“Erm…”

There was a pain in my head. My bed, no, the floor was cold and dirty. While opening my eyes, I pushed myself up, only to feel something soft fall off me as I did. Deja vu? This sudden realization woke me up entirely and I snapped my head towards the object, only to actually see my husky plushie.

“Goma-kun?” I picked it up, but quickly recognized from the feel of it that it wasn’t my old toy. It was actually my slime! “Shoyi?!”

The husky plush squirmed, even twitching its stitched-up ear, before its form softened and turned into some fluid. Eventually, it transformed back into my black-purple slime, Shoyi. While I was still surprised at this transformation, Shoyi took advantage of my hesitation and moved right up to my shoulder.

“Oh, hey, don’t be like that! You know I’m ticklish!” I grit my teeth, trying my best not to laugh but couldn’t help but form a grin.

[““““Alpha!””””] Four voices appeared in my head as Shoyi kept playing with me. I turned my head around, only to be surprised at my four garms charging and pushing me onto the ground, only to assault me with a storm of tongue licks.

[“Alpha, you woke up!”] Uno’s voice showed an explosive elation, sounding as if he was waiting for me for an eternity; however, I couldn’t begin processing what he said as my face was starting to feel disgusting.

“Stop! Stop it! Argh, eww! Urgh! Stop!” I grimaced as I got some of my garm’s saliva into my mouth, trying my best to spit it out, only for my garms to continue licking my face. Strong I might be, but it felt like it was impossible for me to break out of this.

[““Master!””]

[“Alpha!”]

Even more voices suddenly appeared, this time they came from three of my virigresses. When I looked out, Ajay and Shere, the two virigress cubs, jumped into the mix and began cuddling me. Thankfully, Varya wasn’t doing anything, but it felt like she was watching me die like a bystander. I could use some help here!

Jeez, what is wrong with them? Hahaha!

I was confused, left in the dark, so to speak. Just why and how did I earn such a greeting?

But it only took a few more seconds for me to finally piece together the puzzle. The puzzle I had inside my dream. The fog was being lifted, unveiling the threads of memories and patching up the holes. I remembered everything, and once I did, I commanded everybody to stand down.

Hearing the tone of my voice being more assertive, my garms, virigresses, and Shoyi stopped playing with me. I pulled some water out from my [Storage Magic], confirming I was back in reality, and cleaned myself up before standing up. Once I did, I gaze at my surroundings.

Black sphere? … Right, now I remember.

“Uno, how long have I been asleep?”

He nodded and gave a quick answer, [“Almost two weeks, Alpha. We counted the moons while you were in your trial.”]

Right. Right. Still, two weeks? I was stuck in that black forest for two weeks until I figured it out? Wow. Not the best, Saori.

… Got it. Right, that happened. Now I remember…

----------------------------------------

[“Saori Segawa.”] The voice of an older man entered my mind as I gazed upon the stone statue of a once proud fenrir. It was made in his appearance. [“I have waited for you to come for a long time. Hmm. Already B rank and you are still only a ‘pup.’ Outstanding.”]

After he greeted and thanked both Hanazawa and Tatsuya, the Belzac, the S rank [Three-Eyed Fenrir] spoke to me, treating me as if I was a long lost kid, or something. With his deal with Edna, his soul didn’t reincarnate, but was transformed into an onnikai, so I was actually speaking with a person from over 2000 years ago.

If I were still the old Saori from back on Earth, getting to personally speak with someone that old would have probably made me giddy, albeit, also a bit scared. After all, getting such a chance would have been so monumentally small, only some weird magic or eldritch-like science could cause something like that.

However, I was, more or less, apprehensively nervous about being here.

[“I heard Goddess Ilsaphone had told you what I wanted with you and about my deal with Goddess Edna,”] he continued.

“Hmm? Wait, where did you learn that? Did you speak with her?” I noted the hints in that sentence immediately, but Belzac himself wasn’t really willing to answer it in full.

[“Does it matter? No.”]

Oh, right? Fuck you, too, smartass. Thankfully, I did not send that message. Phauuuewww.

[“Then I shall be brief about it, but first, did you learn what Ilsaphone wanted from all of this?”]

I tilted my head, unsure what he meant by this.

[“I had made two deals with the gods. First, Edna, to make my bloodline sworn to her as Champions. In exchange, I would not be reincarnated by her authority and I would be allowed to receive my revenge. The second is with Ilsaphone, to assure my soul doesn’t deteriorate with how long it could take for me to take my revenge. In exchange, I became an onnikai, sworn to aid her in her creation of a patron race.”]

