The night wind swept gently across the rooftops of the small village.
One moment—
the sky above Lian's home was empty.
The next—
a faint distortion rippled through the air itself.
No sound.
No warning.
Only a subtle shift in space.
Then—
slowly—
something immense descended from the darkness above.
The invisible giant clam drifted downward like a falling shadow, enormous enough to blot out the stars despite remaining unseen.
Lian instinctively held his breath.
"…We're actually doing this beside my house…"
The white lizard gave no response.
The descent continued.
Lower.
Closer.
Closer still.
Until—
THUMP.
Not even a true impact.
The ground barely trembled beneath them, as though the world itself had softened to accept the creature's landing.
Silence returned immediately afterward.
The giant clam settled beside the small wooden house, completely concealed beneath the invisibility field.
Lian slowly looked around.
Nothing moved.
No villagers stirred.
No lights appeared.
Only the quiet breathing of the night remained.
He released a shaky breath.
"…We're home…"
Then he immediately stiffened again.
"…Wait—how am I supposed to explain this?!"
The white lizard remained calmly perched atop his head.
"No explanation is required."
Lian's face twitched.
"That's easy for you to say!"
A brief silence followed.
Then—
the invisibility surrounding Lian slowly faded.
First his hands became visible.
Then his soaked clothing.
Then the glowing blue stones he carried.
Finally, the rest of his body emerged beneath the pale moonlight.
Only the clam remained hidden.
Lian blinked in surprise.
"…Oh."
"So you can turn it off too."
He let out a long, defeated sigh.
"…That would've been nice to know earlier."
Silence.
Then—
the lizard's golden eyes shifted toward the small wooden house.
When he spoke again, his voice remained calm.
"Inside… something is wrong."
Lian froze instantly.
"…What?"
The lizard continued without urgency.
"Dark energy is attached to the female human."
For one brief moment—
the world seemed to stop.
Then Lian's expression changed completely.
"…My mom?"
His voice cracked.
"What does that mean?!"
No answer came quickly enough.
Lian didn't wait.
The exhausted calm he carried moments earlier vanished instantly.
His body moved before thought could catch up—
he shot toward the house.
"Mom!"
BANG.
His hand slammed the wooden door open so hard the hinges groaned violently.
Inside the small home—
dim lantern light flickered weakly against the wooden walls.
And there—
sitting on the edge of the bed—
was his mother.
Her shoulders trembled faintly.
Her face was buried behind shaking hands.
Soft sobs escaped through uneven breathing.
Her hair was messy.
Her eyes—
red and swollen.
As though sleep had abandoned her long ago.
The moment the door burst open—
she froze.
Slowly—
she lifted her head.
"…Lian?"
Her voice trembled with disbelief.
Like she was staring at a ghost.
Then it broke completely.
"…Lian!"
The chair scraped harshly against the floor as she stumbled to her feet.
Lian rushed toward her instantly.
"Mom!"
She grabbed him without hesitation.
Hard.
As though letting go would cause him to disappear again.
Her trembling hands clutched his shoulders desperately.
"You're alive…"
"You're really… alive…"
Lian froze for a second before his expression softened.
"…Yeah."
"I'm here."
Her grip tightened even further.
For several moments—
she couldn't say anything else.
She simply held him tightly, as though she had waited far too long to trust words again.
Lian swallowed quietly.
"…What happened?"
His mother slowly pulled back just enough to look at him.
Her eyes desperately searched his face.
Checking for wounds.
For blood.
For proof that he was truly real.
Then her voice cracked again.
"…You disappeared."
Lian blinked.
"I waited… I waited for weeks…"
Her hands trembled harder.
"People said you went near the lake… and never came back…"
Lian's eyes widened slightly.
"…I thought I was only gone for a few hours…"
His voice trailed off.
Then realization struck him.
The lake.
The cultivation.
The distortion of time itself.
His expression stiffened faintly.
But his mother didn't notice.
She continued speaking through tears.
"I thought… I thought I lost you…"
"Just like your sister…"
That final sentence landed far heavier than everything before it.
Silence filled the room.
Lian lowered his eyes slightly.
Then gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
"…I'm here."
"I'm not going anywhere."
The fragile peace inside the small house shattered instantly afterward.
The moment the white lizard floated visibly into the room—
Lian's mother stiffened in shock.
Her eyes widened.
Her breath caught.
"…A beast?!"
She immediately pulled Lian behind her protectively.
"What is that thing doing here?!"
Lian hurriedly raised both hands.
"Mom—calm down! It's fine!"
The lizard hovered silently above them, golden eyes calm as ever, observing the emotional chaos as though it were nothing more than passing weather.
Lian quickly added,
"…That's my master, Lizarius! He's the immortal I told you about! The one who saved me!"
His mother froze.
"…Immortal?"
Her fear instantly transformed into panic of an entirely different kind.
She stumbled forward—
then immediately dropped to her knees.
Head lowered deeply.
"I—I didn't know an immortal had graced this humble home…!"
