Just what did that old man get into before he died? Rayvox thought, still hearing his adoptive father's voice in his head. He never let me into his study. Why now, of all times?
Not wasting another second, Rayvox headed for his childhood home. At the front steps he searched for the hidden spare key—an old habit—and, once inside, moved through the small, familiar rooms: a compact kitchen, a washing basin, and a tidy back garden. The house was modest but comfortable.
Memories pressed at him, but he pushed them down and focused on the task. He went straight to the study and followed Remmick's instructions to the letter. He counted his steps, felt along the floorboards, pried, and—after a few minutes—found a hidden compartment deeper than the boarded floor. A faint glow of Aether Mana pulsed from within.
At first he thought the whole thing was another of Remmick's pranks. "What the hell, Dad?" he muttered. "Still pulling tricks even in death." He was about to leave when the glow intensified, forcing him back.
Inside the compartment sat a book. Rayvox let out an irritated groan. "You know my reading is terrible, you old bastard," he muttered, but he opened it anyway.
The first page read:
> Entry 1: Today marks the first day of my investigation into the disappearance of the Sovereigns—
The line caught him off guard. He paused, then forced himself to read on. The handwriting grew cramped and faded in places; an odd word tangled the sentence. Rayvox frowned and leaned closer.
> Entry 1 (continued): Today marks the first day of my investigation into the disappearance of the Sovereigns. While most believe it was due to the combined power of the Great Sovereigns, it makes no sense why only the strongest were taken. It's an—
Rayvox squinted at the next word. Anq, ano, ann, ana… He cursed under his breath. For thirty minutes he wrestled with the scrawl until it finally resolved into a single word: anomaly.
> …the strongest taken is an anomaly, so I created a device that tracks Sovereign mana.
Rayvox snorted. Boring. Where's the juicy stuff, you old fart? He flipped toward the back, skipping pages until he landed on a later entry.
> Entry 178: My investigation has led me to a cavern saturated with the mana of the Void Sovereign. The strangest thing inside the cavern was an infant with heterochromatic eyes—one purple, one black. Our old texts from the Dawn of Mana depict Sovereigns' appearances perfectly. Though many will call me insane, this infant matches the depiction of the Void Sovereign. I have only heard theories, but I believe this infant may be a shard of the Void Sovereign's soul. A strong child like this deserves a strong name. I will call him Rayvox and raise him as my own.
Rayvox's breath hitched. No fucking way, he thought. He read the sentence again, then another. His heart raced. Suddenly, a soft chime echoed in the compartment—and an interface blinked to life in front of him, hovering like a scrap of ancient magic.
A line of text scrolled across it:
> —Congratulations, Soul Shard of ########—
You have found a text regarding your true identity. Sovereign System inherited.
Rayrox blinked. "Woah… what's a Sovereign System?" he asked aloud, more to himself than to anything else. After a few seconds of stunned silence, the interface replied.
> —Host query detected. A Sovereign System is a System that made the Sovereigns supremely powerful. The system you inherited is the Void Sovereign System.—
Rayvox's stomach dropped. He stammered, "Wait—before that, what did you call me?"
> —A Host.—
"No—before that," Rayvox insisted.
> —A Soul Shard of ########.—
"I'M A WHAT NOW!?" he exploded, words nearly tearing out of him as the book's glow painted his face.