The statue began to twitch and shake. I couldn’t see his onnikai form, but I remembered Hanazawa telling me his soul was trapped in the statue in order to prevent him from going feral like Kiiro.

“If you’re talking about onnikais, then we already have some of them settling down,” Hanazawa chimed in. “They are already taking over undead remains. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, so what does a Goddess need our help with, anyways?”

She was right. My four garms and the onnikais from Estralia were prime examples of Ilsaphone’s plan succeeding. She should know everything going on with them, so why was Belzac stating such a request? If Ilsaphone spoke with him, then she should have mentioned that part.

[“Wrong.”] However, Belzac declined our assessment. [“I know naught of what you speak, but the only four successes in Ilsaphone’s plan are yours, Saori. Your pack. Come!”]

I snapped my head to the ground, hearing some low growling coming from there. My four garm’s head peeked out from my shadow, scowling and baring their teeth at Belzac. They’ve been feeling uncomfortable ever since we came here.

[“Hrm? What is this attitude? Pups! Do you not know who I am?!”]

A terrifying aura erupted from the statue, paralyzing everybody’s body. It had to be [Tyrant’s Aura]! That oppressive feeling of some giant monster staring you down, thinking of you as nothing but an ant in its way. That instinctual fear to run away was there, but every single cell was too terrified to listen to my mind.

[Terror (Minor)] inflicted on [Young Stygian-Scaled Fenrir, Saori Segawa]

“Urgh! Sensei!” Tatsuya and Kyouya fell on the ground, having lost their strength.

“Arck! Not this shit again!” Hanazawa tried to use her new unique skill, but she could only kneel in the end, too overwhelmed by Belzac’s presence.

“Urgh!” I stepped forward and shrouded my students in my shadow before manipulating a separate part into a shield for them. I glared at Belzac’s statue, channeling lightning around my body despite how much my cells were telling me to run and to not fight him!

This is a test. Remember what Ilsaphone said! He needs me. I will not be dominated!

Controlling my mana, I infused energy into my muscles, slowly raising my trembling arm up, ready to shoot a lightning bolt at him to stop. The pressure was getting to my head, making it feel like it could explode at any moment. With every step I took towards Belzac, the more suffocating it became.

[Terror (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Stygian-Scaled Fenrir, Saori Segawa]

“St-op! It— Arghk!” I tried to shoot out the stygian lightning, but I tripped, having lost the necessary strength to stand up anymore.

Gotta turn back! Shadow Dash!

But before I touched the ground, a black magic circle appeared underneath me before my garms’ [Black Tendrils] grabbed my arms and pulled me directly into the shadow world. The momentary respite of not having to feel Belzac’s aura was refreshing, but a chill went down my spine as I felt something lurking behind me.

When I turned around, I—

[“Hmph!”]

— saw Belzac’s… statue. I looked around, noticing the rocky walls. I wasn’t in the shadow world anymore.

[“Hahahaha! Brilliant! Brilliant! You really are the one, Saori! Gahahahahahahaha! Yeessss! I’ve been waiting for you for 2000 years! Gahahahahahaha!”]

“W-What?” I looked up. I felt my butt on the ground and I could see my students sweating profusely from all that pressure from before.

[“What brazenness! What bravery! What stoicness in the face of indomitable power! Ooh, you remind me too much of myself when I faced that archdemon of lust, pup! Gahahahahaha! Ahh, like staring at a younger me!”]

… He really sounds like some yakuza boss at this point.

[“But, let this be a lesson to you, Saori. The shadow world is not yours alone! It is the domain of the God of Darkness and every dark mage can enter it. But, if you face against a master of the shadows, then be prepared to witness the horrors looming in the abyss.”]

I gulped. That was no threat. Something happened in the shadow world, but it was a total blank to me right now. No matter how much I tried to remember, I couldn’t.

[“A taste of the powers I can bequeath unto you. What you may learn.”] The statue shook and the four garm onnikais Hanazawa controlled created a purple, ghostly hand. [“Accept my proposal. Become my successor, get revenge on the person who doomed our bloodline, become a Champion even Edna would have never imagined, and become the catalyst for the creation of a new race!”]

Uno, Song, Sarasa, Quatre, Varya, Shere, Ajay, Shoyi; all the members of my shadow pack, minus Rajah as he was with Hestia, were immediately ejected from my shadow, falling onto the ground. They immediately got back on their feet, glaring and growling at Belzac, but the wolf only laughed.

