The presence of Death was overwhelming.
Red lightning sparked in the surroundings.
Soon, giant, building-sized, red flickers of lightning were gathering at a spot.
A black-haired kid stood at its the center.
Luna was about to move, but she realized the boy wanted to deal with the Shadow monsters flying down from the window.
"Let's see what you are capable of..."
Her words got stuck in her throat when the boy attacked.
"How...? How can he do that?"
Latte Café, Ferora City, 2 cities away from Greenwood City
"That's a True Mythic Demigod!"
Brian's eyes glowed with excitement.
He continued to talk to Felix and Arthur, who were sitting on the counter.
"I'm telling you as a history major. Today's Mythic Demigods are too weak compared to the past."
"How so?" Arthur questioned, intrigued.
Brian ignored Arthur and continued to talk to Felix, clearly trying to hit on her.
"During the Age of Gods, when the terms Demigod and God had yet to be coined, those who awakened mystical qualities were called 'Awakeners.'
"That was the only rank.
Brian grinned, proudly flaunting his knowledge.
"Do you know all of us originate from the race called 'Homo Sapiens'?
"Homo sapiens had defective genes that limited their potential.
"It was why only one rank existed because no one could go beyond that limit."
Felix openly sighed, showing her disinterest in Brian.
She glared at Arthur from the corner of her eyes.
"Then how did we cross that limit?" Arthur asked. "We have more ranks now."
"Because of the 'Myths'."
"Back then, the monsters, the windows, and Divine Energy-powered natural disasters were destroying the world.
"You could say, the entire race of our ancestors, Homo Sapiens, was on the verge of extinction.
"Unlike our ancestors, our opponents were not limited by their potential.
"Cities were destroyed, millions died every day, wars became common.
Brian paused, adding an exaggerated effect to his words.
"The Awakeners who broke through the limit of their race.
"When survival became a luxury, the heroes, those who would become Gods in the future, started to show abilities beyond what was thought possible.
"Back then, only a few could cross the ceiling of the Awakener rank.
"They were the Myths, the legends, themselves," Brian explained.
"So the mythic rank is named after them?" Arthur spoke.
"Indeed, that is true. But!"
Brian's eyes gained a fierce glow.
"Don't compare the past Mythic Demigods to today's!
"Back then, a Mythic Demigod could protect an entire city alone! An entire city!
"They were as strong as natural disasters!
"And this was when they, the Homo Sapiens, had yet to gain the God Blood."
Arthur smiled bitterly at Brian's contempt.
He knew the past Mythic Demigods were far stronger.
However, it was natural.
The desperation to survive and protect those they held dear forced them to be strong.
In today's peaceful times, there was no need for them to push themselves to the limit.
Demigods still tried to grow stronger.
But it was for personal gain, and none of them had the drive.
While Brian continued to try talking to Felix, the door of the café opened, and Nathan, Sean, and Clara entered.
The twins noticed Arthur and Felix and approached them.
Felix's eyes gained a bit of life.
She realized it was her chance to get Brian off her back.
"They are?" Brian asked as the new trio sat next to them.
"Our friends," Felix introduced them.
"She is Clara, a Wind Mage, and he is her brother, Sean, and Nathan, a Darkness wielder."
Brian's face stiffened when he heard her.
"Yes, he is quite good—"
"Fuck, I can't believe I wasted my time talking to friends of a filthy fucker."
He stood up and left.
Felix faked a stunned expression.
However, as soon as Brian left the shop, she exploded into a fit of laughter.
She turned to Nathan.
"Sorry about calling you a Darkness wielder."
"No problem." Nathan smiled bitterly. "He was actually quite nice. Normally, people throw a lot more curses."
Darkness being one of the Forbidden elements was the reason why its wielders were shunned.
The fact that most users of Darkness went insane and became psychopaths and mass murderers didn't help.
Simply put, Darkness was 'evil,' and so were its users in the eyes of the common public.
Many countries, institutions, and organizations shunned users of Darkness.
The Demigod Academy not restricting its students, even if they used Darkness, was one of the reasons why Demigods saw it as a haven for teaching.
The five members talked amongst themselves, laughing and chatting.
After a few dozen minutes, Arthur and Felix gave a secret nod to each other.
They decided to put the plan—the reason why they gathered everyone from their team—into motion.
Felix gave an excuse and took Clara and Nathan with her.
Arthur and Sean were left behind.
"Is there anything wrong with my face?" Sean questioned, realizing Arthur was staring at him with a serious expression.
"What is happening to you?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Sean smiled, confused.
"You have been acting weird since a month ago," Arthur added. "Did you really think no one realized you've been on your toes around Neo?"
He opened his mouth to give an excuse but closed it.
A sigh escaped his lips a few seconds later.
"I was planning to tell you about this, but I didn't have the time."
"What is it?" Arthur leaned closer and interlocked his fingers.
"I awakened my Time element a few weeks ago."
"Listen to me first."
Sean massaged his brows.
His eyes went toward the giant glass wall, and he stared at Clara, his sister, who was outside with Nathan and Felix.
A frown appeared on his face when he noticed Brian approaching Felix.
"Since the day I awakened my Time element, I started to see... I don't know what to call them, weird dreams?
"It's always the same dream.
"The S-rank Sphinx mission."
"I see things that didn't happen."