Her blood seemed to freeze. The words caught her off guard.
She coughed lightly.
"Oh, cut that out. I wasn't and I am not your mother," she protested weakly, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks.
Her stern expression dissolved into awkwardness.
"You're distracting me." She pointed a finger at him, then placed her hand on her waist. "You're not allowed to do anything without my permission. Ask. Then. Do."
"Fine. If you're going to limit me, then you'll have to teach me," he said, standing firmly.
"No problem." Her hand slipped from her waist.
"Oh. I just remembered. Why didn't you stop Aeni from going with her mother? You said she was dead."
"Oh, that?" She shrugged. "I didn't feel energetic enough to argue. And it's possible Nao was sent by Liyoku. That would explain why she's alive. Nothing dangerous."
"I'm tired of dealing with everything," she murmured, pressing her palm to her forehead.
The tension between them thickened, making Akarum uneasy.
"Let's go. You said you'd teach me, right?" he quickly shifted the focus.
They stepped outside Heavenly Kaatoumo. Their eyes found Flint in the same spot as yesterday, unmoving.
"He's been there since yesterday without eating or drinking. Why?" Akarum asked, leaning against a tree.
"He's trying to achieve Puzzled Blessing," Kashime replied.
"What's that?"
"It's an ability that enhances physical speed, but it's extremely difficult to obtain. Your deeper mind has to take control of your consciousness. That's why he's working so hard."
"Shall we begin?" he asked.
She turned to him fully.
"Sit down. Try to sense something unusual inside you, something that doesn't belong to you."
He sat, closed his eyes, inhaled sharply, and focused inward.
I can sense it.
"Where am I?"
He stood in complete darkness. Black smoke drifted through the void. Nothing existed there except endless shadow.
Fear crawled across his skin.
"It didn't happen when I summoned that spear. Why now?"
He walked blindly, searching for anything beyond the smoke.
"Kashime!" he shouted into the silence.
Suddenly,
He opened his eyes.
Kashime was shaking his shoulders.
"Took you long enough."
"I was there for hours. You weren't even listening." She stepped back irritably.
"It's only been a few minutes. What are you talking about?" He stood and brushed dirt from his clothes.
"You were too lost in focus to notice."
"Look. The sun's already setting." She pointed toward the fading light.
"But…" His eyes widened. "Kashime, I was in a pitch-black place. Nothing else. Just darkness. It felt like seconds."
"Oh." She made a small sound, as if she understood something but refused to accept it. "It's fine. Let's go inside."
She glanced at Flint's still form before walking ahead.
"What does that mean? Why was I there? It didn't happen when I summoned Prime Thorn." His voice carried confusion and desperation.
"When you summon, you concentrate on the object while it quietly drains your energy. So, you didn't really fully sense soul energy. But summoning a Divine weapon requires an insane level of focus."
They entered the courtyard.
Asami stood there, worry clear on her face.
"Tell Flint to eat something. At least drink water. He's been there since yesterday."
"But if we disturb him now, it could ruin everything," Kashime replied, torn between concern and restraint.
Light's Mansion.
Denu and Belly returned.
"I'm tired." Her shoulders sagged.
"And you're pretending not to know why we went to Fate's Domain." He lifted her chin so she would look at him.
"I seriously don't remember why we were there." He rubbed his head.
"To find out if Fate knows about Mio. I don't even know who that woman is." She waved her hand irritably.
"Who's Mio?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.
Denu and Belly reached Fate's Domain. She moved ahead without hesitation, then disappeared into an alley.
Belly's eyes widened. Her mind struggled to comprehend the massive, ancient castle before her. Its walls were tinged green with age.
People dressed in white stood at the gates. Instead of blindfolds, purple cloth was wrapped around their right wrists.
Belly turned around, puzzled. The structure hadn't been visible from the outside.
They approached the gates.
"What brings you here, my Ruler?" The guards bowed, their right hands resting briefly over their chests before falling back to their sides.
