Meanwhile, after a long journey, King Klopheous and his chosen men—including Heshun—finally reached the legendary old castle.

On the ground, a scene witnessing long-lost grandeur unfolded before them. The formidable walls that once signified wealth and power were now severely cracked and enveloped in thick, lush vines that looked like a green shroud. The paved, once-grand pathway of nobles and carriages had been pierced and claimed by tough weeds. No guards or escorts walked here anymore; now, only crawling insects and rats owned the wide, silent kingdom of stone.

"We have arrived at the rumored old castle," declared King Klopheous, still mounted on his sturdy horse. His voice was firm and hopeful. "It is in this very place that the map said to lead us to our objective is hidden."

As the king surveyed the surroundings, his gaze swept over the remaining columns and arches, which stood like the skeletons of a giant.

Suddenly, Heshun whispered, his voice trembling with fear as he tightly gripped his horse's reins. "This place is terrifying, Your Majesty. It feels like we are in a graveyard. And... look at the faces of the statues of the horse-men—the Centaurs. They look alive and they seem to be watching us."

King Klopheous looked at the moss-covered, ancient statues lined up on both sides of the path. The king let out a loud laugh that echoed through the silent forest.

"That, Heshun?" the king responded, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Haha, you seem to know nothing about the Entity of the Centaur. It is said that King Sagittarius once ruled here.... He was the greatest archer in all the kingdoms; not just skilled, but you would never know where his arrow would strike you, as it would descend with blinding speed. Those statues are wrapped in his charm, meant for anyone unworthy of entering this place. Whenever someone with ill intentions passes by, those statues will awaken and collect their due."

Klopheous looked at Heshun, and his gaze turned serious. "The question, Heshun, is: Are our intentions pure?"

****************************************************************************************************

"Then, amidst the melee, one of the 'fatted beasts' at the vanguard, whose laughter had been so jarring, shuddered. Its fur-bearded skin began to ripple, not with muscle, but with something else moving beneath. Armor plates groaned and tore, not from impact, but from the grotesque swell of bone. The chuckling predatory grin stretched, elongating into a maw of clenching fangs, and the creature that had been merely 'four-pedal' rose on two legs, then dropped to four, a true, colossal Ursa, its roar shaking the very spears in the Thallerion's hands. This was no beast of burden. This was Moonatoria's true visage."

On that very evening, when the clock struck midnight, a strange pull seized him. He was drawn once more into the dagger's void—not in body, but in spirit. His form remained asleep in the mortal realm, yet his consciousness now drifted through the silent expanse of the blade's inner world.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Martheuw Cereun said, his voice heavy with sorrow. The walls around them flickered faintly, their light dimming as though the void itself grieved.

The young prince's joy—once bright and warm—had faded into a solemn calm. He stood alone now, shoulders trembling, but his hands were firm—his fists clenched with quiet resolve.

"No," he said at last, voice steady. "Enough with sorrowful words. They gave their lives to kindle a new hope for every child of Thallerion. They faced Moonatoria—a beast none could ever defeat—and still they stood their ground."

Martheuw inclined his head. "You are brave. Your grandfather was right—perhaps the bravest boy in all of Thallerion."

His gaze deepened, studying the boy as though peering beyond flesh and bone.

"I see now... you are not of pure Orion blood. There is another starline within you—Cephues. I can help you awaken it. But first, you must train... mentally."

The boy frowned. "Mentally?"

Martheuw nodded slowly. "Yes. For those who bear the Cephues bloodline, the mind is both their forge and their doom. Should they suffer deeply—should despair consume them—they may walk one of two paths: to rise as heroes... or to fall as destroyers."

The boy's eyes widened. "Wait... if I suffer too much, I'll turn into some... mad creature? No—I don't want that!"

A faint echo of sorrow crossed the spirit's face. "Perhaps not. But know this—those who gain immense power must hold an unshakable will. One blink of hatred, one whisper of vengeance... and humanity itself could vanish. That is why, long ago, the Cephues lineage was hunted. Entire generations were slain. Even Infants were not spared."

" Then, why Herzthroven bloodline still exist if my ancestors were hunted down back then?"

"There are so many bloodlines extinct. But, survival is a common goal of everyone, power ability help them survive, but those who were weaker will be forgotten until it extinct. So do you think Herzthroven bloodline is weak?"