"Please forgive this lowly one's disrespect!"
Lian's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
"Mom?! No—don't kneel!!"
He rushed forward frantically, trying to pull her back up.
"This isn't how this works!"
The white lizard blinked once.
"…I am not your master."
Lian turned immediately.
"Yes, Master."
The lizard paused.
"…I am not—"
"Yes, Master. Understood."
His mother slowly looked up.
"…So… he is your master?"
Lian laughed nervously as sweat formed on his forehead.
"…Yes. Very official. Extremely master-like."
The lizard stared at him silently.
An awkward pause stretched across the room.
Then—
ignoring the emotional disaster entirely—
the lizard spoke again.
"It is still there."
Instantly—
both Lian and his mother froze.
The atmosphere shifted.
Lian straightened immediately.
"What?"
The lizard's gaze shifted toward the woman.
"The dark energy."
His mother stiffened.
"…D-Dark energy?"
Lian stepped forward quickly.
"Where?"
The lizard answered calmly.
"Inside the female."
Dead silence.
Then—
Lian's expression changed instantly.
"…What?"
His mother shakily stepped backward.
"I—it's inside me?!"
Lian immediately turned toward her.
"Mom, don't panic—just stay still!"
"I AM staying still!!"
Her voice cracked in terror.
"Am I going to die?!"
"No!"
Lian grabbed her shoulders firmly.
"Nothing's going to happen!"
But even his own eyes were beginning to shake.
He turned desperately toward the lizard.
"…Can you explain properly?"
The white lizard remained completely calm.
"It is not a parasite."
Lian exhaled slightly in relief.
"…That's good—"
"It is a lingering spirit formed from grief."
Silence fell again.
Lian blinked slowly.
"…A ghost?"
"Yes."
His mother froze completely.
"…Ghost…"
Her lips trembled violently.
"I'm… haunted?"
Lian panicked immediately.
"No! No, Mom, it's not like that!"
But she had already begun crying again.
"I knew it… I knew something was wrong…"
"I'm going to die, aren't I?!"
Lian nearly shouted.
"NO YOU'RE NOT!!"
He spun back toward the lizard.
"Master—can you remove it?!"
The lizard tilted his head slightly.
"I can."
Relief flashed across Lian's face instantly.
"…Then do it!"
"No."
The lizard paused briefly before continuing.
"…It is harmless."
Lian froze.
"…Huh?"
"It will fade naturally once the grief stabilizes."
Another silence fell over the room.
Lian slowly turned back toward his mother.
"…So… you're not possessed?"
The lizard answered simply.
"No."
Lian exhaled so hard he nearly collapsed.
"…You really could've started with that."
His mother looked shakily between them.
"…So I'm… not dying?"
Lian immediately grabbed her hands.
"No, Mom. You're not dying. You're not possessed. You're fine."
She hesitated uncertainly.
"…Really?"
"Yes."
A long pause followed.
Then she suddenly leaned forward again, clutching him tightly.
"…You scared me…"
Lian softened immediately.
"I'm sorry…"
Behind them—
the white lizard floated silently in the air, calmly watching the entire scene unfold.
After a moment—
he spoke again.
"…Humans are loud."
Lian didn't even bother turning around.
"Don't start."
The small wooden house slowly settled into uneasy quiet once more.
Lian's mother still refused to let go of him, as though releasing him would somehow confirm all her fears.
Her breathing gradually steadied.
But her hands continued trembling faintly against him.
Lian gently patted her back.
"…I'm really here, Mom."
"I'm not going anywhere."
A shaky nod came from her.
"…Don't disappear like that again…"
"I won't."
It wasn't a promise he fully understood how to keep—
but he said it anyway.
Behind them, the white lizard hovered silently near the ceiling.
His golden eyes flicked once toward the woman.
"…The yin energy is weak. It is not dangerous."
Lian immediately turned.
"Then don't say it like it's a death sentence!"
The lizard ignored him entirely.
"It is merely unresolved emotional residue."
His mother flinched slightly.
"…Residue…"
Lian waved his hands quickly.
"Mom, don't listen to the weird wording. He just means you're sad."
She blinked slowly.
"…I am… very sad."
Her voice cracked softly at the end.
Lian lowered his voice.
"I know…"
Silence lingered briefly.
Then the lizard added calmly,
"It will dissipate faster if addressed."
Lian frowned.
"…Addressed how?"
The lizard tilted slightly in the air.
"Acceptance."
Another pause followed.
Then—
"With my energy, I could easily remove it."
Lian immediately shook his head.
"…No."
The lizard paused.
"…Hm."
"I have no reason to."
"I know," Lian muttered quickly, "but just… don't touch it."
He glanced toward his mother.
"…It's not hurting her, right?"
"No."
"Then leave it alone."
The lizard stared at him for a moment before drifting slightly higher into the air.
That alone made Lian relax a little.
His mother finally wiped at her eyes with her sleeve before glancing nervously toward the floating creature again.
