The morning was still silent when I went down to the main hall of the mansion. The light passed through the tall windows and spread across the wooden floor, drawing clear lines on the ground. The air was calm, but inside me something had been different since that night.
The mark was still there.
It didn't hurt. It didn't burn. But it existed.
Liriel was already awake, sitting near the window with her eyes closed. Her presence always brought balance to the environment. Her energy was soft, but firm. When I approached, she opened her eyes.
"You didn't sleep deeply."
"It was enough."
She didn't insist.
Rai'kanna was in the courtyard, training with two swords. Her movements were precise, controlled. The metallic sound echoed rhythmically. Elara watched, leaning against a column, analyzing each step with technical attention. Vespera was sitting on the garden parapet, her bow resting beside her, apparently relaxed, but her eyes followed everything. Lyannis was organizing scrolls on the table, always silent, always attentive.
It was strange how, even after everything, that scene seemed normal.
But I knew it wasn't.
The feeling of the presence from the dream had not diminished.
That was when I felt another energy approaching the main gate.
Familiar.
Scarlet.
She didn't usually appear without reason.
Rai'kanna noticed before I did and sheathed the swords.
"We have a visitor."
A few seconds later, Scarlet crossed the garden as if she were entering territory she knew far too well to ask permission. Her red hair reflected under the morning sun. Her gaze was serious, but not tense.
She stopped in front of me.
"I heard something interesting."
It wasn't her usual provocative tone.
"About him?"
She slightly raised an eyebrow.
"So you already know he's not an ordinary enemy."
"I know he's different."
Scarlet crossed her arms.
"The Fourth General is not just strong. He is considered immortal."
Silence fell in the courtyard.
Elara stepped forward.
"Immortal in what sense?"
Scarlet answered without taking her eyes off me.
"Absolute regeneration. Reconstruction of the body. He survived decapitation. He survived the destruction of his core. He has been defeated before, but he always returned."
Lyannis slowly closed one of the scrolls.
"Is there reliable record of this?"
"More than one."
Rai'kanna smiled sideways.
"So something interesting finally appeared."
Vespera slightly tilted her head.
"Real immortality or sustained by an external bond?"
Scarlet looked at her with approval.
"That is exactly where the rumor comes in."
My focus narrowed.
"Speak."
She took a deep breath.
"They say there is a weakness. An old hypothesis. Something capable of breaking the principle that sustains this immortality."
Liriel became completely still.
"And where would this hypothesis be?"
Scarlet answered without hesitation.
"In the Kingdom of the Cyclopes."
The name immediately brought an image to my mind. Vast mountains. Colossal architecture. A culture based on strength and lineage.
"Specifically?" I asked.
"A magic stone. An artifact passed down from generation to generation by the royal family of the cyclopes."
Elara frowned slightly.
"And why would they have something like that?"
"Because, according to the ancient records, they were the ones who participated in the last great war against the generals."
That caught my attention.
"So they already faced one of them."
"Yes."
"Did they defeat him?"
Scarlet shook her head.
"No. But they survived. And they recorded something about the nature of immortality."
Lyannis murmured:
"Then the stone would be a catalyst."
"Maybe. Or maybe it's just superstition."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"You came all the way here with just a rumor?"
Scarlet smiled slightly.
"I never bring just a rumor. I bring possibility."
I remained silent for a few seconds.
"What is the certainty rate?"
"There isn't one."
"So it's speculation."
"Yes."
Elara spoke calmly.
"But it's the first concrete clue we have."
Liriel finally spoke.
"If there is any chance of breaking the bond of immortality, we must consider it."
Vespera observed me.
"What probability do you accept as sufficient?"
I thought.
Fifty percent.
Or less.
What we will face will not allow error.
"Even if it's half a chance, it's still better than none."
Scarlet opened a small smile.
"I imagined you would say that."
Rai'kanna spun one of the swords in her hand before finally putting it away.
"The Kingdom of the Cyclopes isn't exactly neutral territory."
"It's not hostile," Scarlet replied. "But it is closed. They value honor. And respect for strength."
Elara looked at me.
"That could work in our favor."
Lyannis added:
"The group is officially recognized as legendary. That gives us political entry."
Liriel nodded.
"And if the stone exists, the king will have authority over it."
Scarlet confirmed.
"But it won't be simple. It's an ancestral relic. It's not something that is easily lent."
I walked a few steps through the garden, analyzing.
Immortality.
Mark.
General.
The presence in the dream was not casual.
He will come.
And if he comes before we are prepared?
I turned my gaze back to Scarlet.
"Why did you bring this now?"
She held my gaze.
"Because if he already marked you, it means time is running."
Silence.
She knew.
Of course she knew.
Rai'kanna broke the tension.
"Then let's knock on the giants' door."
Elara crossed her arms.
"It's not that simple."
"I know."
Vespera spoke calmly.
"If the stone is real and has any resonance with spiritual energy, it may react only under specific conditions."
Lyannis added:
"Or only with compatible weapons."
I felt a slight movement in the mark, as if it reacted to the subject.
It wasn't pain.
It was awareness.
I looked at each of them.
They were not hesitant.
There was no fear.
There was focus.
Scarlet uncrossed her arms.
"I can't guarantee it will work."
"I don't need a guarantee."
She tilted her head slightly.
"So you're going?"
"Yes."
Liriel stepped forward.
"When?"
"Immediately."
Rai'kanna smiled.
"Finally something that isn't routine."
Elara sighed softly.
"Let's organize supplies and maps."
Lyannis was already gathering the scrolls.
"I can prepare diplomatic reports."
Vespera picked up her bow.
"Mountain territory requires extra caution."
Scarlet watched me for a few more seconds.
"I knew you would choose to move."
"Staying still doesn't change probability."
She turned to leave.
"Good decision."
Before she crossed the gate, she added:
"And Takumi."
I looked at her.
"If the stone really is what they say, it may not only attack the body."
"But?"
"It may reach the principle that keeps him standing."
She left without waiting for a response.
The garden returned to silence.
But now there was direction.
I lightly touched my chest.
The mark was still there.
If he is immortal, then we need to break what sustains him.
Not destroy.
Break.
I looked at the clear morning sky.
The Kingdom of the Cyclopes is not just a journey.
It is a gamble.
Fifty percent.
Maybe less.
But it is the first real piece we have.
I turned back to the group.
"Prepare yourselves. We leave today."
No one questioned.
No one hesitated.
As movement began inside the mansion, I felt something different.
It wasn't the general's presence.
It was something else.
Expectation.
If his immortality is sustained by a bond,
then there is a breaking point.
And we will find it.
The game has changed.
And for the first time since the dream,
I felt that we are not only reacting.
We are advancing.
The Kingdom of the Cyclopes awaits us.
And perhaps, there,
lies the first real chance of victory.