Chapter 232: Aestrea Against The World (IX)

“…Dammit. Can this really be true?”

The words left Aestrea’s lips before he realized. His hands trembled, the edges of the file digging into his palms as he flipped page after page, desperately trying to disprove what he was seeing.

But the words didn’t change, and the first thing that was on the paper was…

His name.

“Aestrea Moon.”

He slowly, hesitantly began to read the first page aloud.

“Specimen Number 0 of the Dark Order. A child who was found abandoned by his parents shortly after being conceived. He was found near the frontier between the frontiers of the Elven and Human Kingdom, being surrounded by multiple strong animals, each one of them being stronger than an experienced A-rank hunter.”

Aestrea’s eyes narrowed.

His breath caught as he read further.

“Strangely, the specimen held a strange yet overwhelming affinity with nature, being able to easily become friends with all kinds of beasts. At five years old, he was suggested to be put next to a dragon, and because he didn’t seem to have any talent… we didn’t mind sacrificing him, however…”

He stopped slightly, his eyes widening in shock.

“The next day, he was found nestled in the dragon’s embrace. The captured dragon diligently warmed his little body and even made sure to feed the specimen by killing monsters from other territories, even while being extremely injured. These results obviously shocked everyone, and we decided to postpone the next experiments for a while.”

Aestrea’s voice cracked slightly.

“…What the hell…”

His eyes dropped to the next paragraph, his fingers now stained with pressure sweat.

“To see if the specimen had any dormant powers, we’ve decided to conduct an experiment that resulted in the death of his loved ones. So, we abruptly erased most of his memories and sent one of our members to act like a ’mother’ to him, or in this case, a big sister.”

Aestrea’s breath hitched slightly.

He didn’t want to read the next part.

But he did… as he had to.

“After five years of bonding and sweet memories, the planned event was triggered. A demon beast horde was summoned. A clone of Agent Cecilia was used for her public execution in front of the specimen.”

His hand gripped the paper so tightly that it crumpled.

“Upon witnessing her death, the specimen manifested the ’Moon Mark’, a radiant sigil granting him authority over lunar mana. This confirmed him as the Vessel of the Moon, the very entity prophesied by the Order’s Seer. Though unexpected, it confirmed the potential within Specimen 0.”

“With the awakening complete, all direct manipulation ceased. We allowed the subject to grow freely, integrating into society. Indirect stressors will now be applied periodically to catalyze further evolutions.”

Aestrea suddenly clenched his fists as the last phrases.

“Now that the fruit is already ripe… It’s time to take it back.”

“Date… 19/05/2981… which was just a week ago.”

Aestrea clutched the papers tightly. His eyes turned to the other one, and more details about him could be seen.

Every single move of his sword art, including the sixth and last form.

His mutated twin heart mana body.

All the techniques he used, including the fact that his ice had transformed into the superior element, Winter.

His relationships with everyone, including the fact that Lumi, the Gluttonous Slime, was his contract partner.

But, there was one single thing that was missing.

His Time Affinity.

And his only hidden ability.

But even with that as some kind of relief, slowly… his body began to shake.

“…Cecilia…”

Her name escaped his mouth like a dying whisper.

That warm hand that used to pat his head. That laugh that rang like spring bells after a long winter. The way she always covered for him when he snuck out past curfew…

The way she screamed his name as she died.

Except that…

She didn’t actually die.

That wasn’t even her.

She didn’t exist.

His fingers curled into the thick tent fabric beside him, clutching it like it was the only thing anchoring him to reality.

“They… made her up…” he breathed, each word hitting him like a hammer.

“They erased my memories… gave me someone to love… just so they could kill her in front of me…”

His chest heaved.

But that wasn’t the only thing that made him mad… another thing was the Aestrea from before, the one he possessed.

The Aestrea of before,,,,

That proud, smiling boy at the academy. The one who trained so hard, protected everyone, and always fought for the right reason.

That Aestrea never even had a choice.

He was created for this.

Raised for this.

Everything about him, his values, his love, and even his rage was manufactured.

Built to break.

“…Hah…”

A small, broken breath escaped his lips.

“Ahah… haha…”

He started to laugh.

Quietly at first.

Like he just heard a bad joke he didn’t quite understand.

