It’s been a month since I arrived in this inexplicable environment, along with encountering my distant relative; aunt Taekhyu. We’ve grown very close during this time, and I’ve learned much about her as a person.

Taekhyu’s very affectionate and quite selfless, always worrying about my well-being and making sure I’m not doing anything hazardous. She’s not really focused on her own bizarre situation, being held prisoner in this place. Furthermore, Taekhyu is verily humble, she rarely speaks about her own strength – being an entire deity and all, which is what I’d expect from someone with such phenomenal power. She tells me it’s nice to have great strength, but to never grow conceited because of such a thing.

While I trained here, it’s safe to say that I’ve grown much stronger, due to the Bergion technique auntie had taught me. I was able to breakthrough into the next phase of the crystal, the third: calcite. Plus, I been wanting to ask auntie about teaching Crim, Elaine, Nirvana, and my family about this as well. I’m not keen on showing everyone I meet about this technique, but I’d like to introduce this to the people closest to me. Especially now that there’s a new threat – Nitanz.

It's extremely obvious that her power is practically unrivaled, killing the deities and imprisoning auntie is more than enough proof for that. However, even if Nitanz is far stronger than those that I care for, it’ll ease me to know that they can at least have a fighting chance…

Currently, I was standing in the middle of this large translucent-like cube surrounded by stars, practicing the braideferm technique. Taekhyu had stood from her overly-sized pillow and tilted her head observing me. “That’s quite an interesting way of fighting. Who taught you this?” She asked standing before me.

I made a wry smile, thinking about that lazy man Alzar. “I learned it from my master Alzar, it’s called Braideferm. Just when I attack, I apply my aura and use it as extra damage when my attack connects,” I happily explained.

Taekhyu’s short eyebrows rose as her ten tails began to excitedly waggle, “very interesting…would you like to work on that with me?”

I didn’t immediately answer, a bit worried for her well-being, “…is that ok? I don’t wanna harm you…”

Taekhyu giggled patting my head, “…thank you for worrying about me Skysin. But I’m only weakened to a certain degree – to where I can’t exactly leave this place, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay…” I nodded from her words. “But why can’t you leave this place auntie??”

Taekhyu simply smiled and bent forward, pressing her lips against my forehead. “There’s no reason for you to worry, Sin. Come on,” she waved it off, eschewing any further questions I had. Then manipulated her appendages, making one ball like a fist, and wrapped another around my torso, lifting me up and sitting me down onto it like a chair.

My lips had lowered further, altering into a sullen visage. Whenever I question Taekhyu about her circumstances, she either pushes it away, or changes the topic… causing me to grow crestfallen from the results.

Taekhyu walked to the rift in the rear of this room and exited, stepping out into this foreign-like world. The amethyst grass, tall red trees, and orange leaves installed in the ground. She sauntered past the large pond teeming with black and white fish, ascending the small slope of the hill, approaching an all-round flat area. Which is perfect for sparring.

Taekhyu sat me down and walked a few feet away from my position. “You can start whenever you’re ready Sin,” she remarked.

I lowered my posture, getting into stance. But I’m utterly confused on how I should approach her. Although auntie’s just standing still, I can’t exactly find an opening at all. It’s very vague, but I can distinguish a miniscule amount of aura encircling her short stature.

I took a deep breath and shifted forward, quickly moving at full speed to get behind Taekhyu. With her back facing me, I released a speeding jab towards her. But Taekhyu flawlessly side-stepped to my right, dodging my attack. Next, I noticed something yellow blur in my vision, coming to feel something soft smite my cheek, knocking me back before I could comprehend anything.

‘Did she just smack me with her tail…?’ I asked in my thoughts, sitting up while I rubbed my cheek.

Taekhyu hastily turned around, her expression filled with worry as she ran to me. “Oh my, are you ok?” She briskly asked, cupping my cheeks as she inspected me.

“Yeah, I’m fine auntie,” I replied, standing back onto my feet and cracking my neck.

“Sorry about that…it’s been so long since I’ve actually fought against someone…” Taekhyu apologized making a wry smile, crouching down and prodding the floor with her finger.

I let out a small chuckle, “…it’s ok, we can keep sparring.”

Taekhyu smiled and nodded, “alright, just let me know if I’m hitting too hard.” In what seemed to be an instant, Taekhyu stood straight and vanished in plain sight, reappearing a few meters from myself.

‘She didn’t even use aura…’ I thought to myself, awed by her speed. But I shook my head out of daze and returned to my fighting posture.

I took a step forward and dashed to Taekhyu under a second, sweeping a kick towards her torso. But Taekhyu simply extended her pinky and poked the tip of my boot, causing my entire leg to forcefully retract. It caught me off-guard, but I didn’t cease fighting. I fixed myself and leapt into the air, rotating my body as I swung the back of my fist at Taekhyu’s chin.

