Reagan's teddy bear face let out a creepy laugh. "You are in time, boy. Let me show you something cool."

Akamir frowned as he walked inside his room.

The teddy bear was sitting on his chair and all his stuff was lying on the table.

It was mainly all the items that one uses for the creation of an Artifact.

Akamir gave the golden tools a look before his gaze shifted back at him.

"What are you doing?" Akamir asked, narrowing his eyes at the staff he was holding. "Did you find something good about the weapon?"

Reagan looked delighted as he nodded happily. "Yes, I found something really cool."

Akamir frowned as he walked closer and stood by his side.

"Tell me as well." He said, folding his arms. "What did you find."

Reagan didn't reply; instead, he raised the weapon in his hand and placed it under a microscopic device.

He twisted the knobs of the device with his stubby plush hands until the Ven Core inside the staff appeared sharp and clear under the lens.

"See this?" he said, pointing at the swirling bluish crystal embedded at the heart of the weapon. "This is Ven Core, right?"

Akamir nodded his head in response. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Now, see this."

Reagan said, and immediately after, he let his mana flow within the weapon.

Akamir remained impassive, but his eyes slowly widened as he looked through the lens.

"You see this?" Reagan said, smiling. "This is what happens when you use this weapon."

Akamir didn't reply, his eyes remained glued to the lens.

It showed them the galaxy that pulsed inside the Ven Core like a living thing.

It shimmered in a strange mix of deep blue and white, rotating ever so slowly in an anticlockwise direction.

Akamir finally pulled back from the lens. His expression was blank, but a crease had formed between his brows.

"…That's not normal," he muttered.

"Exactly!" Reagan beamed, hopping down from the chair with an excited squeak from his cotton limbs. "That's what I was saying! It has something that no other weapon should have."

Akamir picked up the staff carefully.

It felt heavier now, as if the strange energy within had a presence of its own.

"And what is that?"

Reagan crossed his plush arms and tilted his head like a teacher explaining to a slow student.

"Usually, a Ven Core just channels mana. But this one... it has memory."

Akamir raised an eyebrow. "Memory?"

"Yeah. Watch this."

Reagan placed a finger against the staff, and for a second, the room dimmed.

A low hum filled the air, followed by a flicker of light that erupted from the Ven Core.

Images moved in the air; it was blurry at first, like a dream half-remembered.

Then slowly, it began to turn into something real.

It was a battlefield; there were screams.

A tall figure in black armor holding the very same staff.

But eerily enough, that man looked just like… Akamir.

Akamir stared at the figure for a long moment. "…That's not me, right?"

"Nope, I don't think so," Reagan said. "But the staff remembers him—something abnormal, and the mana, emotions, technique. It seems it can store everything."

Akamir looked down at the staff again, his grip tightening just a little.

"…This thing is alive," he said under his breath.

"Not alive," Reagan corrected, climbing back onto the chair. "Just… awake."

Akamir's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's even worse."

Reagan let out a giggle.

"Depends on how you look at it. If you can understand its memories, you might be able to copy the techniques that black-armored guy used." He began kicking and punching the air, showcasing the moves.

"You saw it, right? His movements were insane."

Akamir looked back at the fading image, the sound of screams still ringing faintly in his ears.

The man had moved like a hawk—unknown and brutal.

"I've never seen anyone fight like that," he admitted.

Reagan nodded. "Me neither. And that means one thing."

"What?"

"This staff belonged to someone way out of your league."

Akamir gave him a blank look. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Reagan chirped.

He hopped off the table and waddled over to a small notebook lying open near the edge.

He flipped through the pages, all of them filled with tiny, messy scribbles and diagrams.

"I've been running tests all morning," he said, tapping one of the pages. "The Ven Core reacts differently depending on who holds it, but with you… it doesn't resist."

Akamir tilted his head. "So it accepts me?"

Reagan nodded. "Not just accepts. It responds. It's almost like it's waiting for you to remember something."

