Kaden didn't quite understand the Mark of Burden. Not in the literal sense of the term, but rather, he couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he would now shoulder the burden and the will of those who deemed him worthy.

That was… an interesting thing. But it also spawned questions inside his head nonstop.

How did it work? How was it possible for him to shoulder the burden of others? And most importantly… why should he even do that?

He already had enough burdens of his own. Increasing them meant thickening the chains binding him. And the thicker the chain, the sharper the dagger that would shred his heart when everything went south.

Considering all of this…

He would rather not take the burdens of anyone.

Life was hard for everyone, after all.

Sighing, and unable to understand anything concrete about the mark, Kaden decided to set it aside, knowing full well a time would come when he would learn more about it.

Still…

"The mark is quite fancy," Kaden remarked with a pleased grin as he observed his back, where the mark was beautifully etched.

It was almost too lifelike, and staring at it deeply, Kaden had the strange impression that the black water was churning and the crimson sword subtly glowing.

It was eerily perfect for his body, as if it had always been meant to be there.

He smiled faintly, shook his head to dispel the lingering thoughts, and then…

"Death, revive me."

Tick—!

…

Kaden slowly stood up from the ice-cold floor, his bones snapping into place with an intensity that made him almost moan in pleasure, his expression now bearing a calmness he hadn't felt since the meeting with the Asterion.

He was not even using his Will, only his two Intents, making his pupils shift into sword-shaped ones and his forehead bear a swirling vortex of black light that swallowed the glow around him, painting the air with a shade of dark hue.

These were the manifestations of him using his Intents, and based on his enlightenment with them, he knew that with enough proficiency, he would be able to hide them if he wished.

Smiling faintly,

"Reditha," he muttered, his voice unintentionally bright, thick with honeyed eagerness.

Reditha appeared instantly behind him, her hands wrapping tightly around his neck, her lips brushing playfully against his ear.

Kaden suppressed a shudder at the touch.

Suddenly, Reditha's body froze. Her mouth opened and closed in a soundless gasp before finally…

"You…" she stammered, "you've improved your two Intents to the next level?" Reditha exclaimed in shock, her words more a question than an affirmation, as she couldn't believe her senses.

She grabbed Kaden's head next and pivoted it briskly toward her. Her crimson eyes locked onto his sword-shaped ones, shock still thick in her body, but another feeling was rising inside her like the restless tide of an ocean.

Delight.

Her entire being became flooded with it, making her unable to suppress the wide smile that blossomed on her face like a rose under the love of a woman.

She slowly caressed Kaden's cheeks, her brushing soft and gentle, as if afraid to hurt him, her crimson eyes still transfixed on his…

"If it were only me…" she said, voice hoarse with suppressed emotion, "you would hold these eyes forever."

Kaden smirked, his eyes enhancing his beauty to a whole new level. "They suit me well, don't they?"

Reditha nodded, happy to see herself reflected within his eyes. Happy to see that she had this much impact on him, in the same way he had on her.

But the true surprise had yet to come.

Kaden's smile widened as he tapped lightly on his back with his finger. "Look at my back," he said.

Reditha tilted her head, puzzled by the sudden command amidst this emotional moment. But she didn't object, she simply took hold of his shirt and slowly lifted it, ever so carefully, only for her eyes to widen, her body spasming as her entire being focused on the sight before her.

She stood transfixed, thoughts halting, breathing ragged, eyes dilating.

Kaden… had inscribed her on his back. His own skin, his own flesh… he had chosen her to be displayed for all who would one day look at his back for guidance, for help, in love, in hate.

It was not the women around him. It was not his family or even his sister.

It was her…his Origin, his sword.

Reditha felt, at that moment, an indescribable feeling swelling within her whole being, so much that words suddenly became meaningless.

She just seemed to realize that she, too, held an important place in Kaden's life. She might not be his lover, nor his soon-to-be wife, nor even his beloved sister…

…but she was still someone he loved, someone he considered enough to etch into his own back.

Her feelings leaked out. And suddenly, the fog seemed to blur the world around her. Strange, she noticed, her mouth trembling with emotion.

There were levels of feeling one could reach where, as if by miracle, you suddenly understood how empty and bland words could be. At that moment, you'd feel a sickening ache gnawing at your soul… the realization that no matter what words escaped the bounds of your mouth, they would never do justice to the feelings boiling within your heart and making your soul scream.

So you chose not to speak, but to act. For many could vow to snuff out a star just to see you smile, yet almost no one ever would.

For Reditha, she simply raised her hand, placed it on Kaden's back, and felt the rush of warmth bathing her nonhuman body. Smiling faintly, she brushed softly over the Mark of Burden, her fingers lingering ever so gently on the shape of the sword.

Then she smiled, pulled Kaden's shirt back down, and hugged him from behind.

She didn't have a heart, but at that moment, she felt as though she did, because she could feel something threatening to tear open her chest and lay itself bare in Kaden's hands.

And yet, none of that happened. Instead…

"I will never disappoint you," she whispered.

That was all she said. That was all she could have said.

And that was all Kaden needed.

"You never did," he said, smiling. "And you never will."

Reditha only snuggled deeper into him, inhaling his scent.

Now she understood…

'What a player…' she mused inwardly, smiling.

After that, Kaden resumed his walk toward the center of the realm, intent on completing his quest. The process was easier now, and the more he walked — the more he used his Intents to fend off the Intent of the Mad — the more he began to master them, growing ever more proficient.

The fog around him was slain by his Crimson Sword Intent, and his body was preserved by his Death Intent. The two together formed a combination that should have been forbidden, for it was simply too unfair.