"…So this immortal… lives with you now?"
Lian scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"…Sort of."
The lizard corrected him immediately.
"I do not live anywhere."
Lian sighed.
"…He's staying around me."
His mother hesitated.
"…Is that… safe?"
Lian opened his mouth.
Then paused.
"…Mostly."
The lizard added flatly,
"I will not harm him."
A brief pause followed.
"...I have no reason to."
His mother swallowed nervously but gave a faint nod, forcing herself to accept the impossible reality before her.
"…Then… thank you…"
The words came carefully.
Directed more toward the air around the lizard than toward the creature itself.
The lizard gave no response.
Lian slowly exhaled.
"Mom… you should rest. You haven't slept properly in days."
She immediately shook her head.
"No. Not until I'm sure you're not leaving again."
Lian hesitated.
"…I'm not leaving."
Then he added more softly,
"…At least not without telling you."
That finally seemed to calm her slightly.
Though even then—
her grip on his hand still didn't loosen.
Above them, the lizard's golden eyes shifted subtly.
The room remained dim beneath the flickering lantern light.
Lian stood beside the bed while his mother clung tightly to his hand, as though afraid he might disappear the moment she blinked.
Above them—
the white lizard hovered silently near the ceiling.
Watching.
The house suddenly felt crowded.
Not physically—
but emotionally.
Fear.
Relief.
Confusion.
Everything mixed together heavily in the air.
After wiping the last traces of tears from her face, Lian's mother finally spoke again in a quieter voice.
"…You were really gone for three months…"
Lian's expression tightened slightly.
"…Sorry."
This time, the guilt in his voice came naturally.
He truly hadn't realized so much time had passed beneath the lake.
His mother lowered her gaze.
"When the villagers couldn't find you…"
Her hands trembled again.
"…I thought the forest had taken you too."
Silence filled the room once more.
Lian looked away slightly.
He understood exactly what she meant.
His sister.
The reason she feared the forest so deeply.
The reason she panicked whenever he disappeared for too long.
Then—
the lizard suddenly spoke.
"The emotional attachment is excessive."
Lian's face twitched instantly.
"Can you not say things like that right now?"
The lizard tilted slightly.
"It is accurate."
"That's not the issue!"
His mother looked uncertainly between them.
The terrifying creature floating inside her home somehow arguing with her son still felt utterly unreal.
Yet the longer she watched—
the stranger the situation became.
Because despite how frightening the lizard appeared—
he showed absolutely no hostility toward Lian.
If anything—
it almost seemed as though he tolerated him.
Reluctantly.
Very reluctantly.
Meanwhile—
the lizard's golden eyes shifted once more toward the woman.
The weak yin residue surrounding her had already begun dispersing slightly.
Human emotions truly produced strange phenomena.
Grief lingering long enough to gather spiritual residue.
Interesting.
Lian noticed the stare immediately and instinctively stepped in front of his mother.
"…Don't look at her like that."
The lizard ignored him.
"That is precisely the problem."
Silence followed.
Then unexpectedly—
his mother spoke softly.
"…Immortal Master…"
Lian immediately muttered,
"Mom, you really don't have to call him that—"
The lizard interrupted first.
"I am not immortal."
The room briefly fell quiet.
Lian stared blankly at him.
"…You literally fly."
"And?"
"…That feels pretty immortal to me."
The lizard ignored him completely.
His mother hesitated nervously before speaking again.
"…Then… thank you for saving my son."
This time—
her bow was smaller.
Less fearful.
More sincere.
Lian stood awkwardly beside her.
The lizard floated silently for several moments.
Then calmly answered,
"I only acted because I desired to."
Simple.
Direct.
But strangely honest.
Lian's mother lowered her head slightly.
"…Even so… thank you."
Quiet settled over the house once again.
Outside—
night insects chirped softly beyond the wooden walls while cold wind drifted through the cracks in the old home.
Then suddenly—
Lian's eyes widened.
"…Wait."
He turned sharply toward the door.
"The clam."
His mother blinked.
"…Clam?"
Lian immediately looked up toward the lizard.
"…Please tell me that giant thing is still invisible."
The white lizard simply stared at him silently.
And somehow—
that silence answered everything.
Lian's face slowly lost all color.
"…You forgot."
"I did not."
"You absolutely forgot!"
Lian grabbed his hair in immediate panic.
"There's a giant clam beside my house!"
His mother stared blankly between them.
"…There's a what beside the house?"
Lian pointed violently toward the door.
"A giant clam!"
"Like—"
He spread his arms desperately wide.
"—REALLY giant!"
His mother's expression instantly became alarmed again.
"…There's a giant beast outside our house?!"
"No, no, no—not alive!"
Lian quickly corrected.
"I think."
Then he immediately turned toward the lizard again.
"…It's dead, right?"
"Yes."
Lian visibly relaxed.
Then paused.
"…Actually wait… how did it die?"
"I killed it."
Lian stared at him for a moment.
"…Right."
Of course.
Naturally.