The Sanctuary of today was a completely different monster than any of its previous forms. The world Damien and Tephit materialized into…was truly a world.
Four continents were separated by a vast and empty sea where life was only beginning to bud. Each of these continents was home to a different biome, each biome home to a different race of people.
The core groups from each clan still lived on the original continent in the center, with the orientation Damien had seen when he came to the Sanctuary to pick up Jiao Mei, but these were only the elite few hundred from each clan.
This was because the main continent had flourished into a mana-filled holy land where comprehending the laws became almost streamlined. Training here would provide extreme benefit to those who did, thus, the five clans decided to leave it for only their elites. The rest would have to earn their spots on the central continent.
The other three continents surrounded the center in a triangular formation. The Fire and Ice Phoenix Clans inhabited the scorching desert and freezing tundra environments, and White Dragon Grotto and Lucius' Demon King Clan lived in a more moderate climate. Perhaps because the Sanctuary's growth was influenced by its inhabitants, the environments it spawned as it grew matched them perfectly.
These four continents surrounded each other and made up the world's center, but even then, roughly 60% of the world's surface remained uninhabited.
This was because, other than the oceans that occupied most of the world's space, another 20% was taken by another, far more mysterious, continent.
The Storm Heavens Continent, a death zone where young elites went to train and temper themselves. This land was uninhabitable due to the terrifying lightning that continuously struck down, lightning that even reached the level of Black Demon Lightning. Other than some special lifeforms that thrived in such a lightning-clad environments, the only beings on this continent were those who came temporarily to train.
Nevertheless, this continent was extremely important to the world's residents. It was the best possible place for one to temper their bodies.
This world, the combination of new and old that formed the first celestial body of the Sanctuary's budding universe, had already been named in a conjoined effort by the five clans.
Theavel.
A word that mixed Dragon Tongue, Elven Language, Demon Tongue, and Phoenix Tongue in one, melding them to fit a single definition:
First.
The first of its kind, the first under the heavens, the first step forward, Theavel.
Damien quite liked this name, and it seemed his subordinates did even more so. The status of being the first inhabitants of a budding universe wasn't light, and it was clearly something they took pride in.
While Damien admired the Sanctuary's completeness, Tephit's amazement came from an entirely different source.
How long had he lived?
Hundreds of thousands of years? Millions of years? After so long, he'd lost count. But…in all those terrifyingly long and dreary years, he'd never seen a scene like this; a scene that was completely independent of Aquazyl.
"Amazing…" he muttered to himself. A spark seemed to light in his eye. He felt like a child again, seeing such wonder that he never thought he could experience.
The cleanliness of the air, the landmasses that existed above sea level, the different biomes that simply didn't exist within Aquazyl. While Aquazyl was a strange sea realm that mirrored the land above far more than any other area, it was still underwater at the end of the day. Something like a tundra or a desert was impossible to find.
"This is Theavel, the first world of my Sanctuary, and your new home. While it is still an independent realm, it is much freer than Aquazyl and I won't set any rules for you to follow other than the usual rules to not get in conflict with your allies. When the time comes, I'll also show you the universe outside Aquazyl, the Grand Heavens Boundary. It is a wonderous place filled with a myriad of races and beautiful sceneries unlike anything you could ever imagine. Stay excited." Damien explained with a grin.
Tephit took it all in with fervor. Even the Sanctuary was enough novelty for him to never wish to leave. Just the fact that they were flying in the sky above this world, completely without the aid of water, was a shock to him.
If he was given the chance to take control of this world's waters and grow its population as he wished, how great would that be? He could raise a perfect army of soldiers as well as a family unlike what he'd ever had before.
At that time, serving Damien would've been the greatest decision he ever made.
Tephit took a knee where he stood, immediately making his decision. "I, Tephit, swear on my blood and mana to serve you, Damien Void, for eternity."
Damien smiled in satisfaction. The process of acquiring this new sla— servant was much easier than he expected it to be.
Honestly, those people on Aquazyl were bumpkins. They didn't know anything about the outside world and even the concept of it was enough to fascinate them. With Damien's means, subordinating them was light work.
Nevertheless, it wasn't quite the time for Damien to pat himself on the back. Before that, he needed to finish up his work in Aquazyl.
While Tephit remained in the Sanctuary to familiarize himself with Theavel's environment, Damien returned to Aquazyl.
His personal tasks were mostly done. Now, he simply had to oversee the battlefield in case of any extraneous circumstances. For instance, an event where Ria or Maximus decided to rebel.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately for him, though, everything went incredibly smoothly. He almost felt strange bringing events to such a proper conclusion. He'd gotten too used to every event ending by being blown out of proportion, the environment being completely destroyed
Damien looked over the Tephit Clan main headquarters. More than anything, he wanted to see Zara. If the task she'd been assigned was completed properly…
While Damien was in thought, Raka and Tilis walked up from behind him.
"Finished your work?" Tilis asked. The elder had been waiting for Damien's return. There was still much for them to talk about.
"Mm, this and that. There's still some more I have to do before I can say I'm really finished. Did you need me for something?" Damien questioned back. Ever since their first meeting, he had a feeling that these two elders wanted more from him than they led on.
He was being kind not bringing it up directly, but at the same time, he was well aware that he couldn't beat them regardless of how many strength-boosting abilities he used.
Tilis smiled seeing Damien's aggravated expression. Naturally, he was aware of the strange youth's inner thoughts. It wasn't like Damien tried to hide them in any way.
But still, he truly did need Damien for something. And now that Tephit had seemingly been taken care of, the time was right for them to speak.
"I did, actually," Tilis responded straightforwardly. "After all, why wouldn't I want a word with Aquazyl's future successor?"
