"Are you alright?" asks Kemiro, noticing the sweat dripping down Mandipha's face.

"Yes," Mandipha sighed, saying, "It was much more difficult than I imagined to connect with my Goddess. This space's sealing is too strong.”

She reflects, “Maranshipha connected too much of herself with me. How worried is she? Honestly!"

Mandipha felt both exhausted and happy as she reminisced about her Goddess's barrage of questions concerning her situation, but once the oath was over, their connection was cut off again.

“She’s so beautiful,” Kemiro thought, watching Mandipha as she caught her breath. “Damn! I hope I won’t regret this!”

Scratching the nape, Kemiro introduces, “Did you know I opened my Hein'Ra Foundation when I was ten years old?”

Mandipha's eyes widened in surprise, her heart racing with excitement as she replied, "So it’s true? I thought the rumors were exaggerated. That's an incredible achievement! Calling you a genius is an understatement."

Kemiro, hearing her words, averted his eyes from Mandipha to his cup of tea, staring at his distorted reflection as he gently swirled the liquid, thinking, “A genius, huh?”

He took a sip, grimacing at how cold the now-bitter tea had become. He continues, "Being a genius had nothing to do with it. All I wanted back then was to regain my parents' attention. Attention I lost when my brother Engel manifested his Bloodline, which he inherited from our mother."

"The Al'Kan Crystal..." Mandipha whispers in surprise.

Turning his attention back to her, Kemiro gave a faint smile and continued, "Yes. My parents' relationship was an attempt by the Main House to obtain my mother’s Diagonal Crystal Pillar Bloodline. What truly thrilled them wasn’t Engel’s sudden manifestation of the crystal, but the fact that it disappeared afterward. Among my mother's people, this is considered the highest grade of their Bloodline."

Having a realization, Mandipha asks, "Disappearing? Is that the reason for your mother always keeping those two crystal wolves with her?

"Yes. It’s not surprising, you don't know. Even though the Crystal People can manipulate the Al’Kan crystal however they wish, once it's manifested, the crystal can’t be undone, only reshaped. Because of this, they've developed a culture of molding their Al’Kan to minimize the inconvenience of having a mass of crystal constantly around them."

"But if it’s inconvenient, can’t they just leave the crystal at home?" Mandipha’s ears twitched with curiosity.

Smiling, Kemiro replies, "They can. But when they're away from their Al’Kan, the Crystal People suffer from various symptoms—anxiety, loss of focus, even panic attacks."

Given how intently Mandipha listened, Kemiro felt more inclined to continue his story. However, his smile faded as he went on, "Ever since that event, I've been neglected." His tone rose as he clarified, "Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like they deliberately excluded me, but because of an agreement with the Main House that allowed my parents to marry, they and Engel had to move to the Main House’s headquarters to ‘nurture’ him in preparation for the day he would open his Foundation. But I wasn’t allowed to join them; being left in Safix’s care, I only saw them occasionally."

After a brief pause, he continued, "Naturally, this change in attitude filled me with envy. In my immaturity, I concluded that I needed to do something to win their attention back. So, I buried myself in my studies. So a year after the event, when I was nine, I discovered that the youngest child to open their Foundation had been thirteen. And that was my answer."

Understanding the events that shaped Kemiro into who he is today with her analytical abilities, Mandipha connected several dots, leading her to a conclusion that made her previously erect ears droop as she continued to listen intently.

"Deciding to surprise them, I chose to focus on learning how to open my Foundation by my tenth birthday, when my family would be coming to celebrate it. To make sure it was the perfect surprise, I hid everything from Safix."

Kemiro sighed; he added, "It wasn’t easy, but I figured out the process. A year flew by, and on the day my birthday, everything was ready. I couldn’t even sleep. I was so anxious that I started the Foundation-opening process at dawn."

Mandipha’s heart is torn between sadness and anxiety as she feels herself nearing the answer she sought. Kemiro continued, "As you can imagine, this isn’t a process a child should undergo alone. So, I made my first'mistake’…"

Mandipha barely breathed, afraid of interrupting him.

"When I manifested the Law of Paths, I was overjoyed, but even more surprised to find that two unknown paths appeared."

