The celebration had long since faded into the background.
Away from the cheering crowds and the sounds of rebuilding, Tanaka stood before two people whose eyes carried a different kind of exhaustion.
Will and Laila, Hugo's parents.
The weight in his chest felt heavier than the burden he felt when fled Pristella. With return by death, he thought that there wasn't a single person he couldn't save.
Slowly, he lowered his head.
The words came out strained.
"...I'm sorry."
His fists tightened at his sides.
"I'm so sorry."
The image of Hugo's final smile flashed through his mind. The child had entrusted him with his last request.
And yet, the fact remained.
He hadn't saved him.
They had come to him desperate for hope.
Begging for a miracle.
And despite everything he had done...
Their son was still gone.
The silence stretched.
Painfully.
Until Tanaka forced himself to continue.
"But..."
His voice wavered.
"I promised him I would relay his message."
He raised his head slightly.
Not enough to meet their eyes.
Only enough to speak.
"Hugo wanted me to tell you both something."
The couple visibly stiffened.
Their hands unconsciously found each other.
Tanaka swallowed.
"He said..."
A lump formed in his throat.
"...he loves you."
The words felt strangely difficult to say.
Not because they were Hugo's.
Because a part of him understood them.
Understood them too well. He thought of another world. A family waiting for a son who would never return. A mother and father who had no idea where he had gone.
Whether he was alive.
Whether he was dead.
Whether he had simply disappeared.
The thought twisted something deep inside him.
"He said..." Tanaka continued quietly, "...thank you for everything."
The words hung in the air, they were simple and ordinary.
Laila's shoulders trembled.
She covered her mouth as tears spilled from her eyes.
Will lowered his head.
His expression crumpled.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
The silence felt sacred.
Like a final conversation taking place through someone else's voice.
Eventually, Laila wiped at her eyes.
Her voice was weak. Fragile but sincere.
"James..."
Tanaka finally forced himself to look up.
For the first time since arriving, he met their eyes.
There was grief there.
An immeasurable amount of grief.
But there was something else too.
A tinge of relief.
A kind of peace born from finally knowing the truth.
"For over a year..." Laila whispered, "...we had no idea what our son was going through."
Her fingers tightened around Will's hand.
"We didn't know where he was."
"We didn't know if he was suffering."
"We didn't know if he was scared."
Her voice broke.
"And as his parents... there was nothing we could do."
Tears rolled freely down her cheeks.
"We couldn't even help him."
Will closed his eyes for a moment before speaking.
His voice was rough.
Strained from holding back emotions.
"But now we know."
He drew a shaky breath. His gaze settled on Tanaka.
"You were there with him."
Tanaka's chest tightened.
"No."
The response escaped before he could stop it.
Maybe if he was more rational, maybe if he put more thoughts, maybe if he gave it more tries...
"James."
Will's voice cut through his self-condemnation, firm and final.
"You gave our son something we couldn't. You freed him..."
Tanaka froze.
Will smiled sadly.
Silence followed.
Neither side knew what to say next.
The pain was still there.
The loss remained.
Nothing would change that.
But for the first time in over a year, Hugo's parents finally knew how their son's story ended.
Will squeezed Laila's hand.
"It will take time."
His voice nearly broke on the words.
"A long time."
He looked toward the sky.
Toward a future that suddenly felt emptier.
"But..."
A small smile appeared despite everything.
"For the sake of our Hugo..."
His grip tightened.
"We have to keep moving forward."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few minutes later, Tanaka found himself sitting on the remains of a collapsed stone wall overlooking the city. The sounds of reconstruction echoed in the distance. People moved through the streets carrying lumber and supplies, while others simply stood around talking, grateful to still be alive.
Beside him hovered a faint golden light.
Unlike before, when it had been nothing more than a glowing beams of light, he could now vaguely make out the silhouette within it. The outline of a young boy drifted lazily through the air, light-orange hair swaying despite the lack of any wind and cyan eyes filled with a calmness.
Tanaka remained silent for a while before finally speaking.
"Are you really okay with this?"
Hugo tilted his head. "With what?"
"With how things turned out."
The spirit followed his gaze toward the city.
Toward his home.
Toward the direction his parents had gone.
For a brief moment, a hint of sadness crossed his face before it disappeared behind a gentle smile.
"I think so."
Hugo laughed softly.
"I already said everything I wanted to say. You delivered my message, and I got to see them one last time. There's nothing else I could have asked for."
Tanaka frowned.
"You know, I could've told them."
"Told them what?"
"That you became a spirit."
The boy's expression softened immediately.
"Why?"
"I don't know." Tanaka scratched the side of his face awkwardly. "Maybe it would've made things easier."
