Chapter Title: Black and False (1)
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"How can a lowly creature like you wield the mana of nature?!"
Kroha hurriedly clamped a hand over Kali's mouth as she screamed in an uncontainable voice.
Even though his room was more isolated than the others, this much commotion was bound to attract attention.
"Mmgh-!"
"I get it, so just be quiet!"
Whether it warranted such shock or not, Kali's face was flushed bright red.
"Pha-! Explain exactly what happened!"
That was the loudest volume she could muster.
Kroha couldn't come up with a ready answer. Any explanation would drag on endlessly.
After some deliberation, the conclusion he reached was this.
"Dissolving Ice. It's the name of a constitution where mana doesn't accumulate in the dantian but disperses instead. It's also the incurable disease I've been suffering from."
Kroha pointed to his abdomen with a finger.
"So I'm handling mana through here—my heart—instead of the dantian."
Two sentences that concisely summed up the River he'd painstakingly built over a long time.
"Hmm."
Kali pressed her brow and closed her eyes, racking her brains to understand Kroha's words.
A moment later, she clapped her hands with a snap and spoke up again.
"An intriguing notion."
As a Progenitor Human, her grasp was quicker than expected—a relief.
"That way, you mitigate the risks of a frail body and harness natural mana without limit."
Dissolving Ice was a relatively recent affliction. It was no surprise it felt unfamiliar to Kali, who had slumbered for ages.
But in a ridiculous turn, she instantly comprehended the structure of the River built around Dissolving Ice.
"So that's why you were plastered to the scarlet garden all day?"
"Huh?"
Kroha wondered how she knew that, but quickly realized it was a foolish question.
A few days earlier, Kali had rifled through his memories on her own whim.
"...Now that you mention it, didn't you peek into my memories? How come you didn't know?"
His memories inevitably included the process of constructing his River.
So Kali should have known he could wield natural mana.
"I didn't peek. I looked quite openly."
"Anyway."
"Even for me, the memories I can access are just fragmented scenes."
He couldn't picture it precisely, but it felt akin to glimpsing scattered snapshots.
"How was I supposed to tell from those if you were just sprawled out asleep or meditating?"
"Fair enough."
In that case, her ignorance made perfect sense.
Under normal circumstances, Kroha's River wasn't active enough for him to sense natural mana.
'So this wasn't pure coincidence after all.'
The engraving had first reacted the moment he consumed the family elixir and completed his River.
In the end, Kali's manifestation was because Kroha's body had fulfilled the relic's role, enabling him to wield natural mana.
"More fascinating still—to encounter another creature who can wield natural mana."
"Has there been others like me before?"
"Somewhat different, but yes. Quite some time ago."
Intriguing information, to say the least.
Unfortunately, with no records left behind, it seemed that individual hadn't risen to prominence.
What drew Kroha's attention, though, was Kali's subtly darkened expression.
'Whatever the circumstances, that's genuine emotion.'
He'd noticed it before, but Kali was a far cry from the mythical aura shrouding Progenitor Humans.
Kroha chose not to pry.
They weren't close enough for that, and more pressing matters remained.
"So, no more problems from here on out?"
"Everything's already in place."
All the rituals required to wield a Blessing had been fulfilled.
In Kroha's case, no separate contract was needed, and they'd just confirmed his body could stand in for the relic.
All that was left was to actually manifest the Blessing.
'Speaking of which...'
Realizing he'd overlooked the key detail, Kroha glanced down at the engraving on the back of his hand.
"By now, you're surely wondering. What domain it is that I govern."
Kali saw right through him and spoke first.
"Can't say I'm not."
"It'll be worth the anticipation."
Kali nodded as if she'd expected as much.
From her, a pitch-black darkness spread, enveloping and seeping into every object in the room.
The room itself seemed to vanish into some hidden elsewhere.
"This is..."
"No cause for alarm. I'm merely carving out an isolated space, severed from the outside."
Kroha could sense it wasn't mere exaggeration.
His sight, smell, hearing—all external sensations were drifting away.
An experience entirely new to him.
