In the star-studded darkness, the Lord of Nothingness stood still. He was quietly staring at the void that belonged to him, or was his own. The milky white ball of light was still slowly turning, as if it had not changed in countless years, leisurely, peaceful, and sacred and solemn. Balance, this is his own law, eternal and unchanging.

After a long time, the voice of the Lord of the Void rang out in the darkness. "How long are you going to stand in the back and watch? My old fellow......"

With his words, the space behind the Lord of Nothingness trembled and unnaturally twisted, like a breeze wrinkling the surface of the water, and the darkness rolled and retreated to either side, revealing a tall chasm. Then, an ancient creature that is rarely mentioned even in mythology poked its body out of it.

Its body was jet black and shiny, and even the darkness that had settled in the void could not be compared. A pair of shiny flesh wings converged on both sides of the body, sharp body spines like the sharp horns of a mountain peak extending a deadly curve along its back, and the scale armor covering the whole body was like a steel sheet of armor, hinged together layer upon layer, and with its movements, it undulated a surging luster like a wave.

Two pulsing, somewhat vague red rays burned in the void, but soon, as a nearly transparent membrane receded, the erect crimson pupils scattered like boiling magma with a blazing heat that ignited everything. Above the red man, a pair of long, narrow and rugged horns were thrown proudly into the air from its skull.

Freed from the confines of the rift, it suddenly raised its long neck and roared wildly, its suddenly open wings dragging out a magnificent streamer, instantly obscuring the light of the stars, and a huge roar echoed in the void, as if the whole world trembled slightly with its roar.

It was a dragon, a real dragon.

The dragon's head slowly fell, reaching out to the side of the Lord of Nothingness. "Is it necessary to be so troublesome?" it spoke slowly, and its voice was deep.

The Lord of Nothingness nodded. "Because of the rules, my old friend......"

"Speak human!" the dragon interrupted impatiently. Its large head shook, and the bone spurs wrapped in the frills that connected its jaw to its chest sent a cold chill through the air.

"Ahem...... The Lord of Nothingness coughed twice and looked back at the dragon with a wry smile. "I am the Lord of Nothingness, you are the only dragon, as the true God of the embodiment of nothingness, can't our dialogue maintain a bit of identity or depth?......

The dragon's eyes turned to the Lord of Nothingness. "Eternal life makes you slowly forget how to communicate normally in boredom. This is a common problem of the so-called 'gods'...... "Although it is talking, its sharp teeth collide with an inexplicable horror, "In a way, I am ...... for your good"

"Okay...... You're right. The Lord of Nothingness quickly accepted the dragon's suggestion, and he tried to rephrase his point, "It's simple, both sides at the table are here, someone is holding their hand, and they're pressing their ......bets," he said, returning his gaze to the spinning ball of light. "And we, as witnesses of what has happened and will happen, can't we stand by and be indifferent?"

The dragon opened its mouth, its crimson tongue curled, as if enjoying the thrill that was coming. "I hope it will surprise me this time...... Don't be as bored as last time......"

"Don't worry, no, I have this hunch. The Lord of Nothingness affirmed.

Silence spread between them, as if pondering their own questions, but the dragon quickly remembered something else. "By the way, you know the bet on both of our names. How exaggerated have you been stirred up by those boring laborers?" the dragon's eyes were bright, "Oooh...... That's a lot of money!" it took a breath and continued, "We can find a guy, tell him, and divide the winnings evenly...... Kindness. Let me think, for example......"

The dragon's words stopped abruptly, and he pursed his lips slightly disappointed. "Forget it, I didn't say it......"

"Hahaha......" The Lord of Nothingness smiled, and he was very happy to see the scene of this old man's calculation plate falling out. "Don't worry, it's going to be long, we'll just have to wait a little bit......" he said, "we have time, don't we?"

The dragon glanced disapprovingly at the Lord of Nothingness and complained, "Yes, we are so poor that we have time left......"

"My friend, do you have everything?......" the Lord of Nothingness said embarrassedly, patting the dragon's jaw.

"Shut up!"

As they spoke, the figures standing in the void faded and faded, and finally, along with the huge chasm, swayed, and disappeared along with them. The boundless darkness and the stars bridged the space they had been, and in the distance, a huge ball of light swirled, and with the light that flew towards and out of it, it returned to its original silence, as if nothing had happened.

