William looked at Gaia, playfulness absent in his eyes, and said, "I've awakened the attribute of nature."
Everyone knitted their brows upon hearing William's response.
'Isn't that kind of weak?' Thought Vela. She wanted to say that out loud but was afraid of her sisters-in-laws' reaction. Thankfully, Orion had a big mouth.
"Isn't that kind of weak?" Orion muttered, with his brows furrowed, head down. looking like he was deeply contemplating something.
Carina glared at her son for saying that out loud. Ara and Aquila quickly came to William's aid.
"No matter if his attribute is weak or not, he will always be special to us." Aquila said, staring daggers at her son.
"Yes, it doesn't matter what he has awakened; we will always love him." Ara chimed in.
CHUCKLE
Gaia chuckled at the family's reaction.
"What's the matter? Lady Gaia." Ophiscus asked, a little disappointed that his son didn't awaken a powerful attribute.
'Although I love my son, I am also a ruler who has to take care of the entire continent.' Ophiscus lamented, thinking that his son's power might not be enough to fight the oncoming army.
"It's nothing. It's just funny that you think that your son's attribute is weak." Gaia replied, still chuckling once in a while.
"Then is it powerful?" Vela asked curiously.
Gaia nodded. "Before I explain to you what William's attribute entails, we all should go out first. The rulers of the other continents are waiting in the mansion, and there is a surprise for you all." She said this while smiling mysteriously.
Everyone was confused at Gaia's smile but nodded their heads and walked out of the room.
"What the…?" Orion muttered, flabbergasted by the scene before him.
"Did the traitors attack us?" Ophiscus asked, bewildered. He was about to call Sebastian and ask him the details when Gaia explained.
"This is caused by your son; more specifically, it was caused by William's awakening."
Everyone's mouths went agape when they learned that it was caused by William's awakening. The entire grounds were in chaos: the earth was charred, the winds howled at speeds that were simply never seen before, and the fire raged, destroying everything.
'This is caused by his awakening?' Lyra was in amazement. She could see people in the corner who were trying to put out the fire.
Sebastian, who was overlooking the maids to put out the fire, his eyes were now recovered as there was a maid who had healing attribute in the mansion.
He looked at the family and came running down. He stopped when he reached Ophiscus and said, "Master, there has been a catastrophe. The entire continent is engulfed in fire, and the seas are raging at the shores and have already come a mile inward. The people are panicking." He paused for a moment and added, "And the rulers of other continents have come."
William's expression drooped low when he heard Sebastian . 'I caused all of this!' he lamented. Tears forming in his amethyst eyes.
Gaia, noticing William's distress, smiled reassuringly and said, "Do not worry, William. It is not your fault. I will take care of it, so don't worry, okay?" She said as she crouched down and wiped his tears.
William nodded his head, his expression a little better.
Gaia then looked at Ophiscus and murmured, "You should go meet with the others; I will take care of this and return in half an hour." and disappeared.
Ophiscus, listening to Gaia, gestured to his family to follow him. They walked for a while and reached the meeting room, where the rulers of the continent were waiting for them.
He opened the door, and his gaze fell on the people inside. Aiden and Ancha were bickering with each other, and Lucien was silently sitting in his chair. Amaris was talking to the person he brought along with him.
The person looked exactly like him, but was a female version of him. She had long black hair and red eyes, and she had a serious expression on her face.
When Ophiscus opened the door, all of them stopped what they were doing and gazed at the newcomers.
"Hello everyone." Ophiscus said, while taking a seat. The rest of the family also took a seat, with his wives to his side and his children there after.
The rulers ignored Ophiscus' greetings and stared at William with intense gazes.
William met the rulers gazes but averted them quickly, he had never met someone gaze at him with such intensity before.
'Why are they gazing at me like that?' He thought to himself.
Aquila, who noticed everyone staring at her son, frowned, disgruntled at their stares, and said, "Stop staring at him like that."
Aquila's words woke them up, and they quickly stopped staring at him.
'I guess it would be quite an awkward feeling to be stared at by a group of strangers like that.' Lucien remarked.
He then looked at William and said, "Hello, William, my name is Lucien, and I am the ruler of the Holy continent."
William looked at Lucien, who was smiling, and replied, "Hello, uncle Lucien."
Lucien's smile widened at William calling him uncle. 'It isn't as bad as I thought.'
William continued chatting with Lucien and Amaris, who began asking William questions a few minutes later. William, too, got more and more used to talking with them and was not awkward any more.
The rest of the family didn't disturb them, as it is important for William to get acquainted with the rulers.
After chatting for a while, Aiden, who was silent till now, asked, "So little one, what attribute did you awaken?" with curiosity.
