False Thunder Deification
When Enoch returned home, Rionne came bursting out the door in a frantic rush.
She must have been in the middle of preparing dinner. One hand clutched a spatula, and an apron was tied over her comfortable clothes.
“Enoch! You’re back? Are you tired? Want to eat first?”
“I’ll wash up.”
“Ah, should we shower together for the first time in a while?”
“…No.”
CRACK—!
Despair flooded Rionne’s face.
She kept a cracked smile plastered on while grumbling under her breath.
“You used to love bathing together.”
“……”
Enoch’s lips moved a few times before he turned and walked straight into the house without another word.
Left all alone, Rionne buried her face in her hands and let out a pitiful wail.
“Undine… Enoch… I think Enoch’s hit puberty…!”
Even Undine clicked her tongue and drifted away.
Rionne pouted, lips pushed out in a sulk.
*
“How was today?”
“Eh, same as usual.”
Enoch carefully stuffed ingredients into a wide leaf, then held it out to Rionne.
“Here.”
“Whoa, you made it perfectly!”
“Yeah.”
“Is this for me? Ah~”
She opened her mouth and waited. The leafy wrap slipped neatly between her lips.
Rionne chewed happily, then—as if by habit—scooped Enoch up in one smooth motion and settled him on her lap.
“……”
Enoch’s expression turned grumpy. He immediately slid off her knees and sat back down in his own chair.
“Oh right… you said you didn’t like that anymore, didn’t you?”
Rionne drooped, head hanging low.
Watching her, Enoch flinched, looking like he was wrestling with some incredibly fierce internal conflict. In the end, he simply continued eating in silence.
“Hng…”
Rionne poked at her food with her chopsticks, openly sulking, then suddenly blurted out,
“Come to think of it, you might run into the Forest’s Owner soon.”
“The Owner?”
“Yep.”
Rionne lifted her head just a little. Her eyes met Enoch’s, who had been staring straight at her.
She stuck her lips out in a pout and spread both arms wide.
“If Enoch gives me a really tight hug, I’ll tell you.”
“……”
Enoch’s eyes darted around before he stood up from his seat.
Rionne shot up as well.
He had grown so much already. Enoch, now nearly the same height as Rionne, pulled her into a firm embrace.
“Hehe.”
“…I don’t actually hate hugging that much.”
“Hmph.”
Before, Enoch used to disappear completely into Rionne’s arms. Now it was Rionne who nestled into his.
If he grew just a little more, maybe she would be the one vanishing into his chest?
“The Forest’s Owner is… well… exactly what the name says. The owner of the forest. I’m basically just renting space here.”
Rionne spoke while pressing down firmly on Enoch’s head.
Enoch tried to resist, but against the Sword Queen’s strength, it was hopeless. His face ended up buried in her chest.
“Mmph…”
“Hehe.”
What was it again? She had said something about this height being perfect for hugging. That it just felt right this way.
But Enoch didn’t like it one bit.
It still felt like she only saw him as a child.
Of course, he did enjoy it. Her scent was so strong it made his whole body go limp with comfort.
It was just… lately it had become a little uncomfortable.
His body temperature seemed to rise, and honestly, everything felt awkward in different ways.
It was getting troublesome.
Tap tap tap—!
When he patted her shoulder, Rionne let out a satisfied little hum and finally released him.
Enoch quickly put distance between them, instantly on guard. Sitting back down in his chair was just an added bonus.
“Anyway, when you meet the Forest’s Owner…”
He couldn’t quite remember the rest of that conversation.
*
Even now, at fifteen, Enoch’s daily routine hadn’t changed much.
Training, rest, the occasional outing, playing with Rionne, meals, sleep.
That was it.
He had no complaints about it.
Well, maybe a few, but they weren’t about the routine itself.
They were about Rionne—or rather, about himself.
“Mm.”
Enoch quietly slipped out of bed.
Sleep just wouldn’t come.
“…Enoch?”
Rionne, who had been sleeping beside him, rubbed her eyes sleepily.
Her gaze asked where he was going, but Enoch only reached out and gently tapped her forehead a couple of times.
“Just for a bit.”
“Okay…”
“Go back to sleep.”
Her eyes slowly closed again. Enoch stepped outside and let out a long sigh.
“Haa…”
It was strange.
Lately, just being near Rionne felt… off. Whether it was his body or his mind.
It was hard to put into words, which only made him suffer alone in silence.
Crackle—
Maybe running would help. Enoch’s figure shot through the darkness.
He crossed the quiet forest with light steps. When he felt he had gone far enough,
Boom—!
Enoch leaped high into the sky, lightning exploding beneath his feet as he drew in a deep breath.
“Huu…”
The cold night air filled his lungs.
When he opened his eyes, the stars seemed close enough to touch, blanketing the sky.
It was a crescent moon tonight. Not quite full, it looked a little like the shape of Rionne’s mouth when she smiled brightly.
Pulled by gravity, Enoch twisted in midair.
The wind rushing fiercely from below to above seemed to cool the heat in his body, if only a little.
Thud—
He landed on a thin branch and looked around.
With a single leap, he had reached deep into the forest.
Strange blue lights floated lazily between the trees.
When he narrowed his eyes to look closer, he saw that each blue light had tiny eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
Were they monsters?
He had never come this deep into the forest at night before, so he wasn’t sure.
Deciding to ignore them, Enoch leaped from tree to tree, racing through the woods.
The scenery blurred past, but to Enoch it still felt far too slow.