"No need for such surprise at this. The Blessing of Black is far grander still."
"Blessing of Black..."
"Indeed. That's the power I wield, which I simply call Black Domain."
It bordered on bragging. But...
"This, too, is a technique I devised—Abyss."
It was a situation that fully warranted boasting. The Abyss space alone attested to that.
'Feels like stepping into another world.'
The scene evoked the sensation of being drawn into a literal abyss somewhere in the world.
He had witnessed the power of Blessings in his past life, but Black Domain carried a different vibe.
The feeling it stirred was a mix of subtle excitement and blind unease.
"Knew you'd wear an amusing expression, creature."
"...At this level, even Ronne would never notice."
"Obviously. I don't go to these lengths under normal circumstances."
That explained how her presence had evaded detection all this time.
"As I said, don't assume Black Domain's power ends here. You can't wield Black with such limits."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't impose boundaries. Every Blessing has an essence. Black Domain's is Falsehood. Do you grasp what that entails?"
Suddenly hit with this philosophical query on the meaning of Falsehood, Kroha couldn't respond easily.
"Of course not. A foolish, ill-tempered creature like you wouldn't."
Kali sidled up beside him and patted his shoulder.
"So allow me to enlighten you personally on what Falsehood truly means."
Her finger pointed upward, toward the Abyss itself.
"It is to conceal and forge—the very possibility of crafting truth."
The words rang like heretical doctrine, but he kept the thought to himself.
No, he couldn't voice it.
Snap!
Kali lightly snapped her fingers. A portion of the enveloping darkness converged in one spot, unleashing an unbelievable phenomenon.
Witnessing it, Kroha had no choice but to concede: the phrase "possibility of crafting truth" was no exaggeration.
"In essence, Black Domain wields the power of creation."
Kali flashed a smug, pleased smile.
And so, training in the Black began.
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'No idea what to even say.'
At the same time, Ronne lingered before Anet's door, deep in thought.
Reporting on Kroha was routine as breathing, yet today his feet refused to move.
'Lost his confidence? No... that might unsettle Lady Anet.'
No fitting words came to mind.
How could he phrase it to downplay Kroha's condition?
Blasphemous as it was, he found himself resenting Luke's abrupt visit to Thorn Hill.
Without that, this fragile peace might have lasted a bit longer.
Knock knock.
"It's Ronne. May I enter for a moment?"
Only after sorting his thoughts did he finally knock. Still no certainty on his words.
"...Come in."
The response came after a pause, devoid of energy.
Ronne eased the door open cautiously. He could only sigh inwardly.
'This is bad.'
Anet sat by the window, staring blankly into the distance. Her pallor screamed poor health at a glance.
He'd anticipated it, but seeing her like this firsthand made speaking all the harder.
Yet he couldn't neglect his duty. Awkward or not, he had to report.
"Milady, today's report: Young Master Kroha studied the theory of mana application. He also succeeded in processing mana and integrating it into an artifact. And..."
His words trailed off as Anet turned her head.
"Go on?"
"It seems the young master has some troubles weighing on him."
"...I knew it."
Anet sighed deeply and rubbed her face. A heavy silence stretched between them.
"What if I made the wrong choice?"
Anet broke it first.
Ronne knew this had gnawed at her for a long time.
The lingering regret—had she saddled Kroha with a burden too great to bear?
Naturally, it had all begun with Luke Frontel's visit to Thorn Hill.
'That was merely a harbinger.'
Soon enough, Kroha would depart for the family proper, facing far harsher straits.
Anet knew it well, and it tore her up inside.
"...Forgive my impertinence. Thank you as always, but I think I need some time alone right now."
Anet mustered a strained smile laced with complex emotions. Ronne was powerless to help.
Blindly defending Kroha was forbidden for a Frontel retainer.
Nor could he, as her friend, presume to declare Kroha's uncertain future.
'It's cruel.'
In moments like these, doubt crept in as habit.
All Ronne could do was vaguely hope time would mend it.
And before long, he would come to regret that inaction.
He never could have foreseen what was to come.