"I don't know. Ever since the coma... I've had this strange feeling."
Zane looked down at his hands.
"Like there's something missing. It keeps tugging at the back of my mind. Like a gap in my memory. Like I forgot a dream... but the dream refuses to forget me."
"Hmm." Caelum stroked his beard thoughtfully. "My son would know more about that than I."
"You do?" Zane asked.
"I've spent my life swinging swords and burning Nihils with light." The old man chuckled. "Aldren spent his reading books."
He leaned back in his chair. "Truth be told... I never truly believed the legends surrounding Sovereigns."
"You didn't?"
"They were stories. Tales passed from one generation to another. Every Light Lord before me believed they'd never appear again."
"So what changed?"
Caelum's expression darkened. "A vision." Silence settled over the room. "A few months ago. The same time I suspect you awakened."
"What kind of vision?"
"A creature." His voice became noticeably quieter. "Dark as the deepest night. It had no face... yet somehow I knew it was looking at me."
Zane's breathing slowed. "The Principle of Void?"
Caelum slowly nodded. "It called itself that. It spoke of your birth. It called you the Apex Sovereign. Then it vanished."
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Finally, Caelum looked toward the young man standing beside the door. "Kieran."
The young man straightened. "Yes, Lord Caelum."
"Go fetch Aldren."
The door quietly shut behind him.
"So..." Zane broke the silence. "Who exactly are you?"
Caelum laughed. "I was wondering when you'd ask."
"I know you're important. You've got a citadel, a granddaughter that shines brighter than the sun, and everyone calls you Lord. So who are you?"
The old man smiled. "Curious. I like that."
He raised one finger. Golden light gathered at its tip, not bright enough to blind, just enough to illuminate the room. Then it expanded outward.
Walls disappeared. The ceiling dissolved. The floor beneath Zane's feet became cracked earth, and he looked around slowly.
"...What."
An endless battlefield stretched before him. Cities burned beneath a crimson sky. Mountains had collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of creatures resembling the one that attacked him swarmed across the land, some walking, others flying, some so enormous they dwarfed skyscrapers.
"An illusion?" Zane whispered.
"A memory." Caelum's voice echoed through the battlefield. "This was my generation."
The vision shifted. Young men and women cloaked in different colors rushed across the battlefield. One wielded crimson flames, another froze entire rivers, one controlled storms, another bent the earth itself.
"Awakened," Zane murmured.
Caelum nodded. "We fought for twelve years. The Dormants never knew."
"Dormants?"
"The name we use for ordinary humans. Not as an insult. They simply never awakened. They live normal lives, untouched by the Eternal Force."
The battlefield changed again. A small town appeared, people walking the streets, children laughing, merchants trading. Above them, three grotesque creatures crawled across rooftops. Nobody reacted.
"They can't see them?"
"Stage One through Stage Five Nihils exist beyond a Dormant's perception."
Zane suddenly remembered. "No wonder no one reacted. They thought I just ran out of class."
Caelum chuckled. "Exactly."
The illusion continued. The three creatures suddenly evolved, their bodies twisting, bones cracking, growing twice their size. People below screamed, cars crashed, buildings shook.
"Stage Six." Caelum folded his arms. "From that point onward, everyone sees them."
"So the stronger they become, the harder they are to hide."
"Correct."
The battlefield shifted again. Eight colossal Nihils emerged from the smoke, each one towering above entire city blocks, dark wings spread across the sky, their roars shaking the illusion itself. Standing before all eight was a younger Caelum, his hair still silver, his shoulders broader, a blade of pure light resting in his hand.
"You fought those?"
"Unfortunately."
The younger Caelum charged. The battle that followed was unlike anything Zane had ever imagined. Entire hills disappeared beneath beams of light, clouds split apart, the earth melted. One Nihil fell, then another, then another. The last creature drove its claw straight through Caelum's chest. The illusion froze, then vanished.
The room returned... Everywhere went quiet.
Caelum slowly opened the front of his robe, revealing a jagged scar stretched diagonally across his chest.
"My closest brush with death. Eight Stage Nines."
"You fought all of them?"
"I survived." He corrected him with a grin. "Barely. I earned my title that day. Lord of Light."
Zane let out a slow breath. "I don't think I've ever seen anything that insane."
"You'll see worse." Caelum closed his robe. "The world is far older than you think. And far more deceptive."
Zane hesitated before asking the question that had been bothering him. "If battles like that happened, wouldn't everyone know Awakened exist?"
Caelum laughed. "That's because you still believe governments are run by Dormants."
Zane blinked. "They're not?"
"The overwhelming majority of presidents, kings, prime ministers and military leaders throughout history have been Awakened. It is power that attracts power." He pointed at Zane. "Think carefully. Have you ever personally met someone who successfully became president?"
"No."
"Exactly. You've met campaigners, politicians, governors. But those who reach the very top are usually one of us."
Zane leaned back. "So the people protecting humanity are the same people ruling it."
Caelum nodded. "And sometimes they're the very ones starting the wars."
The room fell silent. A knock echoed from outside, and the door opened. A tall man in a white coat stepped inside, carrying several worn books beneath one arm. Behind him, Yuki walked in quietly, her silver hair catching the afternoon light.
Caelum smiled. "Perfect timing. Aldren, my grandson has far too many questions. And unlike me, you actually enjoy answering them."