The morning air was as fresh as ever, but for Ren, waking up today was far from pleasant.
As he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of the three former owners of his home, their souls lingering in the room.
"I didn't expect there were actually three lingering spirits in this house," Ren muttered to himself, feeling a headache brewing.
He had known this house had a dark past, with murders taking place before he moved in, but seeing the evidence firsthand was unsettling.
"Looks like my habit of staggering activity times wasn't just paranoia. It actually saved me."
For the past year, he had carefully avoided staying active during certain hours, hoping to avoid any spiritual disturbances.
"But was that habit really effective?" he wondered.
In truth, Ren wasn't sure if his schedule was the reason he had avoided trouble so far. If anything, it might have been sheer dumb luck or the protection of his diary.
"Either way, it's clear I've been living on borrowed time," he thought, sitting up in bed and observing the spirits more closely.
The air around him began to swirl with mist, a manifestation of his connection to Sefirah Castle.
"Swish!"
The mist coalesced into three tendrils, resembling the tentacles of an octopus, and quickly ensnared the ferocious-looking spirits.
The spirits snarled and clawed at him, their distorted faces a grotesque reminder of their tragic ends.
"Classic movie evil ghosts," Amamiya Ren commented dryly, unimpressed by their antics.
He snapped his fingers casually.
"Snap!"
The three spirits, once menacing and filled with malice, dissolved into glowing remnants, mere lumps of energy.
Staring at the remnants, an idea sparked in Ren's mind.
"Can I turn these remnants into something useful? Perhaps an artifact?"
As if responding to his thoughts, the mist tentacles moved on their own, pulling the remnants together and condensing them into a solid form.
Before him floated an object surrounded by a faint white glow.
"Did I just think it and make it happen?" Ren wondered aloud, reaching out to grab the object.
As the glow faded, the object revealed itself to be a simple bracelet made of wooden beads. One bead bore the character for "eye."
Without hesitation, he slipped the bracelet onto his left wrist.
Holding the bracelet with his right hand, Ren felt a sharp twinge in his forehead. The bead with the "eye" character began to glow, and an ethereal, misty eye materialized in the air before him.
The eye floated around the room, observing everything before passing through the walls and venturing outside.
However, it soon reached its limit and stopped moving.
"Twenty meters," Ren noted. "That's the range."
As the strain in his forehead grew, he willed the eye to return. It dissolved into mist and reformed as part of the bracelet.
"Well, it's not bad for now," he said, examining the bracelet.
The artifact wasn't particularly powerful, but it was functional. It was clear that Sefirah Castle had imbued the remnants with some of its power, creating a temporary tool for his use.
To test its other capabilities, Ren pressed his hand against the wall. The misty "eye" character sank into the surface, leaving a faint mark.
Concentrating, he found that he could see the room from the perspective of the embedded eye.
"This is just like placing wards in a game," Ren remarked, chuckling to himself.
The bracelet allowed him to place up to three "eyes" simultaneously, which made sense given it was made from three spirits.
"If these eyes can function over long distances, this thing might be more useful than I thought," he mused.
Satisfied with his experiments, Ren stretched and got out of bed.
"Today's a day off, so I can relax a bit," he thought.
Still, he wanted to test the maximum range of the eyes and see if they could function without needing to be retrieved.
As he prepared to leave, his thoughts turned to the people who might have read his diary.
"Those people shouldn't come looking for me today," he guessed. "They've probably just obtained their powers and will need time to adjust and train."
A smirk crossed his face.
"I wonder if any of them will try to contact me directly."
With that, he began his day.
---
Meanwhile, in another city, the Sanzenin mansion was unusually lively.
Nagi normally grumpy in the morning, was up early and full of energy.
"Alright! Time to get up!" she declared, throwing off her blanket.
It was a rare sight. The girl who usually stayed in bed until noon was now standing bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
Maria, who had shared the bed with her, was still fast asleep.
"Maria, wake up!" Nagi said, shaking her maid.
"Hmm…"
Maria groaned groggily, her eyes half-lidded as she struggled to process the situation.
When she finally opened her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of Nagi, who was practically glowing with excitement.
"…This must be a dream," Maria mumbled, closing her eyes again.
She flopped back onto the bed, pulling the blanket over her head.
"Hmm… Nagi waking up early… That's impossible. I must still be dreaming…"
Hearing this, Nagi's face flushed red with embarrassment.
She gritted her teeth and leaned closer to Maria.
"Wake up already!!!" she shouted, her voice loud enough to rattle the windows.
"Pah!"
Maria shot up in bed, startled awake by the sudden outburst.
"Nagi?! What's gotten into you?" Maria exclaimed, staring at the unusually energetic girl in disbelief.
"I have things to do!" Nagi declared, her tone filled with determination.
For the first time in a long while, she felt a sense of purpose. The power of the Vision was still fresh and exhilarating, and she couldn't wait to explore its potential.
Maria sighed, rubbing her temples.
"I should've known… You're just excited about your new toy," she muttered.