A minute earlier...
The Grandmaster had been playing with Raynard, completely lost in his own world.
He imagined Raynard growing up to become a great swordmaster—perhaps even one day leading their family.
Lost in his fantasies, the Grandmaster failed to notice the toy Raynard had placed directly in front of him.
CRASH!
His foot caught the toy, and he stumbled down the stairs.
Arman raised an eyebrow.
Arman: "What were you even thinking, old man? You didn't even see the stairs!"
The Grandmaster quickly fixed his posture and cleared his throat.
Grandmaster: "Nothing. I was just playing with my grandson."
He then looked toward Reina.
Grandmaster: "Oh, Reina, you're here. Then everyone, let's go inside."
Valeria called her maid and asked her to take Raynard inside.
Then she walked toward Lisa, grabbed her hands, and smiled warmly.
Valeria: "You must be Lisa, Arman's little sister."
Lisa answered hesitantly.
Lisa: "Ah... yes. And you must be Valeria—the one who took care of him."
Valeria: "Yes. Come on. We have a lot to talk about."
Valeria grabbed Lisa's hands and began leading her toward her room.
Arman immediately called after them.
Arman: "Wait! She just arrived. Where are you taking her?"
Valeria looked back.
Valeria: "Girls' talk."
Arman raised an eyebrow.
Arman: "Aren't you too old to call yourself a girl?"
Valeria and Lisa turned toward him at the same time.
Valeria & Lisa: "That's not how you talk to a woman!"
They both yelled at Arman.
Then they looked at each other...
And burst out laughing.
Arman sighed.
Great. Now I have two pains in the ass.
Lisa smiled.
Lisa: "We definitely should have a girls' talk."
Sakura looked at Valeria.
Sakura: "Can I come?"
Valeria smiled.
Valeria: "Yeah, sure. Why not?"
She then looked at Reina.
Valeria: "Reina, come join us."
Lisa nodded.
Lisa: "Yeah, cousin. Join us. It'll be fun."
Reina shook her head.
Reina: "Nah. I'll pass. Besides, I'm too old for a girls' talk."
Valeria walked over to Reina, placed a hand on her shoulder, and smiled mischievously.
Valeria: "You need to learn to relax sometimes. If you keep yourself so stiff, how are you ever going to get a man?"
Reina calmly replied:
Reina: "That's the least of my concerns right now."
The Grandmaster, who had been listening to their conversation, clenched his fist and brought it toward his mouth.
Grandmaster: "Hmm-hmm."
He cleared his throat.
Grandmaster: "Valeria, you can take them to your room later. First, come with me to the living room."
Everyone followed the Grandmaster.
When they arrived in the living room, Lisa and her friends were captivated by the view outside.
Beyond the living room was a beautiful garden with a pond. Several crane-like birds were drinking from the water.
But these weren't ordinary cranes.
They had four wings.
Yuta stared at them in amazement.
Yuta: "Whoa! What are those?"
Arman glanced outside.
Arman: "They're Fenlars. They're similar to cranes, but much faster."
The Grandmaster gestured toward the floor.
Grandmaster: "Everyone, please take a seat."
They all sat down on the mats spread across the floor.
The Grandmaster called for his maid.
Grandmaster: "Lucia, bring our guests some tea."
Lucia: "Yes, sir."
Lucia served everyone a cup of tea.
The moment they drank it, a strange warmth spread through their bodies.
The fatigue they had been carrying suddenly disappeared.
Their muscles relaxed, and their bodies felt lighter.
Valeria smiled.
Valeria: "It's a special tea that makes all fatigue disappear from the body. It works wonders, doesn't it?"
Lisa nodded.
Lisa: "Yes. It's like a huge boulder was just lifted off my shoulders."
Arman looked at his cup.
Arman: "Huh. I didn't know something like this was available in the market."
Reina answered:
Reina: "It's a new type of tea introduced by the Lionhart Family a few years ago."
Arman looked at her.
Arman: "What's it called?"
Reina: "Everleaf Tea."
Arman stared at the tea.
Lionhart... Everleaf...
Something didn't feel right.
The Grandmaster looked directly at him.
Grandmaster: "Arman Alan, what are you planning to do now that you're here?"
Arman leaned back.
Arman: "Well, I was thinking about looking into why the portal disruption happened."
The Grandmaster's expression became serious.
Grandmaster: "No. You can't. That's only an assumption. But we think it happened because of you."
Arman blinked.
Arman: "What?"
Grandmaster: "Tell me. How much did you use your power on Earth?"
Everyone stared intensely at Arman.
Arman began sweating.
Arman: "Not much."
The Grandmaster narrowed his eyes.
Grandmaster: "How much?"
Arman lowered his head.
Arman: "Every day."
The Grandmaster exploded.
Grandmaster: "EVERY DAY?! YOU IDIOT! HOW CAN YOU BE SO IRRESPONSIBLE?!"
Everyone covered their ears.
Arman quickly defended himself.
Arman: "Hey! I only used teleportation to go to work and come back home!"
Lisa immediately joined in.
Lisa: "That's why you never panic when you're late! You always give me some bullshit excuse like, 'I'm adopted.'"
She crossed her arms.
Lisa: "For once, I actually thought it might be true because you said it so confidently. But it was just some random bullshit!"
Arman scratched his head.
Arman: "Hehe..."
Lisa glared at him.
Lisa: "How can you be so mean to your own sister?"
The Grandmaster joined her.
Grandmaster: "How can you be this stupid, Alan?"
