Unlike what Lirae was thinking, it wasn't that Northern refused to share the information with her. He was simply cautious about doing so.
This wasn't just information that affected Central Plain—it concerned the entire world and the very forces that shaped it.
This was a matter involving Ul herself. Northern couldn't be sure if Ul was listening to him. He doubted it, but he didn't understand how she existed. If there was any way for her to eavesdrop, it would be through all Drifters.
Ul might not have been able to listen in on his conversation with Koll, but she could certainly do so with Lirae. As a Drifter, Lirae was bound closer to Ul than he and Koll were.
This was the risk in sharing the information with Lirae. Still, it didn't mean he couldn't say anything at all.
He would just have to hold back some details.
He let out a breath.
"Alright. First, this concerns the fate of the world. Have you heard about the children of the dark continent?"
Lirae tilted her head back slightly.
"Who hasn't? They call them the return of the age of legends. They say someone from among them might become a Luminary."
Northern's smile carried a touch of sadness as he paused.
"That's unfortunate... we're too late then."
Lirae frowned, studying Northern. Two things from his statement puzzled her.
"What do you mean we're too late? What do you mean we... Wait..."
Her mouth fell open.
But Northern lifted his gaze toward Burning Storm, causing her to look at him with a soft, strange expression.
"I mean we're too late... someone else became a Luminary before we—the return of the age of legends—got the chance."
A small, pale smile broke across Lirae's face as terror crept into her features. She followed Northern's gaze.
She shook her head slightly, struggling to accept what she was hearing.
"You don't mean..."
Northern nodded.
"Yes. Burning Storm became a Luminary moments before his death. Sadly, he was drained of essence, and the very realization that brought him to the edge of that evolution—consuming essence—meant his soul couldn't complete its transformation. He died halfway through the process."
Lirae slowly raised her hands to cover her gaping mouth. She stared at her husband with wide eyes, her expression a tangle of emotions—joy, respect, awe, disbelief.
More than anyone, she knew how desperately Raizel had sought to become a Luminary, yet had never managed to reach it. He traveled constantly, and they spent long stretches apart because of his quest. Even when he was home, it was nearly all he talked about.
Hearing that he had achieved his goal before dying felt like learning he had found the treasure he'd scoured the earth seeking.
The world might never know this truth, but that was fine. Knowing it brought her a peace and strength that would help her accept her husband's death... when she was finally ready to face it.
In fact, she seemed to be slowly turning toward that acceptance now, after this earth-shaking revelation.
Northern watched her in silence, giving her the time she needed to process everything.
To his surprise, she slowly straightened herself, pushing down the tremors left by the weight of what she'd learned.
"So... and the other matter... you're one of the children of this Dark Continent?"
Northern nodded.
She offered a brief smile.
"It makes sense why Raizel found you worthy enough to be his disciple."
She paused before continuing.
"So what about them...?"
Northern's rough voice cut through the air.
"During our time in the dark continent, we faced a terrifying enemy. His name was Koll."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Koll?"
Northern nodded and continued.
"I assumed the government would already know this and have the events of the Dark Continent documented."
Lirae shook her head.
"It wasn't easy to gather intel when the biggest Citadels were protecting those people. They wouldn't cooperate with the government, which wasn't surprising. That's just how Drifters have always treated the government."
Northern caught the wistful note in her voice but pressed on.
"Well, Koll was like the final boss of the Dark Continent. His goal is to free his Master, who would destroy the world simply by existing. I don't know if you've heard of Origins and Tyrants. Koll's master is the Origin of Chaos, so if he escapes his prison, Chaos itself will walk our world."
Northern paused to catch his breath while watching her expression.
"Koll almost succeeded, but we stopped him. Only for me to discover that he's the same Prophet who's been helping Lieutenant Dante stir up war in the Central Plains. The version we defeated in the Dark Continent was just a fragment of him. I don't know how many more fragments exist, but each one is incredibly powerful, and honestly, I'm getting tired of having to fight him over and over again.
"But yes. He devoured Lieutenant Dante and is now continuing the war because the only way to free his Master is to tip the delicate balance between War and Peace. I don't know how much blood he needs to shed to accomplish that—I doubt even he knows. But he won't stop until he gets what he wants."
Lirae was silent for a long moment. Then she let out a shaky sigh.
"This Koll... sounds like a very powerful person. What do you think his Soul Rank is?"
Northern chuckled dryly.
"You still don't understand... he's not from our world at all. I'm not sure where exactly he comes from, but he certainly doesn't follow our world's path of growth. One fragment of his existed as a Maelstrom before. And this version may even be as strong as a Luminary... for all I know, he could be a Tyrant, but he's too weak for me to be certain. So either he's hiding his strength or can't unleash it fully right now."
Lirae released a shaky breath and stepped back slightly.
"And you're saying if this guy frees his Master... our world will drown in Chaos?"
Northern nodded.
"Exactly."
"Ah... this truly concerns the fate of the world."