The day was still in full splendor, and the picture around the house of wood and grass remained the same as always. Upon exiting the stone gate with Grevlin, Marius looked at the colorful grasses before shifting their sights towards the side of the house.
There, the Mountain Ax Senior, who would usually be chopping logs, stood with his arms crossed behind his back nearby the riverside. His manner now seemed a bit lost as he stared at the lake in silence.
Marius thought for a bit before he looked at Grevlin and pointed towards the house.
"Son, go and check for your mother; she should be preparing lunch anytime now; we'll also be leaving in a bit."
"Okay, father."
After answering, Grevlin hurried towards the wooden house, leaving behind Marius, who started to approach the Mountain Ax Senior.
The river's rustling sound calmed his spirit as he stood by the old man's side for a little over a minute, the two remaining silent as if they didn't need words. Soon though, the Mountain Ax Senior shifted his eyes towards Marius, staring at him deeply with a smile at the corners of his mouth.
"You've grown quite strong during this short month; I truly must admit that I admire you... or rather, your entire family."
"Senior, your words are far too kind; we have yet to even offer our thanks for—"
"Haha, no need, an old bag like me, I do not need such things; all I desire I've already experienced."
Though the Mountain Ax Senior said those last bits of words, Marius, who keenly stared at him, noticed his eyes grew a bit distant as he stared at the mountain ranges.
'I guess I'll have to keep it at heart.'
Marius thought before he gave him a polite bow; the Mountain Ax Senior looked at him again before he turned and walked towards the table.
"Come now, I believe it won't take long for that charming wife of yours to finish that meal, we'll have one last meal before I deliver you all to the empire's core domain."
"We'll be counting on you," Marius replied as he stared at his back before he followed.
It didn't take long for time to pass as everyone gathered around the outdoor wooden table; they soon started to eat today's lunch as a lively atmosphere of laughter sounded throughout the afternoon.
By now, the evening had caught up with them; the Mountain Ax Senior then glanced at Marius and Ria before eying the cute and adorable little Rose who was now embraced in Ria's arm's while Grevlin sat and petted the two tiger cubs.
Both Marius and Ria looked at each other before they held each other's arms and faced the Mountain Ax Senior once again.
Finally, the Mountain Ax Senior made a gentle look as he placed four golden bracelets with runic markings onto the table.
He then spoke, "Before you, are how you will each be able to blend into the Grand Alvaria Dynasty. These bracelets are known as Aura Disruption Bracelets. Embedded within them is a unique magic diagram; as such, it can not only fake the crest of an Artiman, but also suppress the diabolical mystic power of Hellians. With this, no one under my rank will sense your true origin, and even those at my level will find it hard to tell you apart. Hence, the only thing you'll both need to look out for is the horns of you mother and child, along with those arms of Grevlin."
When Marius and Ria heard those words, their eyes lit up as they didn't think such a treasure exists; though Ria had her Hellian Illusory abilities, they weren't able to bypass all senses.
'Such an amazing treasure,' Ria thought to herself as she stared at the bracelets on the table with wonderment in her eyes.
"Incredible, Senior, I must thank you once again for your trouble," Marius said with a grateful look.
"Enough about that, why don't you hurry and try it on? I'd like to know if it's at least working as it should before you guys leave." The Mountain Ax Senior.
"As you wish." Marius didn't hold on ceremony; he picked them up and handed them over to the rest of the family before putting it on his wrist.
Once on his wrist, the runic markings began to glow in bright blue lights, but this only lasted for a few seconds before fading away.
Moments later, Marius's body then began to emit a strange kind of energy, one that he couldn't even notice himself. Still, in the Mountain Ax Senior's eyes, he could see a mist of golden energy that emanated from his being.
He smiled in satisfaction as he turned his sights onto Ria, Little Rose and Grevlin, noticing that the black sinister-looking auras that coated their bodies faded into a similar energy like that of Marius.
"Excellent, it's working far better than I'd anticipated," The Mountain Ax Senior said with a smile.
"Huh? I still don't feel anything," Marius said with a puzzled look as he looked at the bracelet on his wrist.
The Mountain Ax Senior seemed to have expected this; he tossed a book to Marius and spoke, "Figured as much, that's why I wrote that custom made skill recently. It took a little more time than I'd imagine, but with that, you should be able to replicate the senses of a true Artiman."
