CHAPTER 167: CHAPTER 167 - MOTHER-FATHER

When Lucien summoned the soldiers back to the world, the plains of the Lootwell shone with light.

Crowds gathered as far as the eye could see. Families, citizens and subjects from every corner of his territories. The air was heavy with emotion.

Tears, laughter and disbelief mixed freely as families reunited.

Mothers clung to their sons. Lovers embraced their wounded. And children ran into the arms of their fathers.

But not all who returned had such joy.

Some stood alone with downcast eyes, holding only the names of those who never came back.

Lucien stepped forward. The noise faded as he raised his hand.

"Today," he began. His voice was calm yet heavy, "we honor those who gave everything. Not for glory but for peace. Their sacrifice will be written in the core of history itself."

He looked around, meeting the faces of the grieving.

"As your Lord, I must apologize. I cannot return what was taken," he continued quietly. "But I swear upon my name and upon the power that I hold... none of your families will be forgotten or mistreated. Their names will be remembered. Not as the fallen! But as the heroes who saved our world."

A long silence followed.

Then... from among the soldiers and families, a voice rose.

"Please don’t apologize, my lord," one of the veterans said. "You gave us something worth fighting for."

Another added through tears. "We owe you our lives. If it’s for you, Lord Lucien... We’d fight again."

The sentiment spread like a wave. People wept not in anger but in gratitude.

There was no resentment. There was no blame. Only loyalty and love.

Lucien closed his eyes and exhaled. He felt their hearts and their emotions. It was a weight that softened something deep inside him.

Soon after, he watched their reunion in silence while Vivian stood quietly beside him. No words were spoken and none were needed.

The simple presence of one another was enough. After everything that had happened, just being there was something they were grateful for.

Then... he left quietly.

...

In the solitude of his room, Lucien sank into his bed. The echo of their voices were still in his mind but his heart was calm now.

Then...

He entered his Divine Energy Core.

At the deepest part of his inner world, Lucien could feel it. A steady rhythm echoed like a heartbeat.

The two fragments pulsed in tandem. Their glow flickered in perfect harmony as if beckoning him closer.

He raised his hand and with a single thought, the fragments floated before him. Their radiance deepened and the threads of light intertwined like living veins of energy.

Lucien took a slow breath. Then, he brought his hands together.

The instant the fragments touched... the world seemed to explode into brilliance. A blinding light engulfed everything.

Then... power surged through him like an ocean breaking its dam. His body trembled under the pressure yet he couldn’t look away. It was vast. It was alive. And it was intoxicating.

"No wonder everyone fought for these things... This feeling... It’s addicting." he whispered.

And then he saw it... the two fragments began to twist and fold into one another. The light condense.

And when the glow finally settled... A single, larger shard hovered before him. Each throb of light sent a wave of warmth and energy through his body.

Then came the flood.

Information poured into his mind like a river breaching its banks. His breath hitched as the torrent of knowledge anchored deep within his consciousness..

When the light faded... He stood there, motionless and breathless.

"What... the... fuck..." Lucien muttered under his breath, blinking. "This thing... it’s more than just power."

He learned something new... Most of it revealed how to utilize the fragment’s power. How its essence could shape, bless, or destroy depending on the will of its bearer.

But one revelation stood out among the rest.

Just as the miasma could corrupt whatever it touched... he could do the same with divine energy. In other words, it followed the same principle.

With the fragment’s power, Lucien realized he could baptize others. He could grant them the ability to wield divine energy.

The realization sent a chill and a thrill down his spine.

He didn’t yet know how the process would work but one thing was certain... he would find out. And when he did, the world would never be the same.

Jus then... an echo broke through the silence.

"No wonder... no wonder why!!! You have those fragments!!!"

Lucien groaned. The voice had been shouting ever since he entered his divine energy core. It’s growing more obnoxious by the second. He chose to ignore it earlier but now...

"If I had known! If I had known of this, I’d never have sided with those filthy monsters!"

Lucien turned, irritated, toward the chained figure kneeling on the distant ground.

Ashreth.

"You done?" Lucien muttered, rubbing his temple.

Ashreth sneered, pulling against his chains.

"You don’t understand what you’ve become. I can teach y—"

Lucien kicked him square in the chest. The impact sent the man flying across the landscape, crashing into a hill.

