The Martial Unity

"Indeed," The Emperor nodded. "Although young and inexperienced, she possessed the forbidden technique of the Eye of Prophecy. In return for the technique in her Martial Art, I offered the Silas Clan a powerful Sage-level artifact that would aid in obscuring them even further. And thus, an exchange occurred."

He smiled. "She was pregnant with you even before we bade the Silas Clan farewell and returned to the Kandrian Empire…"

His smile grew sorrowful. "And that was when things took a rough turn."

"…What happened?"

"She grew revolted and disgusted at the toxic, poisonous relationships within the Royal Family," The Emperor heaved a sigh. "Princes and princesses plotting and scheming each other's downfall and deaths. Scheming to one day ascend the throne after I died or abdicated it. Anybody who bore the blood of the royal family was in danger of being targeted to eliminate competition."

"…Like what happened to Rajak," Rui realized.

The Emperor nodded. "Indeed. You might think that what happened to him was special, but really, it's rather tame compared to what has happened and what does happen."

Rui's eyes sharpened at those words.

The Emperor shook his head, heaving a sigh. "She sought to distance herself away from me. She refused to let her baby become embroiled in the venomous and hateful conflicts between the members of the Royal Family. I tried my best to convince her, but she demanded that I abdicate the throne and leave Kandria with her forever if she wanted us to remain together as a family. However, so long as the crown rested upon my head, she deemed that it was a threat to her growing fetus."

"And you chose the crown." Rui narrowed his eyes.

The Emperor heaved a sigh. "I had truly come close to abdicating. Maybe I would have, had I had just a little bit more time. Unfortunately…"

His voice grew grave. "…Time I didn't have, for that was when true disaster struck."

The air grew a few shades darker.

Rui narrowed his eyes. "What happened?"

I desperately begged her to accept the medical intervention of the Royal Doctors of the Royal Court, but she refused.

as his expression

that day. I said things that I now can never

guilt churned in the depths of his

the true love that every child deserves. That you would grow up with

for walking away from me and

smile returned

created and run by a woman who was once a trafficked orphan, determined to offer a loving home to orphans that she had been denied as a child. After months of rigorous vetting, I deemed her orphanage worthy of being the home that you deserved. The home that

Rui. "That was the Quarrier

as the Emperor recounted the tale that had gone on to

Lashara accepted me as

but a trivial matter for my wide set of

what, decided to forget about me until recently?" Rui narrowed his eyes. "Hide the truth from me until you needed me? And then reveal the truth to me alongside the entire world in a manner that

hint of resentment echoed in

pleased about the emotional rollercoaster that the Royal

"I did not forget about you. I have never

grew solemn yet

peered

you when you suffered from the tribulations life thrust upon you. Yet, I never forgot about you, watching your miraculous life with more pride than I ever thought I had. I even actively protected you before you became a Martial Artist, though I

voice trailed off as he murmured to

eyes furrowed with uncertainty. "I don't follow your

eyes shifted to meet his. "…Then I suppose it would be better to show than to talk, isn't that right?

a moment,

disease accelerated mental decline. "There's no one

Oh, but there was.

Realm of

as he felt a titanic surge of pressure