CHAPTER 204: SEPHRINA [4]

It’s been a month since Akamir has been trapped in the weird world created by the Greater One, Kros.

Time in this world was much more chaotic than he had expected.

Even though it has only been a month, Akamir felt it has almost been a year.

’It all happened after Sephrina used her powers.’

Akamir thought, rubbing his chin as he sat on a boulder.

In front of him, a little girl was playing with her small fairy and a weird-looking creature.

It was, of course, the product of Sephrina’s imagination.

Akamir leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees as he watched the little scene play out.

During the month he has spent here, Akamir has learned a lot of things.

Especially about the spirit energy.

Now, he can control and even regenerate limbs with the help of spirit energy.

’Well, the spirit is the essence required to form astral projection.’

The more Akamir trained with spirit energy, the faster he understood.

’...Spirit energy can make a lot of impossible things possible.’

Sephrina was laughing as the fairy darted around her head, leaving trails of soft golden light in the air.

The strange creature, something with rabbit ears, lizard scales, and a tail far too big for its body, hopped in circles, trying to catch the fairy.

It was all so... peaceful.

Too peaceful for a world made by a Greater One.

The fairy zipped close to Akamir’s face, tilting its tiny head at him.

"What?" Akamir asked as Lili sighed and sat on his head.

"Did you find a way out of here?" she asked, her voice exhausted. "I am tired of playing with her all day."

"We made a plan, didn’t we?" Akamir replied softly. "You distract her and I will find a way to get us out."

"But it’s not easy." she mumbled, annoyance clear in her voice. "I can barely keep up with her."

Akamir didn’t say anything as he kept on staring at Sephrina playing with the creature.

Time here wasn’t normal.

Sometimes a whole day passed in the blink of an eye and sometimes a single minute stretched into hours.

Akamir let out a sigh as he rubbed his chin.

"Will the sky ever change?" Lili asked, staring up at the sky.

Akamir too tilted his head as he looked at the sky above him.

The sky was a swirling ocean suspended above them, waves rolling without falling, lit from below by strange silver light.

Since the day Sephrina was affected by seeing the body of Kros...

...The sky has turned to... whatever that was.

’I really don’t understand what it means.’

Akamir let out a sigh as he shook his head. "I need to find the exit soon. Staying here is—"

"Dangerous." Lili completed his words. "Of course it is. But you’ll protect Seraph, right?"

Akamir didn’t reply as he looked at the child still playing around.

She was laughing so hard she almost fell over, clutching the strange creature like it was the most precious thing in the world.

It was hard to connect this Sephrina to the empress who ruled over the elves.

But Akamir knew better.

The moment she remembered what had happened outside this world, the laughter would stop.

And when it did, this fragile girl will vanish too.

Lili tugged at his hair. "You’re thinking too much again."

"I’m thinking just enough," Akamir muttered, standing up from the boulder.

He dusted off his hands and began walking toward the edge of the meadow.

Beyond the flowers and bright grass, the world simply... ended.

The horizon wasn’t a line—it was a wall of rippling light, like the surface of a giant bubble.

He had touched it once.

It had felt warm, almost welcoming, but when he tried to push through, something pushed back.

Not with force... but with intent.

’The intent of the Greater One to not cross the line.’

Akamir stopped just a few steps from the barrier.

His reflection stared back at him on the glowing surface, faint and distorted.

"Trying again?" Lili asked from his shoulder.

"No."

He reached out and pressed his palm to the barrier.

This time, instead of forcing spirit energy through, he let it flow softly, like water seeping into cracks.

The ripples around his hand trembled but nothing changed.

Akamir exhaled through his nose. "...Figures."

When he turned back, Sephrina was already running toward him.

"Wait—"

Before he could stop her, Sephrina bumped into him.

She giggled as they both rolled on the ground.

Akamir sat up first, brushing dirt off his sleeve, while Sephrina stayed sprawled on the grass, still laughing.

"You..." He gave her a flat look. "What are you doing?"

She propped herself up on her elbows, eyes bright. "Why are you acting like papa now?" she asked. "Play with me!"

