Hesitantly parting her lips, Mandipha says, “Once you announce your Right of Conquest, to maintain a positive public image and avoid unnecessary rumors, we must keep the distance we’ve always had. On my part, I will reduce my visits to your home, waiting until the day of your challenge.” After a brief pause and exchanging glances with Kemiro, she continued, “Do you accept?”

“That won’t be a problem,” Kemiro replied. “Besides, I’m not interested in exposing my personal life, as you may have noticed.”

Seeing Kemiro’s amused smile, Mandipha grinned and leaned in to kiss him. “Oh! That’s right, I almost forgot to explain the functions of this artifact—AAAHH! Why are you pinching me?”

Blushing with furrowed brows and puffed cheeks, Mandipha pinches Kemiro’s thigh in an attempt to ease her embarrassment.

“What are they?” Mandipha asks with an innocent smile. Kemiro wanted to protest but gets deterred by her smile.

Frustrated, he explains, “First, hold the pendant in your palm.” Kemiro instructs, placing his hand above the pendant. “Focus on channeling your Ma’Jia into the pendant; I’ll do the same.”

“But our Ma’Jias will be in conflict,” Mandipha exclaims with a worried expression.

Smiling, Kemiro reassured her, “You don’t need to worry. Remember that I reversed your transformation. Trust me, nothing bad will happen. This is a necessary process.”

The memory of her sister Algipha telling her the night before how Kemiro had not only stabilized her Ma’Jia but also controlled its flow to the point of reversing her beastly transformation made Mandipha swallow hard. She didn’t argue. Carefully, she uses her Intention to channel her pink-toned Ma’Jia through her palm, where the pendant eagerly absorbs it.

Noting she had begun the process, Kemiro focused too as the circles of his Akrava moved intensely. From his palm, his black-toned Ma’Jia manifested as a mist. The two Ma’Jias blended together like two streams of water, free from any interference.

“I don’t feel any repulsion! How is this possible?” Mandipha thought, shocked.

Looking at Kemiro, she's captivated by his focused expression. Feeling her face warming up, she redirected her attention to the pendant.

The Spiritual Gem, previously white, began to fill with two colors: a pink tone and a black tone. Similarly, streaks appeared throughout both cat sculptures.

Soon, tiny lightning bolts emanated from the pendant, striking both Kemiro’s and Mandipha’s hands. She jolts, feeling a sensation like being poked with a needle.

Even worse, Mandipha felt the energy penetrate her body, heading toward her Soul Hall. She shivered with fear.

Mandipha promptly tried to defend herself, but her body froze—a sensation she had felt before. She heard Kemiro say, “Sorry, but this is a necessary step.”

“Necessary?! Why didn’t he warn me beforehand? What kind of invasive process is this?” Mandipha could only watch, with her Intention, as the energy hit her Soul Hall, sending a sharp pain throughout her body.

It was her first time experiencing the pain of having her Soul directly "attacked." However, the pain does not deprive her from observing the energy collecting a small fragment of her Soul, retreating soon after.

She felt the pressure that had kept her frozen finally fade. She immediately tried to cut off the flow, but she heard Kemiro’s urgent voice, “Don’t interrupt the Ma’Jia flow; this is the most important step, or everything will be in vain!”

Mandipha felt reluctant, biting her lower lip, thinking, “I’ve come too far to simply back out now. I’ll trust you for now. But you’ll have to explain yourself!”

Mandipha notices Kemiro sighing in relief as she continues to intensify the Ma’Jia flow.

With both hands, Kemiro held Mandipha’s hand, forming a ‘cocoon,’ then closed his eyes. Around their hands, a bright ring of energy manifests, spinning with exponential speed.

The speed did not affect their surroundings. Mandipha observes, surprised how their Ma’Jias intertwine deeply—a complex weaving she had never seen before.

The ring’s glow intensifies, then, in a flash, the ring contracts. Instinctively, Mandipha tries to pull back her hand, but she couldn’t because Kemiro was holding her firmly in place. The ring passed through their hands without causing any sensation.

Kemiro releases Mandipha’s hand, opening his eyes. He leaned against the couch, breathing deeply. Mandipha notices he had a sickly demeanor, with sweat pouring down his face.

He looked at the pendant, smiling, saying, “Hehehe! I managed to create something incredible again! A few years ago, I hated my Bloodline due to everything I was subjected to.” Still looking at the pendant, Kemiro faces Mandipha; he continues, “But my feelings changed when, for the first time, I managed to create an artifact with consciousness.”

Mandipha’s eyes widened in shock. “Y-you mean that…” She’s interrupted by Kemiro shaking his head.

“Don’t ask anything about what just happened.” Looking directly at Mandipha, he continues, “During my childhood training, I was conditioned never to reveal anything about the artifact creation process to anyone outside the family. Any explanation would have to be vague enough to be indecipherable. You’re an intelligent woman, so I’m sure you understand what you’ve just witnessed.”

