Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, in the Sun Kingdom…
The massive conference hall inside the Royal Castle opened with a loud bang.
King Alvert stormed out, his face filled with anger.
Prime Minister Reon hurried after him.
“They’re all the same…” Alvert growled through clenched teeth.
“Every single one of them is blinded by greed!” “They secretly summoned Heroes without informing the rest of us.” “They knew very well that a decision of this magnitude should have been made together.” Reon remained silent, allowing the king to vent his frustration.
Alvert continued, “And do you know what’s even more ridiculous?” “The Heroes they’ve summoned are only five or six years old.” “They intend to raise and train them from childhood.” He slammed his fist against a nearby pillar.
“Then they had the audacity to claim they already knew the Seventh Seal was weakening.” “Lies.” “Nothing but lies.” “They don’t care about saving the world.” “They only want to expand their own kingdoms.” “The ancient agreement was broken long before this meeting even began.” Reon let out a weary sigh.
“I feared something like this would happen.” King Alvert’s expression darkened.
“They only came here to measure each other’s strength.” “To see whose army is larger.” “Whose legendary warriors are stronger.” “And whose Heroes possess the greatest potential.” “They actually believe they can defeat the Demon God alone.” He looked toward the distant horizon.
“And once the war is over…” “They plan to conquer every weakened kingdom that survives.” “They pretend to speak of unity…” “But not a single one of them truly wishes to stand together.” For a long moment, silence filled the corridor.
Finally, Reon spoke.
“Please calm yourself, Your Majesty.” “Getting angry won’t change what has already happened.” “The important question is…” “What should we do now?” King Alvert slowly closed his eyes before answering.
“What else can we do?” “We will proceed according to our original plan.” “Our kingdom will summon its Heroes only after another twelve years.” He opened his eyes once more.
“The condition of the Seventh Seal tells us we still have approximately twelve to fourteen years before it completely breaks.” “That time…” “…will be used to prepare properly.” “No matter what the other kingdoms choose to do.” “The Sun Kingdom will not act out of fear.” “We will act with patience.” “And when the final battle arrives…” “We’ll be ready.” Meanwhile, on the White Mountain…
The sound of wooden swords echoed through the quiet forest.
Thud!
Clack!
Rain swung her wooden sword again and again, attacking with increasing confidence.
Ankit calmly blocked every strike before stepping back with a satisfied smile.
“Good.” “You’re improving much faster than I expected.” “Keep attacking.” “Don’t stop.” Rain nodded.
“Haa!” She rushed forward once more.
Unlike a few days ago, her movements had become much quicker and smoother.
Although she still lacked experience, her speed and confidence had improved tremendously.
After several more exchanges, Ankit lowered his wooden sword.
“That’s enough for today.” Rain let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“So…
training is finally over?” Ankit smiled.
“Not yet.” Rain looked at him suspiciously.
“…What now?” “Use your magic.” Rain’s eyes widened.
“Right now?” “I just finished sword practice.” “Can’t you see I’m completely soaked in sweat?” Ankit folded his arms.
“I know.” “But true growth begins only after pushing yourself beyond your limits.” “Extreme conditions force both the body and mind to evolve.” Rain sighed helplessly.
“…Fine.” She slowly stretched out her hand.
Closing her eyes, she gathered every bit of mana she could.
Unlike before, her mana flowed far more smoothly through her body.
A faint blue glow appeared around her hand.
Several seconds passed.
Then— A sphere of clear water slowly formed above her palm.
It was far larger than the tiny droplet she had created only a few days earlier.
Rain stared at it in disbelief.
“I…
I did it!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Ankit smiled proudly.
“See?” “I told you.” Rain looked at him with gratitude.
“You were right.” “Ever since I started meditating with you…” “My mana has become stronger.” “And even my Mana Core feels more powerful than before.” Before Ankit could reply— Rain’s vision suddenly blurred.
“Huh…?” The world spun around her.
Her body lost all strength.
Ankit’s expression changed instantly.
“Rain!” Before she hit the ground, he rushed forward and caught her in his arms.
She had pushed herself far beyond her limits.
The exhaustion from intense sword training, meditation, and repeatedly forcing her weak Mana Core had finally overwhelmed her.
Ankit looked at her unconscious face and sighed.
“You really overdid it…” Carefully lifting her into his arms, he carried her back toward the cave, worried that forcing her too quickly might have done more harm than good.
Slowly, Rain opened her eyes.
She found herself lying on the rope bed inside the cave.
“…Where am I…?” She sat up weakly.
Night had already fallen.
The cave was almost completely dark, illuminated only by the faint glow of the dying campfire.
Still feeling dizzy, Rain looked around…
Then she instinctively raised her head.
The moment she did— Her entire body froze.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Her pupils shrank.
Above the ground…
Ankit was floating in the air.
He sat in a perfect meditation posture, completely motionless.
A faint white radiance surrounded his body.
Although the light was still weak, it was undeniably real.
The entire cave seemed to become peaceful under its gentle glow.
Rain couldn’t even breathe.
“W-What…” “He’s…
flying…?” She rubbed her eyes, convinced she was dreaming.
But when she looked again…
The scene hadn’t changed.
After several more moments, the white light gradually faded.
Ankit slowly descended back to the ground without moving a single muscle.
Only after his feet touched the floor did he slowly open his eyes.
Even his eyes carried a faint trace of divine light before it slowly disappeared.
The moment he noticed Rain awake, he smiled naturally.
“Oh, you’re awake.” “I made some mashed potatoes with bananas.” “You should eat before it gets cold.” Rain stared at him in silence.
Her mind was still unable to process what she had just witnessed.
Finally, she spoke in a trembling voice.
“…Didn’t you notice anything?” Ankit looked confused.
“Notice what?” Rain pointed at him with a shaking finger.
“You…” “You were floating in the air.” “And your whole body was glowing.” Ankit’s eyes widened.
“W-What?” “That really happened?” Rain nodded repeatedly.
“I’m telling the truth.” For a brief moment, Ankit remained completely still.
Then— His face lit up with excitement.
“Seriously?!” “Hahaha!” “This is amazing!” “It actually worked!” “I knew meditation wasn’t ordinary!” He jumped around the cave like an excited child.
“I finally made progress!” “This is awesome!” Rain couldn’t help laughing.
“Now you’re acting exactly like a little kid.” Ankit immediately stopped.
He crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks.
“So what?” “I am a little kid.” Rain covered her mouth as she giggled.
“That’s…
true.” The cave, which had been filled with mystery only moments ago, was soon filled with laughter instead.
Neither of them realized that Ankit had unknowingly taken his very first step onto the path of the Twelve Siddhis.
A path walked only by beings who had reached the realm of the divine.
For now, however…
They were simply two children, smiling peacefully beneath the silent night sky.