"Hold your horses, boy."
The voice came from the doorway.
Jezebeth froze.
He slowly turned his head toward the sound.
Standing at the entrance was a man who seemed almost too large for the room.
He was nearly seven feet tall, his broad frame hidden beneath elaborate golden attire that shimmered faintly beneath the warm light of the chamber. The fabric was beautifully embroidered, with intricate patterns running along the sleeves and collar.
His hair was deep black.
It fell around his face like silk, smooth and almost unnaturally perfect.
But it was his eyes that caught Jezebeth's attention.
Crimson.
Not merely red, but a deep, piercing crimson that seemed to glow faintly in the dim chamber.
The man stared at him for several seconds.
His expression was calm.
Almost too calm.
This was Arahel Chronos.
The head of the Chronos family.
And Jezebeth's father.
There was an uncanny resemblance between them.
The same dark hair.
The same sharp features.
Even the same strange intensity in their eyes.
Yet where Jezebeth's face still carried the softness of childhood, Arahel's was hardened by years of experience.
He looked like someone who had seen things that most people could never comprehend.
Arahel's gaze shifted toward the maids surrounding the bed.
"Leave us."
His voice wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
The maids immediately lowered their heads.
"Yes, Lord Arahel."
One after another, they quietly left the room.
The heavy wooden doors closed behind them.
Click.
Silence returned.
Jezebeth looked at his father.
"Dad."
Arahel's expression softened slightly.
Only slightly.
He walked toward the bed, his footsteps echoing across the polished floor.
Step.
Step.
Step.
When he finally stopped in front of Jezebeth, the difference in their size became obvious.
Jezebeth had to tilt his head back just to look at him.
Arahel reached down and placed a hand gently on his son's head.
"You gave everyone quite a scare."
Jezebeth lowered his gaze.
"I didn't mean to."
"I know."
Arahel paused.
His crimson eyes studied Jezebeth carefully.
"Are you feeling any pain?"
"A little."
"Where?"
Jezebeth touched the side of his head.
"Here."
Arahel's expression changed.
For the briefest moment, something flashed through his eyes.
Concern.
Then it disappeared.
"Hmm."
He withdrew his hand.
"Get dressed."
Jezebeth blinked.
"Why?"
Arahel turned toward the door.
"Walk with me."
Jezebeth stared at his father's back.
"Where are we going?"
Arahel didn't answer immediately.
He simply stood there, waiting.
Then he glanced over his shoulder.
"There are some things we need to talk about."
Something about his father's tone made Jezebeth hesitate.
It wasn't the voice of a father casually taking his son for a walk.
It was the voice of someone preparing to reveal something important.
Jezebeth slowly climbed out of bed.
His legs still felt weak beneath him, but he forced himself to stand.
He followed his father toward the door.
As they stepped into the corridor, the enormous halls of Chronos Mansion stretched before them.
Golden lamps illuminated the walls.
Portraits of generations of the Chronos family watched silently from their frames.
Jezebeth had walked through these halls countless times before.
Yet today, they felt different.
Maybe it was because of what he had seen.
Maybe it was because of the voice still lingering somewhere inside his mind.
Kukuku...
Jezebeth's fingers tightened.
Arahel noticed.
But he said nothing.
The two walked side by side through the silent corridor.
For several moments, neither spoke.
Then Arahel finally broke the silence.
"Jezebeth."
"Yes, Dad?"
"Do you remember what happened before you collapsed?"
Jezebeth stopped walking.
His father's footsteps continued for another few seconds before stopping as well.
Jezebeth stared at the floor.
His memories returned in fragments.
The cracks.
The screaming.
The darkness.
The skeletal dragon.
Ryoma.
His father's crimson eyes turned toward him.
"Well?"
Jezebeth slowly looked up.
"I remember."
Arahel's expression became unreadable.
"What do you remember?"
Jezebeth opened his mouth.
But before he could answer, a strange pressure suddenly passed through the corridor.
The lamps flickered.
Jezebeth's eyes widened.
For the briefest moment, he saw thin, invisible lines stretching through the hallway.
They surrounded his father.
They surrounded him.
They surrounded everything.
Then they vanished.
Arahel noticed the change in his son's expression.
