Chapter 40

ZENITH'S POV

They just keep coming. Nonstop hoards of monsters and bloodthirsty creatures.

"Zenith! I need help!" A soldier's voice called out.

I slash through a hoard of giant ants that swarmed the soldier and freed him from being mauled alive.

"T-thank you, as always!" The soldier said as he got up from the ground.

These caves are being overrun by creatures for a few days. At first they were not so strong. But as we went lower and lower into the cave the creatures also became stronger. I was summoned here during the evening. Master Alaric only summons me when there's a high risk.

Many creatures live in this cave. It was abandoned after centuries of mining. But it has become a threat to the empire itself as more and more creatures crawl out of the cave, in search of food, killing anything they deem as food and eating them.

Most of these creatures are larger versions of insects such as ants and centipedes. Still since they are just large insects they are easy to deal with, only needing a few clean cuts.

But the overwhelming number has led to fatalities when clearing out certain floors of the cave. The number of fatalities is growing as time goes on which causes the public to become uncomfortable.

"Zenith! More zombified wolves incoming from your six!" The commander shouted out from in front of me.

I turn around and see a group of huge wolves rushing towards me with bloodlust and hunger in their eyes. Some were missing limbs or had their brain sticking out, bleeding from different parts of their body.

Without wasting another second I lunged towards them and cut through the hoard in a matter of seconds. They were weak creatures but as usual, in large quantities.

Since I wore no armour I could easily be harmed or even killed, but it's a trade off for better agility.

We cleared out the floor easily and started walking towards a slope that led down. We had no fatalities so far but most of the soldiers are becoming worn out, so is our equipment. We cannot go too far down if this continues.

Everyone continued down the flight of slopes, trying not to slip or fall. It was moist inside with barely any light, making it difficult to see even a few feet away. The only source of light we have are the lanterns we are given.

"Zenith, we are getting worn out. How are you doing?" The commander asks me. "I'm doing fine, sir. My sword isn't that worn out either and I can still go multiple floors."

He nods in response. "Good. Though we might head back after this floor of the cave. Most of us aren't as powerful as you." The commander shamefully admitted.

"That's Zenith for you! The best swordsman in the empire!" One of the soldiers suddenly chimed in. "Not only the empire! The entire world!" another soldier added on.

Even though they are all worn out and tired they still find time to chatter amongst themselves when we are not fighting. They all laughed in agreement to the soldier's statement.

"I'm starting to doubt that. Haven't you heard of King Artorius? He took down an unidentified beast! He kept it in good condition as well. He also single handedly fought the entire Aberdeen army which had been training for a decade."

"It must be exaggerated! There's no way a man could fight an army of eighty thousand by himself!" One of the soldiers cried out.

"Zenith could." One said jokingly, making most of them chuckle including the commander.

"I have a friend who is a lieutenant in the Faunus army. He saw him fight himself! He can even fly apparently using wind magic, one of the only recorded cases of such abilities!"

Everyone in the world knows of Artorius' heroic story. Some doubt him while many believe him. He's seen as a man who has transcended beyond human abilities in some places. It makes me nervous thinking that I might have to fight him if things go south at the party.

"Hey Zenith! What do you have to say about this?" The commander asks me. "About what, sir?"

"King Artorius. Do you think his abilities are exaggerated?" He asks me without beating around the bush. "I am yet to see him face to face. All the stories I've heard seem absurd but they all link up well."

His stories seem like something out of a fairytale. But It's not impossible.

"So who do you think will win? You or Artorius?" A soldier shouted out from behind the formation.

I shake my head with a neutral face. "The only way to tell is by actually fighting. But from speculation I would say he could win in a free for all. He has incredible control of mana and magic while I'm still an amateur in that field."

"But what about a swordfight?" He asks me again.

"No one knows."

ARTORIUS' POV

It was past midnight and everyone had gone to sleep by now. I was the only one awake and in my reading room. I had nothing to do at night and I didn't feel like drinking away at the pub today.

