The details he had previously ignored began replaying in Zavi's mind. He did not immediately conclude that the 'ritual' and the incident that followed several minutes later were related to that woman.
'A fifth-level evil spirit, Mastering, huh? I know you're watching me, laughing at me from beyond my understanding. Tell me! Are you... one of the three people who saw me perform that ritual? And were those three people part of your will?'
He only spoke within his mind. Zavi knew that he shared his consciousness with the fifth-level evil spirit, Mastering, although he still had no idea how it had happened.
He knew it made no sense; Although he had been shocked at first, Zavi adapted as quickly as possible and accepted that truth.
After several seconds of waiting, the night wind blew through the gaps in the house and the vents, as though answering that question.
Zuhen and Felina remained silent, waiting for someone to speak amid the suffocating darkness of the room.
Not long after, moonlight from outside slowly illuminated the living room where they stood, driving away the suffocating darkness and faintly revealing their figures.
The three exchanged glances, each lifting one foot with serious expressions before stepping down, then switching positions. After changing places, Zavi tossed his bowler hat toward Felina, who stood to his left.
Felina tilted her head for a moment before casually tossing the bowler hat forward. The hat flew straight through the air, and Zuhen caught it without moving from his spot.
He put the hat on his head hesitantly.
"...So, you really want to see me advance from Error to Motivation?" Zavi asked quietly.
Zuhen adjusted his bowler hat, his expression gloomy.
"Of course," he answered in his hoarse voice.
Felina stared at Zuhen's faintly gleaming blue eyes in the dim room before shifting her gaze to the man with the ponytail standing to her right. "What a troublesome stalker," she muttered bluntly.
Zavi heard the mutter but did not understand her words at all because of the language barrier.
'She's talking about me, right? It's fine if she doesn't like me. I accept it, so just calm down.'
Several months had passed, yet Felina still could not accept that quarrel, while Zavi graciously accepted her hostility.
Fifteen minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
Two figures with somewhat apathetic yet familiar faces approached from outside. Since the house had no door, the three people inside naturally recognized the pair.
They were Aaron and Celvira.
Getting lost before reaching this place was only natural, especially in an area they had never visited before.
'Is Actitus really going to perform that ritual? Won't that...'
Aaron came out of his reverie when he felt a rather rough touch on his shoulder. He turned to see Celvira, who was beginning to lose her human form.
"...Help me, Aaron," Celvira pleaded.
Aaron was silent for a moment before stopping.
Maintaining her human form using his Exorcist ability was extremely troublesome, especially since Aaron knew he had no personal connection with her.
Although he had initially thought that way, after seeing the three of them come out, Aaron reluctantly agreed to the request.
"Ask your friend..."
His words were somewhat harsh, but Aaron used his supernatural touch to help Celvira maintain her human form.
Aaron realized that Celvira was an evil spirit, but he did not know what level she was.
Nothing could be hidden from him, especially if it involved a supernatural entity.
'What exactly are you planning, Actitus?'
After thinking for a moment, Aaron shifted his gaze toward the ponytailed man approaching him.
"So..."
Before Aaron could finish his sentence, Zavi calmly interrupted him:
"We'll do it now."
His expression remained emotionless as he spoke, although his voice carried a heavy and oppressive aura.
Zavi glanced around before looking at each of his companions in turn. Instinctively recoiling from that sharp gaze, they stepped back several paces and positioned themselves at separate points, with Zavi in the center.
Seeing that they had accepted the command, Zavi looked at his right hand and deliberately released the spiritual energy within his body, causing a previously invisible chain to appear.
Clink.
Although no one moved it, the chain rattled as it spun between Zavi's fingers before coming to a stop with its end resting against the back of his hand.
Zuhen recognized the chain well, having seen Zavi manifest it himself before; he knew it was a symbol of Zavi's "Prisoner" ability and a requirement for performing the advancement ritual.
However, as for Zavi's pocket watch, Zuhen knew nothing about it. Even Aaron was unaware of the truth behind the cheap and worn-out watch.
If that information were revealed, their relationship would almost certainly deteriorate; after all, Zavi was not someone who easily trusted others.
After thinking for too long about the method Zuhen had previously suggested, Zavi let out a long sigh. His chest rose and fell as his confidence in continuing with the plan began to waver.
Celvira watched him with her spirit vision, sensing the strange turmoil churning within Zavi's chest.
'Is he hesitating now, after finally achieving everything he has wanted all this time?'
Even she could not believe it, before focusing on observing what he was about to do.
Reaching into the left pocket of his coat and touching the pocket watch, which gave off a cold sensation, Zavi spread his palm wide. The chain hung downward, swaying for a moment before being stopped by a thin, nearly invisible chain.
A circle of "Error" formed beneath his feet, expanding until it enclosed all four of them within walls made of spiritual iron.
Aaron instinctively touched the barrier; a chill spread through his hand as he pulled it back.
'Is that really invisible iron?'
The other two tried the same thing and felt the same sensation. Then, the wall disappeared as an intricate symbol, along with illustrations of a prisoner and a gray fox, appeared above Zavi; they formed a cylindrical tube that immediately fell to the ground.
Even Zavi did not realize what was happening as the chain sucked up his own blood and filtered it into a silvery color before it slowly flowed and dripped only a few inches from his shoes.
