Emperor's Reckoning

"I see," Lyon said with his head lowered down. ( I knew it won't be that convenient for me ).

Rui sighed seeing his son dejected. She darted her glance from him toward Selena before asking, "What are you lacking here?"

"The Mortal World simply lacked anti-mana, to begin with, mother," answered Selena. "I have wondered about the end of this continent and there is no such physician living in this realm."

"I see," she nodded. "This is quite a troublesome situation."

"Yeah, and it's all because of me," Lyon made a wry smile after a light snort. He looked at her mother's curious gaze.

"Explain, I've heard that she is your teacher but it seems like the burden is much more."

"She saved my life, mother," said Lyon.

The three grandfathers grunted in spite of Rui's snapped eyes. The latter's lips parted before asking, "She did?"

Lyon nodded, "She did, that's why I strongly want to repay her back. She lost an arm inevitably because of me."

"Forearm, to be exact," added Shen.

Rui sighed, "You did the right thing, Lyon. However, looming over something that is out of your control will do nothing either."

"I know, I know, it's just that, hmm!" he clenched his fists. "I feel so weak even though I'm powerful, I feel so, useless..."

"Darling..."

"She has anti-mana and you have mana, you can't do a thing," Rui shook her head. "Even if 'she' passes you the technique, the spells, it won't work."

"She?" Lyon raised his brows.

"Huh?" Rui raised her brows, "Wait a minute, these three didn't tell you who we are?"

"No?" Lyon raised one of his brows.

"Are you three stupid or something?" Rui frowned and glared as she reprimanded the three mystical beasts.

"I uh, well, I did mention a couple of us or more, I forgot," Shen quickly slithered away toward Bapho's back.

"And you two?" Rui raised her chin.

"Well, I did that too," said Sun.

"It is better to be honest, older brother," Bapho said calmly before answering Rui, "This low self could not well describe the magnitude of others, thus it is blasphemous if ill words trunches out of this one's mouth."

"Damn," Lyon muttered.

"Don't sweeten your foolery," Rui frowned.

"Hehe.."

"If none of you describe all twelve of us, how in the heck is he supposed to find the rest of us?" Rui frowned.

"En, en," Selena nodded.

"In my defense, Lyon will eventually recover his memory so he doesn't need to be told," said Shen.

"Do I need to break those horns of yours and used them to grin your ears?" asked Rui.

"N-No, I'll pass, I apologize."

Lyon gulped. He had never seen his grandfather immediately bow at just a fierce glance. The latter was a True Dragon, the being that was said to rule the highest level of the sky. Their sheer size alone could render all mortal's courage to ash. Yet, in the face of the Moon Hare, no, in the face of his mother, even True Dragon must lower themselves.

"Heh," Rui smirked as she looked at his son. "Listen carefully, Lyon."

Selena and Lyon immediately raised their brows and the latter immediately straightened his back.

"You were nurtured by twelve beings, beings that so absurd in mortal eyes, we were called legends by the weak."

Lyon gulped and nodded.

"First, the Ancient Rodent, Minx."

"Tch, that rat," Sun muttered under his breath.

"Oh, is he the one that has the brain for brawn?" Lyon asked.

"He is quite smart in his days, yes," Rui nodded. "He is a master of stratagem, magic, talisman crafter, and an asshole to talk to."

Lyon made a light cough as he heard that comment.

Selena pursed her lips to contain her laughter but she was struggling even more as she saw the other three nodding in agreement.

"Secondly, the Almighty Ox, Duran."

"Ox?" Lyon frowned. ( I'm starting to see a pattern here... can it be? ).

"The Almighty Ox, even I can't tear his body even with my strongest technique, highly proficient in endurance! And additionally, only he had the strength to go toe to toe with the next one. The one that I have to personally admit, the strongest out of all twelve of us."

"His presence alone commands respect," Sun sighed.

Lyon gulped, "And the next one."

"Red-Eyed Tiger, beholder of the original Wargod Physique which was later bestowed to your woman, Cecile Auburn. Rajah."

