"Oh. By the way, do you able to find another way to use supernatural abilities without needing a Divine Scar?" Akarum's eyes flickered between Liyoku's face and the path ahead.
"I'm still working on it. But I think I'm close." Liyoku's voice remained indifferent as he held Akarum's small hand. "I'm using the Infinite Library's knowledge. I need to build an artifact."
"An artifact…" Akarum repeated quietly.
After walking for some time, they arrived at the courtyard of Light's Mansion.
Neues stood there beside Sinu. The moment Akarum saw his father, he let go of Liyoku's hand and ran toward him, grabbing Sinu's fingers.
"Did you have fun playing with the children?" Sinu asked, smiling warmly.
A pause.
Akarum glanced at the ground, then back up.
"Yes. I had fun," he said, slightly exaggerated.
"I have an important meeting between Origin and Sold Area," Neues said. "I need to attend."
"I can attend in your place if you'd like," Liyoku offered, one hand resting on his waist.
"You could. But it's important. The ruler should be present." Her tone was polite but firm.
"That's fine." Liyoku nodded.
"Okay, goodbye." She leaned forward and placed a light kiss on Sinu's cheek.
Akarum stared.
"I want that too." He drummed his stomach eagerly.
"So needy," she teased, though there was no real complaint. She lowered herself to his height and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek as well.
"Wow." His mouth parted in surprise. He rubbed the spot thoughtfully. "It was light."
"Happy?" she asked before turning to leave.
"Very happy"
"Uncle, I want to go to the Infinite Library and read books," Akarum said, hurrying toward Liyoku.
"Sure. I'll drop you there. Sinu and I need to run some experiments afterward."
Liyoku lifted him, and they teleported to the Infinite Library.
Sinu was left standing alone.
"This kid…" he muttered, shaking his head at Akarum's sudden shifts in mood.
A movement caught his attention.
Edi and her mother were entering the courtyard.
"Perhaps the execution ended, and Fate's Followers sent them here," Sinu murmured as he approached.
"You already know why we're here," Edi's mother said quietly. The words felt heavy on her tongue, almost furious.
Liyoku reappeared beside Sinu.
"Brother. We should go."
"Are they…?" Sinu studied Edi and her mother carefully.
"Go inside," Liyoku said to them. "The other maids will guide you. We're in a hurry."
He grabbed Sinu's hand, and they disappeared.
"What was that?" Edi asked, startled by their sudden vanishing.
But when she saw her mother's tense expression, her own curiosity shrank.
"We need to go inside." Her mother's grip tightened as she led her forward.
After speaking with a maid in the hallway and being assigned the fiftieth room, they entered.
The room was large. White sheets, blue polished walls, no dust.
"It's so big and beautiful." Edi's eyes sparkled as she jumped onto the bed.
For a moment, she forgot about her father. The glowing plant hanging from the ceiling bathed the room in soft light. It looked like something that could brighten their world.
But it couldn't.
Not anymore.
Her mother stood by the door, watching.
Edi's joy twisted something inside her. She couldn't blame a child who didn't understand death. And yet,
She felt both relieved and irritated that Edi had stopped asking about her father.
"Mama, it's so soft and fluffy!" Edi rubbed her face against the sheets.
"Edi, go play with the other children."
"I want to stay here, it's soft." Edi demanded, she was trying to cover the whole bed with her body.
"I said go." Her mother repeated, this time her tone was a bit harsh.
"No." Edi turned to look her mother her cheeks, She pouted dramatically, tilting her head as if expecting her to give in.
"You are stubborn." Her mother sighed.
Then she added in sharper tone.
"Go outside."
Edi flinched at the sudden harshness then without questioning she slipped off the bed and ran outside.
Once the door closed, her mother moved slowly to the bed and pulled the blanket over herself, just for a moment of silence, her eyes going shut her heartbeat roo fast that she could hear her heart pounding.
In the courtyard, Edi paused.
Mama said Pa will come next week.
Then she kept walking.
The guards opened the gates.
"Why do these kids keep going in and out?" the right guard complained as she passed.
Edi headed to the village to play, like any other child.
The moment the other children saw her, their smiles faded into something else.
Pity.
"Her father was executed today," a boy in a coat whispered.
"What's execution?" a girl asked.
"I don't know. Let's ask her."
They turned to Edi as she approached.
"Do you know what execution means?" the girl asked.
"I don't know," Edi replied.
"But your father was executed. You should know."
Edi hesitated.
Her mind replayed her mother's words, trying to find meaning of "execution."
"The people who get executed work in Fate's Castle," she said thoughtfully.
"You knew? Then why did you say you didn't?" the boy frowned.
"Oh," the girl said slowly. "So execution means they make you work in Fate's Castle."
She nodded as if she had solved a puzzle.
And just like that, the word lost its actual meaning.
To them, it was only another rule of the world.