"I was curious about something." He placed a hand on his waist.
"Only one may enter."
The iron gates creaked open, rust flaking from their hinges.
"Stay here. Don't move," he told Belly.
She nodded.
He stepped inside.
The interior was hollow and silent. A faint fog lingered. Dust coated the walls as if untouched for years.
He felt both surprised and unsurprised.
His footsteps echoed through the castle, sounding almost alive.
He wiped dust from one section of the wall. A name was carved there.
Aoki.
He ignored it.
From thin air, he forged a sharp stick. A honey-brown outline flared briefly before fading.
Raising his hand, he pressed the tip against the wall.
"Mio Livusu."
He stepped back.
"Let's see… if Fate remembers her."
Silence swallowed his voice.
He stood waiting for the empty castle to respond to solve what he could not.
Then a portal tore open in midair.
The stick slipped from his fingers, clattering against the floor.
A letter dropped from the portal.
He caught it. His heartbeat quickened. This letter could ease his turmoil or deepen it.
The choice was no longer his.
His eyes scanned the page.
I do know Mio.
His shoulders loosened in relief.
He read on.
But now that I own the field, I decide the condition of my crops.
— Fate
"What is that supposed to mean? I want an answer."
He hurled the letter upward. Another portal opened and swallowed it whole.
He clenched his teeth.
"Why won't Fate give me a clear answer?"
He fell to his knees.
The castle remained empty. No one heard him. Even Fate's response had become another puzzle.
And he didn't notice.
From the deepest shadows, something moved.
Purple smoke drifted toward him silent, unseen. It entered his ear. He didn't flinch.
It rewrote him.
Outside, Belly waited.
When Denu emerged, her face brightened.
"You got your answer?" She grasped his hand.
"Why are we here?" he asked, confused.
Present
"You forgot her. That's even better. At least you won't brag about her anymore. Forget I mentioned anyone named Mio." She stepped inside.
Denu followed, more puzzled than before.
Heavenly Kaatoumo — Courtyard
"Don't talk to me." Akarum turned his face away from Bluesy.
"Why? I didn't even do anything." She glanced at Lyanna, who stood nearby.
"Humans are puzzling. Do they get mad randomly?"
"No," Lyanna said calmly. "He's being forced into something. It shows on his face."
"Did Kashime scold you?" Asami asked from her chair.
"She did. She told me not to talk to Divines." He sighed.
"She's outside training. You can play for now. I'll warn you when she's about to return."
"You will?" His face lit up like a child promised freedom.
"I will, Rum." She smiled and left.
Meh. They all give me strange nicknames.
He watched her go, then turned to Bluesy.
"Let's play fox and berries." He pressed two fingers dramatically to his forehead.
"Sure." Bluesy's blue tail swayed with excitement.
He ran inside and returned with berries in his hands.
"I researched foxes by asking Divines. I know everything now. I'll play perfectly."
He looked around.
"Where's the wood?"
"Here."
"Stand still. I'll tie your legs." He set the berries aside.
"But foxes can't be tamed," Bluesy said, confused. "Isn't it wrong to tie me?"
"It's just a game," Lyanna replied.
"But I'm a fox here. We should follow the rules."
"We're pretending," Akarum said, holding the rope attached to the wooden stake.
"Foxes can't be tamed," she insisted.
"Meh. Let me finish this."
He raised his hands to force her shoulders down
And his hands were severed.
They vanished before he could even process what had happened.
He screamed.
"It hurts!"
Black blood poured from the stumps.
"What? I didn't do that!" Bluesy stepped back.
"Mother!" The word escaped him before he understood why.
His hands regenerated instantly.
"Get out." His breathing was ragged.
Bluesy didn't argue. Neither did Lyanna. A portal opened, and they left.
"Akarum, Kashime's coming"
Asami entered mid-sentence. Her eyes widened at the blood, at the severed hands lying on the ground.
Akarum pressed himself against the wall, fear overtaking him.