The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

‘Somewhere to go.’

Where could it be?

Thiel’s question was soon answered.

Because Cassius carried Thiel in his arms and headed towards Alpheus’s room.

“Did Grandfather call for me?”

Cassius gently set Thiel down.

The edge of Thiel’s dress brushed against his ankles. Thiel held Cassius’s hand and stood up straight away.

“Let’s go in.”

As soon as Cassius finished speaking, the soldiers guarding the room opened the massive door.

The door opened silently and smoothly.

“Grandfather!”

When Thiel smiled, Alpheus, who had been standing solemnly, burst into a wide smile.

Alpheus quickly approached and lifted Thiel into his arms.

“Thiel, are you feeling better? I came to see you, but you were fast asleep, so I didn’t want to wake you up and just left.”

“Yes, I’m fine! Dad, Lia, brother Perdi, and brother Ludian took good care of me! Thank you for worrying, Grandfather.”

When the word “Dad” came out of Thiel’s mouth, Cassius and Alpheus’s gazes met. The two of them smiled subtly.

Alpheus, holding the young child, patted her back gently and spoke as if telling a story.

“Yes, but you must never do something like that again. Trust that Cassius talked to you about it.”

“Yes, don’t worry!”

Thiel nodded confidently and replied. Her eyes sparkled with vitality.

Alpheus laughed heartily, seeing his granddaughter in such a brave state.

“Alright, understood. Don’t worry.”

Alpheus slowly walked away.

Cassius quietly followed behind. And where Alpheus’s steps stopped was…

“Thiel.”

It was in front of a bookshelf that filled one side of the room.

Tihel looked up with a puzzled expression.

‘There are so many books…’

No matter how high they looked up, there was no end to the books.

Being a sage must require reading a lot of books!

Thiel, still in Alpheus’s embrace, gazed at the magnificent book covers filled with difficult characters for a long time.

“Press this book.”

Alpheus pointed to a book with the most elegant cover.

It was a book bound with old leather.

Thiel nodded and reached out their small hand.

Originally, given Thiel’s height, they would never be able to reach this book. But thanks to Alpheus holding them, she could easily press the book spine.

Creak!

As Thiel pressed the book spine, the massive bookshelf made a mechanical sound and moved.

Startled, the child buried themselves in Alpheus’s embrace.

Alpheus chuckled and patted Thiel’s back.

Creak! Thud, rumble…

The bookshelf moved with a mysterious mechanical sound for a while, then soon slid open.

Thiel’s eyes widened at the sight she had never seen before.

The gap between the bookshelves parted, revealing a massive room.

“Wow…”

“This is a secret chamber known only to Asterians. Only those with Asterian lineage can open the door to this secret chamber.”

Alpheus gently held Thiel’s small hand.

Thiel also looked down at their own hand.

“Only those with Asterian lineage…”

“No need for a blood test, it seems.”

Alpheus chuckled softly.

Thiel shyly nodded her head.

It was practically the same as Asterian acknowledging that Thiel had Asterian lineage.

‘Asterian acknowledged me.’

So, I am indeed their child.

A smile formed on Thiel’s lips.

All the worries that had tormented the child vanished in an instant.

Soon, they stepped into the secret chamber, embraced by a joyful laughter. Cassius quietly followed behind.

The secret chamber was different from what they had imagined.

Unlike Alpheus’s splendid and antique room, the secret chamber was surprisingly plain.

No, it would be more accurate to say that there was nothing.

The finely polished stone walls had no decorations on them.

Thiel examined the inside of the secret chamber with curious eyes.

In one corner of the massive room, there were gold bars and gem-like objects scattered randomly, and in the center of the room, there was a small pedestal-like object.

However, there was no lighting or illumination in the room.

Not even the faint traces of burnt candles could be seen.

And it was pitch dark. It was hard to see anything ahead.

Alpheus confidently walked and gently placed Thiel next to the pedestal.

“Thiel.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

“This place has been passed down through the Asterian lineage for a very long time. It is a room for those who have manifested the ‘Ability of Light’ from the legends.”

“A room for those with the Ability of Light…?”

“A room created for the sake of the legendary Light.”

Alpheus nodded his head.

After a moment of silence, he brought up a topic he hadn’t discussed with Thiel before.

