The Martial Unity

In the Royal Office in the Vargard Palace, the Emperor of Harmony found himself seated at his table, his hands steepled with authority as he leaned forward upon his table.

His sharp, golden eyes remained fixed on the person before him, bearing deeper into her amber eyes. He studied her eyes, bright with warmth and life, her expression beaming with eagerness at the meeting with Emperor Rael.

“Let me begin by extending my due gratitude to you for your contributions to the victory of the foreign entity,” the Emperor of Harmony began with a calm, composed tone. “As well as your help in helping us understand the status of the epicenter of the Beast Domain and returning our Martial Sages to us. Thank you for your contributions to human civilization.”

Amare beamed at his words with a genuine smile. “You’re welcome! I’ve always wanted to meet you. Rui speaks very highly of you, you know? He told me that as long as human civilization had you, then it would survive and thrive!”

A small smile emerged on the face of the Emperor of Harmony. “Did he now? That’s flattering, considering human civilization has only survived thanks to him.”

“That’s true,” she murmured with a hazy tone as her mind went to Rui. “He has done more for the world than the world realizes…”

Her bright eyes twinkled with affection as she swept a tuft of her long brown hair behind her ears.

The Emperor of Harmony studied the woman with great scrupulous scrutiny.

This was the woman that Rui had gone as far as to overcome death itself to reunite with.

She was also one of the only people who had not only earned his love but also managed to keep it by keeping up with him. She was extraordinarily powerful and extraordinary a being in herself, with all the information that the Emperor of Harmony had gathered about her.

And yet, the Emperor of Harmony considered himself a good judge of people, able to read people quite well with not just training but also now almost four centuries of experience in dealing with people.

That was why he could tell.

He could tell that she was a little different from how Rui described her.

“Tell me,” the Emperor of Harmony continued. “What is the most important thing to you in this world?”

She smiled warmly as her bright amber eyes bore deep into his powerful, golden eyes.

“The people I love, of course.”

There wasn’t even the slightest hint of hesitation in her voice.

“And what is the next most important thing to you?”

The tone of the Emperor of Harmony grew intense.

Then, without the slightest shade of change, she unhesitatingly answered the question.

“Power.”

It was almost jarring to hear someone with as bright and warm of a demeanor as speak with such an unyieldingly strong tone.

And yet, he could tell that she meant it from the bottom of her heart.

His expression grew grave as he felt an unsettling chill.

This was sharply different from how Rui had described her in the past.

“…Power, you say?”

The Emperor of Harmony’s rich voice contained a hint of severity.

“Power.”

She reaffirmed with a calm voice.

The warm brightness in her amber eyes was replaced with a calm drive.

One that drove her towards power.

“Is power that important to you? No…” His golden eyes sharpened. “Was power that important to you in the past?”

The air tingled with tension.

“…It wasn’t.”

She calmly admitted.

Her expression grew melancholic.

Her eyes grew hazy with regret and sorrow.

“Power was indeed not important to me in the past and…” her tone grew soft. “I used to think that it couldn’t bring happiness, satisfaction, and meaning to people. And yet…”

Her gentle tone grew stronger.

“I paid the price for it, did I not?”

She gazed deep into the golden eyes of the Emperor of Harmony with a deep gaze.

“I lost my life because I was too weak to protect myself or him.”

Her tone grew regretful.

“We were separated because I was too weak.”

A hint of darkness entered the pure amber light in her eyes.

“Never again.”

Her tone grew intense.

“No force in this world will claim to separate me from the people I love ever again.”

“…” The Emperor of Harmony studied her with peering eyes.

Her smile grew melancholic.

“I know you don’t trust me.”

Emperor Rael didn’t respond to that.

“I know I have… changed. And yet, I spent ten thousand years immersing myself deep within the depths of my soul, living and reliving my life. Reliving my lives. My lives in this form and those before this one,” Amare continued with a soft tone. “But… I have grown stronger. Strong enough to protect myself and the people I love.”

Her resolution was firm.

She would cultivate all the power in the world.

If only to ensure that it couldn’t be used against her.

The air grew tense with silence.

The Emperor of Harmony stared at her with a blank of expression, before heaving a sigh.

“I approve of this change from someone Rui has given his heart to.”

Emperor Rael’s tone was sincere.

He didn’t think there was anything wrong with anything she had said.

Indeed, he understood better than anybody else in the world that power was absolute.

What he saw before him was someone who had finally learned this cold, harsh truth after experiencing the suffering that came with weakness.

She smiled at the Emperor of Harmony warmly. “Thank you—”

“I wasn’t done.”

The Emperor’s calm voice cut through her gratitude.

His serious eyes remained fixed on her.

“Just because I approve does not mean that my son will approve.”

Her expression grew hurt at the painful but sincere words of the Emperor of Harmony.

And yet, she knew that the Emperor’s words were the truth.

It was what she had dreaded from the very moment she woke up.

She hoped that he would still love her when he realized how much she had changed.

CLACK

The door to his office opened as the Royal Secretary barged in urgently.

“Your Majesty, the Boundless light has just woken up!”

–