" Huh? Well... I don't know...the current generation it seemed were normal people like the other bloodlines too."

" You're only lack of training. But once you forge yourself into something you could imagine...then, better future may awaits you there."

" Goodbye."

****

He woke up simultaneously to the rang of bell. WhoMoonatoria boasted a generational bloodline of Ursa-entity power, meaning that pure Moonatorians inherited Ursa-entity abilities, their very essence steeped in ursine might. King Hedromus wasn't the sole shapeshifter; many Moonatorian warriors could transform into ferocious, wild bears. Yet, there were unfortunate Moonatorians, those of the lowest rank, mere pawns summoned to riot, frontier soldiers for whom survival or death held neither benefit nor honor.The boy wake up, leaning in the moss coated tree, he sat on the green grass carpeted by dried leaves. Soaked in sweat, his heart hammering against his ribs like a desperate drummer. He gasps.

'It ate me! Like... like a perfectly poached egg!

He scrambled up, still half-convinced, he was being swallowed. He ran to the stream, while the monster's face still echoed in his mind. The water was like a mirror before him, and then he carefully examined his reflection. He mumbled.

'Wait a minute,' tickling his stomach. 'I don't feel like, I was eaten by a cosmic horror. I actually feel... a little hungry. You know, for a monster horror-sized breakfast.

'Maybe some eggs, but definitely not poached. Scrambled. Yeah, scrambled would be good. Less chance of triggering my terrifying dream memories. Or steaming boiled eggs.'

He pause, then whispering to his reflection, 'Though, I have to admit, that monster had good taste. Hehehe, It feels like I'm a delicious kid.'A blinding light suddenly struck Xerxez vision, then, on his mind it feels like he was teleported into the different dimension, but this time, the surrounding become louder. The visual swept him from a blinding light space into a terrifying scene. Though it is fragmenting.

"Woah, what was that light?"

He saw the light violently crashing down from the sky. He saw a wide, glowing shield affixed to the heavens like an ultimate, unbreakable barrier, and a creature trying to destroy it with a powerful mechanism. The boy was too young to understand, ignorantly watching the face of nightmare.

GRAWRR!!!!!

"Ah, is that a monster?"

"If this is still real, then, I saw a real monster, a long-tailed creature breathing fire...His is fighting...and fighting... against magic and powerful weapons? and then he become a— boy? Who is that boy? Oh, it disappear!"

Then, a vertical line rise in the sky. There is a black. An open field in the sky. Suddenly, there are giant tentacles appear too! It resembling claws, and trying to widen the hole in the sky.

"Whoah, there is a monster face, made of thorny evil energy, a halo of dark purple monster, peeked out from it. Its eyes, like... like the galaxies with malicious intent? Ehh, he stared at me!"

Entities, like Corvus, also have their own names, but it has become the custom for people to call them Entities, such as the Entity of the Crow as Corvus.

According to the elders, the entity of the crows was formed from the many generations that have died; each of their souls becomes a crow. And because the Corvus entity lives on the crows, when all the crows are gathered, they become one large black bird.

However, during the time the crow entity, Corvus, was gathered, it was attacked by the Thunderbird of Elanthro, causing it to fall onto the land of Ossibuz. But its blood and flesh were eaten by the crows there. The former inhabitants of Ossibuz said that a black line spread, piercing all the crows. Afterward, Sapar's grandfather arrived, a skilled sorcerer who could read the minds of animals, including crows. The Ossibians built a civilization under the leadership of Sapar's grandfather, and with the help of the crows, their awareness spread throughout the country as if they had eyes in every corner of the world. However, crows rarely live in icy places.

Although they do not socialize with other countries, people wonder why they know the plans of other nations, as even the plans of foreign invasions do not escape the eyes of the crows.

"Matar," the Corvus Entity called out to Matar in his mind. Matar was awake, but his brain had someone speaking to him. "The time will come when we entities will escape, and I will no longer be able to speak in your mind on that day. I want you to collaborate with the chosen one of Triangulum."

"The Triangulum entity?" Matar said. "What kind of entity is that?" he said in his mind. He sat more comfortably to hear Corvus's answer clearly.

"You will know that someday, but for now, the child marked by Triangulum is still an infant... The light that happened in Cypriox was the key to the life of a baby who had died," Corvus explained.

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