A full year passed in the blink of an eye.
For Lucien, it was both long and fleeting. It was a year spent not in conquest but in refinent.
Every day was dedicated to perfection. He dismantled his old techniques and rebuilt them from their essence, rethinking every strike and spell until they resonated with the natural rhythm of the world.
He no longer fought to overpower, he fought to understand. And in that understanding, his blade began to move like thought and his magic flowed like breath.
Morphis, too, had changed. The Soul Core of the Ancient Dragon had fused into its being.
It awakened sothing that should not have existed in any mortal-made weapon.
Morphis now carried within it the lifeblood of dragons. When Lucien wielded it, his movents drew afterimages that devoured magic and nded his body simultaneously.
...
Lucien didn’t hoard his treasures. With the Soul Cores he had gained from the three Monster Lords’ Organ Storages, he approached the Crafting Division. He entrusted them with the task of reforging the future.
Seren’s brilliance shone brighter than ever. Not just her alone. Morphy, the Mimic Sli, deserved equal credit. The little creature had beco her greatest partner, mirroring her with uncanny precision and even improving upon her designs at tis.
The entire Crafting Division deserved praise too. Their combined effort had turned ideas once thought impossible into tangible miracles.
Among their greatest works was Cielius’s Worldroot Staff that was now embedded with a Soul Core of an Elder Trent. The soul core infused the staff with pure vitality, granting its wielder accelerated healing and stamina recovery.
Moreover, the Worldroot Staff could now root itself faster into the ground. It could now let the user borrow mana from the world with greater efficiency.
Lucien smiled proudly when he saw its effects for the first ti. ’A genius with infinite mana... Even in the Big World, my grandfather will shine brighter than most.’
He could already imagine it... Cielius stands among the mages of the Thousand Races, lecturing them about the essence of magic.
...
Little by little... he said his farewells to his friends too.
To Aldren, Roneth and the allies in the borders, he gave his final counsel. The East Border that was once fragile, now rivals the Capital itself. Technology and knowledge from Lootwell had spread, bringing prosperity.
Though of course, fair compensation always returned to its source.
Even so, the once-isolated frontier now thrumd with life, industry and pride.
...
Lucien’s visits to Silvermine beca monts of peace.
He often played with little Lucian who was now nearly three years old. The boy’s eyes sparkled like Edric’s but his spirit carried a strange warmth that reminded Lucien of light after rain.
For him, Lucien prepared a gift unlike any other.
Tear of the First Light.
He had asked the Crafting Division to forge this Legendary drop into a bracelet made up of Living Alloy Essence. This way, it could grow alongside the wearer, adapting and expanding as Lucian aged.
"It revives the fallen within five seconds of death," Lucien murmured to Edric, who was dressed in comical clothes, chasing laughter out of his little son. "Uncle Ed, make sure Lucian always wears this. It can also restore the flow of mana and dispel all corruption within its reach. It’ll protect him... and help him when the ti cos."
Ellen and Maxim had begun rebuilding Copperrock Noblehouse as well. They had claid the Northwest lands that once belonged to Golddust, with King Midas’s full approval. The land had since recovered and flourished. Its vitality now was stronger than ever.
Lucien gave them all the support they needed. Resources, tools, enchantnts, and other things that would safeguard their rebuilding efforts and ensure Copperrock’s legacy endured for generations to co.
...
Lucien’s na had spread across the world. His na was whispered with reverence, sung by bards and even etched into tales. But to his relief, none of that changed how his important people treated him.
No fear. No awkwardness. No envy.
He also took the ti to visit Caelum, Lioren, and the Departnt Heads at the capital.
During one of their talks, Lucien finally uncovered the secret behind Lioren’s strange constitution.
She could get drunk even from foods or drinks that weren’t alcoholic.
It turned out to be a rare constitution known as the Euphoric Vein. It’s a body whose mana vessels are too receptive, absorbing the emotional and elental essence of everything she consud.
She wasn’t simply "drunk"... she was synchronized.
Each intoxication allowed her to embody a fragnt of the world’s emotions. Under the right control, this unique constitution could amplify her spells many tis over, letting her draw directly from the emotional intent behind both magic and law itself.
Despair could fuel devastating curses.
Joy could empower radiant blessings.
Serenity could heal beyond mortal limits.
Her drunken states varied depending on the emotion she absorbed from what she consud
Lucien gave her mana circulation and breathing technique to stabilize this gift. To turn intoxication into enlightennt.
When Lucien told them he would soon leave, Lioren’s lips trembled as if she wanted to speak... but no words ca. Caelum quietly placed a hand on her shoulder as Lucien turned away.
Sotis, the hardest goodbyes were those left unsaid.
•••
Lucien also took the ti to baptize the others within his territory. With his current strength as a Transcendent, he could perform the ceremony on a hundred people in a single day without strain.
His goal was clear. To make every citizen of Lootwell capable of wielding divine energy.
They would beco the shield and spear of the realm, the first to rise should calamity ever descend upon their world.
•••
Finally, Lucien t with King Midas and Pope Augustus.
The eting took place in the Holy Empire that was now purified and freed from its forr corruption. Augustus had invited Lucien personally, eager to show him what had beco of the land.
