Chương 384: Uncertain Truth

The colossal god slowly returned to his resting place. His body settled back into the Undying Valley, merging seamlessly with the landscape until it once again resembled nothing more than another mountain range. Countless tails disappeared beneath the earth, his wings folded into the cliffs, and the valleys themselves seemed to breathe as Xerax resumed his endless slumber. Before long, there was almost no trace that the being who had just shattered reality with his bare claws had ever moved at all.

Silence settled over the Paragons. None of them dared disturb the guardian again. The brief exchange had already revealed more than they had expected, far more. Artoria's words had provoked genuine fury from the ancient god before some unseen realization had stayed his hand. Whatever Xerax had sensed in that final moment had completely changed his demeanor, yet none of them understood what that revelation had been. Callum's thoughts spiraled endlessly.

'Mors Auctoris...' Until now, they had always assumed the organization threatened only their own world. But Xerax had spoken as though he had battled them for ages—long before the New Order should even have existed. How? Their own universe was merely one realm. The Tower was likely another. If those two existed... what about a third? A fourth? An endless number beyond their comprehension? Were they all under Mors Auctoris shadow? Or was Mors Auctoris itself something far older than humanity had ever realized?

The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. Every answer only seemed to give birth to another question. Then,"They know... my mother?" Evelyn's quiet voice destroyed the silence. She stared blankly toward the place where Xerax had disappeared, as though expecting the ancient dragon to emerge once more.

"What did he mean...? I don't have a family..." Callum pushed every other thought aside. Whatever mysteries the cosmos held could wait. Evelyn could not. He stepped beside her without hesitation and gently wrapped his arms around her. She didn't resist. Instead, she simply leaned against him, still staring absentmindedly toward the empty mountains while his hand slowly brushed through her hair.

"It'll be alright," he said softly. Evelyn remained silent for several moments before speaking again.

"... What does it mean, Callum?" She looked up at him with confused, frightened eyes.

"How can I have a mother... outside of blood? I don't understand..." Callum opened his mouth. Then quietly closed it again. He had no answer. Before either of them could continue, the others slowly gathered around them. Artoria remained visibly shaken, her breathing uneven as she replayed Xerax's words over and over in her mind, while the rest of the group exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whether anyone should be the first to speak. Above them, Atherius descended from the sky.

His draconic form gradually shrank until he once again appeared as the familiar bronze-skinned man with draconic features. He landed heavily upon the stone, cracks spreading beneath his feet as dust drifted outward before slowly settling once more.'' Well. Xerax certainly has never been one to keep information to himself." A faint smile crossed his lips.

"I suppose that hasn't changed." Caesar folded his arms.

"How exactly would you know that? You've never met him before today." Atherius shrugged. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Rumors spread surprisingly quickly. Especially among those few fortunate, or unfortunate enough to survive encountering him." His attention gradually shifted toward Artoria. She still hadn't moved. One hand tightly gripped her opposite arm, her knuckles white from the pressure as she remained lost in thought.

"Miss. You said you were once married to the dragon called Dagon." Artoria slowly nodded.

"Yes." She hesitated before lifting her eyes to meet his.

"Tell me. Should I really be dead?"

"Why are you asking me?" Artoria's composure finally cracked.

"Don't play ignorant. You obviously know more than any of us! So answer me! Am I supposed to be dead or not?!" For a long moment, Atherius simply watched her. Finally, he sighed.

"May I ask something first? The name of the one who revived you." The atmosphere shifted. Callum's hand drifted toward his sword. Yuki lowered herself into a combat stance. Even Caesar's normally calm expression hardened.

"Why does his name matter?" Caesar asked carefully.

"Do you know him?" Atherius raised both hands peacefully.

"I understand your suspicion."

"I'll explain." He paused briefly before continuing.

"My companions and I were sent here after suffering defeat at the hands of a certain Enigma. He happened to be training a disciple at the time." His eyes grew distant, as though recalling a memory he had not revisited in a very long time.

"His abilities are the only ones I've ever witnessed capable of restoring someone whose soul has already been destroyed." Caesar studied him for another moment before slowly raising a hand toward the others.

