CHAPTER 99: KNIGHT IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND

"Hah... hah..." Mikel panted, lying flat on his back and staring into the endless darkness of the void. "...That was one hell of a battle."

Several paces away, Gallos sat, one knee bent, an arm resting atop it, his head turned toward Mikel. If Gallos moved now, he could try to stab the kid. But he knew that even then, Mikel would still fight.

After dueling him for who knows how long, Gallos realized something clearly: Mikel had many concerning traits, but his resilience was the most troubling of all.

"You hold curses," Gallos remarked. "And also own a phantom."

Mikel, still catching his breath, turned his head. "And?"

"That’s an odd combination," Gallos explained. "At least, I haven’t met anyone who could do both at once."

"Why?" Mikel blinked. "Is it taboo?"

"No, but it requires a higher spiritual energy."

Gallos fell silent, looking up at the Anima around them. No matter how fiercely they dueled, the Anima remained untouched, not even shaking. That alone demonstrated how stable and vast the spiritual field truly was.

On top of that, Mikel’s phantom, Haleth, was still present. Just keeping Haleth out would require consistent spiritual energy, similar to the Anima. Yet Mikel was still able to duel without much trouble while still using his cursed relic.

And yet, that exhaustion from him isn’t even a spiritual strain, Gallos thought. It’s all just physical.

But then again, he had seen Mikel’s limitless spiritual energy.

Mikel pushed himself to sit up. He grinned at Gallos, his teeth fully displayed.

"Say, how about we spar again next time, huh?" he suggested. "It was fun, right?"

"..." Gallos didn’t answer, simply gazing at the kid.

The only reason he had followed Mikel tonight was to see what the kid had been doing on the nights he’d snuck out. Although it had only happened once, Gallos felt a natural hostility toward him. He was sure Mikel wasn’t just sneaking out for a midnight jog.

And the reason he’d agreed to spar with him was for one simple reason: he wanted to test Mikel’s abilities. And if Gallos were honest, there was only one thing he could say:

"Zone Zero might or might not want you," he said. "But you don’t belong in the Academy—not with such high spiritual energy."

"I need the Academy because I’m looking for some people," Mikel replied without looking at him, holding the Book of the Dead to find the exit instructions. "And Zone Zero isn’t my goal. Not right now, but who knows?"

[Master, I didn’t lie to you about anything.]

Mikel paused and glared at Doom’s screen.

Yeah, you didn’t. You just left out some of the most crucial details.

[The system had deemed these details unnecessary.]

He clicked his tongue and continued flipping through the pages irritably. As he did, he stopped and flinched as he felt electricity sting his fingertips.

[System Alert: The Book of the Dead wants to be handled with care.]

[Warning: Fragile.]

Meanwhile, Gallos observed him from where he was sitting. "You were searching for people?"

"Mhm. Not actually people—not humans, I mean," Mikel remarked. "I have some scores to settle with them."

Mikel then paused as he read the tiny writing, as if the Book of the Dead didn’t want him to find it. Doom, on the other hand, saved the log so Mikel could easily pull it up next time, just in case he forgot.

He cast Gallos a look. "Others call them Type X. They almost killed me. No, actually, their puppets did."

Hearing this, Gallos’ expression hardened as anger glinted in his eyes upon hearing that. But Mikel already rose to his feet and snapped Haleth a look.

"Haleth," he called, and the small bell between the lantern and the handle rang.

The echoes of the bell reverberated, making the void ripple. Mikel drew a deep breath and closed his eyes. He concentrated his mind on taking the Anima back.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

Gallos, still seated on the floor, gazed down at his armor. The darkness in his armor disappeared ever so slowly, like ink being washed away by rain, its color fading with the vanishing void. His brows rose, and spreading his fingers, his entire body began to shrink again.

"Huh?" Mikel blinked once more before his pupils constricted. "What the—"

How come it’s almost morning?!

The sky was still dark, but parts of it were already turning blue. As far as he was concerned, he’d left the academy grounds around midnight. It had only been about an hour since he and Gallos started fighting, so it didn’t make sense to him.

[System Notice: Anima follows a different law of time. It could be slower or faster, depending on the caster’s will.]

Mikel scrunched up his nose. "Since when did I will to make time pass so fast?"

[Master, whether or not you are aware, the Anima follows your subconscious will.]

His face twisted at Doom, who was slowly becoming normal again as it had "avoided" Mikel’s wrath. Surely, whenever Doom started sounding more like a system, it was trying to avoid confrontation with Mikel.

It was as if they both had a choice but to deal with each other’s existence.

"Damn you," he whispered and peeled his eyes from the screen, his brows knitted as he laid his eyes on Gallos. "The heck?"

Mikel approached Gallos and squatted down. Earlier, when they left the academy, Gallos was the size of a plushie. But now, he was half of that.

"Wow..." he blinked in amusement. "You’re even smaller than the wild grass here."

Gallos looked up, realizing that Mikel looked a lot bigger than before. When he turned, he noticed that the grass on the side was, indeed, almost as tall as him.

"Indeed," he nodded, making Mikel twitch.

"Come up here, little guy." Mikel opened his palm and placed the back of his hand on the ground. He tipped his head, catching Gallos’s reluctant frown. "In this size, my one small step is twenty for you."

[Fifty.]

So, now you’re back, huh?

"And I’m planning to run back," he added in a knowing tone. "Don’t forget. The guy you’ve been babysitting wakes up very early."

Gallos’s jaw tightened, but at his current size, even Mikel had to admit the guy was even cuter now. Thankfully, his helm hid the redness on his face. With a heavy and reluctant heart, he stepped onto Mikel’s palm.

Much to his dismay, Mikel suddenly gripped him in his hand before he started sprinting.

"Damn it—!" Mikel hissed, sprinting while holding Gallos like some small rodent.

Gallos, on the other hand, held his breath as he maintained a stoic look. But with the hand gripping his entire body and the swaying motion, his eyes soon started spinning.

"Wait—" Gallos squeaked, but to no avail. His entire world just spun until even a phantom like him started feeling a bit sick. "...I’ll kill... you."

*****

[Academy’s Dormitory]

Ran slowly opened his eyes, stretching his arms and legs. He pushed himself to sit up, turning to the bed, only to see that it was empty.

"Huh?" he cocked his head to the side. "Did Mikel wake up early?"

And for some reason, his eyes drifted to his drawer. His brows knitted, catching the drawer slightly open.

"Why is it open?" Ran mumbled, flinging his legs out of the bed and then walking toward the drawer. But just as he planned to close it, he noticed something.

Gallos’s knife was gone.