Sylphia remained silent as she listened to the ramblings of Havil Firlone—a long-haired white-haired man whose behavior defied the logic of any sane mind. It was as if he was stroking Sylphia's head, yet his hand hovered mid-air, nearly touching but never making contact. As if… it was intentional. Or perhaps he was afraid?
Havil leaned closer to Sylphia's ear.
"Oh right, Daddy has a gift for you in Daddy's lab. Do you want to see it?" he whispered, with a smile that could make babies cry and flowers wither at the same time.
Sylphia said nothing. Silence. Her face was like a stone statue.
Havil's mood instantly dropped, like a child whose candy had fallen into the gutter.
"Well fine, if you just want to stay quiet... But Daddy believes this gift will change that expression on your face."
With a dramatic gesture, Havil pressed his right hand against the wall. A hidden mechanism clicked, and the wall slowly slid open, revealing a new room. This time, it smelled more… human—burning wax instead of rotting flesh like before.
The room was small, with eight large candles lit atop black iron stands. At the far end stood a wooden table and chair—Havil's altar. A small lamp flickered dimly above the desk. A wooden bowl sat on the table, filled with a red liquid resembling blood... yet it had no smell. Strange. Unsettling.
The walls were plastered with anatomical diagrams—of both adults and children—but all grotesquely deformed. Just like the previous child victims.
Reyhan, whose mental state was like glass dropped from the tenth floor, still followed.
"Maybe... just to see," he muttered.
In the center of the floor was a bright red hendecagram. Paint? Blood? Who knows. And honestly, Reyhan didn't want to find out.
"Sylphia, lie down there, okay?" Havil said as he stood by the table. Then… he began removing his clothes. One by one. Until… nothing remained.
An alarm blared in Reyhan's head. 'Oh no… this is… this is definitely crazy stuff again.'
"I… I don't even know what to do anymore. I'm sick of this. Maybe I should just leave. There's nothing I can do," he murmured, nearly defeated. But… when he looked at Sylphia—though her face remained blank—her body trembled. Subtly, but enough to say one thing: fear.
"She's just a kid…"
Reyhan clenched his fists, like an anime protagonist on the verge of giving up.
"Come on, Reyhan. You fought for five years in your past life. A little more won't kill you," he whispered to motivate himself.
Meanwhile, Havil picked up the bowl from the table.
"Ta-da~! This is Daddy's gift for you, Sylphia!" he exclaimed like a failed magician. He even did a little hop, lifting the bowl high like it was the key to the world.
"You know what this is? A special potion Daddy made with lots of effort. This potion will… remove the barrier between us."
'Barrier?' Reyhan took note of the word.
Seeing Sylphia's trembling, Havil grew more excited. He spun around, laughing. Like a clown… from a horror film.
"This guy's totally deranged," Reyhan couldn't help but comment internally.
Havil stopped, took a deep breath, then said,
"Daddy is so happy. Soon your curse will disappear. We'll be able to hug, kiss, and do all kinds of fun things."
...crickets.
"Some of Daddy's favorite slaves died because of your curse. That curse of yours turns anyone who touches you into eternal ice…" he added with a fake sad expression, like a parody of a soap opera.
'So that's it… That's why the other kids only threw rocks at her. And why he never actually touched her head… What was her name again? Oh right, Sylphia Astheris. That curse… protects her,' Reyhan thought.
"Alright! Let's begin, Sylphi~!"
Havil placed the bowl down, and—unnaturally—tore off his outer skin. From his fake skin emerged his true form, a middle-aged man with tangled white hair, oversized pores, a flat nose, completely white eyes, and lipless mouth.
"Aaah…" he sighed, hugging himself. "This body… feels better. Though the other one was more handsome."
"Good god… disgusting. I should've run while I had the chance," Reyhan grew more frustrated. But when he looked at Sylphia again—lying there, terrified, powerless—the expression he hadn't seen before… was there now.
Reyhan exhaled deeply.
"Maybe… I'll leave after I save this little girl."
Havil noticed Sylphia's expression change. His reaction? Laughter. Loud, maniacal laughter.
"Finally! Your expression changed! Daddy's gift worked!"
