Araeh

 

A week passed, and since then I have been staying at Patriack Mansion. It's all because of the sudden turn of events. To think that Geezer would want to meet me himself. Due to that, I'm allowed to stay here until that geezer ruling is passed down. 

 

That geezer was scheduled to arrive on this day; it seemed he was the one to decide what'd happen to me now. As for Eu, she refused to get adopted unless we promised I wouldn't be her sibling. I reassure her myself; after all, I'm also against it. 

 

"But man, this hallway was really long." 

 

I have been walking for a few minutes now, though I've yet to reach my destination. Despite spending the past week in this place, I couldn't get used to how enormous it is. I was told to go to this hallway on the corner of the mansion, where the only source of light was the mana chandelier. Due to the fact that the geezer's 'place' was located at the end of this hallway. 

 

After a few seconds, I noticed the path that had been waiting for me was nothing but a wall. 

 

This fucking... Is this a riddle? Really early in the morning?

 

As I reached the wall, a single thought crossed my mind.

 

Should I blast it down?

 

A voice rang in the surroundings, as though to read my mind. 

 

"Whatever you're thinking, don't do it."

 

A sluggish voice of an old man echoes, and soon the wall opens up, making a path. Thus, a magical scene unfolds before my eyes. It's distorted, yet in harmony, books, a bookshelf, a platform, and even some alchemy stuff were moving around in a circle, creating a tube-like path. 

 

I see it was him.

 

Stepping inside, a path magically forms below my feet, protruding to a certain place in front of me. Without much thought, I walk through it and assess my surroundings. There's no doubt this is the exact place depicted in the novel. 

 

The pinnacle of the magic personal realm is a subspace or imaginary place made from someone's inner space. It's the magic of a god-tier being creating a personal world. 

 

However, not in Araeh.

 

The highest dimension, the world of origin; that is Araeh. Thanks to Araeh's special characteristics, beings from this world can manifest their magic dimension into reality. That's what the Personal Realm is, though a little twist can give birth to a new world and living beings. 

 

This is the world where a simple book can become real. That's why I'm certain... This world is not inside that novel. A complex world like this can't ever be a novel. Though it's still a wonder how it mixed with mine, I guess the answer will be revealed now. 

 

Looking beyond the hovering stuff, I was in the middle of space with distorted color. It's exactly as I remember in the novel; it's supposed to be the place where the MC would meet that geezer waiting ahead. 

 

The only way an outsider could get inside this space was through the walls at the end of that hallway. As the protagonist gains that geezer's interest... Not really; it's Vivian. Vivian thought he could be friends with Eu; however, as many would expect, Eu never goes her way to meet the MC. 

 

As for our MC, the sole reason he agreed to allow Vivian to come here was, obviously, a game-like reason. There's a dungeon that the only way to get access to is to have the validation of its owner. Alaric was the founder of the Patriark household, the sovereign of the world, and the great sage of Dungeon. 

 

Such a person was waiting ahead.

 

"This feeling….."

 

Sensing something familiar, I couldn't help but get alarmed. Augmenting my whole body with mana, I charge inside. 

 

"So it's you, you motherfucker!!!"

 

---

3rd person

 

On the other side of the mansion, like the mansion, the dining room was so big that a stupidly long table seemed little on it. One side of it was only occupied by four individuals, mainly the Patriark household and Eu, who had a frown on her face.

 

"Euvia, have you seen little Carus?" Seeing the frown on Euvialin's face, Vivian strikes up a conversation with her. 

 

Despite the week passing by, Vivian was still having a hard time getting on Euvialin's soft side. Euvialin was always indifferent to them, though something changes when she's with Carus. From afar, it seems she treats Carus the same way, but if you observe closely, despite her indifferent expression, she always sticks with Carus.

 

On the other hand, Carus was easier to talk to, unlike Euvialin, who was like a stranger and barely responded to anything. Maybe because of what they go through, but Carus seems to be mature while at the same time being childish.

 

Vivian had been wanting a little sibling; however, when she got her dream sibling, she was frustrated because of their indifferent relationship. For that reason, Vivian turned to Carus for some help, though the only thing she got was a few words. 'You're doing fine; just let the process do its job.'

 

He says to just trust the process, but is this really fine?

 

Despite Carus's words, Vivian feels insecure, and hearing Euvian Curt respond makes her hopeless. 

 

"Ain't he meeting the ancestor now?" Prompting her chin with her hand, Euvialin was nudging the luxurious food in front of her. "Perhaps he's already there."

 

"Already? It's still early. Did that boy eat first?" Vanesa, who heard it, chimed in. 

