Chapter 548: 548

"Excellent . "

A tall brown-haired man sat on a small rock while nodding his head and staring at a little girl, or to be more precise, a kid who's no older than years old, in appearance, that is . However, her real age was less than a year, a shocking fact, if she were a human .

"Why is it blue though?"

Unexpectedly, she spoke fluently despite her age . Her skin was snow-white and her hair matched the sky's color . She was small, as a baby should be yet she was able to speak, write, and walk on her own . What's more fascinating are her inborn abilities .

"A good question indeed, little one . "

Hearing him, she angrily stomped her foot on the ground and protested:

"I'm not little . "

"Oh but you are but I digress . To answer your question, the Mana is actually blue because it originates from water . Just like Qi is green due to its relation with nature . Nether Energy, the most frequently used comes from Space Magic hence it's colorless appearance . Though, average people cannot see the color of any kind of energy, only those with a strong affinity to one of them can perceive the real color and harness it to perfection . If I remember correctly, your mother was proficient at Yin power and her Mana was unusually pure . "

"What about my father?"

"I already told you he's a parasite and no matter how talented you were destined to be, you were not able to inherit his Dark Magic . Even if you try, I doubt you can acquire it as it isn't fit for you . Nonetheless, you did get the monstrous Strength of Titan and a few more interesting bloodlines . "

*********

A young boy with short dark hair sat in a small yet peaceful garden, his figure, standing there, lonely and pitiful .

"When can we leave?"

He raised his head and asked, however, there was no one but him in this place . The answer came briefly after, the speaker was seemingly disembodied .

"When the times comes, my dear . "

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere, it sounded like neither a woman or a man, strangely .

"What am I supposed to do, then?"

"Read . Knowledge is the only infinite thing in this world . "

The boy sat near a clear pond and took out a thick golden book then, with difficulty, started slowly reading it .

Time crept by and the boy became engrossed in this incomprehensible book . From time to time, he would stop and ask the unseen speaker .

"Why was there only twelve?"

"Only twelve were needed . Any more would've been a hindrance and any less would have caused a 'malfunction' . "

"And why did they fight?"

"For power, my dear . If they remained unmoving, the world we live in right now would not have existed . To pave a way for the future generation, the creators must disappear, leaving only a trace of them to reminisce about . "

"Disappear? Do you mean die?"

"No . They needed to get out of the way, leave things be . Just like the ground below you, a world of insects where one step from a giant can end them all, even unintentionally . Every life is precious, no matter how insignificant it is . Even the things that came to existence through a mistake or an accident deserve a chance . "

"Where are they now? The Twelve, I mean . "

This time, the voice didn't reply immediately but maintained a brief silence .

"Some are dead, others trapped and the rest wandering around . "

"The book mentions a long war, did no one understand the meaning behind everything?"

"One of them did . He reached his destination and ended 'it' peacefully . "

"Who was it?"

"Moriah . "

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

Six months after Lucy came back from Riarravar, many things changed in the Cloud Sea Universe . However, everything was overshadowed by a shocking occurrence which turned the attention of the inhabitants towards it .

Lucy officially became a member of Black Rose, taking the White Seat for herself . The soul bind vanished completely but she knew Arthur would come back, definitely .

As she expected, the signs appeared after half a year, the peacefulness broke and it was finally time to act .

The heavens were moving, the dark clouds started clustering and moving toward a specific direction, alarming everyone . It was a Celestial Tribulation but this one seemed oddly different, much stronger than the rest and very frightening . Each world it passed by, it hid the light of the sun and caused horrible after-effects .

"Let me go with you, Madam . "

Astrith, who fully recovered his strength and was in perfect condition, pleaded to Lucy .

In response, the silver-haired woman caressed the now white hair of the sleeping Saly while saying:

"There is no need . Take care of Saly and protect the sect . "

They were currently in Astria, in the MoonStar city . After her recent raid, Lucy located her daughter and brought her back home along with Delia and the knight .

"The Cloud Sea Sect and several other powers will follow the tribulation . I believe my assistance is requir-"

"I told you there is no need . "

Lucy cut him off and spoke with an authoritative tone, shutting up Astrith once and for all .

******

"Are you sure?"

Isadore tapped his finger on the table, unconsciously, as usual, while listening to Dan's report .

The beggar-looking Overgod looked exceptionally pale as he stood before his king, not very sane after encountering many powerful individuals, including the Nameless Knight .

"Yes, with the exception of a few place, it's definitely identical . The only missing thing is the piece of land North-East . "

The king massaged his temples and wracked his brains trying to find a meaning to all of this . Ever since he got sucked in Arthur's world, everything became chaotic . The more he tried to dig, the more surprised he became .

"Which one do you think is the real Astria?"

The overgod shrugged his shoulders and replied: "Both, I think . "

"Even a Titan cannot be in two places at once . "

Isadore let out sigh, stood up and left the office, closely followed by the grumpy Wrath .