......

The light changes color before your eyes, first a soft bright white, and finally a warm golden yellow. Sovereign felt as if he was floating in the clouds, slowly descending, sinking into a soft place. The slightly vibrating senses seemed to reunite with the soul embedded in them, and finally, he opened his eyes.

With a slight tingling, the view in the eye changed from blur to clarity - it was a delicately decorated cabin. The wood-textured ceiling sways slightly with the hull, and quaint copper lamps and paintings adorn the side walls. Placed at his desk in the corner, Kuhl leaned back in his chair and let out a slight snoring sound.

The sun shines through the window overhead, leaving a patch of orange on the white futon that is divided by the panes, and the fine dust dances softly in the soft light, like a dancer in the spotlight. Sovereign moved his body and sat up with difficulty, leaning his shoulders against the siding under the window.

Through the glass windows, idyllic villages, hills, fields, and wheat fields are leisurely dotted on the shore that stretches out into the distance, and they are quietly left behind with the gentle sound of the river hitting the hull of the boat. The sun was shining down and it was a beautiful midsummer afternoon.

A sudden stinging pain drew Sovelan's gaze to his left arm, and a bright red mark appeared on his slightly dry skin as if it had been burned by a hot soldering iron. With a faint creak, the mark grew brighter and brighter, until it completed an "E" that slowly darkened, and finally turned into a black with a delicate luster.

Raise your palms. Sovereign lightly touched the brand with his fingertips, and the moment the skin touched each other, countless images of streamers and shattered images suddenly appeared in his mind—dark green halls, talking skulls. Hideous demons, bloodied barbarians and mages, manors burning in flames, bone-white figures, and the origin of the world that is magnificent enough to make the soul tremble......

The last of the last. He saw the figure standing on the lawn, with tears in his eyes, but smiling happily. Silent tears slipped from the corners of his eyes and flowed hot into his heart. At first, he didn't even know why he was crying unconsciously, but after a long time, Soveland's face slowly filled with sourness and he closed his eyes. "I remember...... I remember it all, ......" His voice was still hoarse, but it was gone.

The noise in the cabin seemed to alarm Kuhl in the corner. His body jerked, rubbing his eyes in the direction the voice came from. The next moment, he was stunned, his eyes widening more and more, shocked and hesitant, until he was excited and crazy, his gaze changed, and he sprang up from his chair.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, you, are you awake?" Kuhl yelled excitedly, and Sovereign nodded. Give him a big smile in return. Almost instantly, Kuhl swerved and slammed open the wooden door of the cabin, and an almost hoarse roar resounded throughout the Riptide Warrior. "Temple, temple...... No, no, no. Sovereign is awake!Sovereign is awake!Mr. Tandra, Mr. Sean!Come on, Sovereign is awake!"

As Kuhl kept repeating his shouts, the corridor outside the cabin boiled instantly, and countless sounds of doors opening and closing doors, almost rushing footsteps. Coming from all directions. Soon, familiar faces rushed into the cabin where Essaoweran was.

Tandra, Shaun Sr., Aemond, Thomas, they all rushed to the scene at first, and after a little stunned, they smiled ecstatically and gathered around Sauvera's bedside. Even Solam and Orr Kane arrived, but they just smiled and stood far away in the doorway.

Looking at a pair of reddened eyes, Sovilan's heart was torn apart. "This is what I gave up, and I will always care about my relatives at all times......" his chest was almost filled with bitterness and self-reproach, "I am the most selfish person, am I?......" he thought to himself.

"I'm sorry, everyone...... Really, I'm sorry......" Sovereign repeated in a choked voice.

But his words were soon interrupted by Shaun Sr. and Tandra. "It's good to be awake, praise the Lord God, it's good to be awake......"

Looking at Tandra and Old Sean's quivering lips, Sovereign noticed that they had all changed. The wrinkles of the knife and the chisel of the old Sean's face deepened, and even though his silver hair was still meticulously groomed, Soveran could still see that the old man's body had rapidly aged during the time he had been asleep.

As for Tandra, he was almost emaciated to the point of unshapedness, with a stubble jaw and completely frost-white temples, the once steely giant seemed to have been crushed by a sudden blow, and the only thing that remained unchanged was those eyes that twinkled with determination. Thomas and Kuhl were quietly wiping tears from their eyes, they knew very well what their adults had been through.

