Ruler's Awakening: Inheritor of the SSS-Rank Dimensional Talent

***

Dark Dimension.

Aaron opened both eyes in his subconscious mind and saw he was wearing a purple-patterned black suit, a long black robe, and black magic armor on his body.

He raised his hands, to his shock, he found black chains shackling his hands. The chains reminded Aaron of Dark Azazel's chains.

His eyes wandered around. He was in a valley between two different mountains, white and black. Surprisingly, two chains were pulled upwards, which made Aaron's body float in the air, similar to being crucified.

"What the hell happened?" asked Aaron, confused.

The place turned black and white like a water ink painting in the blink of an eye. Aaron felt something strange in his subconscious, as if the man could not control this place.

The black and white ink vortex appeared before Aaron in a large form, continuing to rotate clockwise, not approaching anyone —spinning on its axis.

"Disappear!" said a woman from within the vortex, surprising Aaron as her voice seemed familiar to his ears.

The woman's hand swung to the side, dispelling the black-and-white ink vortex. The vortex exploded and caused black water to rain down on the place, pooling on the surface up to the woman's ankles.

Aaron gasped with wide-open eyes. The woman who dispelled the black and white ink vortex was Lucy, his mother.

Aaron's hands revolted, trying to release the shackle chains as they pierced and entered the veins in his body. Lucy looked sad-faced, flying with the help of her magic —just like Aaron's purple magic.

"M... Mom?" asked Aaron.

"This chain. Have you met him?" asked Lucy, noticing the black chains that also bound Aaron's hands.

"Him? Is the one you're referring to Dark Azazel?" asked Aaron, confirming.

Lucy said yes. Only he could do that to Aaron, considering that Lucy also had the same subconscious form as Aaron.

"It looks like you're tempted by his power. I'm sorry I didn't explain everything from the start," Lucy said, floating before Aaron wearing a traditional long purple dress with a rose pattern, leaving a graceful impression in Aaron's sight.

"What happened to you, Mom? Why were you caught by the Integrity Knight? What exactly are they planning to do to you?" asked Aaron, letting go of the thousands of questions trapped in the back of his mind after his mother's loss last year.

The woman did not answer any of Aaron's questions. Still, she would tell him how strong the group targeting her was. That could be used as an excuse by Aaron so that he could develop further beyond his current abilities.
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"You don't need to know that, not for now. I'm afraid you'll act recklessly when you find out, even return to using Azazel's power."

"Most importantly, the group that arrested me is a powerful group. Almost all of its members are at the Archmage level. They caught me because they wanted to extract power from a pure Azazel descendant," Lucy explained.

"That's right. Aerith explained it to me once. She said a group of people from Visiri was fighting over the power of the three dark entities," Aaron replied.

"Visiri? The three entities of darkness? Did she explain everything to you?!" shocked Lucy to the point of holding both of Aaron's cheeks tightly, not wanting Aaron to get too involved with the Visiri Planet's magic conflict.

"Right," Aaron said.

Lucy again warned Aaron about Visiri and the dark entity. She asked Aaron to forget about it and live peacefully with his great power on Earth. Lucy didn't want Aaron to get involved with a problem she couldn't handle.

"Don't act rashly and live peacefully on Earth, Aaron. Don't even think about visiting Visiri. It's very dangerous!" Lucy emphasized.

"Is it because I have Azazel's pure bloodline?" asked Aaron.

"That's right."

"Is it possible that a group from Visiri arrested you?"

"For now, you don't have to think about it. I came to your subconscious because I kept a bit of my consciousness through the talent I gave you," Lucy replied, gently rubbing Aaron's cheek and hugging her son's body, truly missing him.

Aaron felt a sense of calmness in his heart, the fear and anxiety fading away as the woman he loved embraced him warmly. Slowly, Aaron could see Lucy's body begin to fade into transparency.

"I don't have much time. Listen to what I say, Aaron."

"Reach the 100th floor of Dark Pillar Tower and grab the Dark Ruler Title."

"Rise to the Great Ruler's mage level so no one will dare you."

"Listen to what Aerith says. Never argue with her. She's a good woman."

"Leave your intentions to Visiri and live peacefully on Earth. If you make it out of this place, meet Archmage Helen. She's a good friend and will help you a lot on the surface."

Lucy's hand became transparent, and her figure faded before Aaron's. Aaron shouted loudly for his mother, not wanting their first meeting moment to end with as much mystery as it did now.

Lucy smiled, her eyes closed as her right hand waved goodbye to Aaron.

"One last thing you should know: Do not unlock Azazel's last three shackles, do not use Azazel's power, and do not care about Azazel!"

"Don't go, Mom!" cried Aaron, tears streaming through the corners of his eyes.

"I'm sorry because of me, you've suffered, Aaron."

"I'm sorry that I didn't explain everything to you."

"You'll always be a son I'm proud of, Aaron."

Lucy's figure disappeared completely from Aaron's sight in the blink of an eye. She faded into tiny magic particles that flew and vaporized into the sky.

"MOM!"

The scene in Aaron's subconscious returned to normal, the world of black and white ink disappeared with Aaron's condition still crucified, floating in the air. Aaron's head bowed languidly, his tears continued to flow down the crack of his cheeks, realizing his mother was leaving for the second time.

Ahead of him, Azazel's magnificent palace stood again with the castle door open. Aaron felt a strong gust of wind along with black magic blowing towards him.

The man raised his head and stared forward, Azazel smiling, grinning with both hands freed from the chain shackles.

"I can tell you who kidnapped your mother," Azazel replied.

"I don't want to hear anything from you!" said Aaron sharply.

"How rude. Even though I helped you get to this mage level, have you forgotten?"

"I won't use your power anymore!" threatened Aaron.

Azazel laughed loudly with both hands clapping. His head nodded when Aaron said so, a hypocrisy for him.

"Alright. However, if you need more strength, you know where to look for me, Aaron."

Just as the two were talking, Aaron heard the familiar voice of a woman who sounded like she was calling his name repeatedly. It was Aerith's voice.

The mountains faded into tiny shards and hollow particles that floated away; Aaron's subconscious began to dissipate with the man's mind returning fully to his consciousness. Azazel closed his eyes and waited for Aaron to return to free the other shackles.

Aaron's eyes opened, he saw Aerith's face before him clearly. The man was sleeping on the floor of the Dark Dimension with his head in Aerith's lap.

The woman squinted with her right hand, wiping away the tears that flowed from the crack of Aaron's cheeks. Aerith asked why Aaron was crying, which was unusual for her.

"I met her," Aaron said.

"Who?" asked Aerith.

"My mom, Lucy."