Accompanied by the dull rumble of shifting rock plates, Silvan, carrying the unconscious Chris over his shoulder, slowly returned to the surface.

  "Whoa! Uncle Chris really passed out cold."

  Seeing this, Lune, who had been on standby under a tree, quickly hurried over on his short little legs. He curiously stretched out his tiny index finger and forcefully pried Chris's eyelids open to check. Satisfied, Lune patted his chest, let out a long sigh of relief, and looked up at Silvan.

  "Mr. Silvan! That was way too close! If you hadn't come to save me, I'd probably be a goner by now!"

  As soon as the words left his mouth, Lune suddenly turned his head away, as if remembering something. His small hands unconsciously gripped his pant legs tightly. After hesitating for a moment, he cautiously spoke up again:

  "Um, Silvan! Uncle Chris just said... that I stole Shumanton's body. What exactly is going on? Do you know why?" Lune's voice trembled slightly, carrying a trace of fear and confusion. "Inside me... is there really 'someone else' living in here?"

  Faced with Lune's clear, earnest eyes, Silvan didn't answer right away. A gentle breeze brushed past, making his long coat billow. Beneath that cold mask, he chose silence.

  (Lune... you are merely a 'humanoid barrier' created by Lord Shumanton. If you were to learn this cruel truth, you probably wouldn't be able to accept it. Not to mention, your memories are clearly jumbled right now.)

  (Saying anything now won't help... Lord Shumanton, just what in the world are you plotting? What a headache!)

  "Mr. Silvan..." Seeing the other party remain silent, the corners of Lune's eyes drooped slightly, revealing a pitiful look. "You clearly told me before that I am 'Shumanton's childhood, a fragment of the soul he split off.' Is that not true? Then why would Uncle Chris say I'm Shumanton's 'persona'? He even... even accused me of stealing his body..."

  Silvan, who was just about to turn and walk away, instantly froze upon hearing those words.

  In a flash, memories from three years ago flooded his mind like a tidal wave. It was a gloomy night. Silvan, who had just returned from buying supplies in town, was shocked to discover that Shumanton, who should have been sleeping in the tent, had vanished into thin air.

  He burned with anxiety, grabbing an infrared detector and beginning a carpet search through the pitch-black forest. It wasn't until dawn that he finally found Shumanton's silhouette by a tranquil lake.

  Silvan quietly approached under the dim veil of night. Sensing the movement, Shumanton slowly turned his head—

  What kind of eyes were those? The gaze he directed at Silvan held an unfathomable, bottomless sorrow. It was a look that suggested he was ruthlessly casting his most treasured possession into the fiery abyss of hell with his own hands. And the only reason he did it was because he had long since run out of choices, completely powerless.

  The very next second, a sudden mutation occurred! Several pitch-black vines covered in sharp thorns shot out from under Shumanton's feet without warning! As if possessing a life of their own, they slithered up Silvan's body. They bound his limbs with a gentle yet overbearing force, and even precisely slipped beneath his cape.

  Snap! A soft sound echoed. The vines had actually flipped Silvan's golden switch, forcibly cutting off his alchemy light screen—even though Silvan hadn't even activated it at the time.

  Having done all this, Shumanton simply turned his head and gazed at the distant horizon, remaining silent for a long time.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  It wasn't until the first ray of dawn pierced the sky, dyeing the clouds a dazzling gold, that he finally snapped back to reality, as if waking from a dream. A look of apology surfaced on his face.

  "I'm truly sorry, Miss Pu-Ying. I wasn't paying attention and lost track of time." Shumanton's voice was deep and lethargic. "I hope you can forgive these unreasonable black thorns. They really are quite prickly, don't you think?"

  Shumanton forced a weary, exhausted smile, one so ethereal it seemed as if it would dissipate with the wind in the next second. This made Silvan burn with anxiety, but held fast by the thorny vines, he couldn't move a muscle, let alone speak.

