(A few days ago.)

  A knock sounded on Grey's office door.

  "Come in," Grey demanded. The door opened, and Yuno casually walked in, clearly a frequent visitor to his old friend's office.

  "So, I heard you requested me for something?" Yuno asked, settling into a chair and immediately sipping the cup of tea Grey had provided.

  "Straight to the point, aren't you?" Grey said, watching Yuno gently put the tea back on its plate.

  "Is it for me to watch over your niece?"

  Grey snorted. "Can you at least guess instead of just straight up reading my mind? Your Sealer ability makes me nervous sometimes."

  Yuno giggled confidently. "It can't be helped, you know? We, Sealers, have far stronger anomalous spells than just the basic elements your Margias possess."

  "But you're also a Margias, though," Grey pointed out with a non-chalant expression.

  "C-can you stop reminding me, please? I just want to relax myself once in a while."

  "Whatever you say, Yuno," Grey replied, drinking his tea and looking out the window. "But I am quite curious. What exactly is a 'Sealer'?"

  "That again?" Yuno groaned, annoyed. "Just how many times do I have to explain so it sticks in your head?"

  "I'm quite forgetful these days. Sorry if this old timer is wasting your time." Grey’s gaze, however, was deadly serious when he talked back to Yuno.

  "Alright, alright, geez." Yuno, pulled out his Sealer book and placed it on the table, explained. "The Sealer society is a fundamental, hidden one, kept out of the history books because, well, they operated behind the scenes. However, as more Margias became jealous of their anomalous spells like teleportation, sealing, chains, and even the Soltra spell, they decided to wage an all-out war, hoping to steal their power. Today, almost half of the Sealer went extinct because of that, giving a moment for the remained Sealers to hide at the edge of the earth for so called peace."

  "But sadly, the world isn't kind to them," Grey finished for him.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "Something like that," Yuno once again sipped his tea. "Despite the Margias having their own Vergus spell, which is basically a their version of the Soltra spell, their greed was really off the charts."

  "That's Margias for you. Not everyone is perfect, even among the Sealers. In the end, both sides will eventually do anything for the sake of their goal," Grey conceded.

  "Speaking of goals, now it's your turn to explain about the Zarikh," Yuno said, pointing his finger toward Grey.

  "Ugh, why me?" Grey replied with a look of disgust. "Is it really necessary for you to learn something you already know?"

  "Of course, man! You can't just leave me here doing all the explaining! It should be fair if both sides answer each other!" Yuno exclaimed playfully.

  Though annoyed, Grey couldn't deny his old friend's request. "Fine. Just this once. After this, get out of my office and do the work I asked."

  "Deal."

  Grey took a deep breath, trying to release the tension trapped in his chest. "Zarikh, or the minions of a Leviathan, are entities that either spontaneously appear during a Leviathan's awakening or are been created by them. In other words, they cannot be measured by the normal logic of this world. Usually, Margias and Sealers cannot turn into a Zarikh, but only if the specific requirements are met."

  Grey raised his fingers, ticking off points. "One: Exposure and Trauma. Being exposed to Dark Ender and having deep trauma that allows the Ender to corrupt the victim's core being. Two: Zarikh Awakening. A Zarikh awakens a deceased person using its Ender, essentially resurrecting them into servitude. And three: The Unfinished Goal. The victim suffers an extreme mental breakdown, holding onto an unfinished goal or grief at the moment of death, forcing their own Ender to corrupt itself."

  "You know what? I regret asking that. You should keep that all to yourself," Yuno said, standing up quickly and heading for the door. "It's too much for my fragile heart."

  "Isn't that what you asked me to do?!" Grey yelled, disbelief clear on his face.

  "Jokes aside, having a way for Margias and Sealers to become Zarikh is quite scary," Yuno said, his expression hardening. "That just means anyone can become a Zarikh if their mental state isn't strong enough."

  "That's just how the world works, Yuno. Justice or whatever positive thing will never be enough to counter this negativity. Even the Child of Light can be corrupted, despite being the hope for humanity."

  "But hey! At least you never got corrupted even after being exposed to it. That just shows your mental strength is pretty high, right?"

  "I don't know about that, Yuno," Grey said, looking down at the floor. "That imitation voice of Lydia still haunts me to this day. I don't know if I can hold it together with all my remaining strength."

  Yuno simply closed his eyes, then opened them before leaving the office. "I should get going. Just wait for the good news, okay, buddy?"

  "Yeah. I really appreciate that, Yuno."