Chris bounded up the stairs to the roof, taking them two at a time. What met his eyes was the young boy, Lune, completely passed out and slumped limply in Silvan’s arms.

  "Hey, Silvan, those exaggerated black thorns just now... Shumanton made them, right?" Chris strode over, his eyes fixed in annoyance on the boy in Silvan’s embrace. "That old immortal monster, how did he shrink back into this damn little brat again?"

  Silvan didn't answer. He simply hoisted the unconscious Lune onto his back in silence, casting his gaze toward the distant woods and streets that had been bombed into ruins.

  Then, pale blue magical particles rapidly gathered in the air before Chris, forming a translucent alchemy light-screen. Rows of text steadily floated across it:

  [You should still remember, right? Shumanton's sealing magic is exceptionally powerful, and it doesn't need to abide by the law of 'Equivalent Exchange.' After all, it is a gift from the ancient god of seals.]

  [However, creating a barrier with the extreme stability of a 'Hexagonal Crystal' requires an unimaginable amount of energy. Especially when infusing the power of seals into the hexagonal lattice, one must precisely control the arrangement of every single crystal cell, suppressing the berserk energy amidst scattering phonons. Only then can a perfect sealing channel be constructed—which is what we know as the 'core-seal lines.']

  The light-screen flickered, and the text continued to jump:

  [People in this world who can create barriers are a dime a dozen; after all, it's just the restructuring of magical particles in the air. But the vast majority simply cannot wield the power of seals because they cannot create a stable barrier capable of bearing that divine might. They don't have Shumanton's brain, which is comparable to a supercomputer. You have to understand, the Empire poured an astronomical amount of money into modifying a brain like that back then... even if, to the higher-ups, it was just a disposable consumable.]

  [Shumanton spent his entire life sealing this and sealing that for others. Perhaps he finally grew tired of it all, which is why he went to such great lengths to create a human barrier named 'Lune,' sealing his own soul fragments inside to escape from everything.]

  "Tch, I really can't figure out what goes on in the heads of these perverts modified by the Empire. What an absolute pain in the ass!" Chris scratched his hair in sheer frustration. "He didn't say anything weird to you just now, did he, Silvan? That guy is a sharp-tongued freak!"

  [You don't need to worry about that. However... Shumanton seems to have lost his eyesight.]

  Silvan paused slightly at the top of the stairs before heading down. Chris stopped behind him in confusion. Through the translucent light-screen, he could clearly hear Lune snoring steadily on Silvan's back.

  [Shumanton has always despised the weak. Although losing his sight doesn't actually affect his combat power much for a monster like him... you know as well as I do... he has always sought death.]

  "Hah, how incredibly boring. I say, Silvan, why do you care so much about that weirdo's mental state?"

  [I am merely fulfilling my objective duties as a military doctor, Chris. Besides, he just handed me the pocket watch containing a portion of his power... though I won't presume to guess his intentions.]

  Chris let out an extremely disdainful snort.

  "Why can't you two just be straightforward? That guy Shumanton has you in his heart, and it's not like you just found out today. Stop always running away, Silvan." He turned to look at the setting sun dipping between the ruined walls, his tone carrying a rare hint of helplessness.

  The text on the screen paused for two seconds before slowly reappearing:

  [You've suddenly become a meddlesome old hen, Chris.]

  [...The 'Solar-ore' energy stones equipped in the high-ranking Silverwing Fighters possess an extremely high level of instability. They are like miniature nuclear fusion furnaces, constantly releasing high-frequency radiation to provide massive energy. Even if trapped within a stable Hexagonal Crystal Barrier, a collision will still trigger a devastating shockwave.]

  [Anyway, you should just properly thank Shumanton for saving your life just now. Also, stop focusing your mind on trivial matters; consider this my well-intentioned advice.]

  Chris gave another heavy snort and said nothing more. The two looked back one last time at the blown-to-pieces wreckage of their carriage, then left the scorched streets on foot, disappearing into the depths of the forest.

  ＊

  After entering the forest, they temporarily settled down in an abandoned hunter's cabin.

