Kairo was about to get to his training when his movement slowed down. The Protector in his hands, he had a newborn idea in mind. 'Jed and the others had their innerselves freed by the Surgeon using promised results. At that time, they were not in a calm state, leading them to turn into the monsters they became. It wasn't that the monster represented who they are, but simply a volatile state of who they were at the moment. Does that mean using the same principle we can reverse this?' Kairo's mind went into action.
He had promised Jeder to help find a solution to all of this. And that wasn't the only one—he had promised the little girl too, that he would find a solution for her. But all this time, Kairo had not found any useful clue on how to revert their situation—until after he awakened the Protector.
'I will be right back,' Kairo thought, keeping his training at the back of his mind for now.
Kairo returned to the isolated building at the edge of the Card Mage headquarters. Nothing had changed from the last time he came. The massive 'monster' still stood behind the white-blue veil. However, Kairo noticed that there were fewer doctors and engineers here than the last time, giving him a feeling of abandonment—as if they had given up after being unable to find a solution.
In the corner, in front of the veil, Kairo noticed a person he didn't expect to see here. Jeder was lost in his own world, observing the bestial wolf that was now Jed behind the veil. Like most of the creatures on the other side, they had void expressions, replaced by animal traits that would strike terror in any normal person's eyes.
If Kairo didn't know they had been human at one point, he would have truly believed they were nothing more than that—animals with no life. But that wasn't the case, and Kairo knew it too well. He also noticed the little girl they saved on their first mission.
Her body had changed even more. She now appeared like a mixture of human and poulpe, with tentacles spreading outward from her body. Unlike the big creatures, her little body had a harder time adapting to the change, causing her expression to be in constant pain. It was for this little girl Danzna had made that bet with Magnus. He didn't show the signs, but he deeply cared for those around him—Kairo came to learn that much on the submarine.
"They are not monsters, but just reflections of their state at one point in time. This doesn't make them evil," Kairo said. Every person had their own bad days. It was just how life worked, Kairo thought. He wasn't saying this just to appear friendly, but because it was a fact. The simple fact that he had gotten the Protector was clear proof of how Card Magic functioned.
"Might be, but that's only your opinion, Kairo. People lie about being able to see with the heart, but that is just disguised hypocrisy. The first thing we always stop at is the physical. Even if we get around the physical later on, it is still the first filter we look at," Jeder said. Visibly, his anger at Kairo had lessened over time—probably because Kairo was among the only few who knew this place still existed.
Kairo fell silent. He had a strange feeling, like it was not Jeder talking, but his heart speaking to him. He found it hard to deny the truth in those words.
"What happened to the doctors and engineers who were supposed to help them?" Kairo couldn't help but ask.
"An incident happened here a few days ago, while we were all on the escort mission. An engineer was wounded, and that caused all the volunteers to come less and less to give their help."
"I understand," Kairo sighed. It wasn't that the Card Mage organization was abandoning them. Kairo knew his father would never have done something like this. Yet this was the feeling that this place evoked.
"We have always looked at this problem from too rigid a point of view. It is Card Magic that has turned them into this. And I believe it will be Card Magic that can help them. I would like to try something. I can't be certain it will work, but I want to give it a try, though," Kairo said.
Surprised, Jeder glanced in his direction. His eyes seemed to wonder why Kaior had not given up yet.
"I know what it feels like. Wind Breaker and Wind Slayer are clear reminders that I am not really different from them," Kaior said.
Wind Slayer was a killing machine that would strike anything within Kaior's range when it was summoned, ally or foe. The Dead Paladin was another one. All of those abilities resulted from something within his innerself at the moment they were activated. But did that mean Kaior was an agent of death and chaos like the Dead Paladin? He doubted it.
"Give it a try then," Jeder said, his voice dripping with pessimistic optimism.
Kaior nodded and went closer to the veil. The 'people' on the other side all glanced in his direction, getting agitated by his presence. The Bestial Wolf of Jed drew his claws on the veil, causing an ear-piercing sound to resound in the area, its deep red eyes gleaming like blood moons.
"The innerself state affects everything. From the cards we awaken to this. I will try to spread my aura to them, creating something different from the aggressiveness in their eyes," Kaior said.
He placed his palms on the veil and took a deep breath.
Hope it works, Kaior said inwardly.
Trying with the little girl, Kaior went into action, letting his breath rise and fall like blowing winds. His white aura began spreading outward like ink, painting onto the veil as it spread.
"Impossible! He summoned the circuitry of the void out of nothing!" Jeder said, eyes wide open.
Kaior was not aware of what was going on around him and could not see how the circuitry was reacting to his attempt. Time ticked slowly, and when the aura touched the little girl, she stumbled backward in fright—the type of reaction one had when jolted out of a bad dream.
By the time Kaior opened his eyes, he noticed quite a few changes around him. A large group of people had joined them in the building, all staring at him in amazement. It was like his action had alarmed the entire headquarters, causing the captains to rush in.
In front of Kaior were a few people with confused expressions. They looked back and forth as if they were lost, trying to understand why they were here.
Kaior noticed a little girl hugging him from the waist, a huge smile on her face—the type to disarm even the angriest person in the world. Her long jet-black hair had regained its unique color, dancing back and forth as she shook her head in joy.
"You promised to help me, Officer Kaior. Thank you," she said.
Kaior gently placed his finger on her hair.
"I promised," he said.
It has worked, Kaior kept repeating inwardly.
On the other side of the veil, all the monsters had regained their human form. Jed lay on the ground with a peculiar expression on his face.
"To think I was saved by you. So embarrassing," he said. Although he said that, his tone was light and almost comedic. He was so happy to be back that his laughter was held on his face.
Among the few people who didn't come to see Kaior's exploit was Magnus's father. In his office, with the Seriuth monster, the duo both exchanged glances when they noticed Kaior summon the circuitry of the void.
"Tik…tak…" the Seriuth monster said.
Magnus glanced at the window, his eyes seemingly able to see beyond—past the fabric of time itself.
"Legends should stay buried," he said.
…
Somewhere…
In the middle of what felt like a throne hall, a figure sat on the ground. Battered and old, he appeared like an old beggar that had been lost, forgotten, or almost frozen in time. All around him were walls made of old granite, stuck to each other like constructions that dated from a very long time ago.
"The ability to summon the circuitry of the void out of nothing… hmm, signs of the Mage Awakening, isn't it, Lio?" the beggar asked the person seated across from him.
But there was no response. When he lifted his head, he saw nothing but a pile of bones that had a hard time staying in the lotus position.
The old man arranged the skeleton to prevent it from falling over.
"You've been so quiet these days. What's with all the energy you had back then?... Oh, what are you saying… that you're tired and want to rest?"
The old man frowned.
"Come on, you can't leave me alone. Time is restructuring itself. Now that the Mage Awakening has flickered—even if just for an instant—we are closer. Once it is complete, we will return to our era, where we once dominated every life that existed... What? You say you don't want to dominate? Fine. I'll do it without you."
He pushed the skeleton away.
"You were always against me anyway. Good—you can't talk anymore. I will find Slayer, cut his tongue off, and regain what was taken from me."