"We'll arrive at Planet Sophis-X shortly," Texa announced.
Roco and Kichu looked out through the monitor and saw the enormous planet, surrounded by a vast number of satellites.
"Awesome!" Kichu blurted out.
"Wait till you actually set foot on the planet—you'll be even more shocked," Hinko said with a smile.
The spaceship landed on a rooftop.
"So, where's your home?" Kichu asked Hinko.
"Umm… This is my home, actually," Hinko replied as a staircase appeared on the rooftop.
Kichu and Roco followed him, still surprised.
"You own this entire building?" Kichu couldn't hide his amazement.
"Yep. The first three floors are a school where I teach. The other floors are my personal space. And this…" He pressed a switch, and a metallic door slid open automatically.
"This is my lab," Hinko said as he stepped inside.
Kichu and Roco followed, only to be met with a massive room filled with robots, inventions, test tubes, weapons, and large monitors.
"Awesome! You have an entire floor just for your lab?" Roco asked.
"Even my master didn't have a lab this big," Kichu added, scanning every corner in awe.
"Haha… That reaction was worth it. This lab has different sections," Hinko said, leading them into a room filled with weapons and armor.
"This is my armory. Everything from a simple blade sword to the legendary Sword of Cold is here. Unfortunately, I haven't managed to get my hands on the Sacred Swords, which is why you don't see them here."
"Oh… You mean this?" Kichu asked, drawing his sword.
Hinko took one look at the sword, and his jaw dropped.
"What the fuck?!" He circled Kichu, examining the weapon.
"This… Yes, this is definitely a Sacred Sword! But how? Where did you get it?" Hinko asked, clearly shocked.
"It kind of talked to me. Is this sword rare?" Kichu asked nonchalantly.
"Rare? Kid, there are only two Sacred Swords—the Sword of Death and the Sword of Power. What you have here is the Sword of Power, the rarest weapon in existence. Every person in the universe desires it."
"I knew it was a Sacred Sword, but I didn't realize it was that badass," Kichu said, glancing at it again.
"Badass? You might want to rethink your description. This thing is an absolute menace. No one can wield it because it requires an immense amount of soul energy. If I tried to lift it, I'd die instantly. How are you even holding it?" Hinko asked, staring at him in disbelief.
"I don't know either. It chose me, so I figured I'd keep it," Kichu shrugged.
"Come with me for a second," Hinko said, leading them to another room.
Kichu and Roco followed him, curiosity written all over their faces.
"Here, put your hand on this," Hinko said, holding out a transparent cube.
Kichu placed his hand on it, and the cube slowly glowed red.
"Umm… What's happening?" Kichu asked.
There was no reply. He placed the cube back on the table and turned to see Hinko staring at him with wide eyes.
"What? You're creeping me out," Kichu said, stepping back.
"Kid… You might want to stay here for a while," Hinko said.
"Stay here? Why?" Kichu asked in confusion.
"Even I can't figure this out. A red glow… holding a Sacred Sword?! How?!" Hinko repeated, clearly baffled.
"Am I that powerful? Hehe…" Kichu laughed proudly.
"Actually, it's quite the opposite. Red means you have an extremely low amount of soul energy. No wonder you don't have a Sin," Hinko stated bluntly.
Kichu froze in embarrassment. Roco burst out laughing.
"Can I try?" Roco asked, trying to hold back his laughter.
"Sure," Hinko said, handing him the cube.
Roco placed his hand on it, and a bright blue glow appeared.
"Oh… You have a decent amount of soul energy. Blue is the third level," Hinko noted.
Roco smirked and glanced at Kichu, who awkwardly avoided his gaze and walked away.
"Oh, where are my manners? I haven't even offered you a drink," Hinko said, tapping a command into the monitor.
They walked to the main hall and sat at a table.
"I still don't get it. How can you wield the Sacred Sword with such low soul energy?" Hinko wondered aloud.
"Shut up already," Kichu grumbled through clenched teeth.
