Mutagen

Day 364 - 1:42 PM - Training Area, 38th Satellite Settlement, Muria Sacred Fortress, Mount Muria, Kudus Regency, Central Java, Indonesia

"Luna... What is happening?" Kela could not help but ask the woman beside her because of the events she was seeing. "I know something's up with him and his group after a few days I spent here, but this just looks... absurd..."

"I don't know, either."

It was the only answer Luna could give at the moment. She never expected something like this either. Furthermore, Luna's attention was focused on her weapon in Mark's hands. She already suspected that it might have some hidden secrets as an antique item, but she did not think it would be of magical origin.

That was right. It was magic. Luna could feel magical fluctuations from the Silver Keris after it began glowing.

How was Luna able to sense magical energy now? It was one of the few things Mark pushed Luna and the others to learn after the day Luna's niece woke up. This skill was something they would definitely need in the current world, but there was no one to teach them until now. Among the members of the Moon Chasers, Luna, Limabela, and, unexpectedly, Edge had good talent in this.

Now that the little bit of training paid off, Luna could slightly understand that whatever was currently happening before her was of magical origin.

It seemed that the magical fluctuations attracted some attention. The members of Mark's group hastily arrived to see the situation. However, they could only sigh when they saw it was Mark who was at the center of it.

"Uncle is doing something absurd again..."

Emika remarked.

"Yeah," Spera agreed. "He's just doing whatever he wants without warning. I thought there were enemies."

"You two had gotten used to this, huh?"

Annica chimed in. It was her first journey with Mark and the rest. As such, the current happenings were still new to her.

And it was the same for Hannah, who stared intently at Mark, watching what miracle was about to happen.

Mei and their daughters arrived later than the others. Since Mei had the ability to locate Mark's location in the immediate vicinity, she knew that the magical fluctuation was occurring with Mark at the center. Then, there was no need to hurry, unlike the others.

***

And while all the commotion outside was happening, Mark opened his eyes inside his [Subconscious World].

Looking around, Mark could see the vast scene he created in this place before. A forest-like scenery by the seaside. It was the very same scene when Mark first met Ignis.

Although Mark was already informed by Magwayen about being able to mold this [Subconscious World] into any image he could imagine, he had yet to do much here. It was possible to mold this illusory world, but everything would still be affected and molded based on his knowledge and memories. Then, accumulating more knowledge and experiences before molding this world would be better for Mark.

For now, Mark had to focus on something else.

"Master."

A calm voice entered Mark's ear, making him turn to his right.

There, a familiar figure appeared. It was Ignis. However, it was not the five-year-old appearance he had before. Right now, Ignis looks like a handsome ancient Japanese teenager. He was even wearing a nice-looking oriental outfit. Furthermore, his fiery demeanor was dampened, and he now looked calmer, like a true warrior and not an unruly slaughterer.

Ignis fell asleep after fusing with the Japanese legendary sword, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. That state of dormancy lasted about a week, and he woke up just the day before Mark's group set off to Indonesia.

However, Ignis was still in need of stabilization. Even for a [Cursed Sword] like him who evolved into a [Demon Sword], taking in the powers of a sword that was once the tail of a god would need some time. That was why Ignis opened a rift in space and hid inside while following Mark.

What was this rift in space? Apparently, it was something a lot of Gods could do. It was why the [Eyes] had a hard time tracking the hidden Gods still remaining in this world even after putting it back in control. It seemed that fusing with the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi allowed him to create a small rift to rest in. Unfortunately, it was nothing comparable to the rifts real Gods could create since it was just a black rift, not a small world where he could invite others to enter.

But now, Ignis felt something. He came out of the rift and joined Mark in whatever he was trying to do without being called out.

"You came out in time. Did you feel it, too?"

Mark asked.

"Yes. An existence similar to me."

Ignis nodded.

An existence similar to Ignis. It was, without a doubt, the Silver Keris Mark borrowed from Luna.

The two looked forward. There was no need to look anywhere else. It was because in the [Subconscious World] that Mark barely touched, a new structure appeared.

Mark and Ignis approached. The structure was like an open altar of Western origin. There was a wide set of stares up front, and there was what seemed to be an elevated sacrificial platform up the stairs. The platform atop the stairs was surrounded by tall, ivory-colored pillars with distinct carvings.

Without further waiting, Mark and Ignis scaled the stairs and stepped onto the platform.

The first thing they saw was a little girl sleeping atop the altar at the center of the platform. As if sensing someone's arrival, the little girl opened her eyes and slowly got up while stretching her sleepy body.

After finishing driving off the sleepiness she had, the little girl looked straight at the two visitors. No, she was only looking at Mark as if she already knew what Ignis was.

"Who are you? Why are you disturbing my sleep?"

The little girl asked in a slightly commanding tone.

Mark did not reply immediately and observed the little girl. She was not exactly a little girl. While she was smaller than Spera, she had the appearance of someone of Mei's age. Her hair had a color gradient of brown at the base, turning gold at the ends. Oddly enough, she was not wearing anything fully based on the silver color. Even her clothes looked like a gothic black dress with white ribbons and golden accents instead.

But despite her nice dress, the little girl was barefooted, though.

"What is with your silence?" The little girl asked. "Are you perhaps infatuated with my beautiful appearance?"

