After the glorious chaos of the meal, the three brothers found themselves in the main courtyard, lying on their backs in the soft, unnaturally-green grass, facing the sky above the sky. The air in Empyrean was clear and sharp, and from here, the onyx statue of their father looked like a dark needle piercing the heavens.
It was a perfect, lazy afternoon.
"Hey, I saw a black lightning today," Lexel said, suddenly breaking the calm immersion. He leered at his two brothers by his side, his hands folded behind his head. "Guess you won't believe it, huh?"
"I saw it too," Seleron said, his voice flat. He hadn't moved a muscle.
"Yeah, me too," Myda chimed in, propped up on his elbows. "And I'm not just saying that because you two saw it. It was a spatial anomaly, a 'snag' in the fabric."
Lexel rolled his eyes. "A 'snag.' Of course that's what you'd call it, Myda. I call it 'a bad omen,' or, 'a new adventure.'"
Before Seleron could tell him he was an idiot, the soft sound of footsteps on the grass made all three of them look up.
A pair of beautiful women, their arms linked, passed them by. They were both... very pregnant, their divine forms now softened by motherhood.
The first, with long, flowing purple hair and a gentle smile, was Mother Luna. The other was almost her opposite, her gaze sharp, her "Cultivation" aura as bright as a star. She had the eyes of a dragon—jade-green irises with white, slit pupils. This was Mother Lumina.
"Hmm? What are you three doing here?" asked Luna, her voice as soft as her smile.
"Oh, it's Mother Luna, and Mother Lumina," Lexel said, scrambling to his feet. He gave a respectful, if lazy, bow. His brothers followed.
"Wait, are you two also joining the 'Anniversary'?" asked Myda, his eyes wide with a strange mix of curiosity and dread.
"No way, right?" Seleron asked, looking genuinely disturbed. "But... then again, it's Dad we're talking about. His... 'stamina' is legendary."
THWACK. THWACK. THWACK.
Lumina's fingers, in a blur, flicked and snapped all three of their foreheads.
"Ouch!" "Ack!" "Uh!"
"T-That's..." Luna sighed, her face blushing a deep crimson. "Well, it is your dad. It's not like this is my first time. He invited us both, of course," she said, patting her round belly. "But... we can choose to lay rest. I think we will."
"You should take the bad examples of your father out of your mind," Lumina said, her dragon-eyes sharp. Her voice, unlike Luna's, had a clear, commanding edge. "I remember when he was but a fledgling wandering swordsman, saving me from the confines of royalty and an arranged marriage. He was a hero. And I hope, one day, you three will have those kinds of moments... and do the right thing."
"I've heard the stories," Lexel said, rubbing his forehead. "Mother Cecile told me. You were... 'quite the handful,' she said."
"Good," Lumina nodded, a small, dangerous smile on her lips. "That she did."
"Speaking of which, it's odd that we didn't see her," Myda noted, changing the subject.
"Yeah," Seleron shrugged. "We saw Mother Selena and Mother Maria. Might as well complete the mother collection."
"She is probably busy," Luna said, her soft smile returning. "You know Cecile is the busiest of them all. She is basically the second heart of Empyrean. She keeps the entire empire running, especially the legions." "More or less," Lumina added, "I know how hectic it is."
"BUT," Lexel pointed out, "it's father's favorite week. It's the Anniversary Week!"
"Yeah, I know," Luna nodded, her blush returning.
"What are you three going to do this week?" Lumina asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "I know you three couldn't stand the sound of your parents'... uhmm... intimate... voices?"
Lexel visibly shuddered. "Oh yeah, that brought trauma, alright," he said, his face pale. "I'll never forget last year. I never thought Dad would use the entire Empyrean, the floating continent itself, as his personal bedroom. The... echoes..."
"Agreed," Myda and Seleron nodded, their faces equally grim.
"And now, they can't even pretend not to have 'fun,'" Lexel continued, his voice full of a son's trauma. "I mean, we've known what 'that' is for a few years now. They don't have to be that loud."
"Hahaha, alright, alright," Luna laughed, her face bright red. "We'll leave you three to whatever you're doing."
"Stay safe, you three," Lumina said, her severe expression softening.
"Of course, mothers!" the three said in unison.
As they watched both pregnant women leave the huge courtyard, Lexel took a deep, cleansing breath. "Okay. New plan. We are not staying in Empyrean this week."
"Agreed," Seleron said.
"Agreed," Myda echoed.
"Why don't we check that 'black lightning' that we saw?" Lexel asked, a new, adventurous spark in his eye.
"It's better than being here," Seleron said. He didn't even wait for a reply, his "Cultivation" flared, and he shot into the sky.
"Hey, wait!" Myda called, launching after him.
"Last one there is a rotten Hellboar!" Lexel yelled, tagging along, his own "Cultivation" a red-auburn blur.
