Emperor's Reckoning



"Lyon, I think you understand what this means, right?" asked Nyi with a tinge of excitement in his tone. His eyes brightened as new hope was unveiled right before his very eyes. 

"I can guess," said Lyon. "Though, if you used my relationship as a tool in the summit, you can't really weed out your enemies."

"That's the consequence," Nyi sighed. "However, Drogan can't really do anything now, unless he is willing to risk offending one of the young masters of the Sky Clan."

"Would he now?" Lyon raised his brows. "You think a man that is eyeing Second Heaven as a whole would back off because he is afraid of offending someone?"

"You think not?" Nyi frowned.

Lyon shook his head, "You think too highly about my relationship with Mavis. We are nothing more than just 'friend' the type that you wouldn't risk your life to."

"I-I see... I see your point," said Nyi as he pondered. "You're right, that cannot be the baseline."

"What is it that you really want, Nyi?" asked Lyon. "There is an abundance of resources in Elyrianth as I see it, heck, you have a lake around the kingdom, that's amazing."

"Landscape-wise, yes, however, that does not mean that this kingdom is safe," said Nyi before his eyes sharpened. "Lyon, this summit might be the first round of the war."

"Or the last," said Lyon. "You don't have any idea what's waiting for you there."

"Most likely a trap," said Nyi. "I'm sure they knew that you are on my side."

"I'm not particularly taking any sides," said Lyon.

"That doesn't matter, it's what they thought that matters," said Nyi as he smiled wryly.

Lyon sighed, "Is Second Heaven really split into two factions? How about the neutral ones?"

Nyi shook his head, "I have no idea who the neutral ones are, maybe we will see it tomorrow."

"We?"

"You're coming with me, Lyon," said Nyi.

"Will Drogan be there?" asked Lyon.

Nyi shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea, this is the summit for kings in Second Heaven, however, there are no exact rules that he can't be there."

"I see," Lyon furrowed his brows. "Then the three of them are coming with me."

"What?!" Nyi has his eyes widened. "Are you insane?"

Lyon crossed his arms, "The only one insane here, is the ones that decided to hold the summit. They are risking their heads by going there."

"Certainly, but they will be accompanied by their best cultivators for certain," said Nyi. "So it would not be that easy for them to get killed, meanwhile, I have you, the one that even bested my best archer, and also the one that could contend with Drogan himself."

Lyon's smile widened at Nyi's persuasive words. He raised his chin before saying firmly, "My wife will come with me to the summit as well as the three, this is non-negotiable."

"Are you serious...? I understand bringing your wife, but those three?" Nyi furrowed his brows.

"What's wrong with those three? Are you trying to tell me that they are inadequate," said Lyon.

Nyi quickly stepped back hearing the tone had a tinge of irritation. "Y-You know well that's not what I meant, it's just that, why do you want to endanger them?"

"Let them be exposed to danger, the more the better, they got a graduation to win," said Lyon.

"But what if the worst of the worst happens?" asked Nyi.

"You mean that they died?" asked Lyon.

Nyi nervously nodded.

"Then they are inadequate, simple as that," said Lyon. "Do you have any idea how many potential bursts through as cultivators are constantly put in a dangerous situation?"

"I... I have no idea."

"Me too," said Lyon. 

Nyi's brows twitched in frustration. He was already under the mercy of Lyon's wisdom, yet it was not a lesson that he received, but emptiness.

"It's probably many," said Lyon. 

"So you're adamant about taking them with us?" asked Nyi.

Lyon smiled and nodded. "They are coming with us, whether they are needed or not."

Nyi exhaled long through his mouth. "Alright, let me see what I can do."

"When is the summit?" asked Lyon.

"In three days we will depart," said Nyi.

"How about your father?" asked Lyon. "He coming?"

Nyi shook his head, "He's not."

"Guess you act the crown then, huh," Lyon smirked.

"Not much choice," said Nyi as he sighed.

