thunder, rationale returned to Levi's mind, so he jumped from the couch and knelt in the middle of the room.

"I'm sorry! My manners are lacking, but I hope you can forgive me."

"Venting is not that bad. I was bored anyway. Some gossip was fine. And I expected the shock. I even abused it."

"Thank you, Sir!"

Levi's eyes weren't looking at Ben because he didn't dare.

But the image of this Elder sitting on the couch became entrenched in his mind.

He would forever remember this sight.

Black tattoos took over Ben's skin while forming fractal patterns. But even if he had changed, Levi could still easily recognize him as the one who slept deep inside his family ancestry grounds.

"If you want to prostrate, that's fine, but calm your mind since we have important business to discuss."

Levi did want to control his heart, but it didn't stop beating wildly.

He couldn't believe that their silly guesses were correct.

Despite being proud of taking this position, he still hated that he accepted his father's insane hypothesis as much. Yet, at times, Levi felt that he believed it more than his father did.

Noticing the lack of success, Ben stayed silent while carefully tweaking the crystal ball.

He worked quickly, and soon, Ben threw the sphere toward Levi.

"Hold onto it, and it'll clear your head."

Despite being overwhelmed, Levi still obeyed and took the crystal. And after taking another look at Ben, he lowered his head again.

"It's good to see my friend's lineage is still strong within you. Although, it's quite mixed by now."

"Sorry that we couldn't hold our part. We've lost everything about our connection."

"Some people planned it to be as such after noticing that not every generation did a good job strengthening their connection to this ancestry ground. And it worked so far since you remained the owner of this land, which also helped my staying here since I required nothing else."

"But what about the rituals?"

"Mostly superstition. Coming here was important. However, it had nothing to do with what I required and everything to do with your people maintaining a strong connection with your heritage. Or else..."

"Or else?"

"Well, this place wouldn't last. Don't dare to think Ginn would leave so much goodwill for others, even less when those would be robbing it from his people. If you guys fail in any shape or form, this place will become a wasteland."

"Please help us. What should we do?"

After reading so much about their past, Levi felt his lineage was losing grasp of their privilege and responsibilities.

"I think you're doing fine so far. Clashes are bound to keep happening. But when it happened before, they all put differences aside when they saw their effect on the foundation. Now, though, the issue is with my disappearance. Unknown changes could trigger some questionable actions that would receive no clear feedback from prior arrangements."

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes. You aren't my friends. They're gone. But we still hold a connection, so I'll keep an eye on you and help where I can. If the worse comes, I'm responsible for your lineage fallback. Your ancestors helped with that too."

"Is our end near?"

"Unlikely to happen any time soon. But even if you achieve the best outcome, I'll help relocate your descendants when the end of the world comes in the far future. Don't hold your breath, though."

Silent arrived in the room, as Levi didn't know he should keep asking.

"Do you understand why I'm talking to you?"

"You're leaving, but you don't want us to worry about it. We didn't fail, and our ancestors' arrangements are still in place."

"Exactly. And I chose you because I believe you're the most suitable for minimizing the damage due to this sudden change. Once I'm gone, the foundation will finally settle into its long-term form, which will stun the others. And that's why I showed here in the open. And why I'm answering your questions. And why I'm helping you with your harmonization with this place. So, do ask your trouble away. Although, try not to push your luck."

"Can I ask any questions?"

"Any? No. As many as you want? Maybe."

"Will Ancestor Ginn ever come back? How can I address you?"

"Higgs, you can call me Higgs. And about Ginn and the others: unlikely. You're at the apex yourself, so you should understand the restraints of ascension. Even for Ginn, it was clear that leaving, while difficult, was possible, but coming back? Those laws in place are clear. The world won't be accepting outsiders, which is a good thing since, with this, we don't see monsters from somewhere else."

"Is there an outside?"

"I can only say that there is, but to what extent? I don't know. But our reality isn't limited to this place."

"Can you teach us how to deal with unforeseen circumstances?"

"I know many of you want to know how to repair this place. However, that's impossible. First, it doesn't need it. Think, who built this? And second, I wouldn't know how, either. Too much devoted time was put into this place by people much stronger than we could ever hope to be. So, how could we even think of fixing it? There is no fixing to be done."

"So, can we only hope?"

"You can focus on keeping your lineage alive and somewhat in control of this place. The requirements are not that specific. So, as long as your lineage is alive and within this land, this place will protect you. I never met anyone who could easily destroy this place, which includes the at their peak. Even if someone bluffs you into being their subordinate, they won't be able to touch you within this ground. And that would allow anyone that desires to do so to rebel and take their home back."

"I see. But can we still fail from within?"

"That's for sure. For example, if your people decide to move outside this place's influence. Or if you all die and not a single descendant of the survive. Or if you abandon their legacy completely and this place cannot harmonize with anyone at all."

"We're screwed."

"There are many ways you can fail, but a lot of leeway before the roof falls. And I'm sure there are a lot of safety checks in place, and the Arrays can repair themselves if needed. The only thing you must remember is to survive while knowing this is YOUR home."

"How?" Levi whispered, worried.

"Who knows? Nothing last forever, either. People are complex creatures. Future people's desires are hard to predict. I'll visit occasionally, but you can only do your best. If the worst comes and tragedy hits, I'll be around to catch a few of you before the roof falls completely."

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it. It's all part of our weird relationship between deals and friendship. Since that's clear, I hope the changes to come utters a new positive age rather than marking the start of the end. Don't forget that the ground below your feet is sturdy. So, take that crystal and be the leader that they need. Anyway, I hope for your lineage longevity."

After sensing that the presence in front of him had disappeared, Levi looked up.

"Worry enough, so your lineage last, but don't do it so much that it doesn't," Ben's whispers filled the room.

Despite acting as if he had vanished, Ben still stuck around and oversaw the situation.

Fortunately, after being left alone, Levi didn't disappoint. The man had looked through the past enough to know what to do.

With the extra power Ben gave to him, he quickly unified the lineage. He also isolated his problematic relatives without cutting them off completely.

At first, there was much resistance, but that didn't last when Levi showed his high level of harmonization with their ancestry grounds. Although they had differences, the vast majority held insane faith in the foundation below their feet.

Once the one lagging despite being at the apex showed an overnight and unbelievable improvement, few didn't believe his words of caution as he recounted the events from that night.