The rest of the rulers, too, leaned in on the table, interested in William's attribute. They guessed that the chaos happened outside was due to William's awakening.
"Oh! I have awakened 'Nature'." William answered, smiling a little.
"Eh?" The rulers were dumbfounded at his answers.
"William, did you say nature?" Amaris asked, 'I must have heard it wrong', he thought, not believing that he awakened nature.
"Yes?" William replied, confused as to why the rulers were looking at him like that.
THUD
Ancha abruptly rose from her chair, sending it crashing to the floor.
"HAHAHAHA"
She then began laughing madly with her voice booming in the meeting room.
William, looking at Ancha madly laughing, got a little scared and tightly gripped Lyra's sleeves, who was sitting next to him.
Lyra, noticing her little brother getting scared, placed her hand on his, reassuring him. She then looked at Ancha, frowning, not liking her behavior.
Everyone in the family, too, frowned at her but didn't say anything.
'Why is this woman laughing?' Ophiscus mumbled inwardly.
Ancha finally stopped laughing and stared at William; her golden-slit eyes shone as she uttered, "What a waste!"
Everyone turned silent for a while, trying to comprehend her words. But it only lasted for a moment.
BOOOM BOOOM
Two pressures greater than Ancha's erupted. They weighed down on Ancha like hammers, trying to force her to kneel.
"Woman, have you gone mad?"
"It looks like someone wants to die!"
Both Vela and Ophiscus were enraged at Ancha's comment. The space around Ophiscus twisted and turned as it couldn't handle Ophiscus' rage, and a silhouette of a crescent moon materialized behind Vela, emanating a cold killing intent that made even the sages quiver in fear.
'What monstrous siblings!' Lucien remarked as he watched the scene unfold.
"What? Are you angry?" Ancha yelled, pouring out all her frustrations.
She then pointed her finger at her fellow rulers and continued, "Do you know how much hope, time, and resources we have spent to train him? And to get what? An attribute that controls little plants and animals!"
"And how the fuck is he going to save us with that? By sending a bouquet of flowers to the army?" She said, mocking him.
The rest of the rulers were also silent; they too felt betrayed by William's attribute but didn't voice them out.
"And who exactly asked you to depend on him, bitch?" Aquila said, her red eyes shining in fury as she listened to Ancha. Heat started erupting from her body as she got more and more angry, recalling Ancha's comments.
"All of you," she muttered, looking at the rest of the rulers. "Why the fuck do you think that our son is obligated to fight for you?" She asked.
Aiden frowned, listening to his sister. He rose from his seat and said, "He is the savior of this world. Of course we expect him to fight for us." He said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.
"HAH!" Aquila scoffed at her brother and replied, "And?"
"What do you mean, 'And'? Don't you think we should be disappointed when he is expected to save the world?"
"Hah! Would you look at this bastard? I thought my brother was a man. But looking at you, all I see is a frightened bird cowering behind a ten-year-old child."
"Mind your words, sister." Aiden muttered. He had been holding back since it was his sister, but she was getting more and more audacious as time passed.
A charged silence hung heavy in the air as everyone stared at each other. Different energies swirled in the room as beings capable enough to destroy continents stared at each other with murderous glares. All it needed was a spark to ignite an inter-continental war.
Just then, just when the beings inside the room were about to have a go at each other, a voice echoed.
"What's happening here?" Gaia, who just arrived here after taking care of the chaos outside, asked with a face full of displeasure.
"Lady Gaia, we do not think that William is the one who was supposed to save us." Lucien answered.
"And what made you come to that conclusion?"
"William has awakened nature; while that is not a bad attribute, it is not enough to save us from the oncoming threat."
"And what makes you think that his attribute is weak?"
"What do you mean, Lady Gaia? How can it not be weak? All it can control are some plants and little animals." Ancha added.
Gaia turned to Ancha; she looked at her expression and frowned deeply. "What did you do?" she asked, knowing her personality.
"What do you mean, Lady Gaia?"
"I asked, What did you say to William?" She said, With each word, mana began erupting from her.
"She said that William is a waste." Carina interjected.
BOOOOOM
A pressure dwarfing all the pressures coming off of the sages erupted from Gaia. Her skin turned red, and her eyes turned pitch black. She moved towards Ancha at near light speed and punched her in the stomach.
Ancha slumped where she was; the pain in her stomach was unimaginable; her eyes bulged; and her face reddened in pain. She held her stomach with her hand, trying to suppress the pain, but to no avail.
Gaia crouched down towards Ancha and muttered, "Listen." She then turned towards the rest of the rulers and said, "All of you."
Everyone present shivered in fear as they looked at Gaia's pitch-black eyes, which were threatening to devour their entire souls.
"If any of you ever say something bad about William ever again. I will personally kill off your entire race."