My mind suddenly felt clear.

11

Rather than being shocked, surprised, or overwhelmed by the realization, I only felt a strange clarity wash over my mind.

It was strange, but it almost felt like everything was falling into place.

'So this is how it is...'

I closed my eyes and took a small breath.

"There's still a lot of things that don't make sense, but I'm sure I'll understand soon enough.'

I glanced at the phone in my hand. I felt tempted to replay the video, but thinking back to how gruesome it was, I decided against it.

...The message was already clear to me.

What I truly wanted to know was where Noel was.

He was still alive, I was sure of it. Somewhere out there, he was waiting for me to save him. But from what?

'He did say 'they'.'

Could he be referring to the other 'Gods'?

"Hmm."

The more I thought about the situation, the more complex it seemed to me. I just didn't have enough information to figure it out.

But that was fine.

...I was clearly not yet ready to hear everything.

"Hoo."

I took another deep breath and switched off the phone.

As I did, I felt a pair of eyes staring at me from my right side. I turned to see Pebble looking at me with an intense look.

"....You have a lot of secrets, human."

I smiled.

"I know."

A lot of the secrets were some that I only just came to learn about. There were plenty more that I still needed to unearth.

However, the picture started to form inside my mind.

I could see the light at the end of the long and dark tunnel.

Just a little bit more...

....Just a little bit more before I figured everything out.

"Yeah, just a little bit more."

Brushing my hair back, I put the phone away and picked up one of the worn-out swords scattered across the ground.

Swoosh! Swoosh-

They felt rather light.

I swung it a few more times before casually glancing at Pebble's way.

"How is the situation with Owl-Mighty going?"

"....He has made contact with the target."

"Mhm, perfect."

I nodded and swung the sword a few more times.

"I guess I have to wait now."

Swoosh! Swoosh-

It was almost time.

Almost time for me to take my body back.

***

"....

Julien swallowed nervously as he gazed at the Owl before him. Although it appeared to be an ordinary owl, he felt a heavy pressure emanating from it. The intensity of its stare left him feeling paralyzed.

He was only able to come to himself after hearing its words.

'Master...?'

Was it just him or did the Owl just call him...

"Master, are you okay?"

"Hm? Ah. I am."

Julien hurriedly put on a facade and nodded faintly.

"....I was busy studying this."

He casually pointed at the book he was reading. The one about 'Concepts'.

"Oh."

The Owl gave the paper a brief, uninterested glance before perching itself calmly on the wooden desk.

"I have completed the mission that you have asked me to complete."

Mission?

Julien held his question back and just nodded.

"Report to me on it."

"Yes."

Owl-Mighty nodded curtly, almost acting like a butler. The sight of the bird's compliance brought a thin smirk over Julien's lips.

'....I wonder how that parasite managed to get a servant like this? The bird looks quite useful.'

"The target remains inside the Church of Clora. I've observed him watching Caius on multiple occasions, but he hasn't made a move yet. I suspect he might take action soon."

Caius?

'Who is Caius?'

...And who exactly was targeting him?

Julien felt his head throb a little at the sudden piece of information but kept his face straight.

"I see."

"...Have you gotten a look at his strength?"

"Yes, it's as reported. Tier 4."

"Tier 4?"

Wasn't that the same as his current body?

Julien suddenly felt his body twitch. He... wanted to see the capabilities of his new body.

Could he deal with a tier 4? Surely he could...

'No, not yet.'

Just barely, Julien managed to hold himself back.

He needed to figure out this entire 'Concept' system before testing his powers through real

combat.

"Yes, the target is Tier 4. For now, their only target is Caius. They have yet to show any

interest towards you, master."

"Me?"

Julien blinked his eyes, his composure faltering slightly.

However, Julien was quick to recompose himself as he nodded himself.

'I see, so I'm also one of the targets.'

The itch Julien previously felt intensified.

He found himself slowly clenching his fists.

Yet again, he had to force himself to calm down.

Not yet...

"Is there anything else?"

"No."

The Owl replied.

"This is all for now."

"Mhm, I understand. You may go."

Julien pretended to be casual as he leaned back against the chair. He silently drummed his fist

against the wooden table.

He had half-expected the Owl to fly away, but to his surprise, it stayed, its eyes fixed on him

with an unwavering intensity.

The Owl's gaze made Julien grow nervous.

'Did it figure something out?'

"Why aren't you leaving?"

"...Leave?"

The Owl blinked.

"Where?"

Where...?

'Does it not just leave once he's done?'

Julien frowned but kept his cool.

"Yes, go and continue monitoring the target. Come back to me if you notice anything else."

"Understood, master."

The Owl spread its wings, preparing to take flight. Just before it left, it shot a brief, almost imperceptible glance at Julien's hand. The gesture was subtle, but Julien caught it, lowering

his gaze to where the Owl had directed its attention.

