Back in the home of Nova Makai.

When Nova summoned a blue, bright, water-like, luxurious bed from his art, it looked as if something from heaven had entered his house. The bed's design mesmerized everyone—it wasn't just a place to sleep, but an art piece that described the very essence of beauty itself.

Vivi, Nyra, Auren, and even the still-running Dax froze in place. Their eyes locked on the bed, stunned, like they were witnessing a sight too unforgettable ever to fade.

Auren spoke first, his voice filled with awe."I've never seen something like this. It's just… royal. Thank you, Nova, for giving us this view—and a place to stay on such a frosty night outside."

Nova answered in his usual straight tone, without hesitation."No worries. You can sleep here."

He spoke as if flipping a switch, his face pale, like he had turned off the human part of himself. They had no idea how challenging it was for Nova to speak those words.

On the outside, he looked like some calm figure—but inside, he was like a soulless creature. His inner self was still questioning his very existence, self-doubt gnawing at him from the shadows of his mind. Yet, he tried to act normal, whispering to himself—It's normal, Nova… It's normal.

And in that silence, the words of his brother Otaka echoed, pushing him forward, motivating him to keep going.

Auren tilted his face, giving a warm smile to Nova, and asked softly;"Can you tell me about yourself, Nova? And why do you live all alone here? Honestly, at first glance, we thought you were like some creep."

He laughed a little, trying to normalize the question, but the weight of it still lingered in the air.

Nova answered with a straight face, his tone flat."I am Nova Makai. I don't have a mother or father. I had a brother in the past… he left me here alone. I eat bread and butter most of the time. I don't earn. Mystic Tree Anamica gives me food for my vita. That's how I live my life."

The words came out simple, but heavy. Words that seemed like nothing to Nova carried a crushing weight for the others. It was as if a thousand tons had landed on their chests, a weight they could not lift.

Nyra's expression softened immediately. Her face said it all—Nova's lonely life deeply moved her. Vivi's eyes turned watery, her hands pressing against her chest as if to hold back the ache in her heart.

"Oh… It's so sad, Nova," she whispered, her voice trembling.

Auren went silent, his warm smile fading. He stood there, lost in thought, observing his own inner self."Life… always unfair to all," he murmured. "Some getting praise, some fighting themselves, some buried in pain so deep they can't raise their heads properly. Some are mages, some are not. Even if some have vita… they still can't live lightly, freely. This world is sick."

The room fell quiet.

Dax just watched Nova with a faint, fragile smile—the kind of smile that held pain inside it. A smile that told a story of endurance, of struggles he himself had been facing all along.

"What is Anamica?" Nyra asked politely.

Nova paused before answering. His lips parted, but silence hung for a moment, as if words were too heavy to release. Then finally, in a low voice, he said,

"Anamica… Anamica is the Tree of Creation. It stands alone on the hills of the Frosty Snowy Mountains. Every month, I give it five of my vita… in return, it gives me food to survive."

He spoke while staring at the ground. For him, talking itself felt like a battle.

Vivi, resting gracefully on the luxurious bed, tilted her head and asked softly, "But why don't you sell your art instead? With your ability, you could become rich in no time. People wouldn't need to sell their vita to that tree anymore."

Nova's eyes flickered with a cold light. His voice cut the air sharply, like a blade piercing flesh. That painful aw

"I don't like to talk to humans."

"Humans… they have emotions, they have judgments. I can never know what someone is truly thinking about me," Nova muttered.

As those words slipped out, Vivi's body trembled in awe. His voice carried more than just sound—it carried scars.

Inside, Nova hissed at himself, Why am I talking this much? Why am I expressing this? Why…? The question rose like fire in his chest, leaving him breathless.

For the first time, he had entered a dilemma of self-questioning. I've never spoken like this to any human… and now I'm letting words fall as if they are my friends.

