John was unsure what Lyrius meant when he told about John's reincarnation.
"Well, I can't fight back even if they have ill will against me." John was sad as he looked at smiling Lyrius, who refinedly drank wine.
"What, do you have misgivings? If you think you are the first reincarnation in history, I think you didn't know about it enough." Lyrius said with a bit of mischievous smile.
"So what now?" John didn't feel like waiting for this chit-chat to end.
"Kid, what do you think about our family?" Lyrius changed the subject and asked instead.
"I truly like this place. I felt at home here every day." John told his feelings without hiding anything.
"Well, isn't that all you need to know?" Lyrius said with a bright smile.
John was shocked again. He was sure that something terrible would happen if this secret went out.
"Come out, you people!" Lyrius said with a light cough.
John was confused. Soon he saw his grandfather appear behind Lyrius, together with an unfamiliar young gentleman.
"We knew you were a reincarnation since the headquarters confirmed it a month ago. We have had misgivings since the moment you were born. However, as you had no malice towards us, we treated you sincerely, like any other child."
John heard his grandfather explain with a robust voice.
"Son, it seems, your birth has many mysteries surrounding it. I would expect nothing less from my blood!" Gentleman said with a manly smile.
John was astonished as he heard this was his father. He was expecting someone similar to Lyrius or Abbadon. But, instead, they had this archaic style, with old school clothes and groomed beards.
On the other hand, John's father wore something like a suit from Earth. He also had a pendant around his neck. It was shining with a dangerous glint.
"My name is Silver. You can call me father if you are comfortable with it."
John heard his father introduce himself.
"Father, what will happen with me now?" John was still worried about the reveal of his secret.
"What else? You will become my pride and joy as you grow up!" Silver said with a hearty laugh.
John was still confused, and it seemed his grandfather noticed it.
"Child, we can see that your reincarnation was some accident. Also, you should know that if not your soul, this child wouldn't be born. It was an empty vessel from the very beginning."
Abbadon explained with some bitterness in his mouth.
"Son, Sitri got pregnant when we were in a hazardous situation. The soul is the most crucial thing for existence. Unfortunately, the baby's soul was not forming. Thus we decided to gamble and use soul healing medicine and even rituals to bring a soul into the child's body. Nothing worked." Silver told the story of John's body.
"Finally, we used all means possible and had to give up. But the heavens seemed to hear our plea, and one night a soul appeared inside this body you have now, Felix. It was your soul!"
Silver smiled brightly and sat down with Abbadon.
"Child, we knew that reincarnated soul could be a dangerous entity or just an evil bastard. That is why we monitored and observed you all this time."
Abbadon said with a stern voice. It seemed he was not comfortable with spying.
"Kid, I was never in seclusion. I was following you around like a ghost, watching your every movement, expression, and listening to your every thought."
Silver looked at John's eyes only to see absolute fear.
"Fucking hell, what is this spying 101? I wouldn't even know how I died if I farted in a wrong way?" John was raging inside his mind.
"Hehe, kid, it is not easy to spy on thoughts. It took a lot of effort. However, isn't this great? Now we learned you aren't some crazy fool or evil demon. We trust you now. The only thing left is for you to trust us, and it will be peachy!" Silver joked with a hearty laugh.
"Well, I don't know how the fuck am I going to trust spies?" John was thinking with unending rage.
"Calm down, child. It was a necessary evil. We already read records of world destruction when sin becomes too strong. There are too many crazy people in the world. We had to make sure you were not a danger to this family." Abbadon said with unquestionable resolve.
"Fine, fine. I can't oppose you anyway. At least promise you won't spy on me bathing, you pervert!"
John screamed while looking at his new father with unconcealed rage.
"Hahahahaha!! This kid is the best! Someone is calling the Jade Knight Silver a pervert." Lyrius laughed like a bit of a kid after hearing a dirty joke.
Silver couldn't help but blush. He was the opposite of a pervert, as he only loved and been together with Sitri. He never even glanced at other women.
The very thought of him spying on a kid showering was the most significant embarrassment.
