Nox had teleported to a largely populated area, but was atop an enormous tower. At the very top there was a stone house and a short platform leading out to the very front. From this platform, it was possible to see all the structures, whether natural or man-made, that made up the city below.
This was were he had arrived.
"Still looking down on people, Barbarian?"
His dark green hair danced in the wind, and behind him a figure in deep blue armor sat on the stairs leading into the house. long black hair also danced and blew this way and that, but it was much wilder and lacked any grace at all.
"I look down on all. Even you, Nox the Sage."
"Oh please. I'm no Sage." Nox turned to smile at the armored person. Through the helmet on their head, bright white dots glared at him.
"Where's your mother? I don't think enough time has passed for you to be considered management material yet."
"Hmph! The Lady has matters of great importance to attend to. Dimensional rule has been broken. The powers of Beyond-realm are already mobilizing, so one can guess as to what the others will do."
Nox smiled but said nothing further on the subject.
"When she returns, tell her that the baby bird has regrown its wings. His dimension is already on the precipice of defeat."
The one called Barbarian stiffened. Suddenly, they thrust their fist through space and retrieved a great black sword.
"You dare utter these treasonous words!? Against Him who gave you your title!?"
Nox smiled, a smoky billow of green energy pouring from his eyes.
"Are kings necessarily greater than those that serve them?"
At that, Barbarian readied the sword. The azure armor glowed brightly, like a miniature sun, yet Nox nonchalantly stared at it.
"Hmph! Your blasphemous tongue will be your end!" Barbarian took a step, the entire tower quaking and cracking.
Below them, the people felt a terrible tremor that disrupted their peace.
Nox smirked. The sword speedily drew its arc, cutting straight toward his neck.
"Typical Barbarian."
He stuck out his tongue, which had morphed into the forked tongue of a serpent.
It got in the way of the sword, meeting the powerful slash with ease.
As the sword was halted by the thin tongue, an explosive force banished the clouds of the upper atmosphere. There was no sound, yet a massive wave of powerful air blew down on the unsuspecting citizens.
For miles upon miles, the city was razed by that terrible wind.
"Your sword tastes like Scale kind. You've been fighting Vile and his descendants?"
Barbarian huffed and put down the sword.
"The Lady has heard her people crying out. She is here."
Barbarian returned the sword to its resting place beyond space and went back to sitting on the steps.
"I should've known it was you, Nox. Who else would be so crazy as to anger my daughter."
Nox chuckled and looked up, seeing a long and thin white cloth spreading out in the sky. At the center of this cloth was a woman, slowly descending.
"You've been in His dimension." Nox immediately frowned, a hostile energy emanating from the very strands of his hair.
"I have. He invited me and other Lords. He thinks someone has inherited the system- that cursed thing- and wants us to mobilize our forces against them."
Nox's expression softened and his hostility subsided.
"Such is my reason for coming."
The woman's long white hair covered her face, leaving only her supple lips exposed.
"So it is true. The system has resurged. That abomination."
"Indeed. Abomination. I'd want no other name for a creation of mine."
The woman was now hovering a few inches above the platform.
"I came here to warn you, Qiel. When the time comes for war on a dimensional scale, I recommend that you stay out of it."
The woman, Qiel, gasped.
"Why are you confident? None of the system's users have lived to even see the extent of their own universe, far less a dimension. What makes you so certain this one will be any different?"
Nox smiled.
"I have my reasons. One such reason I think you'll find quite convincing."
Qiel frowned. Behind her, Barbarian was staring directly at the tiny boy, waiting for the moment he stepped out of line.
"Don't tell me..."
Nox nodded.
"Precisely."
As he said this, his hair grew longer and longer, piling up on the ground.
He also grew taller-- much taller than the average person. His clothes morphed into fiery fabric, but this fire was bright green and insufferably cold, yet would burn away flesh, bone and soul with a single touch.
"How can this be!? He destroyed the Temple! Your Source no longer exists! How could you have restored your original self?"
Qiel took many steps back, the white cloth retreating to her body, hugging it tightly.
Barbarian also cried out, the azure armor was as if alive. It was terrified.
It fled from her body, revealing a muscular woman in rags.
Nox reverted to his childlike form, a deep smile on his face.
"You have been warned, Qiel. He will come, and all those with him, to kill my system's chosen yet again. Only, when he does, he will fall."
Qiel slowly shook her head.
"If he dies, the Council will have lost their figurehead."
Nox suddenly laughed, as a madman, loud and crazy.
"I intend for the Council to come out of the shadows. We will take the fight to them."
Nox opened a portal, giving Qiel one last look.
"Remember the name, so that when you hear it you will know that she is my successor."
"Leo Eslon."
He left.
Qiel and Barbarian looked at each other.
"So that was Nox the Sage."
"Indeed. And to think we thought he was defeated. How foolish we are."
Barbarian stood up and recalled her armor, saying, "What happens next, Mother?"
Qiel turned around, wearing a warm smile as she looked at her daughter.
