Crow Father slowly closed his beak.
"The answer..."
Liam's clothes were suddenly yanked from behind, throwing him backward onto the floor. Julien immediately lunged at Crow Father, pulling his hand back as he closed the distance between them. He looked straight into the glassy eyes of the crow mask, then drove his hand into Crow Father's chest.
Blood burst out like heavy rain pouring from a storm cloud.
The heartbeat stopped.
Crow Father collapsed, lifeless, onto the floor.
Julien hurriedly pulled his hand from Crow Father's chest and jumped back, standing between him and Liam.
Liam stared at Julien and Crow Father in shock. He slowly got to his feet. Crow Father's head was lowered, as though he were dead.
Liam grabbed Julien by the clothes and shouted, "Who are you?"
Julien initially only frowned, but then he seemed to snap back to reality. He looked at his hand, then at Liam, opening his mouth to say something.
"That was a good hit..."
Both of them looked toward Crow Father.
He had raised his head.
The white feathers were stained red, and his black clothes had grown even darker. His heart lay on the floor, no longer connected to the body that had once sustained it.
Suddenly, inside the gaping hole in his chest, a new heart formed from flesh and began beating. Flesh, muscles, bones, and veins reconstructed themselves layer by layer.
He was completely unharmed.
Crow Father turned around, picked up his heart, and calmly walked out of the room. Julien clenched his teeth and moved forward again, but Liam's hand clamped firmly onto his shoulder.
Liam stepped forward until he was standing in front of Crow Father, then gave him a firm smile, completely steady, as though he wasn't worried at all.
"Wouldn't it be better if we sat down and talked while you hear my answer?"
Crow Father tossed the heart toward Julien.
"Your prize for that hit... Butcher."
Then he looked at Liam.
"Yes... experimental subject!"
He walked toward the table Liam had pointed to. Liam gave Julien a sideways glance and said, "I don't know what you are or how you became this strong... or maybe you always were... but that's enough for now. Calm down and just come with me."
Julien remained silent, and his silence continued. He simply nodded.
They sat around the table.
Crow Father asked his question again.
"The answer?"
The moment Liam heard that word, a strange smirk appeared on his face. He stared into the glassy eyes of Crow Father's mask.
"What's in it for me?"
"A benefit? Just like I told you in your dre-"
Liam cut him off firmly. "That was the down payment... Crow!"
Crow Father fell silent and tapped his fingers against the table a few times.
"Well... then you tell me what you want."
But Julien answered immediately.
"Why are you even after an ordinary person like Emilien?!"
Liam was about to say something, but Crow Father answered before him.
"Some things shouldn't be said..."
Liam immediately asked, "Then who is your creator?"
"And some things shouldn't be asked!"
"A deal without a benefit isn't a deal... it's extortion!"
"The things you keep asking about are far more important than anything related to the Spiritual Tree... Detective!"
"Then I want something of equal value."
"I'm listening."
"History... You said your creator died three thousand years ago, and when I asked you, 'Isn't the world only 1,879 years old?' you didn't answer..."
Crow Father fell silent, as if the silence itself were meant to hide a smile. Suddenly, his left hand rose and pointed toward Julien.
"I think your Depthwalker assistant might have a good answer to that question."
Liam smiled. "My assistant is a..."
His smile disappeared. He turned toward Julien.
"Julien? What's a Depthwalker? And... how does he know you?"
Julien, who had been standing the entire time, finally sat down. He let out a deep breath and began.
"A few years ago... back when I was in my early twenties, I wasn't just a lower-class man. No... I was homeless. My entire life had become begging and kneeling in front of people, even people from the lower classes, just to get a little money..."
Several years ago, Paris, the royal capital of Lothier:
"Hey, sir, please help me. I'm begging you..."
"Wait, sir, don't go. Just wait..."
He didn't even listen to me. Damn him.
At least the police leave me alone here. It's warm and comfortable.
Slowly, raindrops began to fall.
He raised his head slightly and looked at the dark clouds in the sky. He pulled the cardboard box he had found over his head, though his feet still stuck completely out from underneath it.
Why did it have to rain at night too?... Maybe this is just the fate I was given.
