"Alright, let get your plan straight."
Akamir mumbled the words, staring blankly at the ceiling of his room.
"You want to create a pocket space inside the spirit world?"
Nayomi, floating beside him, nodded. "Yes."
Akamir groaned, rolling onto his side so he could look at her properly.
Her long blonde hair drifted behind her in the air, and her sky-blue eyes t his without hesitation.
He slowly lowered his gaze, catching himself as his eyes lingered on her body.... her clothes didn’t exactly leave much to the imagination.
"...And how exactly do you plan to do that?" he asked, clearing his throat, trying to act like he hadn’t just been staring.
Nayomi didn’t seem to notice, or maybe she just didn’t care.
She spun lazily in the air, her golden anklets jingling softly.
"I’ve been thinking about it since I saw those fairies," she said. "A small space where they can live freely."
"You want to risk my life for so fairies?" Akamir sat up and ran a hand through his damp hair.
"That doesn’t sound like the best idea to ."
"Do you think I’m asking for free?" she scoffed. "Didn’t you want items exclusive to you? I’m offering you exactly that."
Akamir paused, interest flashing in his eyes. "Wait... can that pocket realm—"
"Yes. It can grow spirit herbs," she interrupted before he could finish. "And I’m sure you’ll be able to form a contract with a spirit too."
That made Akamir fall into deep thought.
’I heard the elves give those with a contract with a spirit an honorary residence.’
Elves of this world once had a deep relationship with the fairies.
Once, the elves were the only ones who could bond with fairies... well, until Nayomi showed up.
If things worked out, maybe he could form an alliance through his company.
’No, there’s more potential than that.’
He stood and began pacing slowly, his mind racing.
The possibilities were imnse and he was well aware of it.
Spirit herbs that no one else could grow.
Elves would pay any price for them without hesitation.
’Money isn’t important. The main problem is that the condition of Vyavan family is already deteriorating.’
Even with the treasure he’d gained through Nayomi, he couldn’t spend it carelessly.
Not with the World Reserve Bank watching the market like hawks.
Akamir’s jaw tightened at the thought.
The World Reserve Bank had spies in every guild, every trade route, every rchant council.
If they caught even a hint of his unregistered wealth or exclusive resources, they’d co crashing down under the pretense of "economic stability."
Throwing money around wouldn’t fix anything.
What he needed was leverage.... sothing no one else could replicate.
’And that is what she’s offering ,’ he thought, staring at Nayomi.
Still, he hesitated. He didn’t want to go back to that place.
The last ti had left a scar in his mind. That giant woman... the tower with the countless eyes.
It wasn’t sothing he was eager to see again.
"I know what you’re thinking," Nayomi said, floating a little closer. "We won’t run into them. Trust ."
Akamir frowned. "How?"
"Send a mimicker in first," she said. "Have it head north. As far as it can."
"Won’t they attack it—oh."
He stopped mid-sentence, the realization clicking into place.
The mimickers were already corrupted—just like those things. They wouldn’t be targeted.
"They only go after those who aren’t corrupted," he muttered.
"But why north?" he asked, glancing at her.
"Because that’s where the Old Court used to be," Nayomi answered quietly.
"Before the spirit world began to fall apart. The further north you go, the less control the new lords have."
’By new lords does she an those tower and giant lady?’
Akamir narrowed his eyes. "You’re saying it’s... safer?"
"No," she admitted. "Just less hostile."
Akamir nodded his head as he rubbed his temples.
This was a risk that he didn’t really want to take right now.
Things still haven’t reached the point where he was desperate.
’...But the herbs will take ti to grow.’
He needed to start early to not get trapped later on.
Akamir drew in a deep breath. "Alright, let’s do it."
Nayomi smiled softly, floating behind him.
Closing his eyes, Akamir summoned one of the mimickers.
A crimson light shone within the room as a portal ford just beside him.
From the portal, a small creature the size of a koala erged.
The mimicker looked almost harmless at first glance, round-bodied, furry, with wide, empty eyes that blinked out of sync.
