Little Pink Starfish

What exactly was the Seed of Light?

Pei Sen was confused, and he didn’t intend to bottle that confusion up. He asked directly, “What is the Seed of Light?”

As expected, the old high priest gave him a disdainful look, clearly unwilling to explain.

Pei Sen didn’t mind. It was obvious this priest didn’t have much authority here and couldn’t do anything to him anyway.

Instead, it was Atwell who continued with his usual friendly tone: “The Seed of Light is one of the Church’s most treasured relics. Back when King Orlington asked the Church for help in saving Queen Sophia, a member of the Burfield family—who are direct descendants of the Light—offered the Seed of Light. If Queen Sophia could have awakened it, she might have dispelled the hereditary curse. Unfortunately, she failed.”

“What happened after that?” Pei Sen asked.

“Well, it just so happened that Queen Sophia was pregnant with Princess Carolina at the time. Though the Seed didn’t rid Sophia of the curse, it instead lay dormant in Carolina, allowing her to escape inheriting it.”

Pei Sen suddenly understood. No wonder Leiser’s body was plagued by illness, while his sister Carolina—born of the same mother—remained completely fine. So this Seed of Light was the reason.

“At that point, Princess Carolina carried the Seed of Light within her, and when she bore a child with Duke Burke Angre—who is also descended from the Light—the resulting child, Eagle, had an even higher Light affinity. We’ve confirmed that the Seed of Light is now within Lord Eagle. Before he entered the time-ruin, Lord Anan had already given him the second Seed,” Atwell said optimistically. “If all goes well, Eagle is the most likely person in the world to awaken the power of the Seed. Even if Leiser’s curse transfers to him, he may still dispel it by mastering pure Light. So, there’s no need to worry too much.”

Pei Sen sneered inwardly. “Most likely”? That’s a nice way to put it.

No wonder Eagle didn’t believe in the Light God and still managed to use divine magic—it must be due to his natural affinity or the Seed inside him.

Also—what was all this about the Burfield and Lanno families being “descendants of the Light”? What nonsense was that?

Pei Sen, not one to hold back questions, asked directly, “What do you mean by descendants of the Light?”

Atwell’s expression turned solemn. “They are families descended from the original followers of the Light God. In all of Yali now, only six Light families remain; the rest have been lost to history.”

Pei Sen: “…”

The Light God? He had thought it was something the Church made up. Could it be that real deities actually existed—or had once existed—in this world?

He found that hard to believe. Perhaps it was just a powerful transcendent—like a legendary mage or a sword saint—worshipped as a god?

He didn’t believe in gods leaving behind a bunch of divine offspring… but then again, many legends did say things like that.

As all this spun through his mind, Pei Sen asked the most important question: “What if it fails? Will the young master suffer the same torment as Leiser, or… will he die from the curse?”

Atwell raised his brow. “It won’t fail. Eagle has always had good luck.” He deliberately avoided the question.

That only made Pei Sen feel more uneasy.

Just then, the silk curtains around the bed rustled, and a hoarse, lazy voice said, “Burke Angre.”

Everyone fell silent at once.

Burke Angre immediately approached the bed and drew the curtains aside. Pei Sen finally laid eyes on the man everyone had mentioned countless times—His Majesty Leiser.

What sort of strange charm did Leiser Esmia possess that made someone like Burke Angre devote his life to him—knowing full well Leiser didn’t truly return his feelings?

Even Princess Carolina was willing to sacrifice everything for her brother, ignoring the futures of not only Eagle but also her two children by the Bonfrese king.

The man in bed propped himself up slightly. Pei Sen instinctively looked away—he felt as if a sharp blade had sliced across his vision.

When he looked again, he saw a man whose features were not particularly outstanding—his face was properly structured but cold. A tall nose, long narrow eyes, and thin lips that gave an impression of cruelty.

His hair was cropped short. Though he looked frail and bloodless, his posture remained upright and proud. Perhaps it was the curse, or the assassination attempt that had left him this way—but he was little more than skin and bone.

Still, he had a tall frame, and the Esmia royal bloodline clearly favored height. Burke Angre stood about the same height as Pei Sen, and Eagle had clearly inherited that.

Even in such a weakened state, Leiser still exuded a sharp, commanding presence. It was unsettling.

His tone was relaxed—almost lazy—but the way he sat upright showed his deep-rooted discipline.

Though leaning against Burke Angre, his broad shoulders made the Duke look delicate by contrast.

Pei Sen looked at Leiser’s eyes—dark and clearly sightless. He guessed they had once been beautiful.

