Chapter 53: Stronger

While Qing was preparing to investigate the Sect Master through his unknown methods, in Earth, something entirely else was going on.

Marsona Empire, The Royal Palace.

Far away from UNIX and Antrox City, and far from the Federation’s own territory itself, the Marsona Empire’s palace bathed under the morning sunlight. The Empire remained detached from the Federation’s affairs and focused almost entirely on its own developments.

Although the Federation governed the rest of the world through its rules and regulations, the Marsona Empire was not under its governance. Instead, both sides had maintained their relationship through nothing more than a Treaty.

One would ask why the Federation, which governed the rest of the world, had left the Marsona Empire without taking it under its control as well. The answer to that question could be found in the history of the Empire and the creation of the Federation itself.

During the era when Monsters and Rifts had not yet appeared, there were ’Nations’ instead of a Federation or an Empire. However, when Rifts and Monsters began appearing and Awakened Individuals started rising to save the world from the catastrophe, the Federation was created through the desperate unification of almost all the Nations throughout the world.

Through that unification, the Federation gained immense military strength, advanced Technology, and countless Awakened Individuals. But at that time, there was one Nation that remained standing independently with its own Awakened Individuals.

It was the territory that would eventually become known as the Marsona Empire, and its survival was largely tied to the First Emperor, the first Human to ever Awaken.

Unlike the countless Humans who awakened later, The First Emperor was the first person to survive the awakening process and gain power during the earliest days of the catastrophe.

Under his leadership, the Nation continued fighting against the Monsters and Rifts without relying on the other Nations that eventually became part of the Federation. It didn’t even allow a single Rift to remain in its territory, as every Rift that appeared became an opportunity for the Nation to make its Awakened Individuals even stronger through the Monster and Rift Cores they obtained.

The Federation had obviously offered to take them under its newly developed ’Unity’, but the Empire rejected it without hesitation. Only when the Federation realized that the Empire did not need any sort of help did they extend a Treaty instead of offering them ’Wings’ to protect them.

The Empire accepted the Treaty, though the reason remained unknown or buried beneath layers of History as to why the Federation hadn’t simply conquered the Empire. The situation between the two powers had eventually developed into what it was today because of everything that had happened in the past.

Now, back in the present, the Marsona Empire’s palace contained more than hundreds of chambers, each serving a different purpose within the enormous structure. Among them all, Alice could be seen walking toward a certain room that she had customized herself, while a maid silently and calmly followed behind her.

Alice stopped in front of the room’s black door and glanced at it once before it opened automatically. She stepped inside and immediately asked, "Natasha, did you find out where Neolan is?"

The maid behind her shook her head and answered in her soft voice, "No, My Lady. I wasn’t able to find him. The Nox organization has placed a target on him, and even the inner spies within the Ashburn Family say that the Ashburn Family itself is searching for him."

Alice nodded without saying anything and walked slightly farther into the room. The interior initially appeared completely normal, with a bed positioned at the center and several pieces of advanced technological furniture arranged around it.

However, the ordinary appearance of the room disappeared the moment someone looked at the walls. Every single wall surrounding the room was covered with pictures of Neolan.

There were pictures of Neolan in different poses and moments, each printed in different sizes and carefully placed across the walls. Unlike the holographic screens commonly used throughout modern Earth, these were all physical photographs that Alice had deliberately printed and kept inside her private room.

Alice slowly looked around at them for a moment before reaching the door and shutting it.

"You stay outside, Natasha. I will be alone for a while."

Natasha nodded and stepped back before giving a slight bow. "Yes, My Lady. I will remain outside." Alice closed the door and leaned against it, her back pressing against the surface as her eyes remained fixed on Neolan’s face in the photograph on the wall directly across from her.

For several seconds, she remained completely silent as the memories of yesterday returned to her mind, ’Father said not to interact with anyone in the Federation... why? Why would he suddenly order something like this?’

Alice clenched her hand tightly as the uncertainty continued weighing on her. ’I-If I can’t meet Neolan, then what reason do I have to live?’ Her heart seemed to tighten painfully at the thought, and she struggled to keep herself composed as tears slowly gathered in her eyes.

She remembered the harsh words her father had spoken to her the previous day, words that had left almost no room for her to argue against him, "You are not allowed to go outside the Empire. Clear any Rift here and grow stronger. That boy Neolan also counts in this restriction."

Alice had naturally questioned why she was suddenly being restricted from leaving the Empire, but that was when her father’s attitude had changed. His expression had become cold, and his voice had carried an authority that Alice had rarely heard from him before. Even now, those words continued echoing inside her mind.

"Alice...did you forget that the Emperor’s order is the command?"

Those cold eyes and that voice returned to her thoughts, making Alice tightly shut her eyes as a single tear escaped and slowly ran down her cheek. ’I... am too weak right now. Even if I tried escaping the Empire, it’s impossible because of the constant hidden surveillance monitoring me.’

She understood that her father had not simply given her an ordinary restriction, and the hidden surveillance placed around her made any attempt to secretly leave the Empire almost impossible.

A long moment passed as Alice remained against the door, silently staring at the floor. Her sadness gradually began changing into something else as another thought surfaced in her mind. ’I... need to get stronger.’ Alice slowly opened her eyes again, and the hesitation that had been present moments earlier was gone.

There was a new vigor in her gaze, but it wasn’t simply determination. Her pupils seemed to have turned abyssal black as she stared toward Neolan’s photograph once more, ’To meet Neolan... and live with him forever, I need to get stronger.’