Oftentimes, sentient beings seek immortality. Undying, undecaying, the state of true permanence. Where time is but a path to an end.

Why do mortals have to die?

Why does time persist to end those affected by it?

And why, even as time becomes a factor in living, do fate deems those worthy to die?

Why does it even govern everything?

For the Terrarian, it matters not. Being incapable of death has its cost. For something that existed beyond everything, even the birth of concepts and existence, these questions did not matter. What matters the most was a reason. The reason why he's in this world. An objective. Whether it is the strings of achievements or his penchant to build, dig, fight and ascend, reason is his everything. For people tied down to their own fates, they have their own reason to exist. For him however, that question remains unanswered.

Even now after succeeding the Final Test, it remains unknown.

Which is how he finds himself in this world. A world bustling with people with reason to exist, even gods with their own.

Perhaps now, he might find out.

The Terrarian stares down an elven woman hidden in the depths of Orario's concealed alleyways. She was kneeling down, huffing in exhaustion. The pale complexion and malnourished look indicates that she had not been resting well. And with someone like him, his presence can't be felt so he wouldn't blame the woman for not noticing him. Even then, her blank eyes reminded him of his own. But unlike him, her eyes had small glimmers of hope, and flames of hatred. All the more reason to believe that he is an anomaly.

The skies were dark, dyeing the scene in a grey gradient. The wet streets and raindrops persisting gave it a dreary feeling. He knew the woman was not in the mood to talk but outright ignoring a clearly downtrodden person was never his strongest suit. So he did what he thought was best; approach her.

"!?"

When the elven woman finally notices him, with supreme speed and precision that was not normal even by the level 3 Adventurers, she thrusts her one-handed sword in his direction. It was, however, met with an unexpected sight.

"..."

Her eyes widened in shock. Her sword, her status as an Adventurer, denied merely by a finger-no, fingernail. The pointed tip of her sword was completely stopped by the Terrarian's fingernail of his index finger. A level of feat impossible, not even by level 5s or 6s. And with how unfazed he looks, he didn't even consider her a speck of a threat at all.

"Who…are you?" The woman questioned.

For a second there, she thought he was one of the Evilus Famillia bastards. Times like these reminded her greatly that her caution may cost innocent lives. But then again, what's a body in a mountain of corpses? She ought to be relieved that he was capable.

"..." The Terrarian was quiet.

He was not one for conversation and even if he speaks, he does not have a name to give her. Maybe after he thinks of one, he might give her. However, now, he doesn't have one. So he kept quiet as he stared at her with unblinking eyes. With a small flick, he deflected her sword as if he was swatting away a fly, catching the woman off guard by how absurd his strength was. She stumbled weakly backwards, her blank eyes staring back at him.

"What do you want?" The elven woman asks.

"..." Still, he does not speak.

Before she could react, the Terrarian grabbed her by her arm. Her eyes widened once more but her thought died down as even if she tried to fight him off, his firm grip would not let her go. Instead, she let him lead her. Where, she does not know. It did not matter. Perhaps this was her punishment for carrying out her revenge…

The journey was a series of small pathways through the alleys of Orario. They did not once go out in the more bustling streets. Seems like the man understands her situation, or at least understood that she shouldn't be seen by the public eye.

They ended up in a very secluded house sat in the middle of a quiet small square back alley. He opened the door and pulled her inside. It was a small living quarter with a connected kitchen and living room. The lack of lavish furniture and decorations gave the place a sense of efficiency, one that made her think that he was a very capable Adventurer albeit an obsessed one. He made her sit down on the dinner table before releasing her arm.

She blinked slowly as her eyes trailed his movements. He went to the kitchen, getting a few utensils and a wooden bowl before he started cooking. Even when he was cooking, she could not sense any waste in his movement. The more she observes, the more she realizes that the man was not just a very capable Adventurer. Hell, he might not even be one for all she knows. But the way he moved indicated that his experience in battles far surpasses her own.

As he got done cooking, he handed her the wooden bowl and a spoon. She stares at the bowl, seeing a warm stew made with assortments of ingredients. He did not speak, but she knew he was offering her the meal. So she reluctantly grabbed the spoon and began to eat. When she tasted the stew, the warmness of the stew entered her body. Tears began to drop as she continued to eat. That warmness reminded her of the man's kindness, of her dead friends, of her family.

"It's delicious…" She said in between sobs.

"..." The Terrarian was silent once again, not adding anything as he observed her eating the stew he made.

It didn't take long for her to finish the stew. Fighting nonstop without as much as a rest or eat does not only take a toll on her body but also wear down her mind. This meal tells her that she had been fatigued for the longest time but her hunger for revenge made her forget the necessity of rest.

"Thank you…" She thanked him. "Ryuu…my name is Ryuu Lion." At least she still had the decency to introduce herself after trying to kill the man. "..."

"..." The Terrarian just stared at her, it was unnerving but the meal showed that the man meant no harm towards her.

But now that she thinks about it, never once did he blink. Something about him just felt unnatural yet she could not deny the kindness he has. Perhaps he didn't want to speak or had a troubled past of his own that forbids or forced him not to utter his name, she didn't know. The silence at least was not nerve wracking, it was a comfortable one.

"..." He stood up and pointed towards a door with his thumb, presumably a spare bedroom for her to rest.

"I…" Ryuu stopped as she looked down. "Thank you once again…"

"..." He turns around and heads towards the front door. "Lucius."

With that, he left to her own devices. Ryuu lifted her head up to stare where the man once was, realizing that he had given her his name.

At that point, she knew her debt towards the man was insurmountable. Lucius, the man who saved her.

Lucius the Terrarian.