The Leventis house had become more quiet ever since their guests had left.
During this time, Thirteen trained Remi, played with Rhia, and went to the Smithy to ask his father to craft him certain equipment that he would need in Solterra.
While he couldn't use the skills and abilities imbued in the weapons and items, he could still use them normally.
Thirteen also busied himself with buying other items, like the ingredients of gunpowder.
Guns and other high-tech weapons actually didn't work in Solterra. But, cannons did.
Gunpowder was only useful for cannons, which was a very funny thing.
Making a flintlock, or a rifle that used gunpowder, was theoretically possible in Solterra.
But whenever the Wanderers tried to recreate them, it never worked like they were supposed to.
They were part of the banned items that the Laplace Demon had added to the rules of the world. So, this revolutionary item that could have changed the art of warfare in Solterra didn't become as widespread.
This forced people to rely more on abilities and skills, which was the bread and butter of the Wanderers.
But Thirteen was different.
One of his Hosts was a Barrelmancer.
What is a Barrelmancer, you ask?
It was a very unique Profession pioneered by a person who wasn't blessed with any Profession in a world where Profession was everything.
So, he created his own, and that was Barrelmancy.
He would fill up barrels with water, explosives, chili powder, and any other unusual things that would make people think that he was crazy.
They laughed and ridiculed him, but when they fought against him, the one who'd get the last laugh was him.
Thirteen busied himself with collecting barrels of many things in Solterra.
Barrels of salt, wine, spices, gunpowder, and anything he thought would be useful to him.
With Rocky's ability to store a lot of items in his mobile fortress, Thirteen had enough space to become a wealthy merchant in Solterra if he wished for it.
He even asked his father to make him a cannon and several cannonballs for good measure.
Simply put, unlike back then, when he wasn't prepared for anything when he was first brought to Solterra, now, he was armed to the teeth.
Gerald was more than happy to help his son, worried about the mission his son would undertake his time around.
He was there when Zion fought against Arundel, so he understood the scale of the battle and how dangerous it was.
Alessia, Lady Callista, Arthur, Michael, and the Elites of the Leventis Family joined his battle in order to save his sister, Shasha, from the Artemians.
Such missions were something that was deemed impossible to complete, and yet, for some reason, Zion always found himself wrapped up in those missions,which made Gerald, and Alessia worried about him.
However, Thirteen assured them that he would be just fine.
As the days of the Solstice neared, something unexpected happened.
Mikhail and Shasha returned from their mission, which made Gerald and Alessia very happy.
After resting for a day, Mikhail and Shasha heard about the things their brother had done during his time in Pangea, and it shocked the two of them silly.
If not for the fact that the news, as well as the videos of the war, was readily available on the internet, Mikhail and Shasha would definitely think that they were being pranked.
"You're really amazing, Zion," Shasha said as she hugged her little brother, whom she loved very much.
Rhia, who saw her older sister hugging her brother, also joined in the group hug. Finding her actions cute, Shasha giggled and showered her little sister's chubby cheeks with kisses.
"You also trained the Hero Party?" Mikhail asked with a smile. "They're very lucky then."
"They are," Thirteen nodded. "They will be returning a few days before the Solstice for the special program that I have prepared. Even now, the Remington and the Leventis Families are collaborating to make it happen."
"What kind of special program?" Shasha asked. "Can we help?"
"It's fine, sister," Thirteen replied. "Everything has already been dealt with."
Just as Mikhail was about to watch a show on TV, he suddenly remembered something.
"Zion, Taiga was with us in this last mission," Mikhail said. "He asked me to pass you a message."
"And what did that dumb Tigerkin say?" Thirteen arched an eyebrow.
"He said that his sister, Cleo, had a vision about you," Mikhail replied.
Thirteen's expression immediately became solemn after hearing his brother's words. If it was Taiga's mother, Briella, who had the vision, then it wasn't set in stone. However, Cleo's vision was the opposite. No matter what path he chose, that vision would become a reality.
"He said that the Temple of Courage can be found beyond the wall, and the second person you hate the most in the world will be waiting for you there so that the two of you can fight to the death."
Mikhail saw the expression of his brother change from surprise to an eerie calmness.
It made him feel as if he was looking at a sharp blade that could cut the fabric of the world once it broke free from its scabbard.
"Thank you for telling me Taiga's message," Thirteen said calmly.
"Brother, who is the second person you hate the most?" Mikhail asked. "I will kill him for you."
"I will help you kill him, Zion," Shasha stated in an icy tone. "Who is it?"
"Thank you, but there's no need to worry," Thirteen said with a smile. "The second person that I hate the most isn't a big deal. I can easily squish him like a bug."
"Really?" Mikhail asked, still unconvinced.
Thirteen nodded. "Really."
After that short talk, Thirteen excused himself and returned to his room.
As soon as the door was closed, he made sure that it was firmly locked behind him.
The teenage boy took a few deep breaths before sitting cross legged on the ground to meditate.
He needed to clear his thoughts first. Otherwise, his killing intent might go out of control.
Since Cleo said that the second person whom he hated the most would be fighting him to the death, it only meant one thing.
He was going to fight against the System God, Deus Ex Machina.
The same person who killed him and tossed him to the world of Pangea.
Thirteen hated many beings in his lifetime, but the top two spots never changed.
The being he hated the most was Fate.
The second one was the System God.
If he would really fight against his Father to the death a second time, then there would only be one result and one result only.
"You're going down, old man," Thirteen said coldly. "It's payback time."