Breakthrough Again

Within the stone-forged heart of the Obsidian Verge guildhall, built like a bastion upon Veldroth's northern spine, Guildmaster Ruvan Thorne sat silently at his desk—one sculpted from blackwood, carved with symbols of power and heritage.

A single candle burned in his chamber, casting long shadows on the walls as the evening hush settled in.

His eyes, storm-grey and weary from decades of battle and bloodshed, flickered as he read the latest report slid quietly before him.

The informant—a sharp-eyed youth barely past his teens—stood in nervous silence.

"He's changed,"

The boy said.

"The rumors were true."

Ruvan didn't reply immediately. His gloved hand hovered over the parchment, trembling slightly—not from fear, but from the weight of old truths rising again.

He had been watching Alaric Aurelian long before this moment. A harmless boy, once. An oddity perhaps. But never a threat. Not until now.

He read the description again:

Golden eyes like molten dawn, a form reshaped by divine will. A pressure—tangible, sacred, and suffocating—felt by those too close.

'A monster,'

Ruvan thought.

'An ancient spirit dressed in boyflesh. The reincarnated are always strange but this ... this is something else.'

His chair creaked as he rose, resolve sharpening. Others would come eventually—guilds, factions, nobles, zealots—but he would not let them reach Alaric first.

No, the Obsidian Verge would be the first to bow, the first to acknowledge the new order. If the boy was what he seemed, then time itself was short.

The house was humble—aged timber, a slate roof, ivy clutching to its sides. It sat in silence at the edge of Veldroth like a relic out of time. But Ruvan felt the shift in pressure before his boot touched the threshold.

The door opened without a knock.

A girl—graceful, too young to carry such sharp poise—stepped aside. Behind her, in the flickering warmth of a hearth-lit room, sat Alaric Aurelian.

No longer a boy.

The form was that of a man in his prime, but his eyes... they were golden suns that judged all things.

Ruvan's instincts screamed at him. Knees wanted to bend. But pride held firm.

Before he could speak, Alaric's voice cut through the silence, calm yet absolute:

"Come in."

The door shut behind him.

There was no small talk. No ceremony.

It was as if he knew everything. He laid out his condition.

'Just one step.'

He thought. He believed in his strength and will. Atleast he can take just one step with all his strength.

The room grew heavy. The walls groaned. It was not magic—it was will. A pressure so raw and divine it felt like a god's breath had been exhaled into the room.

But the confidence shattered in mere moments.

Ruvan's heart hammered.

His lungs couldn't fill.

He tried to move his foot. Just an inch.

But it was like standing beneath a mountain. The weight of divinity crushed his soul. His knees trembled. Pride waged war against instinct—and lost.

He fell to one knee, trembling—not in worship, but in surrender.

There was no shame. Just truth.

He could not move.

After what felt like a lifetime, the pressure lifted. Ruvan staggered back to his feet, his body damp with sweat. He gave a bow, deep and respectful.

"Forgive me… I overestimated myself."

He said simply.

Alaric did not respond. He merely smiled again, as if amused.

Ruvan turned, walking out into the cool night.

***

Outside, he stood beneath the pale moon, staring up at the stars like a man reborn.

"So it's true,"

He murmured.

"He's not one of us anymore. He never was."

He lit a cigar with trembling fingers, exhaling slowly as he stared back toward the house.

The boy is gone, he thought. What remains... is a force that gods would envy.

And in that moment, he felt no resentment. Only awe.

***

It began as a whisper in the forges of the Black Anvil Guild, where hammers paused mid-swing and apprentices leaned in close. From there, it slithered through the golden halls of the Merchant Conclave, curled itself through the perfumed corridors of the

Alchemic Brotherhood, and finally unfurled its full length in the taprooms and war-rooms of the adventurer clans.

"The Guildmaster of Obsidian Verge knelt."

Not quite, but rumors are always exaggeration to degin with.

And that was how it began.

The rest came in pieces—like ancient scripture unearthed in the mouths of beggars and nobles alike.

"He went to speak with the golden-haired one. The boy from Northern village."

"No—he's no boy anymore."

"They say he stood still while the Guildmaster was crushed by his gaze alone. Not by blade. Not by spell. By presence."

"They say he's Divine."

Each time the story was told, it grew not in exaggeration, but in reverence. Because every telling confirmed a truth that none wanted to admit aloud:

A monster now lives in Veldroth. A beautiful one. A godling with the smile of dawn and the pressure of judgment.

Within the towering Adventurers Association building, the officials who once scoffed at Alaric's name now sat in cautious silence.

