A short time later, Toyota stood in the mansion's garden, the snow from yesterday almost completely gone.
"How did all the snow disappear so quickly?" he muttered aloud, glancing around in confusion.
Puck chuckled as he floated up beside him, leaning close to whisper in his ear, "Everyone seems to misunderstand what my attribute is."
His tone shifted, smug and secretive.
"It's actually fire. But instead of just burning things, I can reverse the process. That's how I have expert control over ice magic. So making leftover snow disappear is child's play for me."
Hearing this, Toyota tilted his head slightly. That didn't sound right. He'd never heard of Puck having a fire attribute. Was the cat testing him?
Still, if he was being tested… might as well act naive.
"Oh, is that true?" Toyota asked, imitating Emilia's curious tone. "Can you tell what attribute I am?"
Puck narrowed his eyes, studying him for a moment before returning to his usual cheerful expression.
"So you want me to figure out your attribute, huh?" he said, tail twitching.
He floated down, gently tapping Toyota's forehead with the tip of his tail.
"Magic users are generally divided into four attributes: fire, water, wind, and earth," he explained.
As he touched Toyota's forehead, a faint glow emitted—accompanied by the surreal sound of meowing echoing inside his head.
Inside Toyota's soul, Puck moved freely. The boy's resistance was nonexistent. Manipulating him was almost too easy. Carrot-over-stick was clearly the better method.
What he found was… odd.
Toyota's soul appeared as a large black orb. Puck entered it effortlessly.
"Huh," he murmured aloud, "it seems your attribute is… shadow."
"Shadow?" Toyota echoed, playing up the confusion.
"Yes. You're lucky—it's very rare," Puck said, pulling back. But his cheerful tone was gone—replaced with subtle unease.
He watched as mana flowed into Toyota's body—so fast, it could be called instantaneous. The regeneration rate was terrifying. At least five times faster than Roswaal, the kingdom's greatest mage.
Puck narrowed his eyes again, more seriously this time.
He's too dangerous…
But then, something eased his nerves. The orb of mana was tiny. Laughably so.
So that's it, Puck thought, scoffing internally. High regeneration, but abysmally low storage. He's a puddle refilling itself fast—but still just a puddle.
"You seem to have a very fast mana regeneration rate," Puck said aloud, "but a low storage capacity. You'll only be able to use basic spells for now."
Hearing this, Toyota crossed his arms and began to ponder.
Is my small mana capacity tied to the four unlocked basic spell slots? Maybe… if I unlock more, my overall capacity will grow…
"Can you tell me four basic spells I can use with my mana?" Toyota asked innocently.
Puck narrowed his eyes slightly, curious about the specific number. Why exactly four?
"Well," the cat spirit floated lazily above him, "you can't learn the advanced chants that require more mana, but there are some basic ones you should be able to handle."
He held up one small paw and began counting off with his claws.
"Vita — amplifies gravity. Makes things heavier.
Murak — decreases gravity. Makes things float or feel lighter.
Minia — creates small purple projectiles. Basic offensive spell.
Shamac — casts a cloud of dark mist that distorts the senses. If you train hard enough, you might even use it for minor teleportation."
(System Notification: Spell Slot Conditions Met.)
Yin / Shadow Attribute Magic Unlocked
Vita: Amplifies gravity. (Mastery Level: 1)
Murak: Decreases gravity. (Mastery Level: 1)
Minia: Creates purple projectiles. (Mastery Level: 1)
Shamac: Distorts senses with inky mist. Potential for minor teleportation. (Mastery Level: 1)
There was a big grin on Toyota's face as he read the message. He had evolved—from a normal human to a wizard. He couldn't wait to try out his new spells. Hearing that Shamac had the potential for teleportation made him ecstatic. So many ideas, so many applications.
"Puck, what are you doing? Aren't you done yet?"
"Give me a moment," the cat replied, his voice calm. "I'm going to make sure your magic is working properly."
Inside Toyota's mana orb, Puck drifted deeper, further toward the center. He needed to locate the core—the true heart of Toyota's magical being. That was when he felt it.
Seven… no, eight consciousnesses. All clustered around the center.
As he slowly approached, he saw them—multiple blurry figures. Each one radiated something unique, their presence layered with distinct emotions. And at the very core was a scarlet light, shaped like Toyota himself.
But it wasn't alone.
