Maven pulled out a small blue box with a thin yellow line along its edge. Nolan accepted it, sensing an unfamiliar, faint aura emanating from it. It was definitely no ordinary artifact.
"What is this, Uncle?" Nolan asked quietly.
"Antares said this is an S-class magic artifact for you," Maven replied. "But I don't know what it does."
Nolan looked down and examined the box in his hands. He tried to channel his mana into it, but it didn't respond. It didn't open. It didn't vibrate. It seemed to be resisting.
"How do I open it?" Nolan muttered to himself.
"You can try it yourself," Maven said, gently patting him on the shoulder. "But be careful. You'll understand its purpose once you open it."
With that, Maven left the Moon Garden, leaving Nolan alone with the mysterious box.
Shortly afterward, Nolan hurried back to the dormitory. He entered his room and quickly locked the door.
In the middle of the spacious room, he channeled his mana into the small box again. This time, something changed. The lines on the box's surface began to glow brightly. A pattern slowly formed on the lid—a circular line with a star-like symbol in the center.
Suddenly, the box floated in front of Nolan. A blinding light shone, causing him to close his eyes instinctively.
When he opened them again, he realized he was no longer in his room.
He was now standing in a large room. The ceiling was filled with starlight, as if the cosmos stretched out above him. A large chair stood before him, and a giant mural depicting the solar system stretched behind it.
Slowly, Nolan began to realize that he recognized the place.
"How am I in Arathen Church Hall?" he muttered under his breath. "Am I really in the Arathen Church Hall? The distance between the Death God Guild Castle and the city of Athens is so great."
His confusion didn't clear up as he looked around the hall. That was when someone emerged from behind a large mural depicting the solar system. A man with blue hair that fell to his shoulders stepped out; his hair was pinned up by a silver accessory. His sky-blue robes swept calmly across the floor.
"Dad?"
Nolan stared at Antares, who now stood before him. "Dad, how did I get here?" he asked, his voice filled with doubt.
Suddenly, the black box that had been open and floating in front of Nolan moved. It flew toward Antares and landed in his hand as the lid closed.
"This place does look similar to the Arathen Church Hall," Antares said calmly, "but it is my Heavenless Star Domain, embedded in the Blue Lagoon Palace."
"What do you mean?" Nolan frowned, staring at the large hall that felt so familiar. "I don't understand at all. Is this... Dad's place of exile?"
Antares approached and gently stroked Nolan's white hair, as usual.
"That's why Dad never truly left the Arathen Church Hall."
For some reason, Nolan felt a faint sense of sympathy. Even though Antares wasn't his real father, the emotional bond between them was still palpable. He had felt the same way in his life on Earth until James, his father, was killed by a government conspiracy. Antares's fate was no different; he was imprisoned to maintain internal balance.
"Demon Emperor Hades is indeed weakened," Antares continued, "but not the Daemon race. Moreover, the Dark Sentinels will return to exploit the chaos."
"Did Dad ask me to come here because of the Trial of Transcendence?" Nolan asked. A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, especially as he remembered the conversation he had overheard. "Does this also have something to do with the Divine Church Hall? I overheard Uncle Vincent and Uncle Maven talking," he said quickly.
Antares nodded slowly.
"I predicted it two days ago. This Transcendent Trial will be disrupted again by the arrival of the Daemon race and the Dark Sentinels, who seek to create chaos."
However, after that explanation, one question remained unanswered.
He then added, "The Divine Church Hall is the gateway to life—the guardian of the Earth Realm's balance. It holds back the dark mist that gives birth to Demonic Beasts and prevents the world's total destruction."
Nolan furrowed his brows.
If the Divine Church Hall plays such an important role,
Then why is Uncle Vincent so furious?
Then, Antares swung his hand into the air. A silvery ball of light appeared in his palm and shot up into the sky of the hall, which was filled with artificial stars. A moment later, the light expanded and formed a giant map stretching out above their heads. Another circle of light appeared, revealing the silhouette of a large building resembling a church, as if submerged in water.
Unfortunately, all Nolan could see was a silhouette. Nolan could only deduce that it was a church. Its shape was unclear because most of the structure was submerged in water and shrouded in darkness. One thing was certain, though: it was underwater.
