CHAPTER 53: COSMIC SHADOWS

After another half hour of searching and dozens of items scattered across the floor, Rouhuo pulled out a small pouch from among the mess.

"Think I’ve found it, my lady!" she said, her voice carrying a mix of excitement and uncertainty.

"Excellent, Rouhuo! Now take one of the threads and hand me the other."

"Y-yes, Y-Your Highness," the maid replied nervously.

"And what about me?" asked Maldie.

"Just don’t panic when we suddenly disappear."

"Huh?" Maldie blinked, confused.

Ayame thought of the Forbidden Library. Two more threads burned up, and in an instant, Rouhuo and Ayame vanished where they stood.

Maldie gasped in shock but tried to pull herself together, just as Shion’s sister had advised. The maid sighed softly, then started cleaning up the trunks – putting things back inside, closing the lids, and sliding them under the desk.

*

That day, the heavens trembled.

Every god, no matter their status or strength, awoke filled with fear and obedience.

Their souls quivered – wounded in the deepest, most primal corners of their being – for the fourth of the Primordial Ones was about to return to the world, and he intended to use them first.

In each divine mind, the same command echoed:

Destroy the Palace of Hoshigane.

Kill those who carry the legacy of the remaining three.

The consciousness of the gods became like that of a single swarm.

Together, they reached the same conclusion — that now was the perfect time to strike.

Somehow, they could sense the Palace of Hoshigane wasn’t as strong as it used to be.

*

Shien puffed his cheek out, sprawled out on a small chair, leaning over a wooden table, dying of boredom.

"What was Hoshizuma thinking?! It’s so dead here! I could really use some company!"

And just then, Ayame and Rouhuo appeared before him. Shien squeaked in surprise, nearly toppling off his chair.

Ayame sighed at the sight.

"Don’t tell me Hoshizuma made you the librarian... but then again, you were the one closest to him lately. I still don’t know what he saw in an idiot like you."

"Pfft! After that, forget about me helping you."

"If you refuse to help us, my maid will force you to."

"Oh yeah? What some average, fancy dressed lady would even do to me?" he said, grinning smugly.

Ayame nodded to Rouhuo.

The half-lioness approached Shien’s table and split it in half with one swift downward strike.

Shien, who had been leaning on it, barely pulled back in time to avoid falling.

He swallowed hard.

"Okay... that’s a fair point. What are you looking for?"

"Reverse human transmutation. My brother’s cursed sight went back to Egri, which means now Yuri has it. When she wanted Haru to stop waking her up, she accidentally turned him into a golden statue."

"Lovely. Problem is, I’ve got no idea where that kind of book might be."

"Huh?" Ayame frowned.

Shien shrugged.

"Hoshizuma only told me how to take care of the library — and he bound my soul to this place. That freed me from the Fourth’s influence, but that’s about it. If you want answers, you’ll have to find them yourself."

"So you’re useless," she said, clearly irritated.

"Pretty much," Shien admitted with a stupid grin. "I can manipulate time, though – slow its flow to a minimum. But that’s all. Which means... even if you search through the entire library, a year or two might pass in the human world."

"You’ve got to be kidding me," Ayame said, shocked. "I can’t leave them like that for two years!"

"I didn’t say it will be two years – just that it could be. Maybe a year, maybe a few days if you’re extremely lucky. It all depends."

"Fine. Do what you can. Where’s the alchemy section?"

"Right next to me, on the left. It’s got exactly 11,578 volumes — around four and a half million pages. One of them is bound to have what you’re looking for."

"Don’t think I’ll be doing this alone. Make yourself useful — or Rouhuo will make sure you do."

"All right, all right! No need to get all scary about it," he said, shrinking slightly under Rouhuo’s feline glare.

"Rouhuo, I’m counting on you too," said Ayame, her tone serious.

"I’ll do my best, my lady," Rouhuo replied, bowing deeply.

*

Yuecheng slept in Maldie’s room that night, while Maldie and Gari returned to their home.

As the young prince dreamed, Hoshizuma continued to speak to him in the haze of half-consciousness – as if Yuecheng existed only in those moments when the voice from the stars called to him.

Listen closely, young one.

What I’m about to tell you could shatter your mind – if not for me. I’m the link that keeps your fragile body and mind together.

