Kashime wore her oasis as she fried the egg, working in silence.
"Egg!"
Akarum entered abruptly.
"Hm." She nodded.
"Aeni's mother came here." He looked at her.
"Huh? Don't joke. She's dead." Kashime stopped mid-motion, eyeing him suspiciously.
"I'm not lying. And her eyes are strange. Possibly a Rot-Human."
"Wait."
Realization shrank into her mind.
"And you're here."
She hurried outside.
Aeni was hugging her mother, her grip tight enough that she might crush her. Nao gently patted the back of Aeni's head.
"It's not an imposter."
Kashime turned and headed back inside, leaving Akarum standing there.
"But… if she was dead, how is she alive?" He tilted his head.
"Akarum…"
Nao spoke without looking at him, yet she could still feel his presence.
He stiffened.
"Yeah?"
Nao lifted her head. Aeni pulled back, wiping her tears. She didn't look at anyone, her mind crowded with emotions she couldn't sort.
"Wanna come with me," Nao asked quietly.
"Where? And why?" Akarum demanded.
"So demanding."
A pause.
"To Fate's Domain. Why, I can't tell you. It would be too much for you. We can discuss it there," she said calmly.
"I'm not buying it. Sorry, but I need to reject the offer."
"Someday you'll find it out anyway." She smiled softly.
"I'll be heading there then. Tell your mother and friends."
"Sure."
Nao grabbed Aeni's hand and pulled her along.
Aeni followed fondly. She had finally gotten what she wanted for years. Her mind convinced itself that everything had been worth it.
Akarum stared at them, thousands of questions erupting with no answers.
"We will meet again, Akarum Tatsuo," Nao said, glancing back once.
"Or should I say… Akarum Konose."
The look held no intensity. Only fondness.
"We will meet again…"
The words carved themselves into his soul.
"Why are you lying there so quietly?" he accused Bluesy, who lay sprawled nearby.
"Attenew," Bluesy replied.
"What kind of word is that?" He pointed at her.
"She means there are too many thoughts running in her mind, but she can't understand them," the cat said, jumping off her stomach.
"Are you her translator or something?" Akarum sighed, hands on his waist.
"Kind of. Not entirely. Powers, I guess."
Lyanna stared at him with her slit pupils.
"Scary… It's late. Flint and aunty still haven't returned from Origin."
"I'm bored," Bluesy deadpanned. "I'm going to the Infinite Library."
"Wh.."
Before he could stop her, both she and the cat vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a rope and a piece of wood.
"So annoying…"
He stood there in silence, thoughts clashing violently.
"It's weird," he muttered.
"Why did she want me to come? Kashime ignored her… that's not like her."
Aeni's mother had died. Now she was alive. A Rot-Human. Kashime was worried, yet ignored it.
None of it made sense.
"What's happening?"
His forehead veins tightened in frustration.
SCENE SHIFT: ORIGIN
A Lightlinger stood before a shop filled with expensive coats and garments.
The place looked like a tunnel of fabric. Cotton, leather, and fur layered endlessly.
A pouch was placed on the counter.
"This should be enough. Fifteen Eris. Make the coats and clothes as polished as possible," the Lightlinger ordered.
"That will take time, but I'll do my best," the shopkeeper replied.
The Lightlinger nodded and moved toward the streets glowing with yellow light.
It's a critical situation… I don't know why my Ruler chose to marry now. If devils are summoned during the ceremony, everything could collapse.
He sighed.
Orders are orders.
SCENE SHIFT: CENTER OF ORIGIN
Rushi Vely sat beside Nonuko Uiyokito, facing several Lightrozers.
"We need all resources required for the marriage," the Lightrozer said.
"Payment will be completed after the ceremony. Half is already prepared."
A large pouch rested against the wall.
"Those are Eris," the Lightrozer continued rapidly. "Obtaining Hiyus, refining them, shaping them… none of it is easy."
"Nothing happens instantly," Rushi replied calmly.
"But we'll do everything we can."
"Also, the decoration of Light's Mansion," one Lightrozer added. "Don't forget."
Nonuko stood.
"Now… the signatures."
Nao's grip tightened, steady and deliberate.
Aeni hesitated for half a breath, then followed.
The doorway swallowed them both.
He returned moments later and placed a document on the table.
The Lightrozer picked it up, eyes scanning with practiced precision.
Resources for the Ruler's marriage, under any circumstances.
"What if something cruel happens?" he asked lightly.
"Will Origin still comply?"
No one answered.
His gaze moved lower.
The agreed price shall not be reduced under any circumstances.
A faint smile appeared.
"How greedy."
He signed without hesitation and slid the paper back to Rushi.
The contract was sealed.
The ink hadn't dried yet.
Still, it already felt permanent.
Somewhere else to Akutomi and Shishuki.
Akutomi ran beside the children, his palm pointed toward them as they floated mid-air, moving at his pace. As if the physics itself followed his thoughts.
Shishuki leaped through the breaches, her eyes scanning the surroundings with sharp focus, searching for any sign of danger.
"I see no threats. It's safe. Keep moving," she ordered.
"We're going to the Future of Both," a child with messy hair whispered to the others.
"It'll be fun."
"Be quiet."
Akutomi's voice cut through their excitement like a blade.
The child stiffened and fell silent.
There was no need for Akutomi to repeat himself.
A river came into Akutomi's sight.
"Anyone thirsty?" he asked.
No one answered.
"You scared them. Try to be gentle sometimes," Shishuki sighed.
"Yeah. Whatever."
He stopped, his arm lowering.
The children landed safely on the ground.
"Go," he commanded.
Shishuki sat on a branch, watching them move carefully.
"You could go too, you know." Her gaze shifted toward Akutomi.
"I'm not thirsty."
His arms folded across his chest.
"Do you know the Lord is providing food to the Unknown?"
Shishuki's legs swung back and forth rapidly.
"Who's that?" He turned toward her.
A short distance away, the children drank from the river, cupping the water in their small palms, careful not to spill it.
Some of them glanced back at Akutomi and Shishuki, half-expecting another sharp command from him.