'This aura... It feels familiar. Does it have something to do with her?'

The oppressive energy lasted less than a breath before ending just as abruptly as it arrived.

​​

"What was that just now?" Mirage questioned as she organized her thoughts. The oppressive energy left her feeling lightheaded. But, she was not the only one affected by it. The others in the conference room also felt somewhat disoriented.

"I don't know, but we should-" Zi Yi spoke; however, she stopped halfway through her sentence when she noticed that something was wrong with Luna. A concerned look quickly found its way onto Zi Yi's face as she visibly frowned.

She then asked, "Luna, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" They were in a safe zone, so theoretically, it should be impossible for her to be injured.

Nevertheless, when that question left Zi Yi's mouth, it caused the attention of everyone to fall onto Luna.

"Hurt? I'm feeling perfectly fine." Luna responded. More than Zi Yi's words, Luna was taken aback by her concerned expression. It was just a small earthquake—nothing that she would be hurt about. Yet, Zi Yi looked worried, and she was not the only one.

"If you're fine, then why are you crying?" Mirage commented.

"Crying? I-" Luna moved her right hand to the right side of her cheek. The instant her hand came into contact with her face, a look of disbelief could be seen in her eyes. There were streams of tears that flowed from the corner of her eyes; however, Luna seemed to be completely unaware of it until now.

"Could it be a side-effect of that oppressive force we just encountered?" Zi Yi questioned when she saw the look of disbelief on Luna's face.

"How strange... I did not feel any oppressive force." Luna stated as she gracefully wiped the tears from her eyes.

She then continued, "If I were to describe it, it was unnaturally gentle with a hint of familiarity."

However, those present in the conference were startled by Luna's description. How could she describe such a terrifying aura as gentle?! This only made their concern for her to rise even more!

All of a sudden, Izroth stood up from his seat and walked over to Luna.

"Are you certain that you are unharmed?" Izroth asked.

"Yes," Luna replied as her gaze met Izroth's.

'The modified Awakening of The Lost Bloodline quest taking place the same time as her reaction—not to mention the difference in experience generated by that aura from before. It's too much of a coincidence to ignore.'

"Come with me," Izroth said. If he was not mistaken, then something must have happened on the 5th floor of his Mystical Realm Palace. Since this change appeared to have directly affected Luna in some way, it was better for her to accompany him, rather than leave her in the conference room.

Luna gave a small nod as she stood to her feet. She did not know where they were going, but she trusted Izroth.

Izroth turned to everyone and stated, "For now, remain here until we return. There is still much left to discuss."

After he finished speaking, Izroth and Luna took their leave from the conference room. The two walked towards the stairs in silence with Luna trailing just behind Izroth.

A few moments later, the two reached the 5th floor of the Mystical Realm Palace. Luna was surprised to discover that the Mystical Realm Palace had so many more floors than the time of her last visit several days ago.

"You have been busy," Luna commented.

"This is only the start. Soon, the Mystical Realm Palace will become quite hectic." Izroth stated as the two stopped before the door to the only room on the 5th floor.

"Handler Izroth. Honored guest." Opal bowed respectfully; however, she was visibly shaken as if something had startled her not too long ago.

Izroth sat his hand on Opal's shoulder and said, "Why don't you go make sure everything is running smoothly on the lower floors? Be thorough and make sure that nothing was damaged by the tremors."

"Yes, I will go see to it at once. Please, excuse me." Opal spoke in a polite tone, but the nervousness in her voice could not be hidden. Not too long ago, she felt an oppressive aura coming from inside the room on the 5th floor. However, Opal did not dare barge in to see what was going on; after all, she could not afford to offend the Wiseman of Everpeak. More importantly, Opal would not allow her reckless actions to cause Izroth a loss of face. Therefore, even though she was terrified, she stayed put outside the door as she had been instructed. So, she was grateful that Izroth asked her to check the lower floors.

Opal moved briskly to the staircase and descended from the 5th floor. The moment she did so, Izroth placed his hand on the door handle that led into the room. He already used his Energy Vision Sense to see what was going on inside the room, but it was useless. There was too much interference in the atmosphere. Izroth assumed that this was most likely a side-effect of the oppressive energy that spread throughout the Mystical Realm Palace. Though what he did not know at that moment was that it was not just perceived in the Mystical Realm Palace—but the entire Mortal Realm.

...

Meanwhile, the RML world chat was going crazy!

"Did anyone else feel that just now? Or was it just me?"

