With Leiya's birthday less than a month away, Xerxes found himself restless. He wanted to pursue something that could kill two birds with one stone.
Tethering his soul to Airi had blessed him with greater power, and this urged him to test his abilities. Beyond that, out in the forest, there were many beautiful things to be found.
No matter how much peril lay in the Fallen Kingdom, the world always offered an equal measure of reward. Its beauty was abnormal, almost unnatural.
It was also an indirect perpetrator in many political matters across the continent of Elaijya. Many kingdoms knew that, no matter how devastating the Fallen Kingdom was, it offered benefits: artifacts, rare materials, ancient texts, and countless other treasures Xerxes could not even name.
A few decades ago, an organisation was created to confront these dangers. Its name was simply the Army—bland, as it was intended to be. They were no noble hosts, no knights in shining armour. Instead, the Army became home to the rotten dregs of the world.
Murderers, thieves, exiles stripped of names and lineages, men and women who lacked purpose—these were its backbone. After all, who else would put their lives on the line for so little reason?
The obvious answer was: not many. Yet with this structure, people who had no ties to the world were able to leave it behind, stepping into one drastically different from their own.
In a way, it was strategic. But their fates almost always ended in death. It did not necessarily benefit them, but for a short while it gave them a purpose they had lacked. And from their deaths, discoveries were made.
Artifacts and ancient texts from the Great War of Succession were unearthed. Rare materials that pushed humanity's progress forward were found through the blood of men. In this way, the Army became respected across the continent—so much so that each kingdom formed a branch of its own, with the main stronghold established in the Kingdom of Eros.
Although today would be the day Xerxes would be a one-man army, discovering things for himself. He had already been granted permission from Conrad and Aemon, which gave him more confidence as they believed in him not to be reckless.
It also opened up Xerxes' eyes to how things had become so different.
The very name of this place was terrifying, but now, he walked through it and lived here as if it were a home.
Xerxes laughed incredulously, as Airi frowned. "Ah, laughing at the irony of the world; it could not get any more classic."
Navigating through the lines of trees and terrain that obscured Xerxes's path forward, he said, "You're damn right I should laugh; I'm having the best time of my life out here. It feels like I'm having some sort of control over my life, isn't that something to celebrate?"
Airi replied honestly, "Though I am a believer in optimism, things never stay the same. If you fixate too much on what happens, then I don't think anyone can be comfortable with change, a very natural process of life."
Xerxes used his blade to cut through the line of bushes in his path, grunting as he swung his blade. "I've never been like that; I'm optimistic till the very end, and I think it's a good habit. It's what has kept me alive so far. You could say it's the same for you too, Airi; your optimism in believing in your mission."
A conversation that wasn't intended to be psychological or philosophical slightly caught Airi off guard. The analysis Xerxes provided was definitely eye-opening for her, and she enjoyed that. She enjoyed Xerxes being able to make her learn after losing so much.
But her enjoyment was short-lived; she had sensed something not too far away from them. "Do you sense that?" she asked, opting to speak mentally as opposed to physically, ensuring no sound was emitted.
Xerxes, whose eyes were already locked forward, answered in a hushed voice, "Yeah, I noticed the heavier footsteps." He grinned whilst observing the mana beast. "I'm sure that my hearing is a whole deal better; before, I wouldn't have ever noticed the footsteps, but now I can. Good job, Airi."
Streams of happiness poured into Xerxes; it wasn't his own happiness but Airi's. It was clear to him that she appreciated the praise, which made him glad.
He decided it was time to end the beast; he suspected that the distance was roughly thirty metres between the beast and himself, and that distance wasn't anything he could not cover with great speed.
Xerxes began drawing in mana; the very essence of doing it felt clearer to him. It was as if he could sense that the mana was 'unnatured' within the atmosphere, slowly but surely filtering into one of the pathways of mana from his manicule system.
With the unnatured mana turning into fire mana, Xerxes was ready. Wrapping flames around his left fist, whilst his right held his sword, Xerxes muttered, 'Prepulsion'.
Boom!
An explosion of pure fire radiated from Xerxes's palm, setting his body forward like a flaming arrow. Before, it was hard to control; the wind that pushed against his eyes was too much, the sheer force that was exerted from his mana point was too much. But with the reinforcement Airi's tether had provided, it was far easier.
Xerxes grinned, whilst rearing back his blade, the beast's face coming into view more prominently. And as it faced Xerxes, it knew it was doomed from the moment Xerxes activated his mana.
