Akarum sat on his bed, uncertainty lingering in his mind like a quiet storm that refused to pass. The door had been shut from the outside, forcefully, the echo of it still ringing faintly in his ears.
"I told you to stay away from them!" Kashime shouted from the other side, her voice sharp but strained.
"I didn't know she would do that," he replied quietly, his gaze lowering.
"You ignored my words completely."
"But how did I heal without conscious effort?" He stared at his palms, turning them slightly as if they might answer him. "It just… happened."
"Who knows." She sighed, though the unease in her voice betrayed her.
"Stay inside. That's your punishment." Her fists clenched, not entirely out of anger.
"Okay."
He accepted without protest. No resistance, no argument. He knew he had been careless. He knew she was worried, even if she didn't say it directly.
He accepted?
Kashime paused, her expression tightening in surprise at his compliance. It wasn't like him to yield so easily. For a moment, she almost opened the door again but she stopped herself. Without another word, she turned and walked back to the courtyard, her thoughts unsettled.
Asami sat in a chair, her right hand gripping the fabric over her chest as if holding something together inside.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have let him play with Bluesy." She shifted slightly, her voice quieter now, more fragile.
"It's not your fault. None of us knew that would happen. What matters is that he's safe." Kashime's tone was steady, though a flicker of blame toward Asami still lingered.
"I guess you're right." Asami nodded, but the guilt didn't settle.
A Darken was perched on a tree branch above them, its gaze sharp and observant.
"Aeni isn't here. I need to report to Lord Akutomi."
With a swift motion, it leapt away, vanishing from branch to branch.
Back in his room, Akarum stared at the ceiling, his thoughts drifting.
"Why am I so childish?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Mother didn't train me for this."
His hands rested motionless on his lap, fingers slightly curled.
"I shouldn't act like this."
"I have potential… and I'm wasting it."
He lay back on the bed.
His mother's face flashed in his mind.
As he closed his eyes, a quiet decision formed within him. He would destroy the child inside him.
Still… doubt lingered.
"It might be beneficial," he murmured, though he wasn't entirely convinced.
Light's Mansion,
Belly stood in the courtyard with Edi before the Leader of the General Center, the air around them calm but formal.
"We've completed all the paperwork, Your Majesty. We just need confirmation that everything stated here is correct."
"Like what?" she asked, her tone neutral.
He flipped through the file, scanning each line carefully.
"Your age is nineteen?"
"That's correct." Her hands rested calmly in her lap, fingers intertwined.
"And your parents… they aren't listed."
"I don't have any." Her tone remained casual, almost detached.
"My condolences, Your Majesty."
She gave no reaction not even the slightest shift in expression.
"I don't see anything else missing. Everything appears correct." He closed the file. "Your surname will now officially be Livusu."
"Understood." She nodded once, precise and composed.
The leader bowed respectfully and left.
Edi, who had been silent the entire time, frowned slightly.
"You reacted very casually about your parents."
"I don't remember having any."
"What do you mean?" Edi brows furrowed.
"I had parents centuries ago. I don't remember their faces. Or their names." She began walking inside, her steps unhurried. "I don't even remember how I looked back then. It's pointless trying."
"Huh?"
She's faking, Edi didn't buy her words.
Edi followed her.
Light's Future,
Yushi lay on her futon and sneezed.
Again.
"I fainted because I couldn't stop sensing it." Another sneeze escaped her. "I'm definitely sick."
She turned onto her side, pulling the blanket slightly closer.
Virion sat in the training room, focused and still. Kiyo stood among the children, scanning them carefully, her presence firm yet watchful.
The Light's child had already sensed it the flow of Divine energy moving subtly through the veins.
It feels strangely satisfying.
A finger flicked her forehead.
"Ah!" Her head snapped back.
"I didn't do anything!" she protested, rubbing her forehead.
"You were losing your stillness." Kiyo straightened, adjusting her scarf with practiced ease.
"I wasn't."
"I'm not foolish enough to believe that." Kiyo folded her arms, her gaze steady.
The girl resumed her breathing exercise, trying harder this time.
Kiyo circled the room quietly, her footsteps almost silent.
The memory replayed again her limiting Kashime earlier. It echoed, persistent and unwelcome.
"Stop replaying it," she muttered under her breath.
But her thoughts refused to obey.
Her hand slipped beneath her scarf, brushing over hidden bruises. Her expression remained unreadable, composed on the surface, though a quiet ache lingered underneath.
She lowered her hand, intertwining her fingers in her lap to steady herself.
"Keep concentrating. Don't lose focus," she said.
The dark-haired boy beside her collapsed unconscious.
Kiyo wasn't surprised. She gently lifted him.
"I'll be right back. No noise."
She left the door slightly open and carried him downstairs into the atrium. Opening another room, she laid him on a futon, adjusting it slightly.
"Sleep well," she said softly.
As she stepped back into the hallway, the memory resurfaced again.
"Stop," she said under her breath, irritation flickering across her face.
She returned to the room with the pink door.
The children had been peeking out the window but the moment she entered, they snapped back into position, pretending that they weren't peeking just now.
"So clever," she murmured, closing the door behind her. A faint smile touched her lips.
"You were looking outside, weren't you?"
Silence.
"Now you're suddenly so focused you can't even respond?"
She stood among them, waiting patiently.
"I'll give you a break if you tell the truth." She raised her index finger slightly.
They struggled not to react, holding their composure.
She waited.
Then,
"Promise," Virion said without opening his eyes.
"Pinky promise."
"…Okay."
All of them opened their eyes at once.
"We were looking outside," Virion admitted.
"There we go. Honest child." She smiled faintly. "And I meant what I said. Take a break. Have fun."
"Really?" They leapt up instantly, energy bursting back into them.
Kiyo watched them scatter, a softness settling into her gaze.
For a brief moment, she saw Kashi among them.
Her daughter.