I picked up a book about a dragon tamer from the shelf and started reading it. Amelia was sitting on the chair beside me, curled up and resting while I read the book in peace.

"Are you going out tomorrow?" Amelia asked me in a drowsy voice. "Not sure. Apparently there are no strong beasts found around the kingdom. It's hard to say." I replied back.

Amelia had broken the silence after a long time. We had been sitting for at least an hour but hadn't talked to each other in a while.

"It's the 36th today. There's three days left till we leave for the capital." I say to start up a conversation with Amelia. "Mama is coming with us, right?"

"Yes, Kathlyn is coming."

"It's quite boring to wait, isn't it?"

"Really boring. There's nothing to really do."

We had three days left but nothing to spend the three days with. I had finished up the built up work I had and the daily work I have now is just reading the reports and making decisions that make quality of life changes to the kingdom.

The living standard here has become significantly better. The average family now earns over a thousand gold coins per month, four hundred gets cut due to taxes. That leads me to gain a huge increase in tax collection. Simply put, the economy is growing.

The season ends the same day of Amadeus' birthday, the 40th. This season has been quite the rollercoaster. But seeing the current state, we can make an easy profit.

With Wilkins' new business slowly starting and the locomotive project going smoothly, I can finally relax for once after the party.

"Why not pick up a gift for Amadeus? It seems rude to go with a gift."

Why didn't I think of this?

"You're actually right! I have to get a gift for him."

"Let's pick up a gift tomorrow if we don't go out for training!" Amelia exclaims excitedly.

I also had to get Kathlyn a dress. Though I'm not entirely sure on how to give her a dress.

I closed the book and put it aside on the side table while I pondered about it. "How do I give her a dress…" I muttered softly.

"We can take her out shopping!" Amelie chimed in.

"No."

"Why!?" She cried out.

"I'm not growing anymore rumours. Enough with the people." I told her with a straight face.

People were already annoying me with all the speculation. I'd rather not grow any more of it.

"What's the difference? You're going to grow more suspicious once you actually take her out to the capital." Amelia says, pouting out of anger.

She isn't wrong.

"Whatever… Fine. Tomorrow I guess." I told her, defeated from our mind games.

"Yay!" She shouts out happily, pumping her tiny paws up into the air.

I get up from my armchair and pick her up. "Let's get to bed now. It's getting quite late." I told Amelia

"Okay~"

I turned off the lights in the room and walked out of the room. The hallways were dark and I could barely see. I conjured up some fire to help us see through the hallways.

Due to the mana consumption from all the lights that were present in the palace it was difficult actually recovering the mana. I would have to turn off the lights so that they don't consume up all the mana in the room.

After a long walk across the entire palace we made it to our room and turned on the light. Amelia jumped off my shoulder and laid down on the bed while I opened my vest and shirt.

"I can't wait for tomorrow! We can finally spend a day with mama!" Amelia exclaimed joyfully. "I'll need to figure out where to take her though…" I muttered out as I flopped on the bed, sinking my face into the soft pillow.

"Don't worry~ we can figure that out later." Amelia said, trying to reassure me.

"Still doesn't help! Whatever… I'll just ask Felix."

I feel quite burnt out after today. Even though nothing much happened I felt lazy and wanted to just sleep through.

"Welcome back, Artorius. It's been a while since we talked."

This familiar voice… Where did I last hear it…?

I look up and see my surroundings have changed completely. Instead of my usual room that was darkened out with the only source of light coming from the balcony, it was a ginormous room with the ceiling reaching the sky. It was Mori's realm.

I slowly stood up from the ground and stood in front of Mori with my hands tucked into my pocket. I noticed I had my shirt on and Amelia was next to me but in her dragon form. She slowly woke up from her sleep and became surprised.

