The Gamer's POV

"All this somber atmosphere is really suffocating," Cedric complained with a groan as he opened the door to his empty room.

Sadly, this atmosphere would remain over the Bastion for the next few days at least, so he felt like heading off to somewhere more lively. Or perhaps somewhere quiet, where the outside world couldn’t reach him.

...Somewhere like his inner sanctuary, for instance.

’It’s been almost a week since I last went there. I should go restore my temple,’ he thought as he walked over to the bed. After taking off his shoes, he collapsed onto the soft mattress and muttered, "The Temple of Perpetual Equilibrium."

He felt himself fall, and in the next second, he felt himself standing. When he opened his eyes, he was standing in his temple.

The temple had already begun to decay, but it was not that bad compared to the ruins he had always seen before, where everything lay shattered.

He slowly turned to the door, then took a step towards it. But by the time his feet touched the ground again, he was already outside the temple.

He turned to look at the grayish, almost black building in front of him, then raised a hand and swiped it through the air. With that single gesture, the temple began to restore itself in a magnificent manner.

While that was happening, he suddenly heard a familiar, cheerful voice.

"You are here, my lord!"

He turned around to see Athena running toward him across the grass. She was dressed in a simple, pale yellow sundress and had a wide-brimmed straw hat resting loosely on her head. In her hand, she held a woven basket brimming with fresh strawberries and plump, dark grapes.

Seeing her all bright and full of energy, Cedric couldn’t help but smile.

"What have you been up to?" he asked.

"Practicing my magic," she replied upon reaching him, giving him a bright, proud grin.

Cedric’s eyes dropped to the basket in her hands, then they traveled to the distance where he could see that, several hundred meters from the temple, there were a few trees now bearing vibrant, ripe fruits.

He smiled and said, "Let’s go have a look."

Athena nodded eagerly and her eyes lit up.

He began to walk quickly toward the mini orchard, and as if responding directly to his intent, the distance seemed to be closing itself with every stride.

Now that Cedric had gained a lot more understanding of his inner sanctuary, he could affect the space and landscape to an extent as long as he had his ring on his finger.

And so, the space kept bending slightly to shorten his path.

Within only a few steps, Cedric was already standing in front of the fruit-bearing trees, with Athena right by his side.

There were a few strawberries growing in small patches near the front, alongside bushes of blueberries and raspberries.

Deeper down, trees of all kinds flourished, including large apple trees, pear trees, and plum trees.

Cedric smiled in satisfaction.

...Earlier on, Aika had discovered that summons could take things from the cradle back with them as they returned to the inner sanctuary. And so, she had asked Athena to bring back some seeds and saplings a few months ago.

Part of Athena’s description was that she was the nurturer of the sanctuary, and in here, her floral rejuvenation allowed her to also nurture the plants. She could help grow the plants, and also stop them from dying using her magic.

...Cedric walked through the orchard, admiring the vibrant, heavy-laden branches, before stopping in front of an apple tree.

Seeing Cedric reach up toward the fruit, Athena smiled and stepped forward.

"Hold on, I’ll get it for you."

A swirling wave of daffodils appeared, lifting her gently into the air until she could pluck the perfect apple. Then, the flowers lowered her back to the grass, and she handed the fruit to him.

Cedric took a bite of the apple, while Athena watched him with expectant eyes.

Of course, whatever he was eating now would not actually fill his stomach because unlike Athena who was here with her physical body, only his spirit body was here. Still, he nodded in approval, thoroughly impressed.

"Good job, Athena," he said as he turned to face her.

Athena smiled warmly, bowing her head slightly at the praise. Cedric could see that she looked really proud of herself.

’Cute.’

He then turned around and began walking towards the direction of his castle. Athena immediately hurried after him, sticking close to his side, like a loyal shadow.

She then began walking backwards in front of him, while asking absentmindedly, "By the way. It’s been gloomy a lot lately, don’t you think?"

Cedric halted.

He lifted his head towards the sky, then frowned slightly.

Indeed, it was overcast. The usual bright expanse of his sanctuary was replaced by heavy, stagnant gray clouds.

’This is not from me. I feel fine. Then it must be...’ his frown deepened a bit. ’...Aika.’

He sighed and lowered his head.

After a few seconds, however, he continued walking on.

"Wait up for me, my lord," Athena pouted, taking longer strides to match his pace. "You always walk fast."

Cedric didn’t stop but turned, then smiled as he continued walking.

"At least let me call you father when we are alone," Athena pleaded.

"Nope."

"Please..." Athena whined softly.

Suddenly, the environment changed, and both of them found themselves walking in the hallways of the castle. Because Athena was not looking when the change happened, she nearly stumbled and fell, but Cedric caught her by the arm.

"Careful, you clumsy child."

She chuckled.

The part of the castle they were in now was the darker section reserved for the Kleshas. While here, Cedric couldn’t help but feel that this section felt more like a prison than an actual home. There were a few heavy doors by the walls, and the place was lit by only a few braziers, which still left the long corridor cast in deep shadows.

The duo walked on until they reached one of the doors, which had a small, barred iron grate near the top.

Upon Cedric approaching, the door opened up on its own to reveal Redd sitting on the ground. He didn’t have a mask on, and his scruffy, unkempt beard had been shaved, making him look, uh... less annoying?

When Redd saw Cedric, he immediately panicked and shifted back. He was used to insulting Cedric mentally, but whenever Cedric popped up like this in front of him, he instantly froze like a cornered animal.

"What are you doing here?" His eyes suddenly widened and sweat began to bead around his face. "Wait, are you here to put that painful mask on my face? No! Please don’t put it on my face again. The Mistress said if I behave well enough, she would take it off. And I’ve been behaving. So she took it off. Please... don’t put it back."

Cedric was quiet and just stared down at him with a cold, unreadable expression.

Eventually, he sighed and muttered, "I won’t."

"Huh?" Redd blinked, caught completely off guard.

But Cedric shook his head. "Do you think I take pleasure in seeing one of mine in distress? Believe it or not, but there are parents who actually love their children."

He turned around, and as he began walking away, he added, "I came to check how you are doing. I am happy you are doing fine."

The heavy door shut automatically behind him, leaving Redd stupefied.