A deep silence swallowed everything.
A chill seeped beneath his skin, as if his body had left the entire world behind.
Delusions melted away, whispers faded, as if memory were being erased by a hidden hand.
Then came that feeling… a feeling like birth, like a first embrace whose name he did not know.
He found himself floating in an endless blue—a sea without bottom or light, yet he felt no fear… only a vague comfort, far from all that had pained him.
For a moment, Togashi did not want to leave this calm. It was as if he had finally found a place where no voice could pursue him.
He wanted to close his eyes beneath the ceiling of his eyelids, to bask in this peace without returning to the reality he knew would only worsen.
A short gasp escaped him as light pierced the blue, before his consciousness crashed back into reality all at once.
He opened his eyes… the first thing he saw was not the golden ceiling nor the scent of flowers, but a shadow moving beside him… something breathing.
At the same moment he opened his eyes, a girl his age with red hair opened hers.
When both realized what was happening: the girl screamed loudly and began calling the guards.
Togashi did not understand what was happening… "Huh? A girl? Why am I here?"
Before he could grasp the situation, a white pillow struck his face with force, sending him tumbling from the bed and rolling onto the floor.
He held his head, trying to comprehend, but the door burst open and guards rushed in. The girl pointed at him in confusion and anger, saying, "This person tried to assault me."
He was not granted a single second to explain himself.
One guard shouted, "He tried to attack the Princess! Seize him!"
In a swift moment, guards surrounded him, spears and swords aimed at his throat.
Then one guard, whose appearance differed slightly from the others, stepped forward and said, "Restrain him, but be cautious—he may possess explosives or something dangerous!"
And so, Togashi was arrested—in an unknown place, under a golden ceiling. Clearly, Togashi had unintentionally intruded into a princess's chamber. But who was she?
---
In the palace of Emperor Louis, ruler of the Sunflower Empire, in a grand hall filled with nobles and politicians,
the guard struck Togashi forcefully and declared, "This scoundrel tried to attack the Princess in her chambers. He infiltrated her room without our notice. Your Majesty, I, Aldroyan, request his immediate execution."
Togashi could not even think—from whispers and delusions and a cursed circle, he had suddenly been transported to something no less terrible! A princess's bedroom—what wretched luck. He paid no attention to anyone there; all he could think of was his family. Zentaro, Sana—where were they? But his thoughts were severed by another blow from the guard, pulling him back to reality.
"Answer His Majesty when he speaks to you, you wretch."
Togashi lifted his head slightly and thought to himself, Huh? What can I even tell them? That I was transported into the King's daughter's room by a magic circle?
The King raised a hand, signaling the guard to stop striking Togashi. "What is your name, first? And what were your intentions? Know that you cannot lie to me if you wish to keep your life."
Would Togashi's attempts to speak be of any use? This doubt haunted him as he finally spoke: "My name is To—... no, I am called Togamura. Would you permit me to explain, Your Majesty?"
The King agreed but added, "The name you gave me is false, is it not? I told you not to lie to me, but I shall overlook it this once."
Togashi faltered slightly but tried to regain a sliver of composure. "Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty, but I truly do not know how I came to be here."
He then recounted most of what had happened to him, ending with: "You may execute me, Your Majesty, but first—I wish to ensure my brother is safe."
He said "brother," forgetting that Zentaro had brought Sana along—though he had seen her with him, he did not recall her presence. His priority now was finding Zentaro, who had disappeared with him during the transfer.
A voice from the crowd then spoke: "Your Majesty, we demand his immediate execution! We will not tolerate one who dared attack Princess Rokia!"
Others in the hall echoed the sentiment. "Yes, we cannot allow such a person to live another moment! We all demand it!"
But the King silenced them at once. "Enough. This boy shall be detained for now while we determine his fate. I will hear no objections to this decision. But in the worst case, he shall become food for the palace hounds."
He then ordered the guard to take Togashi to the dungeon. The guard hauled Togashi away like a rabid dog, and the hall doors closed behind them.
Questions lingered among those present, but Togashi was already being dragged to a cell, where he collapsed to the floor without strength.
Meanwhile, in the carriage that had been traveling for two days toward the house, Lucaroji and Adom were still inside when Lucaroji began recounting what had happened to Togashi.
After finishing the tale, Lucaroji said, "Most likely, Bangel will be waiting at home. I shall inform him as well."
Adom had been shaking his head throughout the story as if listening to a tune whose ending he already knew, yet pretending to be annoyed by it nonetheless.
When Lucaroji finished, Adom cast him a look half-dead and half-ablaze, as if balancing between laughter and screaming at the world.