Suddenly, a man stopped in front of him. Julien slowly raised his head and saw a man with yellow hair and golden eyes.
"Sir... please, could you give me a little-"
The man suddenly grabbed Julien by his clothes and dragged him into a narrow alley.
"Hey, sir... please... let me go! Let go of my clothes... Who the hell are you? What kind of bastard are you?"
Julien grabbed the man's hand, but it was useless.
"Please... let me go... I'll leave this place, I'll go somewhere far away, just don't hand me over to the King's Cabinet! You know what they'll do, so please, just let me go... Let me go!!!"
The man who was dragging him suddenly laughed for a moment, then said, "Don't worry... Contrary to what you think, I'm trying to save you... Julien Ravelle!!"
"That was the day I met... Deay. The Nightwolves called him Old Deay... He was the commander of the Nightwolves!"
Liam slowly placed a hand on Julien's shoulder.
"Okay... so where does this Depthwalker thing come in?"
Julien gave Crow Father, who was staring at him, a sideways glance before continuing.
"You might not know this, so I should explain. The Nightwolves aren't like the Night Keepers in the Great Kingdom!"
"What? You mean they aren't a security organization?"
"No... The Nightwolves are a Cult, and unfortunately, they're wanted by the King's Cabinet throughout all of Lothier... And unfortunately again, they share the same goal as the King's Cabinet: destroying the Master of Mechanic!!"
"You still haven't explained the Depthwalker part... What does any of this have to do with being a Depthwalker? Just tell me what being a Depthwalker means!!!"
"People who belong to a certain Covenant and advance within it... people like me... are called Depthwalkers."
"A Covenant? What's that?"
Suddenly, Crow Father answered in a strange tone.
"A Path revealed before the current era... much, much earlier. Unfortunately, it seems many people no longer remember it. I think it's fortunate that the secret organizations and Cults are still following it!"
Liam stared at Crow Father in disbelief and slammed his hand against the table.
"I hate it when you keep saying 'this era' and 'that era.' Just tell me what you mean!"
Crow Father tilted his head slightly when Julien suddenly spoke.
"The world isn't 1,879 years old..."
Liam turned toward Julien. He swallowed, closed his slightly open mouth, and said,
"W-what? That's impossible! Celestia, House of Angels, delivered a message to the Oxford family saying that the world began at Year 0!!!"
Julien was about to say something when Crow Father suddenly rose from his chair. Standing, he stared directly into Liam's eyes.
"Celestia didn't lie. It simply didn't tell the whole truth... The six messages delivered by Celestia in Year 0 of this era to three families across three continents were lies mixed with truth."
"What... do you mean?!"
"If you could get your hands on one of Celestia's messages, it would be much easier to understand. But let me summarize it for you..."
Crow Father picked up the pitcher and took a glass. He slowly poured water into it until it was full.
"This glass is full now. If you pour in any more water, the old water will spill out and the water you just poured in will take its place... This world was progressing the same way. The old water was history, written down in manuscripts, books, and inscriptions so that no one would forget..."
Liam stared at Crow Father.
"Don't tell me a bedtime story... I said I'd help you in exchange for a proper answer, so give me my answer!"
Crow Father released the glass.
It fell to the floor and shattered, the pieces scattering in every direction.
Liam was about to say something, but Crow Father continued.
"Imagine the world also broke like this glass at some point... It happened roughly two thousand five hundred years ago, when a war between two countries turned into a war between two continents, and then three continents... But if that had been the only problem, nothing would have happened. The real problem began when the Chaos God entered the war. One of Celestia's laws in that era was that Gods were not to interfere. On the other hand, Celestia itself didn't have the ability to confront a God, so... it broke the seal and-"
Liam cut him off.
"I didn't understand anything... but... in the end... when did the seal break?"
Crow Father calmly answered, "There are things you have to discover for yourself. I've already told you more than I should, so let me summarize the entire thing... After that war and the destruction of the Chaos God's physical body, Celestia decided to sever the connections between Outer Space and this world... by creating the Divine Pillars. The result was... this era. The reason no one remembers anything."
Liam slowly stood up, took the pitcher from Crow Father's hand, and placed it on the table.
