"So, let me get this straight," Akira said, looking at his mother. "Erika heard a mysterious voice that sounded like a little girl in her mind. It told her to drink my blood to save me, and when she did, a Sacred Gear manifested and became my heart. But the Sacred Gear actually belongs to Erika, not me… is that right?"
"Yep, that's exactly it," Yuki nodded calmly.
Erika had been taken away by her brother, Iori, to help her calm her bloodlust. While she was gone, Yuki filled him in on everything that had happened after he passed out.
"A mysterious little girl?" Akira thought to himself. "Could that be the same girl I saw in the void…?"
He remembered the girl made of light, almost like she was made of Stellar Radiance itself. She was the one who helped him awaken that power. Could she be the one who spoke to Erika, too? It seemed too specific to be a coincidence.
Akira wanted to tell his mother about the girl, but doing so would mean explaining the void, and possibly even his past life. He'd visited the void at least three times now, and each time it had felt different. If his mother already knew about it and he slipped up and said something he shouldn't, it might not end well.
She was one of the people closest to him in this world, but there was a reason why protagonists in isekai stories never told their parents about their previous lives. Some secrets were better left buried.
Still… the girl seemed connected to his family. After all, she'd helped him use Stellar Radiance, a power unique to their family. That made it harder to ignore.
"Whatever. I'll just tell her about the girl and the tree of light and see how she reacts first", Akira decided. "If it gets too risky, I can stop there."
"Mother, I…" Akira started, but at the same time, his mother spoke up too.
"Akira, there's something important I need to tell you," Yuki said suddenly in a serious tone.
"What is it?" he asked, pausing. It wasn't often she looked this serious.
"We're leaving Japan," she said plainly. "We're moving to another country."
"Huh…?" Akira blinked. The news was so sudden that it left him momentarily speechless.
"We're leaving…"
"No, I got that the first time," Akira said, looking confused. "But why so suddenly? Is there a reason? Is this because of the werewolf attack?"
"No, we already dealt with that. The real issue is the Sacred Gear inside you," Yuki replied calmly.
"Oh, right… That," Akira said, thinking back to just a few minutes ago, when Erika almost lost control the moment she saw him, and that strange sensation in his chest. He couldn't help but connect it to the new Sacred Gear now acting as his heart.
"I've never heard of a heart-shaped Sacred Gear before. And it's not even with its original owner. What exactly is it doing to me and Erika? Do you know anything about it, Mother?" he asked.
"Sigh… We've never heard of this Sacred Gear either. It's something new, and we don't know much about it. But if I had to guess, it might be similar to an independent avatar-type Sacred Gear," Yuki said, sharing her theory.
"I thought independent avatar types have an actual avatar, something with its own consciousness and instincts. But this one just acts as my heart. I don't think it has a will of its own. Or… are you saying the Sacred Gear inside my heart somehow turned me into a Sacred Gear? Is that it?" Akira asked, mentally running through every possible anime plot.
"No, I meant the Sacred Gear is independent from its owner. I never said you turned into one. You're watching too much anime," Yuki sighed. "It's not turning you into a Sacred Gear, but from what we can tell, it can influence both you and Erika. For her, it triggered bloodlust toward you. And for you… Well, as you might've already noticed, there's a chance it's trying to influence or control you too."
"I don't think it can control me. But… you're not wrong, it did try. But I managed to resist it easily, though. You trained me for this, remember? And I really don't think Erika would ever use it to control me," Akira admitted, though he still felt the need to push back a little. He knew, thanks to his extensive training, he could handle that kind of mental influence.
"I know you can resist it, and I know Erika-chan wouldn't do it intentionally," Yuki said seriously, then softened. "But what if she did it unconsciously? What if you didn't even realize it was happening? It could start small, like you suddenly wanting to go wherever she wants or eating her favourite foods without knowing why. You're still growing, Akira. I don't want you to grow up under that kind of subtle pressure."
She paused, then added more gently, "And think about Erika-Chan, too. Sure, you can resist its influence. But what about her? Every time she sees you, that bloodlust flares up. She can't control it, not like you can. So this isn't just about protecting you. It's about protecting her, too."
Akira sighed, understanding the situation. As much as he hated it, he knew his mother was right. They both needed space. But the thought of Erika being left behind all on her own was hard to accept.
Still… he had no choice.
"I guess it can't be helped. So, can you tell me where we're moving to? And when will we return?" Akira asked, accepting that there was no real choice left for him.
"We won't be staying in one place for long," Yuki replied, trying to cheer him up. "We'll visit a lot of places, and we'll also show you what we actually do for a living in this world. I'm sure you'll enjoy the adventure."
"An adventure, huh?" Akira thought to himself. "It has been kind of boring here lately... maybe it won't be so bad. And it's not like I'll be cut off from Erika completely, I can still call her, or FaceTime if I want. So it's no big deal... right?"
Just as he was starting to reason with himself, his mother casually dropped another bomb.
"Oh, and one more thing," she added casually as she reached the doorway, "we're leaving today. And starting now, you'll be going full no contact with Erika. So pack up soon, we leave in two hours."
"Wait, wait…Mother, what do you mean by that?! Wait!" Akira shouted, chasing after her. "What do you mean by no contact? At least explain it properly!"
"As I said before," she said, turning back to him, "to keep both of you safe, you need to be separated. We could've waited a few days and left quietly, but after seeing how you two reacted to each other, the decision was made to leave today. That's all."
"We can at least talk to each other on the phone or at least text each other, right? We won't come in contact that way," Akira said, trying to reason with his mother.
"No, it's too dangerous. We still don't know the full extent of the Sacred Gear's power, so it's best to go no contact," Yuki replied firmly.
Akira let out a quiet sigh, steadying his voice. "Okay… but are you sure I can stay away from Erika for that long? This Sacred Gear belongs to her, right? What if something bad happens because I'm too far away?"
"We already tested that. When you're sleeping, you can be as far from her as you want without any consequences," Yuki said gently. "Believe me, I don't want to do this to you or Erika-chan either. But this time, we don't have a choice. For a few years, you'll have to be away from her."
"Sigh, fine… but at least let me say goodbye to her before we leave," Akira asked, not wanting to disappear without a word.
"Fine. You can write her a letter. That's the only thing I'll allow," Yuki replied firmly.
"Okay… but I've never written a letter like that before. Can you help me write it, Mother?" Akira asked. In his previous life, he was used to writing formal reports and official documents, but never a letter to a friend.
"Just Google it. I'm busy with other things," she said casually as she walked out of his room. But then she paused, turning back to him with a small reminder.
"Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you the name of your Sacred Gear. It's called Lunar Vow. And don't waste too much time, we're leaving in two hours," she added before disappearing down the hall.
"Lunar Vow, seriously?" Akira muttered to himself as he sat at his desk. "What's its Balance Breaker going to be, Crimson Love? Well… I guess it does fit the vampire theme."
He sighed again, pulling out a pen and paper. He had never written something like this before, but if he couldn't see Erika for years, he at least wanted to write her the best goodbye letter he could.