Asher could be seen lying on his bed, the morning sun casting a warm golden ray through the window. His eyelids flickered as he finally stirred from his sleep. Glancing at the time, he noticed it was already past 12 p.m. in the afternoon.
Asher sat up on the bed, stretching with a satisfied sigh, enjoying every second of it.
’I wonder when last I slept this long,’ Asher thought to himself as he jumped down from the bed.
The True Awakening was set to take place tomorrow, and Asher had been granted the privilege of skipping today’s training at the First Training Ground to rest and prepare, although he still didn’t fully understand what exactly he was preparing for.
But regardless, he had been officially excused for the day. So, Asher simply slept until his body woke up naturally.
Today, he wasn’t going to do any rigorous training. Even his personal training was put on hold. Everything could wait until after the True Awakening.
Wasting no time, Asher headed into the bathroom for a quick bath, then changed into fresh clothes. As if she had been waiting for just this moment, Lyra entered his room with a cart in hand.
She quietly placed the food on the table before him. Seeing the variety and quantity of dishes in front of him, Asher raised an eyebrow.
"What’s the occasion?" he asked curiously.
Lyra smiled gently as she responded, "Young Master, your True Awakening is tomorrow. I’m simply helping fill your stomach so you can gain all the energy you need."
Asher glanced at her, then narrowed his eyes playfully. "Are you sure you’re not just afraid I’ll die tomorrow and you’re trying to overfeed me with one last meal?"
Lyra chuckled softly and shook her head. "I’m sure that, as the most talented Wargrave to ever exist, you’ll come back alive, Young Master." Her tone held absolute confidence, as if the thought of failure never crossed her mind.
Asher didn’t know where she got that confidence from. He, the one actually participating in the True Awakening, was more than a little nervous. The probability of death was real. And yet, Lyra seemed completely unfazed.
"We both weren’t here since the inception of the Wargrave bloodline. You can’t be sure I’m the most talented Wargrave ever birthed," Asher said, turning his attention to the mouth-watering array of dishes.
Lyra said nothing in return. She simply gave a small bow and walked out of the room, taking her place just outside his door.
’Why does this feel no different than the Last Supper from my previous world?’ Asher thought, his lips twitching slightly in amusement. Then he dug in.
Before long, he was done. Lyra came in and cleared the dishes swiftly. Asher rose to his feet, intending to use the day to explore the Wargrave estate and possibly meet some Moons. After all, he had never met any of his sisters.
But just as he opened the door, he found Zarek already standing outside, hand raised mid-knock.
’Even with my Omni Perception, I still can’t sense this man. How strong can a butler possibly be?’ Asher thought as he looked at Zarek.
If his eyes weren’t directly on the man, he would have bypassed his Omni Perception entirely, as if he didn’t exist.
’But considering he’s the Primarch’s right-hand man, I suppose this level of skill is necessary,’ Asher reasoned.
"Tenth Sun, is there something on my face?" Zarek asked casually as Asher stared at him.
"What can I help you with, Zarek?" Asher asked, ignoring the question.
"The Primarch demands your presence," Zarek replied before turning on his heel and walking forward.
Asher followed without question, and soon enough, he found himself standing in front of the Primarch.
"I greet the Primarch," Asher said as he bowed respectfully.
"Life must be really easy for you, to sleep until this time," Azeron remarked, shifting his sharp golden gaze to Asher.
Asher remained silent for a brief second, thinking to himself, Is he seriously complaining that I woke up late?
"No, Primarch," Asher replied evenly. "I simply trained into the night since I wouldn’t be training today. I wanted to ensure I’d be in optimal condition for the True Awakening."
His voice was calm, his hands clasped behind his back. He stood straight, posture perfect, like a well-trained soldier.
"About the Awakening... Do you know what it entails?" Azeron asked, still observing him closely.
Asher’s purple eyes met the Primarch’s golden ones without blinking or faltering.
’Is he finally going to brief me about the True Awakening?’ He thought, a spark of hope lighting up within him.
"No, Patriarch," Asher answered respectfully.
"Then you’ll find out during the True Awakening," Azeron stated simply.
The brief flicker of joy Asher had felt was instantly extinguished, though his expression remained neutral.
He said nothing, merely waiting silently for Azeron to continue.
"I have a mission for you," Azeron added calmly.
My first mission? Asher thought with growing interest.
He had heard whispers about the infamous Wargrave missions, but never really paid them much attention, they had always felt distant, like a far-off milestone.
Still, he knew one thing: every mission came with a reward.
"Your mission," Azeron said, eyes never leaving his, "is to come back alive. This is your first mission as a Wargrave."
Before Asher could even form a response, Azeron continued with finality, "You are dismissed."
Asher bowed once again and stepped out of the room. As expected, Lyra was already waiting.
Without a word, he walked off in a random direction, deep in thought.
He couldn’t understand the Primarch.
His first official family mission was to survive? That felt redundant. He was already planning on surviving, mission or not.
Though he was nervous, Asher had almost no doubt that he would return alive. After all, he had marked his room as a teleportation location over five months ago.
If he ever found himself in genuine danger during the True Awakening, he could simply run away, regardless of how far he was from the Wargrave estate.
It was a trump card no one aside Lyra knew he had,.