"Alright! Let's begin!" He grabbed the bowl again and prepared to pour it on Sylphia.
"Wait… Wait a second!" Reyhan panicked, his eyes scanning the room. Dust. Lots of dust.
As Havil was about to pour the liquid, Reyhan directed the dust into… Havil's nose.
Because his nose was flat, the dust entered easily. Havil sneezed hard—ACHOO!—his hands trembled, and the liquid spilled.
Dramatically, he fell to his knees.
"NOOO!!!" he screamed at the ceiling. "Now… I can't… remove the curse… anymore…" tears (or snot?) streamed down his face.
"Phew, thank goodness that worked," Reyhan said.
Sylphia? Her face returned to its usual blank state. As if to say, 'Thank goodness.'
"But just kidding," Havil sneered, like a villain who thought he had plot armor. He stood, opened a drawer, and took out a small glass vial filled with the same liquid. And a mask.
"I'm wearing a mask now~" he chirped while putting it on.
"Oh god… please, stop," Reyhan groaned.
Havil approached—faster this time. Reyhan couldn't react in time. As Havil prepared to pour the contents of the vial—
BOOM!
An explosion tore through the room. Part of the ceiling collapsed. A large chunk fell and struck Havil's hand, shattering the vial.
Miraculously, not a single piece of debris touched Sylphia. As if she'd used 100% of her luck that day.
"DAMN IT! DAMN YOU! BASTARD!!!" Havil screamed.
Beside him appeared a five-meter-tall monster—bulging muscles, skinless body, rampaging like the final boss of a survival game.
Reyhan: "Ah, whatever… I'm not even surprised anymore. But wait… isn't that the kid who was having sex earlier?"
The monster lowered its head.
"Master… thank you for the potion…" it said, voice heavy, trembling. "Thanks to the Aberra pill you dropped… I can… kill you."
The monster roared. Its stomps shook the room. Then it lunged at Havil. But Havil? He simply sidestepped. Shadows rose from the floor, cloaked his body, and teleported him away.
The back wall exploded. Debris flew everywhere.
One piece nearly hit Sylphia. But before it could touch her… it froze. Turned into ice.
Reyhan stared.
"Whoa… this kid's definitely a genius character with a tragic past. If left alone, she'll become a disaster in the future…"
"I have to take her. But how?"
As he was deep in thought, a familiar chime echoed.
Ding!
A blue transparent screen appeared mid-air in front of Reyhan. A neutral, emotionless voice echoed in his mind.
[Divine Spirit System Activated]
"Welcome, chosen entity."
"Status: Formless Spirit – Wind Element."
"Beginning system activation…"
"Please choose: Do you wish to accept the contract with the Divine Spirit System?"
[Yes] — [No]
Reyhan froze, staring at the screen in disbelief. Outside, chaos raged—Havil laughed among the ruins, the monster boy roared as he attacked, and Sylphia… still lay helpless.
"If there's no option to 'BECOME A GOD WHILE GIVING SYLPHIA A SHIELD', I might as well uninstall this system!" he barked.
[Request Accepted. Adjusting system based on emotional priority.]
Main Functions:
• Creation and distribution of Divine Spirits to followers.
• Development of followers via energy-based cultivation.
• System stability depends on host's emotional state.
• Use of non-wind elements available only through mediums.
Do you wish to proceed?
[Yes] — [No]
"…YES! Hurry! Save her!" Reyhan shouted.
[Confirmation received.]
[System connected.]
[Initial Mission: Select Your First Follower.]
Without a second thought, Reyhan shouted in his mind.
"Sylphia Astheris!"
[Identity locked. Initiating priority protection.]
[Absolute Dimension – Absolute Space]
In an instant, the world around Sylphia transformed.
The sounds of explosions, monstrous roars, and Havil's deranged laughter vanished. She now lay in the center of a vast, white space—no walls, no ceiling—as if suspended in an infinite realm made of quiet light and soft wind that blew from every direction.
A gentle breeze wrapped around her body, like an invisible embrace.
[Welcome to the Absolute Dimension – the Divine Spirit System's ultimate protection zone.]
"No external entities may enter without the host's permission."
"Transfer is temporary until the initial contract is complete."