"Didn't you say you had something urgent to do at the hospital?" Roco asked.
"Oh… Shit!" Hinko jumped up and ran toward a room.
Kichu and Roco exchanged confused looks before following him.
Hinko stopped in front of a door and knocked gently.
"Dear, I'm really sorry for being late," he said.
The door slowly opened, and a woman stepped out.
"Are you okay, my dear?" Hinko asked with a warm smile.
She looked at him, her eyes widening.
Hinko immediately understood what was about to happen and dropped to the floor.
At that moment, Kichu and Roco arrived.
"No, no! Lay down, kids!" Hinko shouted.
"Lay down? Why—" Roco began, but before he could finish, a laser beam shot from her eyes and hit him.
Roco screamed as he was knocked to the floor.
"Roco! What the hell?!" Kichu yelled, drawing his sword.
The woman turned to him angrily and prepared to fire again—then suddenly stopped, her expression shifting to confusion.
Hinko crawled over to Roco.
"Roco, are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah… I think so," Roco groaned.
"What the fuck? Did she just shoot heat vision?!" Kichu said, completely shocked.
"Oh no… I'm so sorry!" the woman gasped, running over to Roco.
"Why did you do that?!" Kichu demanded.
"I… I'm really sorry," she said, bowing deeply.
Hinko healed Roco while she remained bowed.
"It's okay now. You can raise your head," Roco reassured her.
Kichu looked at Roco in surprise—he never expected him to be this calm.
"I'll explain everything," Hinko said, motioning for them to follow him.
They returned to the hall and sat around the table. A robot arrived, serving tea.
"This is my wife, Asha. She's, uh… a bit temperamental," Hinko admitted with a smile.
Asha's face turned red with embarrassment.
"She can't control her anger. I do my best to keep her calm because when she gets mad, her Sin activates automatically," he explained.
"That's terrifying," Kichu muttered.
"Yeah… I was supposed to be here earlier, but Hal called me for something urgent. I couldn't refuse. That must have triggered her."
"I'm really sorry… I just can't control it," Asha said, her voice trembling.
"No, no, it's okay," Kichu tried to reassure her.
"Why don't you go make something to eat?" Hinko gently suggested, patting her shoulder.
She wiped her tears and went to the kitchen.
Hinko watched her go, his expression soft.
"She's suffered more than you can imagine. When I first found her, she was eating out of the trash and sleeping in the mud. She didn't even have proper clothes. She looked at me with those angry eyes… but I gave her food and brought her here. Over the years, I've done my best to give her a better life. And I can proudly say I've never regretted it. We've been happily married for ten years. Never had kids, though," he said, wiping his eyes.
"Wouldn't having kids help her?" Kichu asked.
"I… can't have kids. Maybe it's because of the experiments I've done on myself. She knows, but she's never once complained. I suggested adoption, but she refused… She's afraid she might hurt the child," Hinko said with a sad sigh.
He quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway! I want to run some tests on you. Is that okay?"
"Wha… what experiments?" Kichu took a step back.
"Whatever it is, I can assure you it won't hurt," Hinko said with a creepy smile.
"No, I'm good," Kichu replied, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Haha… I'm joking," Hinko chuckled. "I'll just study your soul energy and all. No weird experiments, I promise." He turned back to his monitor and started typing.
"What am I supposed to do?" Roco asked, sounding frustrated.
"You can train your Sin. Which Sin do you have, kid?" Hinko asked, glancing at him.
"Elementia: Water," Roco replied.
"Oh… Elementia. No wonder you have a high amount of soul energy," Hinko said, nodding. He tapped a button on the console, and a metallic door slid open behind Roco.
"You can train in there. It's a special room designed for combat practice. When Hal visits, he uses it too. Go all out," Hinko said, still focused on his monitor.
Roco turned to Kichu, his gaze filled with rivalry. Kichu just smirked and waved at him. Without another word, Roco stepped into the room. The door shut automatically behind him.
-To Be Continued...