With a powerful cleave that was precise and deadly at the same time, Xerxes ended whatever life the beast had before this.
Pulling a handkerchief from his breast pocket, Xerxes began cleaning his blade, a habit he had picked up from Conrad. "How was that, Airi?"
Xerxes looked over his shoulder and realised Airi wasn't there. He frantically looked left and right, then wiped the sweat from his forehead after he noticed her picking at something within the creature.
"What are you picking at, Airi? I don't need its soul fragment; I've already got that in the arsenal," he said, as he patted his sternum, where his core was.
Airi answered, "Of course, I'm no fool. There was something else I had sensed; you could call yourself lucky because your worries will be gone."
Xerxes walked over and crouched down by the remains of the mana beast, and indeed, there was something there. There seemed to be a golden earring that dangled from the beast's wrist like a whispered threat.
It had an ornate blade suspended beneath a crescent moon, its hilt entwined with delicate horns, golden and sharp. There were flutters of blue gems within them, and Xerxes couldn't help but admire their glamour.
Xerxes then had a sudden surge of ideas. "Airi, remember how I was lost for words trying to get Leiya a gift? I think we have something classy, likely to give her some sort of satisfaction, right? She'll like this, won't she?"
Airi was also stunned by the beauty, but then pouted, "When can I get a gift like that?"
Xerxes pondered for a moment, never expecting to see such a 'cute' side to Airi. "C'mon, it isn't like that, Airi. Maybe when you turn one... Wait, I don't even know how old you are?"
Airi sighed. "That's a sensitive topic. Let's just say my birthday is in a year from now..."
Xerxes agreed. Trying to decipher Airi's age would be a harder task than becoming a Tier 1 mage, but on the bright side, Xerxes had acquired a gift for Leiya.
Though, besides the pretty looks, he had no clue what its purpose was. Maybe it was an artifact? If it were, Xerxes didn't want to absorb its essence into his soul core because Leiya wouldn't be able to use the artifact until he had died, and, knowing her, she would kill him for taking such a beautiful gift.
Airi examined it closely and immediately said, "This is some sort of artifact that has multiple stages of development. The crescent moon and the blade; there's meaning behind it, but what?"
They both tried to decipher what it could mean, but whatever theories they had ended up being fruitless.
Xerxes asked, "How do you know that it could be an artifact with a few stages of development? Wouldn't that make it like... crazy strong?"
Airi's eyes narrowed, examining the earrings. "There's something about how I see the mana forming around it that gives me that feeling."
Xerxes was stunned by Airi's analysis, but what intrigued him even more was the fact that she could see mana differently. What exactly did she see 'forming' around the earring?
"Airi, can you teach me how to do that too?" he asked.
Shaking her head, she answered, "Even if I wanted to, Xerx, it is not something I think I would be able to teach you. Put it this way: it is like asking someone to tell you how to see. There isn't any special formula or method; I can just do it."
It did make sense; perhaps after growing stronger with Airi, he could. His senses already felt abnormal, so what could they be like when he became a Tier 4 mage? The idea of becoming Tier 1 with Airi's power terrified him even more.
Nevertheless, Xerxes picked up the earring and began making his way back to The Truth City, which wasn't far, and he began to formulate thoughts on why Airi could.
Perhaps it was because of a higher proficiency of mana in comparison to everyone else, but that wouldn't make sense because Aemon would be able to do that.
Unless... Aemon could do that. If he could, that would confirm his theory: the theory that ancient beasts such as Airi would be on a similar level to a Tier 2 or even Tier 1 mage. If that were possible, then how strong could Airi become? Would she be even fiercer than Emrys, Dorian's dragon?
Xerxes looked at Airi with amazement. Who exactly was she many years ago? There were too many questions regarding the heritage and origins of Airi, but one thing was clear: she held the answers of a higher power and the mysteries of the past dormant within her mind. It was only a matter of awakening those memories.
Then, Xerxes and Airi could grow stronger. Significantly stronger than what was known. He grinned in confidence. Xerxes knew his and Airi's potential; the only thing left to do was to express that potential and live within it.
After a short while, they both crept their way back into the castle. Luckily, it seemed no one was present.
Conrad was at the outpost with the Lieutenant, Leiya was likely with Aemon, and Aliya was in her research facility within the castle. So, with nothing much to do, Xerxes placed the artifact in a safe compartment within his room and rested for a few hours.
However, Xerxes's rest was interrupted quite shortly, as Aliya was compelled to inform Xerxes of what she had discovered about Airi and ancient beasts.