Lucius was utterly taken aback, standing frozen as he beheld the visage of his mother, a sight he had not seen for an eternity. Her long, flowing black hair and those captivating amethyst eyes were unmistakable trademarks of Celestia Shadowbane, his biological mother.
"Lucius, my dear, you've returned," she exclaimed, her radiant smile lighting up her face as she gazed upon her long-lost son.
In an instant, Celestia leaped into his arms, embracing him tightly. Warm tears began to cascade down, soaking Lucius's broad chest.
"I've missed you so much, darling. If only I had the means to follow you into that other dimension," she said, her voice initially brimming with enthusiasm, but tapering into a tone of regret, hinting at her deep-seated sorrow over her inability to alter her son's fate.
Lucius sighed deeply, pulling his mother closer. "Let the past remain in the past, Mom. I'm here now, and we'll be together from this moment on. Nothing can tear us apart," he reassured her.
Celestia was momentarily taken aback by her son's unexpected eloquence and warmth. 'It seems my son knows how to charm a woman,' she mused, smiling to herself at his emotional maturity.
After several minutes locked in an embrace, they finally released each other. Celestia took Lucius's hand, guiding him through the mansion's grand lobby, with Loretta following respectfully behind them.
Upon reaching the expansive living room, they settled into a plush, long sofa. Meanwhile, Loretta retreated to prepare refreshments and snacks.
Lucius was in awe, taking in the grandeur of his new home: vast, majestic, and sturdy. The mansion, dominated by a luminous pearl white, boasted a myriad of advanced and modern facilities, catering to both entertainment and functional needs.
"Wow, this is amazing. Since when did you come into such wealth, Mom?" Lucius inquired, glancing sideways with enthusiasm.
Celestia didn't answer immediately. She leaned closer to Lucius, resting her head on his broad shoulder. After inhaling his scent for a few moments, she began to speak. "In truth, your other mother and I hail from a mysterious lineage, wielders of magical power since ancient times."
Nodding in understanding, Lucius pondered aloud, "So, the ancient Sorceress title relates to that?"
Affirming his question, Celestia gazed at him with pride. "Exactly," she replied, a small smile of satisfaction playing on her lips.
With a graceful flutter of her eyelids, she continued, "There are precisely seven ancient Sorcerer families in the Sovereign States of Arcania, and our family, the Shadowbanes, is one of them."
This revelation piqued Lucius's curiosity about his family's origins even further.
Suddenly, a powerful and unsettling energy swept through the mansion. Utilizing his aura strength, which exponentially heightened his perception, Lucius quickly pinpointed the source of this formidable energy.
"Mom, why is there a giant blue dragon hovering in the airspace above our home?" he queried, his brows furrowing in defensiveness.
"Ah, you sensed it, did you? It's quite a feat even for the most skilled sorcerers to detect that dragon's presence while it's in concealment mode," Celestia remarked, her smile beaming with admiration for her son's remarkable capabilities.
She hadn't anticipated that anyone other than herself could perceive the colossal dragon.
"Her name is Nerissa, the dragon princess allied with our family," Celestia quickly clarified.
Upon hearing the term 'family ally,' Lucius relaxed his guard.
"A magical creature of catastrophic power, indeed. It's fascinating to see such beings exist on Earth," Lucius murmured softly, marveling at Earth's developments.
"Oh, was the world you visited before akin to a medieval European civilization, with magic and swordplay like in those isekai anime?" Celestia asked, intrigued.
Glancing sideways briefly, Lucius responded, "Yes, but I didn't learn magic there. Instead, I mastered aura power called 'Aura of Empyrean' for decades until reaching the highest level. As a result, I managed to slay the demon king, preventing his reincarnation, and acquired a one-time-use artifact to return to Earth."
Unintentionally, Lucius exuded a thick aura of hatred as he recalled the harrowing days of relentless training, akin to madness, to gain the power to defeat the demon king.
Celestia embraced her son more tightly, her voice gentle and soothing as she comforted him. "Don't worry, darling. I'll always be by your side. Let's build a bright future together."
For some reason, Celestia's smile felt slightly different, more intimate, almost like a lover's, towards her son.