"Soon your choice will be apparent," said Lyon as he patted his shoulder and nodded. He turned around and left the private room.

As the door closed Nyi finally let out a heavy sigh as he faced the ceiling. The tapestry didn't help at all to clear his mind. Bringing the three students was like bringing unnecessary weights for the journey ahead. Sure they were technically competent cultivators since they were enrolled in the Nirvana School as he died, but the environment in the summit was vastly different from just scoring a point.

Nyi peered through the window and stayed in the room until dusk came. He couldn't fathom the train of thoughts inside his newly found friend even when he was laying face up on the bed.

Meanwhile, on top of the roof tower in the palace, Lyon was sitting right in the middle of the night. There he saw the moon in its biggest phase of all. The stars reminded him of home on Earth, but also the ones in the Mortal World. He pondered the significant difference between the two realms and always ended up in naught.

"They are all the same," Lyon muttered.

"What is?" a determined female voice entered as Rui revealed herself sitting by Lyon's side.

"Mother, what is the difference between the Mortal World and Heaven? They all have the same sun and moon— well some part of the Mortal World has two moons, but... nothing significant is different, even the race proportions. So far I see only humans in Second Heaven, hardly anything else."

"That's a really hard question to answer," said Rui before she crossed her paws. "However, if we take the source of the realm's power, then we might be able to discern it."

"Source of power? Like Mana and Anti-Mana?" Lyon furrowed his brows.

Rui nodded, "That's right."

"Hmm, Cecile did mention that Mortal World has its own source of power, and they say the gate of the world was made using that," said Lyon. "But she refused to tell me what it's called."

"Indeed, but the mechanism was built a long time ago, far too long that even I wasn't born yet," said Rui.

"I think someone mentioned a hidden age," said Lyon.

"The hidden age is nothing more than the age in which you exist," said Rui. "It's called hidden because all of your existence was forcefully hidden by a massive magic that Paradise chanted."

"Damn, what did I do to piss them off," said Lyon.

"I have no idea," said Rui as she crossed her arms. "I hope it's not something perverted though."

Lyon felt his heart being pierced by a thunderous spear through and through. "M-Mother, c-c'mon."

"It's not outside the realm of possibilities," said Rui.

Lyon smiled wryly.

"However, what I'm talking about is not the hidden age, but the  lostage."

"The lost age?" Lyon frowned. "A time before you were born?"

"Yes, those who are interested in history may find clues that there was an age that was lost, but perhaps Paradise or Purgatory knew exactly what happened then, they must have kept it somewhere for their descendants to understand the Three Realms better than anyone else," said Rui as she gazed at the meandering clouds.

"We also did, darling," a familiar voice came.

"Selena," Lyon smiled as he gazed at her approaching from the side. She sat by his side and let her dark hair flutter and blue eyes resplendent.

"You did?" Rui raised her brows.

"We did, Mother," said Selena nodding before she too gazed at the meandering clouds. "It was shocking, to say the least."

"I'm intrigued," said Lyon.

Selena giggled, "We uncovered what happen in the lost age, however, what shocked us the most was not the event that transpired but the actors playing it."

"The actors?" Rui raised her brows as she looked at her daughter-in-law. "What's with the actors?"

Selena gazed back at the meandering clouds, "A name sprung up, a word that caught me, Cecile, and Maria off guard, but the most trembling one was, darling."

"Me?!" Lyon was taken back before he smirked, "C'mon Selena, what kind of name would tremble me?"

"Torga," said Selena as she looked at her dear husband.

Lyon's eyes widened and pupils shrunk as the words reverberated in his ears. The mention of his last name in the lost age stirred a mix of curiosity and intrigue within him.

"Torga..." Rui's eyes widened as she looked at her son. 

"That's right, darling, as fate would have it, we somehow uncovered your lineage as we traced the lost age," said Selena.

Lyon looked at his palms as he said inwardly, ( My lineage?).