I felt my father's tension the moment he embraced me; it was as if he had rushed here. He didn't let go for a long time, and his face was unusually bright, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
I waited a moment, then asked,
"Father, why did you seem so worried?"
I noticed his hesitation, but he turned to me with a firm gaze and said,
"Theo, you must abandon Alchemy immediately."
My mouth fell open in shock. I couldn't process it for several seconds, then asked again just to be sure,
"Did you say I must leave Alchemy, Father?"
Despite noticing my disbelief and how massive his request was, he insisted,
"Yes, Theo. You heard me. You must leave Alchemy."
I felt my insides tighten, as if they were trying to compensate for the emptiness and frustration flooding me. Normally, I would never talk back to my father out of respect, but the words slipped out before I could stop myself:
"Impossible, Fa—"
Before I could finish, I covered my mouth and looked at him. I expected anger or a stern expression, but instead, he smiled. He leaned closer and said,
"Do you really think I would ever wish harm upon you, Theo?"
I denied it immediately. He continued,
"My son, Alchemy has become extremely dangerous—far beyond what you imagine. Even if it was difficult before, now it has become truly perilous."
He sighed before adding,
"Although I cannot tell you the reason directly, I will explain it in a way that won't contaminate you."
A violent shiver ran down my spine, especially at his mention of contamination, bringing the System's warnings back to my mind.
I watched as my father stood beside my bed, removed his coat, and put on black gloves. He then pulled out a strange pen—its tip looked like strands of hair, colored a sickly green. Using his spatial bracelet, he retrieved several vials filled with a white solution, followed by even stranger items: a large black claw, a mare's tail, the eyeless head of a ghoul, and bizarre plants—one shaped like interlocking rings, another disturbingly similar to a human leg.
He approached me while uncapping the vials and said,
"Don't worry, Theo. These vials are meant to cleanse the contamination in this room."
He emptied one vial over me entirely, then immediately followed with another. From the first vial, I entered an extremely strange state. I felt as though I were burning—yet I realised the sensation wasn't coming from my body itself, even though I clearly felt it.
After the second vial, I began to notice dark, shadowy auras peeling away from my body.
Only then did a disturbing realisation dawn on me.
I hadn't been myself since I woke up. I was in a semi-dazed state.
The proof? Why would I even question how my father entered my room, when I knew his power so well? Someone of his level could appear anywhere effortlessly.
And yet, I had been provoked easily by the System—so easily that I snapped at it, even though I was already awake and had calmed down. I hadn't left the library once from the moment I started reading until the darkness began to fade, which was completely unlike me. Normally, I would eat something no matter what, even during intense training.
I hadn't even thought about my father after finishing my reading. Under normal circumstances, I always waited for him to return home just to greet him—unless I was utterly exhausted. Yet today, the thought never crossed my mind.
And worst of all… I had said "Impossible" to him.
That alone was nearly unthinkable. I had never spoken to my father that way. Alchemy was important to me, yes—but it was never something essential to my existence. And yet, I had clung to it obsessively, unable to imagine my life without it, even prepared to oppose my father because of it.
My thoughts were interrupted when a vial was pressed against my lips. Instinctively, I drank.
The moment I swallowed it, I felt lighter—stronger. It was as if my very soul had evolved.
I turned to thank my father, but I noticed he was already drawing on the floor with that strange pen. He formed bizarre geometric shapes: pentagrams, complex circles with skulls at their centres. In the middle of everything stood a massive eye, its pupil filled with countless smaller eyes.
He placed the grotesque items within the formations—the mare's tail on the pentagram, the horrifying plants atop the circles, and finally, the ghoul's head and the black claw at the centre of the massive eye.
After that, my father began channelling his demonic energy.
Suddenly, a huge black barrier activated, swallowing the entire room until the walls themselves vanished from sight.
I heard my father let out a sigh of relief. He turned toward me and said,
"Finally… you're awake, Theo."
He walked over and sat beside me.
"I know what you want to ask," he said calmly. "How did I know—right?"
It must have been written all over my face, because I nodded.
Before answering, he removed his gloves and said,
"You would never have bared your fangs at me, Theo… no matter what happened."
Fangs?
Only then did I realise the truth.
I had been in a combat stance the entire time.
My fangs were fully exposed—ready to strike at any moment.