Vahan Empire…
"Welcome, Nero," Aron said as he greeted the teenage boy, who had traveled all the way from the territory of the Xynnar War Pact to the capital city of the Vahan Empire.
"Your Excellency," Nero bowed respectfully to Emperor Andreas' right-hand man, who had invited him to become a member of their faction.
Aron rested his hands on Nero's shoulders as he looked at the tool he would use to increase the chances of their success in clearing the Gate of Famine.
"I'm sure you are tired from your journey," Aron said before making a gesture for Nero to follow him. "We have prepared the best accommodations for you. Don't worry. Leaving the Wildgarde Stronghold was the best decision you had made. Staying there would have only hindered your growth."
Nero didn't reply and simply followed behind the High-Ranker, who thought that he had acquired a convenient tool that he could boss around.
The Wildgarde Stronghold had been kind to him, and if he was left with no other choice, he wouldn't have gone here. But since he was already in the Vahan Empire, he would just use whatever means necessary to achieve his own goal during his stay.
Aron was confident that he already had Nero in the palm of his hand.
Since the brown-haired teenager had nowhere else to go and had even given up his position as the Guildmaster of the Storm Dragon's Guild, there was no one else in the world that he could lean on aside from the Vahan Empire, who also led the Skystead Alliance.
"Today, you should just rest," Aron said as he stopped in front of Nero's Quarters, which was located inside the Royal Palace. "Tomorrow, you will meet Malcolm and the others. All of you will train together in preparation for the conquest of the Gate of Famine. I expect great things from you Nero. Don't let me down."
Nero bowed respectfully before giving his reply. "I will do my best, Your Excellency."
"Good." Aron nodded in satisfaction. "I'll have someone to fetch you tomorrow. Once again, welcome to the Vahan Empire!"
The High Ranker patted Nero's back before walking away to meet with Emperor Andreas.
Nero watched Aron go with a calm expression. However, his real emotions could be seen in the depths of his eyes, and none of them had the word "submission" written on them.
'Lux, it seems that the world is about to become your enemy,' Nero mused before turning to open the door of his room. 'I wonder how you will be able to get out of this trap that the Skystead Alliance and the Xynnar War Pact are planning behind your back.'
Nero had already let go of his grudge against the Half-Elf, but that didn't mean that he thought kindly of his rival.
This time around, Nero only planned to become a spectator in order to watch how Lux would prevail against the combined efforts of the factions who were making their moves in the shadows.
Nero opened the window of his room, and looked at the city in the distance. Now that he was in a new place, he would have to learn the unwritten rules of the Vahan Empire, which would allow him to achieve his own goals.
'Perhaps, nothing will happen when we enter the Gate of Famine,' Nero thought as he admired the scenery in front of him. 'But the fifth and final gate will surely be different.'
Nero could still remember the words of the silver-haired man when he helped him overcome the Abyssal Corruption that was tearing his body and soul apart.
"I am sealed in the Gate of the Apocalypse," the silver-haired man once said to Nero. "Free me, and I will grant you one wish."
During that time, Nero's only goal was to defeat Lux using the powers that had been bestowed upon him by the silver-haired man.
Now that the Seed of the Abyss was no longer in his heart, he was now able to think properly and understand what kind of creature the silver-haired man was.
"A High-Ranking Noble from the Abyss," Nero muttered. "I'd better think of a good excuse that would let me avoid entering the Gate of the Apocalypse. I have a feeling that meeting that silver-haired man again will not be a good thing."
The devil-like man that Nero met in the Gate of Conquest was just an avatar. Judging by the strength he possessed during that time, the brown-haired teenager was certain that the High-Ranking Abyssal Noble's true body was a High-Ranker.
If that was the case, there was no way that mere Initiates would be able to deal with him once the Gate of the Apocalypse opened.
'Even if I become a Ranker, there is still no chance of winning against that person.' Nero's gaze hardened as the thought of meeting the silver-haired man again surfaced inside his head.
Truth be told, Nero was thankful that the Seed of the Abyss was taken away from him.
When the silver-haired man helped him stabilize his condition, the High-Ranking Abyssal Noble also left a spell inside his body, allowing him to control Nero remotely.
As a proud person, Nero didn't want others to treat him as cannon fodder, controlling his fate. Now that he was free from the hold of the devil, he didn't want to be controlled a second time.
Unlike Nero, the other factions thought that the appearance of the silver-haired man was just a one-time thing.
The only thing that was on their minds was finding ways to effectively gather the resources inside the Domain of the Fallen and use those resources to strengthen their own Kingdoms.
Watching the entire world off Elysium from the Heavens, the God of Games sighed.
"The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow," Eriol said softly.
"It is not the Beasts that prowl the lands of Elysium or the Abyssal Creatures that came from the void that has pushed the world to the brink of ruin. It is the insatiable greed in each person's heart that strips this world of its future. Max… I hope you wake up soon. Your chosen candidate is treading in dangerous waters."
The God of Games could only observe the world from the Heavens and keep his intervention to the bare minimum. Right now, their chosen candidate, Lux, was still not strong enough to face the true Powerhouses of the world.
And yet, just like a moth to a flame, the Half-Elf was flying dangerously near the center of an inferno.
An Inferno that would annihilate everything it touched.
