Moments after Polyphemus's arrival, Erick stormed off without a word.
Mako, Ana, and Polyphemus had retreated to the grand library of the mansion.
The tiny imp was fluttering over a stack of papers, rifling through them at breakneck speed, muttering to himself.
"How strange," the hellspawn mumbled under his breath.
"What's strange?" Mako asked, helping to tidy the chaos of papers strewn across the table.
"Your ability, Mako. That's what's strange," Polyphemus sighed, almost defeated.
He hadn't found what he was looking for.
"There's no record of your system. Nowhere in all of Galandria's history has a demon been paid for a system like yours," Polyphemus finished.
Perplexed, Mako felt a mix of emotions. On one hand, he felt unique; on the other…
"Still just a weird little bug, huh?" Ana teased from a corner, flipping through another pile of documents.
Neither she nor Mako had changed out of their training gear—Mako in his high-collared black outfit, Ana in her gleaming silver armor.
In the House of the Sun's library, the three of them were at a loss for leads.
Mako felt the urge to speak up, to share that he'd come from the future… but he decided it was better to stay quiet and gather more clues first.
"However," Polyphemus's snarky voice took on a wiser tone for a moment, "I'll share my theory."
He floated to the center of the room, his single amber eye fixed on the heir of the House of the Sun.
"Quid Pro Quo is a dark name. Rumors say its users pay a steep price to wield their abilities. Or so I've heard."
Polyphemus turned to Ana and added, "Did you see him make a bank transfer mid-fight with Erick or something?"
Ana shook her head.
Seeing that, Polyphemus smirked and continued, "In that case… the price your parents paid wasn't anywhere close to what the rumors suggest."
The imp began explaining how all noble systems required some form of payment to activate and use their powers.
But his overly detailed explanation floated away like dust in the wind.
Mako, hearing about paying a steep price, instinctively touched his neck.
His mind wandered, the sensation of confinement and torture still vivid in his body.
"Anyway!" Polyphemus wrapped up, "as your humble servant, I recommend putting this research on hold. Your House is in danger, after all, noble Mako."
Mako snapped out of his trance.
"Y-You're right," he said, uncertainty creeping into his voice. "That means…"
"You need to handle family business now," Ana said, closing a book with a thud. "You have to meet with our investors."
Mako swallowed hard.
Until now, Erick had handled those matters.
Thinking of his brother left a bitter taste in his mouth, so Mako tried to push the thought aside.
"Alright! What are we waiting for?" Polyphemus chirped, zipping around the room with manic energy.
"Well…" Ana hesitated, her nervousness palpable, as if dreading her next words.
She shook her head, steeling herself.
"No, if you've truly awakened your system, you need to take charge of negotiations from now on," Ana said, standing. "We're down to our savings… ever since your parents died, Mako… our investors have abandoned us one by one."
A lump formed in Mako's throat.
"Erick and I were so young…" Mako said bitterly. "And even as we grew up, I'm only now awakening my system. They'd never have taken me seriously."
Polyphemus stopped his energetic fluttering and stared at the two of them.
"Come on, come on," the imp said, hopping between them. "Enough with the drama, alright? First things first—who's left investing in you?"
Ana didn't answer right away.
Mako and Polyphemus looked at her, puzzled.
"Well, I said investors earlier," Ana admitted, "but the truth is… we're down to just one."
It seemed the House of the Sun was going from bad to worse.
'One?!' Mako and Polyphemus thought in unison.
"Stop staring at me like that," Ana sighed. "Erick did everything he could…"
"I get it," Mako said, trying to hide the disgust he felt toward his brother. "Which noble or merchant is still backing us?"
"Oh, Mako," Ana said softly, "you really don't know anything, do you?"
Mako flushed with embarrassment. He'd always left the negotiations to Erick.
"Here's the thing," Ana continued. "It's not a noble or a typical merchant. His name is… Willy Fox."
The name meant nothing to Mako.
But for Polyphemus, it was a different story. Despite having only one eye and a mouth full of fangs, the imp's face was pure shock.
"This is bad," Polyphemus admitted.
"Why? You know him?" Ana asked.
"Yeah, I know him… Years ago, that thief made a contract with me for a system."
"That's great news!" Ana exclaimed. "Going into an investor meeting without knowing Mako's ability would be suicide, but if you know his ability…"
Polyphemus fixed her with his amber eye.
"Let me explain, Ana. He made the contract with me, but unlike noble Mako, I had no obligation to stick around afterward."
Mako and Ana got it. In other words, Polyphemus had no clue what they were up against.
In their discussion, they briefly considered giving up on Fox and starting from scratch to find new investors.
But amidst it all, Mako felt powerless.
'This is my chance,' he thought. 'If I came back, it's my chance to do things right.'
With that, Mako gave Polyphemus a direct order: arrange a meeting with Fox, the House of the Sun's last investor, immediately.
◇◆◇
That same night…
Mako stood in his room, staring into a mirror. Without his winter training gear, he confirmed one of his suspicions.
'It wasn't a dream,' he thought, recalling his execution.
A thin scar circled his neck, stretching from end to end.
He ran his fingers over it again and again, verifying it was real.
It was real.
"Then why?" Mako said, tearing his gaze from his reflection. "Why did you betray me, Erick? Was it always your plan?"
He looked back at the mirror, his blue eyes locked on his own pupils.
"Was it my own weakness that made you betray me?" he asked himself, his voice heavy with sorrow.