Marius glanced at the book causing its details to appear before his eyes.
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[Sense - Custom Mystical Art]
[Description - Allows the user to sense all different lifeforms in Valoria, amount varies by personal power and the quality of mystical power used.]
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'This... although I can rely on my instinct to sense creatures, this skill is even handier, I truly don't know how to thank him for this one,' Marius thought as he looked at the old man with another look of gratitude, but he didn't say thanks as he focused on learning the skill.
After a few seconds, Marius had quickly learned the skill and understood how it worked. His eyes flashed in golden light as he invoked the skill and noticed that the world around him changed; he could see many auras, including the golden aura that now covered his family.
Other than seeing this energy, Marius also felt a strange connection to it, as if they were part of the same roots.
'So this is what he meant by he could easily infer that I am not a part of his kind, if there were no feeling of connection, it would be like looking at a stranger on earth...' Marius thought with an intrigued expression.
The Mountain Ax Senior knew that Marius had already learned the skill; he wasn't too surprised as that was an Outsider's learning speed.
Much different from Marius; however, Ria, Little Rose, and Grevlin were keenly able to sense their changes, causing them to react differently.
"Wow! Dadda is glowing yellow!" Little Rose said as she pointed at Marius with excitement, her small mouth opened wide just like her big innocent eyes.
"Hehe, well, he certainly is, my adorable Little Rose," Ria said with a smile as she played with her daughter's small arms while looking at Marius.
Grevlin seemed to be interested in the new feeling he was having; he could still sense that normal feeling from his arms, but a slightly uncomfortable power only shrouded it.
After adjusting themselves to their changes, everyone grew quiet as they knew that the time had finally arrived.
The Mountain Ax Senior rose from his seat and stood in the open; Marius glanced at everyone in his family and spoke, "It's time to go."
Ria nodded as she lifted Little Rose, who looked around curiously, not knowing what was happening as she asked, Mama, where are we gwoing?"
Ria replied, "A new home."
Little Rose had curious eyes as she asked, "A new home? With bwig house?"
Ria looked at Marius, who chuckled; Ria rubbed her head and answered, "It might not as big like those we are used to seeing, but it will be a comfy house."
"I like comfy," Little Rose said with a cheeky smile as she buried her head in her mother's bosom, causing Ria to smile.
Grevlin walked up to Marius's side; it seemed that he didn't want to stay too far away from his father, mostly since they were about to enter unknown territories.
"I assume that you're all ready?" The Mountain Ax Senior asked.
"We are," Marius replied in place of everyone else.
The Mountain Ax Senior then nodded as he clapped his hands and placed his glowing palms onto the earth as he shouted, "Open!"
The earth shook with a rumbling sound, and a new stone gate with a glowing portal had appeared from the ground.
Marius and his family looked at this with fascinating expressions, as even Ria was a bit curious about the lands they were about to encroach upon.
The Mountain Ax Senior, who had only now returned to normal posture, tossed an envelope to Marius, who caught it and looked at him in surprise.
"That is a letter to a friend of mine, if you ever venture to the capital of the Grand Alvaria Dynasty, then take it to him... as for his name, he's known as Helmstine. Do take care now, I pray that you all find happiness on your journey..." The Mountain Ax Senior said once more with a gentle look in his eyes.
Marius and Ria felt warm by his gesture again, but they knew he didn't like being thanked; they nodded their heads and held onto the children and walked into the portal.
However, before they all vanished, Marius's words sounded from behind it, "Thanks for everything."
As his last words sounded, the world soon transformed as they all faded into the portal. The stone gate shortly after crumbled into dust as the Mountain Ax Senior sighed before muttering, "I truly do hope you'll have a better life, even more so than I did..."
Following his words, the Mountain Ax Senior's eyes turned cold as he gazed into the sky as if he could sense something peering at him from the extreme distances. He then muttered once more, 'But, it would seem that your hurdles will be far greater than even my own…'
He slowly walked towards the ax that was plunged into the tree stump and took out a filing tool, not long after only the sounds of the ax being sharpened resounded as a strange, dark mood filled the entirety of this mystical mountain range...