Mandipha closed her mouth, observing the pendant. Now, each cat had a different color—one pink and one black. The Spiritual Gem now has a swirl of both colors emitting intermittent flashes.

“So beautiful! So, this is the secret process of the Boronéa House lineage to give consciousness to its artifacts.” Mandipha thinks. Looking at Kemiro, she asks, “Is it really okay to reveal this process to me?”

Feeling his energy recovering a bit, he looked at the artifact. His smile widens as he responds, “Normally, I refuse to work in the presence of others, but to achieve my goal, this process was necessary. However, the result of this experiment ended up better than I expected.”

“AAAH! You just said experiment!” Mandipha accuses Kemiro. “Do you have any idea how scared I was with that energy attacking my Soul?”

“That’s not important!” Kemiro said with a smile that left Mandipha exasperated.

“It is very important!” Her protest was cut short when Kemiro picked up the artifact. Kemiro examined the artifact, saying, “Do you have any idea what we just created?”

Feeling an urge to pounce on Kemiro, Mandipha held herself back, exclaiming, “I have no idea. Enlighten me, please.”

Kissing the pendant and handing it back to Mandipha, he replied, “We made history! What you’re holding is the first artifact on Earth to have two consciousnesses.”

Mandipha felt a shiver run through her body. Looking at the pendant, she notices her hand is trembling.

“One consciousness in an artifact is already incredible. What can two consciousnesses do?”

“I have no idea!”

“You don’t?” Mandipha asks impulsively.

“Of course not. It’s the first artifact of its kind. Well, if anyone will find out, it will be you.”

“How so?”

“I can see the consciousnesses. How they develop depends on how you nurture them. I created this artifact for only us to use, so I can nurture it as well.

However, since we can’t be close all the time, its development is tied to how dedicated you are. We’ll see if you’ll be a good 'mother’ for them. By the way, I can affirm that I’m a great ‘father.’”

Mandipha focused on the nuance in his words, ignoring his teasing. She asked, “You mentioned your first conscious artifact. Where is it? Show it to me, please!”

Smiling mysteriously, Kemiro shook his head, replaying, “Unfortunately, I can’t, even if I wanted to. For now, I won’t reveal anything about that artifact either; I’ll tell you more in the future.”

Despite her curiosity, Mandipha decides to restrain herself on the matter.

“If he doesn’t want to talk about it, it’s better not to insist. It’s not like he’s afraid to tell me his secrets. There must be another reason behind his choice to be secretive.” After a brief reflection, approaching Kemiro, Mandipha asks excitedly, “Kemiro, what are the capabilities of this artifact?”

“Well, the basic functions are: first, this artifact has the ability to absorb and purify Ma’Jia, so you can absorb it. Second, while the artifact has Ma’Jia, it will be able to protect you from attacks that affect your Intention. However, beyond my expectations, it also partially negates the effects of Dominance.”

Mandipha is left speechless, shifting her gaze between the pendant and Kemiro. She asks, “Three capabilities? Protecting the Intention? Kemiro, this is amazing!”

“Three? Three are the capabilities I planned. However, since there’s another consciousness, I see the possibility of more capabilities being manifested. It will all depend on how dedicated you are to nurturing it.”

Mandipha held the pendant tenderly with both hands, saying emotionally, “I will nurture them with all my abilities! This artifact—no, this gift—I promise to treat it as part of me! I won’t let anyone know of its existence.”

“No!” Kemiro exclaimed. “You mustn’t. The more something is hidden, the more it attracts greedy intentions. You should use it for its intended purpose as a gift from me to you.

Thus, in the worst case, this pendant will be seen as merely my attempt to curry your favor. If anyone questions its capabilities, just mention its ability to absorb Ma’Jia, serving as a ‘reserve.’”

“How absurd! How does he expect me to walk around with such a treasure, pretending it’s a normal artifact? However, there is some truth in his words. The best way to hide a tree is within a forest, but it saddens me to ‘abuse’ his reputation to keep this secret.

I need to find a way to protect him from his family so he can reveal his abilities and get the credit he deserves! Even though it’s beneficial to me, I can’t forgive his family and the Boronéa House for their incompetence in not recognizing Kemiro’s Quality.” Mandipha reflects.

Noticing Mandipha’s irritated expression, Kemiro asks, “Why do you have that expression? Do you disapprove of my idea?”

Coming back to herself, Mandipha sighs, smiling. She says, “No, it’s nothing; I’m sorry. Although I don’t like the idea of using your reputation as a distraction, your words make sense, and I will follow them.”

Placing his hands over Mandipha’s, Kemiro comments, “Thank you. In any event, if something happens, you must contact me. We can't allow any tribulation to befall these children.”

Moved by the affectionate way Kemiro referred to his creation, Mandipha smiles warmly, replying, “Yes.”

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