For a moment Hugo didn't answer. Instead, he floated slightly higher, his body turning toward the sky as if he was searching for the right words.
"Even if you told them, they wouldn't understand me."
His gaze returned to Tanaka.
"I already said goodbye to them. Staying near them wouldn't change anything. A spirit needs an anchor to exist, and even if I wanted to remain with my family, I couldn't."
There wasn't even a hint of bitterness in his voice.
That somehow made it harder to argue against.
"They'd probably spend every day worrying about me instead of moving forward."
"..."
"And honestly," Hugo added with a sheepish smile, "I'd probably spend every day worrying about them too."
Tanaka let out a long sigh.
When the kid put it that way, there really wasn't much he could say.
Still, there was one thing that had been bothering him ever since he'd woken up.
Actually, it was bothering him enough that he was starting to question his own sanity.
"Hugo."
"Yes?"
"Before we continue, I need to ask something important."
The boy immediately straightened up.
"Okay."
Tanaka pointed directly at him.
"Are you actually Hugo?"
The spirit blinked.
"...What?"
"I mean really Hugo."
"What kind of question is that?"
"The kind that becomes very important when dead children start following me around."
Hugo stared at him for several seconds.
"...I am a spirit."
"That doesn't answer the question."
Tanaka rubbed his temples.
"I mean, is this really you? This is not some Charlie Saint Cloud non-sense, right?"
The boy tilted his head in confusion.
It was an old movie he watched a long time ago. A young man, adored by his single mother and his little brother Sam, Charlie is an accomplished sailor and college-bound senior with a bright future ahead of him. When Sam dies in a terrible accident, Charlie's dreams die with him. But, so strong is the brothers' bond that, in the hour before each sunset, Charlie and Sam meet to play catch.
Hugo didn't understand the weird reference but he somehow understood the context from expression. So for the first time, the boy looked genuinely offended.
"I'm not imaginary!"
The boy puffed out his cheeks.
For someone who had accepted death with alarming maturity, he still acted like a child when annoyed.
Eventually Hugo crossed his arms.
"When I arrived at Od Lagna, I asked if I could become a spirit."
Tanaka's expression immediately changed.
"You can just ask?"
Od Lagna was something he heard about but he had no idea that this was something possible.
The more Tanaka thought about it, the less sense any of this made.
"Wait a second."
A realization suddenly struck him.
"If that's true, does that mean every spirit I've ever met was originally a dead person?"
"No."
Hugo shook his head.
"All souls eventually return to Od Lagna. Most lose themselves and become part of the cycle again. Sometimes fragments of emotions, wishes, or regrets remain behind, and those fragments become spirits."
Tanaka nodded.
"Okay. Continue."
"Normally those fragments don't have memories or identities. They aren't really the same person anymore. But when I asked to help you, Od Lagna allowed me to keep most of my memories."
The word "most" immediately caught Tanaka's attention.
"Most?"
Hugo scratched his cheek.
"Actually, now that I think about it, what's your name?"
Tanaka immediately understood.
The pieces clicked together almost instantly.
Return by Death.
His true name.
Everything that should never be spoken aloud.
Whatever process had turned Hugo into a spirit had likely stripped away the dangerous parts.
"For now, you can call me James."
"I see."
Hugo nodded seriously.
Then he smiled.
"I'll call you Master then."
Tanaka stared at him.
"...Why did you even ask for my name!"
However, there was still a problem that hasn't been resolved.
Hugo needed an anchor.
Letting out a sigh, Tanaka scratched the back of his head.
"I don't really have a problem with it, but there's something you should know first."
The spirit straightened immediately.
"Yes, Master!"
"Stop that."
"..."
"My gate is a complete mess," Tanaka continued. "I can't properly absorb mana from the atmosphere. Most mages would recover mana naturally over time, but I can't. Which means if we form a contract, there's a chance I'll end up relying on your mana more than you'll rely on mine."
He expected concern.
Perhaps hesitation.
Instead Hugo's eyes lit up.
"I know!"
"...You know?"
"Yes!"
The little spirit clenched his fists.
"I'll work hard to be useful!"
"You don't have to be so formal.."
Tanaka rubbed his temples.
"And honestly, I have mixed feelings about child labor."
"It's okay!" Hugo smiled brightly. "I volunteered!"
Meanwhile, Tanaka felt like he was trying to reason with a wall.
A very cheerful wall.
Still, there wasn't much else to do. Hugo couldn't remain in the physical world indefinitely without an anchor, and despite his complaints, Tanaka could never abandon him.
Unfortunately...
Tanaka had a much bigger headache he had to deal with.
*********************************************************************************************************
"My light ball!" A familiar voice exploded, "SPIT IT OUT! NOW!"
