The Ancient Imperial Calendar, Year 1819
Ricardo listened carefully to the story of Runanheimr, the King of Spirits, from beginning to end, without uttering a single word.
"I don't quite know what to say. Everything is so overwhelming—that I'm not a reincarnation, that I am descended from you, that blood-drinking race you call the Vamparos... Ha... It's all so much that it will take me some time to process."
Ricardo took a deep breath and refreshed his thoughts.
"Can anyone who meets the conditions you mentioned inherit the memories of their ancestors?"
"No. The probability is less than one in ten million. In the realm of the living, the number of people in the same situation as you doesn't even exceed the fingers of both hands, Ricardo."
Ricardo stood up and asked a question.
"Is there anything else I need to learn, Ancestor?"
Runanheimr answered.
"Perhaps I should tell you a few things that might be useful. First, there are a total of five of those sarcophagi in the world, like the one under your palace. Each is hidden in a secret place beneath the palaces at the centers of what you call the Ancient Houses. You can use Light Power to find them."
"So my theory was correct. It would be absurd if this mysterious sarcophagus existed only with us. So, what are these sarcophagi, Ancestor?"
"I don't know either. Despite living over a hundred thousand years, I haven't been able to learn anything about them except that they increase a person's power. Perhaps you can learn if you make contact with all of them, Ricardo."
"Ancestor, has there ever been someone in history who made contact with all the sarcophagi?"
"Yes, there has been, Ricardo. The first was the Father of Sins, Virion. The other was your ancestor, Harloumen."
Ricardo was surprised to hear his ancestor's name.
"Which Harloumen? I have many ancestors with the same name."
"Your ancestor Harloumen, who brought the Vamparos to the brink of extinction and declared himself the Emperor of All Mankind."
Ricardo understood that the person Runanheimr was referring to was Harloumen I, the Founder and First Emperor of the Ancient Empire.
"There's something I'm curious about, Ancestor. In the memories of my previous... I mean, in the memories of my ancestor Harloumen VIII, there was nothing about the sarcophagi. And according to the information I learned from my father, the sarcophagi were discovered during the reign of Arlous II. What is the reason for this? Why did the Ancient Emperors and their successors, the First Kislavein House Lords, know nothing about the sarcophagi?"
"That's a very old story. 1,750 years ago, a year before your ancestor Harloumen died, he hid all the sarcophagi and told no one about their existence—not even his heir and son, Harlous. Therefore, the sarcophagus remained hidden for 916 years after Harloumen's death and was discovered by your ancestor Arlous."
Ricardo had received answers to all his questions. He slowly stood up.
"Thank you for everything, Ancestor. I have no other questions. If you permit, I would like to leave."
Runanheimr stood up and opened a portal made of Light Power.
"This portal will leave you in a forest near the city of Ashterah, Ricardo."
Ricardo saluted his ancestor Runanheimr one last time and walked toward the portal.
Just as he was about to pass through the portal, Runanheimr asked a question.
"What will you do now, grandson?"
Ricardo turned around and spoke in a respectful tone.
"I will fix a few things I've ruined. I will marry Mariline and Arnheid—I will make them happy, provided they are still unmarried. And I suppose the time has come for me to ascend to the throne."