Yet as Lucien walked its streets, he found himself wincing. Everywhere he went, heads bowed. The people whispered his na in awe and... reverence? He felt a strange sense of deja vu.
He sighed inwardly.
"I already know the culprit... Clara."
No doubt she had spread his na like gospel again. To him, it wasn’t all bad. He could feel his divine energy subtly increasing every passing day.
But still...
"Should I just bring Clara to the Big World and let her purify the Thousand Races there?" he thought, half serious.
Finally, the three arrived at a secluded chamber deep within the Empire, far from prying eyes and kneeling worshipers.
Lucien faced them both. His expression was calm but his tone left no room for doubt.
"I’ll be leaving soon," he began. "And... I’ll be going alone."
Both Midas and Augustus imdiately frowned. Midas leaned forward. "Alone? Wouldn’t that be dangerous, Marquis?"
Lucien nodded. "I know. That’s exactly why."
He explained slowly... his reasons were sound.
First, neither of them were strong enough. Even with their strength and divine energy, the Big World was a realm of true monsters.
"A single stray creature there could destroy this entire kingdom," Lucien said.
Second, his Divine Energy Core was no longer sothing he could treat lightly.
Now, entering his core ant bringing his entire existence along with him, not just his spirit.
This would leave his Divine Energy Core fully exposed to the world and its destruction would spell disaster.
If his core were shattered, he might still be able to live... but anyone inside would be lost forever. And if, hypothetically, he were to die... then all within him would perish alongside him.
And lastly... he needed to understand what awaited them before exposing his world to that danger.
"If sothing happens to , at least this world remains safe. But if we all go together and fall... this world loses its only protectors."
He looked at the two of them with a faint smile.
"So I’ll take a peek. Just a peek. I’ll observe the state of the Big World, see what dangers lie ahead and return when I can."
Midas clenched his fist but eventually sighed. "You’ve already made up your mind, haven’t you?"
Lucien chuckled softly. "When have I ever not?"
He then promised them both. No matter what, he would bring them out of this cage they called a world.
’Primo Sli told the path isn’t one-way,’ Lucien thought. ’So there shouldn’t be a problem... right?’
Still, he was uncertain.
Before leaving, Lucien shared with them everything he could. How to advance beyond the mortal limit, how to refine their bodies and how to comprehend the laws of the world even without stepping into the higher realms.
He passed on to them the circulation and breathing techniques he had learned in the Mural World, tailored to help them strengthen both divine and mortal aspects in harmony.
He even left behind fragnts of his insights. His understanding of laws, enough to guide them long after his departure.
And then, at last, he stood before them at the edge of the empire’s grand balcony.
The wind carried his hair, and the distant horizon shimred like a veil waiting to be torn.
"Take care of this world for ," he said softly.
"The next ti I return... I’ll make sure we would be standing at the peak of that world too."
He smiled.
•••
Lucien waited for one final day before his departure.
Vivian’s birthday. February 14th.
When that day ca, the city of Lootwell glead brighter than ever. Lanterns illuminated the streets, laughter echoed from every corner and music wove through the night air like a blessing.
Lucien smiled as he looked around at the faces he cherished, the bonds he had forged and the city that had beco his ho. For the first ti in a long while, he felt the weight of sentint tug at his heart. A part of him wanted to stay... but he knew the world would endure even without him.
So, he chose to simply enjoy the mont.
He gifted Vivian a mountain of manga and novels, enough stories to keep her company for years to co. The sight of her eyes lighting up in pure delight earned him a fierce, heartfelt hug.
...
That sa night, Lucien invited his dearest people into his Divine Energy Core. There, they gathered once more with Luke and Cienna.
Cielius, Sebas, and Vivian sat together with his parents’ lingering souls, sharing laughter, stories, and the warmth of reunion. Though Luke and Cienna were but fragnts of what they once were, Lucien could still feel the joy radiating from them.
To Lucien... this was a night to rember.
•••
And then, the day of departure arrived.
Lucien had said his goodbyes. He had stabilized the world, ensured safety asures, and passed on all the knowledge he could. There was nothing more to do.
Before the break of dawn, he slipped away quietly from Lootwell and made his way toward the dungeon that connected to the boundary.
But there... he sensed a familiar presence waiting.
Vivian.
Lucien exhaled softly. A helpless smile ford on his lips. He hadn’t told her the ti he would leave but it seed his sister had known anyway.
He approached her. "Sis... how did you know I’d be leaving at this hour?"
Vivian crossed her arms, trying to hide the tremble in her voice. "Lu, it’s a sister’s instinct."
He chuckled. "What kind of nonsense is that? You’ve been reading too many manga."
They both fell silent. The wind brushed gently between them.
"...Then I’ll be going now," Lucien said finally.
As he stepped past her, Vivian reached out and tugged lightly at his sleeve.
"Be careful, brother. You don’t have to worry about anything here. I’ll take care of our territory while you’re away. So..." —her voice wavered— "...return safe, and soon."
Lucien smiled, pulling her into one last embrace.
And as he turned to leave, a single tear slipped down Vivian’s cheek... one she hadn’t even realized had fallen.
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