"I'm afraid I have to kill you."
Seven didn't flinch as the sword slid free from the sheath.
"I see…"
He tilted his head slightly.
"But you've already lost."
But Inside, his thoughts swirled in chaos. Because in truth, Seven had no plan.
'Come out already.'
Hope.
That was all he had. Hope that 'he' would intervene. Hope that 'he' wouldn't let him die here.
But he also knew the truth: 'he' was waiting, watching—testing whether Seven could get out of a troublesome situation.
Still, 'he' also cannot afford to lose Seven.
"Are you bluffing?"
Lythian's voice was taut with tension as he stepped up beside Seven, his knuckles white around the dagger's hilt. But he wasn't stupid.
He knew the odds—they had no chance against the leader of the seniors.
The leader made his move.
Slash.
The sword flashed as it came down in a lethal arc.
Seven didn't raise a hand to block it, nor did he signal for Lythian to defend. They simply stood there, watching the blade descend.
'Fudge. Let's risk this.'
But before the blade could reach him, the leader froze mid-strike. His entire body locked up as if an invisible force gripped him.
"Hehehe…"
Seven giggled.
Both Lythian and the leader looked at him in confusion, but he didn't care. His gamble paid off.
"Hah…"
The leader's knees buckled, and a heavy pressure filled the air, suffocating. He gasped, barely holding himself upright.
"What… what is this?
He didn't look at Seven—his gaze snapped behind him.
To his own men.
They were no longer standing.
Thud.
One by one, they collapsed where they stood, their bodies crumpling lifelessly to the ground.
"No… how—"
The leader staggered back, and his sword slipped from his trembling hand.
Step.
Seven finally moved.
A single step forward.
His fingers brushed his cheek, a casual, almost mocking gesture.
"Your mistake…"
Seven said with a calm tone, yet colder than death itself.
"...was daring to raise a sword in my direction."
"What… what are—"
Step.
Seven took another step, closing the gap between them.
Thud.
The leader dropped to his knees, his hands clutching at nothing. Fear, guilt, and confusion mixed in his wide, desperate eyes.
Lythian, who had been frozen in shock, finally managed to speak.
"What the fuck just happened?"
Unreal.
Seeing a fourth gate swordsman kneeling and trembling on the ground before a person who only had one gate was an unreal sight.
Seven didn't respond.
He just looked down at the leader, who crawled back with each step he took.
Seconds later, the leader lost his consciousness.
Well, no one can blame him.
After all, that pressure…
Lythian felt it too, and so did Seven.
Suffocating.
Focused killing intent.
The same kind Seven felt when Eden used it against the twins back then.
But this… this was stronger.
A force capable of rendering a fourth-gate user helpless could only belong to someone at the fifth gate—or higher.
The only reason that both of them are still standing right now was because it wasn't aimed at them.
Seven's gaze shifted.
'Theia's Eye.'
He looked onto a particular tree, and there it was—the chaotic aura that he saw earlier when assessing the group's strength.
The aura that he only saw one time in this world.
And then, a figure stepped out from behind the tree.
Step.
The sound of a single footfall silenced the world.
"Took you long enough."
Seven smiled as the golden glow from his left-eye disappeared.
"Father."
***
Injured.
The Archduke now only had one arm, with body covered with wounds. That explains why he didn't step in a little early, and why there were academy students chasing him.
'But sending academy students to an Archduke?'
Seven chuckled.
As usual, academies always had that trashy system, and now he was second doubting his decision.
'Maybe it's better to become a mercenary instead.'
Shifting back his attention to the present, Seven walked behind the Archduke, his father, towards the forest behind the mansion.
Lythian followed behind them.
Trembling.
He could still feel the shiver on his spine when the Archduke asked if Seven was serious in making an assassin like him an ally.
Suddenly, the Archduke halted his steps and turned fully to face him.
"Your name?"
"...Lythian."
"Good. Then, Lythian, I need you to do something."
Lythian stiffened, but he nodded. He didn't have a choice.
Then the Archduke pointed towards the tomb of the founder—where Seven buried Iria too (the Archduke was unaware of this).
"Dig a grave."
The Archduke turned towards Seven.
"I'm running out of time. I want what little remains to be with my son."
Before Lythian could reply, the Archduke continued his steps.
Step.
Seven looked at Lythian, as if silently urging him to comply.
"Tch."
Lythian clicked his tongue, spitting onto the ground before turning back to grab a shovel.
'A fucking side job at a graveyard.'
Now, Seven found himself walking alone with the Archduke. Neither of them spoke as they moved past the dense forest, with silence broken only by the crunch of leaves underfoot.
The trees thinned out gradually, revealing an unfamiliar path. Seven's gaze shifted upward and was surprised at the sight of a dense cliff.
He frowned.
This place… even he didn't know it existed.
Seven recalled the Archduke's words.
"Son…?"
He muttered to himself, lost in thought. Back on Earth, he had been the son of the seventh ex-wife of the seventh mayor. Growing up, he was the son of his seven stepfathers.
But never once did he truly know what it was to have a father
So now, standing here, with the Archduke at his side, he couldn't help but be curious.
'What kind of existence was I to father?'
No.
It was more like…
'What kind of existence was Seven to—'
They reached the cliff's edge, and the Archduke raised his hand, signaling for Seven to stop.
"Is something there?"
The sight wasn't any different.
Before them lay another forest, even denser than the one below. The trees were taller, their trunks broader, and thick vines crawled up to entwine their branches.
"Ingredients for our last meal. Together."
"We need to kill it then."
Seven understood immediately—the 'ingredients' weren't vegetables or fruits.
After all, the Archduke had made him pick up one of the senior student's swords earlier before they left.
But gripping his sword, he could see nothing inside the forest.
The Archduke sat on the ground, clutching what should have been his left shoulder. But there was nothing there.
"How do you intend to kill something you can't even see?"
"...?!"
Seven blinked in surprise, staring deep inside the forest.
"First…"
The Archduke's voice was calm, yet firm.
"...Close your eyes. Then, feel the world around you."