[“Gahahahaha! Your pack looks passable, but there is still so much more they can accomplish. The summit is yet so far!”] Once his laughter stopped, his attention was back to me. [“I can show you the extent of our bloodline, Saori. We are more than just an S rank bloodline, we can and will reach the peak! Join me, my descendant.”]

“… No.”

[“Huh?!”]

““Sensei?!””

“Oi, what, Segawa?!”

I surprised everybody with my answer, but it was all too obvious to me.

“I am not your pawn. Bloodline? I haven’t even accepted you as anything but a random dead wolf.” I scowled, despite knowing what would happen if I were to get angry here. “I am not your errand girl, Belzac. I am not here to do your bidding or get your revenge.”

I stood up, lightning wrapped around my body.

“I came here to learn more about being a garm, but what am I looking at here? A dead wolf who built up a grudge for over two millennia. You aren’t that [Three-Eyed Fenrir] anymore, you are only another onnikai. Anger consumes you, driving you forward with every step.” I boldly announced. “Maybe you can show me how to master my abilities, but family? We are not. I will never accept you as anything but a stranger!”

[“…”]

“…”

A complete silence. I couldn’t feel any hostility or malice coming from the statue, only awkwardness. Eventually, the quiet was broken by a single person clapping their hands. I snapped my head around, bewildered I couldn’t detect them prior.

“It—ay. —zac.” A weird, indistinguishable accent filled my ears, only managing to pick up a few words there and there.

When they finally came into the light, my eyes widened as their silhouette were revealed. Three people. All women.

They were the—

----------------------------------------

A rumbling. Grruwwwwuik! Or something similar escaped my stomach. I was hungry.

[“Ancestor told us these shadow cocoons are similar to an evolution cocoon. The mana would keep you from starving, but—”]

“I’ll be hungry when I wake up. Right. I need to account for how the System works.”

My flashback stopped. My memories were there, all neatly placed in a neat row for me to remember. Now I knew again how it all happened, but remembering any further was too much of a drag. I was starving.

Effects: [Starvation (Moderate)]

Ah, that’s why I felt like I was withering away a bit. Good thing I have a high amount of Health to endure this.

Even with how I made it seem so non-threatening, the fact still stood that I was losing Health and with all the playing I did with my shadow pack, I had ignored the pain coming from my body. Thinking could wait for later. First, I needed to eat.

I pulled out a Health potion and drank it to recover my Health before taking out multiple dishes and also food for my garms. They weren’t hungry like me, but it was still good for us to have a meal together since it had been almost two weeks for them.

“Itadakimasu.” I clapped my hands together before cutting up a steak for myself, signaling my shadow pack to begin feasting, too. After I remembered how they rejected Belzac with me, I felt our bond growing even tighter.

As a pretty large fenrir, I had to eat a lot to keep myself from going hungry, so when I was starving, I could probably challenge Hestia’s normal eating habits. Plates and bowls began to be emptied, all neatly piled up until there were three stacks of ten. My garms were already finished, but I still needed more.

After ten more servings, each which would have been enough to fill a single athlete from Earth, I let out a giant sigh and touched my bloated belly and fell to the ground. I could feel my head warming up from shame, embarrassed at how unladylike I was acting right now. I lamented how I should have gotten a bit drunk, just so I could ignore this unnerving feeling.

Whatever, not any different from stress eating.

Eating a lot to calm down my nerves after looking at my mother’s medical bills, while the stress itself helped me stay thin in a way. Balanced lifestyle. That dream honestly brought up some rather sad memories which I really would have liked to stay hidden. I loved my mother, but it really wasn’t a pleasant time, to say the least.

I then stood up, groaning a bit from the food moving in my belly, before going over to the wall of this black sphere. I covered my right arm with [Shadow Armament] and pulled a piece of it off, creating an opening for everybody to leave.

Once outside, I noticed I was still inside the cave where Belzac’s soul was. I turned around, noticing the shadow ball was see-through from the outside. Meaning, my shadow pack — outside of Shoyi I believed — [Shadow Dash] inside once they saw me awake. No wonder I hadn’t noticed their presence until the very last moment.

“Thanks for staying with me all this time, Shoyi.” I caressed my little slime. Despite not spending as much time with him and only using him as our company’s trash and waste disposal, I could still feel a ton of affection coming from this little guy.

The little guy wobbled around in happiness, making me feel even worse.

[“Alpha…”] Once I was done thanking Shoyi, Song suddenly called for me, pointing my attention forward to a translucent wolf around the size of my garms. She was sitting and was only eying me.

How long has she been waiting there?

