Having finally pieced together the basic mechanics of his newly awakened Tier 10 power, Jai felt a profound, almost dizzying sense of clarity.
His next step was obvious.
He needed answers.
More specifically, he needed to understand the mysterious lore contained within the script.
Before long, Jai found himself standing outside Beatrice's private chamber. The door was made of dark, polished wood that seemed to absorb every sound around it.
He raised his fist and knocked twice.
A soft, respectful rhythm.
"May I come in, Miss Beatrice?"
A crisp response immediately came from inside.
"Yes. You may enter."
Jai opened the door and stepped inside.
The chamber was surprisingly practical rather than extravagant.
A large desk was covered with ancient scrolls and handwritten records. A heavy bookcase occupied one side of the room, filled from top to bottom with old texts.
At the top of a short staircase sat Beatrice.
Her posture was straight and unyielding, like a drawn sword waiting to strike.
Jai approached her and performed a deep, respectful bow.
"What is it you require?" she asked.
Her voice was calm, yet beneath it remained the familiar trace of overwhelming authority.
"I want to ask you a few questions about the script you gave me," Jai said.
Beatrice raised an eyebrow.
"And what questions could possibly require you to visit me personally?"
Jai met her gaze.
"Do you know how this power truly works?"
Beatrice remained silent.
"I have many doubts," Jai continued. "I want to understand them properly. More importantly, do you know the history of this power? Did anyone awaken this ability before Emperor Dominatrix's era? Or perhaps even before her parents' generation?"
A flicker of genuine curiosity crossed Beatrice's face.
"I know how her powers function," she answered slowly, "but I am almost entirely ignorant of their deeper nature and true limits."
Her gaze drifted toward one of the shelves, as though searching through memories buried there.
"The only person recorded to have completely mastered this power was Emperor Dominatrix herself."
Jai listened carefully.
"No one after her possessed the power—or perhaps the will required—to awaken it."
She paused.
"And understand something clearly, Jai. This power is not simply a birthright tied to the Chenwongo bloodline."
Jai's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It isn't?"
"No."
Beatrice leaned back.
"Anyone whose spirit, body, and nature perfectly align with the Emperor's will can potentially awaken it."
Jai looked surprised.
"So bloodline has nothing to do with it?"
"Not entirely."
Beatrice shook her head.
"Your lineage may have made the possibility greater, but blood alone is not enough. That is all I know."
Then her expression suddenly changed.
"Come here, child."
Jai hesitated.
"There is something else I must tell you."
Beatrice whispered a single word.
"Whisper."
A thin, shimmering barrier of spiritual energy appeared around them.
The sound inside the chamber changed immediately.
The outside world disappeared.
Jai stepped closer.
As he approached Beatrice, he felt the invisible pressure surrounding her more clearly than ever before.
Heavy.
Stable.
Dominating.
For the first time, Jai truly understood why the entire family treated her with such deep respect.
So this is Tier 2 spiritual pressure.
This is her real strength.
Beatrice reached out and took Jai's hand.
Her touch was cold, but firm.
"The truth is..."
She paused.
"Your grandfather, Smith Chenwongo, was my brother."
Jai's expression changed.
Beatrice continued before he could speak.
"I never liked the path he chose."
There was no anger in her voice.
Only exhaustion.
"He constantly caused my parents and me to worry. He sought conflict wherever he could find it. He fought people from neighboring kingdoms again and again."
Her fingers tightened around Jai's hand.
"He was jealous."
"Jealous of what?" Jai asked quietly.
"Power."
Beatrice's expression darkened.
"He wanted strength more than anything. But no matter what he did, he could never achieve the level of power he believed he deserved."
She looked away.
"Eventually, that desire consumed him."
Jai remained silent.
"He chose the wrong path," Beatrice continued. "And when his madness grew to the point that he attempted to execute people within our own kingdom..."
She looked directly into Jai's eyes.
"I stopped him."
A pause.
"I killed him."
Jai's breath slowed.
Beatrice carefully searched his face, as though expecting hatred to appear.
"Even though your parents are his children, I have always seen them as my own family."
