While everyone was eating and occasionally chatting about trivial things, Velgrynd interrupted while teasing Akasha.
"Come on, brother! Tell me the story of one..." Velgrynd said to Akasha with a pleading voice.
"I didn't say I wouldn't, just let me think about who I can talk about," Akasha replied with frustration in his voice.
After several minutes of thinking, someone came to mind, and he asked Velgrynd if she had talked about him.
Velgrynd nodded. "Yes, when I was little you did, but it wasn't his whole story. Come on, take the chance and finish telling it!" she said with expectant excitement.
Akasha nodded and looked at everyone. "At Velgrynd's request, today I will tell you about the story of Alexander the Great."
Everyone nodded, clearly interested in the topic. Even someone like Guy was curious to know who this Alexander was.
And so the next hour was spent telling the story of Alexander.
---
At the end of the story, Velgrynd and Rudra had eyes full of admiration and respect for Alexander.
"Magnificent! How did one man manage to conquer so much land in 10 years? It reminds me of myself," Rudra said, sighing in admiration.
The others nodded in agreement, clearly impressed by the military strategist and his worldview.
"Moreover, his battle against the Persians and his elite infantry army, the Athanatoi, are very interesting," Guy remarked, more interested in the Persians.
"The Athanatoi came to be known as the 'Immortals,' which after the death of Darius III, sublimated into his Noble Phantasm," Akasha mentioned casually.
Guy raised an eyebrow. "What is a Noble Phantasm?" he asked, interest in his voice as he leaned forward in his chair.
Ramiris also joined in, raising her hand. "Yes, yes! What is that Noble Phantasm? It sounds powerful and cool, haha," she said, shoving more food into her mouth.
"Noble Phantasms are the embodiment of the final mysteries of a hero that symbolize one's existence through historical deeds and anecdotes. They can be physical weapons, like swords, spears, and bows, or supporting elements, like rings and crowns," Akasha explained.
"Or conceptual ones, like unique abilities, etc. Noble Phantasms are, in essence, the legends crystallized by human thoughts toward a hero," Akasha concluded his explanation in a casual tone.
Velgrynd's eyes, who had been silent since Akasha finished the story, sparkled like stars upon hearing this.
"Does that mean Alexander could also have his army sublimated as his Noble Phantasm?" she exclaimed excitedly.
Akasha was perplexed by her outburst, as were the others. 'Just think about battles,' was everyone's thought.
But Akasha nodded anyway. "That's right; it's more accurate to say that Alexander the Great's life sublimated into his Noble Phantasm."
Velgrynd sighed in resignation. "I wish I could have met him; we surely would have gotten along well."
Akasha raised an eyebrow at her words. "Would you really want to meet him?" he asked subtly.
Velgrynd nodded with a smile. "Of course, it would be great to plan with him how to dominate the world," she said resolutely.
"Ohohoho, I'm more interested in seeing what the ten thousand immortals are like as his Noble Phantasm," Ramiris commented while laughing.
Akasha looked at Veldanava and saw how Lucía was feeding him with a silly smile on her face. He ignored them and looked at the others.
"Well, it's time to give you your gift."
---
Everyone sat together to see Akasha's gifts. He stood in front of the others, and with a wave of his hand, the space beside him rippled as a mirror, a pair of rings, and a spear emerged.
The objects floated in the air as the space returned to normal. Then they moved next to Akasha as he began the presentations.
He pointed to the mirror, which was a black tone with blue hues and a frame carved with intricate designs and inscriptions in an unreadable language, but the most impressive part was that nothing was reflected on its surface.
"This is Niflheim," Akasha presented as the mirror trembled in greeting. "It is a divine construction that embodies the concept of 'protection,' capable of absorbing and reflecting any physical or magical attack, as well as providing almost absolute protection."
Akasha didn't explain further about the mirror and instead looked at it.
"Niflheim, we talked about this, take good care of Velzard," Akasha said to Niflheim in a soft tone, causing it to bend at an unnatural 90-degree angle.
While everyone was astonished, Niflheim returned to its original position, and words appeared on its surface:
{I will protect her with my life if I have no other options, master.}
After the words appeared, Akasha nodded, and Niflheim moved toward Velzard, shrinking to fit in her hand, while she looked at it in awe.
"Drop a bit of your blood on it; that will create a bond between your souls," Akasha quickly spoke when he saw how Velzard looked like she wanted to cry.
Velzard nodded as she did what he said, and Akasha began explaining the rings.
"These rings have no names; I temporarily called them 'wedding rings.' Their function is to unite the souls of their bearers, granting them different powers depending on their deepest desires," he explained briefly as the rings moved toward Lucía and Veldanava.
They took them and put them on as they listened to Akasha. "Do the same as Velzard; the remaining information will be sent to your minds," Akasha explained with a conspiratorial smile on his face.
"And lastly, regarding weapon categories... Abaddon."
The spear in the air began to emit black smoke when called, frightening the women a bit while Veldanava analyzed it and Guy looked at it with palpable interest.
"When its true name is released, Abaddon imposes the concept of 'death' on those who challenge the natural order of life," Akasha explained casually.
Veldanava looked at him wide-eyed, just like the others. Akasha ignored him and pointed something to the spear, making Guy look even more astonished when the spear stopped in front of him.
"Abaddon will only follow whoever she deems worthy, Guy. So you'll have to pass her test to be her master," Akasha mentioned distractedly while picking up a stick from the ground.
"Why are you looking for a stick? And why are you giving such a weapon to Guy? Insensitive!" Veldanava shouted, agitated, receiving nods of agreement from everyone, including Guy.
"They are conscious weapons; I've given explicit orders about when to unleash their true power," Akasha explained while finishing drawing a strange circle. He paused and looked at Veldanava. "Particularly with Abaddon. Guy won't be able to release her true name unless Abaddon feels it's necessary."
Veldanava felt relieved when he said the last part and turned to Guy. "I'm sorry, Guy, but I was seriously worried about that spear."
Guy shook his head while fixing his gaze on Abaddon.
"It's okay; I know that if her true name is released, she would be very powerful, but still, I know I can master her," he said confidently, earning a vibration from the spear.
As they continued talking about Abaddon, Velgrynd, on the other side, felt upset inside. 'I thought he would give me something... but he didn't even give me a common weapon,' she thought as she stood up to leave.
While tears started to accumulate in her eyes, Akasha turned to look at her with his indifferent gaze, freezing her mid-step.
"Come and stand by my side. We're going to start the summoning," Akasha said in his indifferent tone while indicating where to stand.
Velgrynd moved awkwardly toward the spot he indicated, causing Akasha to look at her in confusion.
"What's wrong?" Akasha asked her.
Velgrynd shook her head and stood where he told her.
"My brothers' gifts are amazing," Velgrynd said with a nervous smile on her face.
Akasha raised an eyebrow at her words but didn't take much notice and nodded. "They are; I made them," he said casually.
"I was thinking of giving you something similar, but since you want to know so much about Alexander the Great, then we will summon him," he said after a moment.
Velgrynd looked at him in astonishment, forgetting her previous pain. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and shook him wildly.
"Alexander?! Are you really going to summon Alexander the Great?" she practically screamed in Akasha's face.
He nodded expressionlessly while pushing her off and adjusting his tunic. "Yes, now repeat what I say."