What was Iris searching for?
The problem was that even she didn't know.
Unlike Damien who had a definite goal for meeting the Ancient Sovereign and used their conversation to take steps towards it, Iris was just looking for an "answer."
Unfortunately, the Ancient Sovereign wasn't a man who would just give people what they sought.
He would guide them there in his own special way, and whether or not they could gain anything was up to them.
So Iris struggled.
As someone who didn't know what she wanted, she struggled.
The conversation she had with the wizened entity wasn't nearly as profound and long as Damien's, but it had its own value.
The Ancient Sovereign refused to give her what she wanted, but that was good for her.
Because, for Iris, who always tried to find the best yet most complex solution to every problem, had to learn how to take things at face value and accept them.
Who was she?
What did she want?
What did she represent?
And why did she want or represent those things?
These were questions she had to answer for herself before she could even begin to answer the most pressing concern in her mind.
Just as the Ancient Sovereign said, her identity was not nearly defined enough for her to even begin to understand what she wanted to.
It sounded strange for a Demigod to encounter these problems, but it was actually relatively common.
After coming in contact with one's soul and establishing one's Divinity, a practitioner would become far more aware of themselves than ever before.
This would cement most beliefs they held beforehand, but it also gave rise to new questions that couldn't be easily answered.
Because they would realize that perhaps those fundamental thoughts they'd held since the start of their journey to power were flawed.
Those things they regarded as immutable facts might've been the very things holding them back.
And as they discovered and explored those changes, they'd grow into more complete existences.
This growth couldn't be rushed.
The Ancient Sovereign didn't entertain her the same way he did Damien. He barely spoke, and allowed her to form conclusions based on non-verbal clues more than anything else.
But for Iris, this was necessary.
She was Orion's descendant.
While he looked down on her for keeping such an immature mentality after everything she'd experienced, he didn't condemn her, because he understood that sentient beings were complex.
Everyone had their own path, and the discovery of their paths would take time regardless of how talented or intelligent they were.
Whether or not Iris could understand what he wanted to teach her was unknown, because she didn't understand it during their conversation.
However, with the ideas planted in her mind, it only took a single spark to ignite them and send her into a state of enlightenment where everything clicked.
He believed she could do it.
But she needed to face the harshness of reality first.
Despite the briefness of their conversation, it still continued for over a month.
And now that she was leaving, his gaze returned to that unknown place.
Past, present, and future.
These concepts held no meaning to him.
He understood them, but he did not experience them.
To him, they all took place at the same time. Time was not linear in his eyes.
So he could see it.
What would happen in the future, what happened in the past, and how the present was defined by and defined those instances.
Perhaps Iris didn't think she gained much.
He saw the uncertainty in her eyes, but he could not say anything to calm it.
Instead, the opportunity to do so was just around the corner.
The only question was whether it was right or wrong to let her experience it.
'An observer…'
He thought back to what Damien called him.
A mere observer.
The least significant yet most significant individual in the universe.
If that was his role, then so be it.
Whatever happened would happen.
His only job was to watch over it, like a living record of all things.
Perhaps one day, as he lived such a life, he'd see that place with his own eyes.
The place he'd been gazing at for eternity.
***
Iris returned to Damien and Orion with a frown on her face. She was much quieter than her usual self, but Damien didn't say anything about it.
'She must've learned something incomprehensible. I'll just have to wait for her to properly internalize it.'
It was an experience he'd had several times in the past. While Iris was a Demigod and an experienced human in her own right, in front of the Ancient Sovereign, she was nothing but a fleck in the expanse of all things.
Whatever she'd learned from him definitely held deep importance to her, so it was only natural for her to have such an expression.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, trying to bring her attention back to reality.
"Huu…"
Iris took a deep breath and shook her head listlessly.
"Confused."
"Haha, that'll happen," Damien responded, not pressing for more.
"Should we wait a bit before heading back out?"
Iris looked at him gratefully. She wasn't going to suggest it since she felt bad for holding them back, but she truly couldn't fight to her full potential with her current state of mind.
She needed to sit down and process everything. She needed to gain an understanding of herself.
Though she wanted to express her intent, the look in Damien's eyes made her realize she didn't need to.
After hesitating for a moment, she sat down nearby and closed her eyes, sinking her mind inward.
Damien glanced at her before turning to Orion.
"So, what do you plan to do?" He asked.
"Me?" Orion replied strangely.
"Who else?"
"Haha, are you truly asking me to join you right now?"
"What, you have a problem with that?"
"Not necessarily, but I assumed you would?"
"Haha, you're funny."
"What does that mean?"
"Hm? Nothing at all."
Damien shrugged noncommittally, aggravating Orion to the extreme, but the man sighed wryly and dropped the matter.
"I will stay with my elder brother. Now that three of us are gone, there is much for the two of us to do."
Damien nodded in understanding.
"Alright, but don't hide your location like before. It's annoying trying to find you without a point of reference."
"That makes me want to do it even more, though?"
"Just wait until I become a Demigod. I'm going to beat your ass."
"Hahaha, I wholeheartedly accept that challenge! Even if I have given you my loyalty, as a grandfather, it is my duty to put you in your place at least once."
"Pfft…! If you think you can, then go ahead and try."
Damien and Orion glared at each other with eyes full of fighting spirit before shaking hands and bidding farewell.
With Orion following the Ancient Sovereign to places unknown, Damien and Iris were left alone again.
It would be several months before they started acting again, and the situation would go through a myriad of changes in that time as the fighting between two sides became more severe, but that didn't have much to do with them.
After all, they were far separated from any of the main battlegrounds.
Yet…
As Iris focused on meditation and Damien rested nearby, they failed to notice the dark clouds above gathering in full.
Trouble was not just near, it was already upon them.
The only question that remained was if they were capable of facing it.
