Karry stared at Kernal in disbelief.
Karry: "Why are you scared, Kernal? Are you out of your mind? You're saying all this inside a government building… and you're a lieutenant."
Kernal remained calm.
A cold wind passed through the garden.
Kernal: "This place belongs to the Sinners. No one listens here."
He slowly looked around the silent garden.
Kernal: "Karry… have you wondered why there's wind here even though we're underground?"
Karry paused for a moment.
Now that he thought about it—
the air really did feel strange.
Cleaner.
Lighter.
Almost unnatural.
Karry: "I don't know… the air feels different here."
Kernal nodded.
Kernal: "Because this isn't normal air."
Karry frowned.
Kernal: "Almost all of it is artificially produced aura-converted air."
Silence.
Karry's eyes widened.
Karry: "What…?"
Kernal continued calmly.
Kernal: "The atmosphere here is created by an Aute Rejec Machine."
Karry: "A machine can create air?"
Kernal: "Not exactly. It converts Aye particles into breathable air using aura as fuel."
Karry still looked confused.
Kernal sighed slightly before continuing.
Kernal: "The process consumes an absurd amount of aura. To maintain this underground base alone…"
He paused.
Kernal: "You would need the combined aura of nearly one million average Auraholders."
Karry's breathing stopped for a second.
Karry: "One… million?"
Kernal: "That's why humans alone cannot power it."
Karry immediately understood where this was going.
His expression darkened.
Karry: "Monsters…"
Kernal nodded.
Kernal: "Their bodies are used as energy sources."
The wind moved softly through the trees above them.
Kernal: "Even the weakest monsters contain aura equivalent to nearly ten thousand average Auraholders."
Karry remained silent.
The more he learned about this world, the less human it felt.
Karry: "What kinds of monsters exist?"
Kernal: "Officially, only three major species are publicly recognized."
He raised three fingers.
Kernal: "Qulix. Digle. And Ragiel."
Karry immediately remembered the forest.
Kulix.
The blood.
The fear.
Kernal continued.
Kernal: "Qulix are considered the strongest. Some mutate into higher categories."
His expression became serious.
Kernal: "Digles are different. They possess extreme resistance to external aura. Most attacks are nearly useless against them."
He lowered another finger.
Kernal: "Ragiels are hybrids. Balanced strength. Balanced resistance."
Karry slowly processed everything.
Then another question entered his mind.
Karry: "Then why are you afraid of the government?"
For the first time since the conversation started—
Kernal became quiet.
The air around them suddenly felt heavier.
Kernal: "Because the government possesses forces even the Divisions cannot handle."
Karry frowned.
Karry: "Then why do the Divisions even exist?"
Kernal: "I don't know."
His answer came instantly.
Kernal: "Sometimes I wonder the same thing myself."
Karry crossed his arms.
Karry: "Maybe because of Captain Arnold."
Kernal immediately looked at him.
Kernal: "Don't judge this world before seeing its true face."
His voice became colder.
Kernal: "Do you know what the rulers of this world are capable of?"
A brief silence followed.
Kernal: "Some of them may even be stronger than Captain Arnold."
Karry's eyes widened slightly.
That alone was difficult to imagine.
Then another face appeared in his mind.
The white-haired girl.
The overwhelming aura.
The massacre.
Karry: "What about the White Witch?"
Kernal's expression darkened again.
Kernal: "I can't measure her."
He slowly shook his head.
Kernal: "And honestly… I don't think she showed her true power."
A bitter laugh escaped him.
Kernal: "She destroyed my image in front of you."
Karry stayed silent.
Kernal looked directly at him.
Kernal: "What I still don't understand is you."
Karry: "Me?"
Kernal: "I reprogrammed aura directly into your body to heal you."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Kernal: "Normally, that process takes time to synchronize."
A pause.
Kernal: "But your body accepted it instantly."
Karry didn't know how to answer.
Kernal continued quietly.
Kernal: "I thought you could only sense aura."
His gaze sharpened.
Kernal: "But now I'm not sure what you really are capable of."
The garden became silent once more.
Finally, Karry changed the subject.
Karry: "Who created the Aute Rejec Machine?"
Kernal answered immediately.
Kernal: "One of the Sinners' greatest scientists."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Kernal: "Brian."
Karry blinked.
Karry: "I thought his name was different."
Kernal chuckled softly.
Kernal: "The captain gave you a fake name."
Karry lowered his eyes slightly.
Nothing in this world seemed genuine anymore.
Then he remembered the others.
Maizy.
Sam.
Jack.
The Blood Clan incident.
Karry: "What happened to Maizy, Sam, Jack, and the others?"
Kernal's face became expressionless.
Kernal: "The government ordered their execution."
Karry froze.
Karry: "What…?"
Kernal: "But none of them were found."
He looked away.
Kernal: "Both Divisions involved in the incident have officially been erased."
Karry felt a chill run down his spine.
Erased.
Just like the history Kernal mentioned earlier.
Then another thought struck him.
Karry: "Where's Sasha?"
Kernal: "She'll return tomorrow."
Then suddenly, Kernal asked:
Kernal: "Do you know what Element Aute users are?"
Karry thought for a moment.
Karry: "People who create things like fire or ice using aura?"
Kernal nodded.
Kernal: "Correct."
Kernal: "Element users consume less aura because they are naturally closer to the environment itself."
Karry frowned.
Karry: "Then why call them Aute users?"
Kernal smirked slightly.
Kernal: "Because 'Auraholder' sounded boring."
For the first time during the conversation, Karry almost laughed.
Almost.
Kernal then turned and began walking away.
Kernal: "That's enough for today."
He stopped briefly.
Kernal: "Now go train with Arnold."
His voice became serious once more.
Kernal: "And Karry…"
Karry looked up.
Kernal: "Don't tell anyone about this conversation."
Without another word, Kernal left the garden.
Karry remained there alone beneath the artificial wind, quietly wondering what kind of future awaited him in this hidden world.
[End of chapter ]