  "Hah... hah...!"

  Lying on a crude straw mat, Lune suddenly jolted awake. He gasped for air, drenched in cold sweat, as if he had just narrowly escaped from a life-or-death nightmare in hell.

  Silvan sat quietly beside him, reaching out with a gloved hand to gently pat Lune's back, trying to help him catch his breath. Lune took the handkerchief Silvan handed him, haphazardly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and struggled to sit up.

  "...Uncle Chris, Uncle Silvan! A-Are you guys okay? Sorry, I think I suddenly blacked out and fainted...?"

  Chris walked over, his arms crossed. Seeing the Lune who had been covered in sweat a second ago now looking at him with the pure, innocent eyes of a fifteen-year-old boy, Chris was so angry his white hair practically stood on end.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Natsuhyan Shumanton! Why the hell are you doing this incredibly boring, stupid thing?! Stuffing yourself into the body of a little brat to hide and escape from life? You are a complete and utter coward!"

  "Ah?! Uncle Chris, what the heck are you babbling about! I already told you I'm not that Shumanton guy... Besides, how could a weakling like me possibly be a monster known as a 'War God'..." Lune turned his head away, feeling deeply wronged.

  However, deep down, Lune felt a twinge of guilt.

  Just now, while he was unconscious, some bizarre memory fragments had surfaced in his mind. It felt like astral projection; from a third-person perspective, he clearly saw what had happened in the tavern a few days ago—he saw a "himself" that was definitely not him, using his body.

  That person's eyes had radiated a terrifying cyan light, his tone of voice was old-fashioned and overly polite, and he even... he even kissed Uncle Silvan in public?!

  (Oh, just kill me now... What the hell did that Shumanton guy do with my body...?!)

  Lune clutched his head in agony. At this very moment, his heart was filled with such shame and indescribable regret that he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself. He absolutely didn't dare look Silvan in the eye!

  In that bizarre memory of Lune's, it was right before the massive earthquake struck.

  Chris and Silvan were sitting in a corner booth by the window in the tavern, while the "Lune" of that time sat slumped in a wheelchair, sleeping like a soulless puppet. Seeing how accustomed Chris was to this, it seemed this was his normal daily state.

  Then, without any warning, the earthquake erupted.

  The street outside the window instantly burst open, and a giant rock vein emitting a blinding light smashed out of the earth! The terrifying shockwave shattered all the glass, instantly turning the tavern into a chaotic hellscape.

  People screamed and fled amidst the violent shaking. Silvan didn't have time to deploy a defensive barrier and was pulled behind Chris's back. Chris brandished his light-sword, blocking all the flying glass shards and debris. Once Silvan managed to stabilize his footing, he immediately rushed forward, tightly pulling the wheelchair-bound Lune into his embrace. The three of them quickly took cover under a heavy, solid wood table.

  However, the earthquake didn't stop; it only grew more intense.

  Right at that moment, the perpetually sleeping Lune's finger suddenly twitched slightly. This minuscule movement went completely unnoticed, even by Silvan, who was right next to him.

  "—Stop."

  Accompanied by a low, deeply authoritative command.

  An unimaginably massive Hexagonal Crystal Barrier instantly expanded with the three of them at its center, completely covering the violent, giant rock vein outside! Lune slowly opened his eyes, the pupils swirling with an awe-inspiring cyan halo that echoed the motes of light on the barrier.

  In the blink of an eye, the earthquake that felt like it was going to tear the world apart miraculously ceased.

  Under the terrified gazes of everyone in the tavern, Lune gently pushed Silvan's hand away, stood up from under the table, and slowly climbed onto the solid wood tabletop.

  "'Solar-ore'... A filthy substance that covers the earth due to human greed and war."

  Lune—no, the one dominating this body right now was the War God, Shumanton. He slowly reached out a youthful hand, and an alchemy circle blazing with white-gold flames bloomed in the air above his palm.

  "I, Natsuhyan Shumanton, judge you here as the proxy of the ancient god of seals. In the name of the absolute seal granted by God, you shall be eternally buried beneath this wrathful earth!"