Slowly, he felt a strange shift. The heavy feeling that humans would judge him… began to fade. The silence between them was no longer suffocating—it was beginning to feel almost normal.

But Nova knew—there were still miles to go before that wall inside him would break completely.

Auren grinded his teeth a little, his voice steady but sharp.

"Why do you think like that? Why do you think so much? Do you want people to see you as perfect? Live the way you want. There was a time when I feared people, too. The people of my city used to bully me—they never even saw me as human. But still… I never gave up.

I met people who changed me, who changed the way I saw myself. And now… now I feel alive. Now I feel like a mage. Now I feel like I can do something meaningful. Now I think… I can avenge my brother."

The words echoed across the room, heavy as iron striking stone. Everyone froze, stunned by Auren's sudden outburst. His past—something he had never revealed before—hung in the air, rumbling in each of their chests.

Auren's breath came heavy after his speech, his shoulders rising and falling.

And Nova—hearing that voice, hearing that fire—felt his own life scream inside his mind.

Why am I this way? Why…? The question tore through him like claws.

And then… a memory surfaced.

Nova's breathing grew heavy, each inhale scraping his throat, each exhale trembling like a storm breaking inside his chest. His body shivered, his pale hands trembling, eyes wide as though the room itself was closing in on him. The memory flashed like lightning right before his eyes, too sharp to push away, too brutal to forget. His heart pounded so loud it drowned out every sound around him, like drums of terror beating inside his ribs.

"The reason I think like this… is because…" his voice cracked, words falling out like broken glass.

His hands suddenly shot to his ears, fingers digging hard, pinching so tight that red marks burned into his skin. He gave himself pain, desperate to silence the storm in his head, desperate to shut out the voices clawing at him. His teeth clenched, jaw trembling, every muscle pulling tight as if he wanted to tear himself apart.

"It's because… humans killed Jerry. My friend…" His voice dropped, shaking, then rose in a burst of rage. "They killed him just because he sounded like a monster. Because he looked different. Because Jerry never knew how to talk right!"

His breath hitched. His whole frame shook, his knees weak, as though the weight of the memory was pressing him to the ground. His eyes blurred with tears, but the tears felt like fire, burning trails down his cheeks.

"They called him a curse!" Nova's shout exploded, bouncing off the walls, shaking the silence apart.

"They killed my friend Jerry!"

The cry echoed through the home like thunder rolling through hollow caves, but it didn't stop there—it crashed into their hearts, leaving them scrambled, cracked, broken in places they didn't know existed. The air grew heavy, like every breath was coated with iron, pressing down on their lungs. The luxuries bed of water shimmered faintly in the corner, but even its glow looked pale under the storm of Nova's grief.

"If humans don't like me, they'll kill me too," Nova shouted, his voice thick with terror, raw with wounds too deep to hide. "They'll treat me like Jerry. They'll judge me. Every word. Every action. Just like they did with him!"

His body jolted as he spoke, his fingers dragging down his face, nails leaving faint lines, as though he wanted to rip away the pain carved into his skin. His hair clung damp to his forehead, sweat mixing with tears. His breath rattled, fast and shallow, every inhale stabbing like knives.

"JERRRRYYYYYY!"

The scream tore the silence apart. It ripped through the house, past the walls, past the cold outside air, and hung there like a spirit that would never leave.

Nova's face twisted, his body trembling as he collapsed to the ground, his knees finally giving in. His palms slammed against the floor, fingers spreading, shaking violently, his cries spilling onto the cold stone like shattered glass falling again and again.

"You'll see me as Jerry too…" his words fell broken, dripping like blood from a cut. "You'll kill me like them… I don't want to die! I don't want to die like Jerry!"

His voice cracked into a final scream, soaked with terror, drowning in sorrow.

"I can't… I can't talk to humans anymore!"

The room froze. The glow of the bed flickered faintly, the air still, their hearts crushed under the weight of his pain. The silence after his voice felt louder than the scream itself.

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