"No." Akamir replied instantly. "It’s already late, we need to go back home."

Sephrina pouted, crossing her hands. "I don’t wanna!"

"Let’s just go." Akamir said with a tired look. "Velyrian will be upset if you don’t come back in time."

A look of hesitation crept up on her face as she stretched her hands outwards.

Akamir tilted his head in response. "What?"

"Give me a piggy bank ride." she replied, grinning widely. "Please!"

Akamir stared at her for a moment, his face completely unreadable.

"...It’s called a piggyback ride," he corrected flatly.

Sephrina just smiled wider. "That’s what I said!"

"No, you didn’t."

"Yes, I did."

Akamir sighed and crouched down anyway, turning his back to her. "Get on before I change my mind."

She let out a little cheer and hopped onto his back, wrapping her small arms around his neck.

The strange creature she’d been playing with tried to follow, but Lili swooped down and blocked its way.

"You stay," Lili told it firmly.

The creature blinked with mismatched eyes, then plopped onto the grass, curling its oversized tail around itself.

Akamir stood up, adjusting his grip on Sephrina’s legs.

She was light, even in this strange world, he could tell her body didn’t carry the weight of someone truly alive.

It was just another reminder that this place wasn’t real... at least, not in the way it seemed.

"Faster, faster!" Sephrina urged, leaning forward against his back.

"This isn’t a race," Akamir replied, but his long strides quickened anyway.

The meadow blurred past them, the flowers bending in the wind of their passing.

Ahead, the small house they had been using as shelter came into view.

When they reached the door, Sephrina slid down from his back with a triumphant smile. "See? That was fun, right?"

"It was tolerable."

She giggled again and darted inside before he could say anything else.

Lili hovered beside him, lowering her voice. "You’re humoring her too much. She’ll notice when you start pulling away."

"I’m not humoring her," Akamir said, stepping inside after the girl. "I just don’t know what’s wrong with her."

Lili crossed her tiny arms. "If you wait too long, you won’t be the one deciding when this ends. Kros will."

Akamir didn’t answer. His eyes swept the small, warm interior of the house.

Velyrian was inside a room and quickly walked out when he heard the commotion.

"You guys are back?" he said with a smile as he looked at them. "Take a bath, dinner is ready."

Sephrina jumped up before she ran towards Akamir again. "Let’s go take a bath together!"

"No." Akamir rejected her flatly. "The most I can do was stay by your side."

Sephrina pouted. "...Fine."

Akamir let out a sigh as he followed after her.

Since he has been rejecting her offer time and time again, Sephrina has been more adamant about it.

She once even forced him to join but Akamir didn’t let her.

’Seriously, her childlike mind is really a problem.’

Children really wanted to do things that they are asked not to.

---

After the bath, Akamir was tasked to comb her hair as she sat on a table.

Velyrian, on the other hand, was placing the food on the table.

"I have been having a really good time since you came, Akamir." Velyrian said, smiling. "You really helped me a lot by taking care of her."

Akamir didn’t reply as he glanced at Sephrina, who was eating a candy.

"She is mischievous to say the least." Akamir replied, still combing her hair. "Doesn’t seem like your daughter."

"She got all that from her mother." he replied with a chuckle. "Her mother was just like her."

"...."

Akamir didn’t reply as he kept on staring at the girl.

From what Akamir knows, Sephrina’s mother died when she was an infant.

Being an elf, Velyrian never married or loved someone else... leaving Sephrina alone most of the time.

’...She never got love of a mother, huh?’

Akamir could really relate to that.

Both him and Asher, whose body he inherited, never got to have a mother’s love.

’...Well, my mother was just a control freak.’

Knock! Knock!

Just when Akamir was done with her hair, a sudden knock echoed.

Velyrian got alert as he grabbed a knife. "Who is it?"

They were in the middle of nowhere, so their wariness was not for show.

Akamir quickly hid Sephrina behind him.

"We are the Royal Guards!"

A voice echoed from behind the door.

"We have come in the order of King Lewin to bring you to the capital."

Huh?