章 2: Another World

A child woke up under the shade of a towering tree. A cold breeze drifted through the air as the grass beneath him lightly waved like a relaxing green ocean upon his small, personal grotto atop this mountain. The sky was clear blue, joined only by a few spots of white clouds here and there. The two suns shone through this sky, like two guardians protecting this earth. And all around him were beautiful sceneries of mountain peaks, some in full view showing off all its splendor, some hidden amongst the clouds never showing what might be inside.

The child´s innocent golden eyes showed an imperceptible glint, focusing on the two suns above him. Moments ago, it was full of innocence and ignorance. Now, it was full of endless knowledge and untold profundity.

It seemed that through these golden eyes, nothing could escape its perception. Every droplet of water, every vein in the leaves, every crevice on rocks, even the starlight outshone by the suns couldn't escape his sight. All were beholden to these eyes.

However, losing his interest, like lamp suddenly splashed with water, his eyes lost all its profundity and the world lost its brilliance, returning to its normalcy.

"This Great One shall not worry about it no more, I won't waste my retirement!" the boy laughed out loud. Though it may seem quite arrogant calling himself 'Great One,' it sounded natural and modest when he says it himself.

This small boy is actually the reincarnated Regalus Avastra. It has been nearly 7 years since his rebirth. He now had the small but sturdy body of a 6-year-old child.

----

When he had first arrived upon this world, Regalus was ecstatic. To live life anew! Thousands of old sages, wise gods, and cunning devils attempted to take that final step into eternity but only he and he alone achieved this. His spell, [The Grand Eternum], achieved this. A spell permanently locking his memories into his soul and his consciousness unto his soul, allowing him to reborn with all his past memories. The path was difficult but it is only now that he could call himself a true immortal. Regalus has lived for nearly 5000 years but he knew that there was an end, there always is. But through this spell, as long as he regains his power each time he is reborn, his soul and memories will always stay.

---

However, his happiness was short lived. When he was born, as soon as he saw his parents, he was shaken to the core. He has never seen anyone... so beautiful. Their complexion was extremely different from the people he has seen. The woman curiously looking down at him, which he assumed was his mother, was akin to the goddesses he had seen, if not more. Long flowing black hair like a river and caring blue eyes that hinted gentle but steady power, her every move seemed to be in agreeance with nature itself.

He suddenly heard a burst of rambunctious laughter. A door opened and a woma- no, a man walked in. His scholarly and feminine build, nearly making Regalus mistake him for a woman, was in complete contrast to the reckless and burly laughter that came out of his mouth. He quickly ran over to his location. Despite his seemingly weak build, he could somewhat ascertain a massive reservoir of power within him, enough to carry mountains and the skies above.

Just by looking at them, Regalus could tell that they were far from normal, very far from even the most obscure lineages in Aether. At first, Regalus merely thought that they were from a hidden lineage back in Aether. However, he was very mistaken. When he was finally able to look outside through a window, he had fallen into a deep, deep depression. There was actually two suns outside!

Afterward, Regalus had spent months theorizing, imagining, and rationalizing ways to go back to Aether. But how could crossing space, worlds, and possibly even dimensions be that easy? It was all in vain and every time he failed, his baby brain couldn't handle the sheer depression and he would just cry uncontrollably, causing his current parents much grief. In the end, he just gave up.

---

3 years soon passed and an idea formed in Regalus's brain.

'Why should I go back? Why should I aim for the top? Though this place is not my world, it is better than it. Isn't it time for this Great One to retire?'

Being born an orphan, he has never felt the love of a parent until today. Over a mere three years, his heart that has been frozen for thousands of years was thawed, the love of a parent to their child must never be underestimated. The darkness and misanthropy in his mind faded as his parents showered him with their unbridled love. For the first time in thousands of years, he smiled and he felt happy, so under what circumstances should he want to go back to a world that scorned his very existence, infested with greed and malice that even he himself couldn't extinguish.

Regalus's parents were some of the kindest people that he has ever known. They were nobility, but they praised the peasantry. Above mortality, yet adored humanity. They had always preached to Regalus: "Do you think a kingdom can be built with just a king? Royalty and nobilities can change a hundred times in a hundred years, but the people... the people stay. If the king is the symbol of power, the people are the manifestation of it."

---

A neigh of a horse sounded out and a carriage gilded with gold soon appeared over the horizon. It was no ordinary horse as it flew across the skies, treading upon the air as if it would on land. Electricity crackled under its hooves leaving a trail of lightning and thunder under its feet. The driver on the carriage was a small child, just a bit older than Regalus but still somehow held an aura of a hidden dagger. She had short, blazing red hair and crimson eyes.