Halfway overlapping the scarlet core—almost dissolving into it—was another soul.
What was happening?
Puck's danger sense screamed. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
There were four threats among the souls—four that set his instincts on edge. But the most prominent one… was the core itself.
It radiated pure hatred. Not just anger—a desire for all existence to disappear, for all life to suffer. Its malice was unbearable.
Only one thing made it possible to stay in its presence: the other soul, the one dissolving into it, was radiating the exact opposite energy—warmth, compassion, hope. The conflicting forces seemed to cancel each other out.
But just barely.
Puck floated there, frozen.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't human.
In a rare act of fear, he shifted into his true form. His body expanded, magic surging around him like a raging storm. But as he grew in size, the overwhelming pressure… faded.
It wasn't physical.
The threat wasn't something his size or strength could counter.
One of the blurry souls below looked up at him. Then, without warning, it collapsed into the fetal position, rocking and wailing incoherent words.
"It's all your fault… and Petelgeuse's! Your fault!
Rigel… Spica… Rem… Rigel… Spica… Rem…
All gone, gone, gone—"
Puck's fur bristled.
This… was something else entirely.
The only times he had ever felt this kind of dread…
Were from two beings.
One was Satella, the Witch of Envy. The woman who, 400 years ago, nearly swallowed the entire world in her shadows.
The other was the current Sword Saint. The strongest in recorded history.
And yet… these were just souls.
Fragmented, warped, unstable.
And they were noticing him now.
The three most dangerous ones turned. Slowly. Like predators catching a scent.
They weren't physically threatening—but something about them was wrong. Fundamentally.
Cosmically.
One of them walked up to Puck, his figure sharper than the rest, like a shadow shaped into a man.
He grinned. Maliciously. Mockingly.
Unblinking.
"What's Sweet Emilia's precious pet doing in here?"
His voice was laced with madness… and amusement. It didn't feel sane.
"Who are you?" Puck asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Awww, it's so saaaad," the figure crooned, twirling a finger through his own ghostly hair. "You forgot me? You already know who we are… but I'll give you something extra special."
He leaned forward.
"The Sin Archbishop of Pride—
The only one who made my darling, my honey, my Sweet Emilia into a queen…
Subaru Natsuki."
Puck's mind moved sluggishly.
What was this madman even saying?
He felt only confusion… and rage.
How dare this lower lifeform talk about his daughter that way—and call him a pet?
That was when one of the other threats finally spoke.
Even though his form was blurry, it was obvious: he had white hair and mismatched eyes.
"Let's kill him. Get his book and become one one one. I can't wait to become him. To be more with him. To become more."
Then, the figure looked off into space and started talking to thin air.
"Aren't you guys excited? We're becoming Subaru Natsuki!"
To Puck, this soul felt different from the others.
While the rest all felt like one person—this one felt like a bunch of people shoved into one body.
An unstable patchwork of minds masquerading as a human.
Then, another soul—more grounded, but clearly agitated—snapped.
"Shut up! If I could kill you guys, I would! So annoying!"
The self-proclaimed Archbishop of Pride only grinned wider.
"Why so grumpy, Purgey? Is it 'cause you looooost to the Sword Saint~?"
The energy shifted.
The souls were getting more agitated, unstable, louder…
Until one of them—
The most threatening one of all—raised his hand.
"All of you need to calm down."
His smile was... wrong. A smile that didn't reach his eyes.
His mind didn't feel human.
It felt ancient—like a being older than comprehension was wearing human skin.
"We have a visitor," he said, turning toward Puck. "Let's welcome him… and decide what to do with him after he succeeds."
The Archbishop of Pride gave an exaggerated bow.
"Of course, Big Bro. I respect you the most. You should've been the first to integrate—not that naive, sacrificial hero."
"It was beneficial," the ancient one replied calmly.
Then, he turned toward a silent soul sitting alone in the corner.
"…However, I do wonder—why that lustful pedophile is able to integrate at all."
The self-proclaimed Archbishop of Pride scoffed.
"You're absolutely right, Big Bro. I may have committed genocide, but even I didn't go canoodling with little girls."
The soul in the corner, crouched and looking depressed, flinched at the words.
"But Purgey..." Pride turned, voice dripping with venom. "I can never forgive you for throwing away Emilia because of your color-blind ass."
