The dark beast was dead. Aiden, Haco, and Alpha were in the forest, not far from the Soulless City that had just been destroyed. This forest was called the Rose Petal Forest. Despite the disaster of the city, one could see a large and beautiful forest nearby, with trees whose pink petals gently fell with the breeze.
Alpha stood with his back against a tree, while Aiden and Haco were facing him. A silence lingered for several seconds. After all, witnessing the power of an Brilliance rank wasn't something that happened every day. Even though Aiden's family, the Blaze family from the Southern continent, was of high rank, its members were rarely around. They often went on missions to the Central continent. Therefore, Aiden and Haco had never seen with their own eyes the true power of an Brilliance rank.
Aiden broke the silence.
"Wow, wow, wow! Is this the power of an Brilliance rank? It's incredible! And on top of that, you have legendary Pupils... the famous red pupils!"
"The dark beast of the black wave lasted only a few seconds against you," Haco said, all excited.
Aiden and Haco were children of the Blaze family. They had been sent on a mission to the North Continent to eliminate the demon of the Soulless City. It turned out that this demon was actually the dark beast of the black wave.
Of course, why would the Blaze family, indirectly linked to the royal court of the Central Continent, accept a mission on another continent?
The reason was that the inhabitants were being attacked by wild boars, wolves, and other species. In most cases, when a massive wave of animals attacked the town, it was a sign that a demon was hiding behind it all.
The leader of the Soul-less City, though one couldn't really call him that, had asked for help from the royal court. Of course, many families had refused, and the only one to accept was the Blaze family.
The Blaze family is strict when it comes to their lineage, and no failure is tolerated. This was Aiden and Haco's first mission. If they succeeded, they would be officially named Pupils in service to the Blaze family and the royal court. Otherwise, they would be sidelined, or even rejected by their own family. Failure was not an option.
In the end, this mission was both a failure and a success. The failure lay in the fact that Aiden had caused an explosion, killing 60% of the inhabitants of the City Without Soul, and that he had failed against the Dark Beast, which killed the remaining inhabitants. However, it was also a success because the Dark Beast was dead, even though neither Aiden nor Haco had killed it.
"Anyway, it's all over now. You lost a relic and the city has been completely destroyed. How are you going to explain that to your parents, hmpf?" Alpha said, smiling.
"..." Aiden and Haco said nothing.
It was a shame for the Blaze family, and Alpha knew it, which is why he was mocking them.
"Stop mocking us, Snow White!" said Haco.
Who was he calling "Snow White"? A rather unusual nickname to give to Alpha, an extremely powerful Pupils. But it wasn't entirely untrue. Alpha had white hair, his eyelashes and eyebrows were the same color, and his skin, radiant white, only added to his appearance. He was also very handsome. In the end, the nickname "Snow White" suited him quite well, didn't it?
Alpha turned around, silently laughing to himself, then walked away from Aiden and Haco before stopping.
"Hmpf ahahah, here, you bunch of idiots!" Alpha said, tossing a golden Time Relic.
"Ugh, seriously, why are you giving it to us? We don't need..." Aiden started, before being cut off.
"If you plan to go back and get disowned by your family, then give it back to me. Otherwise, keep it," said Alpha.
Aiden and Haco looked at each other, surprised.
"As for the beast, tell Suliac that you defeated it by telling him a made-up story; he'll believe you as long as the beast is dead. As for the city, say that the beast literally destroyed it and there was nothing you could do."
"Ah, and I almost forgot, don't tell Suliac that you saw me, or else the Moon will be eclipsed by the Sun... unless you want to witness that event, ahaha!" said Alpha, laughing loudly.
"Th... Thank you, Alpha!" said Aiden and Haco, with tears in their eyes.
Alpha turned around and headed south towards the northern continent, while the two children, overjoyed, cried tears of relief.
They could return home without the risk of being disowned by their family. Who would want to be disowned by their own blood? No human being would have the strength to endure that; only fools would laugh at such a situation.
Several days later, at the edge of the Rose Petal Forest.
"Aaaah, finally out of that forest, the landscape might be beautiful, but staring at it for days gets tiresome," Alpha said, exhaling.
He had just exited the Rose Petal Forest when a bear appeared to his right. Alpha watched it as the bear ran.
The bear jumped before even reaching him. Alpha raised his hand, curling his middle finger. A crimson red sphere formed, then he swiftly extended his finger and flicked it. In an instant, the bear vanished from the surface of the earth.
"Being at peace doesn't exist in this world, aaaagh!" Alpha said, groaning.
In front of him, after traveling hundreds of kilometers through the forest, he finally arrived at the southern city of the northern continent, called Domina, the city of domination.