Ariase shifted awkwardly, preparing to stand and sit on the sofa, but Herman's cold voice cut through the air.
"Oh~ did I tell you to stand up now?"
Erica interjected, her tone light but firm.
"Let him be, Herman. Why are you being so childish again?"
Hearing Erica's remark, Ariase couldn't help but let out a soft, "Pfft~".
The sound was quiet, but it was enough for Herman's eye to twitch, his simmering anger reigniting.
But instead of exploding, Herman sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Fine," he muttered before fixing his sharp gaze on Ariase.
"Now tell me—how much did you hear? You better use that brain of yours and don't even think about lying, Ria."
His voice carried an undertone of unmistakable threat.
Ariase gulped and mumbled under his breath, "From the moment Sister talked about some... taboo..."
Herman's eyes twitched again
"Didn't you just say you didn't hear everything?" he growled.
"That's practically everything! And where the hell did you even learn to eavesdrop like that?"
'Hehe~ Sorry, Uncle,' Ariase thought silently, a mischievous grin tugging at his lips.
Herman groaned and waved a hand dismissively.
"Let's just forget it for now. Be thankful I'm in no mood to argue, or I'd have fed you an impurity pill right here."
At the mention of the impurity pill, Ariase froze.
The memory of the sinister black pills his uncle kept stored resurfaced, and he gulped audibly.
'I really better not push Uncle's buttons too much...'
Herman exhaled and gestured toward Erica.
"You already know her name, I'm sure. But for the sake of formality, this is Erica. She's my classmate and..."
He trailed off, the words catching in his throat.
Erica's blush deepened, then abruptly faded as Herman cleared his throat and continued, "...and she's a Space Mystic Practitioner."
Ariase's eyes widened in awe. He shot to his feet, pointing dramatically at Erica.
"A Space Mystic?! Isn't that a celestial element? Whoa, that's incredible!"
Herman glanced at Erica, his expression softening for a moment as he muttered under his breath, "Yeah... she really is amazing."
Erica averted her eyes, her face faintly pink as Herman's tone turned grave.
"That's why you need to respect her, Ria. We need her help for your final purification."
Ariase nodded solemnly, but his brows furrowed as he pieced together fragments of what he'd overheard.
"The last purification... inside a Void Gate?" His voice dropped, serious and questioning.
"Uncle, is it because of the taboo? What exactly is this taboo that Sister was talking about?"
Herman's expression darkened.
He exchanged a glance with Erica, who gave a small nod, before leaning forward.
"Ria, listen carefully. And mark my words—don't tell anyone about this. Not a single soul. If you do, you'll die. No—all three of us will die."
The weight of Herman's warning made Ariase gulp again, his throat dry.
He nodded hesitantly, silently urging his uncle to continue.
Herman took a deep breath.
"You already know we're doing all of this to give you an acquired talent. Normally, getting a talent after your awakening rite is fine as it aligns with the laws of the Celestial Mystic Path. But..."
His voice dropped lower, almost a whisper, "It's a major taboo to acquire a talent before one's rite."
"Why?" Ariase asked, his voice barely audible.
"Because Bathala—the Great Arbiter—ensures fairness. Every child is meant to start at the same level, with the same potential, after their awakening. But in the past, there were those who defied this principle, creating man-made talents for children before the age of twelve. And what happened?"
Herman's eyes narrowed.
"They angered the [Elders of Elemental Spirits], the council responsible for overseeing all awakenings. Their town was cursed to its core. Not a single child from that place was granted an awakening for thirteen years. Do you understand how devastating that is?"
Ariase nodded slowly, his palms sweaty.
"Now," Herman continued, "... the Arcane Halo has taken charge of purging such heretics. If they find us... no, if they so much as suspect us, we'll be hunted down. That's why we need to perform the last purification inside an Artificial Void Gate—a minor realm Erica created. It's the only place where their detection won't reach us. And even then, we have to use every protective measure we can muster. One slip, and it's over."
Ariase sat in stunned silence and nodded, his mind racing.
Erica finally broke her silence, her voice soft yet commanding, "Herman, we need to talk."
With just a flick of her finger, the space between them rippled like a mirage, forming a barrier that shimmered faintly before becoming almost invisible.
