Journey to Become the Zenith

Echoes of Forgotten Bonds

Then he pointed toward the second symbol.

"And beside it..."

"The sun surrounded by countless stars."

"That is the contract mark between myself and Dragon Mother Tiamat."

Victor looked carefully at both faded symbols.

Until today...

He had never known what they truly represented.

Eddy slowly lowered his hand.

"If those marks still remain..."

"And haven’t completely disappeared..."

"Then that can only mean one thing."

"Tsukiyomi..."

"And Dragon Mother Tiamat..."

"...are still somewhere in this world."

His smile trembled.

His eyes gradually became moist.

After countless years...

For the first time...

He finally had proof that those precious to him might still exist.

Suddenly...

Kevin’s calm expression changed.

"That’s impossible..."

His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Tsukiyomi..."

"And Dragon Mother Tiamat..."

"They were with me before I fought the Universal Emperor."

"I was certain..."

"Everyone had been erased."

He looked at Eddy.

"How could this happen?"

Before anyone else could answer...

Azriel thoughtfully rubbed his chin.

"I have a theory."

Everyone turned toward him.

"Our souls."

"They’re connected through every incarnation."

"If Tsukiyomi and Dragon Mother Tiamat were bound directly to our souls..."

"Perhaps that connection allowed them to escape complete destruction."

"It’s the only explanation I can think of."

Kevin stared at Azriel.

His breathing became uneven.

Several long seconds passed.

Then...

He suddenly laughed.

"Hahaha..."

Tears slowly rolled down his cheeks.

"I can’t believe it..."

He lowered his head, laughing and crying at the same time.

"So..."

"They survived..."

Victor quietly watched from the side.

He didn’t interrupt.

He simply stood there, silently trying to understand the flood of emotions that had overtaken the third strongest incarnation.

For Kevin...

Those words were more than hope.

They were proof that not everything precious to him had disappeared with his world.

After talking with Eddy about the strange connection surrounding his birthmarks, Victor finally pieced together a little more of the puzzle.

It turned out that Tsukiyomi and Dragon Mother Tiamat had not only been Eddy’s precious companions—they had also become members of Kevin’s group in a later era. Somehow, after Eddy’s lifetime came to an end, both of them had continued following the same soul through two more incarnations.

For countless years, every incarnation had believed the same thing.

That they had vanished forever.

That after Kevin’s final battle against the Universal Emperor, Tsukiyomi, Dragon Mother Tiamat, and every one of Kevin’s companions had been completely erased from existence.

Yet the faded marks upon Victor’s chest proved otherwise.

Hope...

A hope none of them had dared cling to...

Had suddenly appeared before them.

Victor silently lowered his gaze.

Even after listening to everyone’s explanations, many pieces still refused to fit together inside his mind.

His previous lives...

The companions who crossed multiple incarnations...

Soul contracts that survived even the destruction of civilizations...

Everything felt connected, yet the complete picture remained hidden behind an invisible veil.

Seeing the confusion in Victor’s eyes, Eddy smiled gently.

"I suppose words alone won’t be enough."

Victor looked back at him.

Eddy raised a hand.

"Rather than explaining..."

"I’ll simply show you."

Before Victor could respond, a stream of warm spiritual power flowed from Eddy’s fingertips.

"This is one of my memories."

"You’ll understand much more by seeing it yourself."

Victor gave a slight nod.

"I’m ready."

The moment Eddy’s fingers touched Victor’s forehead...

The golden soul realm dissolved.

...

Darkness.

Then...

Light.

Victor’s vision blurred before gradually becoming clear.

He immediately realized he was no longer seeing through his own eyes.

Instead...

He was witnessing the world from Eddy’s perspective.

The body felt lighter.

Smaller.

Much younger.

Looking down, Victor realized Eddy was only around ten years old.

The surrounding forest was wild and untamed.

Ancient trees stretched high into the heavens, their branches blocking much of the sunlight. Broken rocks and shattered tree trunks littered the ground, while deep claw marks scarred the earth from a fierce battle that had only just ended.

The air smelled of blood.

Heavy breathing echoed through the silent woods.

Victor could feel every ache in the young boy’s exhausted body.

Numerous cuts covered his arms.

His clothes were torn.

His mana was almost completely exhausted.

Not far away lay the corpse of an enormous spider-like monster.

Its grotesque body had collapsed across the forest floor, black blood slowly seeping into the earth.

The battle had clearly been brutal.

Inside the memory...

Young Eddy looked at the monster’s corpse before quietly exhaling.

I spent too much fighting that spider...

His arms trembled from exhaustion.

Even lifting them felt difficult.

Yet despite the pain...

He refused to surrender.

His gaze slowly shifted toward a longsword lying several steps away.

Without hesitation, he staggered forward.

Each step felt heavy.

Each movement sent fresh pain through his battered body.

Still...

He reached down...

Wrapped his fingers around the sword’s hilt...

And slowly lifted it.

The familiar weight brought a sense of reassurance.

His breathing steadied.

The fear in his heart slowly transformed into determination.

Young Eddy raised the longsword before him.

"I am not going down without a struggle!"

His voice echoed through the forest with surprising strength.

It was not merely a declaration.

It was defiance.

A challenge hurled directly at the cruel fate standing before him.

Victor, watching through the memory, couldn’t help admiring the unwavering resolve of the child.

Even at ten years old...

His spirit was already extraordinary.

The forest suddenly became eerily quiet.

The wind ceased.

Even the leaves overhead stopped rustling.

Then...

A woman’s voice echoed throughout the entire forest.

"Kukuku..."

"That was a wonderful battle, little boy."

The voice was graceful.

Playful.

Yet it carried an overwhelming pressure that made the surrounding world seem to grow still.

"Even now..."

"As you’re facing death..."

"You wear such an interesting expression."

"It almost feels as though you’ve already experienced countless battles between life and death."

"And yet..."

"From your appearance..."

"You’re merely a human child of around ten years old."

There was a brief pause.

Then the mysterious woman continued with unmistakable curiosity.

"The swordsmanship you’ve displayed..."

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