"You were holding back on me, Kael," she said, her eyes fixed on him with a knowing smile.
Kael dropped his arms to his sides, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. "Yeah."
Sara shook her head, her smile turning into a quiet laugh. "I already told you, don't show me mercy."
"Alright then," Kael replied calmly, his voice cool and indifferent. "Next time, I won't."
He raised his side arms, preparing to reset his stance, but the heavy atmosphere was shattered by the sound of footsteps approaching across the polished floor. Rexon stepped up, his expression unreadable, and turned his mobile screen directly toward Kael.
The glowing screen displayed a stark, devastating message.
"Uncle Vrenj is dead," Rexon said bluntly.
Kael's eyes widened in sudden shock. Before he could even process the words, his own phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a text from Uncle Vrenj's daughter: Brother Kael, Sister Sara, we hope you will come to the funeral of Mr. Vrenj.
A profound sense of despair settled over Kael, heavy and suffocating. Yet, no tears fell from his eyes. His face remained a mask of pure stillness. Turning away, he reached for a full-face black mask, pulling it tightly over his features to hide his emotion from the world.
Within twenty minutes, Kael was stepping out of his car in front of a quiet flower shop. He purchased a bundle of pure white dandelions, holding them delicately before returning to the vehicle.
By the time the sleek black car pulled up to the main gate of the funeral hall, the area was already crawling with news reporters, camera flashes cutting through the somber afternoon. Kael stepped out first. Behind his full mask, his face was completely numb, detached from the circus of press around them. Sara stepped out immediately behind him, her expression ice-cold, projecting an unmistakable aura of warning to any journalist daring to approach.
They walked into the quiet hall. Kael approached the altar, bowed low before the portrait of the deceased, and laid the white dandelions down.
"Thank you so much, Uncle Vrenj," Kael whispered under his breath, his voice buried beneath the low hum of atmospheric incense.
To the side of the altar, a young girl with bright pink hair sat kneeled on the ground, completely crushed by the weight of isolation. Her shoulders trembled silently. Sara's heart softened at the sight. She moved toward the girl, intending to comfort her.
"Where is your mothe—" Sara began gently.
Before she could finish the question, Kael's hand shot out, covering Sara's mouth. He leaned down, his lips brushing against Sara's ear as he whispered in a barely audible voice, "Her mother and brother are already dead."
Sara stiffened, a surge of guilt and sorrow striking her all at once. Tears welled in her own eyes as she immediately kneeled beside the broken girl, wrapping a tender, supportive arm around her shoulders. In that agonizing moment, when everything in the girl's world had fallen apart, Sara became her only anchor.
The pink-haired girl slowly raised her head, offering a faint, watery smile through her grief.
Kael looked down at her, his voice firm yet quiet behind his mask. "After this, you should come with us."
Sara placed a gentle hand on the girl's soft pink hair. "What's your name?"
"I am... Sarina," the girl whispered, her voice barely carrying over the quiet room.
Sara offered a small, reassuring smile. "Our names are so similar."
Sarina looked up, her red-rimmed eyes fixing on Sara. "What's your name?"
"Sara."
A strange, bittersweet smirk touched Sarina's lips, though her gaze fell toward the ground. She tightened her small fists until her knuckles turned white. "After today... you will probably think of me as a monster."
Inside Kael's mind, a distinct, melodious voice echoed smoothly. 'I think she meant monster, Kael,' Nyxara chimed in.
Kael closed his eyes behind his mask, replying silently in his thoughts. Yeah, yeah, I know.
Sara gathered Sarina into her arms, lifting the girl to her feet, while Kael stepped forward to handle the remaining formal rituals and keep the intrusive reporters at bay.
Later that evening, two imposing vehicles were parked in front of the Redgrave bungalow—one bearing the sharp crest of the Redgrave Group, and the other carrying the emblem of the Vrenj Group.
Inside the spacious living room, Sarina sat stiffly on the sofa, her hands trembling in her lap. She looked up at the figures gathered around her. "Are you... going to laugh at me or not?"
Kael sat across from her, crossing his legs. "By the way, what actually happened to you?"
Sarina took a deep breath, staring down at her boots. "My current age is forty years old... but I still look like an eighteen-year-old girl."
She paused, expecting shock or ridicule, but Kael merely tilted his head. "Then what do you think my age is?"
Sarina blinked, studying his presence. "I think... around forty years old too?"
Kael reached up and unlatched his full-face mask, pulling it off to reveal a youthful, handsome face. "I'm a nineteen-year-old boy."
Sarina's eyes widened in total disbelief.