  "I just checked the calendar. It seems I've slept for a full fourteen years this time! Waking up four years earlier than planned... it's a terrible feeling," Shumanton muttered to himself, a trace of helplessness in his tone. "This body is far too heavy. Older people always envy the sweet slumber of children, right? If I could sleep in the body of a child, wouldn't my sleep quality improve significantly?"

  At this, Shumanton let out a low chuckle, his expression returning to his usual, laid-back demeanor, as if everything were back under his control.

  "Indeed, it's time to craft a 'humanoid barrier' for myself, wouldn't you agree? Hah, what a brilliant idea. As pure and flawless as tonight's moonlight... let's just call the child 'Lune'!"

  For the next few days, Shumanton acted as if nothing had happened, bickering with Chris and idling the days away just like always. However, on a certain night just a few weeks later, Shumanton's body underwent a drastic mutation. Under the shocked gazes of Silvan and Chris, his bones began to emit agonizing, violent shrinking sounds, and finally—he transformed into the appearance of the child now known as "Lune."

  "Mr. Silvan? Why are you spacing out?"

  The tugging at his coat pulled Silvan sharply back to reality from his distant memories. The Lune standing before him had shed his earlier panic, returning once again to his innocent, adorable self.

  'As pure and flawless as tonight's moonlight... let's just call the child Lune!'

  Shumanton's words still echoed clearly in Silvan's mind. Even though that awakening had lasted only a few short weeks, it was enough to make him temporarily forget the profound sorrow in Shumanton's eyes.

  (Why... why didn't I ask him back then? Just what did Shumanton realize that night?) (And Lune... is he really just a so-called humanoid barrier? It seems I need to find a time to properly interrogate Chris! That guy is definitely hiding some crucial intel.)

  Silvan gently ruffled Lune's soft hair, then activated his alchemy light screen. Pale blue light interlaced in the air, forming neat lines of text:

  [...I thought about it for a while, but I really have no clue, I'm sorry. Lune, the commotion from the battle just now was too loud. I'm worried it might attract the attention of the Empire's scouts. It's not safe to stay here; let's leave first, alright?]

  After a brief pause, the text on the light screen shifted like flowing water:

  [I'll talk to Chris about this again later. I think there must be some kind of misunderstanding between you two. Don't worry too much. Maybe Chris was just in a bad mood today, and you accidentally became his punching bag! Don't take it to heart. He's always been like this, totally unable to control his temper despite his age.]

  [Promise me, Lune, please don't be mad at Chris. I don't think he even knows what kind of nonsense he's spouting! After all, his brain is a bit slower than the average person's. Okay?]

  Looking at the text on the light screen, Lune nodded, half-believing. But deep down, he was absolutely certain—Silvan was definitely hiding something important! His wild intuition was blaring alarm bells, even if he couldn't put a finger on exactly what felt wrong.

  But, whatever! Compared to that, there was something else right now that he cared about far more, something much more exciting...

  And that was the skill he had just suddenly awakened—[Triangular: Super-Thick Heavy Armor Barrier]!

  To think he had actually self-taught a high-tier barrier alchemy technique right at death's door! To instantaneously ionize free-floating magical particles in the air and rearrange them—that required a freakish level of focus and magical sensitivity! Even legendary Chosen Ones might not be able to make those chaotic, frantic particles obediently fall into place.

  Now that he thought about it...

  (Oh my god! Could I actually be a once-in-a-century, peerless genius!?)

  At this thought, Lune couldn't help but let out a silly "Pfft!" of laughter.

  "Ah! Mr. Silvan, wait for me!"

  Seeing that Silvan had already walked far ahead with Chris on his shoulder, Lune quickly moved his short legs to catch up. He skipped and hopped with light steps, completely immersed in the ecstasy of awakening a new skill.

  Who cares! Anyway, the immediate crisis had been resolved. If the sky fell, the tall guys would hold it up. It wouldn't hurt to just be happy for now!