Chapter Six : The Rulers
The Leader of Evernight Family — Shadow Empress
Real Name: Unknown
Her name alone is a mystery. Even among her own comrades, nobody has seen her face. She controls her forces through the shadows. There is a saying that the Shadow Empress is like ghosts—
You think you have never seen them, but they can be in front of you.
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3. The Shields of the Empire
The Vortigern Family
This is the family of Imperial Knights. Their loyalty to the Empire is unmatched, like their strength. They are the only knights who use spears as their weapon.
Heir: Galahad Vortigern
He has the grace of Archangel Michael (S-Rank). His determination is second to none.
Leader: Therross Vortigern
His leadership qualities are second to none, and he is one of the five 7th Realm masters of the continent. His physical prowess is only rivaled by the Dragon Lord.
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4. The Lords of the Skies
The Caelum Marquis Family
These are the air force of the Empire. They are unrivaled in the sky, known for their speed and precision.
Heir: Lucian Caelum
A prodigy of the skies, blessed by Zeus, the Lightning and Storm Deity (S-Rank). His skills in the air are unmatched by anyone of our generation. Yet, his strategies are also great enough to be one of the top 2 of our generation—his rival being the Hurricane Master.
Leader: Anthony Caelum
The Storm Master. He has reached 6th Realm peak himself and has even tamed a peak 6th Realm Griffon, making himself a force to be reckoned with.
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5. The Count Families
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1. The Merchants of the Empire
Morvan Family
Their motto is: "Strength is not everything." When you control over 50% of the Empire's wealth, you learn to manipulate through money. They love to manipulate the Empire through their wealth.
Heir: Cyril Morvan
Blessed by Kuber, the God of Wealth (A-Rank). She manipulates enemies through her schemes and trickery.
Leader: Haphus Morvan
The owner of the largest merchant business in the continent. His schemes are said to be more deadly than Duke Veridian's sword.
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2. Worshippers of God
The Lysander Family
This family is known for their devotion to gods. It does not matter which god—they think of all gods as one. Whether from the eastern side (Hindu gods) or western (Bible gods), they believe all divine beings are one. That's why people respect them… yet still fight over religion.
Heir: Seraphina Lysander
Blessed by the Goddess of Light (S-Rank). She is known as the Beacon of Light.
Leader: Thomas Lysander
Said to be the number one prophet of his generation. He wakes up only once every eight years to deliver a prophecy. The rest of the time, he meditates and pursues God.
The goal of the Lysanders is to gain salvation—Moksh.
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3. The Family of Warriors
Dragunov Family
As their title suggests, they are a family of warriors with the fighting spirit of dragons. They sometimes fight in the skies with their partner dragons. They also have the ability to merge with their partner dragons.
They dominate the battlefield—whether skies, land, or water.
Heir: Siegfried Dragunov
The Young Dragon, blessed by Kartikeya (God of War). His fighting spirit is unmatched among his peers. Only a few can withstand his prowess.
Leader: Lord of Dragons, Herron Dragunov
His title was granted to him when he ripped apart a Celestial Dragon who was rampaging across the Empire. He is the only one who can match Duke Vortigern in pure strength. Alongside Duke Veridian and Duke Vortigern, he is one of the five 7th Realm Masters of the continent.
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4. The Family of Forbidden Knowledge
The Albrecht Family
This family is said to be built upon forbidden knowledge. There is a legend that the founder of the Albrecht family was the God of Knowledge who descended on Earth.
Heir: Vesper Albrecht
Blessed by Mimir (S-Rank). His knowledge of alchemy is unrivaled. He is said to be the greatest twisted mind in history.
Leader: Kion Albrecht
The leader of the family. His forbidden knowledge is used by the Empire for their discoveries about humans and their bodies.
There are rumors that he helped in the Imperial Academy incident 7 years ago from this point in my life.
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As people were gossiping about us, the instructor announced my name.
People started to look at me. Their eyes did not even blink while looking at me. Some were looking in awe, some in disgust.
But me?
I was not looking at any of them—except one man.
Marcus Alderwood.
Our eyes met after four years.
Four years of resentment.
Four years of pain.
Four years of regret that I could not save Ellara.
In those four years, I could not sleep.
Whenever I tried to rest, I saw the bloody face of Ellara begging me to avenge him…
My mother clinging to my shoulder, begging me to take revenge on my father.
I could not do anything.
Yet again, even after four years, I am still so weak that I can't do anything.
I could not take my eyes off him—until the instructor announced my name again.
I walked to the pillar in resentment.
The pillar was surrounded by ancient runes and historical paintings.
As I placed my hand on the pillar, for a while it did not react.
I started to question my worth.
But then—
A bright red and golden energy erupted from the pillar, reaching the heavens.
High Saint Tier, the instructor announced.
I sighed that I could not reach the Divine Tier.
As I walked back to my place, the crowd cheered for me.
Suddenly they wanted to get on my good side.
As if… that side was still left in me.
Then the instructor announced the Alderwood's name.
He stepped forward without hesitation.
He placed his hand on the pillar—
And dark lunar light and bright celestial energy erupted from the pillar.
Two opposing energies started to fight with each other.
High Saint Tier, the instructor announced again.
People were in awe.
Marcus was equal in potential.
Meaning… he was meant to reach the same height as me.
And I knew only one truth—
Potential is not strength.
And it is not impossible to surpass the fate given to me by the gods.
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End of Chapter 6
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