"This war… that you mentioned, how long ago did it happen?" Mize suddenly asked.
The faint glow ahead grew stronger, the end of the passage creeping closer with every slow, echoing step.
"Unknown," Liam replied, voice calm as always, lips curled into a faint smile that hadn't faded since they started walking.
Mize drifted beside him, her silken hair brushing against the edge of her robe as she glided inches above the ground.
She tilted her head slightly, voice crisper this time. "Then how do you know it even happened?"
"I have my own ways of finding things out," Liam said.
His tone didn't shift, but a flicker of something passed through his eyes.
A moment later, he sighed, gaze drifting forward again.
"Though… it's frustrating. None of the records mention when it took place. Not even a vague timeline. Maybe only those beings know the real truth."
"Most information on the warp's history was barely revealed, and the rest kept hidden by those forces"
"Those beings?" Mize clicked her tongue, brows drawing together in an irked little twist. "Now you're just trying to sound mysterious."
Liam gave a noncommittal shrug, cloak rustling faintly. "Can't help it. I'm as lost in the weeds as you are. There's just… too much. Too many scraps of information, too many sources contradicting each other."
"Take the Awakeners proffesion as an example, since there are simply too many proffesion to count, there are no generalized guide for them. Only experts that had walked those paths could provide it but why should they?"
"My path is the same as yours, unique, extremely unique that we have no choice but to explore on our own"
"I even wasted a lot of money on those spell books, and ultimately wasting a lot of time trying to learn them"
"In the end, I couldn't use them at all. Each path possessed their own way of conjuring each spells, and those books were meant only for the common proffesions, not us"
His hand shifted slightly on the cane, its tip clicking dully against the stone floor.
"Honestly, if we didn't have awakeners' bodies, our minds would've shattered trying to piece this mess together."
"I get that," Mize muttered, arms folding across her chest as she floated alongside him.
Her expression twisted into something between annoyance and exhaustion. "It's insane how much we're expected to know"
"Just being a lord alone feels like memorizing an encyclopedia written in five different languages. Territory management, tier systems, strength levels, profession paths, attribute scaling... and that's just scratching the surface of one damn topic."
She exhaled slowly through her nose, face scrunching in exasperation. "And then there's more, treasure chests, resource points, hidden systems... Honestly, I barely know anything. I've just been flailing around since day one and hoping for the best."
"Playing the game and playing it in reality felt different, like an enhanced version in a hardcore mode"
Her words trailed off into a soft sigh, and she puffed her cheeks in a pout, clearly irritated at how ridiculous her journey through the warp had been so far.
"You're not alone," Liam said, his tone gentler now, almost fond.
The light ahead broke fully over their forms as they stepped out into an open space, leaving the tunnel behind.
"In fact, most awakeners are in the same boat. Me included," he continued, eyes scanning the vast chamber unfolding before them.
Stone walls stretched far and wide, cold and hollow, yet humming faintly.
"Most of the real knowledge is locked away. Even most awakeners don't have access to it."
He lifted the cane slightly, tapping it on the ground with a casual rhythm. "The public only gets the basics. The real depths, the systems, the secrets, the actual functioning world behind the scenes, those are hoarded by the top. Academies, empires, factions... all guarding it like dragons over gold."
"This applies to all races. But luckily enough, we are in the top few that are living comfortably. Compared to the other lords, they are in a much worse state"
"Even when the trial ends which god knows when, most of the Lords wouldn't even be eligible to join those forces. They only recruit talented individuals"
"I see..." Mize's small voice echoed softly beside him, her eyes narrowing as she took in the vast space.
The eerie stillness of it didn't seem to bother her. Instead, her expression grew thoughtful.
"No wonder you wanted to join one of those academies after this whole newbie lord trial," she said slowly, her tone a touch accusatory, a touch amused. "it seems like a scam, having to join one of those forces for the true knowledge of the warp"
Liam's lips curled wider. "Correct. It seems my adorable kitten is growing sharper. How cute."
"Ah... humph," Mize pouted again, turning her face away with a dramatic flick of her hair.
But even with the act, the small glimmer of satisfaction on her face betrayed her. She didn't mind the praise.
Not at all.
They stepped forward into a space that didn't belong in the natural world.
The moment their feet crossed the threshold, the environment shifted.
Perspective warped slightly, subtle, but impossible not to notice.
The air itself felt thinner. Their steps echoed faintly across a vast, white expanse that stretched far beyond what normal eyes should have been able to see.
Mize narrowed her gaze. The floor was pristine, blank, and slightly luminous. She could feel it now.
The spatial distortion was subtle, but constant.
