After changing their clothes, the two no longer looked like children of a noble family but rather well-groomed children of the upper class. That was enough for Levi, just enough to set his plan in motion.
He turned to Jonas and asked, "Will you come with us?"
Jonas shook his head. "No, I'll stay here."
Both nobles stepped out of the house. When Veylan saw them, he frowned in surprise at their attire. Entering in noble attire and emerging in ordinary commoner's clothes was surprising, but what shocked him even more was that it had all been arranged by a boy surrounded by strange rumors within the estate. He was cold and barely spoke to anyone so why was he here, changing clothes in a stranger's home, wearing clothes that weren't his?"I shouldn't get caught up in rumors"
Levi, unfazed, simply said, "Head to Wanehall Market," as he settled into the carriage, Dorian beside him.
Wanehall Market was a narrow alley within the Crimson Pit district, named after the brutal battles fought in its infamous arenas. This district housed the city's most renowned combat grounds, drawing warriors, gamblers, and alchemists alike. Venomancers, Potion Alchemists, and Herbal Enchanters lined the market, selling potions and enchantments infused with Echo-related abilities ranging from lethal venoms to shape-shifting elixirs, each crafted to tip the scales of battle.
The carriage moved past the southern gate, heading toward the crimson pit district along Cinderspire Way before turning right into the district where most of the arenas were located.
In the carriage, Dorian, still slightly puzzled by Levi's decision to visit the Crimson Pits, asked, "Why are we going to the arenas? For betting?"
Levi answered in a low voice, ensuring Veylan couldn't hear. "I don't have much time. Haven't you noticed the strangers in our city? A great war is coming, we need to be ready. We must seize this Domain at all costs. To do that, we must nurture a full team of Echoes from the commoners, sharing the knowledge of spirit senses with them and guiding their ascension through the Dream Realm."
"Huh?Are you insane? Even if you're destined to become a Sovereign, the whole world will hunt you down," Dorian said, his voice laced with concern. "I can't support this madness. Telling that writer about spirit senses was already enough why go this far for commoners?"
Levi's eyes remained steady as already expected this reaction from dorain. "I'm not doing this for them. I'm doing it because I want to. My heart tells me it's my responsibility. I just want to free humanity from the prisons this world has forced upon them."
"It's not the same," Dorian argued. "In the end, you're making the same world your enemy. I just have one question, is it worth it? To risk your family's reputation, the legacy of thousands of years? You have power. You could spend your entire life in the Dream Realm without ever losing yourself. But think about your mother, your father, your brothers, what will the world do to them?"
Levi could offend anyone, he could reveal the secrets of spirit senses to the entire world and vanish into the Dream Realm for as long as he wished. For most, the Dream Realm was a treacherous and enigmatic place, but for him, it was home. Yet, such freedom was only possible if he had nothing to anchor him to the real world. No matter how much one claimed to be detached, humans were bound to one another, ties woven into their very blood, inescapable and undeniable.
He couldn't do it, especially not now. Spending a hundred years in an illusion teaches you to love even the things you once despised. At first, he didn't love his family, nor did he care for humanity. But slowly, over countless years, that changed.
When something is always there, you take it for granted. But when it vanishes before your eyes, only then do you realize its worth. There were billions of people in the Dream Realm, but were they real? Absolutely not. And yet, after spending a hundred years among those illusions, he came to understand just how precious real humans were.
In life, when people are right in front of you, you resent them, why isn't this mine, why does he hate me, why is he angry at me? You spend your days crushing others for their flaws, always striving for more. But the moment all those people disappear, you become the loneliest person alive.
Levi was a man of little emotion. Otherwise, after awakening from the Dream Realm, he would have been kissing the ground and thanking the gods.
His expression remained unreadable. "Their fates were sealed the moment I was chosen to become a Sovereign."
Realizing that Levi had no intention of backing down, he sighed and asked, " who are our enemies?who exactly is trying to seize the Domain?"
"I don't know who they are," Levi admitted. "They only surface when the Domain opens, then vanish back into the shadows."
"Why do they want to seize the Domains for themselves?" Dorian pressed.
"They're after the Legendary Domains, ones that have never appeared in our recorded history. And from my experience, the keys to those Domains are the most powerful artifacts of all. If they obtain them, the entire system of Echoes, Echo Memories, and Domains could collapse."
The weight of his words was difficult to absorb. A heavy silence fell between them.
"So our only goal now is to seize this Domain for ourselves," Dorian said while addressing the real issue. "And the only way to do that is by nurturing an army of Echoes to stand against them."
"May be or may not be, we can't stop them, not as we are now," He replied replied. "We're just Order 7 Echoes, while they stand at the zenith of power, like my mother at Order 3. We need the support of both our families. This is our continent, our home ground. They are the invaders. They should be the ones who fear us."
Dorian nodded in agreement.
Levi had no time to ease into life after awakening from the Dream. The moment he returned, he set out to find a worthy inheritor for an Order 7 Domain. Then, he took the risk of ascending a commoner into an Echo. He had no luxury to grow his power freely, like a seed sprouting in silence, unnoticed until one day, it had become a towering tree.
The Shattered Veil Domain, a manifestation of the Pain in human life, held resources exclusively for Order 7 Echoes. Within it, they could find weapons and materials attuned to their Echo Memories.
This Pain-affiliated Domain often granted weapons that inflicted suffering, daggers and swords designed to torment their victims. For instance, a order 7 Herbal Enchanter with the Verdant Cord memory could obtain a order 7 Seedblade weapon, a short sword forged from living wood. In battle, it could bind foes mid-fight, while its broader applications allowed the wielder to reclaim wastelands.
Yet, in the hands of an ordinary person or even another Echo the same weapon would be nothing more than a lifeless wooden sword, incapable of being commanded.
The term "Order" is commonly used by Echoes instead of level or tier because the Dream Realm grants them the ability to command an Echo Memory and wield the weapon bound to it.That command was only possible through the aura of the Dream Realm. Otherwise, if a father passed down an Echo Memory to his son, the son would never wield its full potential. At best, he could tap into a mere third of its power unless he endured the trials and ascended to the same order at which his father had bestowed it.
Domains are crucial for every Echo. Those who possess Echo Memories can claim weapons uniquely tailored to them artifacts that no one else, except those attuned to the same element, can wield.
The Shattered Veil Domain is aligned with Order 7 Echoes, while the Emberforge Domain embodies suffering and belongs to Order 6 Echoes. Tension and conflict between these two oders is constant, as the gap in power between these two echoes is smaller than that between Order 6 and 5 echo.
While Order 6 Echoes hold a slight advantage over those of Order 7, that gap can be bridged with experience, a calculated mind, and a deep understanding of an opponent's every move.
As the chosen keeper of the Domain, Elrya must protect its key and ensure that resources flow only to the worthy with Levi, at her side. But the dark force they face has already seized three Domain keys. To them, this is just another one.
Whoever claims this Domain Key will control Order 7 Echo resources for centuries to come. Every Echo organization has prepared for this moment, nurturing killers, assassins, and warriors raised for one purpose, to seize resources for their faction.
None of them intend to share a piece of the domain. To them, the one who obtains the key will become the ultimate ruler.