"Kid, not to mention you are my baby now. So I didn't even spy on what was not necessary. Also, what do you mean to spy on showering, wasn't your mother doing it, you pipsqueak!" Silver said with a mocking grin.
John instantly blushed with embarrassment, as this time of him growing up also included his most shameful times as his mother fed him, changed his clothes, and even bathed him.
He was sure nobody would learn that he had a grown-up mentality, so it would be okay to be taken care of as a baby. Now, his father destroyed his fantasy of privacy.
"Hehe, stop joking around. My heart can't handle so much fun in a single sitting." Abbadon said after holding in his laugh.
"Heh, we still have some official business to talk about," Lyrius said after calming down.
"Son, that is correct. There are a lot of weird situations we experience. Treat this as training. It would help if you got stronger soon. There are a lot of opportunities in this Star. Your mother, brother, and sister will allow you to acquire the best options, so you must listen to Ofelia's training regime. "
John was sure they were up to something. Thus he listened so these old farts wouldn't dupe him.
"Kid, you need to reach Star Integration Stage until you are fifteen years old," Lyrius said with a harsh voice.
John was a bit weirded out by this requirement.
"Felix, there is an opportunity on the Boundless Star, called Magic Emperor Palace. It is an ancient ruin, where a mage above Titled God stage placed his inheritance. Usually, we wouldn't even glance at such trash inheritances, but it will be essential to you!"
Abbadon said with a severe expression.
"But it is so far away. Why would you bring it up now?" John said with a confused face.
"It is not far! Only the most talented mages reach three stars at the age of fifteen. You already met the most talented mage on the Boundless Star. It was that girl, Janna. She earned three stars only at the age of 32. You can see how difficult it will be for you to accomplish this task."
"How can I be faster than her?" John asked with confusion.
"Kid, this girl is talented only by the standards of this Star. Compared with our family standards, she is just trash. We know that the best talent ever recorded reached three stars at nine years old. She was a very talented child in the ancient Magi civilization. Our clan holds a record at twelve years. So it isn't impossible."
Lyrius said with a calm voice.
"So why do I have to rush so much? What is inside that palace?" John went straight to the point.
"There are countless treasures, but we need only one! There were rumors that this Magic Emperor had a body cultivation method for talentless mages. You might think it is no big deal. However, even in headquarters, there are only very low-quality tomes that aren't worth wasting time. It seems that only the ancient Magi civilization had powerful methods for body cultivation. And this so-called Magic Emperor found precisely one of those extinct methods. Our branch found this in an ancient empire's library in the central continent."
Lyrius explained with a heavy voice.
"You can enter the palace only if you are a three-star mage and below sixteen years of age. This restriction is the reason why nobody found out in this backwater place. They assume it is just a closed tomb of an old powerhouse. As nobody entered, it remained as a tourist attraction for all this time."
John listened to their story and was excited to think he could fix one of his flaws if he acquired that method to train his body.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling there was still a catch here. Everything sounded too good to be true.
"What's the catch?" John said with a smile.
The trio of older men looked at each other and smiled.
"We knew you would find something wrong with this," Lyrius said with I knew it looks on his face.
"The inside of the palace is dangerous. And I mean difficult to the point a Demigod would go around it!" Lyrius said with a frown.
"Hell no! I will die if I go in!" John didn't even want to think about the prize. He couldn't enjoy it when he was dead.
"Don't be discouraged, my boy! We found a way for you to survive in that place. All you need to do is learn some lightning magic!" Silver said with a calm smile.
John was bewildered by this non-stop change of pace in this conversation. It seemed reasonable and terrible at the same time.
"Inside the palace is filled with lightning formation. It is an ancient killing formation used to protect sacred grounds. However, your great-great-great-grandfather is bringing a supreme treasure for you. It will help you pass this lighting storm without much of a problem. The only downside is that learning lightning magic and forming its rune is considered very difficult for someone in the Mind Palace stage. It will all depend on your luck!"
Abbadon said and got up with Silver, preparing to leave.
"Son, you will get your training ground full of lightning after your baptism, so don't worry, you will either learn lightning magic or die trying!" Silver joked and left in a relaxed stride.