Arman found himself trapped in a corner, being yelled at by both his sister and the Grandmaster.
After several minutes, he'd finally had enough.
Arman: "STOP!"
Everyone went silent.
Arman took a deep breath.
Arman: "Enough! I've heard enough from both of you. Now let me say something."
He raised one finger.
Arman: "First, I know using teleportation causes a disruption in space. But it's nowhere near enough to open a portal."
He raised a second finger.
Arman: "Second, the branch of the Order in my universe should have detected the disruption before the portal appeared. But they didn't."
His expression became serious.
Arman: "That means the portal appeared there for a purpose."
He raised a third finger.
Arman: "And third... it's just an assumption."
The Grandmaster nodded slowly.
Grandmaster: "Yes. The points you've made are valid. But everyone needs a reason why a portal appeared seven years before it was supposed to."
His expression hardened.
Grandmaster: "You were also near the portal when the disruption occurred. And the powers of the Berserkers still hold many mysteries. So we assumed you might have been the cause."
Arman looked toward the Grandmaster.
Arman: "It could be true. But trust me, it wasn't me."
He paused.
Arman: "It feels like something... or someone... caused it."
Reina, Lisa, and the Grandmaster were shocked.
To them, portals opening between universes was a natural phenomenon. It was the Order's duty to monitor every portal and ensure that no Skotian could pass through.
The Grandmaster frowned.
Grandmaster: "You think someone caused it? But wh—"
Shinji suddenly interrupted.
Shinji: "Umm... I'm still stuck on the whole portal thing. And the fact that it appeared seven years early. Can someone explain that part to me?"
Lisa raised her hand slightly.
Lisa: "Yeah. I feel like I'm missing something too."
Yuta nodded.
Yuta: "Me too."
Sakura nodded.
Sakura: "Same."
Arman sighed.
Arman: "Alright. Listen."
Everyone turned toward him.
Arman: "The main reason the Great Families created the Order was to keep everyone in check and make sure nobody misused the power given to them. You all know that, right?"
Everyone nodded.
Everyone: "Yes."
Arman continued.
Arman: "Good. Then you know the basics."
He leaned forward.
Arman: "Before five hundred years ago, portals appearing on their own wasn't a thing."
Everyone listened carefully.
Arman: "Back then, anyone could travel to another universe with the help of a giant crystal."
He paused.
Arman: "Its name was Heaven's Heart."
The room became silent.
Arman: "Heaven's Heart was in the possession of the Order. If someone wanted to travel to another universe, they needed permission from the Order."
The Grandmaster's expression darkened.
Arman continued.
Arman: "The Grandmaster at that time was a member of the Lionhart Family."
Everyone became more attentive.
Arman: "He began monopolizing Heaven's Heart for his own benefit. He refused to grant permission to travel to other universes unless people did him or his family a major favor."
Arman's expression hardened.
Arman: "His demands grew larger and larger... until one day, the other Great Families revolted against him."
Arman: "A massive war erupted between the Lionhart Family and the other Great Families."
The Fall of Lionhart
Arman: "When the Lionhart Family was pushed to the edge, their Grandmaster sought the help of a Skotian General."
Everyone's expressions changed.
Arman: "With the Skotian General and his army on his side, he managed to turn the tide of the war."
Arman clenched his fist.
Arman: "But his methods were cruel."
Arman: "He began targeting innocent people."
Lisa's expression darkened.
Arman: "After witnessing his atrocities, many members of his own family turned against him."
Arman took a breath.
Arman: "The Skotian General implanted Heaven's Heart into his body, turning him into a puppet."
The room became completely silent.
Arman: "After witnessing the evil he had committed, every Mana User of Heaven's Light united against him."
Arman: "They dealt a devastating blow that destroyed the Skotian General and his army."
Arman: "The Lionhart Grandmaster was captured."
Arman paused.
Arman: "But only moments after his capture..."
His expression became grim.
Arman: "His body exploded."
Everyone stared.
Arman: "The Heaven's Heart inside him had overloaded his body with an enormous amount of power."
Arman: "After his body was destroyed, portals began appearing across the Heavens Light, connecting to other universes "
Shinji's eyes widened.
Arman: "They would remain open for several hours before closing."
Arman: "And eventually, they began appearing once every fifteen years."
Yuta leaned forward.
Yuta: "So that's when the portals started appearing naturally?"
Arman nodded.
Arman: "Exactly."
Arman: "The Skotians tried to invade through the portals..."
He smiled faintly.
Arman: "But they failed."
Shinji looked confused.
Shinji: "But how does the Order know when and where the portals will appear?"
Arman answered:
Arman: "When Heaven's Heart exploded, fragments of it scattered across the Heaven's light."
Arman: "Some people were struck by those fragments."
Arman: "Those fragments gave them the ability to predict when and where a portal would appear."
Arman paused.
Arman: "That ability was eventually passed down to their descendants."
Arman: "That's how the Order knows when a portal will appear... and can deal with it before it becomes a threat to the world."
Shinji rubbed his head.
Shinji: "Man... it's all so complicated, but I think I get what's going on."
He shook his head.
Shinji: "And man, that Lionhart fellow was greedy."
Yuta laughed.
Yuta: "Yeah. He was so greedy that it became his downfall."
Arman stood up.
Arman: "That's enough history for today. If you still have questions, ask me later."
The Grandmaster looked around the room.
His expression was serious.
Grandmaster: "Now you all know your situation."
He paused.
Grandmaster: "So... what do all of you plan to do?"