"By the way, Mom. Where are Mama Isolde, Sister Calista, Sister Freya, Sister Seraphina, and Sister Elara?" Lucius asked, shifting the topic with a look of curiosity.
"They're all vacationing abroad," Celestia replied, a hint of annoyance in her tone.
"I initially planned to join them, but work commitments made it impossible. Nonetheless, I'm much happier now with you here. I consider myself luckier than they are," she declared with a triumphant smile, feeling she had one-upped the rest of the family.
Lucius smiled warmly, resigned to being held ever more tightly by his mother.
"Eh—why did the dragon's presence suddenly vanish, Mom?"
The terrifying energy from the dragon princess dissipated abruptly in an instant.
"Ah, it seems the dragon princess has gone straight to the Underworld, where the Great Dragon's realm lies. Coincidentally, one of the lifts to the Underworld is in our domain," Celestia surmised, inadvertently revealing information about the Underworld.
"Underworld, is it akin to another world, Mom?" Lucius inquired, his eyes alight with curiosity.
Nodding slowly, Celestia began to explain, "Indeed, this world exists in the same reality as Earth, ever since mana energy arrived a decade ago. To access it, a special lift that pierces the separating barrier is required. Consider this new world as the seventh continent on Earth."
Lucius was utterly fascinated, captivated by the myriad new wonders that Earth had to offer in this new era.
As he was deeply engrossed in conversation, Loretta entered the living room, carrying two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and black coffee. An array of snacks, cookies, and pizza was already laid out on the coffee table.
"Wow, it's been such a long time. Since I've seen such a delightful spread of snacks and modern treats!" Lucius exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with delight as he expressed his nostalgic yearning.
Without further ado, he picked up several slices of pizza, savoring each bite slowly and relishing the flavors. He didn't forget to sip the premium hot chocolate, enjoying its rich taste between bites.
∆∆∆
Later that evening,
At the headquarters of the army in the capital city of New Metropolis, a significant meeting was underway in a spacious conference room. Dozens of high-ranking military officials gathered around a long rectangular table, with an elderly general, his hair short and white, seated at the far right end.
Their expressions were marked by intense seriousness as they watched Lucius' actions on a special display screen at the far left end of the room.
After the screening, the muscular elderly general, seated at the far right, initiated the discussion. "What do you think? What kind of magical power could that be?" he inquired, his voice deep and resonant, glancing lightly to his right and left.
"His movements are at light speed, leaving a trail of bright violet energy along his path, and his energy wave attacks are also at light speed, capable of eliminating targets within mere nanoseconds. Initially, I thought the young man possessed 'Photon Magic,' utilizing high-energy ultraviolet light spectra," a thirty-year-old officer with green hair and a mid-level rank responded, articulating his observations clearly.
Adjusting his glasses, he continued his explanation with a more serious demeanor. "But strangely, there are no traces of mana energy being converted into ultraviolet light energy at the scene. The bodies of the hobgoblins are also devoid of light energy remnants. More precisely, his power leaves no energy traces whatsoever."
The room filled with murmurs as everyone expressed their growing concerns to their colleagues. Meanwhile, the elderly general, seemingly the highest-ranking leader, remained silent for a few minutes before resuming the discussion.
"What about his whereabouts? Have you pinpointed his exact location?" he asked, tapping his index finger thoughtfully on the table.
"My apologies, General, we have been unable to locate him. Unlike on the ground, the young man flies at altitudes beyond the reach of our recording devices. Even our satellites fail to capture images, because the violet energy dissipates and vanishes without a trace in a fraction of a nanosecond," the green-haired officer replied, disappointment evident in his voice.
With a heavy sigh, the elderly general issued his orders. "There's no point in us delving further into this without adequate information. Therefore, deploy the hunter units to track him down. Utilize the media to locate him, and also issue a high-reward bounty for the boy. Whoever finds him will be generously compensated."
"We cannot afford to lose such a formidable force. To annihilate a large army of rank-A hobgoblins with a single strike is no easy feat, not even for the strongest combat Sorcerers we have," the general emphasized, underscoring the gravity of the situation and urging everyone to treat it with utmost urgency.
Because of his actions, Lucius became the focus of a military search, though his intentions bore no negative implications for his survival.
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