When Levi reopened his eyes, he felt weightless. After examining his body, he slowly scanned the room. The curtains were drawn shut, and slices of apple sat on the nightstand beside the bed. His necklace was still there, but someone had changed his clothes.
Click—someone opened the door.
"Ah! You're finally awake! Miss Samantha, he's finally up!" It was Noah, barging in without a care in the world.
A voice from the hallway quickly responded, "That's wonderful news. I'll go inform the President and Mr. Avalo."
"I can't believe you slept for two weeks. We thought you'd fallen into a coma." Noah started.
"I slept for two weeks?"
Crunch, crunch—Noah was wolfing down the apple slices one by one. "Yeah, and it was Samantha who took care of you. Lucky bastard."
Bam—Mai, who had just entered, smacked Noah on the head and dragged him out of the room.
Noah protested, "Hey, what's wrong with you?!" But he was no match for Mai's strength.
"I'll bring you fresh apples," she said before closing the door behind her.
Left alone again, Levi looked at his necklace. The pearl that had allowed him to cast "Raksha" had turned gray and cracked.
Lost in thought, fragments of memory suddenly surged through his mind.
(Was I talking to someone in my sleep? I think I dreamed about something… but I can't remember.)
Echoes of a conversation without words or sound lingered in his imagination, haunting yet intangible.
(Wait… I think I remember something… What was it?
Mmmh… a jackal?)
Left with more questions than answers, Levi eventually brushed the thoughts aside, unable to grasp anything more. Moments later, the memories faded completely, as if he was finally fully woke and the door to his subconsciousness had shut for good.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Samantha Fairchild. You're Levi, correct?"
The woman introducing herself had a voluptuous figure, but her face was hidden behind a metallic helm resembling that of a knight. Despite the helmet's effect on her voice, it sounded so gentle it seemed to caress one's eardrums, and an enchanting floral fragrance floated around her.
The three teens and their new guardian had gathered in the living room after Levi's awakening.
"Thank you for taking care of me these past two weeks, Miss Samantha!" Levi said, bowing deeply.
"No need to be so formal, I'm just doing my job. Actually, I should be the one apologizing for what happened to you. Normally, I'm in charge of the candidates we send to the Academy."
"The Academy?" Levi repeated.
"Apparently we have to go through the Academy first before we can join Mandala," Noah interjected, inserting himself into the conversation.
"We can't very well send minors on missions that could cost them their lives. The Academy exists so you can accumulate karma, forge your own path, and earn a title," Samantha explained.
"My father told me about this. A title reflects the level you've reached, the nature of your powers, and defines who you are, if I remember correctly?" Noah confirmed.
"Yes, exactly. A title is granted by the Will of the World once you ascend to high tier stages. You'll enter the Academy on Mandala's recommendation, and you'll need a title before we can officially recruit you."
"Is it difficult to obtain a title?" Levi asked worriedly.
"...I'd rather tell you the truth than give you false hope. There are less than a thousand in the world with titles." Samantha turned her gaze to Noah and adopted a serious tone. "You are part of the Riviera family, aren't you?"
"Yes, why?"
"Your great-grandfather became an executive at Mandala after obtaining a title back in his day. Since then, we've accepted one descendant from the Riviera family as a candidate each generation, that's why you're here. But neither your father nor his father before him managed to obtain a title."
"What? How is that possible? My father reached the third stage! He can conjure swords out of thin air!"
"That's still a low stage," Samantha said, raising her voice further. "The first three stages are called the lower tiers because you only obtain your first title starting from the fourth stage. The upper tiers are an entirely different world, you must have realized this during your day with Manju."
The children recalled their helplessness and despair from that day.
Samantha continued her lesson. "The karmic path is a dangerous one. Karma itself is dangerous, for it can take as much as it gives... Mandala stands on the front lines in the fight against the spread of bad karma. Our enemies are demonic humans, karmic beasts, and creatures straight out of our worst nightmares. It's a road filled with chaos, grief, blood, and pure Evil." Samantha observed the children's reactions, searching their eyes for even a trace of fear or hesitation.
"It's not too late to return to a peaceful life. Forget all these stories about karma, finish high school, then go to university. Choose a field you enjoy, fall in love, start a family." She was trying to dissuade them. She wanted to protect these children and preserve them from the world's hidden cruelty.
[If you wish to continue this adventure, don't regret what you might experience or discover along the way,] Samantha finally warned in a firm karmic voice that resonated off the living room's four walls. In a sense, the gruesome test Manju put them through was perhaps also a form of dissuasion.
The kids were rather surprised by the turn the discussion had taken, but they understood it was time to affirm their determination. Continue the journey or return home.
"Miss Samantha," Noah began with conviction. "I will follow in my family's footsteps and surpass all my predecessors. This is now my reason for living and my destiny."
Mai spoke in turn: "Karma has already taken everything from me... I no longer wish to be its plaything. If I give up here, I'll remain powerless until I die."
Samantha looked at Levi as if asking for a different answer. If she could save him at least, she thought to herself.