"Splendid. Togashi went from a ghost haunting the forest to a child bound in chains in a royal palace. It seems the universe has a particular taste for choosing the worst possible outcomes. Kado tampered with his mind, he saw the blue void, then woke to a pillow flying in his face… and of course, the princess screamed. If your lives weren't so absurd, I'd think one of you was writing this for amusement."
He winked faintly at Lucaroji, stretching his legs forward as if preparing to watch a free play.
"And the poor fool… returned to life only to find himself accused of assaulting a princess. He needed a glass of water and two days of sleep… but no—he got an overzealous guard eager to chop off his head and serve it as a light snack."
He interlaced his fingers, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement.
"This King… does not seem a complete fool. He has intuition, but he is not the kind to save a life—only the kind to delay death by five minutes. And those minutes are usually the most painful."
He tilted his head slightly.
"As for Guard Aldroyan… hmmm. A lovely character. Violent, blind, and so self-assured he makes a perfect target for a broken nose later. If Togashi weren't half-shattered now, he could have replied with a single word that would have broken him."
Adom stared at Lucaroji, sarcasm dripping over a layer of genuine interest.
"Togashi is currently unraveling. His body aches, his mind is torn, and darkness gnaws at the edges of his soul. But he still clings to one thing: his family. The only reason he hasn't extinguished yet."
He leaned back, as if delivering a verdict.
"That is very good. A soul with nothing to lose breaks quickly. Togashi has something, and that will prevent the transformation from consuming him… for now."
He sighed, then raised an eyebrow.
"As for Bangel… oh, your joy! That little one will consider this story a festival. He will pretend to be furious, then in a minute transform into an excited child wanting to know how we turned Togashi's world upside down inside a royal palace."
Then, with a smirk stretching the corners of his mouth:
"Well then, Lucaroji… home approaches. And the world prepares for another round of madness. Brace yourself, for what awaits Togashi… will make everything you've just described seem like a gentle prelude."
As soon as this conversation ended, they arrived at the house. The lights were on, meaning Bangel was there waiting.
The servant opened the carriage gate, and Lucaroji and Adom stepped out. The servant then opened the palace gate for them. Bangel greeted them with a heated reception—a furious face and cold expressions that made clear he would not be easily appeased.
Bangel said, "You had better explain to me why you allowed Kado to take Togashi! No nonsense will be tolerated."
Lucaroji headed toward the kitchen and said, "It's a long story. Adom, tell him while I prepare the tea."
The servant offered to prepare it, but Lucaroji said he missed making tea and hadn't done so in a while.
Adom smiled—or something resembling a smile—and felt compelled to explain everything to Bangel… this being who seemed to have anger flowing through his veins instead of blood.
He approached him with indifferent steps, raising an eyebrow as if wondering, Must I really deal with this grim mood before I've even seen the teacup meant to ease this ordeal?
He spoke in his usual tone—that one never certain whether it was mocking or serious.
"Calm your worries a little, Bangel. You act as though Togashi fell into a pit of thorns, while the truth is he fell into a worse one… a pit of politics and kings."
Without waiting for him to relax, Adom continued, waving a hand as if brushing aside the argument with disinterest.
"Kado did not take anyone. That black circle that swallowed him was a calculated coincidence… one Lucaroji knows better than anyone. It threw him into a princess's chamber aflame with screams, then led him to a palace full of arrogant faces and swords that act faster than minds. Now he is in a cell—tired, hungry, beaten, but alive. And that is what matters for now."
He shot Bangel a quick glance, one that said, I understand you're angry… but your anger won't change what happened.
He added in a calmer tone, with a glimmer of weary patience:
"Togashi needed this experience. Not because I want to see him writhe… but because he will not learn to walk atop darkness until he has first sunk into it. And the circle? It did exactly what it was supposed to—transported him from the limbo of hallucinations to a real, merciless world. Now, he is on the first step of the long road you wanted for him before."
Adom stood directly before him and said with that sarcastic eloquence:
"As for Kado… do not worry. He did not lay a hand on him. If he had, I would have smelled it before you saw it. And I do not permit anyone but myself to touch Togashi among those creatures."
He passed a hand through the air as if brushing away nonexistent dust and said:
"When Lucaroji is done pampering the tea, we will tell you what is more important… the escape plan. Because what happened is not the end, Bangel—it is merely the beginning of another uproar."
Then he turned toward the kitchen and added with a hint of bored impatience:
"And I hope Lucaroji hurries. Talking to you has made me thirsty."
In a place resembling a cursed garden—a mysterious space with demonic symbols on the walls and a half-shattered chandelier hanging from the ceiling—a place unknown to any who entered, whether it was organized or a arena of chaos.
Like any suspicious place, it also housed wicked individuals. This was where Zentaro and Sana had been transported.
Sana clung to Zentaro from behind as he stood in a defensive stance, facing Kado—that creature resembling a heap of wrath and despair.
