Chapter 29: Whispers of the Forgotten Era

The Weight of a Name

Leon's hands trembled as he clutched the ancient parchment.

"The Eternal Luminous."

The words felt heavy, as if they carried the weight of an entire era.

He took a deep breath and kept reading. The text was difficult to decipher—old, worn, and written in a language that hadn't been spoken for centuries. But the more he read, the clearer it became.

The Unrecorded Era wasn't simply forgotten.

It was erased.

And at the heart of that lost time… was a single being.

A being so powerful that even the gods feared him.

Leon's mind raced.

"Could this being be… Frank?"

It sounded absurd. Frank Luminous, the "Lazy Lord," was nothing like the entity described in this document.

Or was he?

The strength, the calm demeanor, the way his very presence made others submit…

If this record was true, then Frank wasn't just strong.

He was beyond strength itself.

A Shadow in the Archives

Leon was so lost in thought that he didn't sense the presence behind him.

A hooded figure stood at the entrance of the Forbidden Archives, their silhouette barely visible in the dim torchlight.

"You shouldn't be here, Leon Everhart," the voice said, smooth yet commanding.

Leon turned sharply, instinctively reaching for his sword.

But before he could react—

A powerful pressure filled the air.

Leon's knees buckled. He gasped for breath, his body refusing to move.

"This aura… it's like Frank's…!"

The figure stepped forward, revealing a face hidden beneath a silver mask.

"You're digging into things that were meant to stay buried," the stranger said. "Leave now, and forget what you've read."

Leon clenched his fists. He wouldn't back down.

"I refuse," he growled. "I need to know the truth."

The masked figure sighed. "Then you leave me no choice."

In the blink of an eye, they vanished.

Leon's instincts screamed at him—

Danger!

He ducked just in time as a thin dagger whizzed past his head, slicing a strand of his hair.

But before he could counter—

A hand gripped his throat.

Leon's eyes widened as he was lifted off the ground.

The masked figure stared at him, their grip like iron.

"You should have walked away."

And then—

Leon felt it.

The unmistakable touch of divine energy.

This person wasn't just strong.

They had been blessed by the gods.

Meanwhile… Frank's Peaceful Afternoon

At the Luminous estate, Frank was enjoying a freshly baked apple pie.

The sun was warm, the breeze was cool, and the pie was perfectly crisp.

"This… this is true happiness," he thought, savoring another bite.

But then—

He paused.

Something in the air shifted.

A disturbance.

Frank sighed. "Leon, what did you get yourself into now?"

He put down his pie and slowly stood up, stretching.

For years, Frank had stayed out of the world's affairs. He let people believe whatever they wanted about him.

But if the kingdom was starting to unravel the truth…

It might be time for him to step in.

Back in the Archives – A Sudden Shift

Leon struggled for breath.

The masked figure's grip was relentless, the divine energy pressing down on his very soul.

"I can't… move…"

Was this it? Was he about to die just for seeking the truth?

But then—

The air grew heavy.

The torches flickered.

And an unseen force filled the room.

The masked figure froze.

Leon felt the grip on his throat loosen—just enough for him to take in a deep, desperate breath.

Then, a voice rang out.

"That's enough."

A simple sentence.

Yet it shattered the silence like thunder.

The masked figure immediately stepped back, trembling.

Leon collapsed to the ground, coughing.

And standing at the entrance of the Archives—

Was Frank Luminous.

His golden eyes glowed softly in the dim light, a calm expression on his face.

He looked at Leon, then at the masked figure.

"Let him go."

The masked figure hesitated for a brief second—then immediately complied, taking several steps back.

Leon stared up at Frank in shock.

"How… how did he do that?"

That pressure. That command.

It wasn't magic. It wasn't an ability.

It was something greater.

Frank turned to Leon, his expression unreadable.

"You should stop searching, Leon."

Leon clenched his fists. "Why?"

Frank sighed, rubbing his temple. "Because you won't like what you find."

The masked figure stood still, watching them both. They had stopped attacking—but the tension in the air was thick.

Finally, the figure lowered their hood.

And Leon's breath caught in his throat.

It was someone he knew.

Someone he had trusted.

A member of the royal family.

The Beginning of the End

Leon's world was shattering before his eyes.

The kingdom was hiding something.

The royal family was involved.

And Frank…

Frank was the key to everything.

But the scariest part?

Even now, standing in the presence of an assassin blessed by the gods, after witnessing impossible power—

Frank still didn't look serious.

"Just how strong is he…?"

Leon realized something in that moment.

Something terrifying.

Frank wasn't just powerful.

Frank was beyond anything this world had ever seen.

And they had no idea what to do with him.