Her voice softened.
"And I see you the same way."
She squeezed his hand again.
"Do not carry the weight of your grandfather's ambition."
For the first time, Jai could hear pain beneath her authority.
"I still carry guilt from that day."
Her gaze lowered.
"But I did what I believed was necessary."
She exhaled.
"I was simply a warrior standing between my people and destruction."
Beatrice looked at him again.
"Please understand that."
She hesitated.
"And please don't hate me for it."
Jai's heart felt heavy, but his thoughts remained clear.
"Miss Beatrice, you don't need to worry."
She looked at him.
"My mother and father always spoke about you with respect."
A faint smile appeared on Jai's face.
"Sometimes with a little fear too."
Beatrice almost smiled.
"But they always treated you like a mother figure," Jai continued. "I understand why you made that decision."
Beatrice's shoulders relaxed slightly.
Then Jai asked the question that had truly brought him there.
"Miss Beatrice..."
"Yes?"
"Do you know someone named Yaowang Ming?"
The reaction was immediate.
The color drained from Beatrice's face.
She recoiled slightly.
Cold sweat formed across her forehead.
Even the stable spiritual pressure surrounding her seemed to flicker for a brief moment.
"Why..."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"How do you know that name?"
Jai watched her carefully.
"I saw him in a dream."
Beatrice remained frozen.
"There were many unfamiliar people surrounding him," Jai continued. "I don't know who they were."
Beatrice slowly regained control of her breathing.
"I only know what the old records say."
She released Jai's hand.
"Yaowang Ming was considered the strongest person of his era."
Jai's eyes sharpened.
"How strong?"
"He reached Tier 2."
She paused.
"And according to some records, he was extremely close to touching Tier 1."
Jai remained silent.
"But strength wasn't the reason history feared him," Beatrice continued.
Her expression became complicated.
"Something happened."
"What?"
"I don't know."
Jai frowned.
Beatrice shook her head.
"No surviving record clearly explains it."
She looked toward the sealed barrier around them.
"Yaowang Ming performed some action—something so serious that the entire world's perception of him changed."
Jai listened more carefully.
"It wasn't simply that people became angry with him."
Her voice grew quieter.
"It was as though the whole world collectively decided to turn away from him."
The room felt colder.
"Kings rejected him."
"Allies abandoned him."
"People who once respected him began treating his name like a curse."
Jai's expression darkened.
"But no one knows what he actually did?"
"Not anymore."
Beatrice shook her head.
"The truth disappeared with time."
She paused.
"Whatever happened was apparently so terrible that the world treated him like an enemy."
Jai remembered the vision.
The blood.
The killing.
The black dress.
"How was he defeated?"
Beatrice looked at him.
"In my dream, I saw a woman wearing black."
His voice became quieter.
"She was the one who finished him."
Beatrice stared at Jai for several seconds.
"I believe that woman was Emperor Dominatrix."
Jai's eyes widened.
"She defeated him?"
"According to the records I found, yes."
Beatrice nodded slowly.
"Emperor Dominatrix was the one who eventually defeated Yaowang Ming and restored peace."
She looked toward the bookshelves again.
"Afterward, she ordered almost every record of him erased."
"Then how do you know about him?"
"My grandmother."
Beatrice's eyes narrowed.
"After she died, I discovered several old scripts hidden among her possessions."
"Those scripts mentioned Yaowang Ming?"
"Yes."
"Why tell me all of this now?"
Beatrice's gaze became firm again.
"Because you awakened Emperor Dominatrix's power."
She pointed toward Jai.
"You have inherited something connected directly to her legacy."
Her voice hardened.
"So you have the right to know about the greatest known threat she ever faced."
Jai said nothing.
"But understand me clearly."
Beatrice leaned forward.
"This is only history."
"Fragments of history, at that."
"I don't know the entire truth about Yaowang Ming."
She paused.
"And neither should you allow yourself to become obsessed with him."
Jai nodded.
"Then what should I focus on?"
"Training."
Her answer was immediate.
"You must practice relentlessly."
"The power you awakened is a gift, Jai."
