Sokram woke to the golden hue of morning that draped over him like a warm blanket.

  Stretching his limbs, he inhaled without feeling his chest tighten for the first time since he joined the Hunter’s Hall.

  Without the usual stress caused by the responsibility weighing over his shoulders, he felt the joy running through his veins, lighter and sweeter.

  Such was the pleasure of freedom.

  He would finally be free to enter the Extermination Hall, and he would be working alone.

  Free to fetch the treasure he knew was hidden all over the Northern Continent. Free to raid bandits' strongholds and lessen Norwinter’s burdens. Free to make his name resound further throughout the north.

  But first, he needed to attend his team members’ Dismissal Ceremony.

  He fastened the buttons of his new suit, the stiff, high-quality steel-silk hugging his muscular yet lean frame perfectly.

  As he draped the Sigil Crest mantle, the three families' sigils shining brightly in gold, settled over his shoulders with a familiar, authoritative weight.

  The moment he stepped into the dining hall, three pairs of expectant eyes locked onto him, a welcoming warmth radiating from their smiles.

  Still, he wasn’t surprised to find them waiting there. “Why didn’t you sleep in my room? We could have shared the bed, you know?”

  “You tease, but the ones struggling are us,” Lucy replied, her eyes rolling in annoyance.

  Sokram knew it was true as her devotion only grew with time, but it also affected her desire for more of him.

  “It won’t be long, I promise you.” Sokram saw them lean in, lips parting in anticipation, the spark of longing shone along with hope and relief.

  Only to douse their flames with a bucket of cold reality. “Two years tops, no more than that.”

  The spark in their eyes dimmed at once, shoulders drooping as a collective sigh echoed through the hall.

  “Well, it’s not like you can control it, so we can only wait to avoid complications,” Amber muttered into her cup before taking a sip of tea.

  And although it was true, Sokram knew of ways he could speed up his growth.

  Still, whether he progressed through cultivation or used any other means, none were free of complications.

  Even using Aether could bring consequences.

  But after coming of age, he would have time to indulge in such pleasures as much as he wanted, and he would be sure to compensate his girls for their patience.

  “Shall we go, or are you waiting for someone else?” But as if on cue, Astrid also came wearing her mantle and official family attire.

  “Oh,” Sokram grinned naughtily as he let his eyes wander, “Trying to poach my girls, are you?”

  “You know Lucy will be managing the hunting team by my side, so I should be there too,” Astrid approached, kissing him on the cheek, “Good morning, little brother.”

  “Good morning, my love,” Sokram replied, pulling her by the waist and kissing her on the lips, but he quickly let go of her for Astrid's disappointment.

  “Let’s go, we should arrive there earlier to get good seats.” With rushed steps, Sokram led the way.

  At the City Lord’s Palace Ballroom, the sound of hushed conversations, the hasty steps clacking shoes over the wooden floors, and the silence of grief mixed with the rippling laughter of celebration set the atmosphere for the day.

  The moment they crossed the threshold, a hush rippled through the ballroom.

  Gazes clinging to the golden sigils, then drifting enviously to the women at his side.

  Between his growing fame and the stunning women that always surrounded him, passing by unnoticed was impossible.

  Sokram was used to it now, both in this timeline and in his previous one. Being the center of attention was only a consequence.

  He only had to adjust to being looked up to as a hero instead of being feared as a tyrant.

  Finding good empty seats proved easy because Leona had taken the liberty of inviting Sokram to sit together with the City Lord’s family.

  He promptly accepted, not because of the privileged position, but because he would never deny an opportunity to be close to his stunning Master.

  Soon, more people arrived, and Sokram’s teammates arrived as well.

  He did his best not to stare too much at Kiana, Nora, and Lara while greeting them, as a romance had blossomed between them and Kan.

  It wouldn’t be wise to appear as though he were preying on his brother’s women.

  But that didn’t mean it was easy, because reaching the Flawless level had refined them like gems cut by a master jeweler.

  Their smooth skin possessed an alluring luster that shimmered faintly under the Magi-lights. Their shapes sculpted to perfection drew the gazes of many toward them, and their very presence seemed to set them apart from everyone else, even more now that they were Exalted Existences.

  While talking with his teammates, Sokram felt a tap on his shoulders.

  Looking back, a polite and reserved smile appeared on his face, “Ah, Amira, I was wondering when you were going to show up. Happy to be finally starting your adult life?”

  “Don’t treat me like a stranger, Drakmo. We ought to become much closer now, won’t we?” Amira grinned teasingly, her tone sultry, close to a low purr.

  She met his gaze slowly, her pupils narrowing with predatory delight as her teeth grazed her lower lip.

  Her dark skin and alluring curves were a sight to behold, a tempting offer for him on a silver platter. One that Sokram only found the strength to resist because of the madness hidden in her eyes.

