"And what," he said slowly, "does this forbidden zone have to do with the 'Holy Lands' you speak of?"
"The 'Holy Lands'..."
Earl Vireon Flameborn narrowed his golden, flame-like eyes, a flicker of deep contemplation breaking the stillness in the chamber.
"Is it the same one I'm thinking of?" he asked coldly.
The lead Minotaur visibly gulped, the pressure of Vireon's presence weighing heavier now. But despite the anxiety gripping his spine, he nodded.
"Yes, my lord... it is exactly the same one."
He steadied his breath and spoke with reverence.
"A land where mana flows more purely and abundantly than anywhere else in the known universe…A place where the Laws of the Galaxy can be perceived more easily than even in the Core Worlds…A land closest to the Will of the Galaxy itself.
Where immortal-grade herbs, divine resources, and long-lost miracles still linger untouched.
That… is the land I speak of."
Vireon's lips thinned into a hard line. He gave the Minotaur a single nod, wordlessly ordering him to continue.
The Minotaur straightened his posture slightly—still kneeling, but gaining confidence.
"The relationship between the forbidden zone and the Holy Land, Lord Vireon… is simple."
"They are one and the same."
For the first time, Vireon's eyes widened—not in theatrical shock, but genuine surprise. It was subtle, but it was there.
"What nonsense is this?" he said in a sharper tone. "How could that forbidden zone... that barren, accursed place...one that no one can even enter be a Holy Land?"
And just like that, the entire chamber went silent. A faint echo of the Earl's words lingered in the obsidian walls.
It was a powerful question—not just from a man, but from a noble of the Star Empire. A question that betrayed a deep truth:
He did not even know the full history of that region.
And perhaps the entire Star Empire might not be aware of.
And even those high-ranking nobles with a higher rank than earl vireon's might not have known the real history of the forbidden zone.
It was a rare moment that exposed of a deep ignorance among the mighty—revealing the limits of even the Star Race's knowledge. After all, the Star People, for all their power, were still a young race in the cosmic scale—barely a few million years old.
They weren't yet a Tier-1 Super State, and perhaps... this was one of the reasons why.
The Minotaur diplomat bowed even lower, but his tone remained firm.
"My Lord… I mean no disrespect."
"But allow me to explain why we know this, even when your empire may not."
Vireon didn't respond, but neither did he stop the Minotaur. That alone was permission enough.
"Long ago… our ancestors stumbled upon the Inheritance of the Father Race—an ancient civilization that is now long dead and gone."
"From that inheritance, we gained knowledge that predates even your empire… and perhaps, even your race."
That earned a sharp glance from Vireon, but he remained silent.
"Among the many secrets recorded… was the truth of the Forbidden Zone—the place you now call the Sol Region.
Millions of years ago, it was not forbidden at all. It was one of the richest, holiest galactic domains in existence."
"Some even say it surpassed the central Holy Regions of the Core Worlds."
He paused, letting that statement settle. Then came the revelation:
"But then... tragedy struck ."
"Two ancient, unfathomably powerful factions clashed in that region. A war broke out… the scale of which we cannot even imagine."
"And in the chaos… one side lost control of a weapon. a weapon of untold power and limits."
"A devilish Artifact. A devilish construct beyond comprehension."
Now Vireon's eyes narrowed again, no longer in anger—but in haunted thought.
"That Artifact... ripped the Sol Region from the universe itself." "Cut it off. Contained it. Cursed it." "What once was a beacon of divine purity became a sealed realm… a Forbidden Zone."
Earl Vireon Flameborn sat in silence, his blazing eyes reduced to a mere flicker as he processed the revelation.
An ancient inheritance... It was something he knew well—something his race had once sought. The legacy had originated from a civilization that was once mighty within the galaxy. In truth, his people had once set their sights on it, but ultimately left it untouched. Why? Because the inheritance was damaged—fragmented—and therefore considered incomplete. And to claim it from a race as lowly as the Minotaurs, whom his people held in contempt, was beneath them.
