Alan Myer smiled at his little sister. "Go back upstairs and continue with your work. I'll take the Ninth Prince to the Leader's room," he said.
Samira Myer nodded. "Okay," she said and looked at Ryan. "This is my older brother, Alan Myer, a Saboteur Hunter and one of our most prominent members. He's very good at many things, so listen to what he tells you," she said before saying goodbye with a simple "see you later" and going back upstairs.
"I didn't expect this organization ever to attract a prince," he said, studying him from head to toe and turning him over in his mind. "But considering our rapid growth and my presence here, I suppose it was to be expected."
After saying this, he started walking down the stairs, and Ryan caught up.
'Is he egocentric or just a great guy?' Ryan thought, looking at the spirituality he exuded.
He couldn't gauge his level but was sure this man was powerful.
'He shouldn't be over 30 years old, but his strength seems comparable to Brandon's.'
"Are you surprised by my strength, little prince?" He smiled with an air of grandeur and hand movements that denoted absolute confidence in his bearing.
He was slightly taller than Ryan, and his yellow hair was shoulder-length. His slightly classic clothing allowed him to move freely, making his movements very natural.
"Well, having the same level of strength as my older brother is quite amazing, considering that you have a surname that does not exist in the current nobility," he replied.
"What, your older brother? The Third Prince?" he asked.
"Obviously. I don't think you can match the strength of my first brother."
"Haha, I don't think the first prince has as much talent as I do," he exclaimed with a big smile. "But I must respect him. I wouldn't have achieved what he did in the armed forces."
Even though the topic was about Brandon, he completely ignored it. He still didn't believe that Brandon was on par with him in terms of talent, and Ryan witnessed that, which he found very curious.
It was the first time he met someone with such a big ego that he believed himself superior to one of the most revered princes. Not even Alaric dared to say that.
Soon, Alan stopped. "This is it," he said, patting him on the back. "Little Prince, whatever happens, remember that your strength lies in control," he said as he pushed him into the room.
Ryan looked at him sideways. "What does that mean?" he asked.
"Good luck," he said before closing the door.
-
The force with which he had been suddenly pushed prevented Ryan from even reacting or anything.
When the flicker of confusion passed, he stood in front of a considerably large room with very little lighting.
The floral arrangements and the dim light from a lamp hanging from the ceiling matched, as the flowers were golden and seemed opaque. The yellowish but darkened decorations gave a sense of mystery.
A man was sitting with his back to him, looking out a small window that seemed to overlook a garden.
'Minister Martin?' he thought and walked over to greet him.
"Ninth Prince, it seems you finally decided to come." Minister Martin chuckled softly and turned around.
Although he appeared to be drinking coffee moments before, suddenly, nothing was in his hand. Storing a cup of coffee in your inventory wasn't very wise if you hadn't finished drinking it yet. But who was Ryan to tell him?
He smiled at him. "Minister..." He stopped suddenly when he realized Minister Martin wasn't standing before him.
He was talking to...
A mirror?
That mirror was strange. It was dark and had no reflection. Even so, suddenly, the mirror seemed to brighten and his figure was reflected in it.
"W-what?" Ryan took a step back when he saw his figure move strangely unrestrainedly in the mirror, and what appeared to be a huge devouring beast coming out of his body.
At that moment, he tripped over something. 'Did I trip?'
He was absolutely sure there was nothing behind him.
So he turned his head and found countless mirrors scattered on the floor, walls, desks, chairs, tables...
His body froze when he saw himself reflected in all of them at once, and he shuddered from within.
His body's spirituality became unrestrained, and he arched forward in pain. His vision darkened, but soon, he regained his sight once more.
His eyes were bright red, resembling those of a dragon or a legendary beast. Hard claws emerged from his hands, and his body grew slightly. A look of madness arched in his eyes, and he roared at the mirrors, throwing himself at them.
They reflected a pure and harsh image of his greatest enemy and himself.
Aster Zeggler and Ryan's inner self, the betrayed hero.
Those reflections brought rage, frustration, and immeasurable hatred to his heart.
Although it didn't seem like it, he hated having been that Ryan. He hated his past self with the same intensity with which he hated Aster. That's why his plans now had to change.
Saving a few thousand people is bullshit. He must seek his own benefit, even if it is selfish.
So what if he was selfish?
Everyone was!
All living beings are, even the Kings of the First Age, were selfish!
So what if he was, after being vilely betrayed by someone he saved many times?!
He struck the figures in the mirrors as soon as he reached them, and... there were no broken mirrors. There were only bodies split in two.
Both his body and Aster's were split apart, and a great deal of spirituality emerged from them.
"ROOOOAR!" A roar emerged from his gut as he began to swallow all that spirituality, and the entire room shook.
No, not just the room. The entire cathedral on the rock began to shake.
-
"What's going on? What's this tremor?" Samira looked at the small rocks falling from the walls and frowned.
"Maybe someone powerful is fighting on the surface?" asked her coworker.
"Fighting? I heard that Miss Cecily went out to look for clues about the thieves... Could they have found them?"
"Maybe..."
But inside the cathedral, Alan Myer frowned and looked into the depths, where he had taken Ryan.
'So strong?' he thought.
-