[Chief Egon's house.]
Aurora, Chief Egon, Emily, and Lilly sat in the sitting room, an almost palpable silence hanging in the air, broken only by the occasional rustle of clothing and the soft creak of the wooden furniture. They were all utterly speechless, still reeling from the extraordinary tale Aaron had just recounted.
"Yes, 15% of the forest is now under us, all thanks to me," Protean declared, puffing out his small chest with an air of self-importance.
"This is very good!!" Chief Egon finally exclaimed, shaking his head as if to dispel the lingering shock. "With these two armies, we'll have a chance against that tyrant of a king!" he added, his voice brimming with renewed hope.
"True, but... those armies aren't enough. I need at least a million soldiers under me," Aaron stated, his tone matter-of-fact.
Aurora's eyes widened, her lips forming a silent 'o'. Lilly raised an eyebrow, her expression a mix of disbelief and amusement. Emily simply stared, her mind struggling to process the sheer audacity of the statement. Chief Egon, however, nodded enthusiastically.
"That's the mindset of a great king! I'm very proud of you, but... how are you going to accomplish that?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
"It's very simple." Aaron stood up, Protean perched on his shoulder like a tiny, feathered general. "I'll go to the Meeting, kill some monsters, and take more territories," he said, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"What realm are you now on, baby brother?" Lilly asked, her voice laced with a hint of playful skepticism.
"Heavenly Saint. I don't know why I can't enter the Sky realm," he replied, his brows furrowed in mild confusion. He waved his hand, and a massive bag, heavy with the weight of countless cores, materialized in front of the group, causing their jaws to drop.
"Are these...?" Emily stammered, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Those are the cores of Awakened stage monsters, some are Omega and Enraged-Beast," he revealed, his tone casual.
"Wow, my Prince, with these cores, our fighters will grow stronger," Chief Egon said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Not so fast, Chief. Only those I pick personally can be given a core. There are a total of 50 in that bag," Aaron clarified, his voice firm.
"That's OK, my Prince," Egon nodded, his enthusiasm undiminished. "Oh, my Prince, there is something for you." He turned to Aurora, who, understanding the unspoken cue, retrieved the rubies and carefully handed them to Aaron.
"What am I going to do with this?" Aaron asked, his brow furrowed in mild confusion as he stared at the two halves of the ruby.
"I believe this is the reason you can't increase in your realm," Aurora explained, her voice gentle.
"What are these, exactly?" Aaron asked, his curiosity piqued.
"This ruby holds the power and knowledge of 100 royal blood ancestors. Only an elite blood can merge and absorb it, which is you," she said.
'An hundred?! All that power will make me a god, and no one will dare mess with me again,' he thought, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. He looked up at the Chief.
"How can I fix it?" he asked.
"Go inside your room, activate your powers, and the way will show itself. That's all I know," Egon replied.
Aaron hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded. 'To survive in this world, I need to get stronger,' he thought with a resolute determination.
"I'll exit the room after fusing with the ruby," he said, walking towards his room.
"Protean, he'll have to do this alone. Can you leave him for a while?" Aurora asked.
Protean nodded, after a moment of contemplation, he flew into the air and landed beside Snow, who was perched on the dining table.
Aaron entered his room, his gaze sweeping across the small bedroom. He sighed. 'It's better than nothing. This is nothing compared to my 30 years of hardship,' he thought.
He climbed onto the bed and sat in a meditative posture. "Now what to do?" he mused, observing the two rubies.
"Maybe... if I infuse my energy into it," he thought, and after a moment's hesitation, he infused his Demonic Energy into the rubies.
The two rubies flew out of his palm and began spinning above his head, their crimson light pulsating with power.
"Now I am given a show," Aaron muttered, rolling his eyes. At that exact moment, a powerful force pulled his consciousness into an abyss, while the two rubies merged into one and vanished from view.
[Outside the room.]
"Do you think he can do it?" Emily asked worriedly, her eyes fixed on the closed door.