Previously, Nolan had tried to find information about the Divine Church Hall at the library. However, not a single historical record mentioned the building or place by name. It was as if its existence had been deliberately kept secret or locked away in a forbidden archive not made public.
"What is the Divine Church Hall?" Nolan asked, unable to conceal his curiosity.
"The First Divine Church Hall: The Church of the Water God," Antares replied simply.
He looked at his father. Antares paused for a moment, as if considering something, until the topic was dropped. Then he said, "You have now ascended to Sequence 2. This has to do with your need for sufficient training to make you truly strong." Antares paused, ran a hand through his white mane, and looked at Nolan sternly. There was a hint of worry in his eyes. "Dad can rest easy worrying about you."
He continued, "Also, don't rely on mana energy balls too often, especially in an emergency. They won't improve your condition."
Nolan turned to Antares, who was standing beside him. "How do you know?"
"Dad is a healer. I can sense how often your mana is being depleted and how often you're using mana energy balls." Antares exhaled softly. "Don't use them constantly unless you absolutely have to. The side effects could stall your progress. You know, one of the ingredients in mana energy balls is the essence of the Daemon race's black crystal combined with our white crystal."
Nolan raised his eyebrows. All he knew was that mana energy orbs were an effective magical remedy for increasing mana and aiding advancement. Sentinel healers often used them to help Sentinels break through the bottlenecks they experienced, especially since the Daemon race itself didn't experience such limitations when advancing.
"That's why the effects on Sentinels weren't so good," Nolan said quietly. "Because the mana energy was completely drained after being released in such large quantities."
Antares's words left Nolan speechless for a moment.
All this time, he knew that within the Hexagonal Chain, Caelthorn had stored a large number of mana orbs—energy stolen from Catherine. It wasn't due to ambition, but to weakness. His body was too fragile, his mana foundation too thin; relying on external sources was his only means of survival.
But in the end, it was all in vain.
Nolan Caelthorn died at the hands of the Demon Emperor Hades.
He was different now.
Nolan, who had reached the rank of Sentinel Master 2, had successfully fused a white crystal with his own mana—something many young Sentinels considered impossible.
He couldn't deny the hint of pride he felt.
Had he not taken over this body, Nolan Caelthorn might have remained an ordinary Sentinel. Weak. Unregarded. His life would have ended without ever reaching the pinnacle.
Yet, Nolan knew that his soul, Nolan Steward's, should have fallen into the Abyss of Death. The fact that he ended up inhabiting this body instead was an anomaly. A mistake of fate.
Now, Antares's words felt like a small spark warming his heart.
The man in front of him probably didn't know that his son's soul had been replaced long ago. Still, Nolan felt something foreign yet comforting—a father's warmth, something he'd never experienced in his previous life on Earth. It was something he'd never experienced in his previous life on Earth.
"I understand, Dad," Nolan finally said, his voice firm but controlled.
"I'll get stronger. I won't worry you."
Antares exhaled softly, as if a weight had lifted from his chest.
"As long as you're okay, that's enough for me," he said. "Remember, you'll learn about the special mission during the Transcendence Trial."
"Special mission?" One of Nolan's eyebrows raised.
"Not yet," Antares replied curtly. "I'll explain it to you when you arrive in Lavanya."
Antares continued, "Before that, I want to test your mana resonance."
Nolan frowned slightly. "Dad, I've already taken the Mana Resonance Test at the Aurora Association."
Antares shook his head slowly.
"The Aurora Association's device only measures mana level and sequence. But you previously performed a forced sequence upgrade." His gaze hardened, filled with caution. "Dad just wants to make sure your foundation is truly stable."
He waved his hand.
A white crystal ball appeared in his palm and slowly floated in the air. The crystal emitted a soft glow, and Nolan could sense the energy within it. It was far purer and denser than that of any artificial device.
The crystal ball moved, hovering just above Nolan's head.
An instant later, Nolan's mana aura reacted.
A subtle stream of energy vibrated and flowed upward as if naturally drawn to the white crystal ball. Unlike the Aurora Association's testing device, this crystal sensed the essence of mana, not just its quantity.