As Kael's words settled, silence covered the hall.
For a while, it remained like that until Alenia spoke, deciding to break it.
"And how," she asked, folding her arms, "do you plan to go on with this system, exactly?"
She was curious, as there were many ways one could go with this.
Kael, however, blinked once. Then, with a lazy tilt of his head, he replied, "I want you to handle that."
"…Me?"
"Yes." He leaned back, the faintest smirk curling at his lips. "You seem like the type who enjoys thinking things through. I want you to create a working system—something that keeps everyone busy and useful."
Alenia's brow twitched. "You do realize that making such a system is far harder than talking about it, right?"
Kael's smirk deepened. "That's exactly why I'm giving it to you. I want to see what you're capable of."
The others exchanged glances.
Lyra was smiling behind her hand, Evethra's lips twitched faintly, and even Selene hid a small chuckle.
Everyone knew Kael's real reason wasn't about testing anyone—it was pure, undiluted laziness.
Still, Alenia sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'll do it. Someone has to."
She was given the position of second-in-command, so she had to do it. Above all, the more work she had, the better, as she could use it as an excuse to talk with Kael privately.
Kael, oblivious to her thoughts, nodded with quiet satisfaction. "Good."
But before the conversation could go forward on this path, Druvarn hopped up onto an empty chair and jabbed his paw on the table. "Hold on! We still haven't solved the actual problem I mentioned earlier!"
The main problem they were facing was weak villagers. That had to be dealt with before anything else.
Kael waved his hand lazily. "I was getting to that."
He paused for a beat, letting the suspense hang. "I'm going to help everyone power up."
That made everyone lean in. Even Evethra's eyes gleamed with faint anticipation, and Lyra's cotton tail gave a single flick. They were all pursuers of strength, each in their own way.
"How?" Selene asked softly.
Kael stared at her for a second longer as if he were thinking hard. Then, he shrugged. "I don't know."
There was a long, collective silence.
Then Druvarn slumped forward onto the table, face buried in his fuzzy paws, as he kept muttering, "He's a scammer, I say, a scammer."
Kael chuckled under his breath and shook his head.
But Alenia's eyes narrowed. "Wait. What do you mean you don't know? What exactly don't you know?"
She knew that there must be a catch, as Kael wasn't the type to say things meaninglessly.
Kael rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, I don't know how people 'power up.' I don't know what steps they take. If I did, I could help everyone here. But I just—" he shrugged slightly again, "—don't."
The realization sank in slowly.
Lyra's expression softened; Selene's wings gave a quiet flutter.
They all knew the truth. Kael didn't remember anything before twelve days ago—his past, his methods, or even how he'd become so strong.
Well, all of them except Druvarn knew it, so the bear lifted his head, blinking. "Wait—then how are you this powerful if you don't even know how you got there?"
Lyra answered gently, "Kael lost all his memories. Everything before twelve days ago is gone."
The bear's button eyes widened. Then he slowly turned toward Kael, shocked. "You forgot how to be strong?"
Kael gave him a helpless smile. "Seems like it."
A soft cough broke the silence. Selene lifted a hand to her lips before speaking. "Then… let me explain."
Kael turned to her with mild curiosity, and even Evethra straightened slightly.
Selene's voice took on a calm, teacherly tone.
"There are many paths to power," she began. "Some people forge their strength through power called spirit force, some through contracts, and some through pure will. But at the root of them all lies one common practice."
She placed her hand over her chest and slowly inhaled. "Breathing."
Kael blinked. "Breathing?"
"Yes. A breathing technique," she said with a faint smile.
"It's the foundation of nearly every cultivation path. The way you breathe determines how your mana moves—how it nourishes, changes, and strengthens your body. Even the greatest swordsmen or mages begin there. If you want to be a master at anything, you first master its breath."
The light from the window caught on her silver hair as she exhaled, voice soft yet steady. "It's not just air—it's rhythm, flow, and intent. The breath is what bridges life and mana."
