Kai kept going on with his memories, meeting the shadows a few times. The scenery changed rapidly as he experienced days, months, inside these strange memories without knowing how to get out.
When the memories reached his teenage age, he understood this wouldn't end for a while. At least not until he had seen all his memories. The shadow disappeared when his mother died for some reason.
The reason for her death was unclear. He didn't know about it from his memories. But it was a few days after she returned to the Ashiya Family, so it must be related to them.
And then, he kept relieved in these memories while ensuring he didn't miss anything.
***
Outside, Qianlong looked at Kai's body with interest as it kept moving. The blue dragon noted every movement, matching it to his recorded memories that were shown on the mist screen above his head. It was done to help him find out what his trauma actually was.
But there was a moment when the mist didn't show anything but static.
"Interesting." She muttered, putting down her pen.
The memories had reached his adulthood, and he would be awake soon. The recorded memories moved fast, but Qianlong could see all of them without any problem. But, of course, his private time and parts with a secret he wanted to hide were skipped. It would be rude to intrude on that.
"That was an interesting experience, especially when the mist didn't show anything for a few minutes. But the memories are completed, so that part must be something within his consciousness. Maybe some spells? Or heritage?"
Whatever it was, it only showed itself because her own spells roused it from its dormant state. And because he calmed down considerably after that, maybe it was good for him.
At that time, Kai's body stirred once again. His eyelids moved.
Looking at him, Qianlong closed the notebook she used to note everything about his dream.
"He should be waking up soon. I should tell my King about this."
***
A round table made of stone was floating in a clearing. There was no light at all except for what escaped the hole in the ceiling, shining on seven seats around the table. A number was written on the table right in front of these individuals, from one to seven, all in Latin.
One of the seats, number 1, was empty, while the other sixes were used by various individuals whose faces were hidden by the darkness.
Only one of those individuals was willing to put his face under the direct light. It was someone who sat on seat number 5. That someone wore a mask and was known as the Alchemist.
"Well, well~ It wasn't quite the plan, but we succeeded in taking the Boogeymen in. I guess we can say that success, huh?" The Alchemist spoke while dragging his sentence.
Beside him, the one who sat on seat 6 scoffed. His bulky body seemed to be made from a mass of muscle leaned forward as he turned toward the Alchemist. He was bigger and taller than everyone else in the room, but his face wasn't clear due to the darkness.
"Success? That fucker lost half his body! The body that we tried to recover!" He slammed the table, creating a loud boom like an explosion.
However, even with such power, the table didn't even flinch. It was still floating slightly in the air, hovering ever so slightly.
"My~" The Alchemist rested his chin on his hands, looking at the bulky man. His eyes narrowed slightly as if he was angry. A pale blue mixed with silver Spirit Power leaked a bit from his body as he continued, "Gargantua. It seems that you didn't understand something."
"Hah?!" Gargantua groaned.
"If I was there, that fucker Boogeymen wouldn't have lost his arm and a chunk of his body! The valuable body of Abe no Seimei's descendant, Louise Clark, better known as Keikain Kubo! That shit can't even get hard anymore due to the damage done to him! That fucker is useless!"
"You said the Boogeymen wouldn't have lost his arm if you were there?" The Alchemist's tone changed slightly. It was deeper and lost its playful tone.
As if on cue, both of them began to leak their Spirit Power. Two different colors, Pale blue combined with silver and pale blue combined with black, clashed and created shockwaves everywhere.
The other people just looked at them. The two of them were always at it.
"Stop it."
But the topic today was important. So the one who sat on number 2 finally spoke to stop them. Number 2's body was fully covered in a black robe. No one in the room except for number 1 knew his/her identity. Number 2's gender was also a mystery among the members of Memento Mori.
"We are here to discuss our next plan. What happened to the Boogeymen is really unfortunate, but can he be useful to us?" Number 2 asked as they looked at the Alchemist.
"Of course~" He replied while twirling his fingers while straightening his posture. "The Boogeymen can still be useful~ That creature… We can't kill it even if we want to. That's why I sealed him inside my liquid metal right now."
He took out a small jar from his pocket. It was filled with silver liquid to the brim. But when one looked at it closely, a small humanoid figure curled up like a ball inside.
"This will be our key to getting the young man named Kai~ The descendant of Abe no Seimei who inherited his special constitution. His body is the key to denying death." His lips curled into a wide grin as he raised the jar, looking at the small Boogeymen he sealed.
"Then we will use the Boogeymen later." Number 2 said firmly as they nodded their heads. As usual, her voice still couldn't be distinguished and echoed through this chamber. "What about that girl? The one who gained your interest."
"Ah!" The Alchemist exclaimed, putting the jar back into his pocket. He closed his eyes as he leaned against the table again with his arms. "It went well. Maybe Romania is in a state of panic now. We can expect Grigori Tepes to stay out of our way for a few months."
"Great." Number 2 sounded pleased as they turned to the one who sat beside the Alchemist.
From her body exposed to the ceiling light, it was clear that Number 4 was a woman. She wore a black dress. Like the others, the darkness also hid her face.
"I will leave the next plan to you, Bard."
"It will be done." Number 4, Bard, said with an alluring voice that might be able to seduce every man in the world. "Fufufu, this party will be fun."