You want to know who the Fourth Primordial is? Someone truly vile, that’s for sure.

Even I — who once fought the entire heavens alone — couldn’t do what the Fourth achieved.

You see, though I might seem omnipotent, one thing limits me: existence itself.

The Fourth transcended it – but paid a terrible price. He gave up warmth, love, and every bright aspect of life to be free of its rules.

What came back from that journey no longer resembled anything you know.

And now, he returns again – using pawns of his own creation.

Forgive me, Yue, but starting tomorrow, I’ll be the one on watch.

Don’t worry – I’ll make sure not to push your body too much

*

The next day...

Yuri met Yuecheng in the corridor. She wanted to ask him to play chess again, but when she looked into his eyes, something was wrong.

They weren’t Yuecheng’s eyes – she could feel it. They belonged to someone far more terrifying.

"W-where are you going?" she asked as they passed each other in the royal hallway.

"To save your mother," came the reply in a voice far older than Yuecheng’s. "She’s in danger."

"C-can I come with you? And how do you know that?" Yuri asked, startled and worried.

"No. You’ll only put yourself at risk. Stay in your room with Shion and Asahi."

"O-okay..."

For some reason, Yuri listened and went back to her room, just as she had planned.

Yuecheng – or rather, Hoshizuma within him – walked straight to Haru and Shion’s chamber.

For better or worse, the doors were open. Inside, gathered around the golden statue that had once been Haru, stood several small gods.

Small gods, usually only a few inches tall, appeared as elders wearing tribal masks. They specialized in small miracles – making flowers bloom faster, granting a lucky hand in cards, or calling brief rains. When angered, they turned mean-spirited – breaking pottery, stealing jewelry, or tripping mortals on flat roads.

"Don’t make me laugh. Did you really think a bunch of pests like you could fool me?"

Through Yuecheng’s eyes, Hoshizuma saw the small gods preparing to smash the golden statue – wielding tiny hammers and shovels.

He raised his hand. From his palm burst violet light, filled with black stars.

In an instant – with a single spell – the small gods were erased from existence.

"Really, Fourth? Is that all you’ve got? Send better hunters – those were barely an appetizer," Hoshizuma said into the void, knowing his words reached their mark.

*

That night, Yuri had another nightmare – or perhaps, a vision.

She saw the same woman from her earlier dreams, but this time, she didn’t scream.

Her skeleton (and somehow Yuri knew it was hers) was fused into a vast surface, something between a shadow and a fur-covered carpet.

All around it were corpses – old and new, human, animal, and corpses of things Yuri couldn’t name.

It took her a while to realize she wasn’t looking at a landscape under the night sky –

but at the back of a colossal creature, moving through space.

It had forty naked jaws, each full of razor-sharp teeth, each facing a different direction.

The monster had no eyes, it was more like a living, moving mountain with limbs of its own.

Yuri begged her mind to stop showing her more.

She was terrified and afraid she wouldn’t survive seeing it in full.

I’ll spare you the rest, Yuri, a deep, male voice echoed in her mind.

But look closely at what you’ve already seen.

In a few years, you – alongside Asahi and Yuecheng – will have to face it. And protect your parents from death.

The scene changed.

Yuri stood facing Yuecheng, whose eyes had changed. They were standing in the middle of a meadow.

That same feeling came over her again — it wasn’t Yuecheng this time, but someone stronger, older... someone she feared, and yet, she still looked him straight in the eyes.

Despite her fear and confusion, she was certain of one thing: whoever this being was, he wanted to help.

"Yuri, don’t let us down. Your sight is a blessing. You’ll see – we’ll save Haru, and everything will be as it once was."

"W-who a-are y-you?" the girl stammered, her lips trembling.

Hoshizuma smiled. There was something disarming about Yuri’s pure, honest emotions.

"Someone worth listening to. Someone who’s watching over you now. And now, Yuri – this is my gift to you."

Hoshizuma in Yuecheng’s body, reached out his hand toward her.

Yuri’s dream changed once more.

She found herself in a peaceful daydream – playing with Haru, Shion, and her siblings in the royal gardens.

They laughed, ate a wonderful meal together. Maldie, Gari, and Sayaka were there too.

Her dream was so warm and peaceful...

...that she could finally rest.