The carriage landed upon the grass, some of the sparks from the horse's grooves charred some of the grass. The driver looked at Regalus cheerfully lying down beneath a tree with an ignorantly satisfied look on his face.

"Young Mast-," her voice was surprisingly mature and carried a hint of pride, but was immediately interrupted by Regalus.

"Little one, you're damaging the grass."

An annoyed glint appeared from her eyes but it only lasted a second. Ever since they had met, Regalus has been calling her "Little one," despite being clearly older than him. Not to mention, she was no simple driver. She expressionlessly steered the horse unto an even grassier area.

"Young Master," she resumed, "His Majesty wishe-..." she looked and found that the place where Regalus lied was empty. She immediately looked behind her and found that he was already sitting carelessly in the carriage.

"Tsk."

The girl-driver pulled on the reigns. The horse shook and stepped foot on air as if it was solid, turned around, and raced on back from where it came from.

Back at Regalus's grotto, the ashes of the charred grass were immediately swept away by the mountain wind. A small, indistinct circle of blue light appeared from beneath the grotto, disappearing as immediately as it appeared. Miraculously, seconds afterward, grass sprouted once more and matured in less than a minute! It was as if the horse was never there.

---

*Boom! Boom!*

The carriage sped through the mountain ranges. Thundering booms followed the carriage as the horse lived up to its name as a Thundering Horse.

Regalus looked out the window. They were thousands of kilometers in the air yet the mountains still towered over them. As for the smaller mountains, they were still hundreds to thousands of kilometers wide, however, the pair still passed by them in mere minutes. The speed was astounding, and it was only dragged by a single Thundering Horse. Imagine if another one or more were attached!

Soon enough, he saw civilization up in the horizon. The path they were following across the skies became narrower and narrower. while the ground below became more and more defined as a path. The carriage slowed down, it was best to fly slowly, lest one wished to face a barrage of attacks! Soon, towering walls entered his view. Battlements, turrets, flags, and towers littered it, yet if he hadn't paid attention to it directly, he would have thought it was just part of the other mountains.

The horse went down and started speeding down on the ground. As fast as it was, it didn't dare to be up in the sky when the walls were in view.

As they got closer, they soon heard loud shouting from the walls.

"It's the insignia of the Royal Prince, open the gates!"

"Man the walls!"

"Keep a lookout for any beasts!"

"Mobilize the ground forces and take stances!"

Different colored flags used to show different commands popped up from the flagpoles throughout the walls. A massive, 300-meter wall was ever so slightly opened but was enough for the carriage to go through. The guards immediately became alert, after all, the gate was opened. Once these guards put on their utmost effort, the aura that they gave of felt as if nothing could ever overcome their defense. If a god planned to bypass their wall, it would have to pay a terrible price to do so.

Regalus sat up and looked out the window. Being inside the walls, the carriage took flight once more. A massive, sprawling city soon showed itself. With one look one could tell just how prosperous it was. He could see that not only were the guards saluting him, but also the population. A small tinge of pride bloomed in his heart as he saw this. Pride not for himself, but for his parents.

That's right, Regalus was born this time as a Royal Prince, in great contrast to being born as a nameless orphan a lifetime ago. Those salutes he faced were not out of duty nor fear, but for clear and due respect. His parents, Lent Arendale and Aria Arendale are the current the King and Queen of the [Arendale Kingdom] and the fortress-city he is in right now is its capital, [Airen'Dal Citadel]. A massive, ancient city whose origins were lost to history.

The carriage stopped by a massive castle. Large, curved roofs, straight emerald pillars, and golden statues of lions, if this can't be called a royal castle, nothing else could be called a royal castle. The carriage landed down a platform where many other carriages were located. The guards immediately made way and the girl and Regalus soon entered the castle.

The girl led Regalus and although Regalus himself knew the castle like the back of his hand, he didn't mind and followed her regardless. Many staff, maids, officials, and even military personnel were present, running around inside the castle. As soon as they saw Regalus, they didn't greet him or attempted any flattering but merely made way and saluted sincerely. Regalus accepted these salutes and respectfully nodded back.

They soon made their way into a massive hall. There were desks, books, papers, and government staff everywhere, all neatly organized. In the middle of all this was a tired looking fellow. Regalus walked forward to him and the staff quickly made way. He looked up to this haggard fellow. His build looked pale and shallow as if he spent his entire years indoors. Eyebags covered his eyes, of which hid despair, his long hair a mess, and he carried grumbling stomach as if he hadn't eaten in days. Yet it was this same fellow whose words everyone here carried out without hesitation, he carried an imperial and authoritative aura. One that would shoulder the skies for his people.

Regalus smiled and greeted him, "Hey father..."