The soul that had been aggressive earlier scoffed and looked away, visibly irritated.
Meanwhile, the wailing from the one curled in the fetal position only grew louder.
He kept muttering names—Rigel... Spica... Rem...—incoherently, over and over, as if stuck in a mental loop.
Pride rolled his eyes and glanced toward him in disgust.
"Don't even get me started on you, coward. So what if you died of old age and started over? Compared to me and Big Bro, you're fodder."
The long-haired soul only sobbed louder in response, completely disconnected from everything around him.
Puck, still hovering in the midst of it all, watched the madness unfold with a storm of emotions churning inside him—fear, anger, amusement… confusion.
Why were these souls inside of Toyota?
How were they all so similar... and yet so vastly different?
Feeling a growing anxiousness to leave, Puck rushed to finish what he had set out to do—just a quick background check.
In this space, he could peer into the minds and memories of souls.
What was meant to be a brief investigation… became his end.
The alien, ancient soul—the one who smiled so terrifyingly—froze.
Not with fear, but with amusement.
He watched like a god, entertained by a mortal's final breath, already knowing the outcome.
Puck had made a mistake.
Not just any mistake.
A fatal one.
And then, the Beast of the End saw it.
And he broke.
His mind—ancient, unshakable—fractured.
He had lived for centuries.
Endured the rise and fall of nations.
Watched stars fade and forests bloom.
Time meant nothing to a spirit like him.
But the things before him…
They weren't spirits.
They weren't even monsters.
They were something else entirely.
They had lived for eons.
But this… this wasn't just a man.
He was a myth wrapped in flesh.
An aberration carved from pain and perseverance.
His aura had choked the strongest.
His will had shattered the impossible.
He had died over a 100 million times—and returned every single time.
He defeated the White Whale.
He slaughtered the Great Rabbit.
He had killed hundreds of millions,
Ruined the Sword Saint,
Devoured memories of those who knew him like a cursed god.
He bent the world's mightiest to his will.
He made royal candidates kneel, treating them like slabs of meat.
He made the Archbishop of Gluttony—who had consumed thousands of minds—
scream one word:
"MONSTER!"
His mind had been shattered.
His body torn in ways that gave pain new meaning.
And still, he fought.
Alone.
He was the Knight of Emilia.
The nightmare of his enemies.
A shadow that rewrote fate.
A man cursed by the Witch.
A victim who mocked death—
Because Death could never keep him.
He was a broken god,
Trapped in the soul of a conceptual being.
A man who was killed,
But never defeated.
He was…
Subaru Natsuki.
A soul too vast to grasp.
A legend soaked in grief.
A weight of hatred for sins he could not remember.
And as Puck stared into the truth of that name—
The Beast of the End trembled.
And then, it collapsed,
Its spiritual form cracking apart,
Unable to endure the gravity of that soul.
"Why… why… why… why… do you exist?
How do you exist?
What are you…?
Are you… a god…?"
The spirit mumbled, his once-vast voice now a quiver,
growing thinner—
more unstable—
as his soul began to compress, shrink,
shattered by comprehension.
Blue and white light began to spill from the fractures in his being,
spilling like the sky breaking open.
And among the watching souls—
The self-proclaimed Sin Archbishop of Pride sighed.
"If you die… Emilia would be sad."
He stepped forward, hands in his pockets,
tone too casual for what came next.
With a bored flick of his gaze and a small smile—
"So… bye-bye."
He lifted one leg and,
with a single kick,
shattered the soul dimension.
The world screamed.
The dimension cracked.
And the Beast of the End was forcibly expelled
from Toyota's soul.
"Why'd you do that?"
said the white-haired soul with mismatched eyes,
his voice light, childish, wrong.
"I've never read his book before—
You should've let him die."
He giggled, skipping in a slow circle.
"The more I know,
the more I become Natsuki Subaru…
I want to become more, more, more…"
He sang the last line in a singsong whisper,
like a lullaby for a corpse.
(AN: Tell me honestly on a scale from 1 - 10 how immaculate was my glazing??????
This was part 2 of the chapter that went too long, I always wanted to write the IF routes interacting, so this is amazing.
I've set an official release schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Although when I get bored, I add extra.
Bonus chapters will drop on Saturdays if my demands are met. 🔫
Trade deal:
You give me 70 power stones, and I give you a bonus chapter.
Sounds fair, right?)