Her eyes sharpened.
"But possessing a powerful ability does not automatically make you powerful."
"You must earn strength."
"Through discipline."
"Through experience."
"And eventually..."
"Through battle."
Jai slowly nodded.
"Yes, Miss Beatrice."
His expression hardened with determination.
"I will become strong."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"And one day, I will make the name Chenwongo known throughout the entire world."
He paused.
"For the right reasons."
A small smile appeared on Beatrice's face.
Jai turned toward the door.
Before he could leave, Beatrice called after him.
"Jai."
He looked back.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For treating my daughter with kindness."
Her expression softened.
"Rena thinks of you like a son."
Jai remained quiet.
"Whatever has happened within this family," Beatrice continued, "I hope you will continue to see her as family too."
Jai bowed his head.
"Yes, ma'am."
He stepped outside.
The door closed behind him with a quiet click.
Jai walked down the corridor, his mind filled with everything he had learned.
Yaowang Ming.
Emperor Dominatrix.
Aureon.
Tier 0.
There were far too many mysteries surrounding this world.
And he had only begun to uncover them.
If I want to become the strongest, I can't remain inside this kingdom forever.
He continued walking.
I need to explore Aethelon.
I need experience.
I need to see what exists beyond these walls.
His thoughts immediately turned toward the massive map of the world he had studied.
One destination stood out.
The Dwarf Kingdom of Khazadcoher.
Even the name sounded ancient.
A kingdom of stone, metal, underground cities, and forgotten power.
Jai smiled faintly.
That's where I'll begin.
His stride became more confident.
The world of Aethelon will know the Chenwongo name because of me.
This is my new beginning.
That evening, Jai sat at the family dinner table.
Everyone had gathered around him.
After several minutes of hesitation, Jai finally spoke.
"I've made a decision."
The conversations stopped.
"I want to leave the kingdom for a while."
Mable immediately looked concerned.
"Leave?"
Jai nodded.
"I want to explore the world."
He glanced toward Beatrice.
"I need real experience if I'm going to understand my power."
Then he looked around the table.
"I'm planning to travel to the Dwarf Kingdom of Khazadcoher."
For several seconds, no one spoke.
To Jai's surprise, however, no one rejected the idea.
Instead, he received several slow nods of approval.
Beatrice watched him carefully but said nothing.
Then James placed his cutlery on the table.
"I'll go with you."
Jai looked toward him.
"What?"
James leaned back.
"I want to explore Khazadcoher too."
He smirked.
"So..."
"If you'll have me, cousin."
Jai studied him for a moment.
Before he could answer, Beatrice spoke.
"Excellent."
Everyone looked toward her.
"You two will travel together."
She reached into a nearby drawer and removed two identical silver bracelets.
Each contained a small red stone that glowed faintly from within.
She handed one bracelet to Jai.
The other went to James.
Jai examined his.
"What is this?"
"An emergency artifact," Beatrice explained.
"If you ever find yourselves in a situation you cannot escape from..."
She pointed toward the red stone.
"Press it."
"What happens then?"
"Our guards will immediately receive the signal."
She glanced between both young men.
"If necessary, one of our family members will come personally."
James strapped the bracelet around his wrist and grinned.
"I doubt I'll need mine."
He looked toward Jai.
"But I can't guarantee you won't need yours."
Jai rolled his eyes.
Beatrice ignored the comment.
"Prepare yourselves tonight."
Her voice returned to its authoritative tone.
"Your journey begins tomorrow morning."
At dawn the next day, two young men walked beyond the borders of the Chenwongo Kingdom.
Jai carried his newly awakened power.
James carried his confidence.
And somewhere far beyond the roads stretching before them waited the ancient Dwarf Kingdom of Khazadcoher.
Neither of them knew what they would find there.
Treasure.
Enemies.
Power.
Or something far worse.
But one thing was certain.
Their lives inside the safety of the Chenwongo Kingdom were over.
Their real journey had begun.
And the world of Aethelon was waiting to discover whether that journey would forge two great warriors...
or unleash a disaster no kingdom was prepared to face.