This current event took place in the nighttime, in the tavern were Tanaka used to work. Despite the destruction that had ravaged large portions of Banan the previous night, the building remained mostly intact.
After speaking with Hugo's parents, Tanaka had intentionally come here hoping to avoid a certain someone.
Unfortunately...
Said certain someone was already waiting for him.
"W-Wait—!"
Two slender arms suddenly wrapped around his torso from behind.
Before he could react, Zarestia locked him in place and squeezed.
Hard.
The pressure nearly forced the air from his lungs.
It felt less like a hug and more like an assassination attempt.
"My light ball!" she shouted while shaking him violently. "Spit it out!"
"Stop! Stop! Please!" Tanaka wheezed.
"Give it back!"
"I can't!"
"Why not?!"
"Because that's not how digestion works!"
Zarestia squeezed even harder.
"I don't care! Figure it out!"
Tanaka felt his spine creak ominously.
"You didn't even ask my permission! Not that I will give to you anyway."
"I'm sorry but again! I really didn't have a choice! I had to use it to deal off that thing that was going to kill everyone in this city."
That had been Cepheus' entire plan.
Absorb the source.
Purify it.
Seal Abhor.
Simple in theory but absolutely insane in practice.
And unfortunately for Zarestia, it had worked.
"That was my anchor!" she barked.
She finally released him only to grab him by the shoulders.
"My source of power!"
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You know how important an anchor is for a spirit and you gobbled it up!"
He didn't have any argument to protest her wording.
Before the argument could escalate further, Zarestia's gaze suddenly shifted.
The Great Spirit stared past him.
Directly at Hugo.
The little spirit immediately hid behind Tanaka's shoulder.
"By the way.."
She pointed at the golden spirit.
"Isn't that brat the one who stole it?"
Hugo visibly flinched.
"It wasn't him," Tanaka sighed. "Abaris possessed his body, remember? After I killed him, Hugo became a spirit."
Tanaka blinked. Then blinked again.
"...Wait."
His eyes widened.
"You can see him?"
"What about it?"
For some reason, relief washed over him.
"I'm just happy I'm not schizophrenic."
The fact that she could immediately recognize Hugo as Hugo, not just as a normal spirit was enough confirmation for him.
Zarestia studied the spirit for a moment, then crossed her arms.
"So what's his deal?"
Tanaka pointed toward Hugo.
"He's going to contract with me to remain in the physical world."
"I see..."
The moment she said that, Tanaka felt a terrible premonition.
Sure enough, "Then contract with me too."
"...Huh?"
___
____
_____
"I said contract with me too."
Tanaka stared.
Zarestia stared back.
Neither moved.
"Just so you know, you don't get a say."
"What?"
"You lost my light ball and now you're going to take responsibility."
For once, however, Zarestia wasn't yelling.
Her expression softened ever so slightly.
"Don't misunderstand."
The words came quietly.
"I do need an anchor now." For a brief moment her gaze drifted elsewhere. "But that's not why I'm asking."
A small smile appeared.
Because that's what I want.
Simple.
Direct.
Without hesitation.
And somehow that answer caught him more off guard than all the screaming had.
Before he could respond, Zarestia sighed dramatically and tossed something at his face.
"Here."
Tanaka barely caught it.
A bracelet.
Silver.
Simple.
A colorless gemstone sat embedded at its center.
"...What's this?"
Zarestia held up an identical bracelet on her own wrist.
"You really don't know anything."
She motioned toward Hugo.
"Come here."
The little spirit floated forward cautiously.
Then Zarestia extended her arm.
Tanaka mirrored the motion instinctively.
The colorless gems faced one another.
Hugo drifted between them.
The moment he touched the two stones, Light exploded outward.
A brilliant mixture of azure and silver filled the room. The sensation was comforting, like a gentle breeze on a summer day.
For several seconds the light continued to shine before gradually fading.
When it finally disappeared, the gemstones had changed.
No longer colorless.
Both now contained a flawless sapphire-blue crystal.
"There."
Zarestia lowered her arm.
"The contract is complete."
Hugo stared at the bracelet with amazement.
Tanaka did the same.
"If either of us becomes exhausted, we can return to the crystal and rest."
She pointed at Hugo then herself.
"That brat and me."
Tanaka opened his mouth to respond, but the words never came.
Instead, his gaze drifted back toward the sapphire embedded within the bracelet.
The gem reflected the warm light of the tavern lanterns, tiny blue glimmers dancing across its flawless surface.
"You guys really love making a ruckus, huh?"
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
Tanaka looked up.
Standing near the tavern entrance was a small girl with vibrant red hair hidden beneath an assassin cloak.
Nora.
The moment she spotted him, a grin spread across her face.
