Chapter 13:

  Moli stepped out of the bathroom, the towel wrapped around his waist with deliberate carelessness. He ran a hand through his wet hair, then shouted from the top of the stairs,

  “I’ll just take something from your brother’s wardrobe!”

  Rin’s voice came back from downstairs, clearer than he expected,

  “Yes! Of course!”

  He entered the room and opened her brother’s wardrobe—or what felt like an entire room of its own. Dozens of garments were arranged with excessive precision, their colors perfectly coordinated, the scent of leather and new fabric filling the air. Moli stared for a moment, then muttered mockingly,

  “What is this?!”

  He chose a sleeveless leather jacket and a pair of light cloth trousers, dressing as if preparing for swift movement rather than comfort. He had barely finished when a violent sound thundered through the opposite forest, like a lightning strike.

  Without hesitation, he leapt through the window.

  Rin had already rushed into the yard, terror etched across her features.

  “What’s happening, Moli?!”

  Instinctively, Moli extended his elbow in front of her and slowly drew his sword from its sheath. Mere seconds later, Sez’s body burst out from between the trees and slammed straight into the truck, detonating it. He crashed into the ground, rolled, then struggled to his feet and spat a drop of blood.

  Moli’s eyes widened, fixed on a mirage moving slowly between the trees. His gaze was alert—predatory—in a way Rin had never seen before.

  Makoto emerged from the shadows, his long sword aimed directly at them.

  “I haven’t drawn my blade in six months.”

  He tightened his grip on the katana with both hands and added,

  “You are no joke, certainly… but you are weak nonetheless.”

  Sez snarled in a terrifying voice,

  “Don’t… fuck… with me!”

  Moli spoke with strange calm amid the tension,

  “Easy, Sez.”

  Makoto advanced steadily,

  “Give up Rin. This matter is already lost.”

  Moli turned to Sez,

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “is that?”

  Sez nodded,

  “Yes. It’s the Blade of Insight.”

  Moli murmured,

  “If he managed to subdue one of the Arms of the Apocalypse… then he’s a Pillar, without a doubt.”

  Makoto frowned in surprise,

  “Don’t you mean an Anchor?”

  Moli smiled with cold sarcasm,

  “The Pillars existed to keep the sky from collapsing onto humanity. But—”

  He added flatly,

  “Now, it seems you’re nothing more than an anchor, meant only to stabilize the system.”

  A heavy silence passed as Makoto closed the distance without caution. At last, Moli spoke,

  “Rin Katakai’s life… is my life.”

  Makoto’s eyebrows shot up,

  “Wait—does that mean you formed a magical pact with her?! Why would you go that far?!”

  Moli lowered his hand to his hip, curling the fingers of his right hand as the vapor of his breath faded before his face.

  “Transfer…”

  Sez shouted sharply,

  “Stop it, you goddamned idiot! We’re still recovering from the ice! You’ll die!”

  Moli shot him a predatory look of concentration. Sez replied coldly,

  “I truly still don’t understand you.”

  Moli suddenly stopped, raised his hand, then sat down cross-legged on the ground. Makoto was shaken inwardly.

  “He completely caught me off guard with that bizarre move!”

  Makoto sheathed his sword and said sternly,

  “You will come with me to the clan. Join us, and we will spare your lives.”

  But in the very next instant, he drew his blade again to block a direct kick aimed at his head. His body was hurled toward the forest, uprooting several trees in its wake.

  Emma now stood before Rin, unmoving like a wall.

  She looked at Moli, then at Sez.

  “Who are these people, Rin?”

  Rin snapped back angrily,

  “And who are you?!”

  Emma’s eyes widened with sudden realization,

  “Oh… right. You don’t know me. I’m the one who avenged your father’s death. My name is Emma Maso.”

  Rin couldn’t process what was happening. She remained silent, staring at Moli. By pure instinct—whenever she felt unsafe—

  Suddenly, Moli slammed his fist into the ground. The earth exploded beneath his knuckles.

  Makoto appeared in front of him in an instant,

  “What are you doing here, Emma?! So you’re the one who escaped the Masonic order!”

  Emma opened her mouth to reply, but fell silent as Moli continued punching the ground, as if trying to injure his own fist, while it was the earth itself that split apart.

  Rin screamed with a trembling voice,

  “Stop, Moli! You’re scaring me!”

  At last, he stopped. He didn’t lift his head; his thick hair concealed his features.

  He spoke calmly, as though everything before had been an attempt to steady himself,

  “Sez… we part ways now.”

  Then he added, with a lost look only Sez understood,

  “This can’t continue. We are the Court Heralds… and we can’t fail him any longer. Go and search for the path back to your prime.”

  Sez fell silent for a long moment, then said, glancing at Emma,

  “We are weaker than you right now.”

  Emma replied simply,

  “Of course. Who are you, anyway?”

  Sez cut her off with a seriousness that unsettled them both,

  “But even so… we could kill you here and now.”

  Emma’s eyes widened. Sez stepped back,

  “I can’t add anything more in my current state…”

  Then he said in a deep voice,

  “This is advice from those who have witnessed what you’ve never even heard of—you…”

  He suddenly snapped,

  “Are nothing!”

  He vanished, cracking the air with a soft, oddly calming sound.

  Moli finally stood up. He looked at Emma and found her frozen, as if she had collided with the secret of a lifetime.

  Moli stretched his arms, as though shaking off an irritating stiffness from his muscles, his tone unexpectedly warm and friendly,

  “Maybe his tone was more serious than necessary. But despite how strange this magical era is—its power, its variety—you’ll feel insignificant when you see the truth. And it is coming, inevitably.”

  He then turned to Makoto,

  “We’ll join the Katakai clan. But I have one condition… I will be the second Anchor of the clan.”

  Makoto thought to himself,

  “I don’t know why… but I see honesty in every word they spoke.”

  He nodded and sheathed his sword,

  “You have it.”

  Then he turned to Emma,

  “And what about you? You know the clan welcomes you as well.”

  She looked at him coldly, then at Rin,

  “Even though I know you’re far from innocent, I’ll accept your offer this time.”

  She then turned to Moli with a sudden wide smile,

  “Unlike the boredom of the Masonic order, this place is insanely exciting.”