  But her calling him Drakmo, which translated as lover in a very sexual way in Ancient Draconic, made Sokram cringe inwardly.

  If she weren’t such a beauty, he would feel offended.

  “True, it’s just hard to relax in a social gathering such as this,” Sokram chuckled, trying his best not to be awkward, but failed miserably as even his best poker-faced smile twitched nervously.

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  He kept waiting for Mentyr to possess her at any given moment, which kept him feeling jumpy, as he would never underestimate Mentyr’s ability to create chaos.

  “Well, answering your previous question… I’m loving it. I’ll finally be able to dedicate my time to my family obligations and to improve my dominion over Magi. And thanks to your guidance, I know which path to take.” Amira sported a sweet smile, letting her hand wander as she caressed his arm.

  But in the next instant, Lucy appeared playfully swatting her hand away.

  “Look, Look! Don’t touch. Next time I’ll cut it off.” She teased with a playful grin.

  Amira tried to suppress her killing intent as best she could.

  But it was clear to everyone who looked that the faint mana swirling around her had spiked and settled down as the madness she hid had almost overtaken her.

  Lucy didn’t mind it. She even found it amusing. This had been a repeated pattern.

  Every time Amira tried to flirt with Sokram, Lucy would pop up out of nowhere to block her.

  And before the attrition between them grew, Sokram felt a new presence circling him. A nearly imperceptible whisper, a ripple of displaced air, touched his nape.

  One moment, there was only empty space behind him, and in the next, a slow, deliberate sweep of a warm hand tracing the ridges of his spine.

  “Did I surprise you this time, handsome?”

  “Your silent steps are indeed much better, but you need to hide the Aura flow around you, too, Kina.” Sokram looked to his left, meeting Kina’s gaze.

  Since they started hunting together, he could sense the sincerity in her.

  Sadly for him, she wasn’t looking for marriage.

  She hungered for power instead. But she didn’t blindly follow her greed either.

  In this last year, she became someone Sokram could call a true friend.

  “I still have much to learn then,” Kina sighed, her gaze dipping for a moment in quiet disappointment.

  She had been practicing her Silent Steps to the point that even a few Elders in her family couldn’t detect her, but she couldn’t fool Sokram’s senses.

  “My offer to you remains, even if we’re no longer teammates. I need another capable captain to lessen Lucy’s burden of leading the hunting squads that are working for me.” Sokram wanted her, but she was fixated on fighting in the succession race and becoming her family's chosen successor.

  Since Kazzah’s death, Kamal hadn’t selected any other successor yet. Still, she was now counted among the favorites for the position.

  “You know my struggles, it’s a nice offer, but she…” Kina pointed at Amira, who was still bickering with Lucy, “Would be a better fit since she’s from a family of mages after all.”

  “I guess so… She will have to do since you, sadly, keep refusing my offers.” Sokram flashed her a puppy-eyed look. But there was a glint of sincere disappointment in his gaze.

  Then his expression softened, and he offered her, “But tell you what, whenever you want to train and I’m available, swing by and I’ll give a few pointers, you’re too talented to leave unattended.”

  And Sokram truly meant it.

  Even if she was a Silverfang, she had earned not only his but also all their teammates' respect and trust, proving that Kazzah was the problem and not their family.

  “Alright, but don’t blame me if I seem too clingy, Master~,” Kina said. Her tone was seductive as she leaned over him, a naughty smile that made her lips look extremely inviting.

  Sokram knew she was only teasing, but he hoped she wasn’t.

  “I still won’t take disciples, you know, besides, my blade won’t fit you,” Sokram’s grin widened, well aware of the double entendre in his sentence.

  But that only gained him another teasing smile. And the wag of Kina's tail betrayed her excitement with their friendly flirtation.

  “Well, I’m not really looking to learn the blade, but I bet if we trained really hard, it could fit in me perfectly,” Kina bit her lower lip, shooting him a coquettish look.

  And before Sokram could reply, she stepped back, “I'd better stop while I’m ahead, but I’ll swing by whenever I can, thanks.”

  “But this flirting will have to stop once you come of age, or you might devour me.” Kina walked away, winking at him, swinging her hips in a way that the swaying of her tail only complemented her sexy walk.

  “You tease,” Sokram muttered. But as his head turned to Lucy and Amira, the girls had stopped bickering, and the weight of their glares pinned him like arcane arrows.

  “I see I focused on the wrong foe,” Lucy spoke with mock worry.

  “Hmph,” Amira turned her back and was about to walk away, but Sokram pulled her by the arm and dragged her to a corner, leaving Lucy behind.

  Once Sokram saw no one was paying attention to them, he raised an air barrier around them and told her, “Meet me by the exit when the ceremony is done. If you truly want a chance to prove I can trust you, I’ll give it to you. But Mentyr can’t keep appearing whenever we are alone.”