"Ah!" Mandipha gasped, covering her mouth as she deduced the outcome.

Kemiro chuckles at her expression and continues, "As you’ve probably guessed, in my ‘childish greed,’ I chose both Paths, thus opening my Foundation. One of the Paths is public knowledge: the Eight Gates of Flow."

Kemiro’s eyes grew sharp as he smiled, making Mandipha swallow nervously. He continues, "The second Path is the one your Goddess is mostly interested in: the Divine Egg."

"Huh?" Mandipha was surprised by the simplicity of the name. Taking a deep breath, she asks, "If the Eight Gates of Flow allowed you to summon Lady Azarthine... what does the Divine Egg Path do?"

Kemiro shook his head, saying, "I don’t know yet. I’m still in the process of discovering it. What I know is that there are stages I need to complete to walk this Path. Based on the name, I believe these are the required steps to hatch the egg."

Mandipha couldn’t hide the astonishment as she reflected, “That makes sense. Does it mean the Divine Egg will literally give birth to a Divine being? A God? By the Hein’Ra! How is it possible for a mortal to contribute to the birth of a God? But this explains Maranshipha’s interest—she sensed the divine energy coming from the egg!”

Mandipha’s thoughts were interrupted as Kemiro resumed his story: "Anyway, I won’t go into the details of my Paths. Not yet." He notices that Mandipha wants to say something, but he ignores her, continuing, "During the process, I had no idea that a ‘phenomenon’ was occurring around me. According to Safix, a storm had formed in the sky above my house. But what mattered most was that my body was constantly emitting pulses of Abstruse Energy."

Scratching his head, Kemiro felt a growing irritation as he remembered the past. He quickly continued, "That morning, as expected, my parents and Engel arrived, but I was still in the process of opening my Foundation. Everyone was bathed in the pulses of the Abstruse Energy. No one was harmed, but Engel’s Foundation got stimulated, leading to its premature opening. His Foundation wasn’t stable, as he was only seven years old. So, Engel’s Soul Hall was fractured."

Noticing Kemiro's discomfort, Mandipha said, "Kemiro, you don’t have to—"

But Kemiro raises his hand to stop her, sighing as he continues, "That’s when my nightmare began. Initially, my parents blamed me for injuring Engel. Honestly, I understand now they must have been shocked at the prospect of Engel's life being in danger. But the worst part came when Engel, on his own, managed to access his Soul Hall and reveal his inheritance."

Emotionless, Kemiro continued, "As expected, he inherited our mother’s Bloodline. Well, that’s no surprise, given how the Main House proudly boasts that Engel also possesses the same Constitution as the progenitor of the Boronéa House, the Celestial Body Constitution. Even though he doesn’t have the Boronéa House Bloodline, it wasn’t a disadvantage for him.

The most interesting thing is that despite being born with the Boronéa lineage, I'm branded as incapable, even though, at least, I’m equal to any other Boronéa descendant.

Remembering the times he got criticized, Kemiro laughs. Seeing him laugh so freely, Mandipha sighed softly, thinking, “It's no secret how relentless the Boronéa House is in expectation that their descendants are born with the Celestial Body Constitution. But for them to treat Kemiro like this over an accident instead of praising his quality as a Ma’Ji... I can’t understand what goes on in the minds of the Main House Elders. Now I understand why Kemiro provokes me so much; he just doesn’t trust anyone who approaches him without knowing their true motives.

It’s certainly a challenge, but it gives me an opportunity to win him over completely. I just have to prove I’m an ally he can lean on without fear.

"Stupid bastards!" Mandipha is startled by Kemiro’s words. Looking at him, he’s wearing a broad smile and eyes with a dangerous glint. He says, "Now you have your answer.”

Kemiro observes Mandipha in silence, and he asks, “I wasn’t planning on telling you this. But do you want to know another one of my secrets, Mandipha?"

Mandipha feels uneasy about Kemiro's smile, but the realization that he harbors even more secrets frustrates her, fearing she might lose the opportunity. Biting her lower lip, she simply nods in confirmation. Kemiro’s smile widens, revealing, “The truth is, I don’t just have the Bloodline of the Boronéa House. I also have a similar Bloodline to my mother’s.”

