"Come inside; we have to depart soon."
The interior of the room was clean and well furnished with plenty of lighting, a bed, a table, and a bathroom.
Xenon removed the blue robe that concealed his face and body, then placed it on the round table, where another robe and a set of clothes lay.
"Judging by your appearance, it seems you weren't able to find the item you were looking for."
"Well, it was truly unfortunate, but unlike me, you seemed to have gotten lucky."
"Luck...huh," he mumbled slowly.
"I searched everywhere you asked but couldn't find it, except for one last place I was about to check, if not for our meeting."
"Your long golden hair and eyes are very attractive, so, before we depart, you ought to change your whole outfit and appearance. Here, resonate with this artifact, and it would change your facial appearance temporarily; also, change into this set of clothes, which are made with thin obsidian silk." She said while turning her gaze towards the table where the set of clothes lay, then sat down on a chair beside the bed with her legs crossed."
…
From their conversation, one could deduce that their relationship was not intimate.
Yes, the reason for their marriage was to unite two out of the three prominent nations into one to increase their power and status.
For decades, both the Solaris and Noctaris Kingdoms were not very friendly, always fighting and creating problems whenever they got the chance.
It was the same for this generation too, but only from outside; due to an encounter, both the current late leaders became best friends, and their relationship got even better as time passed.
Xenon and Aurora had only met a handful of times, mostly during secret gatherings between their families. Even then, they had never truly spoken—only exchanging brief, silent glances.
For a long time, their fathers had tried to bring them closer to secure the future of their kingdoms. However, as rumors of an approaching catastrophe grew stronger, they decided to marry them and publicly announced it to assert their dominance.
It was easy to see why neither of them opposed the decision. First, they would rather not cause their families any trouble. Second, neither of them had ever been in love or had any romantic experience.
But fate had something else in store for them. Only the announcement was ever made; they were never married, as the danger arrived sooner than expected. Not just their families, but their entire kingdoms fell.
Both of their families were destroyed, and in the midst of that desperate chaos, their people managed to secure their survival. Now, they were alone, with only each other to rely on.
…
Xenon looked at the small black item Aurora had given him. It was a Tier 2, one-time-use, but rare, guise shard capable of altering a person's hair and eye color through spirit resonance, depending on the color chosen within the shard.
It belonged to a broader line of similar artifacts with five known forms. The Tier 1 variant, known as a Dye Shard, could only change a person's hair color. The Tier 3 version, called a Disguise Shard, was far more advanced, capable of altering a person's entire facial structure. At Tier 5, the shard could completely transform a person's whole body, including their physical features and coloration. He had learned about it from his father's memories.
Xenon, while standing, closed his eyes and poured his rose-pink spirit energy into the guise shard, clashing with the elemental energy in it. The elemental energy from the shard slowly dissipated, and the man's hair and eye color changed.
The shard was not stored in his spirit core; instead, it flowed through his channels, as it was an expendable-type shard whose effects wear out after eleven months.
He quickly changed into the set of clothes Aurora had bought for him and stepped out of the bathroom, the long black coat settling smoothly over his form. The fabric fit him perfectly, its clean, unadorned surface mirroring the same elegance that matched hers, while the faint violet lining revealed itself subtly with his movement.
A white glove covered his left hand, and black boots landed softly against the floor as he stepped forward. For a brief moment, he adjusted the collar before stilling, his matte black hair falling naturally into place.
She looked at him pleasantly and spoke, "Hm… this is much better."
"Before we set out, tell me the pair of shards you carry with you."
"None except for the "Radiant Sun Pearl,"
"Thought so… Take these extra pair of shards I brought in case you didn't have them. It consists of all the basic elemental shards. Since you possess the Sun Origin Pearl, you should use the fire set."
People could choose different paths to improve their proficiency and strengthen themselves, and one such beginner path was the Fire Path.
The Fire Path is centered around the Fire Shard, granting its wielder control over the fire element. Supporting it are three primary shards that enhance and stabilize its power.
The first is the Ember Vein Shard, which significantly amplifies firepower while also providing essential fire resistance. This makes it a crucial support for any fire user, allowing them to withstand their flames without harm.
The second is the Cinder Recall Shard, a recovery-type support that gradually restores spirit energy. Though its recovery rate is slow, taking approximately thirty minutes to restore even one percent, it also aids in healing physical injuries at a slightly faster pace.
The final support is the Ashen Guard Shard, which forms a protective layer of ash around the user's body. This ash shield acts as a defensive barrier, reducing incoming damage and providing consistent protection during combat.
The main reason why some people choose the basic elemental set is that it can be refined to tier 5, granting immense power and a domain for each, though refining it to tier 5 requires one to have not only immense control but perfect synchronization, too.
Almost everyone is unable to cross the tier 3 mark, let alone tier 5, but those who do manage to surpass often end up leaving the path for further opportunities, whether they choose to fuse two different elemental types or shift to another entirely new and advanced power.
With the help of his Origin Core, he was able to resonate with the items quickly and obtain them for himself.
Next, she gave him two additional items, one of which was a tier 2 pink refined pearl, a small, round pearl that belonged to the catalyst family and could provide a small breakthrough in one's spirit core.
It requires immense concentration and, if successful, leaves a person unconscious for a week, with dizziness and fatigue lasting for a month or so.
The catalyst's family consisted of two catalysts, including refined pearl and faint pearl.
While a faint pearl could only boost a ten to twenty percent power upgrade in the tier for a level, it caused only mild fatigue and dizziness, unlike a refined pearl that guaranteed a small realm breakthrough but had its disadvantages.
This process could only be performed at a safe place with someone trustworthy accompanying them to provide help if something goes wrong.
He had known about it from his second ancestor's memories. He started pouring his spirit energy through his left hand's palm to the tier 2 pink refined pearl; the energies collided with each other for a few seconds before the energy from the pearl entered his spirit core through the channels, cleaning the impurities that were stuck to the energy channels while also changing the spirit energy to dark pink.
His whole body was sweating and aching as the impure particles from the channels were washed away as the process came to an end…
Bam!
His body fell on the ground unconscious and radiating a horrible smell.
Aurora just watched things unfold, sitting plainly on the chair until he collapsed.
Suddenly, two eyes opened in a room, watching the ceiling plainly, before feeling the presence of someone beside him.
Xenon had woken up from his slumber, but just as he sat, he saw that Aurora was lying with him on the bed, sleeping soundlessly.
His initial reaction was somewhat surprising; some thoughts came to his mind, but he brushed them aside.
He still had some pain, and his mind was dizzy before he collapsed again on the bed.
Xenon's eyes opened again, but this time he was alone. He got up from the bed, feeling no pain or dizziness, but instead he felt more refreshed.
Suddenly, the bathroom door opened, and Aurora stepped out. She was wrapped in a white towel from her chest down to her legs, her hair still wet, and her skin glistening softly.
He shifted his gaze towards her.
"Having the Origin pearl sure is beneficial," she said in an amusing tone.
"How many days was I gone for?"
"Only for four days, and judging by your appearance, you seem more energetic than before."
"Well, it took one of my arms just to obtain the pearl; it better be worth it."
The Origin Pearl washed away every piece of dirt from my body, and my body doesn't smell, although my clothes still have some odor remaining, he thought.
"Go and get changed; we will be departing soon."
"Hmm"