Chapter 53: Elements...are terrifying Fiora felt sad looking at Orion, sensing his worsening mood. She quietly stepped forward and gently held his hand.
"Maybe... maybe the world really isnât as good of a place to live as we all are believed to think. But... if there are places where people live in misery, then there are places where people live happily. We canât only focus on the negatives," Selene softly added, looking toward Orion.
He finally took a deep breath and tightened his grip. "Haa... Iâm overthinking it," he softly said, letting go of all thoughts of Demons and War and only focusing on what was in front of him.
The Darkness element, which was active inside his Sea of Consciousness, began to recede like a tide, merging back with the Affinity Orb.
His heart instantly felt lighter as the influence of the Darkness Element faded from his mind. âElements... are terrifying,â he silently thought. Letting go of Rina and Fioraâs hands, he turned around. Rina and Fiora stepped back, letting him speak his mind.
"Youâre right, Grandma. We canât just focus on how the world suffers, we also need to look at the happy and bustling places. Brightgate is a good example of that." He smiled softly, finally looking past the misery of this place.
Eldric finally smiled after arriving at this place. "Good, good, I didnât misjudge you. See, Selene? I told you he could take this much."
Selene heaved a sigh of relief, smiling helplessly. "I... I didnât want him to face so much so early. He has only started to learn about this for like two months."
Eldric stepped forward and proudly patted Orionâs shoulder. "Good. Remember your own words. No matter what you face, or no matter what happens, there is always somewhere in this world where light shines. You just need to find that place."
Orion gently nodded. "I wonât forget my own words, Grandpa. I now know why I need to get stronger, and I also know what I want to do."
Eldric raised an eyebrow, curious. "What do you want to do? Kill the demons?"
Orion shook his head. "I want to explore this world. To know what it has to offer in this lifetime, otherwise it would be a pity. To live such a life and never explore your own world... thatâd be a shame."
Eldric paused, his expression turning melancholic. "Haa... if that is your wish."
Selene looked at Orion with a faint hint of worry. "O-Orion... ar-are you sure about this? Youâre still... y-youngâ"
Orion smiled emphatically. "Donât worry. I wonât go anywhere until Iâm strong enough to guarantee my safety." He gestured for both of them to calm down.
Helena looked at all of this calmly, feeling a lump forming in her throat. It had been far too long since she had seen her Master and Mistress being this proud and happy about someone since the passing of their son.
Rina and Fiora, on the other hand, looked at Orion with admiration. They didnât fully understand what went through his head due to their limited worldview. But looking at how proud Eldric was of him, they felt happy from the bottom of their hearts.
Just as Orion was about to say something, something flashed in his mind.
[Limitless System â Emergency Core Protocol Awakening: Partial Access Granted]
[Haaah... Master...? W-Why do I feel like I missed something really important.......? (à¹â¢Ì â â¢Ìà¹)]
Orionâs face formed a gentle smile. Her voiceâwarm, familiar, and slightly poutyâsoothed something inside him. His heart felt lighter. Yet he couldnât allow her to see him like this.
âUgh... not again. Itâs only been three days. Go back to sleep.â
[Nuuuu... Donât wanna... systemâs still updating but my heart hurts...]
[Emergency Core Protocol has verified the hostâs emotional state.]
[No cosmic threat detected.]
[Stabilization achieved. Disabling Core Access to protect Sentient Subsystem integrity...]
[Limitless Core entering Safe Sleep Mode.]
[Mmmm... Master better not be crying without me... (｡â¢Ì︿â¢Ì｡)]
[Connection terminated.]
Orion softly exhaled, his smile fading, but the warmth lingering. âIdiot... but a good idiot.â
Their exchange took a split second, before his gaze returned to normal and looked toward the others.
"Letâs head out now. Let the people of this place rest," he softly said, looking at the shattered remains of the statues one last time.
The others nodded and began walking back toward the carriage. Fiora and Rina walked just behind Orion, looking at his back.
"Huuuh..." Lucan stretched his back and asked, "What do you think, why did Master want to take Young Master to this godforsaken place where even birds donât shit?"
Edgar stroked his beard. "Itâs clear as day. He wanted to see if Young Master is ready for this world or not. Once he starts training, itâs inevitable for him to come into contact with those damned demons. This is quite a good place for a beginner to start."
Lucanâs lips twitched. "For a beginner? This is a fucking war site. A good place for a beginner would have been if Master took Young Master to fight a beast after he formed his Awakening Rune."
Edgar waved his hand. "Thatâs for normal people, not geniuses at the level of Young Master. Just wait and see, his growth will surprise you."
Lucan looked at Edgar suspiciously. "You do know Iâve seen the geniuses of even the Empires, right? Are you sure a young man whom Master found in the woods can surpass those monsters?"
Edgar mysteriously smiled. "Just wait anâah, they are back." His eyes lit up as he saw the group coming.
He focused his gaze and looked toward Orion. His face still had that calm smile, yet there seemed to be a sense of openness that wasnât present before.
Edgar smiled and went up to Eldric. "Congratulations, Master. Looks like you were right about Young Master."
Eldric proudly smiled. "Of course. When am I ever wrong? Now, letâs go. We should reach the Capital City in around four days."
Lucan prepared their carriage as they all boarded it without delay. No one wanted to stay at such a gloomy place for too long.
Orion entered the carriage at the end and sat between Rina and Fiora. Everyone sat in silence, letting the atmosphere calm down gradually.
âDarkness...â Orion inwardly thought. He had felt it far too clearly, the element wasnât evil inherently. It was just its nature to corrode other elements with itself, same as Light.
But that doesnât make Light good or Darkness bad. In the end, it all comes down to the users of said elements.
âMy understanding of Darkness has greatly increased this time. I can probably make the Awakening Rune... but I need to learn the Runic Language for that. In the end, I need to wait.â He inwardly shook his head and closed his eyes.
The carriage changed its direction and started heading toward the capital. Lucan sat at the front, carelessly holding the reins.
First Legendary Dragon: Starting With The Limitless System ï¤Chapter 52: Ruins of Old The Mighty Mage ï¤Chapter 178: Black Lotus Rebirth: Leading Families to Survive in the Apocalypse ï¤Chapter 476 D City Base Leader The group continued moving, stopping at night to have dinner before moving again in the morning. They didnât head to another city as Eldric had already achieved his purpose of visiting those two cities.
Visiting any more would needlessly delay their journey at this point. Moreover, doing anything more for Orion at this point would only be detrimental since he had just experienced his first real-life Demonic experience.