Lyon gulped as his skin shivered instinctively. The Wargod Physique was a special physique that will inevitably change one's course of life. The body was born, molded, to a war machine of assault, yet not deprived of emotion. The thirst for battle could be mended but only for those that had high levels of clarity. Ones that drowned in insanity would die fighting oneself.

"Though, older brother can be quite stubborn," Shen uttered.

( I see! So Rajah is the one they call older brother! ) thought Lyon.

"Let's continue," Rui took a breath, "The next one would be, me."

Lyon firmly nodded.

"The fifth is Shen."

( This is really starting to become a recognizable pattern! ) Lyon gulped.

"The sixth one is White Snake, I don't know her name."

( Mother... )

"She is highly proficient in the assassination, lockpicking, stealing, and spatial element. A too much of a perfect setting for her occupation, but I'm still faster."

Lyon and Selena smiled wryly.

"Alright, the seventh one is, the Undying Horse, Ma. The one that nurtured you as a fatherly figure."

"Ma, father..." Lyon muttered.

"He is highly proficient in, well, let's just say that he could marathon himself from Purgatory to Paradise and fought Grand Beasts right after without lacking in performance."

"Hohoho, don't forget how he is brimming with smiles as he did all that, the guy, or rather, horse, is really a bundle of joy."

Lyon grinned. "Smile wider as you are at your most dire."

"Hm? Did you say something?" Rui asked.

Lyon shook his head, "Nothing, mother, please continue."

"En, the next one would be, Bapho. Then the next one after him would be Sun."

( I knew it, the next one would be a rooster or an avian ) thought Lyon as his back strengthened again.

"The tenth, the Immortal Phoenix, Enya. She is highly proficient in healing spells, dispelling curses, alchemy, and a really good cook."

"Ah man, I miss her food!" Sun laughed.

"Did you forget how she condemned you for letting little Lyon drink your Monkey King's Wine?" Rui frowned.

Sun was petrified before lowering his head and pushing his thumbs against each other, "I-I mean, this is technically our second life."

"You think?" Rui snorted a smirk.

"Let's just go to the next one, mother," Lyon attempted to mend the atmosphere.

"Since you asked," Rui smiled. "The next one would be the eleventh one, that is Tiangou, the Meteor Dog. He is a highly capable beastmaster. His bark could command the entire beasts in the vicinity whether willing or not. Oddly enough, he is quite obsessed with challenging the sun, we never bothered to ask him why."

Lyon raised his brows in astonishment, "Woah, a beastmaster."

"Yeah, I supposed you have noticed how you can approach even the scariest most daunting beasts without feeling any shred of fear, your soul was nurtured by him, though, I don't think you have reached the level you once were yet," Rui sighed.

Lyon laughed and scratched the back of his head, "I still have no idea how to become a beastmaster, well, I have a dog pet named Fenrir, but he is more like a wolf, to be honest."

"Step by step, my son," Rui nodded.

"Then what about the last one?"

Rui and the other three looked dejected for a moment before the former opened her lips. "The last, the twelfth one, is the pig."

"The pig... wait that's it?" Lyon raised his brows. The others had some sort of unique race to their name, but the twelfth one made him doubt.

"Lyon, the day when you die," Rui looked at her son with furrowed brows.

Selena frowned whilst her husband had his heart thumped.

"He was the first to know," said Sun.

"He was?"

"More than that, darling."

"Huh?"

"He was there when I and the others arrived," said Selena.

"What... what does that mean?" Lyon frowned.

"Lyon, the pig was the weakest out of us all in terms of strength and speed, we never knew what he was good at all," said Rui.

"When I was there," said Selena. "I saw his human form fending all of them alone. I couldn't hear what he was saying most of the time, but I could see what he had done."

"What?" Lyon gulped.

"He unleashed his art, I don't know if it's real art or not, but your body was saved because of it," said Selena. "They all ran, some even got heavily injured and died on the spot."

"Hm? That happened?" Shen raised his voice.

"Oi oi oi, don't tell me he had been hiding his power all this time?" Sun grinned, "That cheeky bastard."

"Selena, may we know the name of the art?" Bapho asked.

"Regalia Festivale."

Selena and the mythical beasts turned their attention toward Lyon, whose tears coursing down his cheeks.