"Wait."
Temorsth stared at the warning window.
Then at the spear lying on the grass.
Then back at the warning.
"I can't use it!?"
[The Host should still be able to attune to the spear.]
A short pause.
[It should not be able to reject the Host after that.]
Another pause.
[Uhm... sorry. I forgot to mention it.]
"..."
Temorsth slowly looked at the blue window.
'Aidana.'
[Yes?]
'You are a goddess or something, right?'
[I cannot confirm or deny that.]
'I know. ER, Law of Plausibility, divine information, all that annoying stuff. That is not what I wanted to ask.'
[Then what is the Host's question?]
A small one-eyebrow-raised face appeared in the corner of the window.
Temorsth stared at it.
'If you are a goddess... why do you make so many mistakes?'
[...]
'Aren't gods supposed to be perfect?'
The window went completely still.
Then—
[I HAVE TO WORK TOO!]
Temorsth flinched.
[I AM NOT STUPID! I AM NOT THE GODDESS OF KNOWLEDGE! I AM MULTITASKING EVEN NOW! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY THINGS I HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO!?]
Temorsth raised both hands and took a step back.
'Uh... sensitive topic?'
[I AM NOT SENSITIVE!]
'I know, I know. Calm down. I didn't call you stupid, and I didn't call you sensitive.'
[I AM COMPLETELY CALM!]
'Breathe in... then out...'
[DO NOT TRY TO CALM ME DOWN!]
Temorsth's expression stiffened.
This was the first time Aidana had raised her voice at him.
He had no idea what to do.
'Ugh... help me.'
For a moment, there was silence inside him.
Then a quiet voice answered.
Relatio: '...She most likely was already irritated. It's just my speculation, but this was the first time she had no real control over a situation that happened to us, so she is frustrated with herself and that being's interference.'
'Yes, I get that, but what do I say or do?'
Relatio: 'Say something gentle.'
'Gentle?'
Relatio: '...Yes. Something like...'
Aidana continued raging in the window.
[...and I am always trying to help, but somehow that means everyone expects me to know everything, remember everything, fix everything, and never forget one tiny detail even while—]
'Aidana!'
The window stopped.
Temorsth swallowed.
'I only asked why you make mistakes because... it is cute.'
[Uh...?]
The raging text vanished.
Temorsth felt hope.
He continued quickly.
'I mean, it makes me feel closer to you. If you were perfect all the time, you would feel too far away. But when you make mistakes, or get angry, or forget things... it feels like we can actually talk.'
[Ah...]
'So it is good that you are not perfect.'
[Uh...]
'Hm... even now, your reaction is cute.'
[!?]
Temorsth slowly exhaled in relief.
'Thanks, Relatio.'
Relatio: '...It was nothing. I am glad I could help, Persona.'
Far away, between the veils of different planes, Aidana stared blankly at the window that only she could see.
Her face was red.
"Cute...?"
For several minutes, no new message appeared.
...
'Aidana.'
No answer.
'Aidana, hey.'
Still nothing.
'Aidana.'
[Ah... ye-yes?]
Temorsth blinked.
Her answer came late, and the letters almost felt embarrassed.
'How do I attune to the spear?'
[Ah. Easy. Just run your Mana through it.]
'That's it?'
[Yes. It might take some time.]
"Alright."
Temorsth picked the spear up from the grass again.
This time, the rejection did not strike immediately.
The spear still felt uncomfortable in his hand, like something inside it disliked him, but it no longer bit into his flesh.
He sat cross-legged on the ground and placed the Heart Wood Spear across his lap.
Mana moved slowly from his body into the shaft.
Very slowly.
'Is this right?'
[Yes.]
'It feels like pouring water into dry wood.'
[That is not a bad description.]
Temorsth closed his eyes and focused.
Before the process fully settled, another window appeared.
[Host.]
'Hm?'
[I...]
The words paused.
[I apologize for taking my anger out on you.]
Temorsth opened one eye.
'It is nothing. Don't worry about it.'
[I should not have raised my voice.]
'I already said it is fine.'
[...]
Temorsth smiled faintly.
'Anyway, it really was cute.'
[!?]
The window vanished.
Temorsth laughed quietly and continued the attunement.
...
More than an hour passed.
When Temorsth opened his eyes again, the first thing he noticed was the sky.
Or rather, the lack of it.
"Oh."
He looked upward.
"The barrier is already back?"
