With the help of the two guardians, it didn't take long for Enzo to go back to Earth. The transition was both surreal and familiar, a reminder of the stark contrast between the world he had come to know and the world he had left behind.
As Enzo set foot on the soil of Earth once more, he felt a rush of emotions. The air seemed different, the colors more vibrant, and the sounds more alive. It was as if he had been holding his breath during his time away, and now he could finally exhale.
However, the fact that Seraphina was still with him annoyed him greatly. He had hoped to continue even a little ârt of his journey alone, yet the scarlet-haired woman was still accompanying him.
'Why does it need to be the descendants of the Monarch of War!' Enzo cursed with a long sigh.
"Don't worry Enzo, it might be difficult, but you will surely manage to level up quickly," Seraphina smiled to reassure him although she was completely mistaken for the reason for his sigh. "After all, you have a power that we, other Monarchs, don't possess."
Enzo looked at her with a strange look, not quite understanding what she wanted to say. After all, if he had something that set him apart from the others, surely they will have something that set them apart as well. They wouldn't be monarchs otherwise.
"Which is?"
"You have an army of butterflies," She calmly said while studying her surrounding. "I'm sure you already know how strong they are, right?"
"Yes, I know," Enzo nodded as a butterfly landed on his finger. He felt at ease now that they were once again with him. "But it doesn't change the fact that I'm only level 38. Do you perhaps know how long it will take me to reach level 700? God, will I have to fight for the rest of my life?" He let out a desperate sigh, which made Seraphina chuckle lightly.
Seraphina's laughter held a hint of amusement as she watched Enzo's exasperation. "You have quite the journey ahead of you, Enzo, but it won't be an unending battle. Training and growth take time, but you'll have resources and guidance to help you along the way."
Enzo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Resources and guidance? Are you saying you'll be sticking around to help me train?" His tone carried a mix of resignation and curiosity. As much as he wanted to find his family, he also recognized the necessity of becoming stronger to protect Earth and other realms.
Seraphina nodded, her crimson eyes meeting his. "Yes, I will be your mentor, at least until you've reached a level where you can navigate the butterfly realm and the Nexus confidently. After that, your path may take you far beyond, but for now, you have a teacher."
"A teacher, huh?" Enzo studied Seraphina for a while before nodding. "Well, I guess the descendants of the Monarch of War would be one of the greatest teachers, right?" Even though he hadn't forgotten about the fact that the first Monarch of Butterflies almost died because of her ancestor, it wasn't as if he could do anything to her right now, could he? Not that he would do anything anyway. He didn't really hold any grudges, just a little bit pissed.
However, the look Seraphina did when he mentioned the Monarch of War didn't escape Enzo's attention. He clearly saw a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"Enzo... How do you know that?"
"Huh?" He tilted his head to the side. Never did he expect her to be surprised because of this.
"I never mentioned that I was one of her descendants. Makes me wonder how you know about this."
Right at this moment, her eyes turned icy cold.
Enzo gulped down hard as the surrounding started weighing on him. He could even see a few cracks here and there.
'Seriously? Just with her presence alone?!' He could only think for a few seconds before answering truthfully. Or rather, make a plausible lie. "I- I got attacked by someone like you. Red hair and grey eyes. She told me about it a-at this moment."
The pressure started to get stronger and stronger as the seconds passed by. Enzo felt like he was under her pressure for so long that even the sun could start to set.
Thankfully for him, Seraphina understood something or must have come to a conclusion on her own, and finally let Enzo breathe.
"Well, that's wonderful, then," Seraphina clapped her hands with a bright smile. "Even though we did several background checks on you, for a second, I thought that you were an impostor."
Enzo could only look at her with disdain while catching his breath. 'What a crazy bitch!'
***
Through Seraphina's guidance, Enzo didn't have much difficulty finding a way out of the campus. Even though he was still far away from going out of it, he was still way faster than when he was with Rose.
Speaking of her, he thought that he would be able to find her somewhere, but it seems like the time he spent in the Nexus was longer than he thought. 'She might already be out of this place.'
Nonetheless, traveling with such a strong being like Seraphina was rather, peculiar.
She did not help him. In any way possible. Or rather, she never land a hand when he was fighting, even when there was a whole swarm of them.
The reason?
She wanted him to get better.
Even though Enzo couldn't deny that it was effective, her ways were still too harsh. He almost died on multiple occasions, only surviving on a hair length.
Nonetheless, she still pointed out useful things.
Indeed the current Monarch of War - Seraphina - was a battle genius. Sure she didn't possess butterflies like Enzo did, but all the pieces of advice she gave to him after a fight made so much sense that Enzo felt dumb that he didn't see it on his own.
Be it his posture, the way he holds his blade, his way of thinking, and how to use his body to its maximum efficiency.
She was in a league on her own.
And right now, Enzo was her disciple!