"Max!" a chorus of voices rang out as everyone rushed toward him, their faces lighting up with joy and disbelief. In monts, he was surrounded — not just by acquaintances, but by true friends.
Jack, with his usual loud energy, clapped Max on the shoulder so hard it nearly knocked him over. Alia gave a small smile, her calm presence a quiet reassurance. Revenna nodded at him silently, the corners of her lips barely lifting. Nash grinned, arms crossed, clearly pleased. Even Anton, who rarely showed much emotion, looked genuinely relieved.
Others soon joined in, young geniuses from both the Western and Eastern regions, all gathering around Max like stars pulled toward a sun.
Then ca Aelric, stepping forward with his usual dramatic flair, hoisting a large barrel of wine over his shoulder like it weighed nothing.
"Everyone!" he shouted with a grin, "Let's drink to the fact that Max is alive and well!" That was all it took.
"Yey! Let's go!" soone shouted, and the celebration began.
"Let's drink to our hearts' content!" cried another.
"Yup, all out today!"
Bottles were passed around, barrels cracked open, and soon, the hall was filled with laughter, cheers, and the clinking of glasses. No one held back. They drank freely, danced, told stories, and clung to the mont like it was the only thing that mattered.
After all, Tower City — and especially the area surrounding the Tower of Truth — was one of the safest places in the entire Lower Domain. Here, for once, they could afford to let their guard down. So they did. The tension of the past weeks lted away in waves of wine and joy, and the celebration went on, deep into the night.
There was a small balcony at the edge of the grand hall, a quiet place away from the music, laughter, and clinking of glasses. From there, one could see the full moon hanging high in the night sky, glowing softly over the peaceful land below.
Max and Alice stood side by side, their hands gently entwined as they gazed up at the moon in silence. The cool breeze brushed past them, but the warmth between their hands kept the mont still and calm.
After a while, Max spoke, his voice low and filled with emotion. "You know, Alice… my dream has always been to reunite with my family. To find Freya. To find my parents. And to stand with them again, as a family." He turned to her, his eyes eting hers directly, full of sincerity. "And for that… I'll have to leave the Lower Domain one day. I'll have to step into the Middle Domain, no matter what it takes."
Alice didn't look surprised. She stared at the moon for a few monts longer before quietly replying, "The Middle Domain…" Her voice was calm but thoughtful. "My mother recently told sothing. Sothing she kept hidden until now. She said that our family… we're not originally from the Lower Domain or even the Phoenix Order Guild."
Max blinked, stunned. "Not from the Lower Domain?" he repeated in disbelief.
Alice turned to him and nodded slowly, her expression serious. "She said… we co from one of the four great nations of the Four God Nation — the Phoenix God Nation. That's where our bloodline cos from."
Max's heart skipped a beat. The Four God Nation — they weren't just powerful; they were the most powerful force on all of Planet Acaris. A place where true legends were born. A realm where Mythic Rank and even Divine Rank experts walked freely.
He had only ever heard stories of them, distant and unreachable. And yet… Alice's family belonged to one of them. The Phoenix God Nation — a land said to be blessed by fire and rebirth itself.
Max couldn't help but stare at her in awe, realizing just how vast their world truly was… and how far both of them still had to go.
"Kid, she's telling the truth," Blob's voice suddenly echoed in Max's mind, calm but firm. "Her bloodline… I can sense it clearly. It's extrely pure, far beyond anything you'd find in the Lower Domain. It's most likely a Source Bloodline of the Phoenix Lineage. And bloodlines of this level — this purity — can only be found in the Phoenix God Nation."
Max's eyes widened slightly, his gaze drifting to Alice as she stood quietly beside him.
'Source Bloodline…' he repeated in his thoughts, fully realizing just how rare and valuable Alice's bloodline truly was. Source Bloodlines weren't ordinary at all — they were the original, untainted essence from which all other versions were derived. The foundation of an entire lineage.
To think that Alice carried sothing like that inside her made him feel a mixture of admiration and awe.
But Blob wasn't finished. "Also," he continued, his voice tinged with nostalgia, "the so-called Four God Nation you speak of… during my Master's ti, it was known as the Five God Nation. But it seems that one of the five nations has fallen with ti — lost in the waves of history."
Max quietly absorbed those words, committing them to mory. It was a surprising revelation, one that hinted at a deeper, more ancient history of the world.
But even as he thought about that, his mind kept circling back to Alice. It was still hard to wrap his head around the fact that she wasn't just from the Lower Domain or a simple guild, but from the Phoenix God Nation itself — one of the supre forces standing at the peak of Planet Acaris.
The truth had changed everything he thought he knew about her, and yet, she stood beside him just as she always had — strong, calm, and quietly burning like the fire in her blood.
"That's great, isn't it?" Max said with a warm smile, his eyes fixed on Alice's glowing face under the soft moonlight. "We can et again at the Four God Nation when I eventually get there."
"Hehe, that's what I'm thinking too," Alice laughed softly, her voice light and filled with hope. "But… I don't know when my mother will decide to leave the Lower Domain with ."
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