While he had been focused on attuning to the spear, Xalier and Elah had rebuilt the barrier. The air above the training ground was once again slightly distorted, hiding the wounded world beyond it.
Temorsth pushed himself up with the spear.
The moment he stood, his body moved too lightly.
"Hm..."
The spear's bonuses had taken effect.
Strength.
Dexterity.
Vitality.
Will.
All of it added itself to the body at once.
It reminded him of the time after drinking the Elixir almost two years ago, when his body suddenly felt stronger than his instincts expected.
He looked down at his hand.
White flames still wrapped around his fingers and the shaft of the spear, but now they carried faint green-yellow threads within them.
The color of Elah's energy.
The color of his mother's seal.
Temorsth frowned slightly.
'So while I attuned to it, the spear used the sealed Light energy...'
He could feel it now.
Only a little.
The spear had not truly accepted everything about him. Not yet. But through attunement, it had recognized enough to stop rejecting his hand.
It could be used.
Partly.
Imperfectly.
Still, curiosity burned brighter than caution.
"I want to try it."
Temorsth raised the spear to his left.
Then swept it forward.
"Balance Breaker."
For half a breath, nothing happened.
Then the white flames darkened.
The green-yellow threads twisted violently and began to disappear. In their place, red light crawled across the seals on Temorsth's left side.
Xalier's energy.
His father's seal.
Pain stabbed through his arm, side, and shoulder.
Temorsth only frowned.
"Ugh..."
The pain was sharp, but after everything else he had felt recently, it was not enough to stop him.
The flames continued changing.
White became gray.
Gray became black.
Faint red pulsed inside it like veins.
The spear shifted in his grip.
The warmth of wood disappeared.
In its place came a cold, rough texture, rigid like metal but not quite metal. The shape remained the same, but the feeling changed completely.
The Heart Wood Spear no longer felt like a living branch.
It felt like something that had died and refused to rot.
"Oh..."
A thin coldness spread around him.
Not unpleasant.
Just strange.
Especially after the spear's earlier warmth.
Temorsth looked toward the pond near the edge of the forest area and walked to it.
His reflection looked back.
For a moment, he said nothing.
His ocean-blue eyes remained, but a soft purple glow now circled them.
A black and faintly red aura covered his body and the spear. Against his pale skin, it made him stand out sharply, like ink spilled across snow.
"It looks cool."
He paused.
"It looks cool, but..."
He coughed once into his fist.
"Isn't this too edgy?"
[The Host does not have to worry about that.]
Aidana's voice returned, calmer now.
[In a real fight, people do not have time to care about whether someone looks dramatic. Strong opponents will notice active abilities anyway, no matter how subtle they are.]
Temorsth looked at the window.
"Hm?"
Her tone had changed slightly.
He noticed it, but did not comment.
[And if people are watching, looking impressive is not useless. If they begin to admire, fear, or recognize the Host, that can become power too.]
Another line appeared after a short pause.
[Also, the Host looks good.]
Temorsth blinked.
Then smiled.
"Thank you, Aidana."
[You are welcome.]
"Now then..."
He turned his attention back to the spear.
"Status."
The System window opened.
[Name: Heart Wood Spear]
[Element: Nature (Death)]
Temorsth nodded.
"As expected. Life became Death."
He opened the skills tab.
[Skills:]
[The Bane of Elves (Altered)]
[Protection from Good (Altered)]
[The Weapon's Will]
[Guiding Shot (Altered)]
[(Special) Balance Breaker/Alter]
"One skill did not change."
His eyes moved over the list.
"So this is what reversing the target nature means..."
He opened the first altered skill.
[The Bane of Elves (Altered)]
[Effect: When striking an Elf or related living race, the spear has a chance to activate instant-death magic.]
[Additional Effect: Living beings damaged by the Heart Wood Spear cannot recover more than half of the damage taken unless the energy of Death is removed or repelled.]
Temorsth stared.
"So Vampires changed to Elves."
His fingers tightened slightly.
"And undead changed to living."
That was dangerous.
Too dangerous.
Especially because Elah was an Elf.
He closed that window and opened the next.
[Protection from Good (Altered)]
[Effect: Protects the user against celestials, elementals, fey, and living beings. These creatures will find it harder to attack the user, as an aura of Death surrounds them.]
[Additional Effect: The user gains resistance against charm, fear, possession, and stun effects caused by those creature types.]
Temorsth's expression became complicated.
"Evil became... good."
[More or less.]
He checked the next skill.
