Young Family Head (01) 044: Sabak - The Sealed Cavern
Sabak—the old altar lay in ruins deep within the dark cavern. In the heat of the moment, he hadn't noticed, but examining it now in broad daylight revealed details previously hidden from view. The altar was far more dilapidated than it had seemed, and the dust and dirt accumulated inside spoke volumes about how long it had been abandoned.
Within that cavern, inky eyes scanned the scene. He'd seen it even on the way into the cave housing the cavern—the pattern etched at the entrance bore a striking resemblance to the one Sinat possessed.
So it is a seal.
As Kalen inspected the collapsed altar, he straightened up and recalled what he knew about spirits. The spirit Sinat had given such a strange name to—it was a monarch, a being known only vaguely from ancient documents these days. The patterns weren't identical, but he couldn't imagine another complex and bizarre design like it existing elsewhere.
When Blamia had spoken of spirits called monarchs, he hadn't said there was only one. So this place was likely a seal overseen by a different monarch.
The role of these monarch spirits was to bar something from passing. It fit perfectly as an explanation for the monster that had ambushed him and Sinat in the cavern.
The moment he'd steeled himself for death alongside Selasier. To draw out his Mental Image, he'd begged his body for magic just like back then. Spirits and monsters. The Spirit Realm and mana. Even Kalen's own Mental Image.
Honestly, he hadn't expected to emerge unscathed. Blamia had warned him about it, after all—embedding magic into one's body required that level of resolve. But surviving came first, didn't it? Staying put would have meant certain death anyway; he had no choice.
Still, that alien sensation at the nape of his neck. Once it took hold, his body felt impossibly light, like a lie. Without it, he wouldn't have withstood the onslaught that followed.
After wandering around for a good while, there was nothing more to discover. His hopes of uncovering something about his inexplicable constitution or his Mental Image were fading. In the end, all he had was confirmation of his suspicions—a meager gain.
With nothing learned, worry crept in. Kalen leaned against one wall of the cavern.
Did I come here for nothing?
Eliana, and now Selasier too. The crimson horizon cradled in her Mental Image rivaled the beauty of Eliana's winter island. Yet his own Mental Image was this wretched thing. Why did everyone he got tangled with awaken such stunning inner worlds?
Their faces were prominently featured in them, too, so the fallout wouldn't be trivial. As expected, no gamble succeeded without staking one's life.
Kalen swallowed his bitterness and rose to his feet. Understanding Blamia and leaving their side wouldn't be hard. But with matters unresolved, it was too soon.
Restoring the Dranus family. Resolving Sinat's obsession, too—the modest journey that had begun with the Rakatus family. Perhaps he wanted to see that through to the end alongside them.
Whatever the case, it was time to return to Blamia and Sinat for now. He didn't want to think about what came after.
A month had passed since Kalen returned to the cabin. If asked whether anything special had happened in that time, he could answer no—the days had been utterly ordinary.
Of course, on the day he arrived, Blamia had patted his back, gruffly saying he'd done well and thanks. Sinat had cried out "Kal!" and welcomed him joyfully. But he was exhausted, plain and simple.
From the Rakatus affair to the Hiatt business. Kalen had endured trials no ordinary person could dream of. So now, he spent these leisurely days with Sinat.
"Karyong's being even more clingy with you, Kal. What's up with that?"
"...Beats me."
Sinat was still her bright self, but something had shifted. How to put it—her gaze had deepened. If what she'd shown Kalen before was mere obsession, now it seemed to transcend that, glimpses of something more peeking through.
It reminded him of Eliana and Selasier at their most vulnerable moments. She wanted to be closer. She craved more affection. Leaning against his back and nestling into him bordered on obsession now.
With less time together, he'd assumed her feelings would cool. Yet Sinat's heart for him only grew.
One couldn't arbitrarily gauge another's emotions. Judging by one's own standards invited nothing but misunderstanding. He had to admit that Sinat's feelings for him went beyond simple obsession.
It was in such a moment that a voice called from outside, seeking Kalen.
"We're gonna start seriously reclaimin' what the Dranus family lost."
Blamia's opening words, as he sat Kalen down, were just that. He stroked his grizzled beard, glancing back and forth between Kalen and Sinat beside him.
"You brace yerself too, Sinat. You said yer resolved, eh?"
"Yeah, Grandpa."
The Dranus family stood above even grand dukes. Becoming its head demanded more than ordinary resolve. Sinat was declaring her intent to walk that thorny path.
To Kalen, Sinat had been a girl who dreamed of her family's revival but brimmed with fragile, romantic notions. She preferred simple tasks over complex ones, rest over hardship. For even such a girl to steel herself like this—how precious must the family be?
Yet after Eliana and Selasier, Kalen saw Sinat's determination differently.
"Is it the family... or that time that's precious to you?"
