"So, what do you know about Trickster…? And has the first successor ever told you anything about him…? Or if he had ever met that guy before…?"

I asked, not having much hope. I mean, from everything I had heard from this guy, he wasn't much of a big fish.

It might have seemed like I got a lot of information, but this bastard hadn't really shared anything truly important like real importance aside from his tragic backstory and some unconfirmed facts about the Seed of Divinity.

Although it was still more than what I previously knew, alas… human greed knows no bounds and I, for one, would have loved to actually gain something meaningful from this meeting.

But that near-death experience had taught me well not to poke my nose into things I couldn't digest. So, I was being cautious too.

And just like I expected, this bastard shook his head slightly.

"I don't know much about Trickster, except for the fact that my master used to be his successor." He continued in the same tone. "And my master didn't really mention much about him either."

Tch.

Honestly, this was even making me doubt whether his master really was Trickster's successor or just some scammer who pretended to be one before getting erased by something…

I mean, that was a real possibility.

Especially since that bastard Trickster never mentioned anyone like that to me. Hell, even Winter, who had stayed with Trickster all his life and had been waiting for the arrival of a successor, hadn't said anything about this.

So the master of this guy was shady as fuck.

But if that were true, then it didn't explain how he knew I would be born in the future or in that exact place or why he would leave something as valuable as the Seed of Divinity there.

Still, that wasn't enough for me to trust him.

So I decided to take everything this snake had said with caution because trusting information from unknown sources without confirmation was the fastest way to hell, after all.

But one thing was certain, scammer or not, his master was someone important… and someone the world itself wasn't allowing me to know.

Why else would my head ache just from the mere mention of his name? And then there were all those strange spaces I had been thrown into as well.

So yeah, I would definitely have to learn more about it but not now.

Right now, I had to get this bastard properly under my control and assign him as a bodyguard to Lyra.

I would have loved to get rid of him right here and now but that would only raise unnecessary suspicion in Lyra's mind, making her think I had truly been taken over by someone else who even killed the founder's soul.

Just then, Ra's voice echoed in my head, whispering something interesting.

[Is that really possible…?]

I asked him mentally, my eyes widening.

Ra didn't say anything more and simply gave me a confident smirk. Seeing that, I straightened my posture, my smile widening.

"So, what are your plans now…?" I asked, turning back toward Naga.

He looked at me with his serpentine crimson eyes.

"Since you are the successor of my master, I plan to serve you as my master from now on and since Lady Lyra is your sister, I would never dare to try to take over her body ever again." He continued, his voice lowering slightly. "So, as a spiritual being, I can't really do much except witness your journey."

"I see."

I nodded in amusement.

"What would be your strength if you actually got a body…?"

"After being sealed for so long, my strength has decreased far beyond what I was once capable of. So even if I were to gain a body, I would at most be B-Rank." He answered almost immediately.

I ran the calculation in my mind once before speaking.

"What I need you to do after you leave my domain is very simple…."

My voice echoed across the domain as I explained what he had to do…

—

After explaining everything and spending a few more minutes talking with him, mostly trying to get information on a few other things, which he denied knowing, I let him leave.

Now alone within the domain with Ra, I looked at him.

"What do you think about it…?"

I asked curiously.

"Well, it's a lot better than what we were planning before and I think he can be far more useful to us this way. Though we do need to put a good leash on him, I still find it hard to trust him."

Ra said, stroking his chin.

"Well, yeah. That's natural. I wasn't about to trust him blindly either. He is an unknown variable, after all but you have to admit, his timing was really impeccable."

I said with a chuckle.

"That's true." Ra nodded.

"In any case, I'll be good now. Take care of what's necessary, I will come back soon after sorting everything out."

I instructed Ra one last time before exiting my domain.

—

As soon as I returned to my body, I felt the cold ground against my back and saw a clear blue sky above, with Lyra's concerned face coming into view.

Before I could say anything, she grabbed my shoulders and lifted me up, shaking me.

"What happened to you, Rael? You suddenly fell unconscious. Are you okay? Stay with me."

Tsk. She was trying to gaslight me even now.

I shook my head slightly.

Some things never change, I guess.

"Stop shaking me already, you brute."

I replied in an annoyed voice, just like I used to since childhood. Even back then, she would knock me unconscious as some kind of game and then act like I was the one who was sick.

Her grip tightened on my shoulders.

"What did you say…?"

"I said, stop shaking me already, dear sister."

Even this pattern was the same.

I was feeling slightly nostalgic when something different happened for once and she suddenly hugged me.

"I was worried sick, you know."

This time, she wasn't playing around like before but the reason behind her worry was something else.

I saw that bastard Naga, back in his founder's disguise, floating behind her harmlessly. That bastard, before leaving my domain, had told me the lie he had fed Lyra.

He had convinced her that I might have been possessed by some malicious entity and that if it were true, she would have to kill me.

So I guess now, after he told her that I wasn't possessed, she felt relieved.

I didn't say anything and stayed still for a few moments, letting her be. After a few minutes, she finally pulled back.

Her eyes were slightly red but I didn't comment on it.

She stayed silent for a few moments before looking me straight in the eyes.

"I want to tell you something, Rael…"

Her voice was heavy as he fidgeted with a plain ring on her index finger.

"I haven't told Dad yet either but this ring I'm wearing, an artifact passed down to the eldest child of each generation, carries a secret most people never knew."

"What are you talking about, Lyra?"

I acted clueless, even though I knew exactly where this was heading, since I was the one who had asked Naga to lead her to this.

"This ring… it carries the soul of our founder and I know you can see him too…"