By Zephyria 
The pillar was so enormous that two men would need to stretch their arms to embrace it.
From an unknown source, a light poured down in a single stream from high above. The pillar’s black surface, receiving that light, shone with a bright, white sheen.
No matter how many times he examined it, he couldn’t believe that this weakling had wielded such a massive object. Gano Paquin placed his hand on the pillar several times, making strange sounds like “Hiyah!” and “Ah!” before lowering his hand.
He stared intently at his palm, then clenched and unclenched his fists a couple of times.
“It really doesn’t work.”
“What was it originally meant to be used for?”
“It was an object I crafted from what came from my land, so its size would change according to my will. But for some reason, it won’t budge.”
“….”
“Do you want to try?”
Without refusing, I stepped closer. Five pieces of cloth—red, blue, yellow, black, and white—hung from a golden cord, occasionally stained with red blood. It was impossible to tell if it was human or monster blood.
Like Gano Paquin, I placed my hand on the pillar. A sticky energy latched onto my fingers. The ground beneath my feet suddenly gave way and vanished, and at the same time, something dark red, like ripe mulberries, completely obscured my vision.
It was a green meadow.
A gust of wind blew from the distance. Each time, the small flowers dotting the field swayed their heads as if greeting me. Well-trimmed, fine grass, barely reaching my ankles, stretched to the ends of the earth, and in the distance, a building with beautiful white pillars stood tall.
I stood in the middle of the meadow, waiting for the child.
A man riding a giant black horse galloped towards me. Ruben, perched on the horse’s back, wore a mischievous expression. The wind, heavy with the scent of flowers, brushed through the child’s glossy black hair. I spread my arms wide, wanting to pull him into an embrace.
The child didn’t jump off the horse. Instead, he grabbed the mane and leaped high. A black shadow soared right over my head. Ahaha! A booming laugh echoed like a temple bell. I, too, burst into laughter. Turning around, the child, still high up, looked down at me.
The child was smiling with astonishing radiance.
“Surprised?”
“No. To surprise me, something like this won’t do.”
“Then?”
Tiny beads of sweat formed on his fresh cheeks. I scanned his appearance with my eyes. As the boy on the horse turned to dismount, I quickly stepped forward to help him down. The feel of the firm sole of his shoe pressing into my palm felt strangely unfamiliar.
“Well. I might be a little surprised if you cried.”
“You’d like that too. How annoying.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“…Me?”
The child wrapped his arms around my neck, hanging on. I gently stroked the curve of his ear. The moment he parted his lips, as if to ask for a kiss, my chest tightened abruptly. Strange. Ruben… he used to blush whenever he opened his mouth like this.
Snapping back to reality, I pushed him away.
Ruben never wore such an insolent expression when facing me. Ruben didn’t have such short hair. He didn’t run around so energetically, nor had he ever laughed heartily while putting me in danger. And I…
He blinked several times, looking at me. I gazed into his dark eyes. He tilted his head, looking puzzled. I lowered my gaze to my hands. My fingers were slender and long.
Ruben… he always told me to think of him whenever he saw my hands.
But these hands are not mine. This memory is not mine either.
A surge of energy welled up from deep within me. I didn’t bother to suppress it. Crimson blood seeped onto my tongue. I vomited. A pain like my insides twisting seized me. As if to scrape out everything inside me, I pushed my fingers down my throat.
The child’s anxious voice faded,
and faded,
then cut off.
“…Are you okay? Michael! Snap out of it!”
“…Ugh, Haa…”
My vision spun. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly a couple of times, then opened them.
My eyes were moist. When I raised my hand to wipe my face, red stained my cheek. I was so taken aback I couldn’t even laugh. Tears of blood and spitting blood—I had only seen such things when I was taming my body with potent poisons.
Despite all the commotion, no one could touch me.
When I lifted my head, Gano Paquin’s deathly pale face was the first thing I saw. He bit his lower lip hard, blocking my companions from rushing forward with his arm. His pupils trembled.
With a surge, blood welled up again from the depths of my innards. I didn’t hold back and spat it out. As blood poured from my eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, my vision turned red and hazy, my mind scattered. Yet, I knew one thing.
I parted my lips. My voice wouldn’t come out easily. After a few hacking coughs, I was able to speak with clearer pronunciation.
“…Is this it?”
“Huh? What? Are you feeling a bit better now?”
Ignoring the fussing Hugh Benson, I stared directly at Gano Paquin. Now I understood the reason for his anxious expression.
“What I just swallowed… is it the divine source?”
Everyone fell silent. Not a single breath was wasted.
Gano Paquin stared at me for a long time, then slowly, very slowly, shook his head.
