[The Guest Wing – Yoru's Castle]
Techyon felt a cold shiver run down his spine, one that even the permafrost of Netland couldn't match. He gripped the edge of the velvet couch, his knuckles turning white. The image of the "High-Class Arcon" who could shred universes was now replaced by a darker reality.
"Wait..." Techyon's voice was barely a whisper. "If she was that strong—if she could turn a Universal Snake into nano-pieces without breaking a sweat—then who could have possibly killed her?"
Neweland's face on the status window seemed to age a decade in an instant. The light in his eyes dimmed, replaced by a haunting shadow of the past. "The same person who took everything from me, Techyon. The one who killed my wife. He is the murderer of your mother... the Monarch of Destruction."
Techyon felt the air leave his lungs. The name echoed in his mind like a death knell. If his mother was a fundamental law of nature, then the Monarch was the end of nature itself.
"The Monarch of Destruction," Techyon repeated, a dark realization dawning on him. His eyes flashed with a sudden, sharp anger. "Now I realize how he killed this era's Electro Arcon. He must have used that same overwhelming power to snuff out the light."
"That's not entirely true, Techyon," Neweland interrupted, his voice firm, cutting through Techyon's spiraling thoughts. "You are jumping to conclusions based on grief. Before you seek to face the darkness, you have to understand the truth about your lineage. You have to know about your mother... and your aunt, Mayanee."
Techyon froze. "Aunt Mayanee? I... I didn't even know I had an aunt. Was she an Arcon too?"
Neweland nodded slowly. "They were the Twin Pillars of the Storm. While your mother was the lightning that struck the enemy, Mayanee was the thunder that shook the foundations of the world. To understand why they fell, you must understand the secret they were guarding—a secret that is now flowing through your veins."
Techyon looked at his hands, seeing a faint, subconscious flicker of blue static dancing between his fingers. The mystery of the Arcons was no longer just a history lesson; it was a family tragedy that he was now forced to finish.
Techyon felt the room spinning as the fragments of his memory began to lock into place. "Wait... Aunt Mayanee? I thought... I thought the Arcon of Life already told you this, Techyon," Neweland's voice crackled with a mix of sorrow and awe. "Mayanee is the strongest Arcon of today. She is the current Electro Arcon—the one who sealed herself away with the Monarch of Destruction. She knew that fighting him in this era was a suicidal mission, so she chose to become a living prison to protect the future. To protect you."
Techyon lowered his head, his cyan hair shadowing his eyes. "How could I forget that day? I didn't know who she was back then... but I felt it in her voice. There was a resonance, a warmth. I knew we were related, even if I couldn't put a name to the feeling."
"Your mother, Shogun, was born with a talent that reached the heavens," Neweland continued, his gaze drifting as if seeing the past. "And your aunt Mayanee? She started as just a weak girl. They were happy, Techyon. A family of lightning and laughter. But then that day came. Your father was away, and the Monarch of Destruction descended like a shadow over the sun. Shogun sacrificed everything—her life, her divinity—just to protect you and Cynthia. But even then, destiny was cruel."
"I and Cynthia... we were separated," Techyon whispered, his voice trembling. "The monsters... the chaos... we lost each other in the smoke."
"Exactly," Neweland sighed. "But after your father returned and saw the devastation, he unleashed a fury that the universe will never forget. He wiped out 60 million monarchs with just a single attack. A few lucky cowards managed to flee, but the victory meant nothing to him. Your father was completely broken from the inside. He saw himself as a useless man who couldn't protect his own home. He disappeared into the void, a ghost of the man he once was."
Techyon gripped his knees. He had always wondered why his father wasn't there, and now he knew the weight of the guilt the man carried.
"It was Mayanee who stepped into the ruins," Neweland said softly. "She took your mother's body and her broken sword. Standing amidst the ashes, she made a vow to herself: even if she couldn't kill the Monarch of Destruction yet, she would give her life to save the future. She trained until she surpassed everyone, eventually becoming the Electro Arcon just so she could seal the monster away and buy you time to grow."
Techyon looked at the palm of his hand. The faint blue static was no longer just mana; it was the legacy of two sisters who had given everything so he could stand here today.
Techyon's eyes glowed with a frantic blue light, his hands crackling with the raw potential of his lineage. "Neweland, tell me... do you know where my mother's broken sword is? I can fix it. I have Energy Creation! I can forge a new blade from the shards of the old one!"
Neweland shook his head slowly, his expression grim. "It's not that simple, Techyon. That was no normal blade; it was the Sword of Eternity. It followed the law of the Zenith—only someone stronger than the previous holder can even lift it from the ground. After your mother fell, the sword became nothing but dust and memories. Your aunt Mayanee took those remnants, the last legacy of her sister and the Reidan Clan, and used her own life force to transform that dust into the Katana of Blood Lightning."
Neweland paused, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "But in that final, desperate fight against the Monarch of Destruction... even that legendary blade was shattered."
Techyon's mana erupted, the sheer pressure causing the tea cups on the table to shatter. A dark, vengeful rage flickered in his pupils. "I will kill him. I don't care if I have to forge a blade out of my own soul. I will kill the Monarch of Destruction!"
"It is not as easy as you think," Neweland cautioned, his voice echoing with the weight of ages. "He is the strongest entity in the history of existence. Every God, every Arcon, and even his fellow Monarchs fear him. They call him the Singularity of Destruction. He is a void that consumes all light. In the celestial realms, it is forbidden to even speak his real name... and yet..."
Techyon leaned toward the holographic screen, his rage cooling into a sharp, icy focus. "And yet... what? You said there was someone. Tell me, Neweland! Who was the one person who actually made the Monarch of Destruction feel fear?"
Neweland looked directly into Techyon's eyes, his voice dropping to a low, trembling whisper. "He was a man who stood outside the laws of the universe. A man whose name has been erased from every record, save for the hearts of those who survived his era. The one who made the Singularity tremble was..."