[Guiding Shot (Altered)]
[Effect: Fires a flash of burning Necrotic energy from the tip of the spear.]
[The attack counts as a spear throw and benefits from throw-related effects.]
[If the spear is thrown immediately after Guiding Shot, it will follow the marked target.]
Temorsth exhaled.
"Radiant became Necrotic."
[Yes.]
"And The Weapon's Will stayed the same."
[Correct.]
He looked at the spear again.
It was powerful.
Useful.
Terrifying.
And he could not test it properly.
Not here.
Not on his parents.
Not with skills that could trigger instant death or cripple healing.
A faint gloom appeared on his face.
"I finally get something interesting, and now I can't even use it freely..."
Then he felt it.
A rise.
Small at first.
Then larger.
His body warmed.
His Mana stirred.
The energy inside him began to move on its own.
"Huh?"
Temorsth looked down at his hands.
"Is my power... rising?"
[Congratulations: The Host has entered the Late Stage of the Mortal Realm.]
[Good luck to the Host!]
[Ah! No!]
Temorsth froze.
'Aidana?'
[That damned God!]
Her anger returned instantly.
This time, it was not aimed at him.
'Aidana, what is happening!?'
[Do not panic. This is good, but it is too fast.]
"Too fast?"
[The Host began integrating Light energy while attuning to the spear.]
Another pulse of power rolled through him.
[Then, after Balance Breaker, the Host began integrating Dark energy as well.]
Temorsth's breath caught.
The black-red aura around him tightened.
[The spear is absorbing the sealed energies and returning them in a form the Host's body can absorb naturally.]
[That is similar to the solution we considered before: slowly reclaiming the sealed energies until they become part of the Host again.]
"So this is good?"
[Yes.]
Another window appeared.
[Congratulations: The Host has entered the Peak Stage of the Mortal Realm.]
[Good luck to the Host!]
Aidana's next words came sharper.
[But the Great God noticed the Host's condition and made the spear speed up the process.]
Temorsth's expression changed.
[It is not harmful by itself, but if the energy continues forcing advancement beyond what the body can handle, it becomes dangerous.]
The aura around him pulsed again.
His vision tilted.
A warning appeared.
[Notice: The Host is close to a breakthrough.]
[It is advisable to find a suitable place before breaking through.]
Temorsth stared at the window.
"...Now?"
His knees weakened.
[Host!]
"My head..."
The world swayed.
"I'm dizzy..."
He tried to steady himself with the spear.
His fingers slipped.
"Ugh..."
Temorsth fell to one knee.
Then both.
His eyes became misty, his breathing uneven.
He tried to stand again.
Failed.
Then collapsed onto the grass.
"Temorsth!"
Xalier and Elah turned at the same time.
They had still been adjusting the rebuilt defensive arrays, but the moment the strange fluctuation spread from Temorsth's body, both of them moved.
They appeared beside him almost instantly.
"Son!"
Xalier crouched and placed a hand against Temorsth's back.
Elah touched his forehead, then his chest.
Her expression changed.
"A breakthrough?"
Xalier's eyes narrowed.
"Already?"
They exchanged one glance.
They did not try to stop it.
Stopping a breakthrough at the wrong moment could be worse than letting it continue.
Instead, Xalier steadied the wild energy around Temorsth's body, while Elah softened the flow entering his veins and soul.
Temorsth's eyes struggled to focus.
"Mother... Father..."
"Don't talk," Elah said.
Her voice was gentle, but absolute.
"Just breathe."
Xalier lifted him carefully.
"We are taking him inside."
Elah nodded.
The spear lay on the grass for a moment.
Then, as Xalier carried Temorsth toward the house, it trembled once and flew into Temorsth's hand.
Neither parent commented.
The spear in itself was not intending harm, just its being wanting not to be left behind.
...
At the same time, somewhere far away, in a hidden corner of a dark and shadowed town, three pale men spoke in low voices.
"The thing that fell from the sky an hour ago was said to have landed in the southernmost part of the main battlefield."
The second man's expression changed.
"Isn't that the same place as..."
"Yes."
The third man's voice lowered further.
"The same place where we were looking for traces of the New King and that disgusting Elf Queen."
Silence fell between them.
Outside the narrow window, the town remained dark even beneath the day sky. Black roofs leaned close together, and red lanterns burned without warmth along the streets.
The first man tapped his finger against the table.
"Then we should investigate."
No one answered.
The three looked at each other.
A long moment passed.
Then the second man spoke carefully.
"Do we really have to?"