Chapter 84: What If?
By the following day, Aluna had recovered significantly. Although most of her injuries had healed, both she and Daisy remained under strict detention.
During this quiet interval, Igaris finally pieced together some long-buried secrets surrounding the internal affairs of House Calamity of Paradise.
From what he gathered, House Calamity wasn’t just another noble family. It was one of the central pillars supporting the Federation’s military structure, renowned for its mastery over Lightning Mechs, deadly machines capable of overwhelming enemy lines with sheer speed and electrical destruction.
But the Federation’s enemies weren’t limited to Summoners alone. Beyond the shimmering domes of Paradise lay the Great Forest of Tumbar, a primal stretch of wilderness teeming with Spirit Beasts. These creatures routinely crossed borders, attacking human settlements not only for food but possibly for darker, unknown purposes.
Since the sealing of the Spirit Realm centuries ago, many of its beasts had interbred with native wildlife. The resulting hybrids were grotesque, unpredictable, and disturbingly drawn to human blood. The reason for this craving remained unclear, but the danger they posed was undeniable.
Back to House Calamity, a strange rumor had circulated within high society around eight years ago. It spoke of a scandal involving one of their daughters.
According to whispers behind closed doors, the daughter had secretly fallen in love with a powerful Summoner—a man from beyond Federation walls who possessed terrifying camouflage abilities, allowing him to bypass detection and infiltrate the Calamity estate unnoticed.
Their forbidden union resulted in marriage, and soon after, the birth of two children: a son, Igor Calamity, and a daughter, Isadora.
For ten years, they lived in secret harmony, hidden from public scrutiny. But then, without warning, the father vanished.
His disappearance changed everything.
Igor, still a young boy, was subjected to a compulsory aptitude test meant to determine his potential as a Mecha pilot. What they found during that test shattered the family’s foundation.