In another place, far from that warmth, a woman sat alone on the second floor of a dark tavern.
The tavern itself was loud below.
Gambling.
Whispers.
Drunken laughter.
The occasional sound of someone being thrown against a wall.
But the second floor was quieter.
Darker.
A place for people who wanted to be seen only by those brave or foolish enough to look.
She raised a wooden jug to her lips and drank.
*Gulp.Gulp.*
The brown alcohol disappeared down her throat as if it were water.
Her skin was pale, but her features carried an eastern sharpness rarely seen among the vampires of this region. Her red eyes glowed softly in the dim light.
Long black hair was tied high in a ponytail, and when it shifted, a black snake tattoo became visible across her back.
"I suppose you are Antanasia."
A soft female voice spoke from the shadows behind her.
Antanasia did not turn.
"Hm..."
She lowered the jug.
"Pay."
Leyla did not even get to finish her sentence.
For a moment, silence stretched between them.
Then—
*Clink.*
A bag landed on the table.
Antanasia glanced at it.
No.
She did not even glance.
She listened.
Coins shifted inside the leather bag, and from that sound alone, her expression became bored.
"Hm... only half."
Leyla's expression did not change.
"The other half will be given after—"
"I know."
Antanasia cut her off again and finally turned the jug in her hand.
"Where do I need to go? What do I need to do?"
Leyla's eyes narrowed slightly, but her voice remained controlled.
"The southernmost battlefield. Search for an object or energy that fell from the sky."
"Hm..."
Antanasia leaned back in her chair.
It was obvious the job did not interest her much.
"Anything else?"
"Lay low. The new king may still be in the area."
The boredom vanished.
Antanasia's red eyes brightened.
"Oh?"
A smile slowly appeared on her face.
"The strongest of the previous generation might be there?"
Leyla's expression remained cold.
"Yes. Which is why you should avoid any fights. Just find the thing. If you cannot retrieve it, return with its location."
"Alright, alright..."
Antanasia stood.
The table creaked as she placed one hand on it and leaned forward.
She was not overly tall, but her body carried the dense pressure of someone who had been forged through too many battles to count. Her red and black clothes shifted around her, and the transparent green veil floating over her shoulders moved as if stirred by a wind that did not exist.
Three katana-like weapons hung at her waist.
One on her right.
Two on her left.
All three sheaths were black, but one of the two on her left carried strange red markings and an ominous air that made nearby patrons instinctively avoid looking at it for too long.
She grabbed the bag of gold.
A ring on her finger glowed, and the bag disappeared into the storage space within it.
Then she turned toward Leyla.
"Oh, right."
Leyla did not move.
"Tell the boss the cost has gone up."
Leyla's eyes sharpened.
Antanasia smiled.
"I am not a weapon he can throw at the Blood Red Flash for pocket money. If he wants me to move near someone of that caliber, he should send more gold."
"Do not be greedy. First, finish the job."
Leyla's voice carried irritation now.
Antanasia shrugged.
"Sure, sure. I don't care. Just don't forget."
She strode past Leyla.
The green veil followed her like a lazy ribbon.
Then—
Slit.
A thin line opened across Leyla's cheek.
Blood slowly slid down her pale skin.
Antanasia stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back with an innocent smile.
"Oh. Sorry. It is a little sharp."
Leyla's eyes filled with anger.
"If you don't repel the killing intent it left behind, it might scar."
Antanasia's voice became lighter.
Almost playful.
"Careful."
Then she walked down the stairs, laughing softly.
Leyla stood in the dim second-floor light for several seconds.
Her hand rose to her cheek.
The blood was still flowing.
'Fucking mud blood mercenary bitch!'
A moment later, she vanished.
Far below, Antanasia's laughter disappeared into the noise of the tavern.
And somewhere far south, the battlefield waited.
...
Back at the ancient tree, silence had lasted for several seconds.
A controlled hunting ground.
Real monsters.
Real danger.
A real chance to test himself.
Elah had not fully accepted it.
Xalier had only offered it as a compromise.
And now, with that possibility still hanging in the air, Xalier stood.
"Son..."
His voice was heavier than usual.
Temorsth looked up.
Elah did too.
Xalier walked to Temorsth's side, then stopped.
For a moment, he seemed uncertain.
That alone made Temorsth sit a little straighter.
Xalier Lear was many things.
Uncertain was rarely one of them.
"The hunting ground will help," Xalier said. "But it will not be enough."
Temorsth's eyes sharpened.
Elah's expression tightened.
Xalier looked down at his son.
"If all we do is bring danger into the barrier, then the danger will still belong to us. We will choose it. We will measure it. We will soften it."
