Divine Path System

Dusk was upon the land, the beautiful rays of the sun painting the forest and the lake in a melancholic orange.

Kicking the pebbles by the river, Aurora joined Sia with a cheerful face. "I never played treasure hunt before! I mean, I did hunt for treasures, but…"

She trailed off, fidgeting with an awkward face. Perhaps she felt Sia would be upset.

On the contrary, Sia showed a bright smile. Handing over an old parchment, she said. "Great! It makes the instructions easier. These are the clues left by Enigma. We'll seal our powers to a level 1 mortal and try to find the treasures individually. Hazel and Helena have prepared the traps and will keep an eye on us."

Aurora nodded, her pale face lighting up.

It was odd to watch Sia get along with Aurora so well. She hadn't been hostile but she wasn't very friendly either.

But ever since Aurora's condition had been revealed, Sia was the one who spent every day with her.

Enigma accompanied her from time to time but she took care of Primula whose emotions were still in turmoil. Unlike Aurora, Primula was still a teenager who couldn't stomach the death of a loved one, even if it's someone she had no memories of.

Isadora and Sarah both locked themselves to try and find a solution to the problem.

With Enigma mostly taking care of Primula, Sia and Aurora ended up spending a lot of time together.

Even Evander would visit them from time to time, talking about his old days of glory and talking to the 'younger' woman about the values of courage and comraderie.

Hazel dedicated herself to ensuring Aurora got stuffed with delicious food everyday, food so good that Miss Calamity muttered it wasn't too bad dying after eating such delicacies.

On the other hand, Helena would watch them. For hours upon end, wherever they went, whatever they did. Then she'd draw and paint.

In their own way, within their own power, everyone was trying to do something about the departure of this dear one.

Varian, Sarah and Isadora were trying to reverse her fate. Sia, Enigma and the maids were trying to accept.

Aurora herself said she accepted her fate but did she?

Varian took a deep breath and his attention finally turned to his avatar.

'Please save us.'

If they had a choice, humans wanted to live. Even if a few more lives were saved, they'd be grateful.

So…

'Please save us.'

If she had a choice, Aurora too would chose to be saved.

'Please save us.'

Varian's body shone and he appeared in his place of his avatar. Looking down at the envoys, he pursed his lips.

Perhaps if it was another time, he wouldn't have been this easy to convince. But he was already in a struggle to save Aurora. He understood the pain of trying to save and not being able to save very deeply.

'Or maybe even without Aurora, I'd have still agreed. Even if there is no empire, even if there are not citizens, they are still the humans…descendants of the federation I grew up in.'

A deep sigh rang in the throne hall. The ears of the envoys perked up and their breaths grew weak. The hearts began thumping in their chests as if they'd break out any moment.

Something…something had changed!

They couldn't understand what. But something in the throne hall changed!

Varian raised a finger and the envoys were lifted by an invisible force. They were able to see him now. And stood frozen as the man of myths appeared so young, powerful and…mystical.

"This time, I will save. But humanity has to take care of itself. By the next time…I might not be around."

The envoys bowed repeatedly, nodding and thanking him with esoteric praises, as if he was some deity.

Only Chloe looked at him with silent worry. 'Not around?'

Like everyone else, she too assumed he's going to leave Eden. But Varian actually meant he might not be alive the next time humanity needed help.

Fighting against God Emperor…was as life threatening as it could get. But the belief that he was going to die was reinforced by something else.

The eyes that were imprinted in his soul. Those cold, emotionless, indifferent eyes.

Eyes that seemed to see through everything and laugh at his deepest worries and faintest fears.

They were telling him without speaking a single word. And Varian felt like he could hear it.

'It's futile. It's all futile.'

Maybe it was futile. But he wouldn't be Varian if he gave up without trying. Yet, he had to make preparations in case he's really gone.

"M-My Lord, w-will you send your army to p-protect the weak?" The brown-haired man asked in a trembling voice, despite gathering as much as courage as he could. "T-They are being hunted down as we speak. I beg you."

Varian shook his head. "There is another way."

The throne hall flashed and they all appeared in a vast expanse of space. The veil of darkness was only pierced by the twinkling of distant stars.

"T-This…"

"Between Milkyway and Andromeda," Varian said and raised his arms.

Fifty years ago, many satellite galaxies surrounding milkway were destroyed due to the God Emperor. Since they were only affected by the aftermath, most of them were crushed and got lost into the deeper space.

And now, with the power of space-time and order-chaos—

"W-What?!"

"I am dreaming!"

From the selected debris of the fallen galaxies, a magnificient kingdom began to take shape. Varian built it as faithful to the natural structure of creation as possible.

In just six hours, a brilliant region spanning the area of an entire kingdom was built. Compared to any kingdom, it was filled with far denser aura.

While it was mostly empty space with raw materials to leave the construction upto the settlers, the few buildings it had were magnificent. Their brilliance lit up the darkness.

Needless to say, these buildings would be the source of inspiration for most of the structures that were going to be built there.

"This is your kingdom. Elysium."