It was evening by the time he was finally allowed to leave the clinic. His body had been healed back to peak condition, so he gathered his things and started out.
He had expected Headmaster Kime to at least visit him, but the man hadn't shown himself even once.
Well, he's a busy man, Itekan thought as he walked out of the room.
"Hey! Feeling better now?" Itoyea called out, his voice bright with relief as he spotted Itekan.
"You're back already," Itekan said, taking in the sight of his friend. Itoyea was dressed in a white kimono adorned with floral designs.
"Yeah, we made it to the lowest level of the dungeon by high noon yesterday. We just got back," Itoyea replied, falling into step beside him.
"What about you? Did you get the SE for the hatching? You know we couldn't help search for them with you," Itoyea asked as they reached the edge of the fields.
"No," Itekan said, his voice dropping. "A lot happened during our expedition."
"I thought as much," Itoyea said, frowning. "Those demon beasts in the Yellow Zone are strong, but not enough to put you in a coma. What happened?"
Itekan stopped walking, turning to face Itoyea. For a long moment, he just looked at him, making Itoyea shift uncomfortably under his gaze.
"I'll tell you," Itekan said finally, his voice solemn. "But you have to promise this stays between us."
Itoyea sensed the weight of Itekan's words and nodded without hesitation.
"Okay," Itekan said, glancing around. "Let's go to the library in the training grounds. It's quieter there."
Curiosity mounting, Itoyea nodded, and the two of them made their way to the second floor of the training grounds. As Itekan had guessed, the library was mostly empty.
Once seated, Itekan recounted everything that had happened five days ago. As he spoke, Itoyea's expression shifted—first to shock, then horror, then empathy, and finally to a simmering rage mixed with a thousand questions.
"I knew Aitken was shady," Itoyea muttered darkly when Itekan finished. "But I had no idea he was an Apostle of Death."
"And Avery," he continued, shaking his head. "I can't believe—"
"He was tricked by Aitken," Itekan said, his voice calm. "I don't like that he led our team into a trap, but I understand his drive."
Itoyea let out a breath, then asked, "So what do we do about the egg?"
Itekan fell silent, lost in thought. Then he remembered something he'd seen while gathering his things. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an emerald spatial ring.
"What's that?" Itoyea asked.
"I found it among my things when I woke up," Itekan answered. Inside the ring, he found a horn that shimmered with a red aura, runes coiling around it like chains. Beside the horn were two small vials: one with a blue liquid that radiated an aura of pure SE, and another containing a red liquid. And finally, there was a letter made of lambskin, addressed to him and sealed in blood.
Of all the strange things in the ring, the horn and the vials were the most dangerous—they contained the blood of a Legend.
Seeing them, Itekan's face split into a wide smile. He didn't need to read the letter to know who had done this.
"What's inside?" Itoyea asked, peering at the ring.
"It seems someone helped us get the materials we need for the hatching," Itekan said with a laugh.
Itoyea took the ring, peeking inside—and yelped in surprise. "Yauch!" he exclaimed, eyes wide as he saw the horn and the vials.
"There's a letter," Itoyea said, pulling it out and handing it to Itekan.
"It's sealed," Itekan muttered, tracing the blood-stamped seal. As he did, his shadow spirit reacted to the blood seal. It melted slowly, dripping away like wax. He opened the letter and began to read.
> "Dear son,—"
---
Heavens
A man no older than twenty sat on a throne of gold and precious stones—treasures the mortal realms had never even dreamed of. His blond hair was slicked back and tied into a bun, held in place by a hairpin studded with the rarest gems.
He was Jakari, the new god of flame. Son of Iron, god of light and life.
By his side stood his highest-ranking servant and only friend, Bantar.
"Bantar," Jakari called, his voice quiet but absolute.
"Yes, my Lord?"
"Let them come in. Open the gates of the heavens and allow those two who request audience into my presence," he said.
Bantar's normally stoic face wavered. "But my Lord, if your father or the council find out the gates were opened, it would not—"
"Don't worry, Bantar," Jakari said with a smile that did not reach his eyes. "I have a plan. They won't notice a thing."
Bantar still looked uneasy, but he bowed low and left to carry out the order.
"Oh, Father," Jakari murmured, fingers drumming on the gilded arm of his throne. "Your reign is coming to an end."
---
On Earth
Four Stars Academy
The next day
Itekan stood in the courtyard, holding the letter in his hands and reading it again with a smile. Itoyea watched him, curiosity written across his face.
"What's in the letter already?" Itoyea demanded.
"Coming, coming," Itekan said, beaming. "It's instructions on how to hatch Togira—"
"Wait, you already named it?" Itoyea exclaimed.
"Yeah," Itekan said, looking everywhere but at Itoyea, who rolled his eyes but let him continue.
"So what do we need to do?"
"Well, first off," Itekan said, eyes gleaming, "we need to get access to Master Tedorinzu's lab." He read off the next steps and instructions from the letter to Itoyea.
Itoyea's eyes widened. "Yauch! Well then, let's head off!"
Spiritual Energy (SE)
Spiritual Sea (SS)
Spiritual Signature (SST)
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