The Guildmaster of the [C-Rank] Obsidian Verge—respected, tempered, and feared—had been humbled without a single strike exchanged.

And he said nothing to contradict the rumors.

In fact, when questioned, Ruvan Thorne merely took a long drag of his cigar and said:

"Don't go knocking unless you're ready to kneel."

***

In the higher circles of power—among the Silver Glove Enforcers, the Moonshade Alchemists, and the Brotherhood of Seven Eyes—the discussion turned serious.

"Should we report this to the Association headquarters in Caerwyn?"

"Is he a threat?"

"No... not yet. But he is not one of us."

"And that's what makes him dangerous."

Already, some guilds were pulling back their envoys. Some factions chose silence, others began discreet surveillance.

A few bold ones considered making contact, but now they hesitated—because Ruvan Thorne had gone first, and Ruvan Thorne had failed.

And none wished to test a force that could sit still and bring a man to his knees with a smile.

*****

✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢

✶ I Reincarnated as an Extra ✶

✧ in a Reverse Harem World ✧

⊱ Eternal_Void_ ⊰

✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢

*****

A few days passed like leaves drifting on a quiet stream. The investigation had concluded—monsters slain, mystery unraveled, the veil lifted.

The town whispered Alaric's name with growing reverence, though most did not yet grasp what, or who, he truly was.

That morning, bathed in the soft glow of a sun climbing past the mist-laced rooftops, Alaric made his way to the Adventurer's Association.

The air carried the scent of dew and damp stone. The streets, though busy, seemed to part for him—as if the world itself was subtly reshaping its rhythm around his presence.

Within the modest hall of the Association, Lirael was waiting at the counter. She looked up from her stack of scrolls and gave a warm, expectant smile. Her eyes were calm, professional.

"You've arrived just in time, Alaric. The report's been approved. Regarding your reward…"

She paused, scanning a parchment before her.

"You'll need to travel to the capital of Velmora. The headquarters of the regional branch will handle the disbursement and final acknowledgment."

Alaric didn't flinch. His expression was unreadable.

Then, with a faint smile that was neither amused nor contemptuous, he spoke plainly:

"I refuse."

Lirael blinked. Her fingers stilled on the page.

"…What?"

She asked, confused, caught off-guard by the flat certainty in his voice.

Alaric's golden eyes met hers, calm as ever—yet within them, something immense stirred. Like a god peering through a mortal shell.

"I have no need to waste my time for a petty handful of coin,"

He said. His voice was soft, almost gentle. And yet, it cut like the whisper of a blade drawn in ceremony.

"And more importantly… they are not worthy enough for me to grace them with my presence."

Silence settled between them.

Lirael stood still, her lips slightly parted in surprise. She had spoken with Alaric many times now—shared duties, exchanged reports.

He had always been courteous, if a bit distant. Measured. Even when powerful, he never flaunted it. Never imposed. But now…

Now, he felt different.

The arrogance wasn't loud. It wasn't brash. It was coldly true—the kind that didn't need to shout because it was reality.

This wasn't the pride of a delusional noble or a pampered prodigy. No. This was a deeper thing.

The arrogance of one who knew—knew, beyond all doubt—that he had become something beyond mortal comprehension. Something sanctified. Reborn. Divine.

Lirael tried to form words but hesitated. She wasn't offended. She was… startled. Because for the first time, she felt it.

He was not simply a man anymore.

And perhaps, she thought with a quiet tremor in her heart, he never truly had been.

At first, the changes in him had been subtle. A certain stillness to his movements. A gravity that drew attention like planets circling a star.

But now, after a few days… it had become undeniable. Something in the way he looked at the world—as if he stood a step removed from it. Above it. Not with disdain, but detachment.

Alaric was not unkind. He did not scorn the innocent, nor step on the weak. He treated those who treated him well with warmth, even affection. His voice to Lirael still held the politeness of a gentleman.

But when faced with pettiness—empty bureaucracy, hollow formality, power that thought itself mighty—he no longer entertained it.

Whether this divine arrogance had always existed within him, buried beneath a life of powerlessness… or whether it had bloomed only after his rebirth, no one could say. Perhaps even Alaric himself was unsure.

But now that he possessed the strength to back it—he no longer needed to hide it.

He stood from his seat, his movements smooth and unhurried, and offered Lirael a nod that still held dignity.

"Thank you, Lirael. For your work. May your days remain quiet and your blade remain sharp."

She stood frozen for a breath too long before bowing faintly.

"And you… Alaric."

With a rustle of his cloak and the soft jingle of his belt talismans, he turned and walked out, leaving a silence in his wake. One that settled like dust long after he had gone.