Temorsth did not answer.
Because he knew that was true.
Xalier continued.
"That is acceptable for your first experience. But if you truly want to go outside one day..."
Elah stood so quickly her chair almost fell.
"Xalier."
He turned toward her.
"My love—"
"No. Do not soften it with that voice."
Her voice trembled, but not from weakness.
From fear.
They had too many enemies.
Too many old grudges.
Too many people who would become monsters the moment they learned Temorsth existed.
Even one mistake could be enough.
Xalier let her anger pass over him without defense.
Then he spoke quietly.
"I will teach him something."
Elah's eyes changed.
Xalier looked back at Temorsth.
"If you successfully learn even the beginning of it, then I will allow you to take the first step toward going outside."
Temorsth blinked.
"Huh?"
Elah's eyes widened.
"What are you talking about!?"
"Honey, listen."
"No. You listen. A hunting ground is one thing. Outside is another."
"I know."
"Do you?"
"I do."
Xalier's answer was quiet.
And because it was quiet, Elah became quiet too.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Xalier said the words that changed the whole room.
"I will teach him my unique ability."
Elah stopped.
Her anger vanished so suddenly that the silence afterward felt sharp.
"..."
Temorsth looked between them.
Unique ability?
He had heard of skills.
Spells.
Bloodline powers.
Cultivation techniques.
But this...
He had never heard his father mention it.
Not once.
Elah's voice became quieter.
"But if you pass it on..."
Xalier immediately understood what she thought.
"Oh, no. Not like that."
He shook his head.
"I am not giving him mine. I will only try to teach him. Whether he learns anything depends entirely on him."
Elah's tension lessened, but only slightly.
Temorsth became still.
No pressure filled the room.
No divine voice spoke.
No System warning appeared.
But somehow, this choice felt heavier than many of those things.
"What is it?" he asked.
Xalier smiled faintly.
"You will know when I teach you."
"That is unfair."
"It is."
Temorsth stared at him.
Then looked down at his hands.
He knew nothing about this ability.
Aidana had never mentioned it.
His parents had never explained it.
But if Xalier was willing to make it the condition for going outside, then it was not simple.
Feral's voice immediately surged inside.
'For fuck's sake, just say yes!'
Persona sighed somewhere deeper.
'He was going to.'
Temorsth clenched his hands.
Then looked up.
"I accept."
Xalier's smile widened.
"Good."
Elah remained quiet.
Her expression was complicated.
Unique abilities were not ordinary techniques. Most could not be passed down properly. Blood did not guarantee anything. Teaching someone without the right nature, existence, instinct, and compatibility usually ended in failure.
And yet...
Elah looked at Temorsth.
After everything he had survived...
After the Waters of Singularity.
After Light and Dark began returning to his body.
After the spear recognized him.
A mother's instinct whispered that if anyone could learn something impossible, it would be him.
Her eyes hardened.
"Then mine too."
Xalier turned toward her.
"Huh?"
Temorsth blinked.
"Mom?"
Elah lifted her chin.
"I will only accept this if I can teach him my unique ability too."
For a second, the room became silent again.
Then Xalier's eyes widened with wonder.
"Honey..."
"Don't look at me like that."
Elah's cheeks reddened.
"It is not fair that only you get to teach him something important."
Temorsth stared at her.
Then laughter burst out of him.
"Mom, this is not fair!"
"It is perfectly fair."
"You are making it harder!"
"Good."
Xalier covered his mouth with one hand.
"Ahm."
It did not hide the laugh very well.
Elah turned toward him.
"Don't laugh at me."
"My love, I would never—"
"Sit down."
Her voice suddenly became domineering.
Xalier sat.
Immediately.
Temorsth watched the movement with wide eyes.
"..."
Xalier leaned slightly toward him and lowered his voice.
"Son, you do not yet know how scary your mother can be."
"What was that?"
Elah's voice came from across the table.
Xalier straightened instantly.
"Nothing. I said nothing."
"Hm."
Elah sat down again as if nothing had happened.
At that moment, the golem maids entered with the food.
"First, we eat," Elah said. "Then we discuss impossible abilities, danger, and whatever nonsense your father is planning."
Xalier looked wounded.
Temorsth smiled.
For a while, the house was warm again.
...
Around the same time, Antanasia crossed the dark forest.
She did not walk.
She moved like a red and black shadow between the trees.
Her high ponytail whipped behind her with each leap, and the transparent green veil circled her body lazily, cutting leaves apart whenever they drifted too close.
She landed on a thick branch.
The wood cracked beneath her foot.
"Why is that old man sending me here...?"
Her voice was full of annoyance.
"I am not even good at tracking objects."
