After the transformation ended, the air in the chamber fell still. The hum of magic that had filled the space faded into silence as the glowing symbols beneath Blessing flickered out one by one. What floated in their place was a small, doll-sized being with dark wings that shimred faintly in the dim light. Her hair was jet-black, cascading down her tiny shoulders, and her athyst eyes, was deep, swirling and almost alive, that they resembled portals to the void. And there was an eerie calm to her gaze, the kind that made even corruption hesitate.
The circle that had bound Eden to the wall shattered next, releasing him from its grasp. His body fell with a dull thud against the cracked stone floor. Every muscle scread from the ordeal, but he could breathe again. He lifted his head just enough to see her hovering beside him, studying him like he was the oddity here.
Then, in a voice that sounded like soft bells echoing in a dark hall, she spoke.
"Will you help find my ancestor?"
Eden blinked. ’That’s one way to start a conversation.’
He pushed himself up, wincing, and eyed the strange little being. Through the fragnts of mory he’d received, he knew who she once was, a human girl twisted by circumstance and the promise of power. He also knew she’d likely seen his own mories too, though how much she understood was another question.
Trying to keep his tone even, he said, "And why do you think I’d help you find this ancestor of yours?"
Blessing tilted her head, her expression almost childlike but her voice steady. "Because you and the ancestor are close. Although..." she hesitated, her athyst eyes flickering for a second, "he’s a little different now."
Eden frowned. Close? Ancestor? He didn’t know any ancient beings that fit that description. "And this ancestor of yours, who exactly is he?"
"You know him as Captain Leon."
For a mont, Eden just stared at her. Then he laughed, a short, disbelieving sound. "That’s not possible. I know Leon, he’s a lot of things, but he’s not old enough to be anyone’s ancestor. The man sleeps around, sure, but co on."
Blessing gave him a look so blank it almost felt insulting. "That’s the case," she said firmly. "And we need to find him."
Eden rubbed his temples. None of this made sense, but he could feel the bond pulsing between them, her presence in his mind like a second heartbeat. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, they were connected. And that connection ant he didn’t have much choice.
"Fine," he muttered. "We’ll find him. But you’re explaining the whole ancestor thing when we do."
Blessing’s wings fluttered as she nodded, seemingly satisfied.
From then on, they left the half-ford cluster together. Blessing served as a kind of living radar, her link to corruption allowing her to sense traces of Leon wherever they surfaced. Along their journey, Eden began to understand the bond that had ford between them. Blessing wasn’t just a companion she was a conduit. Her body absorbed and refined corrupted energy, which Eden could then draw from. In return, his strength fueled her existence, stabilizing her form.
She beca his battery. His shadow. His strange, winged partner.
And with every corrupted creature she devoured, Eden’s power soared. By the ti they crossed into the Tyrant’s Forest, he was no longer the fragile boy who’d once been pinned to a wall—he was a D-rank combatant, his flas sharper, hungrier, and more precise than ever.
That was before the spider.
Before the explosion.
Before he finally t Jas and the others—people who, by fate or coincidence, also carried the lingering presence of the man he was now searching for: Leon Kael.
****
Jas stood before Eden, his eyes narrowing as the question left his lips.
"Why are you looking for our Lord?"
Eden blinked, montarily thrown off. Our Lord? The words echoed in his head as if they were so kind of joke. Why was Leon collecting all these strange titles? First ancestor, now Lord? He decided not to dwell on it too much.
"I’m his colleague," Eden said evenly. "I need to find him."
Jas’s gaze didn’t waver. "And how do we trust you?"
Eden sighed, his patience thinning. ’I literally saved your lives. Do I really need to explain this?’ Before he could answer, Blessing’s soft voice echoed in his mind, her tone annoyingly calm.
’Technically, you endangered their lives,’ she said. ’You’re the one who chased the spider here.’
Eden shot her a glare but chose to ignore her. Instead, he turned back to Jas. "Fine. Proof, right?" He reached into his inventory and pulled out a small vial, the familiar shimr of a healing potion catching the light.
Jas’s eyes widened slightly. "That ability...is just like the Lord’s." He later leaned closer, inspecting the potion this ti. The scent and the consistency, was identical to the ones Leon had used. "Even the potion is the sa..."
A flicker of recognition crossed his face. If he hadn’t fully trusted Eden before, he did now, at least, a little. Jas hesitated, weighing his words carefully before finally speaking.
"The Lord is in the capital," he said. "The emperor has taken him in as a guest."
Eden froze. "The emperor?"
"Yes. The news is recent. Almost everyone in the empire knows by now."
Eden’s expression darkened with disbelief. ’First ancestor, then Lord... now guest of the emperor? At this rate it won’t be surprising if he turned out to be the successor of the governor back in the Federation.’ The thought made him sigh. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how close he was to being right.
"Do you have a map?" he asked finally. "I don’t know the way to the capital."
Jas gave a faint smile, one that reminded him of Leon for a brief second. "Just like the Lord. But yes, we have one. In the city library."
"Then lead the way."
They both boarded the flying vessel, that hovered in the air. Eden took a seat, glancing at the horizon as the vessel began to glide forward.
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