Emperor's Reckoning

900 Truth?

"Regalia Festivale..." Rui muttered as her head looked down. "He was always surrounded by mystery, even though on the surface, you won't see anything particularly special about him."

Lyon wept off the tears coursing his cheeks with the back of his hand. He took a deep breath. ( I have yet to remember who he was, but he already gained my respect ).

"Darling."

"Hm?" Lyon raised his brows as he looked at Selena.

"How do you know the art that he used? Have you regained your memories?"

"My memories? Oh no, sometimes I get to hear or see things out of the blue," Lyon made a wry smile. "Most of the time, they were fragments of the past."

"I see, the story of the valiant pig must be the trigger," Rui hopped forward. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" Lyon raised his brows.

"I know the memories of you, are concealed within the sea of memories," Rui solemnly looked at him. "Once you try to regain your memories, your soul will collapse. It will be pain unimaginable, something that even that old man in paradise never experienced."

Lyon gulped. "Mother, you're frightening me."

"You should be," Rui nodded. "You are, right now, a singularity that fate is most afraid of, once you bonded with your past, fate cannot proclaim you."

"What.. does that mean, mother?"

"That means that you are out of the vision of the seers," said Rui. "They always like to read the string of the fate, the higher the grade on their glabella, the more they can see."

"I once met them, well, one of them back in First Heaven."

"What? And what do they say about you?"

"They, uh, I don't think I've made a request yet, I forgot. However, Cecile did speak to her in the garden then. I don't know what they were talking about."

"I see, it's better that way," Rui nodded. "Your identity has been erased by Paradise, which will undoubtedly be, their greatest regret."

"Darling, everyone knew your name, but not who you were," Selena smiled. "This is the most ideal situation for striking them for what they've done."

"You're right, but right now, I'm sorry, I'm not in the mood for vengeance," Lyon shook his head to their astonishment, "I did die, I believe that. However, there is something off, how did I die? Because, hehe, hearing from you, I think I'm one heck of a cultivator then."

"Of course you are, you're my son," Rui proudly says. "They must have used underhanded tactics to kill you."

"They did," Selena answered solemnly before everyone caught her fingers burrowing against her palm.

The tight clench made Lyon part his lips before he darted his glance toward his woman, "Selena, calm down. I'm here now."

"Sorry, darling..." Selena sighed.

( She is not going to tell me, isn't she? ) said Lyon inwardly. "Selena, do you have any other alternatives to reattach Karina's arm?"

Lyon's ears twitched as he heard the blood inside her woman boil. He could see her forced smile. ( Woah, that's some aura coming out of her! Damn! ).

"Hahaha," Rui laughed. "Don't be so mad, my son is a natural womanizer."

"I don't know," Selena shook her head with her nose slightly rose. "Though, going to Hell is a viable option."

Lyon's lips twitched ( Is it really viable though? ).

"The Paradise has put a seal on the gates that lead to Hell, however, not all gates are sealed equally," said Rui. "The main gate that was by the end of this land, that's probably the strongest one they have."

"You saw it, mother?"

"En, this woman and I managed to approach it whilst that Seraphim Cultivator was doing whatever the stupid he was doing," Rui smirked.

"How is it?"

"It's basically impossible to break," Rui shook her head, "It was layered and layered with complicated runes, deciphering it would be a mountainous task. Also, it was eating mana to reinforce itself."

"That's a really high-level rune," Bapho grunted.

( I had never seen him grunt before ) thought Lyon as he looked at the wisest in the room. "Oh wait, that explains the thin mana surrounding this world, or continent, damn it! They never properly address this! Is it a new world or just a continent?"

"The Mortal World was once one, Lyon," said Bapho. "A great battle in the lost age gave this archipelago of worlds."

"Did I... take part in it?"

"No, the Mortal World was already like this when I was born," Bapho shook his head, "Which makes me wonder if we truly are able to find the truth about what happened there."

"Perhaps the answer would be kept hidden in that library," Sun sighed before grabbing a gourd out of nowhere and drinking a mouthful.

"Library? Oh, that's right, perhaps the old man there knows how to fix her up," said Rui.

"You mean that library that nobody knows where it's going?" Lyon raised his brows.

"Yeah, the Travelling Library," Rui nodded. "Ah, it's been so long since I was there."

"Wait, you visited there?" Shen raised his brows.

"Well, of course, I am," Rui raised her brows. "You think I'm not worthy?"

"Certainly you are," Shen nodded firmly.

"That's a matter of luck though," Lyon shrugged. "We need more than luck, we need, anti-mana."

"Well that girl called Kesya is an anti-mana cultivator," uttered Rui. "However, she couldn't do much healing, couldn't she?"

"I don't know, I don't think so," Lyon shrugged.

"She can't darling, she is more into combat than anything," Selena sighed.

Lyon sighed. With every train of thought, he only ended with a wall that he couldn't break over. The feeling of being so versatile and powerful yet useless at the same time was crunching his soul. He owed Karina his life, twice even. However, he couldn't find a way to heal her limb.

"How about taking a walk, Lyon? Clean your head," said Rui. "Nothing like contemplating what you should do next."

"Mother is right, darling," said Selena. "Any decision you made in haste often brings regrets."

( Damn, they are already a team ) thought Lyon. "You're both right."

"I can accompany you if you like," asked Selena.

...

The creaked door shut at last, leaving Rui and the other three.

"Rui, did you mean it? The pig was already there even before the three of them?" asked Sun.

"Yes, he was already there, however, I and the White Assassin failed to notice his condition because you know, we are preoccupied with his death."

Bapho sighed, "Why didn't you tell him the truth?"

"What truth?" Rui raised his brows.

"Of how Lyon was able to resurrect."

"Well, why didn't you?" asked Rui with her brows frowned menacingly.

"I had yet the chance to do so."

"You think I have?"

"You're his mother," said Bapho.

"And you're his grandfather, all three of you," said Rui as she looked at them bowing their heads. She sighed, "I don't want to burden him even more."

"Avoiding the truth will inevitably hurt him later," said Bapho. "However, there is something that you need to know regarding his death."

"What is it?"

"He knew it was going to happen."

Rui's eyes opened wide. "What did you say?"

"He told us, Rui," Shen spoke. "His old soul managed to take over the body for a short period of time due to the new one being injured by a Cockatrice."

"He knew? He lived... with the knowledge that he will die...? HOW DARE FATE DID THAT TO HIM! MY BOY!" her raging voice made the other three tremble. Even though they knew she couldn't exert the strength she once had, there was no denying her superiority. "My sweet child..."

Her voiced slowly turned solemn and trailed off.

...

Lyon and Selena got out of the inn, oblivious to the eyes watching from the window above.

Selena slipped her hand against his arm and strolled on the street. Lyon raised his brows before feeling his shoulder being the lap of her head. They strolled the street, garnering the attention of local and non-local adventurers alike. Their jaws dropped and their eyes kept rubbing. They couldn't believe what they were seeing despite them being within a reachable distance.

"OI, oi, the Fang has been chosen!"

"Oh my god, the perfect couple!"

"Damn it! She is taken!"

"Hey, wait a minute, her eyes are blue."

"Who cares! It's Zelena and Lyon! They are a match made in primordial!"

Selena chuckled, "Hey, darling."

"Hm?"

"You know, it would be a lot more natural if you try to be bashful a little bit."

"Hahaha!" Lyon made a wide laugh before answering her softly, "Now why would I do that? You're my wife, let the envious envy."

Selena grinned, "Darling, can you tell me a story."

"Story? What story? I'm not a good storyteller."

"About the time after I gave you our wedding ring," said Selena.