This entire place was being held together by a spatial formation, one powerful enough to expand a limited area into something that felt endless.
'How can a tier 3 awakener being able to do this much?' Mize hummed...
Her lips curled into a faint smirk.
Still, without a word, she followed behind Liam, letting his pace guide her forward.
Her gaze flicked around, but no matter where she looked, it was the same, empty white nothingness.
No pillars. No ceiling. No visible walls. Just space.
Endless, suffocating space.
She had no idea just how far Liam's mastery over spatial formations extended, but she was quickly realizing… it might be better not to ask.
"Training ground?" she asked casually, floating beside him as they continued.
"Mhm." Liam nodded, his pace unchanging.
They reached the center of the space. It wasn't marked by grand architecture or glowing runes, just a simple black 'X' etched into the floor, stark and out of place against the glowing white beneath it.
Mize hovered just above it, tilting her head. "If I didn't know better, I'd start digging here. That X feels like it's hiding treasure or something."
"Perhaps there is" Liam smiled.
She turned slightly, unsure what to expect next. "So… how exactly do we start this 'training'?"
Instead of answering with words, Liam raised his hand and flicked his fingers.
At first, Mize almost missed it. A faint shimmer, nearly transparent, formed at the tips of his movements.
Lines twisted in the air, barely visible unless one looked directly at them.
Some kind of formation diagram, clearly, but so delicate, it could've passed for a mirage.
Then, the ground beneath them trembled slightly.
Smooth white tiles rippled like water, and two chairs emerged from the floor, crafted from the same pale material.
"First is observation," Liam said, already taking his seat.
"We'll start with a real-life demonstration, my soldiers in combat. That'll make the basics easier to understand."
Mize followed, her feet touching down softly. She adjusted her hair with a quick swipe of her hand, then sat down with a faint huff.
Her back straightened automatically, and her hands folded over her lap, one leg loosely crossed over the other.
She raised a brow, eyes bright. "Tier 3?"
"Tier 3," Liam confirmed, nodding once.
"Then this'll be your first formal lesson from me." His grin widened as he spoke.
Another flick of his fingers, and again, she saw it. That tiny, glowing pattern forming briefly before dissolving into the air like mist.
"Awaken," he whispered.
Her gaze shot forward immediately.
From the floor beneath Liam's feet, shadows rippled outward, pitch-black tendrils stretching unnaturally across the white surface.
They moved like liquid but coiled like smoke, expanding and shifting until they began to rise, forming towering humanoid shapes.
Two massive figures emerged, one clad in deep black armor, the other robed in arcane cloth etched with dull glyphs.
Their forms solidified gradually, until they stood like looming statues before them.
Tier 3 Dark Knight. Tier 3 Battle Mage.
Familiar figures.
As soon as their forms were complete, both dropped to one knee in perfect synchronization.
Their heads bowed low, and their voices rang out, deep and solemn.
"We see the Lords."
"We see Her Highness."
"At ease," Liam said with a calm smile, waving his hand lightly.
He leaned forward a little, elbows resting on his thighs. "One of the Ten Orders should've informed you about today's task. I assume that's the case?"
"Yes, my Lord. We have been informed," they responded, heads still bowed. "We will carry out your will to the best of our ability."
Mize's ears twitched at the mention.
Ten Orders?
Her curiosity spiked instantly.
'Ten shadow orders…?' she mused, her gaze sliding to the side, studying Liam's profile. 'Another layer to this guy?'
She mentally ran through everything she'd seen so far, the strange water realm hidden beneath the castle, the eerie lab marked as Aizen's, all the odd locations tucked away behind locked doors and spatial seals.
And now this? Hidden orders?
How deep did this guy go?
She stared at him from the corner of her eye, lips pressed into a thin line.
Just how many secrets are buried inside this man?
She leaned back slightly, arms crossed.
The old sayings were right. The more you learn, the more you realize how little you actually know.
She clicked her tongue softly. "Tch. Annoying."
Liam, entirely oblivious to her mental spiral, raised a hand again. "Then let's begin," he said, his voice as relaxed as ever. "Show us what a real shadow fight looks like."
"Yes, my Lord," the two soldiers intoned in unison, then rose.
With no hesitation, both spun and dashed backwards, swift.
Their boots struck the floor once, then twice, then they were off, retreating with clean momentum until they stood precisely one hundred meters apart.
Perfect symmetry. Perfect spacing.
"Mimi," Liam called without turning, hand gesturing lightly. "Watch carefully. If anything confuses you, just ask."
He smiled faintly, not taking his eyes off the battlefield forming before them.