Across from him, Henry continued taking notes in silence. Then he raised his paper and said,
"He knows Lord Ron Feng… the Lord of Time."
Kayden turned another page and resumed reading.
"October 16th, 660
Today… I felt the urge to see the future again.
It's like a curse. I keep trying to avoid it.
I wish I could reshape my Core from the beginning…And free myself from this curse.
But what distracted me from those thoughts was Lord Ron Feng's sudden appearance.
I hadn't seen him for weeks. Yet today, he stood at my doorstep.
And he wasn't alone.
Beside him stood a man who filled me with fear.
Normally, Ron Feng inspires fear and unease in me, but this man made me want to run away.
I never saw his face. His hood hung low, completely concealing his features. Ron Feng entered and took a seat.
The stranger followed him. Then Lord Ron Feng asked me… to show him the future.
It was the first time. I fulfilled his request.
But all I saw… was war. Ron Feng said nothing afterward. He simply sat there, lost in thought.
As for the stranger… he smiled.
A sinister smile. And before leaving, Lord Ron Feng gave me several rare materials.
He said they would help advance my cultivation.
But I swore… I swore I would never use them"
Kayden lowered the journal slightly and exhaled. "That's the longest entry so far."
Colton stared into empty space for a moment before speaking. "He's talking about that war…The one your father fought in."
Then Henry said, tapping his pen lightly on the page, "One last page… then we stop?" He glanced toward the door, then added in a low voice, "Adam could come back at any moment… and I don't want to die before I become strong."
Kayden let out a short laugh. "Alright… just one page."
" seventh of May / 661
I feel immense regret… I wish I could go back to being a child again,
to have never learned anything about seeing the future.
I wish the years that passed before my eyes could return…
I isolated myself for too long… and now, I am alone,
I see nothing but darkness.
I miss Lady Inith… I wish I could see her again.
We must choose our battles carefully… because now I see nothing but chaos. The chaos is terrifying. The man who caused it is terrifying."
"An entire year?" Henry said as he wrote the information down.
Kayden closed the journal, then looked at Henry as if waiting for a logical explanation for what they had just read… but Henry said nothing.
And as silence stretched like a long shadow, Colton finally intervened in his composed voice, as if used to explaining the inexplicable "The Formation Stage… isn't as complicated as you think. Both of you have fought enough and have gained decent control over your spiritual powers. In the end, it's not just about strength, but about harmony."
Colton rested his hand on his chin in thought before continuing calmly "The deeper your control over your core becomes, the more stable it settles within you. Formation is that stage… stabilizing the core inside both spirit and body. The difficulty? That's only the beginning. There is no real difficulty here… even animals can understand it."
He tilted his head slightly. "After Formation comes a more precise stage… Purification. Here, you don't deal with the external world you deal with yourself. You begin purifying your core from everything that clouds doubt, anger, fear… The more you rid yourself of these impurities, the purer your core becomes, and the stronger your connection to it. Your abilities become more precise, like a musical instrument tuned to perfection."
He paused, then added "At this stage… true abilities begin to appear. Not just the use of power, but a pure expression of the self."
Kayden listened to every word, his eyes fixed on Colton in full concentration. Yet inside… he had nothing to say.
His thoughts felt like a blank page not because it was empty, but because it had already been torn apart, as if words had never found their way into his mind.
He simply stared into space, trying to understand something that could not be taught without prior understanding of power… something he had to experience himself, something he had to choose carefully.
The next day, Kayden left the house early before Colton, even before Henry woke up. Perhaps he needed to escape his thoughts, or the house's silence filled with unanswered questions.
But the moment he arrived at work, he found Ayrton waiting for him outside the gate.
Before Kayden could speak, Ayrton grabbed his wrist and pulled him away without explanation. "You're coming with me."
Kayden looked at his exhausted face, dark circles wrapped around his eyes. "You didn't sleep?" he asked.
Ayrton replied in a hoarse voice, looking away. "Let's not talk about sleep… it's no longer part of my schedule. I miss Adam."
On the road, amid the sound of horses and the noise of the waking city, Ayrton suddenly asked without preamble, "What do you know about Calamities?"
Kayden thought for a moment, feeling as if he were in a sudden test, trying to recall Colton's words as he criticized them.
"They are worthless," Kayden whispered. Then he added softly, "They devour only useful elements?"
Ayrton smiled weakly. "That's correct… but do you know something else?" He looked at Kayden, who simply shook his head.
"Why do you admit ignorance so quickly? You could at least pretend you know something," Ayrton said with a tired tone, then continued calmly "Calamities don't devour just anyone… they choose their victims carefully. They consume humans with specific traits in order to recover what they once lost… their memories, their former personalities, even their original powers."
Kayden's gaze froze for a moment. "That… is both fascinating and terrifying."
Soon they arrived at a small village on the edge of the city its narrow roads and gray houses resembling the faces of its people.
Ayrton stopped at the entrance and turned to Kayden sternly. "You will observe a Calamity. Only observe… do not interfere."
There was no time for explanation, but Kayden understood.
He leapt onto the roof of a tall building, settling there as a predator watching a strange prey.
The man identified by Ayrton as the "Calamity" moved freely among the people. He went to the market and carefully selected various vegetables.
Kayden raised an eyebrow in silent confusion. 'Do Calamities eat vegetables?'
The man then entered a butcher shop, bought a considerable amount of meat, and continued on his way.
Kayden sighed in frustration. 'He moves around so much… I look like I'm watching a busy housewife.'
He continued tracking him until the man stopped in front of an old church, its peeling walls collapsing with time.
The door opened, and a young boy came out. He looked completely human quiet, slightly fearful, shy… but something in his manner of walking made Kayden certain he was human.
Kayden followed them until they reached a poor house on the edge of the village. The two went inside, and the door closed behind them.