"Ah, it's you."
Nora chuckled, "By the way, I think the short hair suits you better."
"Haha, thanks."
The compliment wasn't entirely baseless.
After the battle, the changes to his appearance had become more noticeable.
The massive amount of purified mana he had absorbed from Zarestia's light sphere had produced an unexpected side effect.
While it hadn't removed the curse coursing through his body, it had weakened its influence.
At least temporarily.
His appearance was still unmistakably that of Stride Vollachia.
Yet something had changed.
His facial expressions felt softer now.
Even the hair that Abaris had severed during their battle hadn't immediately regenerated like before.
Days had already passed.
Under normal circumstances, it would've grown back almost instantly.
Instead, it remained short.
Insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Yet Tanaka couldn't help appreciating it.
A small blessing.
A tiny glimmer of a future where he could be free of it.
Nora's eyes suddenly shifted toward Zarestia.
"What is she doing?"
Tanaka followed her gaze.
Nearby, Zarestia was sitting in front of yellow spirit.
She proudly raised her wrist and kept mumbling.
Tanaka stared.
Then slowly looked away.
"...Just leave them alone."
"Because I'm enjoying this moment of peace and quiet."
Nora laughed.
The sound felt surprisingly light compared to the chaos of the previous days.
For a while, neither of them said anything.
Then Nora's expression softened.
"...I really do need to thank you."
Tanaka groaned immediately.
"Don't."
"..."
"You already thanked me and you already know that I did it for my own benefit at the end."
Nora rolled her eyes.
"Yes, yes."
She rested her chin on her palm.
"I still don't understand why you're so allergic to being treated like one."
She shook her head.
"You even convinced Riften-sama to hide your identity."
"That's because I'd like to stay alive."
"It would've been a perfect opportunity to fix your terrible reputation."
It wasn't that he hated being called a hero.
However, the issue is that he wasn't the actual Stride Vollachia and he would end up cleansing the name of someone who is an absolute scumbag.
To Tanaka, that was actually the last thing he wanted to happen.
Tanaka waved dismissively.
"Just put in a good word with Halibel and we'll call it even."
That earned another laugh from Nora.
"Speaking of Halibel-Sama..." Nora leaned back in her chair. "He should be returning soon."
Tanaka perked up slightly.
"Oh?"
"His last message suggested he was already finishing his mission. We should receive another raven any time now."
Almost immediately, A flutter of wings echoed from outside.
Both of them looked up.
Then exchanged a glance.
"...Speak of the devil."
A black raven landed on the windowsill before hopping inside.
Nora immediately recognized the messenger.
Her relaxed expression brightened.
"See?"
She untied the letter attached to its leg.
Unfolding the paper, she began reading.
The smile remained for only a few seconds.
Then it disappeared.
Completely.
Tanaka noticed immediately.
The color drained from her face.
The hand holding the letter tightened.
"What happened?"
Nora didn't answer right away.
Dear Nora,
"Dear Nora, given the information I have gathered, it seems that Rif-San's fears were correct, The kingdom is planning on marching to Kararagi states."
"I have decided to take the initiative and assassinate Vague Adgard. But in case I don't make it back, tell Rif-San that war is coming."
*********************************************************************************************************
This will mark the end of the sixth arc. There are a couple of issues with the writing in general, with some details such as to why Zarestia wanted to reclaim the light sphere so badly, I could have done a better job overshadowing how the boy was Abhors vessel all along and I could have done a better job explaining how the possession thing works.
Overall, I'm satisfied with overall core of this arc, I shall edit and fix the chapters in the arc and regarding the points I want to fixate.
* Zarestia retrieving her light ball is a matter of life and death since it acts as her anchor, in other words she is not able to materialize without it. So at the end of the chapter, when Tanaka absorbed the light sphere and used all the mana stored to seal Abhor forever. The ideal solution for her to maintain her physical form in the real world is to make a contract with someone, in this case Tanaka.
* I think when I made Zarestia suddenly care about Tanaka, it was a bit weird since there was no reason, I think I should add more interactions between the two, some casual banter before the main plot of the arc starts.
* I did state that Tanaka can draw mana now only from gemstones since spirit can no longer recognize him because of the cursed blood. Anyway, I wanted to add a failed loop where Tanaka killed himself after accidentally killing a man. The way he did it was that Tanaka was healing people in the church and he thought he could maybe recover some of his mana by draining some from other people (Which he can). However, the moment he does that, he immediately kills the man because he absorbed all the mana in his gate, the reason for that is, Tanaka has colossal mana reserves and they are empty most of the time, so when he absorbs mana by contact, it's nearly impossible to regulate how much mana he takes in, be it people or gemstones, spirits are an exception.