The three of them flew over the golden spires of Empyrean before exiting its "realm" completely. They shot through the cloud barrier, basking in the open sky, their laughter echoing as they held a small, impromptu race, pushing and pranking each other on the way down to the "Mortal Realm."
"I think it's around here," Lexel said, his senses scanning the ground far below. He dove, his brothers following, and soon found a vast, ancient forest. He landed gracefully in a small clearing in front of a cave.
The cave wasn't particularly complicated; in fact, it was just a dark, shallow opening in the side of a hill, suited for rainy days. One could almost see the end of it.
"Are you sure it's around here?" Seleron asked as he landed, his arms crossed. "This just looks like a bear's den. Maybe a little to the left?"
"C'mon, Seleron, it's a cave," Myda said, landing last. "The mysterious 'omen' has got to be in the mysterious 'cave.' It's classic storytelling."
"That would be too obvio—"
BZZT-KRAK!
Before Seleron could finish his sentence, the "black lightning" (the "anomaly") formed again, right in front of their eyes. It wasn't a "flash"; it was a tear. It licked the air, crackling with a "hollow" energy that felt wrong to their "Cultivation." This time it was not as big as the first two ones they'd glimpsed. This time, it was... stable.
"—Of course," Seleron sighed.
"You think we should get help?" Myda asked, his hand instinctively moving to the "alchemy" pouch on his belt. "Well... just a thought."
"Yeah? And ruin Dad's 'Anniversary Week'?" Lexel shook his head, a look of pure disgust on his face. "Bad move. He'd probably kill us before the enemy did."
"How about grandpa?" Myda asked.
"Which one?" Seleron shot back.
"Anyone—Look! It's expanding!" Myda shouted, pointing.
The black, lightning-like tear was "tearing" the space, ripping itself into a dark, swirling circle. It created a torrent pattern, a vortex... a portal. The air grew heavy, static, and smelled of ozone and dust.
"It.... stopped?" Lexel and the other two tilted their heads, watching the now-stable, "hollow" portal.
A single boot, made of gray, unadorned steel, stepped through.
Then, a full figure entered. It was a knight, his armor a dull, gray sheen, without any "Cultivation" runes or "enchantments." It looked... manufactured. He wore no helmet, and his face was plain, without any special features.
"Huh?" The man looked at the three young men.
The Knight's eyes narrowed, scanning the three of them. A "System"—a fundamental law to his world, but invisible to the trio—flared to life in his vision.
[Scanning. . . . ]
[Lv: ?? (Red Font)]
[Threat Rank: Unidentified]
The Knight's expression didn't change. This was what the Guild reports warned about. A "Black Portal" Anomaly. [Unidentified Threat]. His hand instinctively tightened on his sword hilt, but his "System" also told him to [Proceed with caution].
Then... he looked at them. They were just... teenagers. Rich-looking kids in fancy robes, not battle-hardened warriors. One of them (Lexel) was even... pouting?
The Knight's caution was instantly replaced by a hot, surging wave of greed. 'Unidentified' just meant 'new.' And 'new' meant 'rare.' 'Lv??' didn't mean 'infinite'; it just meant the System couldn't 'categorize' them. They were 'glitched.' And 'glitched' targets? They were worth a fortune.
"Aww man, it's a dude," Lexel said, his shoulders slumping, his voice full of dejection. "I was really hoping for a Valkyrie... or maybe a 'Fox-girl'..."
"Well, he's not alone," Seleron said, his hand now resting on the hilt of his sword.
Three more figures stepped through the portal. A lady with a staff, her "hollow" energy feeling vaguely "magical." Another man with two swords. And a final, tall man with a huge, crude axe. A classic "party."
Myda looked at the four of them, his gaze sharp as he carefully watched every movement. "They feel... weak. But 'hollow.' What is this energy?"
"This is our first time entering a 'Black Portal,'" the mage lady said, her voice trembling slightly. "Better be careful."
"I've scanned them, don't worry," the Knight leader said, his smile full of greed. He had already reassured his party. "They're just 'glitched' civilians. They must be worth a lot of [Exp] and drop a lot of 'rare' [loot]. Look at those robes!"
"Are you guys... bandits?" Myda asked, genuinely curious.
"B-BandITS?! Hahahaha!" The tall one with the axe laughed, a deep, booming sound. "That's the first thing you thought of? Kid, our leader here is a [Knight]. We have no [Thief] or [Assassin] class here!"
Lexel frowned, his "pervert" smirk replaced with pure confusion. "Dude, I only know half the things you just said. 'Class'? 'Exp'? 'Loot'? What are you babbling about?"
"Why do we even talk to [Exp Fodder]?" the dual-sword wielder sneered. "When we can just—farm them!"
The dual-sword wielder activated some kind of "skill" and shot straight toward Lexel, his blades aimed at Lexel's throat.