"How did you do it?"
Neron was looking at me intently. The excitement in his pitch-black eyes was nearly swallowing me whole as I stared into the endless abyss.
We were back at his office, seated opposite each other.
After the Exhibition, I teleported here and waited for him. Once he was done on his end, he sharply arrived as well. The moment our eyes met, that was the first question he asked.
'Well, I'm glad he's interested…'
My lips curled up in a grin and I explained the concept.
Mana and Miasma were contradicting elements that could never be completely fused. That was why the next best thing was to create a phenomenon by canceling them.
By harnessing the reactions they gave off, I could control the outcome to my advantage.
By the time I was done with my explanation, Neron was dazed.
"Amazing… you keep amazing me, Jared."
For Neron, who was probably the most ingenious person around—excluding me, since I reincarnated—he must have been completely flabbergasted by how I came up with the concept.
"To be honest, I owe you greatly for it…" I told him with a smile.
"Me? What are you talking about?"
I nodded.
It was true that without Neron, I would probably not have taken this path. If he hadn't given me that gift of his…
"I'll show you. Kahn…"
The moment I said this, a swirling pool of Miasma emanated from my body, and something began manifesting.
"You mean…?"
"Yes."
In a moment, the looming figure completely formed, revealing a being shrouded in darkness.
"It has been a while, Neron Kaelid."
"You are… that Shadow Demon…?"
I watched the exchange between the two of them with an amused smile. It wasn't the reunion I was looking forward to, but…
'... Oh, well!'
"Thanks to Kahn, I was able to cultivate Miasma alongside Mana. I made the guy my Familiar and corrupted a portion of my Mana Core to make a home for him."
Neron's face turned to me with an astonished look.
"But, wasn't that risky?"
"It was."
If Kahn had completely taken over my Mana Core, I wouldn't be able to utilize Mana as a source of energy. The best scenario would be me having to practice Magic with Miasma instead.
Since my body was more attuned to Mana, and I was a human, proactively using Miasma as a source of power would damage me.
Worst case scenario would mean death or losing control. If Kahn succeeded in possessing me, or I lost my sense of reason, it would be terrible. Dying was also something I didn't desire.
"Which is why I was careful," I replied with a smile.
I made sure not to try the whole thing out without precautions. Fortunately, everything worked out well.
"But, how much does he remember? From the way he spoke, he recollects our encounter…" Neron asked with concern.
"I remember everything," Khan replied this time.
His dark presence seemed to swell with pride the moment he made this comment. I merely smiled once he made this display.
"He does? But, how did you—?"
"I intentionally returned those memories to him."
Neron recoiled with shock once I gave my answer. His eyes showed that he needed more answers. Since I was planning on telling him, I went straight to the point.
"Familiars are simply the essence of those who have died. Their leftover will—a fraction of their Souls. That means they won't have the total abilities they had in their prime."
I couldn't have that!
Khan was a Demon Lord when he was alive. It would have been a waste to keep his weakened Soul as a Familiar.
"I made sure to repair his damaged soul as I absorbed his Miasma. Even a Soul fragment has the entire memories and potential ability of that being. By culturing it properly, I returned him to full strength. His memories were also restored as a result."
"Ohh, I see…"
Neron must have understood this already. He probably did the same for his Familiars.
"I know you're concerned that he could betray me now that his memories have returned, but…"
"I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!" Khan made an emotional outburst.
Neron and I looked in the floating being's direction.
"You are my master now. I owe everything to you!"
I nodded and flashed him an understanding smile.
"That's right. Khan is extremely loyal. He won't betray me."
"Is that so? Then, does that mean he would attack his fellows for you? Is he on the side of humanity?"
For a moment, an uncomfortable silence spread throughout the room. Neron and Kahn were eyeing themselves, obviously displaying their dissatisfaction with each other.
"He's not on humanity's side…"
Neron's brow furrowed once I said this.
"But, he's also not on the side of the Demons. He's simply on my side. That's all there is to it."
Surely, my mentor had to understand this much. His Familiars were the same way, after all.
"I get it. Since you say so, I'll trust your words." Neron shrugged slightly.
"But, the victims of that incident, and also the ones connected to the students who died… they may not be so understanding."
That too, was something I had foreseen.
Khan had claimed many lives during his raid. While I couldn't completely fault his actions now that I knew what happened, not many could handle the truth.
I would have revealed the same to Neron, but we were short on time. There was something more important to discuss.
'In the fullness of time, these things will be revealed naturally…'
"So, what was it that you wanted to see me for?" Neron took the hint and ended the conversation about Neron.
I smiled and commanded Kahn to return. In a swift motion, the Demon Lord Familiar returned to his home, leaving only me and the man I respected and feared most alone.
"It's about this…" I whispered, digging my hand into thin air.
Space parted, and I began poking my hand into another dimension—my special storage space.
Neron's expression was back to normal—stoic and calm.
He must have been expecting something spectacular, so he was steeling himself.
I began drawing my hand out of the warped space the moment I got what I wanted, bringing something from the other dimension.
"... Right here."