"Are you stupid? Can't you see that's all everyone's talking about right now?!"

"Geez, relax dude, he's just asking a question."

"LF e-girl! Willing to buy you a full set of armor and a weapon!"

"Me and my party just got wiped during a fight due to a stupid bug that suppressed our movements! This is the second time! Fix your game devs!"

"I don't think it was a bug! My party experienced the same thing!"

"The weirdest thing happened! This Trephasia shopkeeper just started to break down and cry out of nowhere! I didn't even do anything..."

"Bro, same here! The Trephasia at the auction house I'm at just fell to the floor and burst into tears! So weird!"

"To the guy looking for an e-girl... I understand your perilous journey, my brother. ( ͡°͜ʖ͡°)"

"What the heck... Why is world chat always so weird?!"

...

Izroth and Luna had entered into the room on the 5th floor of the Mystical Realm Palace. The first thing they were greeted by was a pair of dazzling eyes that resembled the sun and contained a faint glow within them.

These eyes belonged to the young Trephasia that had been unconscious since Izroth found her in the Millennial Veiled Oasis. She had finally awakened! At the moment, she was sitting up in the bed with a drowsy look on her face as if she were tired.

'It's just as I thought. To think that just waking up would cause such a commotion. Is it related to the Undying Maelstrom?'

"I was just about to send for you," Kryxelsia said as her gaze fell onto Luna.

She then moved the palm of her hand to cover the young Trephasia's eyes and continued, "Do not look into her eyes, young one. The Trephasia blood within you will become unsettled." Kryxelsia's words were directed towards Luna, who was immediately captivated when she stepped into the room and met the young Trephasia's eyes. It was almost as if she had been waiting for that moment her entire life!

But, it was bizarre, to say the least. After all, Luna barely knew the young Trephasia. Since that was the case, why did she feel such a close connection and indescribable happiness?

Luna followed Kryxelsia's advice and avoided eye contact with the young Trephasia.

"That phenomenon from earlier—was it her doing?" Izroth questioned.

Kryxelsia lowered her hand from the young Trephasia's eyes and replied, "Yes. It is unfortunate; however, a disturbance of that scale was impossible to conceal. For the time being, I would like to take her with me to Everpeak to stay at my abode—what do you think?"

Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. The quest explicitly stated that he had to journey with the owner of the Empress Brooch to the Mother of All Forests. On the other hand, the quest time limit had been updated, which allowed Izroth to understand how long he had to complete the quest.

Quest Name: Awakening of The Lost Bloodline

Recommended Level: ???

Recommended Party Size: 12

Quest Rank: SSS

Quest Objective: Assist the owner of the «Empress Brooch» in awakening their lost bloodline and prevent the rebirth of the Undying Maelstrom.

Time Limit: 90 days (Warning: Related events may affect time limit)

...

The only thing that bothered him was the warning next to the time limit. If related events could affect the time limit, then was the 90 days the system gave even reliable? There was a lot at stake for this quest. However, Izroth could not deny that the young Trephasia would be safer with Kryxelsia in Everpeak. After all, he had personally been to Everpeak and witnessed the magic formation above it, as well as the formations inside of Kryxelsia's abode. Even a small army of legendary existences would not recklessly charge into that place! Not to mention, Izroth knew Kryxelsia herself was incredibly powerful.

'With the world event coming up, I won't be able to move freely if I have to keep an eye on her. I also need to find out more about the Guardian of the Forest, Mother of All Forests, and the Tree of Provenance before I make the journey.'

To be honest, just the fact that Kryxelsia asked his opinion on the matter was enough to gain his confidence. In the end, Kryxelsia had the power to forcibly remove the young Trephasia at any time if she wished, but chose to wait for Izroth's response.

"Alright, but you should be aware that I eventually plan to take her to the Mother of All Forests. I'm sure you have no problem with this, right?" Izroth replied.

Kryxelsia shook her head and said, "This journey is one that you must take. Naturally, I have no objections."

She then approached Luna and continued, "It has been many years since I have last encountered one who has undergone such a perfect transformation when given the Trephasia bloodline. The one who gifted you this must've possessed a superior bloodline. But, fear not, young one. The effects you experienced today will diminish over time; however, it will also remain forever present within you. Never shall you be harmed by it—only protected."

Kryxelsia's words set Luna's mind at ease. If something like this happened unexpectedly during an important fight, then it could mess with her concentration. Therefore, she was glad to discover that it would diminish over time.