Akamir looked down at the staff in his hand again.

The surface was smooth, but now it felt… layered, like there was more to it than just the wood and metal.

"…I've never used a weapon like this before," he said quietly.

"Well," Reagan said, hopping up onto the bed now, "maybe you've just forgotten how."

Akamir gave him a sharp glance, but Reagan only smiled, folding his tiny arms behind his head like he didn't just drop something heavy.

"…What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing much." He replied, looking back at him. "Why are you here anyway?"

Akamir let out a sigh as he placed the weapon down. "I wanted to inform you of something."

"I am listening."

"I am going back to Sylvan Kingdom."

Akamir said, immediately stopping Reagan in his tracks.

"I will leave soon."

The teddy bear turned around as his button-like eyes looked at him.

"Are you going to… cure them?" Reagan slowly asked.

Akamir shook his head. "I will just gather information." He replied. "Empress Sephrina hired me for it."

Reagan nodded once as he kept on looking at him.

"I will come with you—."

"No." Akamir cut in his words. "You will only be a burden."

"..."

Reagan looked offended by his words as he glared at him.

"I will be of help." He said, "I can get you out of worse—."

"I have already made my decision, Reagan." Akamir cut in his words. "I won't be changing it."

Reagan glared at him before he angrily looked away. "Fine! Go! I don't care anymore!"

Akamir just gave him a small nod as he walked out of the room.

He wasn't interested in talking too much with him right now.

'Hah, I should look into the affairs of the dukedom before leaving again.'

Akamir thought as he stopped when he saw Viros and Luca walking out of their room.

When they both saw him, their drowsiness immediately vanished.

"Akamir!" Viros said, walking towards him. "You are back."

He scratched his stomach, showing his abs behind his shirt as he walked for a hug.

Akamir pushed him aside as he walked away. "Having a good time, aren't we?"

Viros smiled awkwardly while Luca let out a sigh.

"We have been living in a comfortable place after a while." He said softly. "It's making us lazy."

Akamir gave him a nod as he looked at both of them.

"Well, I found something about the party that's bothering you." Akamir said, looking at both of them.

Viros blinked, his hand still half-raised for a hug that never came.

"Oh? You mean the group that's been targeting our houses?"

Akamir nodded. "Yes. I got some answers from… someone."

Nayomi's voice echoed from behind. "You're welcome."

Luca stepped forward, his face turning serious. "What did she say?"

"They're not just some random cult or rebellious faction. They're… remnants of a corrupted race. Once created by the same goddess who created Reagan."

Viros furrowed his brows. "That sounds… insane."

"It is," Akamir replied calmly. "But it's real. They were meant to be peaceful. That was their purpose. But someone got to them—twisted them from the inside."

Luca crossed his arms. "Who?"

"A Greater One. Akwan," Akamir said, his voice low. "He doesn't appear like the others."

That made both their expressions turn grim.

"I see…" Luca mumbled, remembering the last Great One they saw. "This is way more serious than we expected."

Akamir gave him a small nod. "Anyway, I will look into the matter more and tell you guys."

"Wait…" Luca said, walking forward. "Uh, when are you going to come to our house?"

Akamir blinked and fell into deep thoughts.

'I will be busy for the next few days with the Elven Kingdom.'

Akamir thought as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Truth be told, he has a lot to do and very little time to attend to everything.

He let out a sigh as he looked at them. "I don't know." He admitted. "But it should be soon."

Luca seemed displeased by the vague answer but he didn't say anything.

He let out a sigh as he nodded. "I see… thanks for helping us."

Akamir smiled softly. "Don't worry, I will be back soon."

"Huh?" Viros frowned. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah." He nodded his head. "I will be visiting the elves again."

Viros looked at him grimly. "Are you going to—?"

"Yep." Akamir smiled. "To see how to end the curse."

'Though, it's more for my own profits.'