At that moment, he realized something: in the original timeline, when Eagle went blind, it might have had something to do with Leiser.

“Even if the Seed of Light inside the young master awakens and dispels the curse… will his eyes still go blind like His Majesty’s?”

Incredibly, it was Pei Sen who asked the question.

Though Leiser was frail, his overpowering aura silenced everyone in the room—including the high priest. All instinctively showed respect and fear.

Pei Sen alone was unmoved.

No matter how powerful or dignified Leiser was, Pei Sen felt no fear. Even if he now differed from other players, he couldn’t truly be afraid of a “native NPC.”

Everyone looked at the bold foreigner in surprise. Especially Burke Angre—his gaze lingered on Pei Sen.

So this was just a commoner from a foreign race? Yet he dared speak up for Eagle in front of all these powerful people. It was clear just how important Eagle was to him.

In that moment, Burke Angre felt a faint sorrow.

Saying one is willing to risk everything is easy. Doing it is not.

Eagle was his son. Once, Burke Angre had prioritized his family’s legacy over all else—even sending guards to protect a brother he didn’t even like. He had never married, and his brother Sveiji had died for love, making Eagle the sole heir.

But then there was Leiser Esmia.

Burke Angre had never tried to bond with Eagle. He had sent him to Lanno early, keeping his distance to make the future decision easier.

He knew he had been a terrible father. He owed Eagle too much.

Now, as the moment of sacrifice approached, Burke Angre felt real pain. He didn’t want Leiser to suffer anymore—but he also didn’t want Eagle to die.

He had bought another Seed of Light at a steep price from the Light Church—one Eagle had taken before entering the time-ruin. The Church had always been greedy; nothing came free.

For Pei Sen’s question, no one answered. Their silence was answer enough.

Sadin sighed. He had always thought Pei Sen was different from the other Bix—they weren’t all lunatics. But now he saw that Pei Sen had no fear either. Maybe their whole race was born reckless.

Surprisingly, Leiser chuckled. “And who is this? Did I miss something interesting while I was asleep?”

Burke Angre leaned in and briefly explained who Pei Sen was.

Leiser looked slightly surprised. His sightless eyes turned toward Pei Sen. “A shame I can’t see what you look like. Rare indeed—for Eagle to meet someone who truly cares about him.”

Burke Angre said nothing, his fists clenched, then released.

A “true heart”—coming from Leiser, it sounded ironic.

The man in front of him seemed to have no heart at all.

For a decade, Burke Angre had tried everything—gentleness, passion—but nothing ever moved Leiser. He was an expert at faking love, giving every illusion of affection only to coldly tear it away.

Burke Angre had come to understand him. He was tired—tired enough to consider giving up.

Years ago, he had prepared escape plans—just in case he ever decided to walk away.

Today, he would see this through as his final act of loyalty to Leiser.

Esmia needed Leiser. Even rationally, Burke Angre knew Leiser was the best ruler he’d ever seen. Without the curse, he would have been even greater.

Regardless of the outcome, he planned to take Eagle and leave.

He knew Eagle would never forgive him. But with someone like Pei Sen nearby, maybe Eagle wouldn’t fall apart completely.

Pei Sen had no idea what Burke Angre was thinking. He merely scoffed and looked around, already planning their escape.

There were not only Sadin, the sword saint, but guards protecting Leiser, Light Church clergy, and several black-robed priests. Burke Angre was also here.

Pei Sen planned to toss out high-level magic scrolls to disrupt the scene, use a teleport scroll, and escape with Eagle.

This was no time to be stingy. He had a powerful item in his bag—expensive and unsold because of the price.

It was a one-time-use defensive talisman from a high-level dungeon drop. When activated, it created an impenetrable barrier for ten seconds—immune to all attacks.

Such powerful consumables were rare in Bix Magic Cube.

Pei Sen planned to combine it with a teleport scroll to flee with Eagle.

As for Leiser, Burke Angre, the Church—he didn’t care.

He only cared about Eagle.

Atwell, watching Pei Sen closely, sensed something off. He quietly whispered to the high priest, “Lord Anan, we should keep an eye on that abyssal foreigner.”

The high priest glanced at him. “You think he’ll do something when Eagle Lanno appears?”

“Yes.”

“You worry too much. What could he possibly do here?” the priest sneered. “If not for the Duke’s orders, I’d have banished him back to the Abyss already.”