Ever since he vomited blood and fainted, Tandra would spend a great deal of time in Soveran's room every day, talking to him and telling him wistful bedside stories about Soveilan's youth, even about his dead brothers, Aiden and Cyrian.

Each time, he would caress Soveland's forehead for a long, long time, and then quietly leave, day after day, never giving up, never despairing.

Tandra stared at Soveland, and after a brief moment of excitement, he noticed that Soveran had also changed, his cold and lonely eyes had rekindled a bright look, and although his body was still extremely weak, the vitality was slowly awakening under his skin. "You ......" Tandra wanted to ask what was going on, but quickly gave up on the idea, it was enough that Essaoweran would be safe and sound, and the rest didn't matter.

"Dream ...... A long dream, when it's over, wakes up......," Sovereign said with a smile, not intending to tell his story to worry those who cared about him. Moreover, there are things that need to be engraved deep in the heart and buried until the day when the triumphant song is played.

At the door, Solam's whisper came from the darkness beneath the hooded cloak. "Ha, I'm finally awake, I'm seriously worried......"

Orr Kane, who was standing nearby, smiled and glanced at his partner. "I told you he was going to wake up, didn't I?" the gray beard shook happily, "but you didn't seem to believe it at the time......"

"Forget it, old man......" Solam retorted directly, "don't think I don't know, what you said at the time was just a secret cliché......"

Orr Kane shook his head, stretching his long-tense body. "Say whatever you want......"

Sovereign moved his body upward, looked out the window and asked, "Can I go out on deck?" he said with a wry smile, "and if I lie down like this, I'll really be a puddle of dead meat......

Tandra and Old Sean looked at each other, and before they could speak, Aemond, who was standing on the left, immediately lifted Soveland's quilt. "Of course, you can breathe when you wake up!" said Sovereign as he picked up Sovereign from the bed.

"Be careful, Aemond!" Tandra didn't think it was any bad, but he did warn him.

"Don't worry, Father!" he lifted Soveland's arm to his shoulder and hugged Sovereign sideways, "Even if I fall, I won't let Sovereign touch the floor, I swear!"

"Hahaha......" Sovereign smiled and nodded, "I'm sure Emond won't throw me to the floor!"

Soon, the group exited the room and went up the stairs at the end of the corridor to the bow of the Riptide Warriors. Aemond grabbed Sovereign's body and put him on the railing. At the helm of the stern, Captain Legb saw the crowd rushing out, and Sovereign, who had not been seen since he got on the boat.

He had already heard about Sovereign falling into a coma, and to be honest, Legb had no resentment about the guests on this cruise. Low-key, polite, and very polite even to ordinary crew members, if it weren't for the fact that the reward was "Degassur's Skull Coins", he would be more than willing to give them a ride.

So when he saw that Essaoweran came to his senses, the upright captain was very happy. "Come on, guys, do your best! get the Riptide Warrior flying!" he roared, ordering the sailors.

"Drink!" replied all the crew in unison.

In an instant, the Riptide Warrior, which had been moving slowly along the river, suddenly accelerated, and Soveland, who was sitting on the railing, turned around and raised his arms in salute to Legb, who took off his captain's hat and laughed and saluted.

"Uncle Tandra, I...... Unconscious...... How long?" asked Soveland.

"Thirteen days," Tandra took a deep breath, and the long-lost heroic aura seemed to return to him in an instant, "You have been in a coma for thirteen days. ”

"We ...... It's almost there, Belém, isn't it?......"

"Yes, soon, probably the morning after tomorrow. Solam's cloak fluttered against the wind, and it seemed like he was looking forward to the next leg of his journey.

Sovereign nodded and said no more. The bow of the Riptide Warrior broke through the raging waves, and the star-shattered droplets of water shone in the air. The sky was cloudless, and white birds skimmed over the tallest mast before swooping downward, leaving a shadow of lightning on the mighty river.

Facing the strong wind on the bow of the ship, Essauvilland stretched out his arms to carry the warm and bright sunlight in the sky, and he smiled and whispered to the red-haired girl who came to the bottom of his mind, "Wait for me to ......" (to be continued). )