Without me needing to say anything, my entire shadow pack quickly dived back into my shadow, knowing the ghost and I needed some private time. Once they were gone, I walked up closer to the spirit-like garm and stood in front of her, not knowing what to say.

Until some words slipped out of my mouth. “I did not expect the dream to end immediately upon our meeting.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

[“… Ancestor set the illusion up to test your ability to manipulate shadows, in addition to being able to discern it being a trick. You took longer than he expected, but…”] She paused, looking me up and down. [“So I took advantage of his disappointment. I slipped myself into that moment. So I could…”]

She stopped talking again. Her telepathic voice was filled with pain.

“So you could get to know me. I get it.” I nodded, still feeling awkward.

It was obvious enough to guess with how she worded her sentence. In other words, my “dream” ended the moment Belzac noticed I was free, and it coincidentally happened after I finished confessing my regrets to my fake mother. Well, it gave me a chance to find closure with my memory of Mother, so I couldn’t complain.

On the other hand, the garm before me missed her chance.

“You… are my mother?” I asked carefully.

She nodded.

“Then, how are you… here? Speaking with me? I saw your body. I saw Hestia burying you with—”

[“The rest of our family, yes. Your father and your elder siblings. All fell on that day when they confronted the young reincarnator dragon. I, too, did, but I still managed to relay my last wishes to her. Seeing as you are alive and well, it seemed she kept her promise to me.”] I felt happiness coming from her, but also a hint of regret.

Hestia had mentioned something about promising my garm mother to protect me when we first met. I had to admit, I felt nothing when she told me that.

“Then, should you—” I stopped myself from finishing that sentence. It still felt hard for me to accept that this was my mother in this world, but Hestia and Melloxtressa came into my mind as I saw the grief in her eyes.

Child and mother, separated only to be reunited a year later after the former had grown up. A chance for a childhood, gone, never to be obtained. If I had continued speaking, I was sure my words would have cut even deeper than a blade. There was no need to torment this poor mother of mine.

As such, I calmed down as I mentally reevaluated how Hestia and Melloxtressa dealt with their initial meeting. Unlike Hestia, I could suppress my emotions, especially after I had that moment with my dream mother. If that illusion was this garm’s work, then I owed her at the very least to act reasonable.

“How did you manage to remain here? To talk with me?” I asked my question as calmly as possible.

And from the look of it, I didn’t agitate her, so I called that a success. [“In my last moments, I made a deal with our Ancestor, Belzac. He woke up when you were born, apparently. By surrendering my life, he told me I could entrust you with that dragon whelp. In exchange, I wanted him to allow even a sliver of me to meet you once you’ve grown strong enough to become Ancestor’s successor.”]

Hestia did mention that latter part when I mentioned wanting to meet Belzac. That girl had forgotten the second part of the promise entirely, and only remembered it at the very last moment. Honestly!

My garm mother continued, [“My actual soul has already met the Goddess of Death. This is only a part of it, a small remembrance so I could meet you. I am bound here similar to the other fenrir onnikais Belzac has under his command. In other words…”]

Her translucent body began to shrink, condensing itself into a small creature, looking very similar to a lesser faefolk.

[“I am an onnikai,”] she stated before turning back to her previous form.

“…” I was speechless.

A mother who loved her child so much, she would sacrifice her life to make sure her guardian was prepared to face any new dangers. She ignored the pain of her dying body and trained that guardian, giving her combat styles, strategies, and also managed to humble her. You could argue Tasianna was Hestia’s first teacher, but to be honest, it should have been this garm before me.

And even after dying, a small part of her still wandered this place, waiting diligently for her child to return. She hid herself at first, and only appeared once she saw an opportunity. She created an illusion, where daughter and mother could talk. She gave that daughter a chance to speak and cry, despite those emotions being directed at another woman she considered mother, and all that while she remained patient and quiet, considerate of her daughter’s own inner turmoil.

It could feel her sincerity. I could now understand why Hestia talked so positively about my garm mother. I was conflicted on how to feel. This was my mother, but I still couldn’t accept her as that. However, I felt extremely thankful to her for what she did.

I just didn’t know what to say.

[“… Come with me, Saori. You are the first of your allies to break through the illusion,”] she called for me before beginning to move deeper into the tunnel.

I sighed deeply and followed behind her. My chance to say my thanks was gone. And this awkwardness between us continued as we walked. Sadly, my garm mother wasn’t like Melloxtressa. While the latter could take the lead to help Hestia warm up to their relationship, my mother and I were both too unsure how to bridge the gap.

