A man appeared on Apeiron in the midst of conflict.
The Nox Worshippers and enemy forces fully revealed their intentions and began their onslaught, and his presence, frankly, went unnoticed.
Because he was already crippled. His Divinity had been shattered as he fled here.
His body landed in the Helia Forest, and noticing its terrain, he traveled deeper and deeper until he found a place where he could hide and recuperate.
He stayed there for many months, alone and living the life of a wild man. It was quite different from what he was used to, but perhaps that was why he enjoyed it.
At some point, he met a woman.
She also lived in the forest, but unlike his gruff appearance, she remained prim and pristine regardless of circumstance.
She was like a fairy, untouched by the world.
The two strangers fell in love and intertwined their lives. They solidified their communion, and the woman ended up pregnant with his child.
He wanted to live the rest of his life in peace with her.
But fate was cruel.
His pursuers noticed his presence and gave chase.
Knowing of their arrival beforehand, one night, the man quietly left his wife and unborn child in their home, fleeing fast as far as possible.
His broken body could only take him so far.
He was caught and forced to fight. He used every remaining ounce of his power, and as he was dying on the cold earth, a shadow appeared before him.
It slaughtered his enemies and took him away, to a hidden realm away from perception.
Here, that shadow nursed him to health, and he became more acquainted with her.
She was also a denizen of this world. She didn't help him, but instead merely attacked those harming their world.
How would she react when she learned he was of the same origins?
It seemed his broken body concealed his lineage, because no matter how much time passed, she didn't notice his oddity.
The duo remained together for a long time, and once again, the man fell in love.
Another child was conceived.
But this time, the man didn't hold unnecessary hopes.
He was prepared for the enemies' arrival from the start, and used his time to find a way to guarantee his woman's survival.
After all, unlike the first one, this woman interacted with the Nox before. Her image was engraved in their collective consciousness, as was her meeting with him.
This was how Zara's mother ended up in the First Dungeon.
The First Dungeon that Kurt Galloway connected to Helia Forest was his lifeline.
That man's fate was unknown. At some point, he left Apeiron's sphere of influence.
But those two women…
Unbeknownst to that man, the woman he first loved was the Beast Empress of the time.
Aha remained in the Helia Forest and birthed her child naturally. That child grew up in the warring era and matured in a baptism of flames.
As for the latter…
Apeiron couldn't see inside the First Dungeon, but Damien could guess what happened.
Zara wasn't born until around the time he was.
And unlike Alea, Zara was birthed from an egg.
Her mother likely died in the First Dungeon after waiting endlessly for her child to awaken, and the family Zara was born into was made up of wolves she subdued for the very purpose of protecting her child.
Her plans didn't go the way she wished for them to, but Damien's presence saved that poor child and allowed her to grow into her lineage.
Zara and Alea were half-sisters. Their father was a Nox being with status that couldn't be low considering how adamant the Nox were about capturing him, and their mothers…
'It's difficult. Without seeing their beast forms, there's no way of knowing what their origins were.'
The connection between Zara and Alea was easy to discover, but only on the surface.
'Their mothers were also related somehow. The way their mana interacts is…'
Like Yin and Yang, perfectly opposing yet complementary forces.
"Is there anything else?" Damien asked.
[Unfortunately not, Master. I can only show you the memories of this world, not the thoughts of those residing within it.]
Damien nodded. This wasn't the regular memory transfer he was used to, where he could feel the thoughts and emotions of those he was shown.
If he wanted to know more, he first had to discover the identity of Zara's father, or the species of both women's mothers.
Damien looked down at the still-ongoing fight and sighed.
'I wish I could do more, but there's really nothing lef—'
Damien's eyes instantly widened.
'Wait…her father is a Nox being?'
This was Damien's first introduction to Ultak Murrobun, the Divine Emperor, the only Nox being able to reproduce with other races.
Zara learned of his identity on Calypto, but Damien wasn't privy to this information.
It was one of the very few secrets she kept from him.
But now, there was no more to hide.
Damien descended from the sky and stopped the fight with his power as the Star Master, separating the two women.
He explained to them their connection as sisters from the same father, and upon learning this, Zara also offered up what she knew about the man.
There was no need to hide it anymore.
Alea's reaction was subtle, but her discomfort could be felt.
There was no way she didn't know she had Nox lineage at this point, but she was likely trying to deny it to the best of her ability.
Now that there was a partial reasoning for their connection and a reason for the duo to stay together…
'That's the end of my job.'
This wasn't his story.
He could lend his aid, but it wouldn't help either woman if he did all the work for them.
He could only hope that his aid was truly helpful to them.
"Zara, why don't you stay with Alea for a while? For now, you can't move freely in Grand Heavens Boundary, and her aura equalizes yours so it's harder to sense your bloodline. It would be best for the two of you to spend more time together."
Damien made a suggestion that made both women frown, but Zara especially.
She had rarely left Damien since the start of their journey. Even when she was comatose in the Sanctuary, she was still in a place filled with his presence.
For her to separate entirely…
'No, maybe this is really for the best.'
Zara could read his thoughts and understood his intentions.
She didn't want to rely on him too much either. Damien couldn't give her all his time and she didn't want to hold him back when he was moving with such determination towards his goals.
Maybe it was time for her to establish a goal of her own.
She looked at Alea, who snorted and looked away, but didn't oppose, and nodded.
"Okay. I will travel with her for now. But…"
She looked back at Damien, a slightly desperate look in her eyes.
"…don't forget about me."
Damien smiled.
Her appearance now was like a little girl, filling him with endearing feelings.
He pulled her close and gave her a warm, reassuring hug.
"Since when was that a possibility? Who am I to you?" He asked teasingly.
Zara blushed and turned her head away in embarrassment.
"Big…big brother…"
"Exactly. What kind of big brother would forget about his little sister? Don't worry about such little things and go. You know I'm always on your side."
"Mm…"
Zara wrapped her arms around him and tightly returned his hug, sinking into his body for a moment before separating.
Becoming independent from one's caretaker was hard. It wasn't about becoming self-sufficient. The difficulty came from leaving one's support system.
But every chick had to leave the nest at some point.
This was that time for Zara.
Under Damien's complicated gaze, she left with Alea.
To have adventures and experiences of her own, to see the world on her own.
Damien sighed to himself.
'Everyone always complains when they're here, but it's heart-wrenching to watch them go.'
The next time he saw that girl, she would be a woman in her own right.
It hurt. It definitely hurt, but…
'I can't wait to see how far you can go.'