"Felix, don't you have any questions, now that you heard this mish-mash of information?" Lyrius poured a new cup of wine for himself and asked relaxedly.
"Yes, I want to know more about reincarnation!" John considered this a priority.
It made sense. John's travels to the Magic Emperor Realm will happen only in the far future, so he questioned only his rebirth.
"Hehe, it seems you have your priorities. Still, it is not like you are not allowed to know."
Lyrius sat down comfortably and waved his hand over the table. There appeared a small wheel made from gold.
It looked extraordinarily mysterious and old.
"This is a replica of an ancient treasure Wheel of Life. The original is said to bring back the dead and reconstruct anybody, no matter how damaged it is." Lyrius began talking about this weird golden wheel.
"What does it have to do with reincarnation?" John was perplexed.
"Not much!" Lyrius looked at John mockingly.
It seemed the older man was quite mischievous when he got drunk.
"Felix, this item let us see if you devoured the original soul before you occupied the body! Even this replica is rare beyond belief. Everything about life is on the wheel's surface. Nothing can hide."
Lyrius coughed and dropped some blood on the relic. Soon the wheel floated and began to spin, releasing crimson light that shone on Jhon's head.
Jhon could see in the light his past life, from the moment he was born, it flashed quickly in short images, like a movie. Soon, he saw his new life.
"As you can see, after you died in your previous life, you just appeared in this body. You have not destroyed Silver's and Sitri's unborn children. It seems some kind of a force put you in this life. For now, even we have no answer what it was. "
John listened to the older man without losing his focus. It was interesting to see the means of magic used in such a sophisticated way.
"If you have destroyed an unborn child, we wouldn't be talking now." Lyrius had a very stern look as he stared into the horizon.
John felt his back sweat as the pressure in the room built up. Since his rebirth, he knew he was lucky to survive so many dangerous situations.
"Nevermind that, what is essential, is that you are a child of the Westgate family now. There is no proof of possession, and the only thing you can learn now is the secret of reincarnation."
John was listening with great focus. This rebirth was his most important question, what is this life.
"Kid, reincarnation only occurs when the universe deems you too necessary to recycle your soul! This knowledge is what our ancestors have written in the ancient texts. You might think it is bullshit. However, the founders of this family had reached unimaginable power levels. They could split the stars and reform the galaxies with a wave of their hands. Thus, their words must have some value."
John didn't even know how to react. " Is this family founded by Goku or something?" He had a wry smile while thinking this stuff.
"Nevermind the history! What it means is that you have something unique about yourself. In the records, not everyone who reincarnated became a powerhouse, but unimaginable karma involved each of them. Some experienced ancient wars, some saw the universe collapse, and some even gave birth to the strongest existence in this universe. Yet, no matter how you look at it, they always live through a time of unrest and chaos, as if the universe itself put them there!"
John was considering if he would have to experience some chaotic stuff in the future. "Should I go hide and live like a monk?"
"You can't hide from it, Felix! If you don't go looking for trouble, the trouble will look for you! That is what we concluded after we read the records. Reincarnation couldn't evade their destiny. They could only overcome it with sheer power! This is why you are lucky to be born in the Westgate clan. You will understand why after your baptism."
John felt he needed time to digest all this information. So he didn't bother asking any more questions.
"Felix, no matter what happens, you will have the Westgate clan behind you. Now go and get some sleep. Grow strong and train hard. Eventually, we will find out what the universe has in store for you."
"Okay, grandpa Lyrius, bye!"
Lyrius was quite satisfied that the kid still called him grandpa after learning all of this.
When the kid left the library, Lyrius vanished with a small smile.
The Purple Sand Westgate clan palace was in the westernmost part of the Ancient Empire of Lokapalas Dragon-Kite City.
A gorgeous palace sat on a mountain in the most western point of the Purple Sand Sub-Continent.
If you looked from a bird's view, you could see that this mountain peak was the highest on the whole continent. It was also named Echo Mountain.
As simple as the name was, the echo always surrounded the Westgate estate.
Soon at the very peak, three figures appeared.