Atwell frowned. He was used to Anan’s arrogance. Banished to the Abyss? Please. Not even the Church’s Holy City could drive out all the Bix—yet Anan thought he could?

Atwell even suspected Pei Sen might be the leader of the Bix. He clearly had unique powers.

But Anan wouldn’t listen.

Atwell had no choice but to remain silent.

Just then, the ruin stone hovering in the air burst into radiant light.

Burke Angre murmured, “Time’s up.”

Eagle had spent five years in the time-ruin, though only twenty days had passed in the real world.

Pei Sen didn’t care about the miracle. He held the defensive talisman tight and tensed up.

The moment Eagle appeared, he would act.

Suddenly, a blinding light filled the room. Pei Sen couldn’t even open his eyes.

The entire room was flooded with light—like a flashbang had gone off. No one could see.

Pei Sen was slightly better off. Some guards tried to force their eyes open out of concern for Leiser, only to be blinded by tears, unable to see anything.

Only Leiser remained calm. Even in his darkness, he could feel the warm, holy presence.

The most unusual reaction came from the high priest—he dropped to his knees, trembling, muttering, “…The Light God… the Light God has descended…”

Atwell, though also shocked, held it together better. He recognized the overwhelming Light power—but at least didn’t fall apart like the priest.

“This is… the Seed of Light!” Atwell finally realized. “But how? No one has ever triggered the Seed without the Light Spring—”

The Church sold Seeds of Light at high prices. But to awaken one, the Light Spring was needed. Even then, success was rare.

They had planned to extract more profit from that.

So how… had Eagle awakened it on his own?

In truth, the Seed was just an experiment. Over the centuries, the Church had tried everything—testing it on many descendants of the Light. All failed.

If awakening the Seed were that easy, the Church wouldn’t still be weak today.

So what was going on now?

Pei Sen covered his eyes, trying to peek. But the light was blinding.

Just then, a warm hand grasped his.

“Pei Sen…”

He froze. The hand felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

“Eagle… young master?”

“You’re really here.”

Eagle’s voice was deeper—different. Before Pei Sen could process it, Leiser’s commanding voice rang out: “Seize him—!”

The guards responded, but in this blinding light, no one could see Eagle’s location.

Once Pei Sen confirmed the person beside him was Eagle, he grabbed him tightly. “Let’s go!”

He didn’t care about the others. He’d come here to take Eagle away. Now was the perfect chance.

Eagle let him lead without resistance.

Pei Sen tore open a teleport scroll—and the two vanished.

The blinding light faded. The room returned to normal.

Burke Angre’s face turned pale. “Sadin, why didn’t you stop them?!”

Sadin had been the closest. As a sword saint, even blind, he could still move accurately.

“The plan has failed, Your Grace,” Sadin said calmly. “The priest said the curse fears the Light.”

The high priest, still trembling, got up slowly. “Yes. The dark curse fears Light. Eagle Lanno’s Seed has awakened—he is now a pure vessel of Light. The curse can no longer be transferred to him.”

Their original plan was to transfer the curse first, then awaken the Seed. That way, Eagle’s Light power could purge the curse.

But now, the Seed had awakened first.

Even though Eagle shared Burfield blood with Leiser, the curse could not attach to a being of pure Light.

The plan had failed.

Sadin had realized that the moment it happened. That’s why he didn’t intervene.

Burke Angre had panicked and reacted too slowly.

Leiser spoke faintly, “Forget it. Let them run. I… just wanted to know how he awakened it.”

Even Queen Sophia had failed. Leiser himself had taken the Seed—and failed.

Pei Sen didn’t know if the plan had succeeded or failed. Maybe in the original timeline, the curse had transferred—causing Eagle’s blindness. Then, he had awakened the Seed and become the Church’s true Saint.

But now, Pei Sen had no intention of letting Eagle be used. He had run, without hesitation.

“Pei Sen… it’s okay now,” Eagle said softly.

The Light around him faded.

Pei Sen had spent several teleport scrolls blindly—they didn’t even know where they had landed. But at least, they were no longer in the capital.

Finally, Pei Sen had time to look at the person beside him—no longer surrounded by Light.

And he froze.

…This wasn’t the boy he knew.

A young man with golden hair looked at him tenderly. His emerald eyes were bright and deep. A well-defined nose, thin lips curved in a gentle smile.

And he was tall—so tall that Pei Sen had to tilt his head to see his face.

In that instant, Pei Sen realized—

This was no longer the fifteen-year-old Eagle.

This was the twenty-year-old Eagle Lanno.

---

Pinky says: Oh lord.