Sara sat beside her, chuckling softly. "Yes, and I'm also nineteen in appearance... though my real age is forty-two."
Just then, the front door opened, and Renjiro walked into the room, stretching his arms casually. "Did anyone make it home yet?"
Kael pointed a thumb toward Renjiro without turning around. "See him? He's forty years old, but he still looks nineteen too."
Sarina swallowed hard, shaking her head franticly. "No... there's something else wrong with me. Something worse."
Closing her eyes, Sarina focused her energy. A second later, the air behind her rippled with translucent energy, and a faint, shimmering cosmic soul manifested right above her shoulders.
Renjiro froze in his tracks, his casual demeanor vanishing. "Wait... can humans manifest the power of cosmic souls too?"
Sara sighed softly, patting Sarina's trembling shoulder to reassure her.
Kael couldn't help but let out a short laugh as he leaned back against the sofa, then stood up gracefully. "Listen to me, Sarina. You aren't strange."
He looked over his shoulder toward Rexon. "First, look at him."
Sarina's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she realized Rexon's face was an exact physical replica of Kael's.
Kael raised his palm into the air. "And I have a few more things to show you."
Closing his eyes, Kael released a surge of aura. Instantly, five distinct, powerful souls manifested behind him, swirling through the living room before condensing into fully physical, tangible forms right in front of her eyes.
Sarina stared at the breathtaking display, her jaw dropping. "You... you have these things too?"
A sudden laugh escaped her lips—a laughter born of pure shock and incredible relief. But within seconds, the laughter cracked, tears spilled over her cheeks, and the burst of emotion turned into heavy, uncontrollable crying. Overwhelmed by the sudden release of years of hidden burden, her strength gave out completely.
Sara caught her before she hit the floor. "Are you okay?"
Sarina's head slumped heavily onto Sara's shoulder, her breathing slowing into unconsciousness.
Rexon stepped forward, scanning her vital signs with a quick glance. "She passed out. Her mind couldn't take that much emotional pressure all at once."
Renjiro remained standing in the middle of the room, still completely bewildered by everything he had witnessed. "What the hell is even going on today?"
Before anyone could answer, Rexon picked up the remote and switched on the large television mounted on the wall. A breaking news banner immediately flashed across the screen: Vrenj Group Owner Passes Away; Young Heir Supported by Kael Redgrave and His Girlfriend.
Renjiro looked over at Sara with a sly, teasing grin. "Well, well. You're officially famous on Earth as his girlfriend now."
"Shut up!" Sara snapped, her face flushing as she glared at him.
Kael let out a chuckle, but Sara was already lifting Sarina off the couch to move her to a bedroom. As she did, the summoned entities shifted—Nyxara stepped up to support Sarina's legs, while Azune gently stabilized her back, helping Sara carry the unconscious girl smoothly down the hallway.
Rexon watched them leave, his eyes narrowing slightly as he analyzed the residual energy in the room. "She has a Void Soul."
Kael turned around sharply, his playful mood instantly vanishing. "What?"
Renjiro walked over and slumped lazily into the armchair, a sudden smirk returning to his face. "I like her."
Kael locked eyes with him, his tone deadpan. "What did you just say?"
Renjiro raised his hands defensively, offering a nervous, awkward smile. "Ah—I mean, I like her attitude! That's all!"
Kael leaned back against the sofa, letting out a heavy breath. "Renjiro, you really need to control yourself."
Renjiro hunched his shoulders dramatically, looking around the room with an aggrieved sigh. "Hey! I've been here this whole time, and not a single person has even offered me a glass of water!"
Without saying a word, Rexon simply raised a hand and pointed a single finger toward the side table right next to Renjiro's chair. Renjiro looked down and froze—a clear glass filled to the brim with cold water was already standing right there. He let out a silent, awkward cough, picking up the glass without another word.
Kael tilted his head toward Rexon, his expression turning serious once more. "Is she going to be able to get rid of the Void Soul's burden?"
"Only one person can handle that kind of soul cleansing," Rexon said calmly, glancing toward Renjiro. "It can only be done by him."
Renjiro set his glass down and stood up, his playful demeanor replaced by a rare flicker of confidence. "I know. I can do it."
Kael frowned slightly, thinking through the logistics. "What about Sara and Azune? Can't they help?"
"Azune is bound directly to your inner body, so she can't sustain a separate physical existence when she's too far from you," Rexon explained logically. "And Sara needs to focus on managing the Redgrave Group's business affairs. The heavy lifting falls on Renjiro."
Kael stared at the hallway where Sarina was resting, letting out a long, quiet sigh.
"Then the rest of the situation... will depend on Sarina."