“What?”

Mandipha is shocked, retreating against the sofa as, without warning, a huge cube materializes above Kemiro.

She feels drawn to the black cube, bewitched by lilac-colored lightning that flashes across its surface like serpents.

Regaining her senses, Mandipha questions something she noticed in Kemiro’s words: “You said 'similar'? What do you mean? Ah!”

As she asks, Mandipha realizes the answer on her own. But Kemiro comments, “Did you figure it out?” He gestures toward the cube, making it vanish. “My Bloodline is superior to my mother’s. I can make my Al’Kan disappear.”

Kemiro enjoys watching Mandipha open and close her mouth in surprise as he playfully makes the cube appear and disappear.

Still analyzing the cube, Mandipha asks, “If I’m not mistaken, one way the Crystal People measure a person’s power is by the cubic volume of the Al’Kan Crystal. What’s the volume of this cube?”

“Twenty-seven cubic meters,” Kemiro replies without hesitation.

“Twenty-seven… Wait! Isn’t that the same as your mother’s?”

“For now.”

Mandipha is confused by his response but soon realizes the implications. She reflects, “I’ve heard it’s a complex process to increase the Al’Kan’s volume, but he says ‘for now’ as if it’s just a matter of willpower.

My Goddess Maranshipha, did you foresee all of Kemiro’s Qualities? This explains why my Goddess, who is so jealous of me, took the initiative to choose my partner, offering me a seat as her apostle.

“It’s too early to get lost in your thoughts. I’m not done yet.”

“You still have more to say?”

Kemiro laughs, completely at ease with Mandipha’s reactions.

Mandipha sighs, relieved to notice that Kemiro’s earlier irritation has vanished; even if it’s at her expense, she reflects, “He’s not causing any harm. Seeing this genuine smile is worth the price.”

“I also possess the Celestial Body Constitution.”

“Huh?” Mandipha doesn’t have time to react as Kemiro extends his right hand toward her. Above his palm, an intense light begins to shine.

The glow takes the form of a miniature desert. The miniature represents a rocky plain with four mountains and is about one square meter in size.

Mandipha is surprised because this is the first time she’s seen anything about such a Constitution outside of old stories.

Mandipha notices a small part of the plain is verdant, but before she can infer anything, she has another realization looking between the black cube and the miniature.

Leaning on the table, she moves closer to Kemiro and, in an agitated tone, asks, “With such an incredible Inheritance, why keep it a secret? If you revealed it, you’d be treated as a direct descendant by the Main House! There’s no way the Main House would treat you like this if they knew your Quality! Why did you choose this path?”

Sighing, he closws his hand, both the cube and the miniature disappear. Without emotion, Kemiro declares, “It’s simple. I’ve experienced firsthand how the Main House operates. There’s no merit in revealing my Inheritance. The Main House would only use me as a pawn to expand their influence.” Slouching on the sofa with his legs spread, he continues, “Nowadays, I understand how the ‘unseen world’ works and how to navigate it, so it wasn’t difficult to trace the origins of the rumors about me. Can you imagine where they came from?”

Mandipha remains silent, understanding the rhetorical question. Kemiro smiles, seemingly mocking himself, as he goes on saying, “That’s right! The source is the Boronéa House. Oh! Here’s an amusing tidbit: since you announced our engagement proposal, the rumors have become more frequent and exaggerated. Haha!”

“Anyone who has heard of Kemiro knows about the rumors surrounding him. To make matters worse, he always maintains a low profile, so information about him has been scarce, leaving room for others' interpretations.

I never imagined the root of his problems being the Main House. When I return home, I’ll visit my grandmother to see if she knows anything.

Still, I don’t understand why they would spread rumors that harm Kemiro.” After reflecting, Mandipha asks, “But why would they spread such rumors? What does the Main House gain from it?”

Shaking his head, Kemiro says,“I don’t believe it originated from the Main House. They’re just the epicenter, not the source.”

“That certainly makes more sense. But what would drive someone to pursue you so relentlessly? Did something happen in your past that would cause such resentment?”