“…Of course,” he muttered, his voice cracking slightly, the laughter slowly growing, twisting at the edges.

“Of course it was a lie.”

He stumbled backward a step, hitting the side of the tent wall as a strangled laugh slipped from his mouth again, louder this time.

Then another… and another.

Until he was actually laughing.

“…All of it,” he breathed out between shaky chuckles.

“The crying. The screaming. The loneliness. The training. The vows. The goddamn swordsmanship. All of it…”

He dragged a hand down his face…

And that’s when he felt it.

Wet.

He blinked.

“…Fuck…”

Tears… actually tears.

They were falling freely now. He hadn’t even noticed. They streamed down his face, silent, endless, soaking into the papers he still held.

“…You bastards,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “You made me into something that could break again.”

He dropped the file.

The pages were scattered like broken feathers around his boots.

“I became stronger to protect the ones I lost…”

More tears spilled down, but his laughter didn’t stop.

“…But the one I loved the most and lost was an actual lie.“

He gasped between breaths now, no longer able to tell if he was laughing or crying anymore.

He fell forward, knees hitting the ground hard as the file crushed beneath him. He didn’t feel the pain.

He was too far gone.

“Cecilia… you… you never even existed…”

His voice broke into a hoarse whisper, filled with something far uglier than rage.

It was a betrayal.

“…I kept dreaming about you for years. I hated myself for not saving you. I killed because of you. I bled because of you. I trained until I couldn’t walk because of you…”

His head fell forward, silver hair spilling around him like a curtain.

“…And you were just… a test.”

His fingers dug into the dirt floor.

His whole body trembled, not from anger, not from cold, but from a pain so deep it made everything else he had ever felt seem light in comparison.

“I don’t even know who I am…”

The words barely made it past his lips, his voice so faint it was already fading into the cold.

And then…

His eyes dulled.

Like someone had turned off the last bit of light inside him.

[Linked Marks Activation.]

A strange whisper echoed in the back of his mind. Cold. Familiar.

And then… he felt something.

Arms… wrapping gently around his neck from behind.

A soft weight settled on his left shoulder, as if someone was resting their head there.

His breath stopped.

“Luntheris…”

That voice.

It called his name.

Not Aestrea.

But Luntheris.

He turned his head slightly, almost afraid to look.

But there she was.

Snow-white hair draped beside his face, brighter than moonlight. Her skin was pale and soft like untouched snow.

And her eyes, golden, glowing gently, looked straight into him.

Inside them, two marks shimmered quietly.

A white moon.

And a black one.

They weren’t just eyes. They were mirrors… showing him something he had forgotten.

“It’s nice to see you again,” she said softly, her voice was like a warm breeze in the cold and bitter winter.

Aestrea, or maybe Luntheris, didn’t speak.

He couldn’t.

Because suddenly…

Blood started falling from his eyes.

Like tears that had waited years to come out.

The woman didn’t flinch. She reached up, brushing the blood from his cheeks with her fingers.

And then…

She leaned forward and gently kissed his forehead.

The Moon Mark that had always shimmered there pulsed with light one last time, and suddenly… it vanished.

But only for a moment.

Because then, his eyes changed.

The red glow faded completely… replaced by a glowing white moon inside both of them.

At the same time, her twin moon marks faded too.

Only the black one remained.

The white one… had been passed to him.

[…Vessel awakening…]

That strange whisper came again.

But this time, it felt deeper… like it came from the stars themselves.

His whole body felt warm, calm, and heavy all at once. Slowly, a strange power flowed in his chest, and then, something clicked inside him.

Something that had always been missing suddenly came back.

“…Luntheris…” he whispered.

His own name.

It felt… right.

Like it had always been his.

The woman stepped back, her body beginning to fade away like mist in the moonlight.

But she smiled, not sad, not happy, just patient.

“I’ll be waiting for you, Luntheris… at the other end of the Ascension Gate.”

Her voice disappeared with her, her body breaking into glowing white wisps that floated away into the wind.

And once again…

He was alone.

Completely silent.

Just staring up at the night sky.

Until…

A pale screen blinked softly in front of him.

[Authority Gained.]

[You have unlocked the Authority of the Moon.]

[You are officially the Vessel of the Moon.]

[…The Gods are now aware of your presence.]

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