SYSTEM ASCENSION

”Muon. Muon Morail.”

The silence that followed was well earned. Even the Salvador residents were startled.

The boy that had always appeared on all the monastery drawings, was standing before them. Someone said to be alive during the founding of Salvador empire.

”Muon?” Lady Hinger couldn’t believe her ears.

”The Muon?” Lady Anny asked.

”Looks like him.” Lord Joe mumbled.

”How long has it been since I was asleep.” Muon scratched his head and looked around. He walked away to a distance and returned just to walk away to another distance.

They continued to stare at him.

”What are those?!” He yelled, pointing towards the aircraft.

Lady Hinger squinted her brow. She leaned towards Lady Anny. ”I thought that Carlel girl was lying about those disciples being alive and the marked ones summoning them.”

”I’m getting freaked out here” Lady Anny muttered back. ”The disciples, the marked ones, the syndicate. How much has been going on under our noses?”

”I doubt that one was summoned,” Lord Joe spoke, his eyes following the boy who was running around. ”It seems he has been here all this while.”

”Probably the one sleeping in the mountain.” Lord Tell and Rowen chorused.

The rest looked at them.

”Sleeping in the mountains?”

”Come to think of it, I did feel this energy in the mountain side. It was faint through.” Lord Joe muttered.

”Hey!” Muon yelled. ”some answer me!”

”We’re just in shock honey.” Sienna smiled.

”Don’t ’honey’ me!” he walked back to them. ”Tell me how long I have been asleep!”

”If you really have been alive since the founding of the Salvador empire,” Kael muttered, hand on his chin. ”Then I’d say about six centuries?” 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

”Six centuries?!” He gasped. ”So that’s why this place is different.”

He frowned at Kael. ”And it seems Liumin is dead too.”

Kael nodded, leaving the rest perplexed on what they were talking about.

”Ah! Such a drag!” He looked around. ”Who is the king?”

”King Richard.” Sienna replied.

He glanced at her.

”I mean the king of this place.”

”Yes, King Richard.”

He narrowed his eyes. ”Are you like...naming all the kings, Richard now?”

”Sorry?”

”Probably a coincidence then. Who was the previous king?”

They all exchanged another glance.

”The...previous king, you say.” Sienna looked around like she could pull the answer out of tiny air. ”There is no information about that.”

”What?! You don’t know the previous king?”

”There is no history book or anything.” Jordan shrugged.

Muon stared at them like they had hit their heads. ”Seriously, maniac. All of you.”

He began to storm away to the direction of the palace. He caught up to Elias who was also walking in the same direction.

”You! Are you Richard’s descendant?”

”I’m his son.”

”Finally, you replied to my questions.” Muon began to walk in front of him.

”You said the current king’s name is Richard. Are you the next in line?”

”...”

”Seriously! Answer me!”

Sienna and the rest caught up to them.

Rowen leaned down to Mum’s height. ”If you’re Muon, then you are their great great grandfather or something like that. So why are you talking like they annoyed you.”

”Great great grand what?!” Muon gasped. ”What sort of statement is that? I never had a child!”

The people were confused.

”You never had a child?”

”The current royal family is my elder brother’s descendants.” They finally arrived at the main palace. Jordan pushed the door. They stepped inside.

”You had an elder brother?” Sienna asked.

Muon stepped in, smirking slightly. ”Of course! He was the best brother in the world. He single-handedly raised me,” he sighed. ”That was six hundred years ago. I miss him.”

”Who do you miss?”

A voice suddenly sounded beside them. They all flinched and backed away.

Muon didn’t move for a while. He just watched the shadow of the person who was standing behind him. Tall and imposing, just as he remembered.

He turned around.

”You’re still short.”

Muon stared at the man before him.

His eyes widened. His lips parted.

”... brother?”

Richard took another drag from his cigar. ”Yeah.”

Muon’s eyes immediately filled with tears. ”Richard!”

He lunged forward.

Richard barely had time to move before Muon wrapped both arms around him.

”You’re alive!”

Richard’s cigar remained between his fingers as he looked down at the boy clinging to him. ”Get off.”

”I thought you were dead!”

”I’m not.”

”I thought everyone was dead!”

”Most of them are.”

Muon squeezed him harder. ”I thought...”

Richard calmly took another drag.

”Wait! You’re supposed to be old!”

”I am old.”

”You don’t look old!”

”You brat. Did you forget what I am?”

”Right...a protector.” Muon hugged him tighter.

”Get off me.”

He pulled back just enough to look at Richard, tears streaming down his face. ”You waited for me?”

Richard stared at him. ”No.”

Muon’s expression dropped. ”You didn’t?”

Richard exhaled smoke. ”You took six hundred years to wake up, and that only happened because my son woke you up. I stopped waiting after the first hundred.”

Muon’s face twisted. ”That’s so mean!”

He immediately hugged him again.

Richard shoved him off. He stumbled slightly and regained his footing. Then he sniffed and wiped his face.

”You’re really Richard. I thought I’d never see you again.” he chuckled softly. ”I have been a bit conscious of my body. Trapped, but conscious. The sun rose and fell. I stopped counting after a hundred years. I thought it would be pointless.”

Richard stared at him for a moment, before turning around and walking away.

”Hey! Listen to me at least!”

The others watched in complete silence.

Jordan finally whispered, ”Is this actually the legendary Lord Muon?”

Sienna nodded slowly. ”I think so.”

Rowen stared at Muon, who was still nagging.

”He’s the most emotional person I’ve ever seen.”

”Hey! I heard that!” Muon snapped at him.

”Are you saying my father is like...six hundred years old?” Jordan suddenly asked.

”Six hundred is a grain in a bag, boy.” Muon scoffed.

”And what was he doing when you were founding Salvador and unifying this world?” Jordan asked.

”Unifying what now?”

”The statue.”

Muon laughed. ”What the hell!” He held his stomach. ”The statue isn’t me. That’s Richard.”