And it wouldn’t come any time soon, since the moment we reached the end of this tunnel, a familiar face greeted me.

“Ooooh, there you are, Saori! Hoho, you sure took your time in that dream. A beauty sleep to keep your cute face fresh and youthful, right?” A blond woman with blood-red eyes walked up to me. Her elven ears perked up as she smiled before taking a sip from her suspicious dark red drink.

“Goddess Vivachel? Oh right, right. You and your sisters appeared.”

The appearance of this elven goddess reminded me of the three people who appeared during my argument with Belzac — Ilsaphone, Vivachel, and Kronnaz. I hadn’t expected them to be there, but without them, I was sure my arguement with Belzac wouldn’t have concluded in a peaceful manner. They were the ones who suggested to Belzac to train us, which prompted him to send us into those shadow cocoons for his trial.

“Hrm, two weeks of staying inside that shadow world, with nothing but your own thoughts must have been trying for a healthy mind. Don’t mind it, don’t mind it.” She wagged her finger, telling me to sort my thoughts quickly and to get up to date. “So, did you change your mind in any way? I bet that old wolf would appreciate a positive answer.”

“… The answer is still a no.” I was blunt. I still thought Belzac’s request was annoying and felt too alienated to accept we were related.

The reason for the trial was to actually give me time to rethink Belzac’s proposal, to accept my role as Edna’s Champion and also to get revenge for his death. To essentially right what was wrong. However, I just came back from one revenge Quest, and was not okay with another one. There was too much vengeance around me, anyways.

“Oh? Not even to my mother’s proposal? Didn’t you receive Mother’s blessing? You won’t accept the responsibility?” Vivachel quizzed me, looking more curious than offended.

“As I told your older sister, I am not completely apprehensive of it, but with how Belzac’s quest would become my third Divine Quest if I accepted, I cannot take on such a role with those prerequisite.”

“Well, still, understandable. However, once you pass the trials here, it will become hard for you to develop your Unique Job without more aid from Belzac. He is the origin of your bloodline, after all, and you should have tasted his power already.”

Divine Quest: Pass Belzac’s Trials and Training

Quest Giver: Goddess of Death and Necromancy, Ilsaphone

Description: Just pass Belzac’s training.

Reward: Unique Job Unlock

It was an incredibly simple Quest, but its reward was also not the most impressive. Unlocking the ability to get a Unique Job was nice, but it didn’t mean I could earn one immediately. That was the problem, and why I considered the rewards appropriate.

Considering what Vivachel said, I had to agree that learning more from Belzac could help me. To create his trial, he created not only an illusion which I thought was real for a time, but inside this place, it had an almost dream-like reality to it. Seeing as how a projection of my recovered mother appeared.

Of course, there could be more Belzac could teach me, but I wasn’t so sure if it was worth agreeing to his incredibly selfish request. Tasianna was a friend, Belzac was just a stranger. Doing all these revenge jobs was getting rather annoying.

[“Please, consider it,”] my garm mother implored me to, but I could only stay silent. It didn’t feel right to refute it again.

“Now, now, Saori. Good daughters take care of their mothers, right?” Vivachel tapped me softly on my shoulder, before tracing her finger along my jaw, nudging me to look her straight into her eyes. “And since I am a good daughter, I have to make sure my mother gets what she wants.”

It immediately felt like my consciousness was sinking right into her ruby glare. I was unable to speak back as I could feel my mental protection skills were doing their best to drag me out of it, but it was all futile. I was entranced, drawn in deeper and deeper…

… Until I was released.

“I jest! Hohohoho!” Vivachel laughed out of glee as I flinched backward, feeling cold sweat forming along my forehead. As I tried to control my breathing and beating heart, the vampire goddess produced a blood fan from the red liquid inside her glass before gesturing with her finger for me to follow. “Come, come, little bloodling. You want to see your students, no?”

Jeez… why do I always get tangled with these weird people?

Still, I did as she wanted me to, and what I saw in the next cavern sent another chill down my spine. I wasn’t hallucinating when I saw the three Night Sisters, and I sure hoped my eyes weren’t lying to me right now, as I could see both Ilsaphone and Kronnaz sitting inside two individual black spheres.

Vivachel told me to look inside, so I did. In the first, I saw Kronnaz meditating in front of Tatsuya’s and Kyouya’s sleeping bodies. Vivachel then asked me if I was curious what the two were dreaming of, but before I could reject that idea, Vivachel smirked gleefully and began sending me thoughts.

