The light of a new dawn seeped through the window, slowly illuminating a large and luxurious bedroom. Inside, there were many pieces of furniture, decorative objects, all the latest technology possible, and in the center, a grand bed.
The moment the light filled the room, the reddish eyes of a young girl snapped open. Almost in perfect sync, her brother beside her woke up as well.
Extreme confusion took hold of them. What was this huge and beautiful place they were in?
"Good morning."
A voice suddenly rang out, making both of them widen their eyes and notice his presence beside them. Darian was sitting at the edge of the bed, calmly watching them.
The moment they looked at him, they felt something entirely different. It was their brother, but at the same time, it wasn't.
He exuded a presence and an aura completely unlike what they knew. Just by looking into his eyes, they felt as if all their secrets and thoughts were being laid bare.
Darian let out a heavy sigh and said, "We need to talk about some things..."
But before he could finish, he felt an impact on his chest. His energetic sister had lunged at him, hugging him tightly, trembling.
The pain Darian felt at hearing her sobs was immense. Everything bad that had happened to them in the past few days was his fault. He had come up with a plan so the two could make money to survive, and that plan would only work if Darian died from the poison in the end.
But... he awakened, and his awakening completely cured him of the poison.
After that, he had to leave with Rhea. So those people came back, found no traces of the poison, and even discovered some of his blood.
From there, it was easy for them to use his blood to track down his siblings and try to find out anything about him.
Darian blamed himself for not paying enough attention to that detail. Maybe if he had told Rhea... no, she definitely would have helped, going back to the place and erasing all traces of him.
But after a few minutes... seeing his sister's tearful gaze and then a pure smile blossom on her face, he felt a weight lift from his chest. He then turned his gaze to Lucius, who seemed calm and equally relieved that they were all together again.
The two of them were incredibly strong and didn't dwell on what had happened. Even at their young age, they simply kept moving forward with courage.
As for Darian... well, he felt like he was changing fast enough. It was safe to say he had completely transformed into someone else.
Darian gently reassured them.
Lucy was an energetic and intelligent young girl. Her brother, on the other hand, was calmer and more serious but just as sharp. Neither of them seemed their actual age.
Rhea had explained to Darian what he could and couldn't tell them. He was then responsible for introducing them, as if recruiting them.
A little later...
"If my brother is taking this risk, then I accept too," Lucius responded without hesitation.
"I accept too. I won't be a burden to anyone. We can only rely on ourselves to protect us," Lucy added right after.
Darian just sighed. He already knew what their answer would be. Even though he preferred for them to stay safe on Earth, their lives belonged only to them. All he could do was support them as much as possible.
"Unfortunately, the test only happens once a year. I took the last one a few weeks ago, so you'll have to wait a year. Don't ask anything else about it. You'll only be able to learn certain things at the right time," he said lightly.
"Now, let's go see the city together. Rhea brought clothes for you. Get dressed."
The two listened without reacting. Meanwhile, he opened the wardrobe to show them the clothes. Then he casually walked out of the room.
Minutes later, the door of a massive two-story house swung open.
Rhea had just arrived and stepped out of a car. Then, she saw Darian and the two young twins stepping outside with wide eyes. They had just seen their new home and still couldn't believe they would be living there.
But as they stepped out and took in their surroundings, the shock only deepened.
The city was grand, filled with houses and low-rise buildings that didn't block the view or pollute the skies. The air was fresh, everything was clean, beautiful, and technologically advanced.
Rhea approached, observing the two young ones. Their hair was a light green, different from their brother's darker shade.
Lucius had a pleasant appearance, with short hair and a serene expression. His elegant clothing stood out, especially his purple jacket, which suited him perfectly. In his hand, he held a red book—a recent gift from Darian.
Like Darian, Lucius enjoyed reading about everything. Earlier, Darian had asked Rhea about that fantasy book, but she didn't recognize it. When she searched for it, she found that the title wasn't available anywhere in the city. Darian found that strange, but instead of insisting, he asked her for a book about the city and its complete history.
Lucy, on the other hand, had a big, expressive smile, giving her a playful and youthful vibe. Her short hair was decorated with a flower-shaped clip with red petals—a gift from her brother. She wore a bright yellow dress with open sleeves that exposed her shoulders, paired with some leather accessories.
The two of them were glowing in their own way. They had never dressed so well before, and now they were wondering if they were really awake or just trapped in a dream.
Rhea introduced herself, and the twins quickly bowed, politely thanking her for everything.
She smiled and led them around the city, strolling casually through the wide, gleaming streets.
Since they had already agreed to take the test and knew about the High Humans, Rhea could share a few things without any issues. She started explaining:
"The city is divided into four sectors. The biggest one is in the center, where the Empire's central government operates. The second largest takes up the entire western region of the city and belongs to the Red River Pact clan. That's the biggest High Human clan in the entire New Arcadia Empire."
"The eastern region is split into the south and north. The south, where we are now, is the residential area. Everyone who isn't super important to the Red River Pact or the Empire lives here. The north, on the other hand, is where nine smaller clans have settled."
"Those nine are the ones ranked right below the first?" Lucy asked curiously.
Rhea shook her head. "No. The Empire's territory is huge. Clans ranked from two to fifteen all live in other big cities, far from here. To make the differences between them clearer, there's a power ranking system."
"The top three clans are considered Rank S. Clans ranked from four to twenty are A-B. From twenty to fifty, they're C-D. Anything below that doesn't get a rank; they're just large groups, like mercenary squads. These guys don't want to belong to a clan and are constantly hired by the higher-ranked ones to assist with missions."
"These rankings also match the difficulty levels of missions given by the will of the heavens, and of course, how capable a clan is at completing them. Every few days, missions are assigned to one of the six Empires. They come with strict rules, like how many people can participate and what the objective is, and they always have a difficulty rank attached."
"That determines which clans are chosen. Sometimes, only members of a specific clan can take on a mission. But it's not uncommon for multiple clans to have to team up—and even hire those 'mercenaries'—to complete them."
Darian and the twins listened carefully. Deciding whether to join a clan or not—and what level of clan to aim for—was a huge deal. Sure, all clans had people of different levels, but the bigger the clan, the riskier it was for everyone. After all, the hardest missions would always land on their plate.
"About two-thirds of the city's population are High Humans," Rhea continued, easing the tension. "The rest are their families, but they're restricted to the residential area so they won't find out about superpowers."
"We all live pretty similarly. We spend a month training away from home, then return to rest as much as we can. Every one or two months, missions pop up that match our level. Of course, the Empire keeps track of all of us. There's a minimum number of missions we have to complete each year. We can't just stay home and slack off. If we don't volunteer for a mission, we'll be forced into one."
As they walked, several regular people from the residential area glanced at them. They could see Rhea's lips moving, but no sound reached them. It was normal for them, and no one seemed surprised.
Rhea explained this too, showing them a necklace she wore. In the center was a shining gemstone, almost like a ruby. It was a simple yet widespread artifact—anyone with one could speak freely, but only those within two meters could hear them.
It was a way for High Humans to live peacefully without worrying about leaking classified information to regular citizens.
Later, they stopped at a restaurant. Soon, the twins and Darian were tasting the best food the Empire had to offer, with nothing to worry about.
After the meal, they spent the rest of the day exploring and checking out the city's many breathtaking sights.
Darian had more than enough money to ensure his siblings lived comfortably, at least for a year. They were going to enjoy their time here to the fullest.
But Darian's fifteen days of rest passed quickly.
One morning, Rhea arrived at their house to pick him up.
It was time to train, fight, and face the abyss once again.