Edited by: ASaltedFish
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When Aster finally finished, there was sweat dripping down his forehead because he concentrated too hard; it was the first time he used so much spiritual power. He still had a bit left over, but it wasn't enough to do another session.
When he looked up, he saw that Edros was still dazed, but the scales on his face had receded to the halfway point on his neck. Not only that, his horns disappeared. As for any other changes, Edros would be the one who knew that best.
Seeing that his treatment was effective, Aster sighed in relief. Having used up so much energy, he felt tired, so he immediately switched out with Ellery.
Ellery couldn't even say anything as he felt his soul switch with Aster's.
Akimitsu noticed Ellery coming back right now. "Ellery, is Aster alright?"
"He is… He's just tired because he used up too much energy." Ellery scanned Aster's soul and confirmed this was the case. "He should be fine once he recovers."
"That's a relief… Well, seeing Edros' condition, it does seem like a lot of spiritual energy has been used. Once Edros wakes up, you should also go back and get some rest."
"Thank you, Akimitsu. We will do that." Even Ellery felt a little tired. Maybe Aster's exhaustion was affecting him too.
Edros was sitting on the sofa for 10 minutes in a daze before finally waking up. He saw that Akimitsu and Ellery were waiting for him. Ellery's face was pale, but overall, he looked okay. As for Akimitsu, he looked energetic but was quiet because Ellery wasn't feeling well.
Waking up, Edros immediately asked, "Where's Aster?"
"He's resting. He used too much energy, so I took his place. Why? Are you disappointed?" Ellery couldn't help but tease him a little bit.
Edros was indeed a little disappointed, but there was no way he could say that.
"I'm just playing with you. When he recovers, I will let you both know." Ellery didn't take it to heart that Edros was disappointed at all. Honestly, he could care less.
Edros and Akimitsu nodded and stood up so that they could take Ellery and Aster home to rest.
Once again, many people were waiting for the trio to leave the Guide Association. While the reporters couldn't get any information about what happened there, they made sure to take plenty of pictures of Edros because his face was no longer covered in scales!
Everyone knew that Edros had been struggling to find a guide who could help him. Over the years, the scales on his body had not only traveled along his limbs but also up his neck and onto his face. He could use clothes to cover most of his body, but he could not cover his face and head.
Now, the scales on his face receded, and his horns had disappeared. While he still had some scales on his neck, it was much better than before. His eyes were still like that of a dragon, but the chaotic energy he emitted when he stared at someone disappeared.
Ellery Aster was actually a guide who could help Marshal Caecius! This wasn't just breaking news, it was the best news about the Zevaria Empire's Imperial family in many years.
Many reporters tried to get Edros to answer questions, but he kept silent. He didn't want to entertain these reporters who insisted on ambushing them at the Guide Association. If they requested a formal interview, he would answer some questions, but that was a different story.
Once the three of them entered Edros' exclusive hovercraft without saying a word to them, the reporters at the scene could only give up and write news based on Edros' visible condition.
Sitting down, Ellery closed his eyes. He had a bit of a headache due to his low spiritual energy, something he hadn't experienced since waking up after his rebirth.
Nobody disturbed Ellery while he was resting in the hover car.
When they arrived at Ellery and Aster's home, he gave a weak goodbye and trudged his tired body into the house. He didn't realize how exhausted he would be with Aster controlling his body to give Edros a guiding session.
After washing up, he didn't even eat and just went to bed.
******
When Edros got back to his estate with Akimitsu after their first guiding session with Ellery and Aster, he found that his older sister, Emperor Eliane Caecius, was sitting in the living room with her wife, Iris Caecius. Their two kids, Juniper and Aletris, were also there.
Akimitsu saw them and left Edros to deal with it on his own. He could only say good luck as he went to his part of the estate from the side of the house. Akimitsu and Eliane butted heads all the time, so he felt it was best if he left first!
Edros was about to say something, but he made eye contact with Eliane.
