After an additional hour, Rakna finally saw a change in the environment. At first, the wind was just getting slightly stronger. Then the flowers began to decrease in numbers and a few of them even changed color to something transparent… as if they were made of glass.

Until eventually, they took a step beyond the last boundary and everything changed. The field of purple flowers had been replaced with a ground full of glass flowers. When Rakna got close to one of them, they would get filled with red ink.

And beyond that…

“Beautiful,” Higure whispered as she admired the sight of the boundless sea that extended as far as the eye could see. The petals raining from above blanketed the pristine water and all gradually became crystal-like as well but retained their original color.

Some of these petals congregated together to form stunning two-dimensional flowers floating on the water’s surface. They all reflected the moonlight emitted by the twelve moons to create an enchanting landscape.

But the most stunning thing by far was the mountain standing tall in the middle of the sea, far in the distance. It wasn’t made of rock or soil. It was like a perfect sculpture made of crystal, covered in black petals while a halo of light surrounded its peak.

Even from the shore, it was clearly discernable that rivers of crystal-like water were flowing from the top until the sea where it homogenously mixed with the clear water.

“The mountain fills the land and the waters are as clear as crystals…” Rakna muttered as he beheld everything in awe. “I find it hard to believe that all of this resides in my soul.”

“I wish I had a soul realm as lovely as yours… not that I ever explored it…” Higure commented. “So, what now? Are we supposed to get there?”

“I don’t know. It seems like the clues end here… at least, it ends here in terms of guidance,” Rakna replied and started walking toward the sandy beach. When he got there, he promptly jumped on one of the black petal groups as if they were lily pads.

“But we can always try,” he added and leaped from one pad to another.

Higure and Rexam looked at each other before going after him. They moved forward for about ten minutes without stopping until they eventually admitted the obvious.

“Again. It’s pointless,” Rakna said whilst standing on one of the black flowers. He gazed at the peak of crystal in the distance and turned around. “We are not getting closer to the mountain at all while the shore is barely visible from here.”

“Do you think there is another trick to this?” Higure inquired and he shook his head.

“I don’t think so. Even if there were, we don’t have any hints on how to resolve it. Truthfully, I have a feeling that this is a far more complex issue… it’s like my soul is lacking something or is too weak for me to be able to reach that mountain yet.”

“Well, coming from you, a ‘feeling’ is more than enough,” the lioness said. “The best we can do now is ask Fray if he knows anything.”

“Hm… I’ll leave that to you. I will wake up now,” Rakna said. “I don’t want to worry the girls. I don’t even know how long I have been unconscious before waking up in here. Going by how the moons have risen, it should be night outside already.”

“Sure. We can talk at any time anyway. I’ll tell the youngster about this when he comes out of his library,” Higure said and he nodded.

He closed his eyes and began to reverse his meditation. In the next instant, he woke up inside the hotel room, constrained by a very familiar pair of arms. He glanced to his right at Flavia who was hugging him tightly and sighed.

‘She got what she wanted in the end,’ he thought and directed a bit of his Sloth Magic to put her in a deeper sleep so that she wouldn’t feel him pry her arms off.

‘This magic is really useful… the ability to make another sleep is surprisingly powerful. If they do not have their guard up, making them tired is as easy as channeling mana,’ he thought and got out of bed without a sound. He spotted Sonata folded on a nightstand with Pronos sleeping on it.

“{I’m not going to be taken off guard this time,}” he abruptly said telepathically to Nyx who was quietly leaning against the wall whilst observing him. He had to admit that she was really hard to sense while in the dark. “{Do you even sleep?}”

The goddess smiled. “{I do. But I don’t need to. I’m physiologically engineered that way. Especially during the night. However, I admit I like doing it. It’s relaxing.}”

Rakna snorted quietly and headed to the door. He left the room with her like last time and went to sit on the couch, where he pulled out a large suitcase from his storage and put it on the table.