Levi understood her gaze and opened up in turn: "You're truly a kind person, Miss Samantha. The truth is, I have trouble imagining everything you've described, and I don't know what I'll do once I experience it, but there's one thing I'm certain of... I want to do good around me starting now."
Samantha shuddered. She tried to open her mouth but ended up staying silent.
"That's the only karmic path I wish to take."
These last words from Levi made Samantha sigh, then she raised her arms in surrender. "You win. I won't insist on this subject anymore. In exchange, just promise me one thing...
Never carry your burden alone! As long as you have father or mother figures, mentors or masters, elders, big brothers or sisters, lean on them, count on us—we're here to protect you."
She wanted to add more but felt she had already said far too much.
"There's no greater shame for an adult than being unable to protect children, after all. It's an honor for old branches to serve as fertilizer for future generations," suddenly interrupted a man who had appeared without anyone noticing.
The children, who had jumped at his first words, were confused. "Where did he come from?" Noah exclaimed while Samantha put her hand over her helmet in dismay.
"These new sprouts are truly promising. I quite like you!" continued the stranger, who lowered his sunglasses and leaned toward Levi. His golden pupils seemed to contain countless stars and bore a strange symbol. Every detail of his features from his violet hair to his piercing gaze and refined smile exuded a bewitching mysticism that seemed to slow time itself. His mere presence induced a strange fascination and reverence, as if a halo of light constantly shone behind him. If God had indeed created man in His image, this man would be His spitting image.
"Hey, I've heard that voice before! It's the same one we heard in Mr. Tsukki's room!" Noah cried out.
Ahem—Samantha cleared her throat and finally introduced him : "Allow me to present the head of Mandala and one of the greatest authorities in the karmic world: President Shakya Saya."
"The introductions are a bit late, but I wanted to officially welcome you at least once and apologize for the previous incident. You can call me Mr. Shakya. I hope you'll make the most of this experience within our company. In any case... I welcome you to Mandala."
Samantha briefly explained Mandala's structure. President Shakya Saya, who had already vanished after his brief appearance, had two right-hand men: Hwang Manju, Director of Internal Affairs, and Avalo Ajayya, Director of External Affairs. Samantha was Avalo's assistant, while Manju also had someone named Asaka Ikazuchi as his assistant. She noted in passing that Asaka headed the disciplinary committee and was currently punishing Manju for his misconduct.
"You don't need to worry about it. To tell you the truth, Asaka is even more sadistic than her superior. I don't even dare imagine what she's putting him through right now." Samantha shuddered just thinking about it.
"I still have to attend a meeting. I'll leave you to it. You have the rest of the day free." With those words, Samantha left the room.
The following days were peaceful. Noah and Levi spent most of their time playing video games that Samantha brought them, while Mai did nothing in particular except for tai chi training once in the morning and once in the evening. Levi tried again to sense the karma within him, but he began suffocating with each attempt.
He tried asking Samantha for advice.
"Actually, I don't really know much about it, but it's probably a special constitution," Samantha explained. "There are about a hundred special constitutions, and rarely, new ones appear. These are physical predispositions acquired at birth that vary from constitution to constitution. Mai, for example, possesses the Zero Body."
Mai paid no attention to the subject, as if she already knew about her situation.
Samantha continued: "The Zero Body is incapable of accumulating Karma and completely rejects it. In a sense, no karmic attack can harm her, but conversely, it's impossible to advance even to the first stage."
Levi and Noah cast sympathetic glances toward Mai, who Bam—struck them both to relieve her frustration before leaving the room.
-"But wait, how did Levi's spell buff Mai if karma has no effect on her ?" Noah suddenly asked .
Samantha thought for a few seconds. "I think that's a great question… Maybe there was something else different from karma in that spell." She answered with genuine curiosity. "Karma is the strongest source of power nowadays but it wasn't the case centuries ago. There were all kind of powers through the course of history such as elemental power based on communion with nature, psychic power, magic or powers gained from contracts with otherworldly entities. Such power surely dwells within Levi but he will have to uncover it himself. It's his power after all."
Samantha quickly changed the subject as if she felt some kind of taboo about what she just said. "Also another example would be President Shakya's Divine Body. Since birth, his body naturally absorbs surrounding Karma, and simply breathing makes him stronger."
Noah exclaimed, "Wow! No wonder he's the head of Mandala! Plus, he seems to be only in his twenties."
Samantha nodded like a fan proud of her idol. "Levi, I think you possess a special constitution whose characteristics we don't yet understand—it'll be up to you to discover them. It's not normal for a boy your age to have so much bad karma, and normally divine judgment would have already struck you down and made you much more uglier. But we're convinced you can change your destiny."
"Yeah, I forgot to tell you that. The more bad karma you get, the uglier you become. That's what my father explained. He said the wickest even grow horns, tails and scales like literal demons. So there's no way all that bad karma is yours !" Noah added.
Levi felt reassured then took a deep breath. "I'll do my best!"
"Oh, I almost forgot," Samantha finally added. "Pack your bags tonight—we leave tomorrow morning."
End of Chapter