Zentaro said steadily, sweeping his gaze across the place and toward Kado, "Who are you? Where have you taken us, you black-hearted fiend?"
Kado took a step closer, but Zentaro retreated a few steps. Kado replied, "I will leave the introductions to my leader. For now, you must comply with what I command."
Zentaro retorted with high audacity, "And what will you do if I disobey?"
Kado glared fiercely at Zentaro, then said calmly in a terrifying tone, "I will make that girl disappear before your eyes."
Kado did not know the extent of Zentaro's pride and arrogance, but Zentaro replied, "Then let me see you try."
Without hesitation, Kado lunged at Zentaro. Zentaro pushed Sana back to protect her, and a brief struggle ensued between them, ending in a crushing defeat for Zentaro within mere seconds.
Sana ran to Zentaro, who had fallen to the ground but managed to hold himself up, wiping his face. She clung to him, saying, "Brother, pull yourself together. I'm so scared."
Sana did not know how to express her feelings or even speak properly, but Zentaro understood her worry and held her to reassure her he was alright.
Zentaro remained on the ground, staring coldly and angrily at Kado—the first person to defeat him in a one-on-one fight. He thought to himself, No wonder Uncle Bangel couldn't subdue him by force.
But Kado turned toward another direction and said, "Stand. I won't kill you anyway, given your importance."
He moved slowly toward the exit and said in a commanding tone, "Do not waste your time with pointless fighting, Zentaro. I did not intend to bring you and your sister here, but because of Bangel, the technique was disrupted, and Togashi was not sent with us. You led yourselves here—not us."
Zentaro replied in a state of controlled rage, "Do not play games with me. You attacked us first!"
Kado signaled the guards to seize Zentaro and Sana and take them away, saying, "Refusal is not an option. You must see everything for yourselves."
Zentaro pushed the guard's hand away and said, "I can walk on my own."
As they left the room, the world outside truly unfolded before them—a place different from the capital and the village, vast and large but with incomprehensible architecture.
People of varied appearances—some not entirely human, others hybrids between humans and animals, some giants.
Whenever someone looked their way, Zentaro returned the gaze with hatred. But he was forced to adapt to the situation here—understanding nothing, yet not reckless either.
As they walked toward the unknown behind Kado, Sana whispered hesitantly to Zentaro, "Brother, what will happen to us now?"
Zentaro replied, trying to reassure her though tense inside, "Everything will be alright, Sana."
It was the unfortunate fate of Zentaro and Sana to be abducted by Kado. Bringing Sana had been both a mistake and a necessity, a balance between two sides.
They passed through a new area—immense, like a village but enclosed under a single ceiling resembling a cave. The sight was overwhelming, almost unreal.
Dim lights glowed in the surroundings, hues between yellow and orange. Not everything was clear, but it was enough to terrify the two.
The stares from the people there still held the same dread—whether it was malice or disdain, it undoubtedly meant nothing good.
One of them approached Kado and said, "Well, well, Kado, heir to the curse. Rare to see you here at the base. This explains the guests."
Kado, heading in one direction, replied, "And I wish not to see your foolish faces here. Is the leader in his chamber?"
The creature—unidentifiable as a cat or a human-wolf hybrid—replied jokingly, "Don't be so harsh, heir to the curse. And yes, but he's busy with one of his girls."
Kado responded with disgust, "Tsk. He's still indulging in those foolish pleasures."
"That's the business—selling and buying slaves."
Zentaro could not contain himself upon hearing those last words and said quickly to Kado, "Hey, you won't do anything to Sana, will you? Because you certainly won't like me if you try to harm her."
Kado laughed arrogantly, then looked at Zentaro and said, turning his gaze back ahead, "You seem very protective of your sister, Zentaro. But even the muscle you possess cannot subdue us."
Zentaro replied with cold pride, "You think I don't know about your magic or whatever nonsense you have? The strength I possess isn't just from my own efforts."
Kado was slightly surprised but said in a steady, cold tone, "Oh? So you know a few things. That will shorten some matters for us."
After a long distance, they reached a large room—not royal in style, but neither trivial nor simple.
Kado stepped toward the door and knocked. A young voice replied, not sounding old, yet merely speaking caused Sana to feel dizzy and Zentaro a headache. Zentaro held her, trying to calm her, worried about the aura emanating from the person just from his speech.
Here, the guards who had been with Kado departed, and Kado opened the door. The aura intensified as the figure of the young man finally became clear before their eyes, and the siblings could barely withstand his presence.
The young man welcomed them, saying, "Hello, new guests here."
And everything began to become clear. Organization. Transfer. Magic. This was the new beginning for these three—Sana, Zentaro, Togashi. A new fate, a new beginning—perhaps not the true beginning, but enough to change the course of their lives forever