The Truth
"Sophia, I want you to return home. The upcoming mission is incredibly dangerous" The voice rang in her ears.
"If he dies, then I'll die with him as well" Sophia didn't change her expression upon hearing about the mission.
"Sophia you…" There was shock in the voice.
"He'll be the ruler of this world and my future companion"
"No one will be able to hurt me in front of him" Sophia said with great conviction.
"I suppose you are right. After all, he's the one that Goddess Theia has chosen" Afterward, the voice disappeared.
The next day.
"Meredith, please open up. I baked something for you" Bruce was currently in front of Meredith's door with a chocolate cake in his hand.
After yesterday's event, Meredith didn't calm down leaving Bruce in despair. Bruce knew this would happen once people know of his real identity. He cursed his good looks and talents for attracting the attentions of beautiful ladies.
"Come in" Bruce heard a voice from the inside and opened the door.
He found Meredith sitting on the sofa wearing a blue dress with a slit revealing her long gorgeous legs. Bruce gulped and walked into the room to greet her.
"Hello beautiful princess. I've baked you the most delicious chocolate cake" Bruce placed the cake down in front of her and sat next to Meredith.
Meredith glanced at the chocolate cake and glared at him with a cold glance.
"I know you're still mad but there was nothing I could do" Bruce sighed.
"You could have stopped staring at her!" Meredith replied in an icy tone.
Bruce looked at the beautiful cold goddess in front of him and knew that he had to tell her the truth. He had met several women in his life that he felt mysterious connections with. These women will most likely be connected with him one way or another.
If Meredith couldn't handle the situation, then it's best for him to end things now with her.
"Meredith, I really like you but if you're not comfortable with how things are between me and other girls, then we should end things now between us" Bruce said in a sad tone.
"There are other girls beside Sophia?" Meredith gasped.
"No, there aren't. But I have mysterious connections with different women in my life."
"I have no doubt that they will be involved with me" Bruce tried to explain to her.
"What a bullshit excuse Bruce, I can't believe you just said that!" Meredith didn't buy what Bruce was selling.
Bruce knew that Meredith was prideful and wouldn't believe him. He also didn't want to lose Meredith, so he decided to reveal his secret to her.
"Meredith, I am not lying to you" Bruce stood up from the sofa and held his hand up in front of her.
"I am a unique existence in this world because I have affinities with all the elements!"
Bruce's hand started glowing and different things started to appear on his palm one by one.
Water, Earth, Fire, Wind, Darkness, and Lightning.
Meredith couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had extensive knowledge of the history of the continent, and she never read about anyone with all elemental affinities. It's extremely likely that the person in front of her is the only exception in the history.
"What… How could you have all the elements?" Meredith was extremely shocked.
"I knew about this when I was young. I came from a humble family and experimented different things to test out my affinities"
Bruce began to tell her about his adventures when he was young and how he figured out his elemental affinities. Meredith sat on the sofa quietly listening to him.
"Meredith, it's very possible that fate has already decided a path for me."
"I always have a feeling that I am on a mission and that the people whom I've met along the way are connected to me somehow"
"If you're not comfortable with me getting involved with other women, then we should end things right now"
Meredith felt touched that Bruce was willing to reveal his secrets to her. However, she still didn't know if she's comfortable sharing him with other women.
"Bruce, I don't know…"
"I don't want to lose you either" Meredith confessed her feelings.
Bruce hugged Meredith tightly and the couple stayed in that position for a while.
"Then let's not worry about it anymore and enjoy the present" Bruce grabbed the cake and cut it up into slices. He handed Meredith a slice.
Meredith took a small bite out of the cake and smiled in happiness.
"Is it good?"
"Mhm"
"Hey, save some for me!" Bruce freaked out when he saw Meredith going for the other slices.
"No, this is my cake!" Meredith glared at Bruce to back off.
Seeing that Meredith was finally smiling again, Bruce gave up.
"Fine princess, you can have the cake"
Bruce stared at Meredith in pain as she enjoyed the cake without him. He was hungry as well. Bruce decided to convince Meredith to not finish the entire cake.
"You really shouldn't eat the whole cake. It's very easy to gain extra weight" Bruce knew he screwed up when Meredith started throwing knifes at him.
After finishing up the cake, Meredith returned to her usual mood. She didn't want to lose Bruce to Sophia and sharing Bruce with other women didn't sit right with her either.
However, she realized that Bruce is possibly the most talented person in the continent. He's bound the reach the pinnacle one day and it's common for men like him to have a harem.
"Bruce, do you have any other secret you're hiding from me?" Meredith asked.
"I have two other secrets that I haven't told anyone yet"
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you both secrets, but I can tell you one of them" Bruce answered hoping that Meredith wouldn't get mad again.
"What's the secret?" Meredith asked curiously.
"To protect my identity, I had to modify my appearance. You're not looking at my true appearance right now" Bruce gloated because he knew that his true appearance would be striking.
"Now that I look closely, I can see that your eyes, nose and facial structures are changed artificially" Meredith started to touch Bruce's face.
"Can you undo the changes?" Meredith asked.
"I'll do it once I reach Divine King realm. By then, I should be as strong as a peak Divine King expert to protect myself" Bruce didn't want to reveal his true face until he has sufficient strength.
"Well, I can't wait." Meredith smiled.
"Since I've revealed everything to you, I should get a reward" Bruce inched closer to Meredith.
"What is it that you want?" Meredith tensed up as Bruce moved closer to her.
"Your first kiss"
Bruce kissed her for the first time and the two continued the kiss for a few minutes. The way went by peacefully as the couple enjoyed themselves.
Few days later, the storm finally arrived.
In the Imperial Academy Headmaster Office, Steven Bochner was reviewing the list of students to be sent out to the war in the ancient ruin. He approved the list and left the office.
At the center of the Imperial Academy, Headmaster Steven stood in the air.
"All the students who are at least ranked above 2000th in Soul Manifestation are to be reported to center stadium now!"
All the students who fit the criteria swiftly moved to the stadium. The dreaded mission has finally arrived.
Headmaster Steven stood on the podium and began his speech.
"Students of the Imperial Academy, you have been blessed with the privilege to study here. The resources that you were able to obtain in the academy do not come for free."
"In 5 days, an ancient ruin will open on the east side of the continent. You all will be required to enter the ruin if you want to remain as students of the Imperial Academy."
"For those who choose not to enter the ruin, the Imperial Academy will not punish you, however, you will be immediately expelled from the academy!"