In truth, Damien felt something more between Zara and Alea.
It was an ethereal thing, similar to the many connections he'd felt between himself and other beings.
He still remembered the moment Zara mentioned, back when Damien met the rulers of this world before the Nexus Event started.
Zara felt the strange connection then, and her immature mind immediately put her on guard against the Beast Empress.
Now that she'd grown into an expert herself, it was the perfect time for her to confront this connection.
'Since we're in the Human Domain, she can act freely without worrying about outside interference. I'll have to find a way to conceal her lineage before we return to the wider universe.'
Everything else was up to Zara.
Damien's focus was on the most terrifying thing for a man.
Meeting the in-laws.
The current Damien was a grown man. When he looked back on his audacity as a youth, he wanted to crawl in a hole and die.
He…definitely wasn't a sane person back then.
Returning to the palace, Damien felt more nervous than ever.
Because he finally confirmed his relationship with Rose. This was something he promised Emperor Adelaire long ago.
Damien gathered all his confidence as he walked through the palace gates.
The guards did not question his identity, but instead bowed respectfully as he passed.
When he entered the main building, there was a maid waiting to escort him to the throne room.
'She really set everything up, huh.'
The nostalgic throne room doors that were far too big to be practical opened for him, and the Adelaire Emperor's domineering figure was revealed.
He didn't age a day. The indifferent gaze in his eyes hadn't changed a bit.
When he saw Damien, he started judging the young man without any hesitation.
In all honesty, the first time he met this child, while he admired his courage, he was worried about his future.
The Damien of that time was too scattered to get anywhere in life.
Even when he promised Rose to him, he didn't take it very seriously.
He realized how much she cared about this boy later on, but it didn't register in his mind.
How could a father easily accept that his daughter was being taken away?
Yet, when Rose came back home the previous time, she was no longer chaste, and her entire mind seemed focused on finding her lost love.
And this time, she came back with a ring on her finger.
The progress in their relationship, Damien's growth he'd seen exclusively through Rose, was finally displayed before him.
The man he saw had his hair cut short, a far cry from the wild mane he used to sport. His appearance overall was more refined and mature, a fact reflected in his other facets,
His aura was contained, and an air of serenity radiated from his body.
The light in his eyes contained wisdom gathered through years of experience, a gaze that looked into the future instead of hiding in the present.
It was difficult to see this man as the same child from all those years ago.
Damien walked until he was only a few feet away from the throne platform and looked the Emperor in the eye.
He bowed his body a full 90 degrees and spoke from his heart.
"Please give me your blessing to marry your daughter."
His words were direct and without any flowers to appease this father-in-law of his.
Because everything that needed to be said could be seen from his eyes.
What was James Adelaire supposed to do here?
Reject him?
Test him?
Hell, could he even defeat his son-in-law in battle anymore?
The younger generation grew to the point where the older generation could only accept that they were the past.
He smiled wryly gazing at the bowing man.
This entire interaction was for ceremony.
Regardless of what he said, James didn't have the power to stop their communion.
Yet, the fact that his approval was still being sought, this was enough to satisfy his feelings as a father.
"Haven't we already made this promise? My daughter has been enchanted by your spell for far too long for me to reject you."
He stood up and approached Damien, putting his hand on the man's shoulder and lifting him up.
"Of course I will support your union. If there is anyone I can confidently entrust my daughter to, it is you."
Damien smiled.
"Thank you, sir. I will absolutely live up to your expectations."
James nodded and turned away.
"On that note, you have work to do. My daughter wanted to be present for this…"
Damien's face paled.
"Any chance we can act it out a second time…?"
"None at all."
"Damn."
Approval from the father-in-law was easy, but appeasing the wife-to-be was going to be a task!
Damien walked out of the throne room with his head hung.
No matter how old or powerful he got, he would never be able to beat his wives.
Such was the fate of man!
***
While Damien faithfully went to accomplish his task, a battle of great proportions was taking place in the plains of the Adelaire Empire.
Two women, both reverted to their beast forms, faced off in laws and physical strength, destroying everything around them.
Darkness and light collided. Two completely different frequencies of mana burned through the air, clashing and coalescing in a myriad of ways.
Their bodies flashed around faster than the eye could see. The environment around them was shattered and torn apart with every movement, completely contrary to Damien's ask.
However, it wasn't brutal.
Rather, it was something beautiful in its own twisted way.
Their battle was like a dance where they never used power outside their opponent's capabilities. They matched laws with equally complex laws, and every time the scale of their battle increased, it did so with such fluidity that one would believe their clash was rehearsed.
Their connection became more pronounced the more they interacted.
There was no way for these women to claim they were not related anymore.
The question was…where did that relation lie?
Zara's eyes were firm.
Alea's entire being represented light. She was almost holy just in aura, disregarding all her other facets.
Yet, why…?
'Why can I feel Nox Mana from her?'
It was slight and almost unnoticeable, but as someone who'd faced her Demonic Providence, Zara was absolutely sure about her perception.
Alea was related to the Nox somehow.
And not just any Nox, but the same Nox beings Zara was related to!
However, nothing could be confirmed at this moment because neither had a clue as to what their true origins were.
The only way to find out was to go back 10,000 years or more.
Back to when the Nox were invading Apeiron.
Over an hour passed since their battle began.
Damien already finished appeasing Rose and came over to check on them.
Upon having this very realization, he submerged his senses into the world.
If it was memories of the past, there was one entity who could show him more clearly than anyone in the universe.
[Master, prepare your mind. I will now transport you to the past era.]