“…No.”
“Then?”
“It seems… a fragment of a shattered source was just attached.”
“A fragment?”
I coughed violently a few more times. The pillar my hand had touched slowly became thinner. It fit into my hand, and I pulled it out. Gwoong. I felt mana spreading out in concentric circles.
Clang.
I threw the fully extracted spear onto the ground.
The fragments of the divine source I had swallowed in the past felt like they expanded my blood vessels and Qi-blood simultaneously before deflating. But this time was different. A persistent, viscous, hot, and dark energy began to gnaw at my Middle Dantian.
There was nothing beneath the hole where the pillar had been lodged. I was still making eye contact with Gano Paquin. His expression slowly contorted. I didn’t need to see myself to know what I must look like.
Giving up on asking, I beckoned to Mage Boulder.
“Yes? Me? Huh? What?”
“Please use Clean just once.”
“Uh… Lord Ernhardt, right?”
“Yes.”
At that moment, Hugh Benson asked something out of the blue.
“When is the Second Prince’s birthday?”
“October 31st… What?”
“He’s the one. I asked you to use magic, so use it.”
“….”
I thought they were doing the most ridiculous things.
Still, perhaps they felt a bit relieved in their own way, as a familiar magic swept down from the top of my head to my feet, cleansing me.
I clenched and unclenched my now clean hands twice. I examined the back of my hands, then the palms, and once more checked that my sword was securely hanging at my waist.
As I confirmed my state, the tension in the shoulders of the onlookers eased.
There was no point in questioning Gano Paquin, whose lips were still pale. I turned my gaze back to Hugh Benson, who had regained his nonchalant expression. He twisted his lips and shrugged his shoulders.
“How was it?”
“What?”
“After I placed my hand on that pillar, why were all your expressions like that?”
“Well… it wasn’t anything major. My back just tore open a bit and then healed again.”
“…What?”
“Do you know how a butterfly sheds its skin? It just split open and closed, like wings about to emerge. Blue and black light swirled around my body, flashing and trembling, and I bled from my eyes, nose, and mouth, then my eyes snapped open and I coughed a few times.”
“For long?”
“Well, about… seven minutes? Eight minutes? It wasn’t that long of a tantrum.”
So that’s how it was.
My insides still ached, but it wasn’t unbearable. I felt no particular discomfort in my back, as Hugh Benson described. I rotated my shoulders and twisted my waist slightly. I lightly hopped in place to check my condition.
Benjamin, who had been watching quietly, expressed his concern.
“Does it hurt?”
“Yes. I’m fine. It just feels like… I swallowed something dirty.”
“But?”
“I think a couple of sessions of Breathing and Regulating Energy will fix it.”
“Then…”
Just then, a thunderous sound was heard.
Woo-ah-ah-!
It resembled the roar of a beast. Or it sounded like the cheers of those who had succeeded in a hunt. It was Elvin’s voice. Was he calling us?
Gano Paquin finally came to his senses and picked up the spear I had carelessly thrown on the ground. Looking at it now, half of the blade was broken, making it resemble a rod more than a spear.
On the blood-stained floor, only the golden cord with the five-colored ribbons remained.
“Let’s get out of here for now. We can talk more slowly in a safer place.”
I nodded and was about to leave when a hiccup was heard. It was Leon. He kept glancing at me with a look of utter fear. I had no idea what kind of grotesque sight I must have presented.
I simply met his gaze and smiled once.
❖ ❖ ❖
The people trapped in the stalactites regarded us with wary, bewildered expressions.
Even if Gano Paquin hadn’t whispered in a low voice, “You’re awake,” it was clear they had all regained their senses. I looked at their lively eyes and nudged Hugh Benson’s elbow. He was better suited for explanations than I was.
As expected, Hugh Benson readily took on the responsibility and spoke.
“Greetings, seniors. I am Hugh Benson, a graduate of the Academy’s 316th class. Our current location is Mine 1-3 in the Duchy of Grimesbane. Today is October 18th, the 27th cycle of Veneto’s reign, and the time is approximately one o’clock in the afternoon. You seniors are victims of kidnapping and confinement.”
“….”
The Imperial Knights, with their blank faces, opened their mouths, closed them, opened them again, and closed them again. They were like baby goldfish. One of them asked in a hoarse voice,
“…The 27th cycle?”
“Yes. For your information, Emperor Veneto passed away two years ago. We kindly request your cooperation to ensure a safe rescue.”
“….”
While Gano Paquin melted the remaining stalactites, everyone obediently listened. He had mentioned there were several more tunnels like this. I wondered if all of them had regained consciousness.