The question came abruptly, utterly out of context. It slipped out dazedly from the boy to the girl.
"Kal?"
Sinat froze at the words, then cautiously turned her head. He met inky eyes gazing at him, chin propped on her hand.
"Hm. Never mind. It's nothing."
As he'd said, what wasn't spoken couldn't be known. One couldn't judge hearts by personal whims. He'd simply seen resolve in Sinat's eyes—the same familiar glint Eliana and Selasier had when yearning for the past. Kalen shook his head.
Sinat watched him a moment before turning away.
"From today, yer magic lessons'll be far tougher. Brace yerself."
Blamia steeled himself too. The Dranus family was rising again. Sinat willingly shouldered the weight. So fragile, still suited to frolicking in fields—yet his granddaughter spoke thus.
He couldn't tremble forever under guilt tied to his grandson. Leading a family was hard. Leading Dranus, harder still. Blamia couldn't bear it. He'd sat in that seat once, and it had ended in failure. He had no desire to try again.
So he taught. Laden with anxiety over repeating past sins. Resolved against reliving his grandson's fate, he taught his granddaughter—to bear the Dranus name.
A whim had brought that urchin kid into his life, paving the way. He couldn't back out now. He'd resolved to this when accepting the Rakatus job.
If Sinat succeeded, perhaps this sadness he felt seeing Kalen would ease.
A giant who had erased himself from fear of the past now chose to reemerge. The giant's heart beat in the girl. And she would etch the Dranus name anew upon the world.
"That's magic sorted... What's left is high society."
Dranus had lost much in one failure. Dazzling connections among them.
The best place to rebuild ties was high society. With Blamia's prowess, people would flock anyway. But Sinat was merely a 2nd HierarchyContract Attribute mage. Impressive for her age, but not enough for connections to form automatically.
So, high society. She needed to venture there and build them. Less than two years until her debutante ball. Time to accelerate.
The framework was set.
"Aim for 3rd Hierarchy in half a year. Ambitious, aye, but time's short. At yer age, that'll make networkin' a breeze."
Most debuted with basic 1st Hierarchy magic. 2nd was fine, but for the weighty Dranus name, it fell short.
Sinat nodded quietly.
"Debut in high society having mastered 3rd Hierarchy, and revive Dranus."
"Got it, Grandpa."
"Kalen, you..."
Blamia turned from resolute Sinat to Kalen. He had to choose. Send Kalen away out of fear of the past? Or carry him along, like attempting Si Tram's business for Sinat?
The answer shone clear. His lips alone couldn't repay the lifesaving grace. Rakatus and Hiatt were burdens no boy could bear alone. He'd pierced those trials and repaid the debt.
From the moment he'd decided to teach Sinat. Above all, because his most precious Sinat adored him.
Dranus's revival. At minimum, until then, he had to make the effort.
"...Can ye help Sinat?"
Fifteen and 3rd Hierarchy. He'd been too busy to check properly, but per Kalen's report on returning...
He wouldn't starve anywhere. Even basic 1st Hierarchy fluency would snag him a spot in a lax noble house. Holding him back like this—could it be selfish?
"Understood."
Kalen's reply came just as the thought struck.
"Kal!"
Sinat squealed in delight. To Blamia and Sinat—not Dranus—Kalen was that deeply entwined.
Blamia thought so as he stood.
"Rest today. We start tomorrow."
What shape would this tangled web of bonds take in the end? He could only pray it wouldn't leave sorrow and regret like before.
Knock knock.
A firmly shut door. The face knocking was a familiar one.
Everchan Rakatus. The Rakatus family head, surrounded by flustered maids and servants at a loss.
No answer came no matter how he knocked. His daughter's illness had been cured by one boy, but a new problem had arisen entirely apart from that.
"...Eliana."
Calling her name yielded the same. He could force the door open, but he didn't want to.
Thus, Everchan the duke always turned away first. But not this time.
This might be the only way to reopen his daughter's sealed heart.
"...They say Kalen succeeded at Hiatt."
He tossed it out. Eyes closed, facing the unyielding door. If even this failed, what then?
As the thought crossed his mind—
Creeeak—the door, long refusing to budge, cracked open slightly. A fragile voice leaked through the gap.
"Then..."
The room inside was pitch black. Cloud-gray eyes, like skies stained with dusk, fixed clearly on Everchan.
"...You'll keep your promise now...?"
Everchan quietly opened his eyes and exhaled in relief. Hiatt's whims had forced him to betray Kalen. Having called him benefactor yet broken their vow—it was natural.
Yet because of that one betrayal, his daughter had locked herself away again. Now she spoke before him.
Repeating to himself how fortunate it was, Everchan asked,
"Do you want to go see him?"
Right now. He was granting his daughter the one thing she desired most.