He stood in front of the house, hesitant. Silent. Motionless.
'Should I break in? No… that's stupid. Should I watch from above? The windows are too small… it's a single-floor house… they're too poor for anything useful to see.'
He began pacing in circles, anxiety rising like hot steam inside him, leaning against a distant tree as he watched the house in silence… waiting for something, anything, to happen.
But he did not know that sometimes silence… is the most dangerous thing that can come before an explosion.
'I wish I had my phone with me…' Kayden muttered, still leaning against the tree, patience slowly wearing thin.
Half the day passed in heavy boredom. No sound came from the house, no movement in front of it.
Then… the door opened.
The man finally stepped out. His steps were heavier than before, but soon his speed increased unnaturally.
He moved like the wind, and Kayden barely kept up, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
But the moment Kayden landed on a higher roof to regain visual contact, he felt movement to his left.
He turned slowly… only to find the man standing beside him silent, without warning, without sound.
The man smiled faintly, as though appearing out of nowhere was the most ordinary thing in the world.
"You're not Adam or Ayrton… My name is Yuron. Would you like to have a meal at my home?"
Kayden hesitated, but tried to remain composed.
"I don't—"
Yuron interrupted him, his eyes devoid of hostility. "You know I'm a Calamity… don't be afraid."
"I'm not afraid," Kayden replied, shaking his head.
He followed him without resistance, concealing the tension that had begun creeping through him.
They entered the house. It was simple, warm, and smelled like a human family's home.
Kayden had expected the scent of blood.
Instead, he found the smell of homemade food, old wood, and ordinary life.
There were three of them: Yuron, a young woman with gentle but tired features, and the young boy Kayden had seen earlier.
Yuron gestured toward the woman with a faint smile.
"This is my wife… she's the same as me. Isn't that funny?"
Kayden looked at her before turning back to Yuron.
"No… it isn't funny. She's working hard."
Yuron murmured as though speaking to himself.
"That's true… but she's a Calamity, just like me. We live under constant surveillance. Endless annoyance… people watching us everywhere."
Kayden blinked slowly. "Am I one of them? Am I the annoyance? I'm not annoying. Perhaps you should reconsider your opinions."
"And the others?" Yuron asked.
"They're annoying," Kayden answered simply.
The woman emerged carrying lunch and approached them with a warm smile.
"My name is Ira," she said as she placed the dishes on the table. "I've consumed many people… to become what I am now."
Kayden nodded without much expression. "I… understand."
Ira sat quietly, her gaze moving between the two men.
"No one here knows we're Calamities," she continued. "And no one really cares. As long as we don't hurt anyone, they leave us alone… or pretend to."
Kayden pointed at the young boy playing with a broken toy in the corner.
"He needs a healthy environment to grow up in… not walls that merely hide danger."
Ira lowered her gaze. "We're thinking about leaving. Finding regular work. Living a simpler life. But even when we hide our aura… people still judge us. We remain under suspicion."
She never specified who was judging them. But Kayden already knew the answer.
After a long silence, Ira stood up, disappeared into the kitchen, and returned carrying more dishes.
Everything had been prepared carefully for a rare human guest.
Kayden looked at the food quietly. After Yuron began eating, he picked up his spoon and took a bite.
Then he said honestly, "It's delicious… thank you."
Ira smiled modestly, as if she wasn't accustomed to compliments.
Kayden glanced toward the boy, who was devouring his meal with childish enthusiasm. "How old is he?"
"Eight," Yuron replied while watching the child. "We adopted the little rascal years ago."
The boy grinned proudly at the title.
Yuron continued, a trace of memory appearing in his eyes.
"Mr. Ayrton was there during the adoption. Along with Adam. They nearly lost their minds that day."
Ira laughed quietly. "Adam threatened to burn the house down. Literally."
She looked away. "But afterward, he came back every day with Mr. Ayrton to keep an eye on us. They'd hide behind fences, exchanging looks as if we were about to eat the boy."
After a few seconds, she asked with a bitterness she couldn't fully conceal "But I haven't seen Ayrton in a while… or Adam. Did they finally run away from all this?"
Kayden tilted his head. "Why would they run away?"
Ira pointed her fork at him. "Because they hate this job. Everything related to our world, really. Adam doesn't like anything, and Ayrton isn't much different."
After the meal, the three sat together in comfortable silence.
The scent of tea filled the room, warm and gentle, as though covering wounds that could not be seen.
Kayden lifted his cup and watched the rising steam. "You're Calamities," he said at last. "Why would you want to raise a human child?"
Ira looked at him strangely.
There was longing in her eyes.
And regret. "I always wanted to be a mother," she whispered. "But I couldn't. Even after taking control of this body… something inside me remained broken."
Her gaze settled on the boy. "My child wasn't afraid of us. One day he saw us hunting a human with his own eyes, but he didn't tremble. He came back the next day as if nothing had happened."
She smiled faintly. "We knew it was wrong. I wanted to… kidnap him. But Yuron asked Ayrton a simple question."
She paused. "'How do you adopt a child?'"
Yuron laughed softly, remembering the absurdity of it.
"And the very next day, we were standing in front of the adoption office, filling out paperwork in formal clothes. It felt… unreal."
Kayden remained silent. Should he pity them?
Or was what stood before him merely a distorted version of humanity yet real enough to leave him speechless?
Before leaving, Kayden spoke seriously.
"He's a human child. I don't mean any offense, but I never want to hear news of his death."
Ira looked at him calmly. "That won't happen."
Yuron appeared strangely indifferent.
"We may kill others," he said coldly, "but not my son."
Kayden stared at him for a long moment, a subtle disapproval hidden in his gaze.
"That doesn't really help," he muttered. "You shouldn't kill people so casually. That's… bad."