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Underworld, Kenta's Home.
At this moment, Kenta was tossing and turning in bed. From his tightly furrowed brows, it was clear the man wasn't sleeping soundly. Fragments of voices—some melodic, others harsh—echoed through the corridors of his mind like ghosts in a haunted house.
"Hello, I'm a pilot from the Sky-Faring Commission... Are you that Carefree Wanderer...?""Big Brother Kenta... This is the weapon I forged for you... It's called Shard of the Void...""Kenta... Don't go along with their nonsense...""Grand Master... My master is looking for you...""Kenta... Let me see if your swordsmanship has improved recently..."
The voices blurred, shifting from warmth to the cold chill of steel and betrayal.
"...Why... Why did you commit this evil with Imbibitor Lunae...?""...Why must someone like her... be buried...?""...As long as the Metamorphosis of Dragon succeeds...""...Master... Why... is it like this...?""...Next... life... you... must... also..."
"!!!"
Kenta suddenly sat up in bed, gasping for breath. He pressed his right hand to his forehead, which was slick with cold sweat.
"What is this...?"
He shook his head vigorously. He felt as if he had remembered something, yet nothing at all. It was a vague, ethereal feeling—like trying to grab mist. Whenever he tried to delve deeper into those forbidden memories, the fragments scattered like a candle flame in a gale, disappearing the moment he reached for them.
Finally, his gaze drifted to his broken saber. It remained sheathed, resting quietly by his bedside.
"Shard of the Void... is that your name?"
He remained silent, suddenly recalling what Dan Heng had asked him in that dark alleyway.
"Kenta, do you remember me?"
Kenta felt in his soul that he should remember him, but the mental archives were empty. "I might... really have forgotten something very important..."
"You're awake?"
The sudden voice made Kenta jump. He hadn't noticed there was another person in the room.
"Cocolia? Why are you here?"
The former Supreme Guardian was sitting in a chair by his bed. Seeing him awake, she let out a long, weary sigh of relief. "That's good. You're finally back with us."
She paused, lifting a checklist in her hand. "As you can see, I am beginning my atonement in the Underworld. I'm currently coordinating logistics for the re-opened passages between the Upper and Underworlds."
Kenta nodded silently. Belobog was short-handed, and it made no sense to send a high-caliber strategist like Cocolia to swing a pickaxe in the mines. If it was unpaid labor, you might as well maximize the efficiency.
He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized the room was bathed in shadows. "Wait, did I really sleep until night?"
"No," Cocolia said, shaking her head. "It's already the evening of the second day. You've been unconscious for over thirty hours. During that time, the cable cars have been restored, and Bronya has successfully been inaugurated as the new Supreme Guardian."
"Huh?"
Kenta was utterly shocked. He felt like the student who bent down to pick up a pencil in math class, only to look up and find the teacher had filled three chalkboards with equations he didn't recognize.
"So... I missed everything. Great."
Deciding he couldn't just sit in bed, Kenta prepared to head to the surface to check on the crew. "Aren't you coming, Cocolia? Even if you're 'exiled' down here, surely you can visit Bronya for the celebration?"
Cocolia offered a calm, bittersweet smile. "I won't go. I don't want to spoil such a lively occasion with my presence."
Kenta scratched his head. "Is Qlipoth Fort really that lively?"
Cocolia's expression turned intriguing. "I won't spoil the surprise. You'll know when you get there."
Belobog Administrative Plaza
"Phew... taking the cable car up legally feels... weird," Kenta muttered as he stepped out into the crisp night air.
However, he quickly noticed something strange. "Hiss—that's not right. Why is the Upper District so quiet?"
Aside from a few Silvermane Guards on duty, the streets were eerily deserted. Curiously, Kenta approached a nearby guard. "Excuse me, brother. Where did everyone go? I thought the city was celebrating."
"Oh, you mean that," the guard replied. "The new Supreme Guardian organized a grand banquet in the Administrative Plaza to thank the visitors and celebrate the end of the Freeze. Everyone who can walk is over there."
Kenta stood in stunned silence. This is outrageous—they're having a party and didn't even send me a text?
He didn't linger, rushing toward the plaza as fast as his legs would carry him.
At the edge of the banquet, Hook and Clara were huddled together near a refreshment table.
"Clara! Are you sure you won't join the Moles officially?" Hook asked, holding a chicken leg in each hand. Her mouth was covered in grease.
"No, Hook. I still need to stay with Mr. Svarog," Clara replied politely, taking small, dainty bites of a pastry. "I'm sorry."
"Mmm~ alright." Hook looked genuinely saddened for a split second before her eyes lit up with a mischievous spark. "Clara! Clara! Do you want to try the taste of 'Adult Juice'?" She leaned in and whispered.
"Huh?" Clara jumped. She looked around nervously. "Isn't that... against the rules?"
"It's fine!" Hook waved a greasy hand. "There are so many people around, no one will notice two little ones having a tiny sip."
She darted off and returned a moment later clutching a bottle of wine she'd swiped from a side table. "Just a tiny sip, Clara! For the Moles!"
"But... Big Brother Kenta will be so angry if he finds out..." Clara was still hesitant.
"Hmph! He won't know! Besides, I'm the Boss of the Moles! Shouldn't he, as an Honorary Member, listen to me?" The little one puffed out her chest with absolute self-assurance.
Standing directly behind her, Kenta loomed like a dark cloud.
"Excellent," Kenta whispered.
He reached out both hands simultaneously. He placed one gently on Clara's head, stroking her hair. The other hand landed on Hook's head like a heavy iron clamp.
"Who—who is it?! Who dares touch Pitch-Dark Hook the—! Member Kenta?!" Hook's bravado evaporated the moment she turned around.
Clara's face brightened. "Big Brother Kenta! You're awake!"
Kenta gave Clara a gentle nod, then shifted his gaze to a trembling Hook. His expression was unreadable, which was far scarier than a scolding.
"Um... I was just... holding it for my Dad! Yeah! I was taking it home to him!" the little one stammered, sweat beading on her forehead.
"Keep talking," Kenta said calmly. "I'm listening."
He snatched the wine bottle away and gave Hook a light, playful flick on the forehead. "Alright, I'll pretend I didn't see this. Once. But if I catch you with 'Adult Juice' again, remember—I know where you live, I know where you play hide-and-seek, and I know exactly where you hide your treasure. Understand?"
"Waaah~ Member Kenta is a big meanie!"
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