Edmund, too, went through tough times. Unjustly imprisoned and sentenced to death, he managed to escape the kingdom and remained in hiding until he heard of Erin's death at the hands of her husband, driving him completely mad.
Unconcerned about his own survival or the strength of his adversaries, he returned to take revenge on the Hamilton family. On the same night the Fontaine family rebelled and attacked the Hamiltons to seize power.
Everything happens during the incident that day, recorded in the kingdom's history books, would say that the Fontaine family was the hammer that struck the royal family's heads. The powerful great sorcerer who emerged from nothingness was undoubtedly the force that caused their downfall.
On that day, Edmund didn't know that the Fontaine family had abandoned Erin and hadn't attempted to save her. Had he known, his intentions towards them might have been different. In the end, the Hamilton family was defeated that day, and he was the one who killed Alex's father.
Years later, he married Angela's mother, but she passed away while giving birth. Difficult times seemed to never leave Edmund. He had to leave his one-year-old daughter with a friend for a few days, only to return and find his friend murdered and his daughter missing.
After years of relentless searching, he found his lost daughter with his first love. Unwilling to let them out of his sight again, there was an unresolved issue: "Alex, you must know that I was an enemy to your father and played a part in his death."
Edmund had no choice but to tell the truth, regardless of the circumstances surrounding their meeting. He would remain the murderer of his father, but what he didn't expect was the surprising response: "Aaron Hamilton is still alive, though he lost his right eye and some of his strength. He's stubborn and refuses to die."
His words struck them like lightning, but Alex brushed off the matter as if it were unimportant before changing the subject, "You're a great sorcerer, and I have something you need to see — a book that belongs to Maji, from ancient times."
The continent of White Mountain, or the Land of Humans, is divided into three kingdoms: the Celestial Star Kingdom, the Endless Rivers Kingdom, and the Flying Island Kingdom. Each kingdom is divided into provinces ruled by the most powerful families.
The Celestial Star Kingdom is currently under the rule of the Fontaine family. The family's leader, in his sixth decade of life, recently breaking to the Fusion Realm. Thanks to his brilliant daughter, he took control of the kingdom and heads bowed to him. His daughter didn't seek to share power and secluded herself rumors said she's at the peak of the fusion realm
The Fontaine family aims to strengthen their kingdom by supporting the younger generation, hence they wholeheartedly back the Earth Dragon Institute, providing it with resources and skills. This makes it the dream of any young person aspiring to enter the world of cultivation or magic.
"Two young men from a small coastal village have arrived in the White Jewel City today with ambitious hopes and dreams. What does fate have in store for them? Will they succeed in the admission test or fail?" "Hey, storyteller, don't include me in that," Alex interrupted his friend Steve, gazing at the sea and enjoying its breeze.
Both were on board the ship headed for the capital. Today was the registration day, and tomorrow would be the examination. Steve smiled at the unusual pendant hanging around Alex's neck for days. Angela had visited his family's jewelry store and personally chosen that necklace. "A gift from your little sister, a perfect farewell with tears in her eyes. Meanwhile, my sister didn't even bid me farewell."
"No doubt she was sad about your departure, so she didn't say goodbye."
"That's what I thought too. So, I went to look for her," Steve said, tugging at his shirt over his heart, showing the pain of betrayal. "She didn't say goodbye because she was busy moving her stuff into my room. She was even singing joyfully, and when our eyes met, she said sharply," he mimicked his younger sister's voice, placing his hands on his waist, "Listen, from now on, this is my room. You have no choice but to succeed. There's no place for you here if you fail."
Steve sighed with regret and added, "Ever since I lost to you, pretending that I don't exist."
*Ha ha ha,* alex laughed heartily before saying, "It seems she hasn't accepted the idea of her hero brother losing. In her own unique way, she's telling you that you're not worthy of losing again. Look, there's the capital, and over there is the Earth Dragon Institute."
The capital of the Celestial Star Kingdom, the White Jewel City, was visible in the distance. Towering buildings, sprawling markets, paved roads, not to mention the colossal royal palace atop the hill, the institute enclosed by its high walls, its hunting grounds, and the forest that comprised nearly half of the city.
The two disembarked from the ship and headed straight to the registration site. The exam was supposed to take place the week before, but for an unknown reason, it got postponed to this day. When they arrived, they were surprised to see the long lines of people eager to take part in the examination.
Ages were all under sixteen, and those present who truly had a noticeable presence could be felt. Since Steve was at the peak of the body realm, he didn't possess that distinctiveness, which made tension grip him and excitement fly from his heart.
"Steve, what was that thing that flew out of your chest and escaped? Is it your courage, or the beastly spirit within you?" Alex's words reminded him that he was just as significant as the others. He was the one with the monstrous winged spirit with the ice and air law. He lifted his head high and shot challenging looks here and there, before his friend's hand grasped his shoulder, gesturing towards the registration office. Steve smiled and said, "Oh, of course, we need to register first. I'll take care of that, and you need to book a room for us. With all this crowd, we might not find a place to sleep." Alex nodded positively, as the last thing he wanted was to sleep outdoors waiting for the exam to begin.
After searching for a while, he managed to find a suitable place. Some families took advantage of this opportunity to rent out rooms in their houses. The main criterion for Alex's choice of the room wasn't its luxury, as he could sleep anywhere as long as there was a roof over his head. What mattered to him was the quality of the food; he chose the place because of the aroma of the cooking emanating from the kitchen.
After booking the room, he headed back to the registration area, but he was surprised to find the road he had come from blocked. The reason was an overturned cart in the middle of the road, and that wasn't the only problem. In front of the overturned cart was a girl on the ground, drowned amidst the suitcases, completely covered by them, with only her hand, which was flinging the bags, visible. She was shouting, "What are you waiting for? Move! Someone stop these bags from coming out!" "The damned cube is out of my control."