Vesper chuckled, his eyes glinting as they swept over Kael. With an exaggerated shrug, he sauntered up to the young lord. "You've seen that boy's strength firsthand. Doesn't it strike you as... unnatural?"
Kael fell silent. Indeed, Thunderclap's prowess could only be described as earth-shattering. To wield such power without battle qi—relying solely on brute force—would put even the continent's so-called genius warriors to shame.
"Titan bloodline..." The words weighed heavily on Kael's mind.
A lineage spoken of only in legends.
The Titans, mythical giants, had once been this world's supreme rulers. Like dragons, elves, dwarves, winged folk, and vampires, they belonged to the Hundred Races. Yet unlike others, their numbers were vanishingly scarce—peaking at mere hundreds during their zenith, often dwindling to dozens.
But none dared underestimate them.
A single adult Titan could split mountains and sever rivers with a wave of their hand, rivaling dragons in raw might. Even legendary mages hesitated to confront them.
Such was their terror.
For eons, Titans stood at the world's apex—until the Undead Calamity three millennia ago. Like so many others, they faced annihilation, fading into obscurity.
"Could Thunderclap truly be a Titan's descendant...?" Amelia's lips parted in awe.
Kael's frown deepened. First vampires, now Titan blood? Was the continent truly descending into chaos?
Despite Vesper's lecherous demeanor, Kael trusted his insight. The old rogue had earned that much.
"Indeed," Vesper grinned. "Titan blood flows in his veins—though the oaf likely doesn't know it. You've stumbled upon a treasure."
A treasure indeed. If Vesper spoke true, Thunderclap's potential could one day make archmages tremble.
"You're unusually well-informed, old pervert..." Kael's eyes narrowed. Vesper grew more inscrutable by the day.
Vesper smirked. "Of course! Having traveled across all three continents, my knowledge is vast—especially when it comes to beauties. No one rivals my expertise..." The old man couldn't go three sentences without mentioning women, puffing up with pride.
"You shameless old lecher!" Grace scowled, wrinkling her nose in disdain.
Vesper chuckled. "Now, now, little princess Grace—that's unfair. How can appreciating art be called lechery? My pursuits are noble. Someone of your... limited tastes wouldn't understand."
"Exactly! You'd never comprehend our grand artistic vision!" Toms chimed in. The two old rogues exchanged knowing glances and snickered, their expressions downright sleazy.
Kael ignored their antics just as Thunderclap emerged, having finished packing his belongings.
"Lord Marquis!" The giant stood ramrod straight, saluting Kael with earnest respect.
Kael smiled. The man's simple honesty was refreshing—precisely the kind of person he preferred dealing with.
"Thunderclap, from now on, you'll serve as my personal guard whenever I'm in Raife City."
"Yes, my lord!" Thunderclap beamed—until his stomach emitted a thunderous growl. Rubbing his belly sheepishly, he mumbled, "Um... my lord, could I have some bread? I didn't eat enough today..."
Kael nearly facepalmed. Another bottomless pit! But unlike the gluttonous unicorn rhinos, Thunderclap's appetite stemmed from sheer necessity—his body needed those calories.
"No problem. Though I don't carry food on me—you'll have to wait till we reach the lord's manor."
"Right away!" At the mere mention of food, Thunderclap perked up instantly, trailing after Kael with eager strides.
...
Vesper watched their retreating figures, his grin turning sly.
"Our young friend Kael grows at a frightening pace—already nearing the eleventh tier... Heh. My vision was correct, as always. He truly is..." His voice dripped with cryptic amusement as he stared at Kael's back.
Beside him, Toms chuckled—though his expression sobered slightly. "Indeed. To defeat a prodigy like Einar so swiftly... So he's truly the one from your Grand Prophecy?"
The Grand Prophecy!
At the mention of it, Vesper's expression grew uncharacteristically solemn. Stroking his sparse beard, he murmured, "It must be him. Though his fate is utterly illegible to me—even the Grand Prophecy shows only blurred fragments of his future—that very obscurity proves his potential is limitless!"
"Our long shadowing of young Kael hasn't been in vain," Toms smiled faintly. Since their first encounter at Flamestar Academy, they'd tracked Kael's rise—from a mere fourth or fifth-tier novice to his current heights. Even these two jaded observers couldn't deny he was a freak of nature.
What unsettled them more: Vesper's Grand Prophecy failed to pierce Kael's destiny.
Renowned as the continent's foremost diviner, Vesper had never encountered such opacity. At best, his visions yielded disjointed, trivial glimpses—a first in his centuries of practice.
"True, the boy's an enigma... But my Grand Prophecy isn't toothless. If Kael himself is veiled, I'll scrutinize those around him instead." His chuckle faded as he turned to Toms. "Recall the prophecy's last iteration?"
Toms stiffened momentarily before nodding. "Word for word."
Vesper's voice dropped to a whisper, each syllable heavy as stone:
"When calamity descends,
Kings shall cower in darkness unending.
Then emerges the Archmage,
Gathering four—earth, thunder, wind, and flame—
To seek light anew."
His eyes clouded with unreadable emotion as he repeated: "Kings shall cower..."
Kings shall cower.
Had Kael been present, the prophecy would've chilled him. Despite his disdain for the old lecher, he couldn't deny Vesper's peerless mastery of divination. Yet now, the geezer spoke of calamity and crumbling monarchies—what could it mean?
Was the continent truly facing impending catastrophe?
Toms frowned. "Our interpretation suggests 'calamity' remains vague, but it will undoubtedly shake the continent to its core. 'Kings shall cower' likely refers to the Titled Legends —those apex existences. As for the Archmage..." He glanced meaningfully toward Kael's distant figure. "Given his growth rate, the prophecy probably points to him. But who are these four followers—earth, thunder, wind, and flame?"
"Thunderclap carries Titan blood—unlimited potential. He fits as the Earth Follower ," Vesper stated matter-of-factly.
"So our young friend Kael truly is the prophesied one?" Toms chuckled slyly.
Vesper shook his head. "Not definitive. The variables are too vast, and his future remains opaque even to my Grand Prophecy. The vision only declares 'an Archmage shall rise'—any candidate could fulfill that role. Still..." His eyes gleamed. "Kael's an anomaly. Odds favor him. Bah! Regardless, he's our golden ticket to free meals now..."
"Heh, true enough. What's continental chaos to us? Just gotta cling to the right thigh!"
"Exactly. Come—let's visit 'Rose Night.' Heard they've got new top-shelf beauties..."
The two rogues cackled shamelessly in the alleyway, utterly unconcerned with onlookers.
Arm in arm, they sauntered toward the city's most infamous pleasure den. Since arriving in Raife Territory, their days had been a hedonistic carousel of wine and women—and they wouldn't have it any other way.