“Most people believe that there are only two legends regarding the Ability of Light.”

The legends that have been passed down from generation to generation in the Asterian and Nestian families about the “Ability of Light.”

“But in reality, there is another hidden legend.”

“A hidden legend?”

“Yes.”

He wiped the dusty altar with his hand, leaving a white mark on his palm.

Thiel didn’t know what to do and grabbed Alpheus’s hand.

“Grandfather, your hand is getting dirty!”

“It’s okay. Thiel, about the hidden legend. The hidden legend…”

Thiel’s eyes widened, and she listened intently to Alpheus’s words.

Alpheus took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped Thiel’s hand that had gotten dust on it, and then wiped his own hand as well.

“Asterians and Nestians will regain their original power along with the glorious light.”

Alpheus recited the legend aloud.

Unknowingly, Thiel followed Alpheus’s words.

“With glorious light… Reclaim the original power?”

At that moment, Cassius, who had been standing quietly next to them, spoke up.

Cassius’s gaze fell on the little girl.

“Thiel, it may not apply to you, but both Asterian and Nestian suffer from madness.”

“Madness?”

“Yes, it’s a long-standing curse. When their abilities are used beyond a certain limit, the power goes berserk, attacking and eventually devouring the caster from within.”

A thought suddenly occurred to Thiel as Cassius spoke. Thiel widened her eyes.

“So that’s why brother Perdi…”

“Yes, Perdi went berserk for that reason. And madness cannot be easily calmed down. It continues until it destroys everything around and eventually consumes the caster themselves. In Perdi’s case, his abilities aren’t strong enough to shatter himself, so he has survived until now.”

Madness running through the veins.

Thiel quietly looked down at her own palm.

‘Cannot be calmed down.? But I… I managed to calmed it down.’

Perdi’s flames had surely subsided within Thiel’s embrace, like a gentle lamb.

Seeing the bewildered expression on Thiel’s face, Cassius lowered himself.

He bent his knees and lowered his body to meet his daughter’s eyes.

“That’s why you are special, Thiel.”

“…”

“The phrase ‘With glorious light… Reclaim the original power’ signifies the healing of madness.”

Cassius extended his hand to Thiel.

Thiel grabbed his hand as if mesmerized. On top of Cassius’ thick and massive hand, a small and pure hand overlapped.

“Thiel, this altar is a pedestal for those with the light’s ability.”

Cassius gently guided Thiel onto the pedestal.

Thiel tightly closed her lips and nodded as she placed both feet on the pedestal.

“Go ahead and ascend.”

Alpheus spoke with a tender voice. Thiel gathered her courage and stepped onto the pedestal.

“….!!”

Then it happened.

The pedestal sank abruptly.

“Whoa!”

Surprised, Thiel stumbled and sat down in place. The hem of her dress spread wide around her.

Kuwoong… Kugukgung…

Within the secret chamber, a mechanical sound seemed to echo, as if something else was moving.

Cassius and Alpheus watched Thiel silently, holding their breath.

“Huh?”

Soon, a small light emerged from Thiel’s palm.

Thiel’s eyes sparkled within the darkness. The tiny light grew larger, expanding at the pace of a child’s breath.

Thiel blinked slowly.

The light gradually encircled the child’s surroundings.

The following trailing light slowly transformed into the shape of fish fins.

“Daddy…”

Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Thiel called out to him softly.

It was a word she couldn’t even say, no matter how much she wanted to. A word she had suppressed tightly within herself.

“…Yes, my dear.”

Cassius warmly received her.

Thiel’s eyes widened, and a smile blossomed on her face.

Soon, the radiating light surrounding Thiel grew in size.

The light became immense, as if it could engulf the entire room, yet it didn’t dazzle or hurt the eyes.

Thiel’s light was that kind of light—a warm light that could embrace all people in the world…

Before long, the stone walls that received the light began to shine brightly.

Thiel instinctively withdrew her abilities.

In no time, Thiel’s light dimmed, leaving only the stone walls shining brightly and sparkling.

Cassius, Alpheus, and Thiel observed the changes in the secret chamber while holding their breath.

And then it happened.

Swoosh…

“….!!”

The inscribed words on the glowing stone wall slowly revealed their form.