As Nolan entered the room, the shift in environment was impossible to miss. The space was frozen in an older era, untouched by the steam evolution outside. Outside these walls, the world had been transformed—steel railways spiderwebbed through cities, steam-driven carriages roared past crowds, and the constant hiss of machinery had burned away the silence of the past. But in here, there was only dark wood furniture, faded red fabric, and the heavy smell of old paper and dried herbs.
He carefully checked his surroundings, searching for her.
Nolan frowned and thought: She isn't here. Where has that old hag gone? She never leaves this place—not even in an extreme crisis.
As he walked further inside, a voice reached him. That familiar, narcissistic voice.
"Look who it is. The prince of Alanoria. The boy who thinks he's always ahead of things. Who thinks he's a prophecy." A pause. "And yet here he comes—crawling toward the peacekeeper, Hinata of Alanoria."
Nolan tilted his head and looked up at the figure. What he witnessed was a fifty-three-year-old granny holding the monkey bar connected to the ceiling, doing child's play.
"What the heck is this, honestly, Hinata? You actually lost it, or what?"
"Anyhow, I am not here to play; this is very important. Get down quickly."
A glorious laugh erupted—one that even sea kings fear.
"Whahahahhaha."
"I don't know why you came here, yet for you to speak to me, you need to deal with me. You need to give something to take something, and you very well know that's how the Hinata way of negotiation happens."
Nolan slapped his head with his hand, a much more depressed look on his face. "Even when the war is going on outside, you don't help by providing your knowledge, and yet who is doing cardio upside down from the ceiling?"
Nolan let his breath out slowly. "Honestly, returning to you, I should… be expecting all this stuff."
Anyhow, I already prepared for all these types of events.
Nolan swiftly placed his legs on one bar, held on to the bar that was at his height, and pulled himself up. Then, in a similar way, he reached a certain bar to do what he wanted—exactly seven 360-degree spins—and launched himself upward toward the ceiling.
But things were miscalculated. He hadn't provided that much torque. His hands weren't able to reach that distance, even though Nolan hadn't realized it.
Hinata saw and shouted, "Be careful—you missed the accuracy."
But Nolan hadn't heard her voice; he was totally focused on catching that bar. And he did catch it. Then he placed his leg against the wall to look at Hinata clearly.
Hinata had a doubtful and even more confused look.
She let go of the bar with her hands.
Nolan freaked out. "What are you doing?"
Only then did he realize that her legs were inside two bars, and she was just swinging upside down.
While Nolan let his breath out, the words that came from Hinata were much more concerning in a different way.
Hinata folded her hands together and said, much more peacefully, "You should have been backwards. Most likely, your back would have fallen on that desk, and you would need to be hospitalized or sent to a church. But this did not happen."
Nolan slightly jerked, still holding on to the bars.
"What are you trying to say? Do you expect me to die?"
Hinata raised one hand to her temple. "I guess we're going to have some fun here."
Then she narrowed her eyes more toward Nolan. "What's the reason you came here?"
Nolan then questioned, doubtful. "I thought you would realize the moment I climbed up here."
Then Nolan mentioned that she should notice the change in his eyes.
Hinata let out a deep, calm breath and laughed. "So the family got a second awakening."
"Yes, when I was kidnapped, even without knowing myself, I have awakened."
Then she jolted, and her voice carried as if it could be heard outside the castle walls.
"When in the demon invasion did this happen? Why did no one announce that to me?"
Nolan's mind whispered: If they are informed of that, then they need to search for two.
"Anyhow, that's a thing that happened a few weeks ago; now the current status is that we are under attack by the Solstaire."
Nolan's expression twisted with confusion. "I don't understand. When I was young, the two kingdoms were united. I used to go there and have fun with Arthur. I even went to his mother's funeral."
"Then, over time, because of that man on the throne, I stopped going. It's been around five years now. And now he's waging war against us. I need to prepare myself. It wasn't until I was kidnapped that I understood how weak I really am. Those years of training at the central hub? They were almost useless. I want to fight beside my father."
"And that's one of the reasons I came here."
Nolan tilted his head; his eyes matched Hinata's.
"You are the only awakener who is older than anyone here, and that's why I need your help. Before the corruption starts, I need to get aligned with my constellation."
"Can you lend a hand?"
Hinata, with an exaggerated tone, said, "Look at the speech. I really melted to see my grandchild become such a person."
Then there was a shift.
"When you were eleven, you got admitted to Eidengrad National Academy. That was the time you were under training with me, and it was the exact reason you even got selected."
"Yet you are here thinking I will just dance as your musical lyrics."
Nolan could feel a type of hatred toward him.
Even then, he knew exactly what would happen.
She isn't in this mood. Not because she can't train me. The only person who came here as her grandchild was me. Nora fears Hinata for unknown reasons.
I know what I need to do.
"You need to remember, Hinata, I was awakened, which in turn means there is a possibility you will never ever again see me."
"And the world shall know that the only person who could have helped me left her own kid to go toward fire and never stopped him."
Hinata's expression flickered, then, with a rough laugh, she said, "When did you learn to read other people's minds, Nolan? Anyhow, even then, I would not have helped you. But you have mentioned one thing… Hmm."
Hinata's mouth flattened. "Very well. As I am your last resort, I will surely help you."
Nolan let out a small laugh.
That's my humble narcissistic grandmon.
Then Nolan said, "When shall we start our training on realization? If now itself, it would be better."
"Of course, we are starting now, Nolan. But in terms of constellation understanding, it is important."
"Let me check your eyes first."
She then made a single jump, balanced herself in midair, and landed on the ground.
Then she looked above at Nolan. "Come on, jump quickly. I don't have much time."
Then only a tiny realization came to Nolan's mind. He knew only how to climb, not the other way around.
Nolan looked at Hinata with a humble look. "I don't know how to land, Ms. Hinata…"
Hinata tilted her head sideways and pressed her hands against her left chin.
"Very well. You are utterly the same as me in my childhood."
Then she asked him a question. "Nolan, do you know what contradiction is?"
With her hands raised toward Nolan, she said, "When two states occur at the same time—one is you fall, and the other is you land."
Nolan blinked. "That doesn't make any sense. What are you trying to say?"
"Doesn't it?" Hinata's voice dropped softly. "Declare that opposing forces must harmonize. Paradoxes resolve. Using contradictions to find their relationship."
She lowered her hands.
Nolan didn't see what happened.
One moment, he was hanging from the bars, his arms burning, his grip slipping.
The next moment, he was on the ground. Standing. Perfectly upright. As if he had never left it.
His legs felt solid beneath him. His hands—still wrapped around nothing where the bars had been—slowly lowered to his sides.
"What…"
"You would have never climbed the bars, Nolan. There already exists an imbalance."
Hinata looked at his eyes. Green stars shone in her iris. Four stars—three forming a tiny triangle and one standing alone, connected to one end of the triangle.
"As a holder of balance, I am able to balance between certainty and uncertainty. Don't ya?"
She raised both hands and, in a dramatic way, said, "You too, awakener, don't you? There's going to be lots of unbelievable things happening in your life daily, Nolan."
Her voice echoed. She lowered her hands and said with a cheerful expression.
"Can we start our realization training, Nolan?"