His pupils widened as he pulled his left hand from his pocket and touched the silver blood, which had a jelly-like texture.
'An illusion? Or is the ritual really taking place?'
Celvira stared at Zavi, who returned her gaze.
She nodded and snapped her fingers.
Snap.
A golden plate containing two black candles, seven-colored flowers, a bottle of midnight seawater, incense, and a silver keris dagger immediately appeared before Zavi.
The advancement ritual entered its main stage.
Zavi's eyes widened and his mouth fell slightly open as the blood flowed more heavily than before. Its color changed from silver to blackish purple. Previously odorless, it now began to emit the scents of the objects placed before him.
Confusion filled his mind. Had the ritual succeeded, or had something gone wrong?
However, Zavi chose to observe, ignoring whatever consequences might occur.
Death, yes, death. To live, yes, to live.
After his thoughts cleared again, of course he rejected the idea, because there was something he needed to take care of before the worst happened.
He suppressed a curse as his spirituality overflowed, contaminating the ground beneath his feet with blackish-purple blood until the earth looked as though it were boiling water.
A short while later, after initially extending his right arm to observe the flow of blood, both his arms immediately drew closer to his body.
His pupils widened as he suddenly spun around, accompanied by the rattling of chains. He spread both arms wide, forcing the other chains to swarm around him and envelop his body.
The spiritual pressure emanating from him grew more intense with each passing moment, forcing Zavi to scream as his body felt as though it were being pulled apart and crushed beneath immense pressure.
The surrounding walls stopped trembling as Zavi managed to calm himself, holding back a smile as the feeling of satisfaction caused the pain to fade.
However, from outside, all four of them could still feel that tremendous pressure. Clearly, vigilance gripped their minds tightly as blackish-purple light surrounded Zavi's body.
Within that light, Zavi opened his eyes wide and briefly witnessed the endless void before him.
It felt peaceful, yet terrifying. As a human, he immediately emerged from that void, his soul returning to his body.
The chains rumbled again, as though welcoming Zavi's arrival.
His hands stretched out again, the chains still present, moving his body left and right like a famous dancer who often performed at the kingdom's annual events.
Then, in one final movement, Zavi raised both hands at the command of the chains. From those hands, flashes of red, purple, silver, and gray light burst into the air.
With that, the objects that had previously been before him vanished, as though their existence had been erased from the world.
The spiritual iron walls vanished along with the fused light, and Zavi dropped to one knee, his right hand braced against the dry, cracked ground.
The four of them did not immediately approach, instead observing their surroundings as the cold air crept into their bones.
The advancement ritual had succeeded without Zavi's knowledge, leaving him on the verge of losing consciousness and all his strength.
Meanwhile, Aaron lowered his gaze, staring at his shadow as it suddenly rippled.
'Is this going to happen?'
After thinking for a moment, he raised his gaze and stared intently at Zavi.
The sound of Zavi's ragged breathing reached his ears, and Aaron noticed it. Realizing that something bad was about to happen, Aaron prepared himself as he raised his head.
His lips trembled as he forced himself to smile when a glimmer of light swiftly passed overhead.
The dark blue sky split apart, and thin strands of thread appeared afterward, heading toward Zavi and slowly wrapping around him.
Zuhen held back his shock as he clicked his tongue.
"Tell," Zuhen called out in panic.
The small winged creature appeared and hovered beside Zuhen's left shoulder.
Felina stepped back twice before moving to the right, hurriedly approaching Zuhen.
Celvira immediately destroyed the threads with her spiritual power, but her attempt failed as the strands completely wrapped around Zavi Actitus's weakened body.
Aaron remained silent, losing control over the disastrous event that had occurred.
"Aaron Kwok..."
A consciousness tapped him on the shoulder amid the confusion in his mind.
"Who?" Aaron muttered.
"It's me. Have you forgotten?"
In a world filled with nothing but endless darkness, Aaron could see nothing except himself.
"Who?" Aaron repeated in confusion.
"Your sister..."
That consciousness made his body jolt, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
"Ah, what is that?"
Back in reality, Aaron glanced at Zuhen, who was walking toward him.
"Do you know what that is?" he asked for confirmation.
Zuhen nodded.
"A cosmic entity," he answered in a hoarse voice. “One that comes to someone while they are performing a ritual.”
"So..."
Celvira tried to speak while gasping for breath. She was almost losing her human form as her mouth began to turn into light.
She knew she would return to Moran if she could not save Zavi Actitus from that cosmic entity. Despite possessing different abilities, they tried to find a way to drive it away from the face of the earth.
"It is weak on Earth," Zuhen suddenly said.
"How do you know that?" Aaron asked, feeling a wave of despair in his mind.
Zuhen sighed as he watched the strands of thread that had made Zavi resemble a cocoon.
"You'll find out in a few days, but what's important is that we have to save him."
"All right, then," Aaron said quietly.
"Tell, do it," Zuhen ordered firmly.
Tell clicked his tongue before, with a sullen expression, flying toward the strands of thread that were still trying to wrap around Zavi.
But before he could reach them, the sky suddenly darkened. The moon lost its light, and the stars disappeared from their places. The pale strands of thread vanished, replaced by darkness that enclosed them from the reality of the world.
"Welcome to the world of stars..."
A deep voice that disturbed their souls, almost distorted, sounded directly inside their heads.