Meanwhile, an hour earlier, behind layers of guards—which included Nero and Nevia—in the North Wing of the manor stood an ornate sandalwood door. Past that door was a brightly lit and exquisitely arranged study decorated in tones of gray, black, and maroon.
Seated behind the large mahogany desk was Silvanus, dressed in a simple shirt rolled up to his elbows, a pair of trousers, and a pair of plush slippers, courtesy of Rakï. His expression was entirely neutral as he looked at the other people in the study with him. Rakï stood by the French windows at the side of the room, which were slightly ajar, gazing out at the night sky with a lit cigar in her hand. Zayne sat comfortably on the sofa, cradling the flashy pet carrier, while Meimei sat licking her paw atop the ornate glass center table.
All four existed in tense silence until Silvanus finally spoke.
"So you're telling me the God Fragment descended and made a Covenant with my son when he had the accident."
"That is the hypothesis, Sir."
Silvanus sat back and thought for a bit. Then, he glanced sideways. "Rakï,"
"What?" Rakï looked at Silvanus curiously.
"Confirm if the cat is the Dream Beast."
Rakï sighed. "I just did that already."
"Do it again."
Rakï smiled wryly but turned toward Meimei anyway. She walked forward, hands outstretched, and picked Meimei up. She proceeded to stare directly into Meimei's surreal, blue, gem-like eyes. After a solid minute of unblinking staring, Rakï's eyes began to glow a deep, surreal blue color, and so did Meimei's. The entire atmosphere in the room shifted.
Gradually, the glow in their eyes dimmed, and Rakï looked back at Silvanus.
"This is Dream Beast Wilhelmina... Though I don't know why she's pretending to be a cat..."
Meimei scrambled to be put down, to which Rakï complied.
"Meow!" She looked thoroughly indignant, but Silvanus just frowned.
"Tell me yourself and I'll believe what Zayne just said, Dream Beast..."
Meimei just stood there and rolled over, trying her best to appear as a completely normal cat, to which Silvanus just narrowed his hawk-like gaze on her.
"... If you don't comply, Rakï will send you back to the Ancestral Land."
Meimei froze. A clear hint of annoyance flashed in her eyes.
"... Tch... Is there any need to ask me? The Dark Elf has already told you everything!"
Silvanus' expression hardened. Meimei huffed in defeat.
"Fine. I'll tell you what I know."
From then on, she began to recount her experience, starting from two months ago.
------------------------------
In a place unlike any other on Terra—in fact, it seemed this place didn't even exist in the physical plane of the planet—was a pocket dimension of sorts. Its surroundings were a shifting myriad of moving colors, and beneath one's feet lay no solid earth. Instead, it was a vast pool of stars. This place, accessible to only a select few, was called the Dream Realm.
In the heart of this surreal domain lay a beast deep in slumber. This creature was a hundred meters in length, taking the majestic form of a lion with a thick mane that flowed like water. It seemed to mirror the colors of a blue cosmos, running all the way along its back to its long tail. It possessed the powerful limbs of a dragon, obsidian gleaming claws, three distinct pairs of eyes on its face, and seven huge silver horns with pitch-black tips crowning its head. Aside from its flowing mane, the rest of its massive body was pure black, sleeping peacefully. This was the Dream Beast, Wilhelmina Croix, and currently, she was dormant.
Suddenly, the starlit surface beneath this behemoth rippled. She opened all six of her eyes to reveal irises so blue they seemed surreal and gem-like. They glowed slightly as the creature let out a low, vibrating rumble from her throat.
"... The God Fragment has descended... I need to find the new Vessel before it's too late."
Wilhelmina shifted slightly. Then, with a pained growl, a single horn detached itself from her head. The detached horn glowed intensely before morphing into the form of a cute black cat. The cat landed softly on the pool of stars without creating a single ripple.
Wilhelmina lifted a massive claw, tapping the cat's forehead lightly just as she began to fall back into her deep sleep. As she drifted off, she spoke softly, "Go, find the God Fragment and the new Vessel..."
The cat's blue eyes glowed faintly, and a glowing white portal opened beside it. It looked at the portal, then back at the Dream Realm and Wilhelmina, before finally leaping headfirst into the rift.
Fast forward to three days later. The cat stood perched on a tree branch right outside Nox's hospital room. Inside, he was hooked up to all sorts of medical machines, and even though his condition seemed critical, the cat knew better. From time to time, the sickening sound of snapping bones could be heard as he healed. Yes, he regenerated living tissue and repaired critically damaged organs with absolutely zero medical intervention. The doctors looked on and called it a miracle, but the cat knew exactly why he regenerated at a pace visible to the naked eye.
'... He formed a Covenant with the God Fragment and is using Divine Power to heal... But at the pace he's healing at, the God Fragment must not have a lot of Divine Power left. Had the god actually existed in their full form, these wounds would've healed instantly...'
She observed for one more day until Nox finally woke up, which sent the attending physicians into an immediate state of panic. After all, Nox was an Arur. That name carried massive weight globally. As the cat watched the medical staff scramble, her fur suddenly stood on end. She could feel it. A darkness so incredibly thick it was tangible was actively emanating from the boy.
Immediately, she unleashed her Aura, covering the entire hospital floor. Once she made sure the boy's overwhelming presence was completely undetectable to outside forces, she relaxed a bit and continued to observe him for a week afterward. The more she looked, the more she concluded.
"... This boy has formed a Covenant with the God Fragment and has somehow activated his Divine Constitution: The Chaos Divine Body... This is bad..."
She observed the boy storming out of his hospital room, following closely behind him all the way to a secluded park bench. She saw the Ruach Ra'ah approach the boy, but she waited to see what he would do. He tried to flee and got attacked. Just when it seemed like it was all over, the shadows completely ripped away from their original positions, forming a protective dome around the boy.
The cat was in absolute shock.
'He just used the Authority: Tzel! What?!'. As she watched, she realized something even more terrifying. '... The God Fragment took over? Oh no, it's looking this way!'
Just as she tried to flee, the God Fragment in control of Nox's body stared directly at her, let out a low scoff, and left. She was completely baffled. She retreated to think it over, and finally came to a decision.
"I'll form a Pact with him!"
------------------------------
"... And that's how it started," Meimei concluded.
Silvanus drummed his fingers on his ornate desk absentmindedly. Suddenly, Meimei's ears perked up sharply. She dashed toward the nearest window, which was shut tight. Right then, its surface rippled. She phased straight through the solid glass as if it never existed.
Everyone in the room was caught in a wave of shock just as loud security alarms began blaring wildly throughout the entire manor. Right at that exact moment, a frantic knock rattled the study door.
"Sorry Sir, but it seems there is a breach in the North Wing. Specifically, the Young Master's room."
"... What?"