To properly explain the Sixth Family again. The continent’s nobility is divided into three categories. The Sixth Family, the branches of the Sixth Family, and those who belong to neither side.
This distinction was not made through any formal title. Nobles apart from the Sixth Family were considered ‘ordinary’ nobles.
The significance of the Sixth Family lies in the founding story of the Western Continent. Unlike the Eastern Continent, the Western Continent was home to many visionaries.
These visionaries were endowed with superhuman powers, often referred to as the blessings of the Earth God, Deira. With powers akin to divinity, they blurred the lines between good and evil, plunging the Western Continent into chaos.
At that time, seven powerful pioneers gathered around the figure known as the ‘One Who Has Nothing.’
They consolidated several fragmented kingdoms of the Western Continent into one vast empire and placed the ‘One Who Has Nothing’ on the imperial throne.
The reasoning was simple: those with no powers would sit on the highest seat and view the world from the perspective of the weak, sharing wisdom.
Thus, seven families were established.
The beginnings of the Sixth Family include Pharus of the Sea, Terminus of the Border, Linetia of Justice, Ophium of News, Forwal of Strength, Wita of Life, and Arcus of Arrows.
Strictly speaking, it was originally the Seventh Family.
The seven visionaries served as the foundation, making it the Seventh Family initially. However, they are now known as the Sixth Family. The reason for this is straightforward.
As explained earlier, one of them, ‘Ophium of News,’ was annihilated by ‘Darkness.’
‘Darkness’ is akin to a terrifying curse that no visionary could escape. When they used their powers beyond a certain threshold, parts of their body began to turn black, shifting like shadows until they ultimately transformed into monsters.
‘That’s not the point right now.’
The reason I suspect one of the Sixth Family is simple.
The ones who benefited the most from this island’s war were the Sixth Family.
‘Was it Terminus of the Border in particular?’
Odlo, which had been unaffiliated with anyone until that point, became a possession of the Sixth Family after the war. Consequently, all rare medicinal ingredients from this island came under Terminus’ control.
Originally, Terminus guarded the borders of a desolate land known as the Land of Death in the Western Continent and had no history of engaging in politics.
Yet, for some reason, the Sixth Family seemed to take special care of Terminus. Back then, I thought it was just mutual aid between closely connected families…
‘But maybe there’s more to the story.’
What exactly are Terminus’ abilities? It’s unsettling that they are so much less revealed compared to the rest of the Sixth Family.
‘The manufacturing and sale of Angel, the resulting war, and even the ownership of Odlo Island…’
If all of this is part of a long-term plan for profit, then? It might sound absurd, but I know the power of the Sixth Family. In fact, no one in this world could be unaware of it.
A chill ran down my spine, and I instinctively looked around. Thankfully, there was no one else present.
‘There’s got to be something more.’
In my previous life, at this age, I was just a naive child oblivious to the workings of the world. Naturally, I didn’t pay attention to what was happening around me.
But now, the goosebumps and tightness in my chest whispered something to me. They told me not to ignore this feeling.
Even though I tried not to rely on vague instincts, as a human, it’s hard to disregard this level of ominous unease.
Since I was going to escape anyway, I began hastily rummaging through the bookshelves.
The sound of books falling echoed across the floor. Somewhere here, there must be something helpful, a clue.
What exactly are they planning?
“What… What is this?”
Behind irrelevant materials, there was a hidden box. It was very light and made only faint sounds when shaken.
‘It’s locked and won’t open.’
The key isn’t here, is it? I can’t open it right now. For now, I’ll take it back and ask Nereus or Lamis or someone else to open it for me.
‘Alright, I’ve gathered everything I need….’
I stepped outside, picked up a piece of firewood from the campfire, and threw it into the building. Since it was made of wood, the fire quickly spread, and the building began to burn gradually.
‘It’s burning nicely.’
Good.
Now, as long as I can escape….
“What’s going on here?”
“Why are those guys passed out?”
“Get the materials inside! Quickly!”
Escape… was what I planned, but….
Everything was going too smoothly.
‘Damn it. Curse it all.’
I was doomed. Completely doomed.
‘By now, Ethan should have put everyone to sleep!’
Even if there was a group that hadn’t fallen asleep, they shouldn’t have been able to get here this quickly. Which means… there was an unexpected factor I didn’t account for.
‘The worker ant principle.’
Whenever you create a group, there will always be slackers. That’s the principle. Compared to the other guards, their clothing was loose, with traces of dirt on their sleeves or elbows and leaves tangled in their hair.
They must have been slacking off somewhere.