Kaden smirked and looked around him. Now, at last, he had the time to admire the paintings and by observing several of them, he finally understood why they had been disturbing something deep inside him.

He stopped in his tracks, staring at one of them.

It was the painting of an animal, a dog, to be more precise. It had luxurious golden fur, shining with a gilded luster, and eyes as black as the night in winter. It was small and cute, its tail swaying behind it in what looked like excitement.

The painting was so real, so vivid, that Kaden could almost feel the emotions this dog held within those eyes.

But there was something about it that unsettled him, something that made him unconsciously wince. Across its face ran a huge, ugly scar — diagonal, from its left eye to its right chin — leaving the left eye blind and clouded white.

The scar was glowing with a faint red light.

Kaden grumbled under his breath, feeling pity for the dog who went from adorable to tragic because of that scar.

And it wasn't only the dog.

There was a painting of a woman with broken teeth falling from her mouth. A child with a malformed head, smiling, though the smile looked more like a beast's growl than anything human. A footless bird flapping its wings erratically and hard, terrified of touching the ground as if it knew death awaited it. And there was also a beautiful starry night, constellations shining proudly for the world to see, only for the entire sky to be splashed by deep golden blood. And finally, a stunning room, but one completely disorganized, filled with scattered items and clothes thrown all over the place.

All of them…

"Imperfections," Reditha instinctively said, noticing the same thing as Kaden. They frowned together, both wondering who would take the time to paint something so achingly beautiful, so real that even Kaden — with his Will — could feel the emotions behind affecting his mind… only to deliberately add imperfections to them.

What was the purpose?

Was the painter trying to convey a message? And if so… what was it?

Kaden wondered as he walked deeper into the golden fog, and wondered even more as the imperfections became more and more glaring.

A chilling sensation began to seize his chest until finally, he stopped abruptly before one particular painting.

A painting that held no flaw. No imperfection.

Yet for some reason, the chill only grew stronger.

It was a painting of a golden-haired man, around twenty-five by appearance, with deep, searing golden eyes that reminded Kaden of both Sora and the Sun.

He wore a magnificent golden armor streaked with white. On his chest gleamed a breastplate engraved with the symbol of Asterion, his pauldrons shaped like swirling suns, his vambraces and gauntlets perfectly forged, and his sabatons polished like mirrors. Behind him, a gilded cape fluttered like a tapestry of light.

He stood with intimidating confidence, a subtle smile curving his perfect face, both hands joined together in front of him, gripping the hilt of a sword whose tip rested against the floor.

Kaden couldn't help but admire the man's beauty. In any case, he seemed very close to Sirius, and that was by no means a light compliment.

This was the first painting he had found with no visible flaws… and yet, Kaden's eyes drifted toward the corpse lying beside it.

It was the corpse of the same man as in the painting, Kaden noticed, but now with ragged clothes and eyes bleeding crimson. His chest was ripped open, revealing both his magnificent, inhuman organs and something shining deeply where his heart was supposed to be.

A starlight shine.

Immediately, Kaden understood what it was. It was the Starlight Shard, the very thing Mahina had asked for.

But standing there, before that shard, and before the corpse of the Mad Sun Emperor, kept intact despite the rottenness of time, Kaden felt something else.

The same feeling he had felt when he was about to undertake his mythic quest for Master rank.

He smiled. His intuition had been right.

This was a myth.

[You have completed your quest. Death said.]

[You have received 15,000 Death Coins and 200 stat points.]

Kaden gave only an appreciative nod, then stepped closer to the corpse of the Mad. Needless to say, it was not easy, the Intent here was phenomenal, and Kaden had to strain both his Intents to their limits just to avoid kneeling again.

But he succeeded in standing, just an inch away from the Mad, and therefore just within arm's reach of the Starlight Shard.

He opened his mouth wide and coughed, taking out his space ring, which was now covered in spit. Then, without care, he placed it back on his finger and summoned his Mythic Stone.

He gripped it tightly in his right hand. Suddenly, a ridiculous sensation of nervousness and fear began crawling slowly into his heart.

He couldn't help but pause, then smiled crookedly.

"You think I'm ready, Reditha?" he whispered.

Reditha only smiled. "Do not make me lie to you," she said, making Kaden wince before she added,

"But you will be fine. You will succeed, as you always have."

Kaden nodded, feeling a little better. "What's the worst that could happen, anyway? D—!"

"Tut tut tut!" Reditha pressed her hand firmly over his mouth, silencing him. "Be careful what you say. Words have power of creation if used well."

Kaden only smiled with his eyes before a drop of his blood appeared and seeped into the Mythic Stone.

Instantly, the world seemed to pause.

Then…

DING!

{Conditions have been met to take the Evolution Quest.}

{You are in the presence of a Myth. Conditions have been met to use a Mythic Stone.}

The Will paused. Kaden held his breath instinctively, and then…

{Kaden Warborn, Bearer of Burdens… tell me, what happens when one loses his path?}

Once again, The Will spoke directly to him. And once again, Kaden couldn't stop the shudder that coursed through his entire body.

And this time too, The Will did not expect an answer.

It continued,

{You have obtained your Grandmaster Evolution Quest.}

A pause, shorter this time, then…

{Protect the Lady of Stars. Preserve her light.}

Immediately, the Starlight Shard inside the heart of the Mad blazed brilliantly, its radiance blinding Kaden completely, forcing him to close his eyes instinctively.

At that moment, the realm around them twisted upon itself.

The paintings shone with starlit luster and began to move on their own before suddenly…

Everything disappeared.

The golden fog, the paintings, the corpse… and Kaden himself.

Everything was swallowed by the light of the myth.

And with that…

The Grandmaster Evolution Quest had begun.

— End of Chapter 301 —

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