But now… a new piece of the puzzle had surfaced. A relic from that bygone era—millions of years old—something new even to his vast knowledge. An artifact said to possess the power to carve apart sections of the galaxy itself. Cursed or not, Vireon found himself intrigued—deeply intrigued—by the possibilities it held.
The implications were vast—possibly older than his race, older than the Star Empire itself.
"Could it truly be? That the Sol Region… once stood as a Holy Land beyond compare?"
His powerful presence, once suffocating and absolute, had receded without him realizing it—like a flame withdrawing into embers as it contemplates its own purpose.
The kneeling Minotaurs didn't dare move, though they noticed the pressure had lifted. It was as if a mountain had rolled off their backs. But none of them stood. Not yet. Not until they were told.
The chamber remained quiet for a long moment, the only sound being the low hum of magma flowing beneath the obsidian manor—a resonance that echoed Vireon's brooding thoughts.
Finally, Vireon's eyes opened. This time, there was no wrath. No contempt. Only... a deep, contemplative calm.
"So that's how it is…" he muttered, his voice softer, yet still carrying a weight that bent the air.
He raised his head slightly, fire-like hair flickering gently around his shoulders. Then, his voice rang clearly:
"You've brought knowledge that touches the ancient bones of the universe itself.I do not doubt you now, Minotaur emissaries.But you have not yet answered the real question."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze narrowing—but this time with intent, not intimidation.
"What brings you here now?What has changed in the Sol Region… that would drive your people to kneel before mine?Speak clearly. I want to know the truth."
The lead Minotaur leader bowed deeply again, this time with more dignity than fear. Then he spoke:
"Indeed, Lord Vireon. What we have shared so far was only the foundation. The reason we've come… is something far more urgent."
He paused for just a moment, as if preparing himself for the weight of what he was about to say.
The Minotaur emissary paused for a breath, then lowered his voice as he spoke his next words with solemn weight.
"The cursed artifact… the one that once sealed the Sol Region—its power has been weakening for months now."
Vireon's expression grew more focused, the flames in his eyes flickering slightly as the Minotaur continued.
"At first, we only sensed a faint shift—a tremor in the seal, subtle, but unmistakable.Then, just a day ago… it happened."
The chamber seemed to grow colder despite the ambient heat.
"The seal shattered. Obliterated.Not by mortal hands, but by something far greater."
The Minotaur's voice dropped to a reverent whisper.
"The Will of the Galaxy... and even the Will of the Universe themselves moved.As if the cosmos had decided that the Sol Region was no longer to remain bound."
He raised his head slightly, watching the shock ripple across Earl Vireon's face. The flames in the Earl's hair flared wildly, his eyes wide with disbelief. The chamber's walls groaned under the sudden spike of heat radiating from his body.
The Minotaur knew he had struck deep. The earl, one of the Flameborn—beings who rarely showed emotion—was visibly shaken.
Perfect, the emissary thought. Now he's listening with his soul, not just his ears.
He bowed slightly and pressed forward.
"Moments after the seal fell… the region changed."
"Mana fluctuations surged across its borders—erratic, chaotic, and impossible to classify.But soon, the chaos began to stabilize… no, transform."
He looked up, meeting Vireon's burning gaze with quiet urgency.
"A mana storm formed—vast and wild—spreading across the entire Sol Region.But this storm is not a natural disaster.It is the galaxy's breath pouring back in."
"It is the universe itself trying to restore the Sol Region to its original state.Even fundamental laws—like gravity, space, and time—have begun to resonate unnaturally.
The Minotaur's voice echoed softly, reverently, as though he were reciting prophecy rather than merely reporting events.
"The Sol Region—once feared as a Forbidden Zone where none could enter and none who did ever returned…has been liberated, my lord."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle in the vast chamber. The flames dancing in Earl Vireon's hair crackled silently, yet he did not interrupt.
"The cursed artifact that shackled the region in eternal isolation has been broken.Shattered by the combined force of the Universal Will and the Galactic Will themselves."