Chapter 36: The State of World Affairs
Akasha reappeared in the Grand Chambers of the Dragon King after finishing up with the Ancestors.
The once-majestic throne room was now a silent tomb of carnage — blood, broken scales, and shattered stone everywhere. The air still carried the thick, metallic stench of dragon blood.
Luna appeared gracefully beside him, floating just above the gore-covered floor.
A small, composed smile touched her lips as she looked around at the devastation.
"Well done," she said softly, genuine approval in her voice. "You turned what could have been a very complicated situation into something almost too easy."
Akasha smiled, a faint but satisfied curve of his lips as he moved through the chamber, casually collecting the still-beating hearts of the fallen dragons.
With each one he touched, the massive organs vanished into the Dream Land for later use.
"When needed," he replied calmly, "I’ll always make things efficient."
Luna nodded, watching him work with quiet amusement.
"That’s indeed a good trait of yours.... Though don’t get used to such easy schemes. Those dragons were way honestly too pathetic."
Akasha gave a small nod of agreement.
He knew that from here on, things would only become more complicated and far more dangerous, but as long as he kept growing stronger, he felt no fear about what lay ahead.
"Touché... Well, let’s gather the bodies of the Ancestors before we head back to the Academy of Veils."
With that, he removed the Dreamer’s Mask, his full presence returning to the world as he vanished in a gentle shimmer of light.
-------
While Akasha wrapped up his affairs, the world of Kalpa had already begun to stir. Whether he realized it or not, every major faction was waiting for the first domino to fall.
That domino was the invasion of the Academy of Veils—no one knew who would make the first move, but in the world of power, there was always a way to sense when the tides were shifting.
Far away from the Southern Continent, a group of three found themselves seated outside of a cafe.
They were in the Frozen Sect, a region at the border between the Central and Northern continents, where the land seemed trapped in an eternal winter.
The cafe itself was nestled along a quiet, snow-dusted street, its wooden tables and chairs warmed by small, enchanted braziers that flickered with soft blue flames.
Jovian, the member of the Academy of Eternal Knowledge, sat with two of his closest companions — a sharp-eyed young woman with stark white hair and a quiet, broad-shouldered man with a scar running down his cheek.
They had arrived here just a day ago, the moment the invasion within the Silent Peak had gone off.
The woman looked towards Jovian and spoke.
"We’ve been here for twenty-four hours.... When do we exactly begin?"
Jovian took a slow sip of his tea, the warm liquid sliding down his throat.
Almost immediately he frowned.
’Ew, what the fuck is this?’ He thought to himself as he shook his head.
’Those novel MCs are always drinking tea.... like it’s the most divine thing ever.’
While thinking this he moved setting the cup down with a faint clink before flashing them a calm, knowing smile.
"Hmm?" He questioned looking at the beautiful woman. "Melissa, we’ve already begun."
BOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!
In that moment, a loud explosion sounded off in the distance.
The ground trembled faintly beneath their feet as a pillar of fire and smoke erupted far away, the sharp crack of the blast echoing across the icy landscape.
Jovian’s smile broadened just enough to reveal a hint of quiet amusement as he started to stand.
Melissa narrowed her sharp green eyes, her short white hair swaying as she rose beside him, voice low and edged with suspicion.
"Jovian.... what have you done this time?"
Jack stood as well, his scarred face twisting into a scowl as he cracked his knuckles.
"Tch. And... you blocked our ability to interact with Fate again, didn’t you?"
Back at the Academy of Eternal Knowledge, whenever Jovian wasn’t focused on cultivating, he was off stirring up trouble and causing chaos.
One of his most notorious habits was blocking the manipulation of fate itself.
He was constantly rambling about not spoiling events before their time, and with his Divine Eyes, one of the many uses was a rare ability that set him apart from others—the power to completely nullify any attempt at fate manipulation.
However, at its current rank this only worked if someone tried to view or alter something he had already came into contact with, making his interference both selective and unpredictable.
Jovian only laughed, the sound light and carefree as he stretched his arms.
"The fun is beginning, so let’s hurry up."
----
They ventured further into the sect, the icy wind stinging their skin and carrying with it the metallic scent of blood, each step crunching over the brittle layer of frost.
As his companion had guessed before, Jovian had indeed influenced the course of several events taking place.
Which in the grand scheme of things wasn’t all that surprising given that every single member of the Academy of Eternal Knowledge possessed a Star attuned to fate in some way...
After all, the Academy only accepted such individuals.
Still, their presence in this sect was neither random nor a decision made by Jovian himself.
With the other Academies already making their moves, the Academy of Eternal Knowledge was also in motion.
Jovian was simply part of one of the many groups dispatched by the Academy, each armed with a list of factions that needed to be subdued before the remaining ninety years ran out in their competition.
All he had really done was take the information the Academy had gathered on this sect and... turn it into a weapon for their advantage.
---
What lay ahead was a haunting picture of sorrow wrapped in the shape of a beauty.
In the center of a frozen ring knelt a young woman, her long dark hair tangled and wild, tears streaking down her pallid face.
She held tightly to the limp body of a young girl, cradling her as if trying to keep her warmth from fading.
The girl’s small frame was motionless, her once-bright robes soaked through with dark blood, the snow surrounding them stained a deep, chilling crimson.
A man with a firm, arrogant look on his face stood before her, flanked by two elder men with cold, predatory smiles.
The biting wind howled through the frozen ring, carrying the sharp scent of blood and the faint, metallic tang of ice as the man took a slow step closer.
The woman’s breath caught sharply, her arms curling tighter around the small, cold form of the lifeless girl. Frost clung to the tears on her lashes as she shot him a glare filled with pure venom, her voice breaking under the weight of her rage.
"You bastard... first my little sister..."
She forced down a swallow, her words quivering with grief.
"... and now you’ve poisoned her... my aunt... the Sect Master... now even she’s on the brink of death because of you!"
The man’s smile widened, cruel and satisfied, as he took another step, his boots crunching loudly in the blood-stained snow.
"Oh? So, you know then." The man said as he continued his slow walk. "Well, since the Sect Master is currently suffering from her poison," he said, voice dripping with mockery,
"She can no longer protect you..."
He leaned in closer, his shadow falling heavily over her.
"...and when the Sect Master dies, my father will take her place. You will be forced to marry me whether you like it or not."
-----
From a short distance away, Jovian, Melissa, and Jack watched the scene unfold in silence.
Jack’s scarred face twisted in disbelief, his voice low and uneasy.
"Did you actually manipulate a child’s death...?"
Melissa stood beside him, her sharp green eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms tightly against the cold.
"I can’t believe you would do something like that..."
Jovian gave a wry smile, shoulders lifting in a light shrug as his gaze flicked toward them.
"Well... not exactly."
The child’s death had indeed been a result of his manipulations, but only because her fate had already been sealed from the start.
As he’d said before, he had merely nudged events forward based on the knowledge he possessed. It wasn’t as if he was entirely heartless.
The man with the arrogant look took another step closer to the woman, his shadow falling over her and the dead girl as the wind howled louder around them.
Seeing the scene play out, Jovian smiled to himself, murmuring under his breath....
"Bingo."
In that moment, he vanished.
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