His eyes narrowed.
"You saw it, didn't you?"
Jezebeth swallowed.
"...Saw what?"
Arahel remained silent.
Then, for the first time since entering the room, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Interesting."
He turned and continued walking.
"Come."
Jezebeth followed.
Arahel continued walking, his hands resting calmly behind his back.
Jezebeth followed beside him, still trying to make sense of everything that had happened.
After a few moments, Arahel spoke.
"You've probably got a lot of questions."
Jezebeth nodded.
"A lot."
Arahel chuckled softly.
"I figured."
He slowed his pace slightly.
"Then let's start with something simple."
Jezebeth looked up at him.
"You know what a shikigami is?"
Jezebeth shook his head.
"No."
Arahel raised an eyebrow.
"Not even a little?"
"No."
"Hm."
He thought for a moment.
"A shikigami is a being that comes from the Zero Point Realm."
Jezebeth frowned.
"The Zero Point Realm?"
"That's right."
"What is it?"
Arahel glanced down at him.
"It's... difficult to explain."
He paused.
"Think of it as another realm. It's connected to our world, but it isn't the same as ours."
Jezebeth nodded slowly, even though he clearly wasn't sure he understood.
"And shikigami live there?"
"Most of them."
Arahel continued walking.
"Everyone manifest them into the physical"
Jezebeth blinked.
"Then why don't I have one?"
Arahel gave him a sideways glance.
"You do."
Jezebeth stopped walking.
"I do?"
"You awakened one today."
Jezebeth's expression immediately changed.
"Ryoma."
Arahel's eyes narrowed slightly at the name.
"So you remember him."
Jezebeth nodded.
"He said he was my shikigami."
"He is."
Jezebeth looked down at his hands.
"So... does everyone have one?"
"Almost everyone."
Arahel started walking again, forcing Jezebeth to hurry after him.
"About ninety percent of the population has a shikigami. It's not exactly rare."
"Ninety percent?"
"Mm."
"That's a lot."
"It is."
Jezebeth thought about it.
"If it's that common, why didn't you tell me?"
Arahel went quiet.
The question seemed to catch him off guard.
Jezebeth looked up at him.
"Dad?"
Arahel sighed.
"I didn't want you worrying about it."
"Why would I worry?"
"Because you're six."
Jezebeth puffed his cheeks slightly.
"I can handle things."
"I know."
Arahel smiled faintly.
"But that doesn't mean I wanted you thinking about awakening your shikigami every day."
He looked ahead.
"Some children get so caught up in it that they start comparing themselves to everyone else. Who awakened first. Whose shikigami is stronger. Who has better abilities."
His expression hardened slightly.
"I didn't want that for you."
Jezebeth was quiet.
Arahel continued.
"You had enough time to grow up without worrying about all of that."
"So you were hiding it from me?"
"I was keeping it away from you."
"That's basically the same thing."
Arahel laughed quietly.
"Maybe."
Jezebeth looked at him suspiciously.
"Were you scared I'd awaken?"
"No."
Arahel answered without hesitation.
"I was waiting."
"For what?"
"For you to be ready."
Jezebeth didn't respond.
Arahel looked down at him.
"But you've awakened now."
His voice became slightly more serious.
"So there's no reason to keep pretending you're not involved anymore."
Jezebeth felt a strange excitement in his chest.
"What happens now?"
Arahel smiled.
"Now?"
He turned toward the next corridor.
"Now you learn."
"Learn what?"
"How to control your shikigami. How to use your abilities. And how not to destroy half the mansion the next time something goes wrong."
Jezebeth stared at him.
"I didn't destroy anything."
Arahel raised an eyebrow.
Jezebeth looked away.
"...Much."
Arahel laughed.
"Go get dressed."
"Why?"
"Breakfast."
Jezebeth blinked.
"That's it?"
"For now."
Arahel began walking away.
"Meet me in the dining hall."
Jezebeth hurried after him.
"Dad!"
Arahel glanced back.
"What?"
"Is Ryoma really my shikigami?"
Arahel's expression became unreadable for a moment.
"Yes."
Then he turned away.
"That's something we'll discuss over breakfast."
Jezebeth stared after him.
That answer only gave him more questions.