A Sad Fate

"No! No!!" Valtor shook his head. "No."

Gap frowned. "Why do you refuse who you are?"

Valtor was about to speak, but the old man interrupted again, "Then, you won't accept the truth that you're a Monarch."

The word made Valtor pause, "I'm just thrown into a deep sea of confusion," he admitted. "First, the whole thing about darkness and light. Now, I have both energies. And then—"

"Valtor! Valtor!" Gap struck his cane against the wooden walkway. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "The point isn't about you accepting it—fate has already accepted it for you! You're a Monarch, the highest god-level rank, which falls under the destroyer-level! Whether or not you've developed your powers, just being alive makes you a threat to the entire universe."

Valtor lowered his head. 'So just existing puts a mark of death on me.' Until now, he'd never realized how terrifying it was—just being alive.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then looked up at Gap. "I'm overwhelmed, there—"

"You lost your grandfather," Gap cut in. "Your entire village. Everyone you knew as family—killed. Brutally. By someone you don't even know yet. And here you stand, understanding nothing except a few names I've mentioned and words I've explained."

Gap's voice was different now—less strict, more sorrowful. He wasn't just telling Valtor his fate; he was mourning the life Valtor was about to live.

"I will fulfill my duty," Gap continued. "I will teach you control! You'll learn to sharpen your mind against the darkness itself. To suppress your Gi so your Ni can grow!"

"Wait!" Valtor interrupted.

Gap's eyes twitched slightly before he replied, "Yes?"

"If I suppress my Gi, won't that throw everything out of balance?"

"No!" Gap started moving away from the walkway, with Valtor trailing behind. "Suppressing an energy doesn't mean destroying it—it means reducing its effectiveness. Now, regarding The First Monarch who's after you, Thalor—"

"How do you know?" Valtor asked as they walked side by side.

The surroundings were eerily quiet. Not a single soul in sight.

The Master's Residence was already on spot, a house to the side, though the view from here was different—this was its backyard.

Through one of the open sliding doors, Valtor caught sight of a large courtyard at the center.

In that courtyard stood an old tree—and yet, strangely, it looked better cared for than his own current state.

"Thalor is the First Monarch, also known as the Rival to the Gods," Gap said abruptly, pulling Valtor's attention back.

He blinked, trying to break free from any distractions.

This would be his new mentor now. But even as he listened, a thought lingered—that tree. Something about it felt off, something he couldn't quite explain.

Still, for now, he had to focus. He had to listen.

"How do you know the First Monarch is after me?" Valtor asked, trying to gain some insight.

Gap exhaled, this time out of frustration. "To be honest, just as I felt your grandfather's life slip away—"

Valtor's eyes widened. "And Y—"

"Do you want to know about your grandfather?"

"YES—"

"That's for another day!" Gap's words hit hard, leaving Valtor stunned.

'Then why did you ask?', he thought, staring at the old man, who clearly had no patience for standing around debating with a teenage boy.

Gap turned away, continuing down the walkway. "As I was saying, the Monarchs—I'll explain them in detail later. But first, one last thing..." He turned to Valtor, his gaze sharper than before.

"Yes?" Valtor asked cautiously, unsure what he'd done this time.

Gap's eyes narrowed. "Don't even think of going near the Second High Grandmaster's Ni-Tree."

Valtor rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I wasn't—"

"I mean it. Don't!." Gap's voice was firm, his stare unwavering. "Your Gi would corrupt the tree completely... and kill it."

Those words were all he needed.

Valtor mumbled, eyes half-closed. "I get it, I get it..." he said, reluctantly.

Gap stroked his beard again. Ever since meeting this boy, Valtor, he had been observing his attitudes, reactions, and personality—all of which were surprisingly balanced. Except, of course, for the fact that he had a reluctant, curious, and slightly annoying nature.

"...The Second High Grandmaster, Aulus, has been storing powerful 'Ni' energy in that tree for years, waiting for the right time to unlock it," Gap sighed, eager to get home, "He has plans—probably to grant it to his S-rank disciple, or something. But, unlock the concept of one having Ni-Gi in a soul as a dual energy, when someone like you touches a pure Ni energy, you would either, absorb the entire Ni, releasing it back to pure Gi, for Gi is the corruption of light."

The day would soon grow busy, and Gap needed to hide Valtor from prying eyes.

"I understand! I won't touch it," Valtor spoke up, "I only need to know how you knew the First Monarch was after me, and—"

Gap took another deep breath—this one filled with frustration.

"Your grandfather, Burnwood, used a technique so powerful that the High Grandmasters and Masters felt it. Even some S-rank warriors sensed it."

Before Valtor could react, Blobby broke its silence.

"Mama!"

Valtor raised both brows, a subtle response to the strange word.

Blobby continued, "When a Monarch fights against such powerful technique, they as well release a deep, dark resonating energy. This energy carries the weight of an aura... spreading for miles beyond the impact zone. That's how he knows about the First Monarch, secondly, I was a little bird who whispered some of the words into his ears."

Valtor projected a sense of calm. He also noticed something else. When the Divine Blob first saw Master Gap, it had a happy response, from his body's language. And this left Valtor thinking, 'Has Blobby actually met this old man and my grandfather before?'

Gap suddenly cut in, "We have to explain all this at the resident! I have a lot of stand-up speeches. And also, I have different places to be at, one would be the Royal palace," He waved his hands at Valtor, "Let's go home."