As reality broke apart, The Polymath's consciousness faded away like one with the wind. However, his memories were still intact.
The Polymath looked down at his disintegrating body, hovering in a black void.
Then, he had just sighed as his body completely vanished.
Finally, after a long time of unknown suffering, Aren felt his own consciousness return to him, and his senses slowly came back.
'My head… hurts.'
He opened his right eye at first, while his left eye felt a bit numb for a reason he didn't exactly remember, though he was still able to open it.
'Where am I? Did the cloaked weirdos escape? That reminds me… I haven't got a clue about finding Faye at all!'
He felt as if his entire brain had somewhat refreshed, like he had been sleeping for whole centuries, but he also hoped that wasn't the case.
Not only refreshed, but filled with memories that weren't his.
Forbidden knowledge, blue light, apparitions, Grey King, Diary of an Unspoken King, Caelum Leonis… the memories quickly fell on Aren, blurry yet weirdly clear.
'That's right… What even is Forbidden Knowledge, and who was HE? I think I had been in Caelum Leonis with Faye before… but I would've never thought it met an end like that.'
'Regardless, even though I have a long way to reach Faye, I know more about Equinox and their Ephors now, but no one mentioned her or 'Lady of the Heavens'.'
"Still, it's better than knowing nothing. I learned that the hard way."
Aren sat, leaning on a wall behind, under the bright, colorful sky of the Quantum Verge as he collected his thoughts.
'I wonder why I can't feel the same sense of danger as I did before. Ever since Horacis told me about my Blessing, it felt like my life was just… taken away from me. Could immortality really be a Blessing? What a joke. I'm thinking too much about it.'
He inspected the area and saw in front of him a man on a rock, at the edge of the cliff, seemingly of Aren's age.
The man sitting on the rock glanced back, his eyes glowed like burning pink flames. Furthermore, his horns were sleek, curved, and colored black with sharp edges.
Aren narrowed his eyes, 'Horns? How creepy.'
His hair had hot-pink highlights, and he wore clothes of a noble, clearly not somebody from Vanagir.
'Could it be…'
He got up from the rock, then headed towards Aren.
Similarly, Aren also stood up and was ready to face him. His black cloak dropped, and he balled his fists.
'I've seen bigger dragons!'
The man opened his mouth, raising his palm forward. "I'm not here to fight."
Aren gazed at him for a minute, unable to believe what he was saying.
"Were you the one who took me here?" Aren questioned.
"I saved you. You were going to be another puppet of the Deeps Association."
'Deeps Association? I think the old man was a part of this organization, if I remember correctly.'
Aren raised his brow, slowly setting his hands back.
"What do you mean?"
He let out a small breath, "My name is Soryn Anulvegis. I'm currently the head of the Fourth Branch of the Household. Though my reputation tends to… precede me, I still think we could cooperate, then I will tell you more."
'Fourth Branch… His horns prove that he's not lying, so I have no reason to refuse.'
He knew the horns were the symbol of the Branches from the Dragon's Household due to seeing memories of The Polymath, who was also called 'The Fifth Branch'.
Aren nodded, having made sure of his decision. He wasn't going to trust the Fourth Branch so quickly, but he knew he had to begin somewhere.
"Good." Soryn smiled, then continued, "I'm a persecuted criminal."
The wind blew, and suffocating silence hung between the two.
'I don't know how he expects me to react. Clearly, he's not joking, but it's not as if I'm any different.'
Aren sighed and said, "I don't care how complicated or noble your intentions are. If you want to cooperate, I need you to answer two questions. First, why do you want to work with me? We're practically strangers. And lastly, are you with the cloaked men from the Equinox Church?"
Soryn took a few moments to respond, thinking deeply about his questions.
"Because you are a Descender. You aren't from here; your Quantum Essence is tangled and… unique. And, we both have things we want from each other, no? Don't you want to learn more about Equinox?"
'The core of all beings in the Quantum Verge… At least, Descender sounds cool.'
"...I do," Aren responded.
Soryn continued, "And, I am the one who saved the Descender from the Deeps Association. Leonardo and Elias work under me. You made a mess. They cleaned it. That's all you'll need to know… for now."
"Oh, I made a mess? Your men killed somebody!"
Soryn nodded, obviously aware of that. "He was a part of the Deeps who seek destruction. I brought peace only."
'Tch… I should've known not to trust that old man. He may have even lied about Faye!'
"Descender, we have common enemies, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If we work together, we would be acknowledged even by the Sacred City of Constance, then, even… pardoned," added Soryn.
Aren stayed quiet, recollecting his thoughts. Then, after concluding, he opened his mouth to speak.
Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind rushed past him and struck the wall he was leaning against when waking up, causing rocks and dust to explode around them.
"It seems they've caught up with us," Soryn said, seemingly not surprised.
'I can see that!' Aren thought.
The strikes continued, shaking the earth itself, and more dust settled around Aren. He could see that they were firing metal balls from Vanagir, positioned under the cliff, towards his location. Although their aim was not very precise—most of their shots missed—their power made up for the lack of accuracy.
As the shots finally came to a halt, the sound of numerous footsteps running along the pathway to the cliff was heard, a deafening sound.
The shouts of the soldiers only increased as Aren was ready to battle.
'I didn't get the chance to ask him about those weird hallucinations I saw, but it might have been just a dream…'
He took a deep breath as he saw the Deeps Association men clad in armor sprinting towards him.
'Not now. I'll focus on that later.'
The chains fell from Aren's sleeves and hit the floor as he firmly grasped them with both hands, beginning to spin them.
Soryn raised a brow, surprised by Aren's choice of weapons.