Behind the counter, Lirael exhaled slowly and whispered to no one:

"…Just what are you becoming?"

Outside, the light touched Alaric's golden hair, and the wind that swept through Veldroth felt somehow holier. As if the world, too, was starting to remember who he was.

***

Days drifted by like petals on a windless lake. The manor, so vast and full of quiet dignity, had begun to feel like a world of its own—a still pocket of grace set apart from the chaos outside. Here, beneath vaulted ceilings and veiled moonlight, something sacred was quietly unfolding.

In the mornings, sunlight filtered through enchanted windows, diffused by mana-imbued glass so that it felt like soft gold brushing the skin.

Alaric would rise early—not out of necessity, but habit, a remnant of a former life that had yet to fade.

Dressed in loose white robes, hair undone, he would descend the central stair with a languid grace that made time itself seem to slow.

The girls were often already awake. Aurevia, ever dutiful, had a habit of standing near the doorway, watching for Alaric's arrival with the sort of devotion one might show to a dawn-born god.

Her white hair glistened under the morning light, and her eyes—once dulled by fear—now shimmered with clarity and pride.

"Good morning, Master,"

She would say, voice a whisper wrapped in warmth.

Alaric would smile—soft, golden.

"A fine day to serve the Divine, isn't it?"

Cellione preferred to linger in the study, curled up with a tome in her lap, one leg dangling over the arm of the velvet reading chair. She'd glance up as Alaric passed, mischief twinkling in her eyes, then murmur,

"You walk like the world owes you everything."

"And doesn't it?"

He'd tease, a slow chuckle rumbling like a river under moonlight. Her blush would rise unbidden, and she'd return to her book with a half-smile, trying to hide it.

Serineth remained the most reserved. She often spent her time tending to the garden at the back—an ethereal place where dreambloom flowers and whispergrass flourished under layered enchantments.

She greeted Alaric whenever she saw him. But it was just that. She would quickly turn around and get busy with work. Alaric said nothing and just smiled.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Not because of silence, but reverence.

They sat together—not as master and slaves in the vulgar sense, but as something more sacred. A priest and his chosen acolytes. A divine being and his loyal vessels.

They ate without excess, shared stories when prompted, and sometimes merely let the silence bind them closer.

It was during these peaceful mornings that the unspoken tensions would rise. A glance too long. A smile too tender. A breath held longer than it should be.

The girls never dared voice it. That aching sense of awe… and something else. Something both terrifying and thrilling. To love him was to gaze into a star—too bright, too far, and yet inescapably beautiful.

Alaric could feel it. Their feelings brushed against his soul like soft feathers, stirring warmth in his chest he refused to acknowledge—not yet. Not now. The divine within him whispered restraint.

In the afternoons, the manor became more lively.

Aurevia took charge of household routines, despite the magical systems in place. She insisted on checking the formations herself, often joined by Alaric.

They would walk the perimeter together, and she would sneak glances at him—admiring, wondering how he could look both ethereal and impossibly human.

Cellione spent her time cataloging magical tomes from the house's inherited library. She would call Alaric occasionally to explain obscure runes, and he would stand behind her, hands behind his back, reciting truths from ancient ages as if he'd written the tomes himself.

This was another ability he gained after rebirth. If he channeled Divine Energy into his eyes and looked at something and wondered what it is, the information will directly come to his mind.

With this his acting career of a wise master who knows everything is solidified to a new level.

Sometimes, his breath would brush her ear. Sometimes, her fingers would shake. But neither said anything.

Serineth… she crafted things. Wards. Amulets. Quiet, elegant items imbued with the mana that resonated most with Alaric's presence. When he passed by her workshop, he'd often pause.

"That one,"

He'd say, pointing to a delicate charm.

"That holds a fragment of your soul. Keep it close."

She would nod, her throat too tight to reply.

And in the evenings, they would gather in the inner sanctum—a room of warmth and velvet shadows. Sometimes they played games from their past lives.

Sometimes they shared stories, some tragic, some ridiculous. They laughed. They teased. They lived.

Until one would glance at Alaric—too long, too softly—and the air would shift.

He'd feel it. Every time.

A flicker of reverence. A tremor of yearning. A pulse of something sacred turning personal.

But still… he said nothing.

And so the nights would end quietly. Each girl would return to her room with a heart beating to an unfamiliar rhythm, fingers curled over a thought they dared not name.

Alaric, alone beneath the moonlit canopy of his chamber, would lie still with eyes open, listening to the mana hum like a lullaby across the walls.

And wonder, for the first time in centuries, what it meant to be worshipped not by thousands…

…but by three.

-To Be Continued