Chapter 705: The ancient projection I
Inside a lively restaurant, all the patrons seated at the tables cast curious glances at Mason and Logan, who were racing down from the second floor yet again.
The duo dashed back and forth, grabbing an assortment of dishes before sprinting back upstairs, only to do it all over again. It was a chaotic yet entertaining scene, with laughter and chatter filling the air as onlookers enjoyed their antics.
The people seated had recognized the twins. After all, the duo was dressed in the uniforms worn only by the fighters training under the elders who protect the city.
But what the onlookers didn't understand was just who the hell was bold enough to give orders to the two students?
On the second floor, which was entirely empty since it was reserved by Kyle, Bia sat at a large table cluttered with empty plates. Her stomach was bulging, and a blissful expression lit up her face.
-"This is what we call life!"
The phoenix chuckled as she spotted Logan and Mason, her two new personal servants, bringing her more food.
Although she had no room left in her stomach, she continued to use her divine energy to digest what she had already eaten, making space for more.
-"Food is here!"
Logan and Mason had barely placed the dishes they had brought to the table before Bia shooed them away again to go and fetch something sweet this time.
The duo's eyes held unshed tears... how could someone eat so much? They would have asked this question to Bia if they didn't know that the little bird in front of them was actually a massive phoenix. And not just any phoenix; it was the phoenix bonded to the nature's favorite -the man who had defeated the third shadow general!
Kyle was seated in the chair by the only window on the floor, observing the phoenix and the twins with a hint of amusement. He had changed into a fresh pair of trousers paired with a blue sweater after the twins found him a room in a nearby hotel.
As he looked outside the window, he realized that night had enveloped the city. Just as he was about to turn away from the dark sky, he noticed a faint golden spark of light amidst the many tiny stars.
"Hmm...?"
He blinked; initially, he thought it was just a star, but then his eyes narrowed as the light subtly shifted, as if it were circling around something hidden from view.
Without hesitation, he rose to his feet and locked his gaze on the light. Instantly, his vision penetrated the curtain of clouds.
His eyes widened slightly when he finally saw the object the light was encircling.
It was a colossal projection, hovering directly above the planet in a way that its body shrouded, or perhaps concealed, the entire planet beneath its presence.
"What's that?"
Kyle's soft voice echoed in the air, and Bia turned her head to look his way.
-"What's what? The pastries?"
She pointed at the baked delights the twins had just brought up from downstairs.
Kyle's eyebrow twitched at the phoenix's words as he glanced back at her.
"Stop eating, will you? You're not allowed to sit on my shoulders or head if your weight increases any more than it already has."
Bia's eyes widened at his words.
-"What!? Are you calling me heavy and fat? Me? This magnificent being??"
Kyle let out a sigh. He knew he couldn't win this argument now that Bia was indulging in her favorite pastime-eating-so he opted to shift the conversation.
"No, I'm not talking about food. I just saw something outside the planet. It looked like a projection, but I'm not sure what it is."
He had just finished speaking when both Logan and Mason choked on their breaths. The duo quickly wanted to flee to the lower floor under the pretense of getting Bia more food, but the phoenix and the human had already fixed their gaze on them.
Kyle's eyes narrowed as he let out a surprised 'oh' and approached the twins, who were frozen in place.
"Based on your reaction, it seems you both know what I'm referring to. Care to share?"
He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for an answer as the two brothers exchanged nervous glances. Finally, it was Mason who looked at Kyle.
"That... that is something we are not allowed to talk about since its presence is hiding this planet from the outside world."
Kyle's eyes sparkled with interest as he waved his hand, and a chair slid toward him, allowing him to sit down.
He had been wondering from the moment he arrived on this planet why there was not a single trace of dark energy here.
Old Hal and his wife can certainly conceal this place from the dark side, but no matter how powerful they are, it seems implausible that not a single visitor from the dark side has ever discovered this planet.
He gazed at the twins, who flinched under his intense stare. Then poured two glasses of wine and pushed them toward the duo.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I'm just curious about what that projection-like thing is. So, tell me, alright?"
Mason shook his head, but then Bia flew over to sit on his brother's shoulder.
-"Oh, really?"
Logan panicked, and before the phoenix's sharp talon could reach his neck, his twin quickly grabbed one of the glasses of wine offered by Kyle and smiled.
"Of course, we would share everything that nature's favorite wants to know, but please ask your beast to leave my brother alone!"
Bia laughed internally behind him. She nearly lost her balance because of the weight she had gained from overeating, coupled with her sudden distraction. But fortunately, she managed to stop herself from falling face-first in time and cleared her throat, though her awkward expression gave away what had just happened.
-'No one noticed, right?'
She sighed with relief when she noticed that everyone was focused on Mason.
Kyle gestured for the demi-human who had grabbed the wine glass to speak, and with a nod, Mason began to explain.
"We don't know much, but it's an ancient projection created by a supreme being long ago. This projection holds the names of all those in this universe who have the potential to achieve the divine rank in the future. Its main purpose, however, is to indicate who among them
would be the strongest."
He paused for a moment.
"But you know... since the projection was created so long ago, people have stopped believing in it. Now, only some individuals from the dark side, who take pride in the fact that Azazeal's name is at the top of that projection, go there to see it."
Kyle raised a surprised eyebrow. Azazeal's name was at the top of the projection? The very projection that determined who would be the strongest? What about him then? Did his name also appear on that projection?
Just as he was about to ask questions to gain more insight into this projection, Mason gulped down the wine in the glass he held and fixed him with a serious gaze.
"Actually... we heard a decade ago that some of the top names on the projection had finally fallen to lower positions, and new names have risen to take their places."
His vision started to blur slightly, but he shook his head to regain focus. "The divine dragon, the guardian of the projection who always blessed our planet, suffered at the hands of some divine-rank individuals from the dark side and lost his physical form when they heard this news. After that, a shadow general placed a veil over the names on the projection to prevent anyone from seeing them. As a result, no one knows whose names have
fallen."
"Regardless, because of the immense presence of the projection, our planet has been concealed from prying eyes. Even the shadow generals cannot locate it since it lies directly beneath the projection and is shrouded by the energies surrounding it."
Mason completed his sentence, but then the demi-human fainted. Logan quickly grabbed him with a panicked expression and began shaking his brother to wake him up. When Mason did not respond, Logan glanced at the wine bottle from which Kyle had poured wine for the two of them.
"Oh no! It's that wine! It was the most expensive one in the entire city! The person who sold it
to us told us it's very strong, and it's already in my twin's body; he's not going to wake up
anytime soon!"
Kyle's expression deadpanned as he heard his words and glanced at the wine bottle. He hadn't drunk any, but did the duo really think he would faint from just wine?
"You really?"
He chuckled, and Logan quickly tried to salvage the situation. Of course, the twins wanted to
get Kyle drunk and then run off to the elders, who would rescue them from him and the
phoenix. But it wasn't like they could tell him that!
"It's because you said you wanted us to spend all the money in the storage ring! So... so we bought the most expensive things for you and the phoenix in the city!"