Kael leaned forward, resting his chin in his palm, his eyes thoughtful.
"So," he said slowly, "this breathing technique—something that changes the body's rhythm and balance—can actually help someone learn swordsmanship? That seems… oddly specific."
He tilted his head, genuinely curious. "How does something that changes how you breathe affect how you swing a sword?"
Selene opened her mouth to answer, but Alenia's voice cut in first—calm, even, and tinged with quiet intellect.
"It's because every sword technique," she said, "and every spell, for that matter, is born from someone's body—their way of moving, their rhythm, and their mana flow. It's tailored to them."
Kael's gaze slid toward her, intrigued.
Alenia continued, her tone measured. "If you want to learn a technique created by someone else, you need to make your body compatible with theirs. Otherwise, your mana won't flow properly, your muscles won't follow the same pattern, and the technique will collapse halfway through."
Taking a breath, she added, "A breathing technique allows you to reshape your body—your flow, your structure—so you can bridge that difference."
Kael blinked once, then twice. "So, if I wanted to learn a technique from someone, I'd need to... breathe like them?"
"Exactly," Alenia said, meeting his eyes. "It's not imitation—it's synchronization."
Kael hummed thoughtfully, nodding. "So, in essence, a breathing technique is essential if one wants to grow stronger, right?"
Selene and Alenia both nodded in agreement.
But before either could speak further, Druvarn—who had been munching on a leftover piece of fish—lifted his paw, crumbs falling onto the table.
"That's only necessary for humans," he declared matter-of-factly.
Kael turned to him, one brow rising. "Oh? And what about beasts?"
The plush bear puffed his little chest with pride. "We grow stronger by killing other strong beasts and consuming their mana cores. That's the beast path."
Kael tilted his head slightly, as if trying to understand. "That sounds… easy."
The table fell silent for half a second. Then Druvarn nearly jumped out of his seat. "Easy?! Are you insane?"
Kael chuckled softly, resting his chin in his hand again. "It's straightforward, isn't it? You kill, you grow stronger. No need for fancy breathing patterns or synchronized mana flow."
Druvarn's plush paws flailed dramatically. "Straightforward? Sure! If you consider fighting something that can bite your head off as straightforward!"
Evethra's lips twitched in amusement while Lyra covered her mouth to hide a giggle.
The bear went on, huffing indignantly. "The beast path is the most dangerous one there is! If you don't kill, you don't grow. If you can't find strong enough prey, you stagnate."
The bear paused, trying to make a grave expression, only for it to look like a stuffed toy with a grudge.
Still, it continued, its tone serious. "And if you pick the wrong fight, you die. Only by consuming the cores of beasts stronger than you can you rise. Otherwise, your mana doesn't evolve!"
Kael gave a quiet hum, his expression somewhere between entertained and thoughtful. "So you're saying it's a cycle of death and growth. You either win or disappear."
"Exactly!" Druvarn said, pointing a stubby paw. "That's why we beasts are better. We earn our strength with blood."
Kael smiled faintly. "And humans earn theirs with breath. Seems fair enough."
Druvarn squinted, not sure if Kael was mocking or agreeing.
Kael stretched slightly in his chair, looking from the bear to the women around the table. "There sure are a lot of ways to power up in this world," he murmured.
His tone carried no envy—only mild curiosity, like a scholar wondering how the pieces of a puzzle fit together.
Then he straightened a little, golden eyes glinting as they swept across Selene and Alenia.
"Tell me more," he said, his voice smooth but intent. "If I'm going to help everyone here grow, I need to understand the system better. The breathing, the cores, the paths—all of it. Only then can I create something that works for all of us."
Selene exchanged a glance with Alenia, who nodded faintly in return.
They could both tell that Kael was curious, and as he kept saying how he was going to create a way for them all to power up, for some reason, they also felt excited.
They didn't know for sure, but they felt like whatever path Kael would forge for them next would not be one easily forgotten.