Chapter 198: We, too, exist.

Chapter 198 – We, too, exist.

The new continents of the realm were finally added and were now being properly organized.

Noah placed the Vaelgrim Domain near Sophie’s red lightning territory, the demon continent near Dominique’s sprawling farm and Lilith’s massive tavern, and for the elves, he simply merged their lands into Aphasia’s multicolored forest. It blended perfectly with her aesthetic.

As for the dwarves... Noah didn’t quite know what to do with them.

That was until he remembered someone—Lucie.

Also known as The Crow.

Lucie didn’t have territory inside the realm—after all, she wasn’t one of his women—but Noah still gave her authority over the dwarves and carved out a corner for them.

Because it made sense.

Lucie had already been the one keeping them in line from the beginning. Better to let her continue what she was good at.

All in all...

The realm was shaping up. More organized. More populated. Noah’s faith was growing. For a brief moment, everything felt back on track.

But it wasn’t. Not really.

The realm wasn’t yet strong enough to support all these human beings and foreign territories in a stable, sustainable way.

It was being strained.

Which meant Noah had to move fast. He needed to integrate Laeh’s core into the realm—transforming it fully into the new World Core—and in doing so, he would finally heal. When that process was complete, the realm would no longer be a realm.

It would become a world.

A true world.

But that process would take time.

And Noah couldn’t just start it and leave everyone—including his women and subordinates—wandering aimlessly with no direction, no path forward, no ambition.

He wasn’t in a rush, no. But he hated wasting time for nothing.

So, before beginning the process...

Noah called for a meeting.

A serious one.

To determine the next move.

—

While all that was happening, deep inside a quiet section of the White Castle, two beings—two beasts—sat side by side.

One silver wolf.

One golden fox.

And their discussion?

Let’s just say it was... weird.

"So," Lorna said lazily, stretching her body out as her tail flicked, "what did you even do after putting me in front of Elijah?"

Premier didn’t respond immediately.

Mostly because... he hadn’t done anything.

Still, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I trained. Hard."

Lorna smirked, sharp and teasing. "You remember what you told me back then? When I was just born?"

Premier’s jaw twitched, but he kept his face neutral. "No idea. Been too long after all."

"You said... ’the most useful to Master will be considered the eldest beast.’ And that the younger ones would have to obey the elder. No complaints."

Her grin turned sly—taunting, almost dangerous.

"I think I’m way ahead of you now. So why don’t we start early? You can call me big sister, just like you do with Shadeva. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you," she said sweetly, eyes sparkling with mischief.

Premier cursed Noah in his mind instantly.

This was all his fault.

Noah never let him do anything. Every time he asked for a mission, for a chance to prove himself, Noah would say the same things ’You’re not ready. You’re too weak.’

Weak.

A word Premier despised from the core of his being.

He was Noah’s first beast. The very first creation. He carried that title with pride—and arrogance. He had dreamed of gathering all the future beasts under his lead, building a unit of ferocious loyalty under Noah’s banner.

Not because he lusted for power. No. It was all for Noah.

But how could he lead when he was never given a battlefield?

And sure—he was S-rank now. Five years had passed, and he’d advanced. That was something. Most beasts never made it that far.

But when you live inside a house of monsters...

That level means nothing.

Any of his "mothers"—as they all loved forcing him to call them—could probably kill him with a flick of their finger.

Even if they were only S-rank.

And yet somehow... he was the weakest.

And now Lorna had completely taken the lead. The golden fox was not only the most useful beast—but the most active.

Anyone would feel crushed.

Anyone would feel small.

But Premier... was Noah’s first.

He had been with him the longest.

And in that time, he had absorbed something more valuable than titles—Noah’s mindset.

He wasn’t someone who would sit and wallow in self-pity forever.

He’d complain, yes—but never for long.

He had always waited for the day Noah would give him a task. A purpose.

But now?

Now he knew better.

He couldn’t wait anymore.

He needed to act.

He needed to be independent—to walk his own path. With strength. With clarity. With that familiar reckless confidence.

And if he messed up?

’He’ll save me,’ Premier thought with a smirk.

Then he turned to Lorna, his eyes narrowing. Feral. Wild. Hungry.

Hungry for power.

Hungry to grow.

And most of all—hungry to make those long-eared bastards suffer for what they did to Noah.

He grinned.

"Too early to decide. Let’s see who does more damage to the elves. Then we’ll talk about calling anyone big sister."

Lorna matched his grin with her own signature sly smirk.

"Then you better be ready," she whispered.

And the atmosphere shifted—heat distorted the air, and the world seemed to bend. Nothing felt real. Everything felt like an illusion.

That was Lorna’s affinities.

Fire and Illusion.

She stepped forward, her voice dropping into something cold. Something cruel.

"Because I’ll make them regret ever touching our master. Or his world."

And she meant it.

Lorna was ready to be the most cunning fox ever known.

Premier’s grin widened, a wicked gleam in his silver eyes.

"Let’s show them."

Yes.

Let’s show them we exist too.

Let’s show them that beasts can rise.

And they were ready.

Ready for blood. Ready for war. Ready for supremacy.

...

While his beasts were plotting vengeance, Noah sat in his war room—meeting with his wives.

This time, the focus wasn’t emotion.

It was strategy.

They knew it already—Supreme Rank wasn’t achieved through raw strength alone. You needed an Authority. A gift or rather a reward from the Records. Something that only came through feats of impossible weight.

But after Supreme...

Came something even rarer.

The Mythic Rank.

To reach it, one had to change their race—evolve into a ruling species. With that higher core, you could begin to exert influence over a world.

It was a rank built on faith.

The more influence you had, the deeper your roots in the world became. And the deeper your roots, the more power you could draw—until eventually, you completely seized that world and ascended to the World Dominator Rank.

And Noah?

He didn’t want any of them lingering in Mythic.

He wanted it to be a stepping stone, not a resting place.

So they needed people.

They needed worlds.

And the Shadow Realm was the perfect start.

Noah looked over at Shadeva, who now sat with them—calm and unreadable, like always.

"Tell us, Shadeva..." Noah said with a soft smile.

"Tell us about your siblings."

Because now...

Now it was time to learn more about the ones known as—

The Originals.

—End of Chapter 198—