"They're lowering theirs." Reluctantly, everyone relaxed. Yuki clicked her tongue, though she kept a careful eye on Atherius all the same.

"Aw. No fun." Atherius gave her an amused glance before turning his attention back toward Artoria, his expression settling into something more thoughtful.

"What was his name?" Artoria answered quietly.

"Vale." Atherius nodded almost immediately.

"Then yes. The name matches. The disciple I encountered was indeed called Vale." Callum frowned, folding his arms as countless questions surfaced all at once.

"Is there anything else you know about him? Or about his Plane?" Atherius asked Callum shook his head.

"The last person we sent to investigate barely managed to glimpse it before his arm was blown off. He never even physically entered." Atherius laughed softly, though there was little humor behind it.

"Yes. That sounds about right. He wasn't particularly welcoming toward us either." His smile became faintly nostalgic.

"We were at least strong enough to resist for a short while before our inevitable defeat landed us here... but that story isn't important today." Clearing his throat, he continued, "From what we observed, his Enigma possessed an absurd affinity for Atum."

"No..." He corrected himself with a thoughtful frown.

"Affinity isn't even the proper word. It was as though Atum itself obeyed him. Our conclusion was that such overwhelming compatibility naturally transferred to the boy." His gaze shifted back toward Artoria.

"As for your resurrection... I believe the explanation is surprisingly straightforward." He folded his hands behind his back.

"If your soul had truly been destroyed... then Vale most likely recovered a surviving fragment. Even a single remaining piece would have been enough."

"Using that fragment as a blueprint... he reconstructed the rest." The group fell silent. Callum's eyes grew.

"That's possible?" Atherius nodded without hesitation.

"For him? Perhaps, for anyone else? I sincerely doubt it." He continued in the same calm tone.

"Naturally, rebuilding your soul would have required seeing it. which also means... he almost certainly witnessed your memories." Artoria lowered her head.

"I see." Caesar narrowed his eyes, studying the older man carefully.

"You're awfully knowledgeable... why?" Atherius smiled faintly.

"I've spent most of my free time studying that Enigma. I wanted to understand what sent us here." His expression gradually became more serious.

"Because he was unlike anything my companions or I had ever encountered." Caesar tilted his head.

"... Unlike how?" Atherius searched for the proper words. none came. Eventually, he sighed.

"Imagine someone manipulating reality itself. Not through techniques. Not through authority. But as casually as someone pulls on a loose thread." His voice became quieter.

"If I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes... I would have believed I was standing before Creation itself. He defeated all of us within moments." His expression darkened.

"And he accomplished that while the overwhelming majority of his power remained sealed." A bitter smile crossed his face.

"When viewed from that perspective... Vale's absurd affinity for Nirvana suddenly makes perfect sense." Callum rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully.

"So..."

"Vale is somehow connected to reality itself?"

"I mean... Atum is the foundation of existence. If his Enigma controls that... then why is Vale still so weak?" Atherius nodded, as though he had expected exactly that question.

"I believe that's explained by the seal as well. If his master's restraints truly limit him... then they likely suppress the vast majority of Vale's true potential."

"What remains... are only fragments. Exceptional affinities. Unusual talents. But not genuine power." A faint smile returned.

"When I saw him... he wasn't training his abilities, he was training his body. Almost as though he intended to forge a proper vessel before ever touching the power sleeping inside him." Callum slowly nodded.

"That actually explains quite a lot." He fell silent for a moment before another question surfaced.

"You mentioned witnessing his first trial. What exactly was it?" Atherius' expression changed immediately. The faint smile disappeared, and his gaze drifted toward the stone beneath his feet. For the first time since the conversation had begun, he looked almost sympathetic.

"I still remember it." His voice became cold.

"As though I were watching a child being thrown into hell." He slowly lifted his eyes.

"There was no grand lesson. No elegant training... only death." His next words echoed through the silent valley.

"An endless cycle of dying, being reborn, and dying again. Until death itself became meaningless." None of the Paragons spoke. Even Yuki had lost her usual sarcasm. Atherius looked toward the distant horizon, his expression unreadable.

"And when that nightmare finally ended... his Enigma gave him one final objective." A long silence followed before he finished, his voice almost completely devoid of emotion.

"Defeat him..."