Later that night, Ark and Mizan sat by the bonfire in front of the shelter Ark had built, having eaten their fill of roasted meat. Mizan marveled, as always, at the sheer amount of food Ark could devour in a single meal.
As the thick, gloomy clouds overhead dispersed, Ark gazed at the night sky through a break in the forest canopy above them. Three moons hung in the sky: one nearly full, the second barely visible, and the third a delicate crescent.
Mizan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his fidgeting impossible to ignore. Ark noticed and, in his usual blunt manner, asked, "What's with you? You need to take a dump? Go over there and do it. Or are you scared of the dark?" He chuckled mockingly.
Mizan froze, caught off-guard. "Th-That's not it!" he stammered.
Ark raised a brow. "Then what is it?"
"Senior Ark... Can I ask you a question?" Mizan's tone was hesitant but insistent.
Ark shrugged. "Ask away."
Mizan hesitated. This question had been lingering in his mind since they first met. He didn't know why it bothered him so much, but his curiosity had grown unbearable. Finally, he blurted it out. "Who is Lady Mystic?"
The moment these words were spoken, the air around them seemed to freeze. Ark's eyes widened in shock, and in an instant, his entire demeanor changed. Like a tiger who got his tail stepped on, he sprang forward. Before Mizan could react, Ark grabbed him by the neck, lifting him off the ground.
"How do you know that name?" Ark roared, his voice filled with fury. "SPEAK!"
His eyes turned from their usual green to an eerie blue glow, his killing intent radiating so strongly that Mizan's heart nearly stopped. The boy's mind raced, his hands clawing at Ark's grip as he struggled to breathe.
"Argh! Agh!" Mizan gasped, his face turning red. "F-From you! I heard it from you when we first met! Please, Senior Ark!" His eyes watered, and he coughed violently.
Ark froze for a moment. Mizan's words pierced through the storm in his mind. He strained to remember. Yes... when they met in the cemetery, he had, in fact, muttered the name Lady Mystic without realizing it. His grip on Mizan loosened as frustration, guilt, and anger flashed across his face. With a trembling hand, he let the boy drop to the ground.
Mizan collapsed, gasping for air, coughing uncontrollably.
"Cough! Cough!"
"Cough!"
His body shook with terror. He thought he was going to die. Whatever fragile trust he had built toward Ark over the past two days had shattered in an instant. The man before him was more dangerous than Mizan had ever imagined—dangerous even to himself.
Ark took several unsteady steps back. He clutched his head with both hands, his face pale and contorted with anguish. "ARGH! STOP!" he shouted, his voice breaking with raw emotion. The outburst made Mizan flinch again, too frightened to move.
The moments that followed stretched into an unbearable silence. Slowly, Ark's breathing steadied, and the wild energy around him began to dissipate. Without a word, he stripped off his cloak and shirt and sank into the nearby hot spring bath.
Ark sat still in the bath for a long moment, his eyes distant, as if gazing at something far beyond the horizon. Perhaps it was the guilt for what he had done to Mizan, or perhaps he just wished to unburden himself. He finally began to speak, his voice slow and deliberate, as though each word carried a burden of great significance.
"There is a place," he said, his tone almost reverent. "Far from here. Very far. It's called Almord." He paused, as though recalling a vivid memory. "There, the natural energy is so rich—so abundant—that the impossible becomes ordinary. Floating islands and continents drift as easily as clouds. Rivers of lava flow upward, defying gravity year-round. And there are trees… colossal trees that grow from the ocean depths, their trunks piercing through the clouds."
Mizan listened intently, his astonishment growing with every word. Yet he remained silent, too wary to interrupt.
Ark's gaze remained distant. "In Almord, there are nations—prosperous, powerful nations—blessed with resources beyond imagination. They achieved wonders, blending the brilliance of their people with the endless energy of the land, leading to one great technological breakthrough after another."
His eyes darkened slightly. "In that place, there stood twelve individuals above all else."
The words hung in the air like a solemn proclamation.
"These twelve existences were not merely strong," Ark continued, each word slow and heavy. "To call them powerful is to diminish what they were. They were absolute... Yes, the people of Almord called them, the Twelve Absolute Lords. They were unmatched. Each of them governed great territories and commanded forces capable of shaking the world itself. Nations, kingdoms—even entire empires—sought to serve under one of the Twelve Absolutes. It was a privilege to belong to their dominion."
Mizan felt his breath hitch, his imagination painting images of towering figures who could reshape the world with a mere thought.
"There was one person among these twelve," Ark said, his tone softening. "One who was unlike any other. And that was Lady Mystic."
The way he spoke her name was different—laden with a mixture of longing and something deeper, something unresolved.
"She wasn't just one of the Twelve Absolute Lords. She stood above them all. There were two among the Twelve renowned for their destructive combat prowess. But she…" He shook his head slowly. "She was the strongest."
Mizan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"It was said that even if the other eleven lords united against her, they would still fall. No one questioned it. Her strength was absolute—an unshakable truth known to all."
Ark let the weight of his words settle before continuing. "Though she never fought all eleven at once, there are records of catastrophic battles that shocked all of Almord—battles that left lasting effects, with her facing multiple lords at the same time… and dismantling them. Completely."
Mizan couldn't hide his shock. His mind swirled with the sheer magnitude of what Ark was describing.
"She was known for her absolute control over the elements of space and time. And…" Ark paused, his eyes meeting Mizan's.
Mizan flinched under Ark's piercing stare.
"…one of the four fundamental forces: the gravitational force," Ark said solemnly.
Mizan felt a cold chill settle over him. 'W-what? Gravity… is that why Ark said my ability had to do with gravity? Because he knows someone who has similar power?'
Ark's gaze softened slightly. "She used to be my friend. Or at least… I thought she was."