'Hm?'

That was when he noticed an inconspicuous black ring resting on his finger.

'A ring...?'

Julien was surprised.

He had already noticed the ring before but didn't pay much attention to it since it looked like

a regular ring.

Could there be a secret to the ring he didn't know about?

Julien's curiosity sparked, but before he could voice his question, the Owl had already

disappeared, leaving him with only his thoughts and the lingering gaze on his hand.

"Ah."

Julien frowned in annoyance.

He felt curious about the ring, but without properly knowing what it did, he didn't want to

carelessly test it.

"I'll worry about it later."

There was something else he was more curious about.

Tak-

Rising from his seat, Julien calmly approached the plain mirror mounted on the wall, his

reflection staring back at him.

Holding onto the book about 'Concepts', Julien glanced at his reflection while reciting,

"There are three steps to forming a Domain: Intent, Concept, and Materialization. Intent is deeply personal, shaped by the bearer's own experiences, and once formed, it cannot be

altered."

Pausing, Julien closed his eyes and thought back to the newspaper.

'An Emotional based Intent.'

That's how the newspaper described the parasite's Intent-one that directly alters his

physical attributes through the emotion he chooses to embody. Each shift in eye color signifies a distinct emotion, triggering corresponding changes in his body.

Closing his eyes, Julien suddenly saw six orbs appear in his mind.

'Ah, I see them.' Julien took a step forward, walking towards the six orbs that floated in front of him. Beneath

them, he could see the different names belonging to each orb.

Rage, Fear, Joy...

Throb!

They throbbed as he neared them.

Julien felt his entire body tingle upon feeling the throb.

He reached his hand towards the red orb.

'Rage'

"A 'Concept,' on the other hand, is the evolution and refinement of the Intent, transforming it

into something more structured and adaptable, ultimately reaching the point where

Materialization becomes possible." The Orb throbbed once more.

Julien felt his entire body quiver as the muscles beneath his skin squirmed and popped, power

surging through him like a storm.

"Haha."

Julien started to laugh, feeling a euphoria from the sudden increase in strength.

"Yes, this... Haha."

Opening his eyes, Julien caught a glimpse of his eyes which were slowly turning red.

The power in his body started to accumulate and as he clenched his fist, he almost felt like he

shatter the wall with a simple tap. "Now this..."

He looked down at his arms which were bulging.

"....This is what I call power."

Julien laughed again and closed his eyes.

He started to feel invincible. So much so that he suddenly had the itch to target the person

whom the Owl was targeting.

'I wonder who would win between the two of us if we fought?'

Seeing the six orbs that appeared in front of him, Julien prepared to fully integrate with the

red orb that stood in front of him.

He wanted to see just how powerful he would become once he fully integrated with it, and...

Cr Crack!

...What would happen if he integrated with the other orbs?

'This is gra-'

"Uh?"

Julien let out a weird sound all of a sudden.

As Julien stared at his outstretched hand, coated in a thick, viscous red liquid, his mind went

blank, and he suddenly lost all control over his body.

"Kh...!"

The orbs before him suddenly throbbed and trembled. 'W-what?!'

Julien was suddenly engulfed by a wave of pain as his chest constricted, and his muscles

tightened.

"Kha! Ukah!"

The red coating on his hand began to shift, transforming into a deep purple hue, and Julien

was abruptly engulfed by a wave of weakness. It felt as though every ounce of energy had been

drained from his body.

'W-what is going on?'

Panic started to spread over Julien's mind the orbs around him shook.

He looked at them in horror, watching as they all turned purple.

'A-Ah...'

As Julien took a step back, the weakness gripping his body intensified, threatening to pull him

down further.

His chest burned and his mind shook.

's eyes widened as he watched the orbs before him suddenly drop to the ground

Splash, splash-

The orbs burst upon hitting the ground, scattering droplets of purple liquid everywhere.

Before Julien could react, the purple droplets began to wriggle, transforming into slender hands that emerged from the ground and reached out toward him.

"T-that...! Ah!"

Juline tried to move back, but the hands grasped his ankles tightly.

He found himself unable to move.

11

Before he could do anything else, even more hands appeared, reaching out for his body, and

pulling him down.

"L-leave me alone! Ah...!"

Julien attempted to move, but his body wouldn't respond. More hands materialized, grasping

for his shoulders, neck, and every exposed part of him. In an instant, he was engulfed by a

mass of purple hands. He was stuck.

He was...

"Ah!"

His eyes abruptly opened.

Light returned to his eyes and his reflection appeared in front of him.

That was when he saw it.

His eyes...

"Haa... Haaa..."

They were purple.

...And from one of his eyes, several dozen purple hands emerged, clawing desperately to

escape. "T-this..."

Julien's mind blanked at the scene.

But soon, he realized what had happened.

"...Intent."

He had...

Found his own intent.