The little girl sure had a playful side, as she even made an alluring pose with her fingers touching her chin.

And, for the first time, the little girl received a reply from Mark.

"Nah. My wife is far more beautiful than you."

Mark replied with a shrug, making the little puff her cheeks in disappointment.

However, it seemed that the little girl did not believe Mark.

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? To think you would lie to have a wife more beautiful than I?"

But before the little girl could sneer along with her arrogant words, an image floated in midair after a snap of Mark's finger.

"That's my wife. Look."

Mark said to the already gawking little girl.

There was no need to deny it. The woman in the image was beautiful, and the little girl's appearance could not be compared to her.

"Lies!"

That was the only thing the little girl could retort with due to the unexpected image.

"Why would I need to lie?" Mark sneered. "You can meet her outside if you want to."

The little girl froze. That was right. She could confirm if the man was lying. Without waiting, the little girl made a circle in the air with her index fingers. As soon as the circle was drawn, it showed the scene outside. Immediately, the little girl spotted Mei. The man before him was definitely not lying.

Mark and Ignis were surprised to see that. They were inside Mark's [Subconscious World]. Yet, the little girl was able to project the scenes outside without Mark's permission. In the first place, the creation of this sacrificial platform was already outside Mark's control.

It meant that the little girl could affect Mark's subconscious world more than anything he invited here before.

Without minding Mark and Ignis, the little girl began to look around with that circle she made. She then suddenly stopped at the image of a purple-haired woman.

"Hey?" The little girl turned to Mark. "Is this woman my current owner?"

"So, you're not just sleeping all this time?"

Mark could not help but ask.

"What are you saying? I just woke up." The little girl denied Mark's question. "It's been a long time since the last time I woke up, and she's definitely not my owner back then. I just felt a connection with that woman."

"But from your words," The little girl continued. "She really is my current owner. That's good. Maybe it's fate."

The little girl suddenly showed a nostalgic smile.

"Then... Who are you? And more importantly, WHAT are you?" The little girl asked Mark once more. "Why am I in your hands and not my current owner?"

Mark gave the little girl a shrug.

"Mark. That's my name. As for what I am, you can see it for yourself."

Mark then showed his [Blood Demon Transformation] and also disabled the aura that prevents anyone from detecting his Demonic origins.

The little girl's eyes widened. There was no doubt that she felt a little frightened after Mark removed the aura.

"You..." The little girl pointed at Mark with a shaking finger. "You're worse than a Chimera."

"Are you here to devour me or something?"

It seemed that the little girl was really intimidated. She did not expect that the man talking to her just now was not only a Pureblood Demon but someone who controlled both the [Aura of Death] and [Miasma].

"Well, the question here is, are you an enemy or not?" Mark asked as he tilted his head. "Because I don't give an inch of mercy towards my enemies."

Mark then turned to the image still showing Luna.

"Besides, that woman's an ally of mine. Although most of my reason is just my curiosity, I also want you to wake up. If you can wake up and properly help her, the situation would be better. "

"I... I also want to wake up," The little girl sighed. "But my energy is mostly depleted. That is why I've been lying dormant until now. It seems the world outside has changed, and magical energy has now begun to thicken. However, even with this, it would still need several years for me to properly regain enough power to properly aid my current owner."

"So, if you had enough power, you can wake up, right?"

Mark asked as he reverted back to his usual appearance, easing the little girl's fear.

"That is right. Unfortunately, it will still..."

The little girl tried replying to Mark's question, but her body suddenly jolted. She immediately panned the image circle outside and saw two crystals floating around her original form before dissolving into thick and pure magical energy, which began entering her body.

There was no time for the little girl to reply. Her body began to twitch uncontrollably as large amounts of pure magical energy began to enter her body.

It took a few minutes before the little girl calmed down. She fell to the ground and looked up at Mark. She looked tired but much more powerful than before.

"You... Is this your doing?"

The little girl asked. She looked embarrassed after showing Mark an unsightly scene.

"Is that enough? I can give you a few more if you need it."

Mark nonchalantly asked.

"N-no!" The little girl panicked. "This is enough! I can wake up with this much! I will need to digest it first! Any more, and I'll explode!"

And more than anything, the little girl did not want to show more of her unsightly twitching appearance to Mark. It was embarrassing, no matter which angle one would look at it.

Enduring her shaking body, the little girl faced Mark and showed a curtsy. Although the results were rather embarrassing, Mark did help her this time.

"I apologize for the late introduction. You have my gratitude this time. I am Melfiss, the Cursed Divine Keris."

And immediately after the introduction, everything collapsed.

Mark opened his eyes to the real world, surprised that he was suddenly kicked out of his own [Subconscious World].

And then, with a blinding flash of light, Mark felt his hand lighten. As he squinted his eyes, he saw the Silver Keris float out of his grasp and begin to change its appearance.

The Silver Keris was not purely silver anymore. It now had the brown, black, and gold accents that the little girl, Melfiss, had in her appearance.

And then...

POOF!

The blinding light vanished, and everyone immediately turned to see the result.

However, everyone's eyes widened.

Instead of a dagger, they saw a barefooted girl in a gothic costume jump out of the light, who then came running to hide behind Luna's back while peeking at Mark.

Luna and everyone were surprised. Who was this little girl?

And more importantly, why did it look like she was afraid of Mark?