"North," Akamir commanded. "Go as far as you can."
The mimicker blinked again, gave a soft, eerie chirp, and vanished back into the portal.
The portal sealed shut behind it with a soft pop.
"Now we wait," Nayomi said quietly, coming to float beside him again. Her long hair flowed lazily in the air.
"How long?" Akamir asked, exhaling slowly.
"Ti moves differently there," she replied. "Could be minutes. Could be hours. Maybe years. Or—"
Akamir’s expression sharpened as sothing echoed in his mind.
"—maybe now," Nayomi finished with a smile.
Akamir sighed as he raised his hand towards the wall.
"Crown that connects ."
Akamir repeated the words she told him before.
"Take to the mirror world."
The crown pulsed brightly.
The air thickened, like sothing was wrapped around his body.
The floor vanished beneath his feet, and for a heartbeat, he was falling.
His real body fell down on the ground while his ’spirit body’ moved.
In the blink of an eye, he was back in the world of mirrors.
’Alright, don’t look at them.’
Akamir reminded himself, taking in a deep breath. He began to walk out of the place.
The hundreds of different Akamirs began to whisper, beg, scream at him, but Akamir didn’t flinch.
Finally, they reached a clearing where no reflections stood.
Only a glowing light that made him narrow his eyes.
As soon as Akamir crossed the light, the world around him changed once again.
Now, there was nothing but a barren wasteland stretching out before him.
A dry wind swept over the barren land, carrying with it the scent of dust and decay.
The skies were painted a colorless grey, devoid of the broken sun he saw before.
"This is it?" he muttered.
Nayomi’s voice ca from beside him, though her form was faint here.
"This is the edge of the northern fringe. The place where the Old Court once ruled."
"What’s an Old Court anyway?" Akamir asked, tilting his head.
"When the spirit world was uncorrupted, there were many races that lived here."
Nayomi explained, as she began to walk.
"When the spirit world was still whole, many races lived here," Nayomi explained, walking beside him.
"The Old Court was a council of representatives from those races."
She looked forward, raising her hand. She pointed at a far distance. "And that’s what is left of it."
Akamir followed her gaze.
Far in the distance stood a half-collapsed structure, columns of pale, white stone erging crooked from the earth like broken bones.
Vines of silvery rot clung to them like a part of it.
"They say the Old Court fell because of betrayal," she said, her voice soft.
"One of the mbers tried to ascend using forbidden thods. That triggered the corruption."
"Ascend to what?" Akamir asked. "To a higher level?"
Nayomi didn’t reply. Instead, she walked towards an old-looking dead tree.
’And now we play the silent ga.’
Akamir crouched, brushing his hand over the dry soil.
’Hmm?’
The second he touched it, a soft shimr of color flickered beneath the surface—blue, green, gold—like veins of energy hiding in the dust.
"Nayomi...."
"Just as I thought," she murmured. "This place is still usable."
"What do you an?"
"Old Court was made up of one of the spirit roots—they connected the spirit world." She explained, touching the tree.
"If we shape the space here, we might awaken it just enough to anchor the pocket realm."
Akamir stood and looked around once more. "So what do we do first?"
She smiled. "We draw a boundary and mark the land."
"And what do I need to do?"
Akamir asked, looking back at her.
Nayomi sat on the place, cross-legged. "Protect ."
"Protect you from wh—."
Akamir’s words died in his throat as he felt hundreds of eyes on him.
"Specters," Nayomi whispered. "Remnants of the fallen fae."
Cree! Cree!
Hundreds of unnatural voices began to fill the place.
"Fuck, Nayomi!"
Akamir cursed, unsheathing his sword.
"How much ti!"
"Fifteen minutes."
He stared at her, disbelief clear in his voice. "We’ll be dead before then!"
"It’s fine," she said, smiling. "I trust you."
"...."
Akamir turned back, only to freeze—.
’Fuck.’
—At the sight of hundreds of creatures rushing at them.
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