He felt impatient.
He was sure he could run faster, but something held him back.
His realm was still far from catching up to Rionne.
He wasn’t as strong as her yet.
Time was power.
Did that mean he would have to wait nearly a thousand years to catch up?
No. By then, Rionne would have already moved far ahead again.
Frustration boiled inside him. Purple lightning crackled across Enoch’s entire body.
Bang—! He kicked out in irritation, and several trees exploded.
Under the faint moonlight filtering through the branches, bluish lights swirled around him amid the hazy dust.
That annoyed him too, so Enoch fired off a thin bolt of lightning.
Rumble—!
Thunder roared as the lightning tore through the air.
The blue lights easily dodged and spun mockingly in place, as if laughing at him.
“Those things…”
Sudden rage surged through him.
Tiny sparks rose from Enoch’s body like steam.
He slashed his nails through the air, and the dark forest flashed purple for a brief moment.
──────────────!!!
Five streaks of lightning scars were carved clearly into the empty air.
Yet he still hadn’t hit the blue lights.
[Eri]
📍 Status: Startled
🎁 Reaction: [Cute?]
Startled by the sudden surge of power, Eri poked her head out from his chest.
Enoch shoved her back inside and gathered lightning at the tips of his toes.
The blue lights were fleeing now.
Rumble—!
Purple lightning streaked across the midnight forest.
*
While chasing the blue lights, Enoch suddenly looked around and felt something was wrong.
“The mana…”
It was unnaturally calm.
Deep in the forest, mana usually flowed chaotically, but here it was as still and clear as spring water.
The trees were strange too.
Instead of the gloomy atmosphere typical of the deep woods, they stood straight and vibrant, as if bathed in warm sunlight.
Enoch naturally raised his guard.
A sudden change in environment usually meant a sudden event was coming.
He had no idea what might jump out.
Lightning began to swirl violently within both of Enoch’s dantians.
[Hmm. So it’s you.]
A voice.
Enoch reacted instantly. He gathered his power and struck with everything he had.
CRAAAAAACK────────!!!!
Purple lightning tore the entire area apart.
At the same time, a voice filled with utter bewilderment rang out.
[…Wait, I was told it was a gentle, adorable child.]
Soon, a figure revealed itself.
“A fox?”
It wasn’t particularly huge.
Standing on all fours, its height reached only around Enoch’s solar plexus. It was large for a fox, yet not so large that it felt overwhelming. Exactly that kind of size.
The only unusual thing was that it had nine tails instead of one.
It was also a bit strange that the blue lights he had been chasing were now bouncing playfully around the fox.
But more than that—
The colossal presence, the gaze that pierced the entire forest, the overwhelming reverence, terror, worship, the absolute truth that one must bow one’s head and beg for mercy, the divine majesty burning into his mind, the greatness of the being before him—
Warning: Overwhelming divine presence detected. Mental defenses collapsing.
[Oh dear. You have good eyes.]
Enoch snapped back to his senses from the momentary daze and staggered backward.
His pupils contracted sharply.
Tremors leaked into his ragged breathing.
The fox smiled as it watched the wary boy.
[I heard you had outstanding talent, but I didn’t expect this much. I never thought you would be able to glimpse even a fragment of me.]
The words wouldn’t register in his mind.
His instincts, stimulated by primal terror, were going completely wild.
His limbs trembled beyond his control. Cold sweat poured down his entire body.
If things continued like this, he would die.
The opponent’s power was greater than Rionne’s.
Facing something that defied description, his thoughts kept cutting off. This situation was clearly dangerous.
Having made his judgment, Enoch immediately detonated the lightning in both dantians.
BOOM—!
The explosive lightning raced through his body.
Mana, then even his blood, was completely converted into lightning. The lightning surged all the way to his head and spilled outward.
His black eyes were dyed purple.
Overflowing lightning poured from his eyes, melted into the air, and formed a ring above his head.
KIIIIIIIIING─────────!!!!
The ring began to spin.
Like an angel’s halo encircling Enoch’s head, it was a kind of Circle.
If a mage’s Circle replaced the middle dantian, the Circle Enoch had created replaced the upper dantian.
In exchange, his body began to disintegrate into electric current, starting from his fingertips, toes, and the top of his head.
It was a technique he had never shown even to Rionne, but if he didn’t use it, he would die.
Following his instincts’ warning, Enoch raised the output of his authority even higher.
[Oh ho. I heard you haven’t even lived a hundred years yet.]
Crackle—! The overflowing lightning began to take shape.
Lightning sprouting from his back formed wings, and sharp lightning claws grew from the hands wrapped in dwarven gauntlets.
A forced unification of the three dantians.
It was merely an imitation of the demigod realm he had only heard about in stories, but Enoch could feel it clearly.
This still didn’t even reach the opponent’s feet.
But even so.
[…I’ll kill you.]
Kill. Win. Return.
If he couldn’t reach, he would drag them down and crush them anyway.
Because it was unfair. Because he wanted to see her. Because he wanted to hold her one more time. Because if he could, he wanted to convey everything.
Ending like this was simply not allowed.
…So higher. Even higher.
Secret Art — False Thunder Deification
It drew forth the form of a false god.
Ougi: False Thunder Deification
The false form of a god manifests.
Within the erupting purple lightning, Enoch’s transformed appearance truly deserved to be called the incarnation of thunder.
Seeing it, the fox thought,
[Wait… why go this far…?]
The fox felt wronged.