The Blendbreed with violet eyes stared at Marina for another moment before the darkness of the Interworld enveloped him. Shirei reappeared at the Thirteenth House and took the opportunity to relax. He was lying on the bed, flipping through a notebook, when someone knocked at the door.

“Hello, I’m Chris,” said the stranger from outside. “I need a favor from a son of Cragar.”

The boy waited for a response, but none came. He turned back, intending to ask where the Blendbreed of House Thirteen were, when he noticed the door slightly ajar. Without hesitation, he opened the door and entered. Shirei, initially distracted, closed his notes. He had recognized the Blendbreed immediately—it was a son of Corgi he had noticed at lunch.

“What exactly do you need?”

“Ah, so there was someone. Well, I need a favor from you,” the boy replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “You can travel to the Underworld, right?”

Shirei nodded. “Depends on what you need.”

“Flames. You know, from the affluent,” the son of Cragar didn’t respond. “Your father governs it; you can’t tell me I know it better than you! The Vaverli!” he added.

Chris realized he had mispronounced the name, but he overlooked the mistake, irritated by the overly calm attitude of the Blendbreed with violet eyes.

Shirei got up from the bed and made a slight grimace. “Lyceum forbade me from making journeys to the outside.”

The son of Corgi froze. “Ah.”

Dahlia entered the house with a radiant smile and greeted the Blendbreeds. She had overheard the last sentence and was well aware that her half-brother was lying; she only wondered why. Shirei was always mysterious, and in the few days they had spent together—although Cragar had mentioned his arrival months ago—Dahlia had learned to fear the convoluted way he preferred to do things. Few people in the world would choose the harder path if presented with a crossroads, but Shirei saw the “difficult method” as a personal challenge to improve himself. Cragar’s daughter still didn’t fully understand the reasoning behind his logic, but she couldn’t deny that it bore fruit. The Blendbreeds struggled to cope with his presence, and the aura of power he unleashed in moments of rest was enough to make the inexperienced tremble. Dahlia had always been curious to see him fight, intrigued by the strength he still kept hidden. The two, after all, shared the same father and the same powers, in part; it was natural that she wanted to better understand how to use them.

The girl pushed those thoughts from her mind and greeted him. “Good morning! I didn’t think you had a new companion, brother. What’s your name?”

“Chris,” the boy quickly replied. “It’s not my real name, but call me that.”

Dahlia observed the son of Corgi in front of her with a gentle smile painted on her face. Chris appeared with a lively look. His dark eyes, deep as dark chocolate, emitted a mix of curiosity and warmth. A simple gaze that revealed his nature. His curly hair, a distinct reddish-brown color, formed what looked like a crown of ringlets. He wore the orange t-shirt of his house, which perfectly matched his relaxed style. A playful smile was stamped on his face. He carried with him an aura of vitality, a stark contrast to the place they were in. It wasn’t the same aura emitted by Shirei or the Lyceum, it wasn’t power, yet it seemed to have an effect on the girl. Dahlia’s mind suddenly wandered back in time, to about a century ago or a little more, when she first faced the outside world.

A fleeting, nostalgic smile crossed her lips.

“Chris,” she repeated, echoing the name the Blendbreed had chosen. “It’s a great pleasure to meet you.”

“Look, we already know each other, we see each other practically every month,” replied the son of Corgi, shaking her hand.

Dahlia’s eyes widened suddenly, and she realized. “I deeply apologize!” she feigned a laugh full of embarrassment. “I’m aware that we’ve met often for the house assembly, but I’ve never properly introduced myself.”

“Don’t worry, the same goes for me.”

The raven-haired girl threw herself onto the bed, still full of embarrassment. “So… what are you discussing?”

“Travel to the Underworld.”

Dahlia’s eyes suddenly lit up. “I can give it a try, if needed.”

“I haven’t refused yet,” the son of Cragar turned toward his conversation partner. “I’ll go.”

“Can I accompany you on this short trip?” asked the raven-haired girl with her arms crossed.

A glance between the two Blendbreeds was enough to make her lose hope.

“Sorry—…” the son of Corgi lowered his voice until it became silent. He had been so focused on the idea of the flames of the Vaverli that he had even forgotten the boy’s name.

“Shirei.”

Chris nodded. “Shirei, but didn’t you just say you can’t?”

“I said that Lyceum forbade it,” implying that it wouldn’t stop him from doing it anyway.

“Got it, Mr. Ghost, I thought you were a model Blendbreed.”

The boy with brown hair flashed a mischievous smile and raised his voice slightly above normal. “So let’s say that if you happen to find lava somewhere, by pure chance…” He raised his hands as if someone were pointing a gun to his head. “Then let’s say it could come in handy for me, so take it to the Ninth House. Always by pure chance, of course.”

Shirei shook his head. “A favor for a favor.”

“I don’t have money, buddy. I can forge you a weapon if you need one.”

“No need,” the Blendbreed with violet eyes said these words, clenching his hand in the air as if an invisible blade was right there, then added, “I have something else in mind.”

“That’s a way to scare him, brother.”

“Yes,” nodded the son of Corgi multiple times, “I’m scared.”

“You need to get me into Didreus’ laboratory,” Shirei explained.

“Dude,” Chris involuntarily opened his mouth, “you want to enter the laboratory used by the children of the god of science. Are you for real?”

“Yes, like I said, a favor for a favor,” the son of Cragar nodded.

“How do I get you in?”

“That’s a problem you need to solve on your own.”

“Can’t you just make a puff and reappear inside? But then, what do you need it for?”

“I can’t, I’ve already tried. The laboratory is protected by Didreus’ influence,” the boy said, the detail seeming to annoy him. “I just need a little time, nothing more.”

Chris scratched the back of his neck, perplexed. “Are you getting me the flames?”

“I’ll keep my part of the deal.”

The idea was too tempting to pass up, and Chris knew it. With that material, he could craft objects capable of repelling monsters and strengthening the defenses of the park—a new category of weapons, not yet invented by any of his predecessors. They would acclaim him as the father of Vaverli-infused rifles, and maybe his father would even call him to the Highworld, pleased with his invention. All these thoughts made him tremble with energy; Shirei had convinced him.

Finally, he nodded. “Okay, you’ve won. I’ll find a way to get you in, Chris’ word.”