Chapter 406 You Are the Treasure
Owen's gaze grew complicated. As though recalling something from the distant past, his voice became faint and faraway.
"The sacred inheritance treasure has always existed in the legends of the Imperial Clan. Only each newly crowned Holy Sovereign was told what it truly was."
He continued, "But even that knowledge was vague. The name was almost all we had. We never knew what kind of treasure it was. We only knew that it existed."
He added, "When the passage to Earth first opened, we weren't actually planning to invade. Earth had sent some kind of signal into our world, and we crossed over to trace its source. That signal caused a reaction from you."
Zara fell silent again.
The food in her mouth suddenly did not taste nearly as good.
Mysteries were much more entertaining when she was not the mystery.
Owen continued, "You were kept inside the Imperial Clan's treasury, which could only be opened by someone of our bloodline. When you began reacting to the signal, we had no choice but to take you out."
"But we couldn't see your true form." He continued, "You became whatever the person looking at you imagined you to be. To me, you appeared as a glowing sphere. To my wife, you looked like a painting."
Zara had no response.
"We didn't know what you truly were or what kind of danger you posed. You had existed in the inherited memories of every Holy Sovereign for thousands of years, but none of them knew how to awaken you or what purpose you served."
"Those memories only told us that you were immensely important, but also extremely dangerous." He added, "If you ever awakened, it would bring about a catastrophe."
Zara spoke slowly. "...You really shouldn't believe every ancient superstition you inherit."
Just look at her now.
How was she a catastrophe?
She was so innocent!
Other than caring a little too much about making money, what had she ever done wrong?
How had that somehow made her a world-ending disaster?
Owen sighed. "That's why I was afraid to tell you when we first met. I worried that revealing the truth might awaken your original memories."
"If that happened, Earth wouldn't be the only world in danger. Both worlds could face destruction." He continued, "But after thinking about it carefully, I began to suspect that the memories passed down to me might not have been entirely accurate."
For one thing, he never could have imagined that Zara would turn out like this.
Zara looked curious. "Then why did you bring me out of the vault?"
"The signal caused you to react. Since we were tracing its source, we came to Earth. But we had no idea how severely this world's laws would suppress us. When we first arrived, we could barely move."
Owen's voice finally took on a note of grief.
"My wife managed to survive, but she was pregnant at the time. Earth's laws were especially harsh on a pregnant body. The child didn't even survive long enough to fully develop."
Zara froze. "That's..."
She had not expected such a tragedy.
The revelation left her with complicated feelings. "Then why do you call me your daughter?"
Owen shook his head. "My wife was already dying, but then we discovered something even worse. For some reason, you began reacting violently, as though you were about to emerge. I didn't know what you truly were, and I didn't dare awaken you prematurely."
"My wife had been gravely weakened, but the vital essence her body had generated as a mother had not yet dispersed. Our child was already gone, and I could not allow anything to happen to the Imperial Clan's sacred inheritance treasure as well."
He continued, "With no other choice, I used a special method to transfer the treasure's power into my wife's body. The treasure dissolved into a stream of light and successfully settled within her."
"But her body couldn't contain the full extent of your power.
Nearly half of it remained outside." He added, "We discovered that the body of a human child on Earth was compatible with your power.
He had also been sickly from birth, which made him an ideal vessel.
So I transferred the remaining power into him. "
Zara nearly spat out the food in her mouth.
She knew immediately who that child had been.
Her eyes widened. "Lucian?"
Owen hesitated, then nodded. "We happened to meet his parents at the time. They weren't surprised when they learned who we were, and they thanked us for saving their child."
"But I couldn't be sure what might happen if the two of you remained together, so I left with my wife. After she gave birth to you, we abandoned you in a remote wilderness."
Zara sucked in a sharp breath. "You left an innocent child in the middle of nowhere ..."
"That's not quite fair," Owen interrupted with a sigh. "We knew nothing would happen to you. Your power was more than enough to protect you. Even without food or water, you would have survived and grown safely."
He continued, "But you have to understand. Every inherited memory we possessed warned us that you were dangerous. Your power also seemed to reject the body carrying you. I couldn't predict what might happen, and I had to protect my wife."
Zara had been far too dangerous.
That was why Owen had resorted to such an extreme measure.
To seal away that danger, he had also paid a permanent price.
He would never be able to return to the Divine World.
Owen did not deny that he had acted selfishly.
"Even if you eventually became dangerous, it wouldn't have mattered where I left you. The moment your power went out of control, everyone in this world would suffer. I wouldn't have escaped either."
Fortunately, his sacrifice had worked.
At the very least, Zara had grown up relatively normal.
She had never displayed any uncontrollable aggression.
She was simply obsessed with money.
And greed was certainly better than mass destruction.