Chapter 24 – The Feather of Origin
The ancient feather hovered silently above the stone pedestal. Golden radiance filled the sanctuary. Every heartbeat seemed to slow. Every breath became heavier.
The moment Azrael and Seraphina stepped closer, the feather trembled.
A familiar voice echoed throughout the hall.
"Identity confirmed."
"Heirs recognized."
The entire sanctuary shook. Golden pillars erupted from the floor, surrounding the pedestal.
Then the Celestial Evolution System appeared before every member of the expedition.
Hidden Trial
The Feather of Origin
Objective:
Obtain the First Heavenly Relic.
Participants:
Azrael Ashbourne
Seraphina Ashbourne
Others:
Support Only
Marcus scratched his head.
"Support only?"
"So we just watch?"
Before anyone could complain, another figure slowly materialized above the feather.
It was the little girl from the Sanctuary Plains. This time, however, she no longer looked like a child. She had become a young woman with waist-length golden hair and four radiant wings. She wore white robes embroidered with silver stars. Her expression was calm.
"My name..."
"...is Lyra."
"The First Keeper of Eden."
She bowed toward the twins.
"Welcome home."
Elena immediately stepped forward.
"What exactly is this place?"
Lyra smiled gently.
"The first sanctuary built by the Celestial Race."
Marcus blinked.
"So angels lived here?"
"They did."
"For many ages."
Ryan looked around.
"Then what happened?"
Lyra’s smile faded.
"War."
"The Abyss came."
"The sanctuary fell."
"The survivors departed."
"The ruins remained."
Silence filled the chamber.
Thousands of years...
Reduced to ruins.
Lyra turned toward the feather.
"It has waited for countless generations."
"For the rightful heirs."
Azrael stepped closer.
"What is it?"
"The First Heavenly Relic."
"The Feather of Origin."
"It belonged..."
"...to one of your parents."
The twins exchanged shocked glances.
"Our parent?"
Lyra nodded.
"Yes."
She gently raised her hand. The feather floated into the air. Golden light erupted across the sanctuary.
Suddenly—
The System flashed violently.
Warning
Origin Law Activated.
Unauthorized listeners detected.
Applying Universal Concealment...
A strange ripple spread throughout the room.
Marcus frowned.
"...Did she just say something?"
Sophia blinked.
"I think she said..."
"It belonged to an ancient king?"
Ryan scratched his head.
"I heard ’first guardian.’"
Elena folded her arms.
"...I honestly don’t remember."
Meanwhile...
Azrael and Seraphina heard every word perfectly.
They looked around in confusion.
"You guys..."
"You didn’t hear her?"
Marcus laughed.
"Hear what?"
"The relic belonged to your..."
He stopped.
His expression became blank.
"...Huh?"
"What was I saying?"
The System quietly appeared before Azrael and Seraphina alone.
Origin Law #1
Primordial Concealment
Information regarding Primordial Authorities, Origin Bloodlines, and their Bearers is automatically concealed from beings below the required Authority Rank.
The law cannot be bypassed through speech, writing, recordings, or memory.
Azrael slowly read the notification.
"So..."
"The System has been hiding everything."
Lyra nodded.
"Not only from them."
"From the entire universe."
Seraphina looked at Marcus. He seemed completely unaware that anything had happened. It was as though the conversation had never existed.
Lyra continued.
"The names connected to your existence..."
"...carry unbearable weight."
"If ordinary beings hear them..."
"They risk soul collapse."
"So the System protects them."
Azrael finally understood why Raphael’s words had seemed so vague to everyone else.
Everything made sense.
Lyra raised her hand once more.
"Touch the relic."
The twins placed a hand on the feather.
The sanctuary erupted with blinding light.
The feather separated into two streams.
One white.
One black.
The white feather entered Seraphina’s body.
The black feather entered Azrael’s.
Warmth spread throughout them.
Their halos appeared automatically.
Azrael’s dark halo rotated slowly behind him.
Seraphina’s golden halo shone brilliantly.
The entire dungeon trembled.
Synchronization Complete
First Heavenly Relic Acquired.
Relic Name:
Feather of Origin
Synchronization Rate:
12%
Golden information flooded their minds.
They saw countless angels soaring through galaxies.
Gigantic dragons sleeping around stars.
Worlds being born.
Worlds ending.
Finally...
They saw two silhouettes standing together.
A man with silver hair.
A woman with long silver-white hair.
Neither face was visible.
Yet...
The warmth they radiated felt familiar.
Then...
The vision disappeared.
Passive Ability Unlocked
Origin Aura
Nearby allies gain increased resistance against corruption.
Nearby Abyss creatures suffer reduced regeneration.
Marcus suddenly looked around.
"Did something happen?"
Elena blinked.
"The pressure disappeared."
Ryan laughed nervously.
"I think I blacked out for a second."
Sophia frowned.
"I feel stronger though."
None of them remembered seeing the relic divide. None of them remembered Lyra mentioning the twins’ parents. Everything connected to the Origin Law had already been concealed.
Lyra smiled.
"The law is functioning normally."
She looked toward Azrael.
"Try introducing your Authority."
Azrael nodded.
He turned toward the others.
"My Authority is..."
"...Oblivion."
Marcus heard—
"My Authority is Darkness."
Ryan heard—
"My Authority is Void."
Sophia heard—
"My Authority is Shadow."
Elena heard—
"My Authority is Unknown."
The words were different for each person.
Only Seraphina heard the true name.
She smiled.
"It really works."
Lyra nodded.
"Now you."
Seraphina looked toward the guild.
"My Authority..."
"...is Genesis."
Marcus heard—
"Life."
Sophia heard—
"Creation."
Ryan heard—
"Nature."
Elena heard—
"Light."
Everyone looked confused.
Marcus scratched his head.
"Did everyone hear something different?"
Before anyone could answer—
The System activated again.
Universal Memory Adjustment Complete.
Conversation Stabilized.
Potential contradictions removed.
Ryan blinked.
"...What were we talking about?"
Marcus shrugged.
"No idea."
Elena simply shook her head.
"Let’s move on."
The conversation ended naturally. The law had rewritten their perception without anyone noticing.
Azrael stared at the System in amazement.
"So even memories..."
Lyra smiled.
"The Origin Laws were created before worlds existed."
"They are absolute."
Suddenly...
The entire sanctuary shook violently.
The peaceful atmosphere vanished.
Cracks spread across the floor.
A deafening roar echoed from beneath the temple.
The System’s calm voice became urgent.
Emergency!
Dungeon Boss Seal Broken.
Cause:
First Heavenly Relic Removed.
The stone floor exploded.
A colossal hand covered in crimson scales burst from the abyss below.
Then another.
A gigantic creature slowly climbed out of the darkness.
Unlike every monster they had faced before...
This one possessed six burning crimson wings.
Broken halos floated around its head.
Its body was chained by enormous golden restraints that had almost completely shattered.
The System immediately identified it.
Fallen Seraph
Name: Astaroth
Race:
Corrupted High Angel
Level:
35
Status:
Seal Broken
Warning:
Extremely Dangerous
Lyra’s expression changed for the first time.
Fear.
"No..."
"The seal wasn’t supposed to fail yet."
Astaroth slowly opened six blood-red eyes.
Its gaze settled directly on the twins.
It smiled.
"So..."
"I’ve finally found..."
"...the Children of Origin."
The words echoed through the sanctuary.
To everyone except Azrael and Seraphina, they sounded different.
But the twins heard them clearly.
For the first time...
An enemy had recognized exactly who they were.
And unlike the System...
The Fallen Seraph had no intention of keeping their secret.