  Sokram was about to release the barrier and walk away, but Amira’s words made him freeze, “My Lady agrees, she said that when she needs to speak to you, she will give us a heads up.”

  Amira let out a small chuckle at his reaction and walked away, leaving a thoughtful Sokram behind.

  But that only lasted a few seconds. Sokram recomposed himself and went to rejoin his girls and soon-to-be former teammates.

  Looking at Amira, he thought, ‘I’m so happy the Armforsts are following Mentyr instead of any other Lord of the Nether. Imagine if it were Yokthram or Kowgrim. Their followers are a sick bunch.’

  Yokthram, the Lord of Greed, and Kowgrim, the Lord of Destruction, are two Dragons with the most followers among the Lords of the Nether after Azula and Mentyr.

  In his previous timeline, Sokram had many encounters and conflicts with their followers.

  Yet, they also tried to recruit him multiple times.

  The ceremony proceeded, and the ballroom was filled with the graduates and their families.

  There were also the families of the ones who didn’t survive the mandatory service.

  Licarus stood up and took the stand, with a solemn look. His gaze swept the hall, watching everyone present.

  Projecting his voice, he began his speech in a frank, warm tone, “Friends of Eversnow, I once again welcome you all here today in honor of the new batch of warriors this city has formed.”

  The crowd quieted down, and everyone turned their attention to him.

  “But first, let us shout our honors to the seedlings we lost, take a moment to reflect on their fall and the hole their absence left in our hearts.”

  The shout erupted from hundreds of hearts at once, a pained roar that shook the foundations of the palace.

  "UHAA! UHAA! UHAA!"

  The echo wasn't merely heard. It was felt, vibrating through their bones, hearts, and souls.

  A moment of silence and reflection followed.

  Sokram could see his teammates shedding a few tears, remembering the two friends they lost before he entered the team.

  That scene repeated all over the ballroom, the sound of whispered weeping rippling like raindrops in a puddle.

  Many families mourned the loss of their sons and daughters. Teammates crying for the friends and comrades they would never see again.

  Some lovers stared straight ahead with hollow, shell-shocked eyes, too traumatized to open their hearts again.

  Like the young woman near the front, who stared blankly at the empty seat beside her, clutching a folded scarf so tight her knuckles crackled, as her body trembled with silent sobs.

  Once that moment passed, Licarus spoke again, “May their souls rest in Aetherium until Nhiria’s Champion rises and opens the doors of rebirth. On that day, we might see them again.”

  Sokram looked at them pitifully because he knew they wouldn’t.

  The doors of rebirth would serve his own selfish plan this time as a step forward in the path.

  The souls resting in Aetherium would only rejoin the cycle of life when he had taken everyone he ought to save past the Doors to the Realm of the Kings.

  But even if he didn’t interfere, the reborn souls would remember nothing of their previous lives.

  Once a person dies, their identity is lost forever, and they would reemerge as a new soul.

  Further in the path of Evolution, there were ways to revive them and ensure that a soul wouldn’t enter Aetherium to be reset, meaning they wouldn’t be reborn but resurrected instead.

  The reason Sokram lost his loved ones was that he didn’t have that knowledge back then.

  At that moment, his chest tightened as unwanted memories clawed back.

  And after he acquired the means, the faces of his loved ones flashed through his eyes.

  The joy of resurrecting them, only to see their souls destroyed further down the path by enemies he annihilated after that.

  Once someone’s soul was destroyed, their fragments couldn’t be rejoined, forever lost, just like his father, Garuth.

  Licarus's speech continued, “And I, not only as City Lord, but as a citizen of Eversnow, thank you all for your hard work and dedicated service. I know some of you decided to join the city service. I’m thankful for those of you who chose to stay in the Hunter’s Hall, Extermination Hall, or formed your guilds and groups to aid the city.”

  “But some among you are even going beyond and joining the army, which is commendable. Especially in the time we’re living in.”

  Licarus nodded and knocked his fist over his heart in gratitude, and then continued, “Others have their family duties to fulfill, which is also very honorable.” Licarus glanced at his family seated near the stand and smiled.

  “Without the family unity, Eversnow would never come to be. So honor your families and loved ones.” Licarus spoke and made another brief pause to sip some water.

  “But personally, I feel assured. I know that this generation will honor our beloved city and the name of Eversnow will echo not only throughout the north but in the four corners of this world.” His eyes rested on Sokram for a brief moment.

  Then turned ahead, facing the crowd, “But now, before calling the graduates. As we do every year, a few selected members of both the Extermination Hall, Hunter’s Hall, and City Guard have been selected to receive guidance from the great warriors of our city. So please come forth as we call your name…”