"Wait your fucking turn. I’ll deal with you later." Lucien said flatly.

The echo of the crash faded. Lucien sighed, turning his gaze back to the glowing fragment hovering before him.

"Who would’ve thought this thing hides so much power... That’s the Origin Core for you."

He crossed his arms.

"But first... who should I baptize?"

He fell into deep thought. There might be limits on the number of people he could baptize. And maybe, there are consequences too.

He couldn’t rush it.

Moments later, he stood up and surveyed the vast realm of his inner world.

His eyes gleamed as he made a gesture.

The "miniature Earth" before him stirred. No, it wasn’t miniature anymore. It was almost the size of Earth.

With a thought, Lucien restored what he had once hidden.

The vaults beneath the surface opened, revealing his vast shelves of drops once again. The Gargoyle Dungeon inside the mountains reappeared. Its gates rumbled awake. Even the doors made by his Skillpedia and Magic Book shimmered back into existence.

He turned to face them. Every door was now unlocked. It’s a silent testimony to how far he’d come. He had surpassed Level 100 now.

"Oh right... the system notifications," he muttered. "That can wait. I’ll deal with the noise first."

Lucien glanced where Ashreth flew off earlier.

But before he could take another step... a pulse rippled through the air.

From the nearest door, two figures of light emerged. One male and one female.

The man stretched lazily and the woman walked forward with grace.

Lucien froze. The world stilled.

He... knew them.

"Mother—Father?"

The words escaped his lips in a whisper. It was one filled with disbelief and a storm of emotion he wasn’t prepared to feel.

Lucien felt his heart tremble.

Then...

Their eyes met. No, not eyes exactly. They were figures of light so they don’t have eyes. Yet Lucien felt their gaze upon him all the same.

For a heartbeat, time stood still.

The male figure lifted his hand and gave Lucien a thumbs-up. The gesture was so simple yet it seemed to carry a thousand unspoken words.

Beside him, the female figure lifted her arm and waved gracefully.

Lucien’s throat tightened. Words refused to come. He could only stare at them silently.

Then they moved.

The two luminous figures drifted through the air... toward Ashreth.

Lucien blinked, startled, as the chained being was suddenly yanked off his feet.

"NO—NO WAY! How can you still be alive?! I have killed you two already. THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE!"

The figures of light ignored the noise. They each held one of Ashreth’s arms and dragged him across the glowing horizon toward the doors.

And then... the unexpected happened.

They began arguing?

Not with words but through gestures and bursts of energy that rippled through the air. The male pulled toward one direction, the female toward another.

But in the end, the female’s will prevailed.

She tugged Ashreth toward a door marked Runes and Magic Circles.

Before disappearing inside, she turned one last time and waved at Lucien.

The male figure hesitated at the threshold. He looked back at Lucien and made a beckoning gesture as if saying ’come with us.’

But the female caught his arm and pulled him through the doorway.

The door closed behind them.

Lucien stood frozen. His chest rose and fell in disbelief.

He didn’t want to follow. Not yet.

He then called for Cielius. He brought him inside his divine energy core.

"Grandpa Ciel," Lucien said, still staring at the closed door. "My mother and father... their souls... they’ve evolved. They took Ashreth with them, through that door. Can you please come inside and see what’s happening there?"

Cielius’ eyes brightened with intrigue. "Grandson... why not come with me and see for yourself?"

Lucien shook his head. "I’ll follow later. There’s something I need to do first."

The elder nodded in understanding. He approached the door and stepped inside.

Silence fell again.

In truth, Lucien’s storm of emotions had not yet settled. His heart still wavered between disbelief and longing.

He didn’t know how to face his parents. They were different from before. When he had trained inside those doors, they acted like programmed souls. They were easier to face that way.

But now... their presence... It’s as if they were alive. Now, they could even step beyond the doors themselves.

It was overwhelming.

Turning away, he refocused his gaze on the three dungeon cores floating nearby. The ones he had taken from the Twisted Towers.

Their corrupted glow pulsed faintly.

Lucien clenched his fist. "Let’s start with purification," he murmured.

But then...

The heavy sound of a door swinging open echoed.

Lucien turned sharply.

Cielius’s voice followed, booming with an excitement Lucien had never heard from him before.

"Hahaha! Grandson! Come here now. You wouldn’t believe this!"