Beside her was his husband, who seemed to get interested in the topic. "Now that I think about it, I never saw that kid at this table during breakfast."

 

As the three of them wondered, their eyes all landed on Eu.

 

"He likes eating bread and coffee in the morning or any light food." Looking at her food with blurry eyes, she sighs. "So he often eats alone.”

 

Ain’t you always eating with me back in the orphanage?

 

Euvialin’s thoughts were unknown to everyone, though her indifferent expression was more severe than usual.

 

---

 A loud explosion occurred, disturbing the circulation of things around. As the smoke cleared out, two figures were exposed. Alaric, a man who seems to be nearing his time but still has what it takes, is enveloped in yellow light. Though such a barrier was already cracking and close to being shattered.

 

A boy enveloped in bluish light was planting his right foot above the barrier for a reason that was supposed to kick the geezer's face. With the confrontation between his kick and barrier, sparks scatter in the surroundings. In just a second, the barrier finally shattered. 

 

As Carus was about to reach Alaric, instead of hitting Alaric, Carus disappeared mid-air, remerging meters away across Alaric.

 

Despite what happened, Carus didn't budge. Reorganizing his body, Carus tightened his fist for a second attack. 

 

"Enough!! Brat, I don't know your reason, but don't you think you're getting a little overboard?" Alaric, who had enough, used tone with a pressure behind it that was enough to cripple the average individual.

 

Instead of falling to his feet, Carus's eyes shone, full of determination. "It's you, you fucking bastard!! The creep bastard that is always lurking around our house!!!" 

 

Alaric's eyes shot wide open before a grin replaced them. "I see, so you knew. The rumor about you was nothing to be ignored. However, I doubt that's the reason behind your action."

"You are the mysterious visitor that I sensed a few times in our home." Carus's eyes became sharp as if something he owned was in danger. "Getting near Lhina was a mortal sin; you creep geezer!!!"

 

"Huh." 

 

Alaric was lost for words. He couldn't even feel disgusted if someone had to describe it: The Shivers he received at this moment were the same as a life-threatening battle. 

 

Is this brat actually dumb? Who the fuck would go after that thing?

 

Alaric was flabbergasted. A horde of bullets packed with Carus mana was already directed at him. 

 

The last thing he realized was that Carus was holding a bluish-concentrated light in the shape of a bat, illuminating the obnoxious grin on his face. 

 

"Die!"

 

***

 

"So you're saying you're not hitting on Lhina?" laying flat on the ground, Carus sighs in disbelief. "Why didn't you say sooner? I wasted 2 years' worth of energy."

 

"You rain a hail of bullets on me and bash me with a nuclear bat made from your mana!!!" Alaric exclaims, sitting on a wreaked chair with tattered clothes and brushes on his body. "Aside from that, only someone with a death wish would get interested in that woman."

 

"Well, if everyone thinks like that, then I've nothing to worry about." Getting up from his feet, Carus grins at Alaric. "Also, I think I should thank you for taking my attack."

 

"Aside from letting you exhaust yourself, I don't know how to calm you," he said. The wound and alaric cloth recovered in a second. "But to think that barely works either..."

 

"Wait a minute, did you just say... no, never mind." A sudden thought crossed Alaric's head, but that was more than enough to avoid saying any of it. I’m not getting involved with that. 

 

Alaric scans Carus's body, who is currently dusting off his clothes. Now that I take a closer look, this brat barely spends his mana. How is that possible? I'm certain he used plenty earlier…

 

"What?" Carus, who notices his gaze, gives him a bored but alarmed look.

 

"How's your mana barely reduced despite fighting like that?"

 

"Huh? I thought you would notice it." Carus tilts his head. "Can't you see it?"

 

As soon as he said that, Alaric realized the meaning behind Carus's words. Alaric takes a deeper gaze, enhancing his eyes. 

 

"What is this?"

 

An almost endless circuit that protrudes to surroundings, recovering the leftover mana that remains from previous attacks. Making perfect circulation throughout his body and atmosphere, from his inner space to the outside world. It almost seems that the mana never ends. 

 

Within this impeccable rotation, augmenting his body endlessly without reducing the amount of his mana was possible. No, that's what he's been doing.

 

"Hmm...Lhina and Oscar notice it easily, though. If it was able to fool the eyes of the world's overseer, perhaps the blending was working."

 

Carus's loud mumble reached Alaric's ears, cutting his trance. Alric guffawed seeing the carefree brat in front of him.

 

"Anyway, you should know the reason. Why have I summoned you here? No?"

 

Carus looks straight into his eyes. "Would I be here if I knew?"

"………."

 

The air froze as Carus uttered those words.