But it was his face that stopped everyone.
With the dark fabric against his skin, his features looked sharper . His high cheekbones, a straight nose, lips set in that calm, unbothered line. His eyes, a cold, clear silver, didn't scan the crowd for approval. They just looked forward, steady and absolute.
He didn't look like a boy dressed up for a ceremony.
He looked like a young emperor who had just decided to wear his house colors for the first time.
Lysandra pressed a hand to her chest. Cassian couldn't help but stand a little straighter.
Even Nytheria, who had seen a hundred ceremonies, whispered, "He looks just like Lucian did at that age... no, more like..." She thought about something and her whole body shivered...
Aleric, standing by the door in his own ceremonial armor, just shook his head and muttered at Torin, " See ! I told you my brother is born to be an Emperor. He should rebel and snatch the throne from that incompetent Emperor ! "
Torin shake his head at Aleric..he also think so looking at Silas.
Ronald and Seraphina, who were standing beside their houses, came towards Aleric.
Aleric smiled at them.
Ronald chuckled and commented, "He really looks like an Emperor."
Aleric nodded. While Seraphina kept her eyes on Silas, she said quietly, "But look at the elders... their faces..."
Everyone turned toward the Archdukes and the Saints to see them staring at Silas with wide eyes. Maybe they had seen something the others hadn't noticed.
Varric muttered, "No... No way... he is like..."
Selene immediately stopped him. "Don't say his name!"
Lucian gulped. After many years, he felt genuine fear run down his spine. "Is it time?"
Nytheria was already looking at Silas with her beautiful eyes, and her body shook slightly.
Cassian, standing beside Lysandra, was looking at Silas so intently that he forgot the people beside him. Lysandra looked at Cassian when she saw the tension on his face.
"What are you thinking?" she asked.
Cassian was startled, then looked at Lysandra and said, "Silas... he looks like someone from the far, far ancient past..."
Lysandra frowned. "What do you mean?"
Cassian shook his head. This was a secret only the Archduke and the level 90 beings of their family could learn, so Lysandra didn't know those details.
Cassian said quietly, "Let's see if he is even qualified to be the next Archduke..."
Lysandra clutched her long dress and looked toward Silas with worry.
Silas came before the crowd. The moment he stepped onto the high platform meant for his ceremony, the sky changed color. Everyone looked up. A beautiful silver wolf manifested in the sky.
Cassian sighed. It was their guiding spirit — the Silver Wolf. There were rules during the ceremony. If the wolf chose to stay in its place and nodded at the person in the ceremony, that person would be strong... strong enough to reach the highest level on this planet.
But to be chosen as Archduke, you needed the companionship of the wolf. The wolf would come down beside you and become your companion. That indicated you had the qualities of an Archduke.
The wolf choose to become companion with Aleric , Cassian and Lucian during their ceremony. Everyone looked at the sky to see what would happen next.
The giant wolf looked toward Silas, and Silas looked directly into its golden eyes. The wolf nodded at him. Everyone sighed, thinking he was not suitable for the Archduke position... when suddenly the wolf came down toward him.
It came before Silas, then circled him once. Cassian, Lucian, and every person in the square frowned.
The wolf had chosen Silas as its companion... but why was it circling him? It had never happened before.
Everyone was thinking about what it was doing when, suddenly, the wolf howled toward the sky and bowed to Silas, lowering both of its front paws.
Silence. The whole square was silent.
Cassian didn't know what it meant when he heard his father's terrified voice: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!..." He was looking at Silas, dumbfounded.
Nytheria immediately smiled. "Congratulations, Lucian! House Valerius is going to rise..."
Varric also laughed out loud. "Hahaha! I never thought I'd live to see the one with full authority over your Valerius family appear in this generation..."
Cassian came toward them and asked, "What... what does it mean, Father?"
Nytheria sneered at him. "Fool! You will always be a fool... can't you see the wolf chose him as its master?"
Cassian asked, confused, "Master? It's never happened before..."
Lucian shook his head. "No, Cassian. It has actually happened before. Whenever a true Valerius rises in our family, the wolf submits to them and becomes a servant. And that person will have full authority over the family..."
Cassian's eyes widened in surprise. He looked at Silas with glittering eyes.
Silas stood on the stage and chuckled at the wolf, who was still bowed low before him. He reached out and casually rubbed the top of its massive head. The wolf slowly rose, then nudged its cold nose gently into Silas's palm, like a loyal hound greeting its master.