Eliane usually went by 'Emperor Eliane' by the people because she didn't want to be called 'Emperor Caecius' as Edros was usually called 'Marshal Caecius', and it would get confusing if they both used their last names.
She was an S-ranked Sentinel with a dragon quantum beast named Rene. It was the same type of western dragon that Edros had, but the coloring was different. The dragon was purple and black with gold eyes.
As for how Eliane looked, she looked like the feminine version of Edros, but with short black hair and gold eyes. She was wearing a similar suit to what Edros typically wears in his day-to-day life, but it was less practical and a lot more luxurious. She also made sure to match her quantum dragon beast with every outfit because they both enjoyed it. She even had a custom dragon pin on her suit and she wore it every day.
Iris was a beautiful S-ranked guide with long, wavy brown hair. She had bronze eyes, which matched her quantum beast, and was wearing a simple and modest light purple dress with short sleeves.
Her quantum beast was a capybara, known to have no enemies. It was an herbivore and incredibly kind to all beasts. So far, almost every sentinel has been able to have at least average compatibility with her. There were some exceptions, like Edros, though…
Eliane and Iris had 10-year-old twins. They currently had bronze hair and black eyes; however, that could change to match their quantum beast if they differentiated. It was unknown if they would be a guide, sentinel, or a normal person since it would only be determined upon reaching the age of 18.
"What are you all doing here?" Edros awkwardly asked. He wasn't good when it came to talking to his older sister.
Eliane had a fiery personality and was so good at talking she could infuriate people to death. The worst part was that they couldn't do anything because she was the Emperor. Even if she weren't, she would make them so angry they would be speechless…
This was the complete opposite of Edros, who didn't know how to talk well because people avoided him.
Eliane didn't seem to mind his flustered behavior and stood up. She walked over and took a closer look at him nodding her head as she sighed in relief.
"I had to see with my own eyes that you were properly guided." She patted him on the shoulder. "How was your first time being guided?"
"It was wonderful, actually…" Edros motioned for Eliane to sit down so they were not standing by the front door.
He greeted Iris and his nephew and niece before sitting down on a nearby sofa. The kids were well-behaved and didn't rush over to him. They simply greeted him and didn't say anything else. It was their first time seeing their uncle without scales on his face, so they were staring at his face rather intently.
Eliane sat down next to her wife and felt it had been a very long time since she had seen Edros' face. Elaine was almost 60 years old. This was still considered young for sentinels like her. She practically raised Edros because her parents were busy.
"I did a background check on Ellery Aster. His parents died when he was 18, while his brother died when he was 20. His life has been tragic, and now he is the most powerful guide in the Zephyrus Galaxy. He was originally an A-ranked guide with S-ranked potential. Do you know how he was able to not only raise his rank to SS-rank but have his potential changed to SSS-rank?"
She stared at Edros, who looked a little anxious when being questioned about Ellery and Aster.
"Hmm? So you know something?"
Edros, who could not handle his older sister, felt uncomfortable with the way she was looking at him, but he was not a coward who would go back on his promises and contracts. "I cannot tell you without permission, I hope you can understand, Eliane."
"Is it so secretive that you have to hide it from the Emperor?" Eliane looked at him with her left eyebrow raised. She was not angry, just curious.
He nodded. "If you must know, I can ask Mr. Aster and see what he says. I cannot make any promises, though."
Eliane stared at him for a while and saw that he was serious, so she could only agree with him. "That is fine. Please ask Mr. Aster for me. It would be best if we could both have a conversation not only about his safety but about his future in the Zervaria Empire."
"I will be sure to call and ask him when he is feeling better."
Eliane knew her brother would do as he promised, so she didn't press him any further. Even though she was a bit worried about Ellery Aster, it was something she would deal with later.
Seeing her kids looking at her with expecting eyes, she let her kids ask Edros questions about his health because she knew they were holding back this entire time.
Iris supervised the twins to make sure they didn't ask any inappropriate questions…
Edros did his best to answer their questions so he could go back to his room to retreat! When were they going home?