As usual, Mori stood in front of me, looking as big as always. The room's ambience hadn't changed a single bit, except for the lack of dragons which are not to be seen anymore.

"What do you want this time? Giving me another dragon?" I asked Mori arrogantly. "Not at all, dragon tamer. I'm here to just have a talk with you." Mori said, an annoying smile must be on his face which I couldn't see.

"So, how's life?" I asked him sarcastically. "Life? I don't know how she is! I'm death not life."

Life? She? God of life?

"So there's a god of life as well?" I asked him with curiosity. "Oh yes! There is. Selene, god of life. We've been having quite the dispute for a while."

"Cool. Well anyways, I assume you want to tell me something?" I asked him.

Having such casual conversation with a deity feels odd. But it's not as strange as most would think. I've been desensitised to such occurrences due to how much happened since I came to this world.

"You catch on well. There is something you need to know."

"What is it?" I asked him, skeptical of what he could be hiding from me.

I could sense an arrogant grin breaking from his face, hidden behind the cloak. "Big changes. The death of an important man. Be ready, dragon tamer."

I raised an eyebrow in response to his riddles. "Dragon tamer… sounds like a nice title."

"Take this more seriously, King. You're in a realm that is between life and death. I could send you to be dead if I wanted to."

His threat was uncalled for. It took me by surprise that he would threaten me after being so playful with me.

"I don't get it. Can you explain to me this realm and world scandal?" I asked him with a curious glow in my eyes.

"This life is like a tree, the tree of life as it's more commonly known as between the gods. The crown of the tree is paradise, where the primordial god resides. The centre, where the trunk of this tree is, lies humanity. That's where you are from. Sung Hei, that world is the main world.

"..."

I stayed quiet as he explained more about it. This seems something straight out of an otherworldly fiction novel or mythology from centuries ago.

"The current world is an alternative. It's one of the seven branches, one of the two branches that come out from the main world. There are five branches that are the different realms and two branches that are alternative worlds."

"H-hold on. So there is another alternative world other than the one I, Artorius, live in?" I asked him, confused by this tree of life.

"That's what I said."

"So what are these three worlds?" I asked him curiously. "Well, simply put, the trunk of the tree is the universe you are from, Earth. Where you, Sung Hei, are from." The branch that's beside it is known as Orion. That's the alternative universe where Artorius is from.

"And the other world?

"That world doesn't consist of humans, however. It is a world full of creatures that defy the normal laws of life. They live amongst each other, even though they are of different kinds. Some carnivorous, some herbivores, some omnivores. Plants grow without water or sunlight. Some creatures fly without wings or look strange."

"Are there names that we call these different worlds?"

"Indeed there is. This realm is called Limbo. You are between life and death. In the tree it's right below Earth, above purgatory, also known as hell."

"Sounds neat. That's a nice system you got." I told him, sounding unamused and uninterested. "What other wisdom do you wish to share?"

"Nothing much, all you need to know now is why your daughter is acting the way she is."

"Keep speaking."

He scoffs at my answer. "Heh. One way to get your attention." He says in an arrogant voice. "Dragons follow a strict code that they are born with. They will only act under the being that they see first, similar to some animals. Dragons hatch with their eyes open so the first thing they see becomes their parent or master."

"..."

"This is why Amelia is acting as she is. I hope that answers your question, dragon tamer."

I still had one question in mind.

"Why am I known as the dragon tamer?"

Mori seemed confused. He didn't answer but thought for a moment. "I thought it was obvious. You're the father of a dragon, you tamed a dragon."

"Am I the only one?" I asked him. "Nope. You're the only one who actually could tame one."

"What do you mean?"

"There were more people we tested this on. Sadly most of them were either instantly killed after the dragon was born or couldn't handle the mental stress that came with raising a dragon."

"What mental stress?" I asked him, curious about these past dragon tamers. "The mental capacity to synchronize with a dragon in the same wavelength as a dragon. That's how you and Amelia talk in telepathy. Only you have that capacity."