Cassian stepped forward immediately, his voice carrying across the entire square.
"Silas! From this day on... you will take the position of future Archduke. And from now, you will carry the title of Duke!"
The whole square erupted in cheers. Nobles shouted, commoners threw flowers, even Aleric and the others clapped and yelled his name.
But Silas on the stage frowned. He opened his mouth, about to refuse...
The wolf howled again, louder than the crowd, a sound that cut straight through the cheers. Then its huge body dissolved into silver mist, swirling once around Silas before rushing straight into his chest.
A burning heat flashed across his left hand.
Silas looked down. A seal was forming on the back of his hand — a perfect triangle, and at each of its three points, a small circle. In one of the circles, the image of the same silver wolf appeared, its eyes closed as if sleeping.
Cassian came up onto the platform and grabbed his son's hand, staring at the mark in disbelief.
"Even the Valerius guardian spirit wants you to be the future Archduke," he said quietly, so only Silas could hear. "That's the seal of our ancient families... even I didn't get it during my ceremony."
Silas's frown deepened. Now he couldn't change the decision. This was the seal of their ancient families, and he knew the lore from his father that it only appeared when the guardian spirit itself chose someone to be its master, not just its companion.
He sighed and looked out over the crowd. His eyes found Aleric. His older brother was genuinely happy for him, clapping and nodding. Silas sighed again, resigned.
"Then I, Silas Valerius, accept the title of Duke from the ancient Valerius family."
It was law, set down by the ancestors of the Luminus Imperium. Even the current Emperor couldn't overturn it . An Archduke had the sovereign right to grant such titles within his own house.
And in Silas's case, all three Archdukes agreed.
Nytheria came before him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Silas," she said slowly, "now we are going to our ancestral land. Be prepared."
Silas nodded. Archduke Varric also stepped onto the platform. Now the three Archdukes Cassian, Nytheria, and Varric each took out their family emblem and raised it toward the sky.
They gently poured their auras into the emblems. The emblems shone, blindingly bright, and a symbol exactly like the one on Silas's hand appeared in the sky — a large triangle with three circles at its points. But in this projection, the other two circles were filled. One held a black serpent with a star mark on its head. The other held a black tree.
Silas gasped at the circle. During his brother's ceremony he had been too ill to attend, but now he could feel the pressure this symbol was giving off — ancient, heavy, suffocating.
In the crowd, Margrave Theros gritted his teeth as he stared at that huge symbol in the sky. Even their lords feared the three Ancient Families because of the secrets they held, and now this symbol alone made him shudder.
Every person in the square felt the pressure drop on their shoulders like a physical weight. Then, with a deep groan, a door opened in the sky, the same triangular symbol engraved on its surface.
Nytheria, Selene, Lucian, Varric, Auren, Elara, Isolde , Cedric and even Cassian and Lysandra gathered around Silas. Cassian wrapped his son in his own aura so Silas could fly, and together they rose toward the gate.
Inside the gate was completely different from what he had imagined. Three moons hung in the sky above, positioned in a perfect triangle just like the symbol.
A vast land stretched out before them, covered in beautiful flowers, with unknown mythical creatures running freely here and there. Giant fruit trees swayed, their branches reaching high toward the sky.
Silas looked around and saw three beautiful castles, even bigger than their own castle outside, standing tall in three different directions. They were the ancient castles of the three houses.
Silas stared at everything in awe. Cassian chuckled, "How is it?"
Silas didn't look away from the beautiful place as he answered, "It is as if we are not on the planet Erdalon at all! As if we are on a completely different planet..."
Nytheria chuckled, unusual for her usual composure. "You are right, Silas. We are on a different planet. This planet is called Earth."
Silas froze. His mind started shaking with fear. Earth? But this is not the Earth he knew of... he himself is from Earth... so how could it be...
Nytheria continued, "This planet was made by a terrifying powerhouse. He said that this place would be the sacred ground for the three ancient families... and from then on, our ancestors made this land ours."
Silas looked at Nytheria with great interest. He really wanted to know about this ancient powerhouse. A thought came to his mind, ' Is he also transmigrated like me? Is that how he knew the name Earth? Or is it just a coincidence...'
Silas was about to ask, when a giant silver-white wolf with golden eyes ran toward them from one of the castles.
Its size wasn't as big as the one in the manifestation, but it was still maybe five times bigger than Silas. The wolf ran towards them, and the closer it got, the more its size reduced, until it reached the size of a large dog.