Ariase watched in awe, as he thought, 'She… she didn't even utter the World Command. That just means… she's already formed her 5th Halo and reached the Divine Guidance Realm or above!'
He could scarcely believe what he was seeing.
'As expected of someone from the Golden Era… but what are they even discussing while glancing at me like that?'
Moments later, the ripples faded, and the air between them stilled as if nothing had happened.
Erica exhaled deeply, standing with a graceful fluidity that belied the tension in the room.
She closed her eyes, and when they reopened, her irises had transformed into an abyss of black as deep as the void, shimmering with golden and silver starlight like galaxies scattered across a cosmic canvas.
Tears formed in those star-filled eyes, rolling down her cheeks in glowing trails that marked her skin like a nebula, vibrant and ethereal.
As she turned to face the window, the entire penthouse trembled under waves of energy, the fabric of space rippling outward like water disturbed by an unseen force.
Fixing her gaze on Ariase, she spoke with a voice that resonated with a strange, celestial weight.
"Ariase, right? While both of you were talking earlier, I took a closer look at your soul realm."
Her tone softened, tinged with curiosity and wonder.
"It's just as fragmented as Herman described. In your current state, you're barely capable of awakening a single talent slot—enough to survive as a civilian, but no more…"
She paused, her gaze intensifying, "However... you rather surprised me..."
"For the first time in my life, I couldn't fully enter someone's soul realm. What I saw instead were traces… traces of space essence..."
"No, it was more than that—it felt ancient. As if it belonged to the creation of an entire universe."
Ariase's eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat.
"You're special and mysterious," Erica continued, her words filled with a mixture of fascination and uncertainty.
"Even for others with a slightly shattered soul realm, I've never encountered something like you before. That's why for Herman's sake—and because I'm intrigued—I'll help you."
Herman glanced downward at her words, a faint, almost bittersweet smile playing on his lips.
Ariase, on the other hand, felt a storm of unease brewing within him.
He wasn't angry that Erica had peered into his soul realm—he barely cared about that—but the mention of ancient creation essence stirred his thoughts.
'It must be because of that moment,' Ariase pondered.
'When I tried to comprehend the mysteries of creation itself back then... My soul must have somehow integrated with the otherworldly energy that the being of light used to initiate the Genesis.'
He sighed inwardly, trying to calm the chaotic swirl of thoughts.
'I know I should be thankful to the Son of God for sending me here, but it seems there's so much I've yet to uncover... I mean, why would He create a world rewritten by the myths of the previous one?'
'And why am I the only one who remembers it? Sigh... Perhaps I really must have been forsaken.'
Before his thoughts could spiral further, Erica raised her right hand.
Her arm shimmered as her spirit mark became translucent, glowing with the brilliance of stars and celestial bodies.
The energy ripples within the penthouse surged, growing so intense that Ariase momentarily forgot everything else, his awe-stricken gaze fixed on the dazzling display around him.
Erica's voice cut through the energy.
"Herman, it's time. I've finished isolating the entire penthouse."
Herman rose from his seat, his expression grave but composed.
"Okay, I'll establish my domain as a precaution first. After all, it doesn't hurt to be careful."
With a steady voice that seemed to resonate with the very fabric of reality, he uttered the world command.
In an instant, the atmosphere shifted.
A surge of divine energy rippled outward as his talents, [Enlightened Body of Immaculate Saint] and [Purification – Expanse of Divine Purity], activated in unison to its maximum tier.
At once, his body erupted in radiant golden light.
His skin glowed with an otherworldly luster, as if forged from molten gold, and ethereal angelic wings unfolded from his back in a cascade of brilliance.
A halo of pure, shimmering sunlight materialized behind his head, casting a divine radiance so intense that it seemed to outshine the very concept of light itself.
The transformation was awe-inspiring, akin to a single, eternal sun illuminating an infinite cosmos.
Yet, this time, the radiance was far beyond what Herman typically revealed.
The air itself seemed to bow to his command as thousands of holy crosses formed, suspended in midair, glowing with sacred energy.
The entire penthouse shifted, reality warping and rearranging itself.
The walls dissolved, replaced by an endless circular platform of quartz laced with intricate gold patterns.
The platform radiated purity and divinity, perfectly interwoven with the realm-isolating barrier Erica had established.
Together, their combined efforts created a domain that felt like standing in the Sanctum of the Gods.