There, I saw Tatsuya biting his nails short in school, anxiously waiting for his parents to come back from court. Apparently, his mother was sued by Yoichiro Akabane, Japan’s most notorious persecutor and the father of Franz Akabane, one of my best students.

Something had happened when Mister Akabane visited Tatsuya’s mother’s coffee shop, and this altercation led to the former suing the latter for damage. Since it was a civil proceeding, Akabane couldn’t exactly present himself, but from Tatsuya’s memories, his parents told him how Akabane literally controlled his lawyer to do his bidding.

Tatsuya’s father was a CEO of a rather successful international trading company, and he told Tatsuya Akabane instigated this situation with his wife to sabotage him. In the end, Akabane won the trial and almost caused the coffee shop to be closed. At the end of the day, this drama didn’t ruin Tatsuya’s father, but it still gave him some bad press he needed to answer to the board members.

Is this why Tatsuya hated Franz so much? Because of this? I questioned, now realizing how much it made sense.

When I was still their teacher, those two were the worst student partner pairs. Their anti-synergy was so problematic that it made the usually honor student Franz get a failing grade during one of the partner projects. I learned from that moment, if I wanted my students to pass, I could never, ever pair them together. My paycheck rested on that fact.

Back to the topic at hand, Tatsuya’s dream then looped again, and he found himself right at the beginning, learning of the trial, and then witnessing his parents arguing with each other about what to do about it. With every new loop, Tatsuya would try something to make sure his parents won, whether it was to use his Peolyncian power or something else, but it would all still end in failure.

It was disheartening to watch, so I turned over to Kyouya’s. Unfortunately for me, while his dream was simpler, it wasn’t anywhere easier to digest.

Body shaming. When I first met Kyouya, he was already a fit, athletic young man, but from the dream, I saw him struggling with his weight as a young boy and in his early teens. He would be ridiculed not only by his schoolmates but also from his cousins, all driving home how he was sweaty, ugly, and dumb.

The poor boy was driven into a corner by the public shame, forgoing eating for entire days to “diet,” only to fall into his craving the next day and eat so much it made the previous day a waste. Eventually, his father forced him into a gym, telling him “if you want to change, do it here!” A professional trainer was hired, and while Kyouya had his misgivings at the start, eventually warmed up to it. Not only did he lose weight but also gained muscles, eventually turning him into the person he was now.

However, from the looks of it, he was going through some internal problems concerning his body after being transported into this new world. How compared to people like Hestia, Yorshka, and Muraina, he was insignificant compared to them, and how his own Unique skill could never measure to the strength he wanted. He was glad Hestia removed the skill through her usurper rights, but was now unsure how to progress for the future.

Just like when he was still overweight, he needs somebody to guide him in the correct direction. He’s unsure where his future will go.

And my thoughts were proven correct when the reason why Kyouya couldn’t break out of his dream was the fact he was theorycrafting what the best way forward was. Was it to ask Yorshka for more tips or should he ask one of King Drangleic’s knights? Should he learn magic from Hestia and Melloxtressa, or should he learn from Grimnir to become a craftsman. He wasn’t sure.

“Don’t think about breaking them out.” Vivachel suddenly stopped sending me thoughts and drew me back to reality.

“I was not planning to,” I scoffed at the mischievous vampire queen, earning me a hearty laugh from her. “I was about to say, I did not want to see their thoughts. You act too hastily.”

I already had a feeling this goddess was an extremely playful one from our meeting in the dungeon where the real Parilostro Resclave was located. Now that I was speaking with her, I was now 100% sure of it.

Ignoring her, I turned around to Hanazawa, where I noticed something different compared to the boys. Instead of sleeping on the ground, she was meditating right in front of an analyzing Ilsaphone. The ying-yang mana symbols from her Unique skill [Twilight Paladin] were floating right in front of her.

“Hmm?” I tilted my head, prompting Vivachel to answer.

“Just like you, Asaka already has a patron god. Both of you have a clear path forward, when it comes to training and improvement of your skills. On the other hand, the two boys are still in a limbo. That’s why Kroza wanted to help them, since they needed the guidance of a true warrior more than a mage.” She pointed at Ilsaphone and herself. “Elsa is Asaka’s patron goddess, and you already have mother, and Belzac, really.”

[“The first trial is tailored towards each person,”] my garm mother added. [“You went through a forest because the Ancestor wanted to learn about your mind and your control over shadows. The male pups have an issue since they do not have a strong, profound reason to fight for the future, so they must analyze their past. The girl likewise had no real goal and is probably going through the same process, but in her case, she has the Goddess of Death impeding and directly challenging her ideals and convictions.”]