‘If you’re going to do bad things, at least be diligent about it.’
Trash always finds a way to multitask. But this obvious truth wasn’t the important part right now.
‘What should I do?’
The answer was clear: Run.
There was no point in fighting. I’d lose. I may look daring, but I’m pretty good at knowing my limits. If I were still a navy officer, I might have picked up a weapon to protect the weak, even in a losing battle, but now I’m a pirate.
Pirates only engage in fights they’re likely to win. Survival is the most important thing.
‘Besides, I’m the weak one right now.’
How could I possibly win against grown men?
The only problem was the other kids who had escaped.
‘If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have started the fire…. No, no. This was absolutely necessary.’
There was no time to clean up or remove traces while extracting the information.
Even though the fire caused chaos, I still didn’t have enough time. I had calculated how long it would take for the unconscious guards to wake up but hadn’t anticipated that someone would return this quickly.
Before executing the plan, I checked the ages of the captive children. While there were a few older kids than Tirkan, most of them were very young.
Even if I was confident I wouldn’t get caught, leading all the children out without being seen would take more time.
‘So, the path I used to enter is no good. That’s where the kids escaped to.’
So, which path could I use?
‘Only that one.’
The door the guards had entered through was still open. They hadn’t closed it in their panic over the sudden fire.
“Hurry! Check the surroundings! See if anyone’s still alive, and find out where the kids went!”
“What about the fire?! What do we do about it?”
“There’s no wind! There’s nothing nearby, so just go in and retrieve the important materials before it gets worse!”
Fortunately, no one paid attention to the direction I was hiding. I quietly moved toward the door.
“Cough, cough! Hey, it’s not here.”
“What? Did it burn?”
“No… I don’t think so, cough. A few things seem to be missing.”
“Then who…?”
“….……”
Outside the door.
As I stepped outside, I briefly turned back.
‘Unbelievable.’
And then, I made eye contact with them. All of them were staring at me with piercing eyes.
I couldn’t afford to freeze. I immediately turned and started running.
“Catch that kid!”
“That brat has everything! Catch them if you don’t want to die!”
They were still a fair distance away, but it wouldn’t take long for them to catch me. I was just a weak, six-year-old child with no stamina, while they were strong, fully-grown men.
‘But running is my only option!’
Throwing the poisonous herbs in my pocket? They’re unrefined and useless. The sleeping powder was already used.
‘My legs hurt.’
I hadn’t even run that far, but my joints were already aching. In an attempt to lose them, I entered the forest, where all sorts of rough plants scratched my skin.
Each scratch stung painfully. At some point, my shoes slipped off, and my bare feet started throbbing. But I couldn’t stop.
The sound of heavy footsteps chasing me grew louder from behind. My heart was pounding, and I couldn’t tell if it was from fear or because my lungs felt like they were going to burst.
‘I want to live.’
I somehow managed to survive and return. I didn’t know why I came back alive, but since I had, I decided to live happily with my family.
Even after I turned sixteen, in Caelum.
‘And at twenty-six, I’ll need to prevent the destruction of Caelum! Without me, it’s impossible to stop!’
Only I, who know the entire future, can prevent the end of Caelum. That’s why I can’t die now.
“You rat-like little brat!”
I have to protect the kids. But I don’t want to die.
Can anyone save me? Anyone at all, please help me.
Thoughts I normally wouldn’t have crossed my mind—cowardly, weak thoughts—rose in a chaotic mess. It must have been because I was out of breath, my entire body aching from running.
Surely, it was because my vision was growing dizzy and dark that these thoughts arose. My throat felt scratchy and raw, making it hard to breathe.
“Help… help….”
Who was I even asking for help? There were no navy officers here. But a silhouette of someone appeared in my mind.
In hindsight, it was only natural.
“Dad!”
A voice unbelievably loud escaped my gasping mouth.
“Dad! Mom! Help me!”
They must still be asleep or captured somewhere. There was no way they could come here, and yet they came to mind.
“Got you—!”
Bang!
Just as I thought everything was over, I heard a gunshot in the distance.
“There you are.”
Grey smoke rose from the bullet mark on the ground. The sudden attack froze the pursuers in place. I, too, collapsed to the ground in an unsightly heap.
Amongst all this, a calm yet tightly restrained voice rang out.
A large man descended with a thud, revealing a grin full of teeth.
“We should repay what you’ve done for our princess, shouldn’t we? Hmm?”
And when I lifted my head, I saw them.
The people of Caelum, who had silently gathered in the shadows. All of them, with their sharp, piercing eyes, stared at the ones who had chased me down.