Nyx watched him curiously as he started going through several combination locks. “In passing, did you do something to Flavia so she would not wake up?” She asked and sat down next to him as he opened the first lock.

He glanced at her and hummed. “Hm. Sort of. I simply deepened her sleep.”

“I see, I see,” she responded humorously. “‘Simply’, is it?”

He also faintly raised the corner of his lips. “Yes, as simple as that.”

She chuckled. “It seems the drug worked. But you still look a bit more cheerful.”

“You’re not the only one to say it. I suppose I am learning this whole showing emotions thing,” he jested and opened the second lock. Promptly, a panel opened up at the top to show a finger imprint scanner and Nyx was quite surprised.

“What is this case?” She finally asked.

“It’s something I retrieved from Earth together with the Poraxidium doses,” he explained whilst pressing his thumb on the scanner. A blue light flashed and a red LED under it turned green. The valise instantly opened up slightly and released pressurized air.

“And… what is inside of there for it to be kept in such a case?” She inquired.

Rakna snorted. “Symphony,” he said cryptically and moved his hands back. The lid lifted itself and several compartments slid out from the sides. When the misty pressurized air went away, its contents were revealed.

Nyx’s eyes widened as she saw rows of throwing knives, small gadgets, a few vials with a pair of strange bluish stones inside, a pair of black gloves, and another box in the middle. “This…”

“A gift that came in pair with Sonata. It’s my… gear. As simple as that,” he said and checked a few of the unknown devices before taking one of the knives and spinning it. “I haven’t opened this in over a year,” he added and put the knife back. He then took out the box and put it aside.

“This might not be an insightful question but… were you a sort of hitman on your home planet?”

Rakna audibly contained his snicker. “Who knows. It wouldn’t be a far-off description.”

“Well, it’s not as if I would blame you for anything you’ve done in the past. Human conflict is both ridiculous and complex. I was never truly able to judge them.”

“Hm,” Rakna mused as he put a black and blue watch around his wrist. “That is one perspective to have. But it’s not as complicated as you think. I also don’t believe that you don’t understand it just because you’re not human yourself. If anything,” he paused as he pressed a button on the watch that made a screen light up. He turned his head toward her. “It just means you’re a good person.”

She blinked in surprise at that.

He huffed and looked at the case to grab a pair of gloves. “One who does not understand conflict will either fail trying or forsake it forever. You seem to be the latter. And that is what I would call a good person,” he concluded and wore the gloves.

He clenched his hands a few times while the goddess stared at him thoughtfully. She eventually smiled and took his words to heart. “Thank you. It is good to hear that after living as a goddess of darkness for so long.”

Rakna snorted. “You’re welcome,” he said and grabbed one of the vials with the stones in them. He took them out and pressed them against his gloves. Immediately, it merged with the material and a whole grid of lines flashed through the gloves before dying out.

Nyx saw it happening with mounting interest. “So, can you explain what your gear is capable of?”

“Well, first, this watch over here can be used as a computer for one and it can also inject a sedative into my arm whenever it detects an irregular spike in my brain waves. Normally, this thing should have stopped my Full Shift from happening if I was wearing it. As for the gloves, you can take a look for yourself,” he said and shared a system window with her.

❮ ◈ ❯

Designation: Armor/Gloves

Name: Andante

Rarity: Blue

Durability: 100%

Effects: +20 (L)DEF

Perks:

- Eion Energy Production: This item constantly generates energy and is incidentally able to regenerate the systems composing it over time.

- Symphony Imprint: Whoever wears these gloves can wield Sonata at will. Additionally, the energetic connection between the two will increase the energy production of Eion whenever they touch. Effects: +30 ATT to Sonata & +10 DEF to Andante.

- Eion Strings: Weave strings of Eion from the fingertips of the gloves. They are scorching hot and can easily tear through flesh and metals when enough force is applied. They last five minutes and are capable of repairing themselves at the cost of longevity.

