"I suppose I will need an explanation."
Niveus glanced at the Prince briefly, giving him a respectful bow before turning to the Queen.
"Your Majesty," Niveus spoke as he leaped downward to the first floor, landing quietly as his feet touched the ground. "This is a misunderstanding."
The Queen had her chin raised as she received her daughter in her arms, looking at her briefly before saying, "Elaborate."
Taking a deep breath, Niveus began to explain.
"I was going to eat my dinner after writing a letter to my sister but suddenly heard someone fall outside my room. There I found the Princess, with a look as if she just saw a ghost."
"I don't know why she was so afraid. But when I tried to help her, she slapped my hand and asked why I was there. I mean, am I not supposed to be in the guest room? Or is that not the guest room?"
"Where exactly is that room?"
"At the far end of the left corridor... is that not it?"
The Queen shook her head. "No. That's the right room. Anyway, continue."
"The Princess was so pale and covered by cold sweat. I thought she was sick or something, so I picked her up, though she tried to retaliate but eventually lost her energy."
"I ran then met the..." Niveus glanced upward, where the fifth Prince was peeking. "The fifth Prince. I was gonna explain but he didn't let me, hence the misunderstanding."
Glancing at her son, the Queen spoke, her voice low, a kind that sent chills down the spine. "Is that true, Albert?"
The fifth Prince, Albert Chryseus, was already agape but didn't say anything. He retracted whatever he was going to say and backed off instead.
With a weak and abiding tone, the Prince confirmed, "I'm sorry, Mother. I let my emotions cloud my judgment."
Deeply sighing, the Queen said, "I'm glad it's just a misunderstanding. But Albert, the one you should apologize to is Lord Niveus, not me."
Albert gritted his teeth, he didn't want to apologize to Niveus who originally was a commoner. But there was nothing he could do.
As much as he hated a commoner, it wouldn't surpass his love and respect for her mother. With that mindset, Albert swallowed a portion of his pride for her mother's sake.
Taking a deep breath, Albert jumped down from the second floor. He summoned a sword mid-air and stood on it, gliding down with style.
Albert slightly bowed his head and bent his body.
"I'm sorry for attacking you, Lord Niveus. I let my emotions cloud my judgment. I hope you accept my apology."
When he raised his head, his face looked more composed.
Sighing, Niveus accepted the apology.
The Queen dispersed the crowd and nodded at Niveus before bidding him good night, walking away as Albert followed her behind.
'Hmm...'
Curious, Niveus checked the Prince's Beacon Status.
>>[9th Class]<<
Name: Albert Chryseus
Race: Human
Forte: [Sword Emperor]
Boons: [Calling of Sword]
Perks: [Mind Cleansing]
Redux Skills: [Sword Mastery], [Aura Channel]
===
'What rank is his Forte, Nono?'
["You could have guessed directly from its name. [Sword Emperor] is a Transcendent-rank Forte."]
'How strong will he be if he reaches the 5th Class?'
["It all depends on how the individual handles and understands their Forte. Compared to you, I'd say he would be slightly stronger than you in 6th Class. Well, he would be an eagle soaring the sky if I compared him to other 6th-class Beaconers."]
["But it saddens me that only a few dare to attempt Ascencion Trance to break through the mortal wall and become a Transcendent. It has been three centuries and yet, their number is lesser than my fingers."]
["Oliver, Shaka, Jun, Asterion, Muezabit, Korobirit, Inmirani, Franchez. Only those eight have been able to reach 4th Class. Alas, only three remain now."]
["Why are the people of this world so afraid to reach greatness? Is this because they have been at peace for a long time? Are they getting complacent?!"]
'First of all, do they know if the world will plunge into chaos as you said?'
["No..."]
'Exactly.'
["Because only the 3rd Class and above are informed. Do you know them?"]
As soon as Niveus arrived outside his room, he turned around and walked toward the window, looking at the sky.
'Celestial? I thought they were the ones giving Beacon to Actlane to protect themselves from the Pandemonium. And it's only when the two realms merged that Daemon Beaconers started emerging.'
["That's what people believe. I can only share a glimpse with you. But you are smart, Niveus, so you might connect a dot and find the answer yourself."]
'You said you would be open to me!' After contemplating for a moment, Niveus sighed and nodded. 'Fine, let's hear it.'
["Sorry, it's because the information about our origin is very classified."]
Nono paused briefly, taking a deep breath before explaining.
It was finally time for Niveus to learn the truth of this chaotic world that mixed several elements of his works.
["Lunara is a unique world that contains three different sub-worlds or realms: Celestia, Actlane, and Pandemonium. However, they aren't connected to each other."]
["Celestia is the first realm to receive the Beacon. But, due to the disunion of the realms, it became a problem. The Beacon didn't spread to Lunara but stuck within Celestia. Later, the second wave of Beacon swarmed the second realm, Actlane. After that, the Beacon is supposed to swarm the third realm, too."]
["Fortunately, the third wave didn't happen because Actlane and Pandemonium have been united."]
'Is it because of the agreement that ended the Great War Era?'
["Yes. The union of the two realms makes the Beacon spread to the people of Pandemonium, awakening them as an Ascendant, the Beacon Holder."]
Niveus slammed his palm as he finally learned the truth.
'So that's what happened!'
After processing what he just heard, Niveus came up with several theories.
The Beacon was supposed to affect all the living in the world of Lunara, but due to the separation of the three realms, it was impossible. Maybe if they were connected from the start, the three realms would be equal after the Great Reset.
The Celestial, which was supposed to be a God or Deity of this world, might be just as ordinary as the mortal of Actlane but more superior due to their traits, just like the Daemon.
They started ahead as an Ascendant, breaking the wall of mortality, and became Transcendent just like Nono said. Or they were already Transcendents to begin with but the Great Reset affected them, turning them into mortals again unless they became the 4th Class.
According to Nono, from the 3rd Class onward, they were allowed to bestow or lend their power to others. Thus, the Celestial did that to play a God.
Niveus sighed and shook his head, rubbing his temple gently.
"Well... I was too wild with my imagination. I'd better go to sleep..."