However, my hand literally phased through her, as if she was nothing but smoke. This had definitely shocked me, and Taekhyu used that to her advantage. While I idly stared at her pearly blue eyes, I felt a heavy palm smite my chest, ejecting me afar from her. Still, I was able to perform a quick backflip and safely landed on the ground, nearly falling on my butt.

Taekhyu had faded away in a flash, then surfaced on the left of me, shooting another palm to my face. I bobbed my head dodging her attack, but I could feel the air frantically gyrate from Taekhyu’s strength alone.

When Taekhyu brushed a low kick to my ankles, I backflipped over her leg and utilized gravity, keeping myself upside down as I faced her. Next, I twisted my body and shot a knee to her sternum. Yet, Taekhyu twirled past my attack and soared an elbow onto my waist, causing me to whirl like a cyclone in mid-air.

Taekhyu had lifted a finger and tapped my back, making me cease spinning and crash onto the ground. ‘I think I’m gonna throw up…” I thought to myself, covering my mouth as the towering mountains above continued to spin around my vision.

I sat up and inwardly sighed with disappointment, ‘…I got completely manhandled…’ I thought to myself. But auntie’s power is monstrous, it didn’t even seem like she put any effort fighting against me. I mean…she literally stopped my kick with a pinky.

“You performed very well for being so young Sin,” Taekhyu applauded helping me stand.

“Really?” I asked in a baffled tone.

Taekhyu nodded as me and her walked over to a giant tree to sit down under. “Yes, your reflexes are quite fast for only being seven years old, and you seem to catch on your opponent’s actions as well. But once again, you’re very young, you still have to gain a lot more experience,” she explained.

I acknowledged her words and laid the back of my head on her chest to relax. While a calm breeze had arrived, blowing through our hair, another question popped in my head, “hey auntie, what was Grandpa Jagan and my grandma like?” Dad told me somethings about grandpa, but not a lot, due to him disappearing when dad was still a kid. And as for grandma, dad had never talked about her before, much less seen any portraits or anything about her.

Taekhyu showed a gentle smile, “weird. That’s one word for how I could describe him.”—She sighed— “…That man was always hard to understand. He’d be extremely calm, do something stupid the next second, then return to a poised demeanor – acting as if nothing had happened. I always wondered how Jein fell for a man like him, hahaha.”

“Was grandma weird too?”

Taekhyu rubbed my head, “not at all – in fact, they were polar opposites pretty much. She was a very cheerful and fiery woman, as well as kind, always willing to help anyone in dire need of help. Jagan and I had met her during our travels in Valorrey, around the Ilen Region I believe. They would argue about the simplest of things, it was quite refreshing and funny. Until they eventually fell in love and got married.”

Taekhyu let out a glum chuckle, “…ah, those were good times. Very fun times indeed… I miss them.”

I turned around, coming to see Taekhyu vacantly gazing at the beauty of stars gleaming in the sky above. I didn’t really know what to say, so I simply gave her a hug. Taekhyu patted my head and began to hum a simple, yet melodic tune. After a minute or so, Taekhyu spoke again, “Sin, can you do me a simple favor?”

“What is it auntie?”

Taekhyu looked down onto me, “I’d like for you to watch over my child.”

I was a bit muddled by this, and I could barely even respond. “…But auntie…are you sure?”

“I’m positively sure. I honestly don’t know if my child is a boy or girl because of what I did in the past…but I want it to actually grow and have a life. Not to stay here with me and be stuck for who knows how long.”

I frowned from this; I’d rather want the child to stay with Taekhyu, so they won’t have to separate. It’s her own blood after all, her only child…

Taekhyu stared at the grass under us, “I know it’s sudden…but I know my child will be much safer with you, instead with me.”

I couldn’t help but contemplate about this, but I ultimately nodded, “I-I’ll take care of your child, auntie.”

Taekhyu gave me a firm hug as she rubbed her cheek against mine, “thank you Sin, really.” Then, I came to feel a chilled essence enter my body, slowly swiveling throughout my chest, and into my heart.

‘This must be her child’s soul,’ I deduced in my thoughts.

“I’m not sure when my son or daughter will be able to gain form, it’ll take some time. But when that time comes, you’ll know when he or she will materialize,” Taekhyu explained.

I nodded and laid back down on her, feeling a bit fatigued from her transferring her child’s soul into me, for whatever the purpose may be. But Taekhyu doesn’t deserve to live like this, it’s just plainly cruel, and she should be happy. And the reason for why she can’t escape is still unknown too.

I have to figure out a way for her to leave this place. Then she can live with me and my family, I’m sure they’d be more than happy to welcome her home. So Taekhyu can live a better life, and be with her child as well.

*****