I wanted more answers. There is so much more to know of this, yet I'm left dumbfounded, begging for more questions to be answered.

"If you cannot synchronize with a dragon they will see you as a threat and the dragon turns on its own parent, killing it and living freely."

"So what are you? Why do you have so many dragons in your control?"

"You will find the answer some other day. It's time for you to wake up, dragon prince."

The room around me starts disappearing and becoming white, like the first time this happened. "Wait! What do you mean dragon prince!? Answer me! Mori!"

Before my plea could be heard the world went blank and I was blinded by the bright luminescent light that surrounded the room.

I opened my eyes and found my vision was completely dark and I couldn't breath. It felt as if I was being choked. Then I realised why.

My face was still planted inside the pillow, making it harder for me to actually breath and see. I take my face out of the pillow and look around me, frantically seeing where I am. Luckily I was still in my room and Amelia had returned back to her fox form. She hadn't talked the entire time in the realm, concerning me.

She was still fast asleep and the sun was still rising. It was dawn and the birds were singing outside. No one was awake except me.

I sit down on the edge of my bed and rub my forehead, feeling a mild headache. I always seem to be waking up with headaches. Am I sleeping enough?

The day hadn't started yet and I was quite hungry. I rubbed my eyes and got up from my bed, ready to start the day but also wanting to sleep in for the entire day.

Not soon after, Amelia would wake up from her sleep and jump up, frantically looking around as well like I did. "Wha- what happened!? Is everything okay!?" She shouted out through telepathy.

'Yes, everything is fine. Good morning." I said while taking out a new pair of clothes from the dressing table. A nice shower should help this dimension changings I've done over the past few weeks.

"That was odd… It feels strange… I felt like I was back home…" Amelia muttered out slowly. "The dream? It's been a while since I met with Mori. That's the exact spot you were born."

Her ears shot up as she heard me. "W-what!? That's where I was born? Scary…"

"Well as you know, I'm not your biological parent. I'm just who you consider your father, your stepfather basically."

"Who cares! You're still my papa!" She shouted happily.

It made my heart skip a beat when she said that. It's strange that I feel like I really am her biological father, even though she's a dragon in the form of a fox. I'm not sure who her real parents are but I hope they don't mind me raising Amelia like this.

"Sure, I am. Let's take a bath now." I told her before keeping the new set of clothes on my bed and walking into the bathroom.

"Okay~!" Amelia exclaimed happily as she jumped down from the bed and followed me in.

The day starts off in a strange way, a way I wasn't expecting it to start out as. Different realms, tree of life, alternative universes… What kind of scandal have I been thrown into…

"You seem tired, are you feeling unwell?" Amelia asked me as I stared blankly at myself in the mirror.

I shake awake. "O-oh, yeah. I was just thinking." I told her before turning the tap on.

"You're always thinking. Is there not a time when you stop thinking?" She asked me, concerned about my habits.

"Ye- wait… Now that you mention it…"

I've always been thinking since I came to this universe. There has never been a moment where I blankly stare at something without thinking of something. Sometimes it's mundane things that I think about but mostly it's important, really important.

"You really need a break, don't you?"

I blankly stare at the water that I cupped in my hand, partially losing myself as Amelia talks to me. "P-papa?" She uttered out.

Yes… I do…" I shamefully say under my breath. "It's the thing I've chased since I came here…"

Amelia's face showed a clear indication of sorrow, feeling sorry for me. "You're not alone. Since I was born I've been through all the troubles you've been through for the last few weeks."

"..."

"It's hard, isn't it? Being all tough and joyful when inside you just want a break from… everything?"

"I… guess so."

Amelia hops down from the sink and walks over to the bath to turn the water on. She continues to speak to me more, as if she's my therapist.

"What do you seek?" She suddenly asked me as I prepared the bath.

"A peaceful life."