"I'll report all of this to my master..."
"Fine..."
"I'll cooperate with you and find something from the Spiritual Tree for you... After that, I won't know you, and you won't know me!!"
"Yes... Just... if this master of yours is a noble or someone important, it would be better not to tell him. If you do, you might later discover that Celestia erased him for some ridiculous reason, like being a heretic against Celestia, House of Angels!!"
Liam closed his eyes. "...O-okay. I understand."
But Crow Father continued.
"And one more thing... You should become a Depthwalker too. If you join the Nightwolves, even better. Celestia usually doesn't interfere with Demigods!"
Liam stared at Crow Father in surprise, about to say something, when Julien immediately answered.
"That Old Deay I told you about... he's a Demigod."
"Thanks..."
Crow Father slowly walked toward the door. Before leaving, he looked at Liam and said,
"By the way... bury the information I gave you right here. If you try to tell anyone about it while you're still an ordinary person from this era... as long as your Depth is low... you could die at any moment from a Heaven's Nail. So watch out for that subordinate of yours too, my experimental subject!"
Then he walked out the door.
Liam remained silent for a moment before looking at Julien.
"Can you tell me which Covenant you belong to? I've been deceived enough already..."
"D-Deceived?"
"What deception could be greater than finding out that the entire world you live in is a lie... What deception could be greater than discovering that your heavenly authority... Celestia, House of Angels, has lied to everyone?"
"I thought you'd understand that it was done to protect humanity..."
"Yeah... Maybe it really was for protection."
"Are you... okay?"
"I don't know..."
Liam slowly sat down in the chair and rested his head against the table.
"Tell me, Julien... What Covenant are you in, and... what was that Depth thing Crow Father mentioned before he left?"
Julien remained silent for a moment, then answered.
"My Covenant is Criminal. As for Depth... if I remember correctly, it refers to how deeply you've progressed within your Covenant, and the numbering works backward..."
"What do you mean?"
"For example, I'm Depth 8 of the Criminal Covenant... Butcher. Even so, I'm weaker than someone at Depth 6!"
"That's... ridiculous. Why does a lower number mean greater depth?"
"I really don't know... Old Deay never told me anything about that!"
"Then how do you know Crow Father?"
"He worked with the Nightwolves for a while... That's how I met him. He was seriously annoying, especially with all those crows of his!!"
"What Depth is he?"
"I don't know exactly... But once, when Old Deay was talking about him, I found out that he's from the Alchemist Covenant... As for his Depth... if I had to guess, he might be a Depth 3 Demigod, or even a Depth 2 Angel..."
"F-field?"
Suddenly, Liam shouted, "We were just talking to an Angel?! An Angel?!"
Julien let out a short laugh.
"We should leave this city..."
"What? Why?!"
"Do you really think we can find anyone in a city this small who knows anything about the Spiritual Tree?"
"...You're right."
"Then I'll buy tickets to Loy tomorrow morning!"
"Get the express train."
"Okay... And by the way, Liam... thank you for understanding why I never told you anything!!"
"Besides, I never expected someone I'd only known for four days to tell me his secrets..."
"Five days..."
"Go away and get some sleep already!!"
Julien started laughing. Liam gave a small smile and gently knocked his head against the table.
The Forest, an hour later.
The crow perched on Crow Father's shoulder opened its beak.
"Why did you tell them about the ancient past?"
Crow Father continued deeper into the forest as he answered,
"Why should I have to answer my own creation?"
The crow on his shoulder raised its head toward the moon.
"Great Creator... Can you really bring him back?... Or can that man even find anything useful from the Spiritual Tree?"
Crow Father stopped.
The crows perched on the branches throughout the forest stopped as well.
Moonlight fell across his dark black clothes. He raised his head, and his voice was filled with excitement and anticipation.
"He should be able to... And when he gives me that thing... Father will finally return. My creator and the four other Aberrants will return... And on that day... I'll finally be able to die... if the Creator wills it."
Silence and wind swept through the forest.
The white crow on Crow Father's shoulder became more visible.
He was still staring at the sky, as though a memory from long ago had suddenly come alive again.