She jumped again.
The next leap carried her across a huge distance, from one half-dead tree to another.
"Ugh. And there are not even any real enemies."
A few weak monsters noticed her.
Then quickly learned they should not have.
Antanasia did not slow down.
"If we already know the new king is connected to the enemy, why are we searching for evidence and objects and fallen sky-things?"
She clicked her tongue and landed on the ground.
"I do not understand politics."
Her next step shattered the dirt beneath her.
She rushed forward.
"And why can't I fly? Stay low, stay hidden, don't attract attention..."
Her voice became a mocking imitation.
"How boring."
The forest around her darkened.
Then shifted.
Trees moved where trees should not move.
The path bent.
The air distorted.
Antanasia stopped.
Her smile disappeared.
"Ah."
She drew the katana at her right side.
"Illusions."
The scenery changed again.
More trees appeared.
The ground stretched.
The sky darkened.
Layers of energy-disrupting formations began to press against her senses.
Her expression became irritated.
"No wonder so many did not come back from this shitty forest."
She raised the blade.
"Even for me, this is annoying."
A single slash cut through the air.
Black lines cracked across the fake scenery.
The illusion shattered.
Behind it, more forest waited.
More arrays.
More false paths.
More hidden warnings.
Antanasia exhaled slowly.
"I have been here for hours... or, wait, is my perception of time being affected too?"
Her red eyes narrowed.
"They told me to search for energy from the sky, but this place is wrapped in so much distortion that even smell, sound, and blood sense are useless."
Then she froze.
A moment later, her lips curved.
"Oh?"
Something moved at the edge of her perception.
Not clear.
Not stable.
But there.
A trace.
A wound in the hidden space.
A place where something had struck through protection too powerful for ordinary beings to understand.
Antanasia smiled.
"Found it."
She launched forward.
Every step tore the ground beneath her.
...
"Son."
About an hour after lunch, Temorsth and Xalier stood in the usual training clearing a little distance from the tree house.
Elah sat farther away beneath a tree, laying out a blanket as if this were a picnic and not another day of teaching their son something potentially dangerous.
Her clothes had changed into a loose white dress, soft enough for resting but still elegant.
The weather beneath the barrier was gentle.
Almost perfect.
Too perfect.
Temorsth stood with the spear in his left hand.
"Yes?"
Xalier faced him with his hands behind his back.
"Do you know what a step is?"
Temorsth blinked.
"A normal step?"
"Yes. A normal step."
"Uh... if it is just a normal step, then yes?"
"Show me."
Temorsth stared at him.
"...What?"
"Your step, my son."
Temorsth became even more confused, but he still obeyed.
He placed the spear lightly against the ground like a walking stick and took one step forward.
"This?"
Xalier nodded.
"Good. That is your step."
"My step..."
At the same time, Elah's eyes shifted toward the forest.
A tiny ripple passed through the edge of the barrier.
Then another.
Someone had reached the first dummy.
She did not move, but her thought reached Xalier.
'Someone is at the first dummy.'
'I noticed.' Xalier's expression did not change.
Neither did his voice.
"Now, pay attention."
Elah stood quietly from the picnic blanket.
'Do you want me to go?'
'I will continue teaching, but I will go in a bit.'
'It has dark force. Likely one of your race.'
'That is why.'
'Then be careful.'
'Always.'
Neither of them looked at the other.
Temorsth noticed none of it.
All his attention was on Xalier, who was in fact communicating two separate things at the same time.
"Let me show you my step."
Xalier raised one leg.
Temorsth narrowed his eyes.
He did not blink.
He did not look away.
He watched his father's foot, knee, waist, shoulder, breath, Mana, energy—
Everything.
Then Xalier took a step.
And vanished.
"Huh?"
Temorsth's eyes widened.
"Where—"
"Here."
A hand touched his shoulder from behind.
Temorsth spun around.
Xalier stood there as calmly as before.
"Teleport?"
"It is a good guess," Xalier said. "But no."
Temorsth looked at the ground.
There was no flash.
No spell circle.
No spatial distortion.
Nothing he could recognize.
"For magic such as teleportation, you induce Mana and affect your position and the space, it almost looks like overwriting the world."
"But actually, it goes through the flow of mana, so long distances are not that instantaneous, but that also depends on power, so it's a bit complicated to explain now."
Xalier lifted one foot and gently tapped the grass.
"But what I used was just a step."
Temorsth frowned.
He looked between the place Xalier had been and the place he was now.
His father had crossed the distance instantly.
No.
Not instantly.
That was not right.
Temorsth had watched.
There had been movement.
He simply had not been able to follow it.
"Was Dad faster than light?"