As modern-day Earth scrambled to prepare for the sudden and far earlier than expected introduction of aether and the system, somewhere deep in the past—back in the olden days of Earth—a group of bewildered onlookers stood in stunned silence.
"Master, all I’m saying is… he’s your student. So this is your problem," the Vendor muttered, arms folded, expression unreadable as he stared straight ahead, unsure what to make of what he was witnessing.
Auserre, ignoring the furious, screaming voice echoing from her water mirror, replied calmly, "You’ve been wanting to take him as a student. Why the sudden formality now? Didn’t you say you were the best person to guide him? Well—here’s your chance. Go ahead. Take responsibility."
"Don’t pawn him off to me now!" the Vendor shot back instantly.
And so, Auserre and the Vendor launched into a full-blown argument over whose fault this was, each trying to shift the blame like hot coals.
Meanwhile, Inpu, Mia, Kei M, and Silvie stood off to the side in an awkward line, watching the drama unfold. The fact that even they couldn’t understand the seriousness of the situation spoke volumes. From Auserre and the Vendor’s reactions—not to mention the increasingly unhinged shouting coming from the water mirrors—it was clear something significant had just happened.
"Aus, I thought I raised you better than this," Oceana’s voice rang out coldly from her water mirror. "Take responsibility for your student’s actions."
"Master, not now! How do you expect him—your grandstudent—to handle the mess his student caused?" Auserre replied with forced calm, barely containing her stress.
"Grandmaster!" the Vendor pleaded, now fully turning to face the mirror. "You must do me justice. She’s trying to throw the blame onto me, but clearly her student's actions are her failure as a master!"
Even the King—royalty and all—stood there slack-jawed, not even trying to hide his disbelief. “…Maybe I can do without this kid. Despite his performance, this might just be too much trouble.”
The four young cultivators had just returned from completing their Fractured Zones—each one having endured brutal, near-impossible training under the supervision of their respective zone bosses. They were battered, worn, and mentally drained.
Even Inpu and Mia—who had borderline bullied their zone boss into submission using their uncanny grasp of Balance Force—had struggled under the weight of the training. The teachings weren’t just brutal. They were revelatory.
Each one of them had been pushed to their absolute limit.
Each one had expelled a wave of impurities from their bodies.
And by the time they left their respective zones, each had quietly broken through into the Physical Realm—just as Mia had done before them.
Auserre and the Vendor were still arguing, voices growing louder by the second, when Oceana finally raised her hand in the water mirror, trying to calm them both down.
But then Aterix’s enraged shout cut through the noise like a sword through mist.
"I don’t care whose fault it is—one of you do something about that kid, Khenu, or I’ll visit Earth myself!"
Everyone froze.
Except for Kei Y.
He stood there quietly, completely detached from the chaos around him, gently cradling a small creature in his arms. It was a panda cub—one that looked strikingly similar to the panda-type creatures he'd fought back in the zone before he encountered Aterix.
All eyes locked on him.
Kei Y looked up at their stunned faces with a blank expression. “What? I defeated him fair and square. I told him beforehand I wanted to bring out one of those pandas in the zone—and so I did.”
His voice was so calm, so unapologetically matter-of-fact, that it somehow made everything worse.
“Kid… how did you even manage to bring out a creature from the zone?” Oceana asked, equal parts confused and exasperated.
Kei Y tilted his head and studied her image in the water mirror.
“…You remind me of my sheep,” he said with a faint nod.
“…………”
Oceana went completely still. It took a second for the meaning to register—but when it did, her eyes widened. She glanced around at the others present, then quickly smoothed out her expression to avoid letting anyone know what he meant.
“…Is that how you speak to your Grandmaster, child?” she replied, resting her cheek on her hand. “I think I prefer the sound kid”
Off to the side, Kei M flinched at the exchange, remembering a particularly painful moment from his training—specifically when some of his impurities were physically beaten out of him. Even if his strength had increased afterward, the trauma was still fresh.
“Alright, alright—I’ll deal with it,” Auserre finally said, exhaling sharply.
“And how exactly do you plan to deal with it?” Aterix demanded, crossing his arms, still seething.
“In all fairness,” Auserre began, “he beat you. Within your stated limitations as a recruit-class zone boss. And—if I recall correctly—you never answered when he asked what the reward would be. So really, it’s reasonable that he just took what he wanted.”
“You CAN’T be serious!!” Aterix roared.
“Why not?” Auserre replied coolly, arms crossed. “Those creatures did originate from Earth. And again—he won, fairly. If you’ve got a problem with it, you’re welcome to come here and try taking it back… personally.”
The final sentence carried a weight that silenced everyone. Her body let out a low, cracking groan—not from age or fatigue, but from the sheer pressure of force radiating through her bones, marrow, and vessels.
Aterix, already defeated multiple times by Auserre, deflated immediately. He knew better. He’d been defeated fairly, and worse—he had witnessed firsthand the freakish talent Kei Y displayed when it came to learning runes. That kind of genius was too rare to risk offending over pride.
He could only sigh in defeat.
Then, Mia’s voice rang out, curious and sweet.
“…Did Khenu have to look at that thing for a long time to complete his zone?” she asked innocently.
Aterix twitched violently.
A single innocent question had sent him teetering on the edge of another furious outburst—but just as he opened his mouth to launch into another volcanic tirade—
Click.
Auserre closed his water mirror.
Everyone stood in silence for a beat.
Then Kei Y looked down at the panda cub and nodded to himself, completely unfazed by the confusion swirling around him. The creature cooed softly in his arms, curling into his chest like it belonged there.
The Shima Enaga Kei Y had recently created from rune strokes fluttered through the air, circling once before landing gently atop the panda cub. Its feathers shimmered faintly with aether, a soft white glow outlining its tiny form. The gesture seemed almost instinctive—like it was acknowledging the cub as a younger sibling.
Kei Y found that amusing.
After all, the little bird had only just been made. By all logic, the panda cub should be the older one.
And yet, the Shima Enaga nuzzled into the cub’s fur with surprising affection, chirping softly in a way that suggested otherwise.
Meanwhile, in the corner of his vision, a faint notification continued to blink—a light, rhythmic pulse that none of the others could see:
[Title: He Who Denies Fate]
Status: Active
Condition: Mildly amused.
It flashed cheerfully.
Almost mockingly.
As if the title itself was laughing at the chaos it had just helped stir.
The experts observing the scene—Auserre, Oceana, the Vendor, even the King—could only stare in silence. None of them had an explanation. Not for how Kei Y managed to bring a creature out of the zone… and especially not for how the system itself had seemingly permitted it.
Bringing something from a fractured zone was supposed to be impossible.
The rules—no, the laws—of the system simply didn’t allow it.
And yet, here they were. With a panda cub. Snuggled in the arms of a boy who looked like he’d just done something as mundane as picking a flower.
And the blinking title continued to glow with quiet joy, pulsing in perfect sync with the chaos it left behind.
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