Shortly after he left, Levi began to devise ways to complete his awakening. It was evident that the best way forward was to build up enough power and get rid of the rats hiding within the duchy. He took a moment to steady himself as he turned left down another corridor. His next destination was the training grounds. He was unsure how many men on patrol he would meet, but the fewer the better. And if he needed to, he would simply instruct them to give him a moment to himself.
His pace remained lazy, hands clasped behind his back, and his thoughts wandered as he made his way absentmindedly toward the training grounds.
Okay, so just to be clear, the engagement by now should have been broken off. I do not know whether that's a plus or a minus considering im going to heavily change the future. I probably should also stick to one sword style for now. Having learned as many as I did while on my nomadic trips in my past life will raise a lot of suspicion if I use them all. Hmm… so I'll just use the duchy style. I didn't learn most of it, to be honest, so I should gain some insight while I'm still here. There's also the issue of the spies. If I can get rid of those as quickly as possible, then perhaps the civil war will not happen—or at least not as imminently as it should, given the current moment in time I'm existing. He sighed inwardly. Oh, looks like I'm here.
He stopped. His robe fluttered slightly around him, and his hair danced serenely with the wind. His golden eyes scanned the training grounds for any knights. It looked empty; either no one had arrived yet, or whoever had been here earlier had already taken their leave. Good. He was alone, and he could proceed with what he came to do.
Walking toward a secluded corner, he sat cross-legged, placed both hands on his knees, and took a deep breath.
Okay… here goes nothing.
And with that, he did what he had done in his previous life, when he was forced to break through while on the run in the forest of Kantna. Having only been partially awakened, he had a vague sense of what his essence felt like and where it was located. But he could not pinpoint it precisely. So he tried to force his core to push out as much essence as it could and let the essence carve its own natural path through his body.
It was crude and painful—of course it was—but effective. It would get him over the line.
Perhaps I'll finally find out why I didn't awaken at the proper time in this life, he told himself, and he began.
The pain was excruciating, perhaps greater than anything he had experienced in this life or the previous one. But it was not unbearable to the point of death. Muffled screams slipped from his lips as his form began to glow faintly under the moonlight.
It was a sight to behold.
The courtyard was silent except for the occasional groan that escaped his lips. But he could feel it now—his essence—clearer and clearer with every passing minute. It rushed through him like a rising crescendo, like a slow hymn suddenly climbing in tempo. Bit by bit, scream after scream, it twisted and surged within his body, tearing through his circuits as his power raged and roared.
Until finally—
With an explosive pulse of presence, his essence ignited. His core, burning hot within him, thrummed with power. A gasp tore from his lungs as he collapsed backwards, his breath shallow and uneven, his chest rising and falling in heavy waves.
I did it, he thought.
The clanking of armour echoed somewhere in the distance. Of course. His awakening had alerted the patrols. A surge of essence that intense would be sensed by any competent master in the house.
His vision wavered. Consciousness flickered.
No… no, no, no—not right now, he told himself, desperately trying to cling to awareness.
But the darkness took him anyway.
Alex was the first to arrive on the scene. After encountering the young master earlier, his suspicions about what Levi was doing this late in the night had only grown. He had turned on his heel and followed him — and now it had led him to quite the spectacle. Earlier, he had not sensed the young man's presence at all. But now, as he gazed upon Levi's unconscious form, he could feel essence — deep, rich, and potent. Too rich for someone in the initial stage. Too deep for someone as tender-aged as him.
But his eyes were not lying to him.
"He awoke… he awoke?!," Alex whispered, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.
More shouts sounded. Guards were making their way toward the training grounds, armour clanking noisily.
"Commander Alex, what happened here? Don't tell me you attacked the young master!"
Lines of guards poured into the courtyard, some gripping their weapons, a few with blades already drawn.
"You must know better than anyone that even if the Duke isn't on good terms with his son, he is still the Duke of Solereth's heir," one guard barked. "Commander Alex, surely you—"
The scolding was cut short by a rough, authoritative voice.
"Enough. Step aside."General Crawford had arrived.
Alex stepped back and placed a hand on his hilt — not in threat, but instinctively, defensively, hoping they would see he had no hostility in his stance.
"General," Alex said with a salute — fist to chest. "I arrived just as everyone else did. Earlier, I encountered the young master. He seemed… different, to say the least. I followed him, and found him here, lying on the ground."
The General's gaze shifted past Alex to Levi's still form. The boy's body was unharmed, though drenched in sweat. And faint wisps of essence clung to him like steam rising from embers.
"Is that… essence?" the old man muttered.
"Yes, General," Alex replied. "It seems the eldest of Solereth is indeed still a star."
Gasps erupted from the soldiers. Murmurs rippled across the courtyard like stirred water.
"He awoke?"
"How? That's impossible."
"Isn't his condition an artefact?"
"No one awakens that late after ten and it's ever only within two years! Seven years late? Impossible!"
"What is going on?"
Voices clashed, mixed with fear, awe, and disbelief.
General Crawford's stern gaze cut through the noise like a blade. His expression was hard, unreadable. What had happened here was unheard of, unprecedented — yet clearly, Commander Alex had not laid a hand on the boy.
Before the general could speak, a deep baritone thundered through the courtyard:
"What is the meaning of this?"
Silence dropped instantly. Then the courtyard resounded with the sound of kneeling armour.
"We greet the Grand Duke, Lord of Solareth! Draken Solareth! May your sun rise and never set — rise and never set!"
It was the customary salute of Solareth's soldiers.
"General," the Duke said, voice cold with a growing fury. "Explain. Why is my son lying on the ground? What was that burst of essence? And why is he not in his room? Do not tell me there was an assassination attempt."
"Forgive me, my lord," the general replied. "But it seems… although impossible… the young lord has awakened."
Dead silence.
"General," the Duke said quietly, dangerously, "I do not take such jokes lightly. You must know my temper has been strained as of late."
"Yes, my lord. I understand. But… see for yourself."
The Duke strode forward, past the general and commander. His eyes fell upon his son's unconscious form — black hair fanned across the ground, the boy's face calm, bearing the features of both parents.
Still in his night robe, the Duke knelt and placed a hand on the boy's chest.
A crushing aura exploded outward.
"My lord — restrain yourself! Some of the soldiers cannot endure it!"
The Duke blinked, then immediately pulled back the majority of his presence.
"My apologies," he said quietly. "I lost myself for a moment. I… got carried away."
"It is well, my lord," the General said. "We are all equally surprised."
"Very well," the Duke said, rising. "Pick him up. Take him to his chambers. Send our finest healers."
He paused, looking once more at his son.
"I will see him in the morning."
With that, the Grand Duke left the courtyard, his robe trailing behind him. As he walked away, he could hear the knights erupting into hushed debates — some excited, some terrified, some utterly bewildered.
But Draken Solereth himself…
He felt something else entirely. For the first time in a long while, perhaps the Sun of Solareth had finally passed its eclipse.