Black String of Fate

"You have made a good decision, father. I will ensure our victory against the demonic sect." Seraphina said with conviction, securing her position as a key player in the upcoming battle. It was this time Julian, who was quiet all this while, decided to speak up.

"Father, I wish to participate in this conflict as well. I cannot just stand by when such a dangerous force threatens the hard-earned peace of our empire."

The emperor looked over at Julian, seeing through his obvious intentions. It was blatant to the point that even someone like Xavier could tell something was up.

"You wish to be in a commanding position similar to your sister?" The emperor asked directly, and Julian belatedly noticed that his intentions were revealed as clear as day. It was a blunder made due to his sister being in the center of this whole thing and him being sidelined.

He realized that not taking any initiative would significantly weaken his influence on the emperor, and consequently, on the empire.

'Even royal politics simply boil down to a sibling fight for attention, huh?' Xavier amusedly watched Julian, who was clearly embarrassed but did not back down.

"You know, usually I would praise you for taking such initiatives, but this concerns the safety of our empire. The only reason that Seraphina is in the lead of such an operation is her immense knowledge of the demonic sect and her royal blood, which gives her the right to command over our people.

If it were up to me, I would choose someone immensely strong and also experienced against the enemy, like Sir Xavier, to fight against the threat, but he's unknown to the court and has no authority or political rights. That is why Seraphina has been chosen.

Understand that if even one of the factors were missing, her knowledge or her influence, she wouldn't even be hearing about these matters right now."

Xavier was surprised to hear his name out of nowhere, but when he listened carefully, he observed that this emperor was a wise one.

'If the demonic sect didn't completely destroy his kingdom, perhaps the world I knew would've been completely different… It's a shame the quality of rulers degraded to the level I know and am familiar with.' He thought as he recalled the utter incompetence of the royalty in the dark age of humanity.

"Well, since you're also an Advanced Expert and a politically powerful prince, I shall give you command over a section of troops. While it's not equal to the influence of Seraphina, it will be equal to the influence of the Zener family who is one of the major players in the upcoming battle. I expect you to make significant contributions to the battle and improve our relations with them."

The emperor conceded and assigned an important task to Julian. It was important to not neglect a prince who would be a major asset of his empire in the next generation. Understanding the huge favor he just received, he bowed his head and thanked his father.

"Enough chit-chat, let's move to the treasury. It may take a long time to absorb the Sage's Stone, so it's better we do this as soon as possible." Saying that, the emperor got up and gestured for everyone to follow him. Seraphina, Xavier, and Julian got up and followed the emperor into the depths of the royal palace.

The castle was like a never ending maze. Seraphina noticed that Xavier was acting terribly anxious walking in the halls and mentally asked if he was alright.

'It's nothing. I'll be fine.'

Xavier dismissed the question, leaving Seraphina confused. Though she could see that something was clearly wrong, since Xavier did not want to talk about it, she could only leave it alone.

'Fucking hell, it's not even a proper maze and I'm like this? Damn it, that damn trial…'

Xavier recalled the very recent decade of that absolutely monotonous and hellish, soul-degrading maze trial. He now discovered that his fears had come true and he really got trauma from that hellish experience. Turns out, he, the mightiest of all, was weak against these types of things.

Soon, they arrived at the treasury. It was a giant, golden door designed with intricate patterns. In the design, there was a small peephole barely noticeable at normal height. The emperor went ahead and gazed into the peephole, and Xavier noticed a dim light being reflected back at the emperor's eyes.

"A biometric scan, that's impressive." Seraphina commented on the security system, but no one understood her weird words.

"The what?" Xavier asked with confusion.

"...Leave it, I'm just impressed at the level of security. It's almost impossible to cheat." Seraphina brushed it off, and before Xavier could say anything more, the door started opening.

*CREAK*

With a bright light peeking through, Xavier saw the whole treasury filled with an abundance of gold coins, precious gems, legendary weapons, ancient scrolls, and all that. It was truly a treasury, housing the greatest treasures of the greatest empire of that time.

The emperor walked right through the treasures without even glancing at them as they arrived in front of a dusty chest kept on an altar. He blew the dust off and opened the lid, revealing a stone that was their greatest treasure.

"So, this is the Sage's Stone."

It was a milky white translucent crystal, with its insides glowing with a mysterious ethereal light. While Julian and the emperor were in awe of the power they felt from the Sage's Stone, Seraphina and Xavier were reminded of the bitter times of the struggle the world went through to hunt these things.

'It really has the makings of a God's Tear. Moreover, though failed and incomplete, it is a whole piece compared to the tiny fragment I consumed in the past.'