"Lyrius, you are late." Said a man who wore a heavy armor set.
"The kid had a lot of questions, Zayn," Lyrius said while waiting for the others to come.
Soon figure after figure appeared on the mountaintop, as the night's sky brought the darkness over the world.
"It looks like we are all here!" Abbadon said with a calm voice.
Ten figures came in the middle of the night. Soon, Lyrius conjured a table with comfy chairs.
"I don't have time for festivities, Lyri! Let's get down to business." Said a beautiful woman.
She looked like a goddess from painting. All creation should bow before her.
"No need to be rash, Serena. Let's hear what the patriarch has to say." Lyrius turned to look at the Abbadon.
"We found the Void Compass! It will take us three weeks to return it to the Headquarters, and the sacred mission will be complete!" Abbadon said with a happy smile.
"Is this true? Are you not messing with me?" A man wearing a crown said with a concerned face.
"Shadow King doesn't need to fear fallacy! We indeed found it! It was always in the Realm of Directions. Our seniors were correct to assume that the Ancient Lokapalas Empire was the same Lokapalas Clan of guardians. They declined so much, but we still spent thousands of years finding and retrieving the treasure from them. So it seems it's true that no guardian clan, no matter how weak, could be underestimated!"
Abbadon said his finding to the experts.+
"Now what? Do we wait for the clan's decision, or do we travel back on our own accord?" A young boy asked while drinking wine.
"Cole, we will wait for the decision, as I don't want to travel so far with a ship when they can just use the Westgate to move us there instantly!" Abbadon said with an unmistakable voice.
"Fine, let us wait. I can't believe we will return after all this time!" Cole said with excitement.
"So it seems... Abbadon, what is with that boy? Is he truly a reincarnation?" Another woman asked as everyone still excitedly discussed their success.
"Sarah, it is true! It seems something significant is going to happen soon. We already put Silver to spy, but we found nothing impressive. He is just from a world where they don't even use magic energy. The only exciting part was their so-called science, as they used fundamental laws to create various devices for transportation and communications. Still, it comes nowhere near our civilization. The kid himself is only impressive for his endurance. Everything else is useless."
Abbadon said with a bit of conviction, and the woman named Sarah frowned.
"That's all? It seems you underestimate reincarnation itself!" Sarah said with a bit of vigor.
"On the contrary, I already asked Gyro to monitor this kid."
As Abbadon said these words, everyone took a deep breath.
"Well, isn't this over the top? Did you ask that old monster to do this task? Isn't he already a Principle God?"
Lyrius was shocked to hear what Abbadon did.
"What is so shocking about being as careful as possible? We might think nothing of the kid, but Gyro will not let anything pass from his vision. Even the tiniest details will have a meaning in front of the eyes of a god."
Abbadon was confident he made the right call. After all, he learned terrible information about what the past reincarnations were involved in or even did.
"Fine, then what about those creatins in the central?" Lyrius asked what was important to him.
"Well, they can act as they wish inside this world. Central continent's people will keep living here and contribute talented individuals. On the other hand, we have numerous contributions, and we had a choice to leave this place anytime. It is just that it is not in our blood to fail!"
Abaddon said with a sincere heart. He was very stubborn.
"Okay, I will still say what I think. I want to take Felix into the inner library after his baptism." Lyrius said, and everyone frowned.
"The inner library connects our clan's knowledge. That kid has no talent. Why would you recommend him?" Cole asked.
"Cole, you are just jealous. What an absurd thing to say. If someone who formed his Mind Palace at one year of age is talentless, we all should die on the spot." Lyrius held nothing back.
"Fine, Lyrius, you are the most knowledgeable, I will trust your gut, but if he dies from some weird cultivation method, it will be on you."
Abbadon stopped the conflict before it started. However, he liked his grandson, so it wouldn't hurt to help him a bit.
"Good, let's go end this hell class mission." Said Sarah and vanished.
John had no idea that his granddad just reinforced his supervision.
He was in his chamber training hard or hardly training.
"Huff, I like this relaxing life so much," John said while meditating and finally got to bed and slept like a baby he is.