Night broke in the central park. The ground had lit, not a lamp post in sight. Despite such luminance, the stars above shined brighter in the metropolis. Children played around the fireflies, and their parents called them home.

Only one did not feel an ounce of joy. Yukino bawled on Hokori’s chest for ten minutes. “There, there, kiddo,” he said softly. Unfortunately, he could not quell her sorrow for the first time. He tried again. “C’mon… remember what I said about crying?”

She continued the sorrow no matter how her back got rubbed. Now, her uncle had regrets. Perhaps it was too much, reminding a twelve-year-old of the otherworld’s true nature. Then, he had second thoughts.

He let go and smiled calmly. “That’s enough, kiddo,” he dried Yukino’s eyes with a thumb. “Tell me. What did I really propose to all y’all?”

She then dried her own sorrows. Not recalling much, she tried her best. “We’ll defeat monsters, climb mountains, and walk rocky paths. Right?”

He nodded with closed eyes and mouth. “Yup, at least a quarter of it. The last thing we do is defeat one last monster. We ain’t smilin’ all day, kiddo.”

Eyes frowning, she sniffled. “But I don’t want that. I want—”

He held her close and rubbed her back again. “Shhh… I know, I know. But hear me out.” He raised his arms on the side, smiling. “Kiddo, I’m a hypocrite extraordinaire! I’d take eternal merit in a heartbeat, just like you.

“So, I’m sorry… not givin’ ya a different life ever since your archmage title. But can ya deny our fun?” He held her shoulder once more. “Imma show ya somethin’, kiddo. Your brother, too.”

Hayato tried tiptoeing from behind, only to have cheeks red. Yukino giggled, mouth covered.

No one else around, Hokori led them to the park’s center. A solid gold statue lay, standing valiant with a cape and sword. Its eyes and scars told a million stories. Or billion, as he claimed. Below its feet, the plaque also had gold words:

Durus the Younger. Primordial archmage. Father of three and to all. Enduring days of misfortune, yet never lost sight of such professions. Other lands found him an exception to other men.

Under the unified nation, his sons sired a generation of beings apart from humanity. As he had stood, so shall we. Between brothers and sisters, all children of the Gods.

Hayato gasped with eyes wide, marveling at its elaborate garb. Yukino declared it exceeded any live royalty. Like the statue’s metal, its grace never tarnished. A leader had lived and died, remembered by the folk.

Unexpectedly, Hokori shook his head and tsked. “The worst joke, I tell ya. They invaded Mikadzukihantō in his name. Your brother got stuck in a rock and a hard place.”

The two looked up, saddened. “How many did Big Bro kill?” asked Yukino.

He sighed. “Probably in the tenth digits. It didn’t help that half the country wanted open arms.” Even more unexpected, he smiled. “But see what I mean, y’all? He ain’t cryin’ now. If he does, then fine.

“Happy or sad, it never lasts. That’s the beauty. I’m happy cuz y’all are here. I’m sad cuz my pistachio melted.” He kneeled and hugged both. Their eyes widened in surprise. “I ain’t tellin’ ya to ‘move on.’ The past is your life’s record, not an afterthought.

“I’m tellin’ ya to know well enough… that you still breathe. And others wouldn’t want ya to stop.” He let go and lent a fist bump. “From my first dad to you, pray for happiness. And so shall I, so I shall….”

Yukino recalled a hundred innocent faces her age. Their laughter, too. Hayato could not feel the night cold; only his waterworks turned on. After complying with the gesture, he remembered his age. He fell to his knees next—drops on the grass. Luckily, his sister rubbed his back with a smile. She gave him an hour to settle his heart.

Hokori looked down, eyes squinted. “Quite the reaction, man.” He heard the sorrows louder by the minute. It had occurred for the first time. Still, he clasped his hands. “Aight, y’all! Time for dinner. I’ll try my best with ramen.”

Hayato dried his eyes and saw his sister lend a hand. Fully knowing his age, he never let go. They smiled together upon leaving the park.

By the open gate, he hummed in confusion. “I don’t get it,” he looked up. “What do you mean ‘try my best,’ Uncle?”

He chuckled, hands in his pockets. “Let’s say that Gordon Ramsay gets a stroke after smelling the pot.” He shrugged with closed eyes. “But hey. At least my second mom lived from the first bi—”

Before they knew it, thunder had roared from behind. Numerous citizens screamed and ran from the park. They turned around, and the two siblings gasped.

The area looked like a meteorite had landed. A hundred meters across, the grass disappeared and became barren earth. Flames abode had lit up nearby trees. The wildlife stampeded away. Somehow, the statue still stood.

Out of the devastation, Läufer corrected his jaw. He slowly climbed up—only for a beast to growl and scratch from behind. He outran it into the top as if teleporting.

