Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 135: Eyes of Solace

The world was white, completely covered by a blanket of snow. The mountains were buried under snow, and the seas were frozen solid. In this world, only one thing lived and breathed.

It was a hulking demon—if Kaiser could call it that.

It was over twenty meters tall, with dark skin that had interconnected scales. Its physique was human, with thick powerful arms and sturdy legs. It was clad in rudimentary sackcloth, barely preserving modesty.

This creature was sitting on one of the smaller hills, overlooking the world like a Supreme Overlord.

’This is... what exactly is this?’

As soon as he appeared here, Kaiser realized he had no body. Perhaps a pair of eyes he obviously couldn’t see, through which he saw the world.

’This thing is definitely not a human, and it doesn’t look like a Nirad Creature either. So what the—’

He froze when the creature’s head suddenly turned to him. Those large, ocean-blue eyes locked onto Kaiser.

It tilted its head, then opened its mouth. It said something, but Kaiser couldn’t hear a thing.

The next moment, the world turned blank.

Kaiser was startled awake, almost hitting his head on the branch right above him.

It was morning once again, and he had woken up from that bizarre dream.

’Goodness gracious... perhaps I need a therapist?’

Giving himself a wry smile, he leaped down the tree. The bonfire was already out cold, with most of the sticks having turned to ash.

Kaiser looked around, then toured a ten-meter radius around the bonfire.

It seemed like there was nothing, until he actually caught sight of a thin strip of blood—seemingly hanging midair.

’Oh? So there are indeed quadrupedal predators in this forest.’

Nodding to himself, he dismissed the Glass String relic which he had used to barricade the area.

Squatting, he studied the average-sized paw marks imprinted on the ground. Judging from size alone, it should be a creature with similar size to a lion or a tiger.

’Mehh, not interested.’

Perhaps if it was something larger and more threatening, he’d track it. However, at this moment, returning to Earth was his priority.

Stretching his body, he summoned the Asura Vest and the two Deathstalkers, strapping them to his waist.

Then, he began to sprint. He wanted to get off the island before night arrived, which was physically impossible for a normal human. However, for an Awakened, it was feasible.

Kaiser avoided any sign of living creatures—whether human or non-human, sticking to an uninterrupted journey. Although he took quite some time to rest mid-journey, he successfully arrived at the Western Sky Bridge.

Unlike the Eastern Sky Bridge, this one was safer and bustling with activity. Nirad Hunters from guilds and clans moved about, establishing camps and crossing the bridge.

Kaiser seamlessly joined them, walking among the crowd—unnoticed. However, he suddenly began to notice subtle gazes on him. They lingered for a while, then soon turned away as if to avoid attracting his attention.

’Mercenaries again? Looks like the bounty is still out.’

However, to his bewilderment, these people didn’t even move close to him. In fact, they seemed to be avoiding him like a plague.

’Oh. News travels real fast, I guess.’

He came to a realization that his feat on the man-made bridge between the Third Isle and the Main Island had reached the ears of the other mercenaries.

’What kind of generic headline would be used?’

Pondering lazily on this, he eventually crossed the bridge and arrived at another region of the Nirad Realm—Shattered Thrones.

The air here felt different, and there was no sign of the obscuring fog surrounding the Aether Skies.

In the distance stretched a vast plain littered with ruins of powerful medieval kingdoms. Although he couldn’t see into the distance that clearly, he knew most of the ruins had been occupied by some clans, with their Nexus points claimed and opened.

"What are you spacing out for?"

Hearing that dry voice carrying a sarcastic undertone, Kaiser rolled his eyes.

He turned to the speaker who was leaning casually against a purple-leafed tree.

With strikingly similar blue eyes, Gomez looked almost like an older version of Kaiser. However, he had his father’s snowy white hair instead.

"Thanks for the welcome, Senior Brother."

Gomez didn’t mind the utter lack of energy behind those words. Instead, he scrutinized Kaiser deeply, his gaze landing on the daggers hanging at his waist.

"You got yourself some toys. How was your journey?"

Kaiser waved his hand tiredly. "Spare me the pleasantries. I only need a cold bath and some quiet relaxation at the moment."

Gomez frowned, then nodded. "It seems you really had a lot of unpleasant experiences over there. Don’t worry, I’ll inform the Patriarch about your words."

Saying that, he grabbed Kaiser’s hand and opened a different portal. Unlike the one which took him from the Academy to the Clan territory, this one was unique only to Transcendent humans.

It served as an easily accessible gateway between the Nirad Realm, and their anchor on Earth.

Kaiser’s surroundings changed as soon as he stepped through, feeling the air become lighter.

He was back in one of the hallways in the Solace Clan territory. His sudden appearance barely surprised the servants, as they were used to seeing other clan members suddenly appear and disappear.

Ignoring their curious expressions as they sized him up subtly, Kaiser headed straight to his room.

Gomez appeared a brief moment later. The moment the servants saw him, they all bent in a full ninety-degree bow.

He gave them a subtle, perfunctory nod, then walked towards the Great Hall.

Surprisingly, the Patriarch wasn’t on his throne. Instead, he was standing by one of the full-length windows, staring outside absentmindedly.

"You look nostalgic. What are you thinking?"

Gomez asked, folding his arms behind him. The white-haired man turned to him, his blue eyes gleaming with unfathomable depth.

"Have you ever wondered the source of our bloodline ability—Hollow Eyes?"

It wasn’t perfectly natural for an entire clan to possess only blue eyes without any variation. Gomez understood this, but wasn’t really concerned.

"I haven’t invested my thoughts into such trivial matter."

Ture laughed at his peculiar reply. "Trivial? Perhaps, perhaps not."

Turning to look outside again, he sighed. "Our eyes carry hidden potential. Only one person has ever unlocked it throughout our history—The First Ancestor."

Gomez shivered at the mention of that title. The First Ancestor was someone no Solace Clan member could dare claim he didn’t know.

"Apart from that man... I suspect that Kaiser has unlocked those eyes too."