Kairav's eyelids slowly fluttered open, and the first thing he saw was the dim glow of the full moon. He let out a quiet groan as he tried to sit up, his entire body aching with pain.
Under the faint moonlight, he hesitantly examined himself. His clothes were soaked, tattered, and stained with patches of blood from the countless wounds that covered his body.
He sat there in stunned silence, staring blankly at the wreckage of the plane and the floating remains of the other passengers' belongings, along with scattered body parts drifting among the waves.
Everything before him was too much to process. It was hard to believe that he was still alive.
Ping!
[System: The mission will begin as soon as the blue jellyfish monsters appear. Please be careful and avoid getting injured!]
The blue holographic screen reappeared in front of him, making Kairav immediately question his reality. "If this was just a hallucination caused by drugs, the effect wouldn't last this long… So is this real?" he murmured.
"And earlier, Casildo mentioned Astral Conjurers, unicorns, and that Pure-Hearted Clan… The system also talks about the same things. This is too strange to be a coincidence."
"Failed Product, you survived? I thought you had already become fish food like the others…"
Kairav flinched at the sudden voice behind him. His head snapped around, his hazel eyes widening in shock. "You're still alive?!"
"No! This is my spirit! My ghost has come to haunt you!" Casildo snapped, stomping toward Kairav, who rolled his eyes in irritation, clearly unimpressed by the other man's presence.
"Look at that face of yours, Failed Product! You look so disappointed to see that I made it out alive," Casildo huffed, clearly offended.
Kairav let out a deep sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "Good. At least you noticed it yourself," he replied sarcastically. "I'd much rather be stranded with any other passenger than with you."
Casildo's eyes widened in disbelief. He immediately plopped down beside Kairav, sulking. "Are you not only useless but also stupid?!" he snapped in frustration.
"Look at our situation! Do you think any normal human could've survived that explosion?!"
Kairav's hazel eyes drifted toward Casildo, observing his wounds and the tattered, bloodstained clothes he wore. He fell silent, mumbling under his breath, "Are we really… special?"
Casildo puffed out his chest proudly. "Hmph. One thing's for sure—we have super strength, enhanced endurance, and an extended lifespan. No normal human has that."
Kairav lifted his head, confusion creeping into his expression. "Then why have I never felt any power within me?"
Casildo furrowed his brows, staring at him with a mix of curiosity and disbelief. "Do you actually believe what I said?"
"Huh?" Kairav frowned.
"All the things I told you before—doesn't it sound like nonsense to a skeptic like you?" Casildo asked, his expression unreadable.
"Unicorns, spirit animals… I didn't think people still believed in those things nowadays, especially without seeing them with their own eyes."
Kairav gazed up at the dim moonlight with a hollow expression. "As a cryptozoologist, isn't it only natural for me to believe in things beyond logic?" he answered quietly.
Casildo raised an eyebrow. "You're a cryptozoologist?" he asked, clearly doubtful.
Kairav nodded, confirming it.
"That's not exactly a common career choice," Casildo muttered. "Why are you interested in that field?"
"Because of my little brother…" Kairav replied softly.
"Your little brother?"
A heavy silence settled between them, the only sounds filling the air being the waves crashing against the shore and the occasional gust of wind.
"I lost my younger brother about eleven years ago when I still lived in the Bentala Kingdom," Kairav murmured.
"I don't remember the exact details… The sky was still orange with the setting sun, and we had entered the mangrove forest near our home to chase after our dog, who had suddenly run inside…"
His voice grew fainter. "My memory of that day is hazy. I don't know how we got separated… but when I woke up, I was lying in the mud, under a pitch-black sky. My dog was barely breathing beside me."
Casildo listened intently, his expression a mixture of sympathy and curiosity. "What happened after that?" he asked.
Kairav took a slow breath. "There was something that made me question whether I was dreaming or awake."
"What was it?"
Kairav hesitated, his fingers pressing lightly against his temples. "The golden-horned unicorn spirit you mentioned before… I think I saw it that night, eleven years ago."
Casildo's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" he asked, surprised. "You looked so confused when we first met—I assumed you had never seen anything like that before."
Kairav stared off into the distance, searching his fragmented memories for clarity. "I remember sitting in the mangrove forest, and right in front of me was a white unicorn spirit with a golden horn."
"Golden mist flowed from its horn and wrapped around my injured dog… and then, just like that, my dog woke up, completely healed."
Casildo's face was unreadable for a moment before he finally spoke. "That makes sense. People who are born as hosts for unicorn spirits have special blood that can heal wounds and diseases. They can even extend the lifespan of Astral Conjurers, normal humans, or animals."
"And if I had to guess, you probably used your power back then without realizing it. You might've used Radiant Soulforge Awakening—the basic ability Astral Conjurers use to awaken their spirit animals and summon them in battle."
Kairav lowered his head, his fingers rubbing his temples again as a dull headache crept in. "But if I really had that power… then why has it never appeared again since that day?" he asked, frustration lacing his voice.
Casildo let out a long sigh, as if he, too, shared Kairav's frustration.
He gave Kairav a few firm pats on the back. "Tell me more about your background. Maybe I can figure it out once I know more about you."
He then paused, frowning as if something had just occurred to him. "Actually, I don't even know your name yet. I can't just keep calling you Failed Product forever, can I?" he said, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Kairav Pikatan. You can call me Kairav."
Casildo raised an eyebrow. "Huh? A white lotus blooming under the captivating full moon?" he said with a teasing grin. "That's such a typical Eternalush name."
Kairav sighed in exasperation, rolling his eyes at the mockery.
Casildo thumped Kairav's back a little too hard. "Alright, Failed Product, enough of your tragic backstory. Let your senior help you out now," he said smugly, puffing out his chest.
Kairav suppressed a groan, already plotting ways to get revenge on this man someday.
Casildo continued, "So, who did you live with? If you lived with your parents, they should've explained this to you, right? Unless… they were hiding it from you."
Kairav exhaled before answering. "In the past, I lived with my father and my younger brother. I was born in the Bentala Kingdom, but after my brother disappeared, my father and I moved to the Nusantara Kingdom. Eventually, it was just me and my father."
"What about your mother?" Casildo asked.
Kairav shook his head. "I don't remember anything about her. My father told me she passed away when I was little." His brows furrowed. "But strangely, we don't even have a single photo of her."
Casildo fell into thought, rubbing his chin. "Hmph… Something's not right here," he muttered, a serious look in his eyes.
"You know, one of your parents should be an Astral Conjurer because that power is inherited—it's passed down directly from the ancestors to their direct descendants. In other words, if you have that power, your younger brother should have it too," he explained.
Kairav furrowed his brows, trying hard to process every word his companion had just said. "My younger brother?" he asked, making sure his hearing wasn't deceiving him.
The muscular young man nodded in confirmation. "Hm, have you never seen your brother use his powers before?" he asked in return.
Kairav shook his head. "Never," he said softly.
As he slowly lowered his gaze, his mind struggled to process the new piece of information. "Sagara has powers too…?" he murmured to himself, questioning the revelation.