He cast runes on his back and grinned. “Geez Louise. No wonder you’re tough. I’m standing before the last Twelfth Son! The sulfur of Naraka flow in your veins.” He pointed.

Haruto snarled and drooled, blue flames around him. He walked at a snail’s pace, yet the enemy did not seize the opportunity. His bloody fangs and claws were more than a show.

He raised an open palm upward. A fire column erupted beneath Läufer’s, yet he dodged ten times. He roared and thrashed his hands in a frenzy. As he threw a downward swing, divine intervention occurred.

Hokori restrained him from behind. The latter struggled, flames bursting. “Easy there, boy. The sun’s gettin’ real low!” He threw a right hook at his chest.

He rolled on the ground several times. “Papa!” his children ran. Hayato quickly made him float, and Yukino cast healing arrays. Luckily, she stashed flying carpets if their airship had none.

“Make haste, y’all!” shouted Hokori. “Drive and don’t turn back!” He turned to the enemy and cracked his knuckles.

Läufer rubbed his wide eyes. “Ah, yes. I heard about your ‘kind’ lately. A Child of Zeus, was it? I have a guy longing to see you aga—” An uppercut greeted his teeth.

He had flung right through a forest. The shockwave removed the trees’ roots within milliseconds. Then, he landed after a thousand acres vanished. Four-winged mallards flew to the sky. Deciduous camels had split away from the herd.

Hokori slowly walked and cracked his neck. “Long time no see, coward. Ya still owe them plenty.”

Läufer vomited red on the grass, but he stood. “Coward? Nah, dude. I never cared! Money’s money in the underground. It’s their fault for being in the wrong place—” Now, he had lost six molars. The area warped into a wasteland wherever he flung.

The archmage spoke no joke nor one-liner; his blood had boiled more than his sister’s. He double-punched Läufer’s gut, softening to jelly. He roundhouse-kicked his neck and threw a right hook to the jaw. The shockwaves turned boulders into gravel, and more trees flew to the stratosphere. Faraway citizens covered their ears, yet not enough.

Läufer rolled on the ground this time. Internally, he thanked an Earthly Mytho’s durability. He whipped his bear trap chains everywhere to counter. However, he recalled a grave mistake.

Even being born with the Aesop Core, he could not outrun lightspeed. A little old bakery was nothing to him. A town full of angry mobs ran out of breath long ago. One day, his inner child met reality: a towering young man of God-killing power.

He sweated bullets and swung his chains faster. The two weapons had imprinted his phenomenal speed. Yet, such terms paled against Hokori’s own. Before he knew it, the chains betrayed him.

Hokori tightened the links on Läufer’s neck by the second; his face remained a clam inferno, eyes glaring. The ice-cold justice commenced.

Läufer tried prying open the restraints but to no avail. His legs shook violently. No matter the magic concentrated, sheer might bested him. Before long, his skin purpled, and his eyes went bloodshot. However, his soul would not have it.

Runes appeared on the chains. Then, Hokori’s hands felt whiplash as they snapped in two. He threw away the rusted weapons but saw the enemy nowhere.

Läufer sprinted deep into the woods. He covered twenty meters in a single step. “Come on, come on!” He opened his Every Hub screen. “Mr. Gankyū, I did my task. They’re distracted enough. I’ll meet with the others back at the—”

Suddenly, his speed had cut in half. More seconds in, he matched a waking tortoise. It felt like running underwater. Before him, he thought he saw a fox. With a blade on his chest, he got pinned to a tree. Coelestian warbirds flew from their nests.

Tokino moved her rapier deep until the hilt. She pulled out even faster. Läufer slowly walked from the tree and fell on his back. Now pale, oxygen could not reach his lungs. She stored her rapier and kneeled. Lone hands were enough to tear his legs apart. “Here,” she threw the limbs at his face. “Do what you promised. Be thankful your brain’s intact.”

His body shook subtly. The grass reddened beneath him. Still, he chuckled. “Geez, babe. At least pass the salt. Urgh!” His chest became a gaping cavity.

Tokino pulled out her hand, eyes stern. “Scum like you deserve nothing but pain.” She threw the organ to the gold-fleeced tigers.

Walking with the moonlight, she took deep breaths. As her heart calmed, the forest’s beauty glowed. She could not wait to see her family’s smiles again. However, her right arm chilled her spine.

She observed closer and sweated bullets. It looked like broken glass. It reflected the night above, and sand seeped from the cracks. She saw the clock hands in her eyes.

Fortunately, it returned to flesh at will. She clutched her chest and breathed deeper. “I mustn’t tell them. No. I can’t show them by any means.”

As this story went on, the Bear awakened a horrifying truth. It had no clue as to why.