Max Length: 2 meters.

Cooldown: 1-5 minutes.

Description:

A masterpiece forged, crafted, and put together by a master artisan and blacksmith, the Earth conqueror himself, with the technology of an advanced civilization. It was given to Rakna Xiorra as a gift by the one who bears the name of Blade.

Note: Evolvable.

❮ ◈ ❯

“That’s an incredible item. It’s hard to believe it was made on a planet like Earth,” she commented and reached the description of the gloves. She skimmed over it but froze when she saw the very last word. She nearly failed to suppress a shudder.

Rakna expected it and without saying anything, he waited for her to ask the inevitable as he tapped his fingers and made a string of raw Eion energy. He tied it to one of the throwing knives and used it as a rope to be sure there wasn’t anything wrong with it after all this time stuck inside the valise.

“What is…” Nyx spoke up and he caught the knife during its spin. He slowly put it down along with the string and listened. “What is your uncle’s full name?”

“Arimane Blade.”

She breathed in deeply and sighed before closing the window. “I see… I remember his full name being Arimane Reigen Blade… But you might simply not know about it because it is the clan name of the Life Hunters he descends from.”

“I certainly wouldn’t know if he didn’t know himself at the time,” Rakna snorted. “I’m going to ask you just in case… are you all right?”

Nyx surprisingly smiled at him. “What? Are you saying I would antagonize you for this? There is nothing to worry about. I already had my suspicions when you touched the cross. At worst… I am afraid of that man. But I do not hate him. The only reason we fought was that it was the goal of the person I followed at the time. To be completely honest with you, I respect him.”

“I didn’t tell you this part but… I wasn’t alone in the fight. There were more than ten of us and he crushed us. There were times we believed we had him, only for it to be taken away from us in the blink of an eye. And each time he defeated one of us, he got stronger. I remember that the first who fell to his blade was Khione.”

“Hmm,” Rakna stopped checking his gear. “I never heard that name. Is she or he a god?”

Nyx nodded. She then made a very wry smile. “Do you want to hear who was there to understand how badly we failed? You might not recognize a few of them but the others… are quite famous.”

“Sure.”

“Ambor, the one known as the Equation Solver. A terrifying man that could replicate and destroy magic with a single look,” she said as she reminisced. “Harion, Dracula… these two were defeated before the main battle even began. Then… I, Kronos, Thanatos, Odin, Apep, Loki, Ishtar, Baba Yaga, Trevy, Lorus, Khione, Anubis, Afriose, and last but not least; Ahura Mazda.”

“That is a terrifying lineup,” Rakna commented. He could barely wrap his mind around the fact that the old man had faced legends, literal mythological gods, and ancient creatures such as those and had emerged victorious.

“And yet, we lost,” she shrugged rather casually considering the topic. “What I want to say is, I respect his strength. And while I do not know why or how he sent me here, from the brief talk I had with him, I don’t think he was truly an evil person.”

Rakna snorted. “Evil? No. He’s just a bad guy; a very bad guy. But not evil.”

Nyx giggled. “So, you have it now. There’s no reason for me to dislike you for this. Rather, I would be nothing but proud of having someone like him as family. Additionally, didn’t you say so? That a good person does not seek conflict. Why would I do it with you?”

The therian looked at her in the eyes and nodded softly. “You’re right. A good person does not seek conflict and what more useless conflict than a pointless one.”

She smiled at that and looked back at the case full of equipment with a light mood. “Why don’t you continue introducing your gear? What is that box in the center?” She changed the subject and he was happy to go along with it.

“Ah, that. It’s not a box,” he said and took the object out. He placed it on the table and Nyx could now see that it had no gap for a lid. It truly looked like nothing more than a black cube made out of a smooth shimmering material.

“Then… what is it?”

Rakna faintly smiled again and put his gloved hand on the cube. “It is something that I love just as much as Sonata,” he said and a blue ripple escaped from his glove into the cube.