Inside Higrove’s Academy, at the top floor of the main building, a chubby man was looking out of the windows. While he was wearing a long dark blue robe that hid most of his body, it still had a wide girth.

“Sigh, it’s been almost 7 years… The next phase of the plan should start. I wonder if that annoying Executor that was monitoring me back then will show up this time too.” he sighed. While he may have changed over the years, this person was none other than Alfred Leon, the last surviving member of the Leon family that survived the unsolved massacre back 7 years ago.

He was also now a proud, full ranking member of The Organization, the secret society that he was aiming for all those years ago.

As a member, he was serving under a Master, that governed the area from the ‘shadows’. While he was nothing more than an expendable minion, he knew it was just a small stop in his thirst for power. He will climb the ranks and reach the coveted Executor rank. The only problem was that the number of Executors was limited at 12. They all had no names, just a number that also served as ranking. They went from Number 1 to Number 12.

There were legends about another Executor, their mysterious leader, the strongest being in the whole organization after the Grandmaster of course. This person was rumored to be Number 0, but most just referred to him as the Reaper. Nobody knew who it was, or what it was, this figure rarely appeared throughout history claiming thousands of lives in a single second on a battlefield before vanishing just as mysteriously as it appeared… (A/N.: more about it in the “World Legends” chapter in the Auxiliary volume)

Balling his right hand into a fist, Alfred punched the wall angrily. Looking at the small gash that opened as a result he looked at the distance, as he silently muttered.

“Mark my words, I will take your spot and be one of the Executors. You forced my hand back then, and you will have to pay the price. Just you wait.”

—

Back in the Pocket World, the situation was still the same as before. As minutes passed, beads of sweat gathered on Aiden’s forehead. He was concentrating, focusing his will on breaking the seemingly unbreakable barrier.

While he was focusing his everything on the goal ahead, inside his Soul Space, Enya was looking at the events with a troubled expression. She had long guessed that most likely this enemy was much stronger than them, and the aim for this exercise wasn’t to win, but something else, something much crueler.

[What does she want to teach with this… No matter, we will prove him wrong, and overcome this obstacle just like all the others!] she muttered to herself. Then focusing on Aiden’s mind, she talked to him.

[Focus Aiden, you can do it! Prove everybody that only YOU can decide your fate, you write your own Destiny! Prove your master that nobody should look down on the last primal!]

‘I know… But what more can I do?! I’m doing my best already!’

By now, Enya knew how most of Aiden’s power worked. His Draconic Heritage that he gained back in the underwater cave during his very first days was strongly reliant on his emotional state.

Looking back, the first time the innate ability was activated was when that Young Lord from the city came looking for Granny and was saying harmful things about his loved ones.

[Emotions… I see.] she muttered. With that, she now knew what she must do. She has already intervened once, and she will do so again if it means Aiden will survive. Nothing else matters.

[Aiden!] she spoke. [If that is all the power you can muster, then your little sister, Lily will be hurt. She may even die here, and it will be your fault. Can you understand it? The one that’s most precious to you, will suffer just because you were too weak, too pathetic to protect her. You promised to yourself that you will keep her safe!]

‘Stop it!’ Aiden groaned. Enya could feel his heart rate increasing, meaning she was on the right path, but she needs to push more.

[I’m sorry for this Aiden, but you need to see.] As she said that, the system started flooding Aiden’s mind with images of the destruction this battle would cause. They were possible scenarios, possible futures, where he failed in various ways. In the first one, he managed to push through but as he was too tired to continue, he was defeated easily. As he watched himself lying on the ground unconscious, he saw Lily desperately attacking this unbeatable foe, only to be horribly mutilated by a single blow to her head. The next moment, her lifeless and bloodied body fell to the ground right next to Aiden.

Aiden saw as the old man looked at them with a cruel smile, laughing at their miserable fate.

The next moment, another scene appeared inside Aiden’s mind. This time, he didn’t even manage to push through, and as the old man raised his hand, black tentacles formed from the void appeared and penetrated both kids at the same time. They watched how their bodies withered as the tentacles siphoned the Life Essence out of their bodies, leaving only a lifeless husk behind.

Various scenes of their gruesome and brutal demise appeared one after another in Aiden’s mind, overloading him.

‘Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it…’ he muttered. As despair filled his heart, the black smoke started to fade, dissipate into the air.

Looking at the events in front of him, he felt as reality started to slip away. He looked at Lily, and as tears started forming in his eyes, he whispered barely audible.

“I’m sorry… I don’t… I can’t lose you…”

Lily was shocked by seeing his brother in this state. One moment he was fine, and he was close to pushing through and in the next, he was crying and apologizing to her. What happened?!

“Brother… What is wrong? How can I help you! Tell me!” she asked. Just looking at the state he was in, she was also fighting to calm herself down, lest to cause more grief to the already unstable Aiden.

“No… I failed. You can’t… I need to… I need to…”

As Aiden was struggling to continue, Enya’s voice finally broke through the emotional barriers he surrounded herself with inwardly.

[Push through Aiden! You have to protect her! Don’t let those visions come to reality. Only you control your fate and nobody else! You are not weak, you are strong, you are a PRIMAL! Now show the world the true power of a primal! Feel your power, push through the gates, and let it out!]

Hearing her voice, Aiden looked at Lily who was waiting for him to continue. He could see that she was fighting against her tears, and was trying to be strong, not showing how scared she actually was.

“No. I…” momentarily stopping Aiden sighed, and continued.” …I promised that I will keep you safe, and I will do just that. I will not let harm come to you, you are my most important treasure, my precious little sister.”

“Big sister, you dummy…” she muttered, barely able to keep herself from crying out and rushing into his embrace. This was not the right time for that.

“Yes, my precious BIG sister! I have to do something I never did before, just please, trust me. I may not know how this will end, but I will not let anything harm you!”

Not waiting for her answer, Aiden looked back at the old man, who was looking at them with his black unnatural eyes still motionless and safe inside his energy shield.

[Now Aiden, focus on the feeling you felt when you saw Lily die on all the visions you saw. Don’t focus on the failing, only on Lily. Find that anger, find that fury, and grab hold of it! Once you do, grab hold of it, and don’t let go! Feed off from that emotion, let your fury consume you, and open the gates to your inner power!]

Doing as instructed, he once again looked at the images. Thinking back on the scenes, first, he only felt the same despair because of his multiple failures. Despair, anguish because he couldn’t keep his promise to the one person that mattered the most. Distress, sorrow, and disappointment because in the end, he was just a weak nobody, nothing more.

But, behind all this self-loathing, he found something else, something more. A tiny spark of anger buried behind all those negative emotions, anger, and fury against his enemies, who dares to cause harm to this innocent girl. That was it, this was what Enya wanted him to find!

Focusing on it, he pushed through the walls of depression and just focused on this rage, this anger, this fury directed towards one person.

Opening up his eyes, he looked at the old man and smiled.

The battle has only just begun!