While Ash busied himself with his training, far away in the imperial castle, chaos simmered beneath the surface. The three princesses stood in the grand throne room, their faces a mixture of disbelief and frustration.
"What do you mean, he left?!" Ary's voice rang out, sharp and filled with frustration. Her eyes blazed with concern, and her fists clenched tightly.
"Right, how could he possibly leave undetected? The castle is filled with powerhouse cultivators... how could anyone slip by without us knowing?" Nyssari chimed in, her voice a mix of disbelief and mounting anxiety. Her sharp gaze flicked from one corner of the room to the other, as if she expected Ash to appear out of the shadows at any moment.
Selvira stood quietly at the side, her hand tightening around the hilt of her blade, a subtle yet clear display of her irritation. Her eyes were narrowed, a storm of emotions brewing beneath the surface. She said nothing, but the tension in her posture spoke volumes.
"Look," Selyra said softly, holding up a folded letter. "I don't know how he left undetected, but this is his message. He says he's traveling around the world. He will be fine. There shouldn't be any problems, unless…" She hesitated for a moment, her brow furrowing. "Unless he enters one of the forbidden lands."
Her tone was calm, but the unspoken concern lingered in the air. Selyra tried to maintain her composure, her face the picture of restraint, but even she couldn't fully suppress the worry twisting in her chest. She had raised Ash with love, and now, seeing him leave without so much as a word or warning—without seeking any guidance—made her uneasy.
Ary, always the most vocal of the three, shook her head in frustration. "He's just a child! Why does he insist on going off on his own like this? He doesn't understand the risks."
A heavy silence followed as the three princesses exchanged glances, each one lost in their thoughts. Selyra folded the letter and tucked it away before looking up at her daughters. "Let him be for now. He'll find his way. If anything happens, we'll handle it." Her voice was steady, but there was a flicker of doubt in her eyes. She'd never felt this distant from Ash before.
Meanwhile, at the far end of the room, Vaerion, the Emperor, sat in his high-backed chair, his eyes fixated on the projection in front of him. His attention was entirely absorbed in the newly arrived six transcendent talents, each one bringing with them a future of untapped potential for the empire. His focus didn't waver, even as the room erupted in concern over Ash's departure.
He had no words to offer, no comforting assurances to provide. His thoughts were elsewhere—focused on power, strength, and strategy. Ash's disappearance was a passing inconvenience to him, one that he would deal with when the time came. But for now, his focus remained solely on the present matters, the elite talents that had just entered the room, bringing with them the promise of further elevating the Neyru Empire's dominance.
The Princesses' Departure
The tension in the room was palpable, but after a long silence, Selyra spoke again, breaking the stillness. "We need to focus. Ash will return when he's ready. For now, give him some space and room to think."
Ary gave a tight nod, her concern for her brother still weighing heavily on her.
As the princesses stormed out of the throne room, frustration flaring in their eyes, the six transcendent talents stood silently before the Emperor. Their expressions were filled with anticipation, but tension clung to the air.
Vaerion finally rose from his seat, his voice sharp and authoritative:
"Now that the Awakening Ceremony is over, your next step begins."
He stepped down from the platform, his deep blue eyes locking with each of the six children.
"Over the next six months, you will undergo a rigorous body tempering regimen. This is the foundation of true power — before you wield mana or comprehend Laws, your body must become your first weapon."
Selene Dorne, dressed in her dark combat robes, stepped forward beside him. She held a silver scroll in her hand and opened it with a flick of her wrist.
"This is your daily regimen," she announced.
She began detailing the structure.
Imperial Body Tempering Regimen
-Morning Phase.
Meditation beneath flowing mana streams to align the breath with latent life force.
Silent stillness under cascading waterfalls to temper the skin and nerves.
-Midday Phase: Weighted Combat Drills
Sword forms practiced under extreme gravity seals.
Movements recorded and corrected by enchanted shadow mirrors.
Armored resistance runs across the Spiral Cliff path.
-Evening Phase: Core Endurance and Spirit Fusion
Spiritual concentration under moonlight.
Consuming micro-dose tempering elixirs (custom-formulated per talent grade).
Battle simulations using illusionary enemies crafted from their own deepest fears.
-Weekly Trials
One-on-one duels among the six to refine reflexes and fighting spirit.
Progress evaluations conducted by Selene and recorded by Vaerion personally.
---
"By the end of this training," Selene said, her voice hard as tempered steel, "you will break into the Body Tempering Realm. You will not fail. Not here. Not under our guidance."
One of the boys clenched his fist, his eyes blazing with ambition. Another girl whispered to herself, repeating her goals aloud. Even the most composed among them straightened their backs and nodded firmly.
Vaerion folded his arms and looked over them all.
"Your path begins now. Prove that your talent was not a fluke. Let the Empire see your worth."
The six talents bowed deeply — not just to the Emperor, but to the pressure of greatness they now carried.
---
In the farthest reaches of the galaxy lies a forbidden region known simply as The Abyss.
This place is cut off from light, a world of pitch-black skies and twisted, jagged terrain. Here, shadow swallows everything—and from within that darkness lives a race feared across star systems
The Devils.
Lord Varn sits on a throne of chained bone and steel. His voice is deep and sharp, and when he speaks, even other devils bow their heads.
A message arrives—delivered through a blood seal from the Ilyron Dominion, a rival human empire.
"To Lord Varn of the Abyss,"
"The Neyru Empire holds a Transcendent Artifact."
"We propose a joint assault. You strike first. We will follow."
Varn reads it in silence. Around him, his generals wait, silent and still.
Then, with a smile that splits fire across his face, he speaks.
"So... carnage is what you seek."
He clenches his fist—and the message burns away.