With how normal Vaughn's tone was as he said those words, it took a while for the young man to fully register what the man had said to him.
Of course, the statement hit him like a truck the very moment it finally clicked in Valyr's head, leaving the young man staring at Vaughn with his mouth wide agape.
Taking some time to recover from the shock the man's statement brought him, a myriad of questions soon filled Valyr's mind as he thought about which one he should ask first.
Eventually, the perfect starting question arose to the surface of his mind, prompting him to look at Vaughn with both curiosity and confusion. "Why me?"
In response, Vaughn raised his eyebrow in curiosity before shrugging his shoulders. "It's a no-brainer, really. Out of the five of you that entered the inheritance, you were the one that performed the best."
"The fact that you performed well compared to the others is actually part of the reason why I've chosen you to be the only one among your group to enter the Gates of Transcendence."
"Naturally, the same reason applies to my decision of having you inherit my position." Vaughn smiled.
Scratching the back of his head as he listened to those words, Valyr felt as if the man's reasoning made sense, while also not making sense at the same time.
Fortunately, it did not take long for everything to finally click in his mind as his eyes briefly widened in realization.
'The reasoning feels… shallow.'
Certain that there was more to it than what Vaughn had just told him, the young man continued to ask Vaughn more about his reasons for choosing him to become the new owner of the inheritance.
Unsurprisingly, Vaughn repeated the response he had given the young man a few times after that, paraphrasing each reply in a way that made it seem like he was giving a different response every time.
Thankfully, the man relented at some point, scratching the back of his head in slight frustration.
"I know you've obtained this as a reward from the system at some point," said Vaughn with a low sigh, taking in a deep breath before continuing. "With that, do you know why the Triad Gates was constructed in the first place?"
"To make sure the human race continues to prosper, right?" replied Valyr back after jogging his memories for a bit.
"Correct." Vaughn nodded in agreement. "But as I've mentioned in an earlier conversation of ours, the Triad Gates holds information that would cause unspeakable consequences if it were to fall under the wrong hands."
After the man had said those words, the young man did not take long to put two and two together in his mind, staring at Vaughn with a hint of realization. "So, you're saying…"
"Though I could continue to claim ownership over this place, it would be better if the inheritance was handled by someone from the generation that knows what the present Veldanyr wants," said Vaughn with a nod, understanding what was going on in the young man's head.
"Well, I don't seem like a good fit for that," replied Valyr, wondering what made the man choose him amongst the others. "Wouldn't someone like Hal have been a better choice for the position?"
"Compared to someone like me, he's dabbled in every major field of production that exists in Veldanyr."
"That may be the case." Vaughn agreed with Valyr on that. "However, unlike him, your heart is more in line with the goals I had in mind when the Four Pillars' Inheritance was made."
"To keep humanity in check, to keep humanity prospering, and to keep making humanity better over time."
As those words left Vaughn's mouth, Valyr felt a small part of himself resonate deeply with those words.
Of course, with a bit of rummaging, it did not take long for him to find out why that was the case.
'Changing the outcome of the final battle, huh…' inwardly muttered Valyr at some point, only for him to let out a faint sigh soon after.
After coming to that realization, the young man felt that Vaughn's arrangements now made sense to him, prompting him to give the man a nod to show that he understood.
Receiving a silent nod in response to his explanation, a faint smile appeared on Vaughn's face as he nodded back.
Then, without delay, he pointed Valyr towards the gateway that would lead them to the Gates of Transcendence, informing him that he only needed to get close to it.
Nodding in response, the young man did what was told of him and stopped a few steps in front of the large entrance, sensing an ancient aura slumbering on the other side.
Feeling a hint of uncertainty from Vaughn's earlier words, Valyr was forced to push such thoughts to the side as the entrance formed a large bubble of energy that enveloped his entire body.
Wondering what was happening as he was caught off guard, the young man forced himself to calm down as a couple of objects extricated themselves from the spatial bracelet he wore.
In less than an instant, the small statue and the ball of wispy energy he had obtained from Vaughn back then had appeared before him, now giving the same color of light as the bubble of energy that surrounded him.
Not long after, his body began to give off the same light as well, only to coalesce into a mass of pure light above his head after that.
Within seconds, the mass of light, the statue, and the ball of wispy energy all made their way to the entrance, soon giving off an aura that rivaled even the ones Daon and Dawan had unleashed in their fight.
Surprisingly, the auras the objects radiated disappeared not long after that, with both the statue and the ball of wispy energy losing their luster as they fell to the ground.
As for the mass of light, it was absorbed by the entrance as it combined with the auras the two other objects had given off.
With that, the gateway to the Gates of Transcendence finally began to open with a reverberating creak, prompting Vaughn to step forward and stand beside the dumbfounded young man.