"My brother can achieve anything," Lilly smiled, her voice filled with unwavering confidence. Of course, she was also worried, but she knew her brother was far stronger than any mere power or knowledge.
Emily sighed deeply and said, "My Dad kept something from you two."
Lilly turned to her, her brow furrowed in mild confusion.
"If he fails, his body will be burnt to ash."
"What?!" Lilly exclaimed, her voice filled with shock and horror.
[Inside the Abyss.]
Aaron fell heavily onto the black ground, the impact jarring him awake. He stood up, his guard raised, and looked around. His gaze slowly moved across the desolate landscape, taking in the tombstones and skeletons scattered across the ground. The eerie night sky above seemed to amplify the foreboding atmosphere.
"Welcome."
Aaron turned around, his eyes widening as he saw a young man with long golden hair and piercing blue eyes.
{All Seeing Eyes.}
{Name: Lucian Mingus.}
{Realm: N/A.}
{Status: Dead. (Spirit form).}
{Relationship: Father.}
{Other Information: N/A.}
'Lucian?' Aaron was stunned.
"Hello, Son," Lucian smiled at him, his eyes filled with warmth.
"Wait a second... where am I?" Aaron asked, his voice laced with confusion.
"You are in the underworld," Lucian replied.
"Oh wow, I absorb a ruby and got myself killed. How ironic... I think I'll just wait here till I am reincarnated again," he said, sitting on a nearby tombstone.
"Don't you dare sit on me!"
Aaron jolted to his feet, startled by the grumpy voice of an old woman.
The owner of the voice materialized in front of the two, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw Aaron. Without saying a word, she turned to Lucian, who nodded at her with a small smile.
The old woman's face lit up, and she yelled, "Wake up everyone, our savior is here!!"
Aaron stared with a frown as more ghostly figures appeared around him, their spectral forms shimmering in the dim light.
"I think I have gone crazy. I started seeing things. No... I think I'm dead, yes; that's the only explanation for this situation," he muttered, sitting on the ground.
The spirits of all the Demons' ancestors looked at each other in confusion.
"What are you saying, Son? You are the chosen one, who'll have our powers and free us from here," Lucian said, his voice filled with gentle reassurance.
"Chosen one? Free you guys from here? I don't understand," Aaron said, looking up at him with a puzzled expression.
Lucian sighed.
"We all have committed countless sins when we were alive, and some of these sins are too powerful that we can't leave this place. Let alone reincarnate," he explained, sitting down beside Aaron and flashing him a warm smile. "You are all grown up, and I'm sorry for not being there with you and Aurora."
"We are doing just fine... But I have a question, why didn't you take all their sins and powers when you were alive? Why me?" Aaron asked.
"I would have taken it, but I can't... The ruby was split by me and given to my right-hand man, because I know... my son will be the rightful owner of mine and my ancestors' powers and knowledge," Lucian replied.
"Yes, Aaron," the old woman flew towards him, her spectral form shimmering.
{All Seeing Eyes.}
{Name: Jenny Mingus.}
{Realm: N/A.}
{Status: Dead. (Spirit form).}
{Relationship: Great Grandmother.}
{Other Information: N/A.}
"We have waited for you for centuries now, and these bones of mine are tired of wandering around. We all need some rest," she said, her voice filled with longing.
"So... if I take these things, won't I have all your sins?" Aaron asked.
"You and our sins are already one. All you need to do is accept them and don't be corrupted by them," a deep voice said.
Aaron turned to the old man who had just spoken.
{All Seeing Eyes.}
{Name: Mingus Lord.}
{Realm: N/A.}
{Status: Dead. (Spirit form).}
{Relationship: Grandfather.}
{Other Information: N/A.}
Aaron nodded at him and asked, "Who killed you?"
"You already know the answer to that question," Mingus replied.
"OK, I'm guessing the total number here is 100," Aaron said.
They all nodded.
"I have another question," Aaron stood up.
"What is it?" Lucian asked.
"Why am I called The Cursed Child?"