I created my own system

"Wait really?" Records about our ancestors were a bit scarce or, more to say, restricted, and only the heir was supposed to know it. It was something I was so confused about. Like, what's wrong about knowing some dead people that had nothing to do with you? Why couldn't we know some of our ancestors except those historically famous ones. I never thought of this as suspicious, but now I should have noticed it.

"Should I continue?"

"Yes, please," Alicia flipped through the thick book, but now I was surprised that all people named Apollo had a very powerful story with them. They all achieve significant status, but strangely, their names aren't known to the later generation. They were famous at their time, but after their deaths, they were immediately buried. It was actually confusing considering how prominent they are when they are still alive.

"Strange"

Alicia mutters as she reads the information about each Apollo registered in the Lionheart history book.

"What strange?"

"I just wondered why I didn't notice this myself." Alicia frowned, but I was confused. How could she notice this when it was recorded hundreds of years ago? Curious about what she meant, I asked, "Huh? What do you mean? What can you notice earlier from a book written many years ago"

"Nothing," she just replied, flipping more pages of the book.

'Did I perhaps miss something?'

I thought but kept questions to myself.

"Hmmmm..... I think I understood most of it," she said, pulling me away from my random.

"Understood what?" I was still kept in the dark; reading names didn't help me but made me confused instead. 'How is this gonna help me?'

I was still complaining, but then Alicia finally explained what she understood.

"The first to bear the name Apollo was actually the son of the first Lionheart, Artemis"

She spoke, but strangely, her tone was different. Then she looks at me. "Do you know why she named him Apollo?"

I just shook my head waiting for her to explain. "She gave her son that name to honor her master, who bears the exact name as you"

"You mean, Apollo?"

"Yes" Then she began reading more, but to my surprise, I could not comprehend whatever she was reading. "Hmmm? What this? That's weird," she began to mumble, making me conscious of what she was reading. "Apollo"

"Yes?" She looked conflicted for a second like she was hesitating whether to tell me or not. "Go on, say it," I told her, but I was silently nervous since she was never hesitant to tell me; whatever came to her mind, she would immediately say it. No setbacks, but now her expression tells me that she read something odd that made her conflicted to speak. "Apollo isn't actually a name," She started to say, making me confused as well.

"What do you mean it wasn't a name?"

"Just like I said it wasn't a name but a position instead"

"A position?"

"Correct it is something given to children from the house Lionheart to fill a certain task, everyone given the position Apollo is tasked to do a sacred mission"

"And that mission is?" This time, she stopped speaking again, and this made me a bit rash. "Don't stop now go on explain it for me"

*Sigh*

"Truth is this is a bit complicated than I thought"

"It is?"

"Yes, what you are tasked to do was something all the previous Apollos failed to do"

"And that is?"

"Collecting fragments"

"Fragments?"

"Yes, and not just ordinary fragments but soul fragments imbued with great magic." Then she began to flip another page, and with her calm yet serious expression, she showed me what was in it.

"Apollo," I mutter as I see an illustration of a man; his features are obscure by a hood, but even so, a sense of familiarity swells within me as if I met this man before. "He is Apollo?"

"Yes, and he is also the owner of the soul fragments you meant to find." Suddenly, my throat tightened, and I could not speak as if something was squeezing it. I gasped for air until I stumbled; this caused Alicia to come forward and catch my falling body. "Breath Apollo, you need to breath"

I nodded my head, still trying to stabilize itself; as confusion reigns upon me, a sudden voice becomes my saving grace.

[An anomaly has been detected!]

[System restabilizes the Creator's body...]

[Stabilizing complete]

The events lasted only for a second and my body was back to normal again. Alicia, who was holding me for a total of three seconds, immediately saw my improvements. "You are better now"

"If you have any idea what just happened to me, please do explain it." Alicia just nodded. "What you feel just now is called a resonance caused by the fragments being summoned due to the power of this book. Apollo, it seems unknowingly you end up gathering 'His' fragments, although it only a small portion its already in a state were it could cause some influence in your body"

"I don't really like what I'm hearing right now"

"You better listen because there is still more than what it seems to be"

"The thing is, the original Apollo, whom your name came from, died protecting his students, and in that process, he ends up being divided into pieces. A state worse than death. He was unable to enter the cycle and eternally exist as mere pieces flowing endlessly. That is when your ancestor Artemis passes such a task on one of her sons. A child having the same name as her master and given the task to gather all the fragments and return his soul back to the cycle." I couldn't help but wonder what kind of fragments I needed to look for and when I even managed to find one. While I was still thinking, I felt someone was looking at me, Alicia. "Was there more information?"

"There is, but it's not that good i look up and search the name of all the Apollo. I wanted to know if any of them had met Nero before you did. However, there was none; you are the Apollo he met during his life so far, unless....."

"Unless it wasn't recorded or..." There was a moment of silence between the two of us until I spoke again.

"Or this isn't his first life," I continued what she wanted to say; the reincarnator was really him like what Alicia said. Now I can see the dots moving, and somehow, a picture began to show.

"I wonder how he was able to reincarnate with his memories intact, or he knows how stored his memories and retrieves the moment he is born again, but for that to happen either someone needs to activate the memories or it does automatically"

"You are a bit conflicted with the second theory since the empresses of the empire are subjected to tight security during their pregnancy and even more to the moment they give birth. So there is no way for someone to approach the empress or even the imperial infants. That is if we are looking at the aspect that he is merely using someone to activate all his previous memories"

Alicia only nodded agreeing to his words

"Since he is our reincarnator that would explain how he met one of the Apollos of the past"

"Is there a way for us to pinpoint which Apolo he met? Perhaps we can know more of him if we do so"

With those words a frown form on her forehead as she continues to read, searching to any leads that may provide us with more information about Nero.

"Hmmmm... Apollo did Nero ever tell you anything else, I need more clues"

"Nero..." I mumbled pondering the moments I had encountered him"

As my thoughts glided toward my memories, a word popped up as I thought of Nero.

"Teacher," I mutter with combined confusion and determination.

"Teacher?"

I nodded, then began to explain to her, "Back when I encountered Nero at the academy, he called me that way. He said 'It is nice to see you again... teacher' and 'It seems you don't remember me .....my teacher', he kept calling me in that way as soon as he settled his gaze at me"

She just looked at me with her usual neutral expression, but this time, I could see a hint of worry escaping from her cold demeanor. Yet again she is breaking from her usual character.

"And he also told you that you are similar to the previous Apollo he met"

"Yes"

"Then it only means that somehow you remind him of his teacher to the point that he actually believes you were him in your first encounter. Apollo how did you exactly appear before him"

"Me? Well, flashy, I supposed, someone befitting the Mage's tower. I filled my body with spells and used it as my weapon during our battle"

"A mage..hmmm"

"This I just an idea but I think I know who he was referring to"

"Who"