  "—Slumber, 'Solar-ore'!"

  The moment his words fell, dazzling golden core-seal lines surfaced on Lune's small hand. The Hexagonal Crystal Barrier erupted with brilliant golden light as cyan, low-temperature plasma flowed rapidly through the gaps in the crystal lattice, weaving an airtight net spanning the heavens and earth.

  Inside the barrier, the originally frantic and scorching cyan-gold edge of the Solar-ore began to dim rapidly, like a baby being forcefully pacified before finally falling into a sound sleep. A few seconds later, only a large chunk of faded, dead ore crystal remained on the street. Nobody could have possibly imagined that just moments ago, it was a dangerous mineral vein capable of destroying the town.

  With the crisis averted, Silvan stood up amidst the ruins and silently looked at Lune standing on the table.

  The cyan glow deep in Lune's eyes had yet to fade. However, those eyes, which originally carried a sharp gaze that looked down on the world, miraculously melted into endless tenderness the moment they reflected Silvan's figure.

  The severe tremor had caused cracks to form on Silvan's mask. When Lune's warm little hand gently touched it, the mask let out a crisp sound and completely peeled away, revealing the rugged, ugly face underneath that had been entirely disfigured by severe burns.

  "Pu-Ying Fraschi..."

  Lune (Shumanton) used those youthful hands to cherish and cup Silvan's terrifying face, as if holding the most precious treasure in the world.

  "The gods... finally granted my wish after all. You... are still here."

  With those words, ignoring the disgusted, seeing-a-ghost expression on Chris's face nearby, he leaned in slightly and left an incredibly gentle kiss on that scar-riddled cheek.

  However, the price for forcibly activating the Hexagonal Crystal Barrier was immense.

  The massive energy overdraft caused the cyan light in Lune's eyes to instantly collapse. He let out a painful grunt, curled up his body under a splitting headache, and collapsed on the table, convulsing madly. Finally, he vomited uncomfortably all over the floor, only gradually recovering the consciousness belonging to "Lune" amidst his hazy mind.

  The newly awakened Lune turned his head in a daze, his line of sight landing exactly on Silvan's unmasked, disfigured, and distorted face.

  "Ahhh! Oh my god! A monster!!"

  The fifteen-year-old boy screamed in terror, tears instantly shooting from his eyes.

  "Dad! Dad, where are you?! Help me, Dad—!" Panic-stricken, Lune shoved the frozen Silvan away, scrambled off the table, and began fleeing wildly through the glass-strewn tavern.

  "Fucking hell... You kiss someone and then instantly play amnesiac and play dead?!" Chris once again showed a look of utter disgust, taking off after Lune. "Shumanton! Get back here, you bastard!"

  Amidst the commotion, only Silvan stood quietly in place.

  Through the reflection in the broken glass on the floor, he saw his swollen, twisted face, its facial features so blurred they were barely discernible.

  He had thought that this heart, riddled with a thousand holes, would no longer sting at the fear and rejection of others. Yet, at this very moment, he couldn't help but raise a hand to silently press against his chest, murmuring to himself in the dead silence.

  (...So, it still hurts after all.)

  On the other side, Chris had already grabbed Lune by the ear, the boy's tragic wails echoing into the sky.

  Silvan let out a soundless sigh. He turned and retrieved another spare, plain mask from beneath the cushion of Lune's wheelchair, quietly putting it on to conceal his unsightliness and fragility back in the shadows.

  Accompanied by Chris's barrage of frantic cursing, Silvan walked slowly over to the two of them. He squatted down gently beside the snot-and-tear-covered Lune, reaching out his large, leather-gloved hand to softly stroke the top of the boy's head.

  That quiet, tolerant, and incredibly patient touch made Lune absentmindedly think of his father. In his memories, his father seemed to be like this too, always rubbing his hair with warm, large hands, gently soothing all his anxieties.

  Finally, under the silent yet powerful companionship of Silvan, Lune gradually stopped crying. He sniffled, and feeling a little embarrassed, he took Silvan's hand and followed them onto the carriage parked outside the tavern.