"Surely dimensions under His control will pour out without measure in attempts to stop the Sage. Beyond-realm, The Sacred Worlds, Hell-realm, maybe even His dimension- the Divine Kingdom- will be mercilessly stomped on."
"The wrath of that man, Nox the Sage, is enough to end both everything and nothing. Time will cease, space will fold and reality will close its pages."
The two remained together, speaking of the things to come.
Leo was now sitting in the teacher's lounge, awaiting the arrival of the Queen Dowager.
There was, finally, a knock. The teacher in charge of the academic group went and opened the door, receiving her with a smile.
Leo sat in a chair that swiveled, the back of which was turned.
Once the Dowager entered, she turned around and gave her a smirk.
"Such a beautiful woman has come to my school. What a pleasure."
"Your school?
The Dowager's raised brows only made Leo gleefully giggle.
"But of course. It's only a matter of time before the entirety of the academy's administration bends to my will."
The Dowager folded her arms.
"You overestimate yourself."
Immediately upon saying that, the Dowager's eyes flashed a bright blue color. The contrast between her originally green eyes and the blue almost stunned Leo, but she quickly recovered.
This woman was truly beautiful, but Leo needed to focus.
She could tell that the Dowager was preparing to attack.
Without wasting time, Leo gathered cold energy in one hand. In the other, she focused on manipulating the cells.
Her Superior Sight kicked in, allowing her to see the attack coming before it happened.
Still, however, she could do little to stop it.
In the blink of an eye, she was transported to a sealed space along with the Dowager.
The tall woman flung off the decorated robe, revealing a tight, short black top and long black military pants that were slightly baggy.
She drew her sword, pointing it directly at Leo.
"Who are you, child? What have you done to the general studies teachers?"
Leo relaxed her body, making it appear that she was no longer ready to attack. She was, but she hid it under the surface.
At any moment, Leo could release a torrent of ice magic and have her arm take the shape of anything she wanted.
"My name isn't what's important right now."
"Then what is important?"
Leo smiled and folded her arms behind her.
"You have to submit to me. If you don't, then I won't be responsible for what happens to you afterward."
The Dowager merely chuckled.
"That was your last chance to save yourself."
Leo frowned, becoming slightly annoyed.
"Sadly, there was never a chance for you."
Leo hurriedly acted, sending out a large whirlwind of pure ice magic. It flew toward the unsuspecting woman with great speed, and was already upon her by the time she noticed it.
Leo then had her arm take the shape of a longsword.
"Don't fail me, Dragon Physique."
The Dowager had channelled spatial magic into her sword. After that, she cut through the ice, suffering only some frost on her skin.
She exhaled, her breath already visible due to the cold.
Leo had come right after, her sword slashing down.
The Dowager smiled.
She met Leo's sword with her own, but was shocked beyond words once she did.
Leo easily overpowered her.
The two swords met, creating a deafening clash. The Dowager looked down at the child before her in horror.
The space they were in was void, there was nothing but solid ground and walls forged by space magic.
The Dowager was sent flying into one of those walls. She hit her head and opened her mouth to cry out, but could only utter a choking sound.
She fell on her face, blood already spilling from her mouth.
She had dropped her sword off to the side. Leo spared no time to be amazed, and hurried to arrive near her.
"You underestimated me. Look where that got you."
The Dowager slowly recovered to consciousness, but was still out of it.
"Impossible. You're just a child."
Leo smirked, her sinister expression once more resurfacing.
"I'm the child who's going to rule this kingdom."
Leo then reshaped her hand into a normal arm, knelt down and grabbed both sides of the Dowager's head.
Lifting it, she was now peering into the Dowager's eyes.
She carefully perused every secret that the woman had, taking everything of note and committing it to memory.
When Leo was done, she took a deep breath.
"Alright, Nox. You said I was limiting myself. Let's see about that."
Leo continued to calm herself by adjusting her breathing, then used her sight once more.
This time, she focused on the brain itself.
She slowly penetrated the Dowager's brain with her sight and carefully inspected each part of it.
There were certain parts of the brain that Leo realized played a part in certain memories.
Leo, using her immense mental power, manipulated the brain cells in such a way that she altered the Dowager's memory.
Thanks to the limitless potential of Superior Sight, Leo was able to see what memories she was manipulating and exactly how she manipulated them.
After a few minutes, she had completely reshaped the Dowager's brain and altered almost all of her memories.
Once she was finished, she gave the Dowager's mind a final look.
Leo made it so that the Dowager now had deep resentment for the Nobility and the Royal Family. As such, she was now working together with the Eslon family, the most respectable of all the citizens, to usurp the throne and place Leo at the head of the kingdom.
Leo could not resist the opportunity to do some other things, though.
For instance, now the Dowager was deeply in love with Leo, and would do anything she asked.
She also came to learn that the Dowager's name was Ada.
"Mistress, I'm deeply sorry for doubting your capabilities. I deserve these injuries."
Leo smiled and helped her up.
"Take us back to the academy, Ada. We have work to do."
With that, Leo and the Dowager set out to establish the foundation for a grand scheme.