Sakolomeh snapped his fingers once more. The shadow stretching at his feet suddenly began to ripple like a liquid surface. A black fissure opened in the air, and a silhouette slowly emerged from it.
Hinata stepped back, unable to take her eyes off the creature.
It had a humanoid appearance, but something about it seemed to defy the boundaries of the living. Its skin was a pale gray, almost ashen, as if it had been sculpted from the remnants of a world long dead. Long dark horns rose from its head, curving elegantly toward the sky. Its black hair, wild and disheveled, framed a slender face with strangely gentle features.
Its scarlet eyes glowed with an unsettling light in which calm and antiquity mingled.
The lower part of its body seemed partially covered in thick black fur that gradually blended into drifting wisps of shadow. Behind it swayed a long dark tail ending in a sharp tip. Yet, despite its demonic appearance, no hostility emanated from it.
On the contrary.
A strange serenity seemed to envelop its existence.
Hinata blinked several times.
— What… what is that?
Sakolomeh gave a slight smile.
— Her name is Shaï-Thaêl. She's a Myophore I adopted.
He then turned his head toward the creature.
— Let me introduce you to my sister, Hinata. I know you already know Salomeh, but not her.
Shaï-Thaêl inclined her head slightly before smiling.
Her smile was discreet, almost imperceptible.
— Hello Hinata. I hope you're doing well.
Her voice was surprisingly deep and gentle at the same time, like an echo coming from an infinitely distant place.
Hinata hesitated for a few seconds before replying.
— Hi, Shaï… Are you some kind of mythical beast?
The Myophore slowly shook her head.
— No. I am a spirit of the Abyphage Void.
Hinata frowned.
— The Abyphage Void?
— A void located far beyond the giant dimensions. A domain you will probably reach one day.
She fixed Hinata with her red eyes.
— At least… if you still pursue your goal of becoming a Transcendent.
At those words, Hinata instinctively clenched her fists.
All the revelations of the past few days, all the fears she had gone through, the Outergods, Bivisu, the Original Gods…
Despite all of that, her goal had not changed.
She nodded with determination.
— Yes. I want to.
A flash of satisfaction crossed Shaï-Thaêl's gaze.
— Then we will probably get along very well.
Sakolomeh crossed his arms with a satisfied smile.
— Shaï-Thaêl is going to help you master your powers. She will also teach you the basics of transcendence.
He pointed at the Myophore with his thumb.
— And believe me, she's much kinder than she looks.
Shaï-Thaêl raised an eyebrow.
— I'll take that as a compliment.
A few muffled laughs rose among the group.
Then Sakolomeh took on a more serious tone.
— Shaï-Thaêl, could you merge into her mind or her soul without causing any imbalance?
The Myophore nodded immediately.
— Of course.
She placed a hand against her own chest.
— Existential branching is part of our natural domain. As for my main essence, it already resides in the imaginary world you created for Maurice and me.
She looked at Hinata.
— I will only transfer an infinitesimal projection of myself. There is therefore no risk of spiritual or existential overload.
Sakolomeh nodded slowly.
— That's exactly what I wanted to hear.
He then placed his hands on his hips with a proud expression; he felt that things were finally starting to move in the right direction.
Bivisu had joined their side.
The mystery of the Outergods was beginning to reveal itself.
And now, Hinata was going to receive real training.
The trials awaiting her would be terrible.
But she would no longer face them alone.
In front of them, Hinata observed Shaï-Thaêl with curiosity. Despite her intimidating appearance, something told her she could trust her.
The Myophore returned her gaze before slowly extending her hand.
— So, Hinata…
A faint smile appeared on her face.
— Are you ready to discover what transcendence truly is?
Sakolomeh cast a reassuring look at Hinata before giving her a smile.
— Don't worry. Everything will go well.
He ran a hand behind his head, visibly overtaken by a pleasant memory.
— It reminds me of the time when I too was learning transcendence. Back then, it was Rivhiamë who guided me.
He then extended his arm toward his sister and gave a thumbs-up enthusiastically.
— You'll see, you might even end up enjoying it!
Hinata gave a slight smile.
Suddenly, a voice rang out in the distance.
— Sakolomeh! Sakolomeh!!
All three immediately turned their heads.
Ravena was running toward them at full speed.
Her expression was unusual. Even for an Ineffable, she seemed in a hurry.
Sakolomeh frowned.
— Ravena? What's wrong?
She arrived in front of them, slightly out of breath.
— We have to go to the World of Myths immediately!
— Why?
Ravena hesitated for a moment before saying:
— An Outergod wants to speak with us.
Silence fell instantly.
Sakolomeh's eyes widened.
— What?!
Even Hinata remained frozen.
An Outergod.
After everything she had heard about them, the idea that one of those entities would willingly seek dialogue seemed almost absurd.
Sakolomeh quickly regained his composure.
He turned toward Hinata and Shaï-Thaêl.
— You two, focus on getting out of this forest. As for us…
His gaze hardened.
— We are going directly to the World of Myths.
He had barely finished his sentence when Shaï-Thaêl dissipated.
Her body turned into black smoke that vanished into the air.
— Hey! Where are you going?! Hinata cried out.
A calm voice immediately echoed in her mind.
— I'm here. Don't worry.
Hinata jolted.
Shaï-Thaêl was already settled in her mind.
Meanwhile, Sakolomeh joined the other members of the group who were already waiting for him.
He swept his gaze over the assembly.
— Good. Let's go.
An immense light burst around them.
Space seemed to fold in on itself.
Then they all disappeared instantly.
Zerath, who had witnessed the scene, remained still for a few seconds.
— I don't understand anything that just happened…
Hinata approached him along with Kert.
— Guys, we need to leave this forest. Now that you've recovered your powers, it should be much easier.
Kert crossed his arms with a satisfied smile.
— Obviously! I already don't feel as ridiculous as before.
Zerath glanced at him before turning back to Hinata.
— Was that really your family?
— Yes.
— Then why did they come here? What exactly is going on?
Hinata immediately felt the weight of the question.
Unlike Kert, Zerath always noticed inconsistencies.
— They were here for an investigation, she finally replied. They didn't even know we were in this forest. We just happened to cross their path.
Zerath remained silent for a few seconds.
— An investigation…
He crossed his arms.
— And what is this investigation about?
— I don't really know.
— They're the ones who restored our powers?
— Partly, yes.
Zerath continued to observe her.
His gaze was becoming more and more piercing.
Hinata slightly averted her eyes.
Immediately, a voice echoed in her head.
— Don't do that.
She flinched inwardly.
— Shaï-Thaêl?
— Yes. When you lie, avoid looking away. It's one of the first signs that an intelligent person notices.
Hinata replied mentally:
— The problem is precisely that Zerath is intelligent. No matter what I do, he might figure it out.
Before Shaï-Thaêl could respond, Zerath spoke again.
— An investigation whose subject you ignore…
He paused.
— I assume they received important information. Something serious enough to force them to leave immediately.
Hinata raised her eyes to him.
— Yes… exactly.
She hoped that would be enough.
In her mind, she added:
— I absolutely cannot tell them about the Outergods.
Shaï-Thaêl's response was immediate.
— Certainly not.
For a few seconds, Zerath seemed to think.
Then he finally let out a sigh.
— Very well. I won't insist.
Hinata immediately felt the tension leave her shoulders.
But deep down, she knew Zerath was not convinced.
He had simply decided, for now, to stop asking questions.
And that worried her almost even more.