Edward wasn't lying when he said that the headquarters of the House of Light wasn't far from the Starlight Royal Academy. It's about a 20-minute walk away from it.
Cedric never truly paid too much attention to this area before. In truth, if it wasn't for Edward telling him that the House of Light was near the academy, he wouldn't have searched this deep.
Don't get him wrong, Cedric knew that this place was owned by the House of Light, it was obvious by the giant Lighthouse built within the territory. He just didn't know that this was their headquarters.
Edward was still flabbergasted by his speed and the fact that they were already here. Still, he forced himself to remain professional and led the Young Sage inside, lest the young man get bored and change his mind.
But just as he was about to open the doors to the building to give Cedric a tour, said doors opened before him, revealing an old man with a curved back wearing the same themed priest robes as Edward. The only difference is that this old man wears a sash around his neck, draping to the side of his robes and there's a huge insignia of the sun on the back of his robes.
"Archbishop!" Edward exclaimed before stepping forward and bowing deep towards the old man. "As per your request, I have located the Young Sage and brought...well, technically it was him who brought me here, but he's here now."
"So I've heard." The old man's gentle voice sounded out. "You did well, Child. I'll take it from here, you may return to your usual duties."
"Understood." Edward bowed once more towards the old man and Cedric before leaving in a flash.
The old man wasn't alone. He was accompanied by two people. One ash-blond lady and a raven-haired man. Both politely and respectfully flanked him on the side, wearing serene expressions on their faces.
"Thank you for gracing our humble abode with your presence, Young Sage." The old man greeted Cedric with a polite tone and a slight bow, though not that obvious because of his curving back. "My name is Gabriel, an Archbishop of the House of Light. With me are my retainers, Annalise, and Richard. Come one, children, say hello to the Young Sage."
"Greetings, Young Sage." The Archbishop's retainers greeted him as well.
"I believe I'm not worthy of the respect and politeness you're showing me...at least not yet, but I appreciate it nonetheless. I am...Derrek, this generation's Sage. The Sun Sage to be exact. Shall we take this conversation inside?"
Archbishop Gabriel smiled kindly before saying: "Indeed, we shall. Please follow me."
Gabriel led Cedric inside followed by Annalise and Richard.
The interior of the organization could simply be described as humble. It is made of materials that closely resemble what a normal household would use for their homes. It didn't look extravagant, it looked simple and homey, which most likely is the goal here, after all, they named the organization; The House of Light.
Speaking of which, Cedric could feel the abundance of the fake sunlight here. The interior of the building was illuminated well, but not to the point that it was blinding.
"He was respected because he was responsible for predicting the dangers that Humanity will face. He was the one who proposed the idea of occupying this continent and using it as our final bastion, eventually, this decision led to the creation of Azure Terra. Our founder is also the one who divined the identities of the first generation of the Zodiac Saints."
"More importantly, it was also he who predicted that a Demon King would swallow the sun, ridding us of the light and hope for a better tomorrow. He understood the impact of this and thus, led to the creation of the House of Light."
Cedric was reading the information as Gabriel spoke of it. One query with Acala confirmed that everything he was saying, including the historical records detailed in this folder, was all correct.
Then, he got to the end of Princeton's biography and saw his final words.
"The starry-eyed child who endured seven painful years and bears the sigil of the sun will appear in the future. He is the Holy Son and he will lead Humanity towards our golden age. Until then, Humanity must endure. Keep the Lighthouses burning and hold on. One day, we will be free from the Demon Race's oppression."
Cedric felt shivers down his spine as he read these words. Once again, he asked the system if this was legit and it replied positively.
He was never one to believe in prophecy or anything of the like...Cedric was a man of the present and an unknown future, bolstered by his past. He never liked the idea of 'fate' because it sounded unfair to him - even though the world works just like that.
That's until he got these eyes...
The fact that he could predict someone's next move just by simply looking at them, made him believe that maybe it wasn't as bad as he made it out to be. It has some merits at least. Additionally, everyone has a role to fulfill in the grand scheme of things. Somehow, it's comforting to know that you have a purpose, even though it's already pre-destined.
'But isn't this a little too extreme?' Cedric mused to himself.
The founder of the House of Light was among the very first batch of Superhumans. The things that Gabriel highlighted are only a few of the many things he did for Humanity.
Predicting Cedric's existence sounded so absurd that it's a little unbelievable.
"This should help..." Gabriel shook him out of his thoughts, handing him a palm-sized crystal ball. "...the founder also predicted your behaviors and your hesitance. This is something he left for you, he said that this should help you decide."
Cedric blinked as he accepted the crystal ball. He could feel a strange heat emanating out of it. As he focused on that, he suddenly felt his Sagely Totem - the 『Aspect of the Sun』, reacting to it.
He felt his consciousness being swept away by an irresistible force and found himself standing in front of a phantom who wore a small smile as he looked at him.
"Hello there, Young Sage...or should I say, Cedric Stormrider? That's your name, right?"