Vivachel nodded. “The reason why you are out first is that your trial didn’t ask for your psychological profile. Belzac only wants you for your strength. Asaka probably will be the second to come out, I guess, since she has my sister directly guiding her. But, who knows?”]

Considering Hanazawa’s troubled past with her abusive and neglectful parents, and the death of her brother, I would believe she would have more problems. Unlike Tatsuya and Kyouya, I asked somebody about Hanazawa’s background. In this case, Haruka, her current best friend, so I could understand the mind of that girl.

Hope it works out.

I sighed and hoped my former students would do well, before turning my head over to Vivachel. “I have a question. Why are the three of you helping us out with our growth? And why aren’t you helping any of them?”

“My dear, we gods can do whatever we like.” She smiled arrogantly. “Kroza took an interest in the boys, while Elsa is trying to groom Asaka. On the other hand, why am I not helping out? Because I have no fancy for any of you. If I am to train a mortal, it must be a blessed of mine, at least.”

So, the other two are nice, while you aren’t? Is that what you— Hold on.

At the mention of “mortals,” I suddenly realized something I hadn’t thought of before. Something that shouldn’t be possible without Hestia or a translator like Klea’Hatma around.

I raised my hand, stopping Vivachel from continuing. “Hold on, why am I hearing you correctly?! This shouldn’t be possible!”

And a wide grin formed on her face, before she spoke with a completely different voice. The same one I heard from Belzac! “It took you a bit, but my ability to imitate people never wavered after all these years. Come, it’s time to talk face-to-face again.”

She folded her blood fan shut before her form started to waver and turn completely black, like a shadow. While waving her hand, this being slowly melted into the ground and began to move. I followed it out of the cavern, chasing after the rapidly speeding target, only to end up in another room where another Vivachel showed up, waving at me.

“Hestia?” She asked me in that weird-sounding accent gods usually had when they spoke.

She then shrugged and shook her head, before forming a cross in front of her mouth. She then pointed at her ears before doing the same with mine. Was she gesturing how I couldn’t hear her?

With how confused I was, it made it hard to understand what was actually going on. Vivachel laughed, hiding her grin with her fan, before pointing at the statue behind her — Belzac’s skeletal remains.

[“How was it, Saori? Was it not perfect?”] Belzac’s deep voice growled in my mind.

“W-What?!”

[“Look.”] The shadow underneath his skeleton squirmed before it started to move by itself, forming what looked like a female. Only, it wasn’t just any female, it was me.

“Huh?!” I flinched from seeing myself. The shadow waved at me and spoke in my voice before melting back into the shadow. “T-That was not a normal [Shadow Clones]. It is not possible to make a copy of anybody else but yourself with that spell!”

[“Correct, but I was able to mimic Goddess Vivachel and also make a copy of you. The only way you realized it wasn’t the real Vivachel was that you could hear her properly,”] he explained. [“Saori, there is more than just simple shadow manipulation, black electricity, and some beasts you managed to tame when it comes to my bloodline. I can show you why they called me the Harbinger of Grim and why it took two armies to defeat me. I can show you—”]

I heard the wind. I turned around to see my garm mother passing through the tunnel entrance, too slow compared to even my wolfkin form.

[“— your true family.”]

… Family? That’s right, that is why I came here. The whole self-reflection and closure part was just the icing on top, right?

There was a reason why I didn’t follow either Hestia or Grimnir in their objectives. I came here because of Belzac. Right, I had to keep this in mind. It didn’t matter how I achieved it, but the goal of this trip was to learn from Belzac about my bloodline and to become stronger. That was the only thing I needed to think about.

Similar to how I compromised with a teacher’s position instead of following my dream of becoming a historian, sometimes, it would be better for everyone and myself to endure some pain. To live, was to struggle. My time on Earth had taught me that in abundance.

Okaa-san. Otou-san. My family. Hestia. Tasianna. Ellaine. Grimnir. The Aurora is my new family. I lost the former, so I must do my best for the latter now. I gripped my red scarf, made entirely from Hestia’s fire mana.

I lost one family, but gained a new one in the form of Aurora. There was no reason for me to keep rejecting my fenrir bloodline. I lost my first mother with my death, but there was now a chance for me to make a new one. Every mother deserved a chance to love their child…

What’s another family? The more the merrier, right?

However, what use is it to have so many people caring for you, if you cannot defend them? For Hestia’s Quest, strength and cunning was extremely important. Hestia represented that strength, while I… am her shadow.

