Nox narrowed his eyes. This was a gnawing question that had been in his mind for the past five years. He had wanted to ask his mother about the absence of his father, but he didn't because he thought it was only right for her to tell him herself.
After all, there must be a reason no one speaks about him.
"Initially, I planned to tell you this when you were older, but I think it's time you know now," Nathan began, capturing Nox's full attention.
"Your father's name is… Arthur Aegis Cromwell… A Beast Tamer."
"Huh?" Nox's eyes widened. 'I'm not the only Beast Tamer? Now that I think about it, Terra never said I was the only one.'
Still, of all the things he imagined about his father, he never thought that man was a Beast Tamer.
"The younger generation might not know, but the elders remember Arthur. He was known as the strongest human in the world."
"With his beast, he single-handedly cleared entire dimensional rifts. He was a one-man army, feared by every kingdom in the human domain."
"And the king of the Vermilion Kingdoms, even though he wasn't on good terms with our family, used his name to scare off neighboring kingdoms." Nathan smiled, pride shining in his eyes as he reminisced about the past.
Nox couldn't blame him. Even he was amazed by the tale he was hearing, and he thought he was special.
But then a thought struck him. If his father was as strong as Grandpa said, why wasn't he with them? Where was he? Was he… dead?
Nathan saw the conflict in Nox's eyes and spoke solemnly, "Everything changed when two unusually tall men visited Arthur. They claimed to be from a distant kingdom, but there was something off about them."
"Their aura was otherworldly and oppressive; their beauty transcended the realm of mortals. I had to force myself from looking away to stop myself from worshipping them. But your father somehow held his ground."
"You say you're from the Valrian kingdom?" Arthur, a tall, handsome man with raven-dark hair and eyes, asked. He looked very much like Nox and Nyx, but a much older version.
"You're correct," one of the men said. "Like I said before, we were sent by the king to help us in the fight against the Valkyries, and you'll be rewarded handsomely."
"All you have to do is follow us through the portable teleporter. We can go right now," the other one chimed in.
Arthur stayed silent for a moment, making the guests believe he was considering their proposal… until he spoke:
"You two are funny and stupid. I don't know if it's the latter or the former," Arthur chuckled.
"If I tell you I know someone from Valhalla, would you believe me? They're not in a war, and the same goes for the Valerian Kingdom." He leaned forward, his eyes full of darkness.
The two men exchanged bitter looks. The Valerian Kingdom was on the border of the human domain/continent, while the Valkyries lived in a very distant land that not anyone could locate.
It was said that the only way to gain entry was if they accepted you, but the Valkyries hardly accepted anyone, much less a human, one of their most hated races.
'How did he know then?' they thought collectively. 'Don't tell me…'
"Yes, I know who you are… Divine Beings… When I prayed to my goddess last, she warned me about your existence and told me about my ancestor Gustavo's mistake, but it's too late. I have already displayed too much to hide."
"What bothers me, however, is how fast you guys found me."
"We're gods; it should be easy to find some lowly mortal such as yourself." Since they were exposed, the duo didn't see any reason to hide anymore.
"Stupid gods," Arthur corrected. "If not, you wouldn't have made such a blunder. So much for people called Divine Beings."
"Their aura was so overwhelming, I could only watch from afar," Nathan continued. "Arthur clashed with the divine beings, and even in the Great War, I had never seen anything like it."
"The two visitors were powerful… but Arthur was a monster. Without even the help of his beast companions, he dealt with them, succeeding in killing them."
"However, that was not the end. After the demise of the first two, more came. This time they were much stronger. Although the fight took a toll on Arthur, he still came out victorious."
"The gods knew this, so they tried to take Arthur to the Divine Realm through a portal, where they could fight at full strength."
"Father, I can't stay here anymore," Arthur said one night. "If I stay here, I'd only endanger you, Aina, and my unborn babies."
"I'm sorry I couldn't help carry this burden with you," Nathan said, clenching his fist. He was strong, but compared to the people Arthur was against, he could as well be an ant.
"I want you to burn anything that would trace you back to me and relocate to the countryside. Don't worry; I'll threaten that king to give you land there. Till then, tell Aina I love her and I will return if I sort everything out," Arthur said, his gaze burning with determination.
Knowing this might just be the last time he would see his son, the two hugged each other.
"In this world, the path of Beast Taming is treacherous and dangerous. They might call me an idiot for saying this, but please, in case any of my unborn children become the prophesied one in the scroll in your study, don't stop them from pursuing this path."
"I had thought I was the chosen one, but I'm wrong… however, even if I'm not, I'll make sure to create an easier path for him/her by taking out as many divine bastards as I can."
With these parting words, Arthur headed north.
"So h-he's alive."
"W-we don't know because he hasn't written to me for years now. But I believe…" Nathan's voice grew more solemn. "For past years, Arthur had not known peace. His daily life involved battling gods or running away from them."
"Time is ticking. I know sooner or later, he will fall… but he keeps pushing himself just because he wants to reduce the enemies of the prophesied one."
Nathan's story came to an end.
Nox remained silent for a long time.
He looked down, tears falling from his eyes. A father and husband forever separated from his family because… because of strength. Because of those bastard gods. Why didn't Terra tell him about Arthur? Was he the only one supplying them massive amounts of Celestial Energy to keep them alive?
If he were strong enough, would the gods have forced him to leave his family?
Was it the reason Aina always looked north every night? She… she was waiting for her husband to return all this while, not knowing if he was alive or not?
His thought process was a jumble of chaotic mess… but one thing was clear: he needed to get strong, strong to the point where even the gods would tremble at the mere mention of his name.
… Strong so that they won't do the same thing they did to Gustavo and his father.
Lifting his head, he looked at Nathan with determined, bloodshot eyes. "H-how can I get this power?" he stammered. "The power to crush my enemies into smithereens."
Nathan smiled, then glanced at the door of the study. Nox followed his gaze.
There, standing at the door, was the beautiful tall lady with ruby gem eyes. It was the same woman who gave off the aura of death.
"I'll be your teacher," Eve said coolly. "After all, Beast Tamers and Necromancers are quite similar."
Meanwhile, somewhere very far, a man with dark hair and eyes of the same color was flying through the air on the back of a giant majestic dragon with red scales and horns.
His handsome face was filled with slight wrinkles and heavy bags under the eyes due to the sleepless nights he had experienced in the past years.
His regal armor had dents all over and looked as if it would fall off anytime soon, yet his gaze was fierce and determined as he held the reins of the dragon tighter.
"Fly faster, Tiamant," he whispered, glancing back.
Behind him, thousands of divine beings in armor were giving a mad chase!
"I didn't want to use this now… but these days have been pushed back and back. I need to stop hiding my cards," the man said as he made a hand movement in the air.
[Skill Weaver Activated]
The man smiled cruelly. "Create a lightning bolt that would destroy a thousand enemies in one hit!"
[Ding! Skill - God of Thunder Wrath created]
[Description: Deals 15,000 damage to all enemies within a 20-meter radius, stuns them for 10 seconds, and summons a storm of thunderbolts that deal an additional 5,000 damage over 5 seconds.]
[Do you wish to keep this skill or bestow it to your pet?]