From my experience in Gleisvale, I started to remember why my father became a firefighter in the first place — it was to make sure fires wouldn’t take a person’s life. He always impressed me with his tales of being a hero, and I always focused on the heroics instead of how he felt about them.

He loved saving people, he loved to see others smile after an inferno. I couldn’t speak with him, but I was starting to understand him better after what I did in the slave auction and my time in that illusion. He went into the fire disregarding anything outside of the situation, only being able to think about the family stuck inside the aflammed building. He died, but he managed to save them. A family existed because he was there.

It broke ours in return, and I couldn’t forgive him for that. It gnawed at me. I didn’t want to become like him, but I guess my time in Peolynca had exposed that part of him in me. His stories affected me. Seeing Hestia being a hero inspired me. The personality I developed as a teacher, as an adult, was being pushed back, whilst my idealist side came forward.

However, that wasn’t what I wanted.

Now I get it.

I had to embrace both sides of myself. My pragmatic, rational side with my brave, heroic one. Hestia could be reckless because she ias that strong, but I didn’t need to emulate her. I had my own distinct fighting style, and becoming a [Young Stygian-Scaled Fenrir] shouldn’t change that. I gained more power from my evolution, but I couldn’t forget about my roots. Yes, what made me this strong in the first place.

The dark element was a flexible one, filled with more trickery than power. I had to remember what Hestia told me in the past. “I think I am the problem,” she told me concerning what was holding me back. At this point, I could completely say, I disagreed.

Me imitating Hestia wasn’t her fault, it was mine. Even back when I was a teacher, all I did was follow my senpais and constructed a personality to fit Shiroko High School. To make them feel I was a part of them. Even with my own dagger mastery, I hadn’t innovated on it as much as I did my shadow mastery. All my techniques came from my time with the saurians, when they trained me.

However, dark magic was fluid. It had a tool for every situation, you could say. [Smokey Haze] was the perfect example for a spell with a multi-facet of usages. To become stronger, I couldn’t be reckless and rely on my strength alone, I had to be cunning. I needed to understand the true nature of the shadow world.

And for that, I needed good mentors. Teachers who looked at the abyss and came out of it unscarred. I needed—

“Now that I think about it, my time inside that dream did make me reconsider things.” I turned my attention back to Belzac.

— him.

[“… Your eyes. That red mist. Aren’t you eager, my descendant?”]

Speaking with “Mother” gave me the time and chance I needed to look back at my life and how I grew. The current me, you could say, was similar to my Earthen life as I was willing to do whatever was needed to survive. Even if I considered my students good friends, my primary reason to become an amazing teacher was for the money. Intentions mattered to me.

So, what did it matter what Belzac’s goal was? How he ended up in this cave was not my problem and I could care less about it. However, this was the obstacle for me to get that “paycheck.” That trove of knowledge to exceed my current limitations. I wanted it so badly.

‘Travel the world…’ My deal with Hestia. Right, how could I drag her around the world if I keep being so stubborn? I’m already dealing with criminals and underworld scum, after all, ahahahaha!

“I need to become stronger. More than I currently am. Can you help me with that?”

[“Of course.”]

“Will you help my shadow pack become the most frightening force there is?”

[“Of course!”]

I smacked my chest, holding my hand over my heart as I stated my last demand. “I want the ability to protect my pack and family. I require it! The power of the shadow world to defend and attack. Will you make me a fenrir who will even surpass the notorious [Three-Eyed Fenrir]?”

[“…”]

The shadow underneath his statue moved once again, but this time, instead of transforming itself into a woman, it morphed and grew ever so large. Fur and claws appeared as the shadow transformed itself into a wolf, peering down at me like a giant. Its humongous body was too huge for the cavern, denting it and expanding it to fit its size.

Its black eyes glared at me with a third one sprouting on its forehead. [“The abyss calls, and as its ambassador, you will answer. As the harbinger, I shall pave your way forward. The secrets of the void, the domain of the God of Darkness. You will become my successor, and the inheritor of my techniques. You will become the legend I couldn’t be.’]

Slashes and bites weren’t the only things we wolves did well. We could howl really well.

“Then let’s talk.” I took a breather, steeling myself for the path forward.

He wanted me to kill somebody? Well, let us just say there was enough time to talk this out. Play it smart. I just needed to use my current position and his impatience to my advantage. Better use Gael’s and Muraina’s training to its fullest now.

Sorry, Hestia. It will probably take a while until we meet again. But until then… I turned my head back to my garm mother.

It’s time to get used to my estranged family.