Chapter 50: Terrible Truth
Reinhard sighed as he watched Ven’s complete transformation. The Werefang’s crimson eyes swept across the corridor before locking onto them and charging forward with frightening speed.
Anasha remained frozen, tears streaming down her face as she stared at what her brother had become. Reinhard activated Drasil Step without hesitation, with the surroundings beginning to slow down extremely.
The charging Werefang’s movements moved extremely slowly before Reinhard grabbed the beast’s muscled torso. Then he dragged it close to him before pulling it toward the hole he’d created in the wall.
Then he lashed out with his leg, striking the Werefang’s waist with his boots.
The kick sent Ven’s transformed body flying through the opening and out into the night. Time returned to normal flow as the beast vanished from sight.
Reinhard turned his gaze on Phineas, who blinked in confusion before glancing around. "Huh? Did you kill it?"
Anasha trembled at the words and began frantically looking around the corridor.
Her eyes found Reinhard, filled with desperate worry. He gently stroked her hair. "I sent him flying out of the hole. He’s okay."
The hole hadn’t been created for their escape but specifically to remove Ven from Phineas’s immediate reach.
With the boy outside, Phineas couldn’t use his golden threads to control him and couldn’t force him to attack them or throw him at other Inquisitors. Now Reinhard only needed to worry about protecting Anasha while fighting.
Anasha released a shuddering breath of relief before her voice cracked. "Why... Why did Ven turn into a beast? That never happened before... Wait..." Her expression shifted to horrified realization. "Is it because he went to the restricted area? Is that why he got turned into a beast?"
More tears flowed as Asnaha trembled while Reinhard crouched down, keeping his gaze fixed on Phineas, his hand gently rubbing circles on her back.
"It wasn’t your fault," Reinhard said firmly. "That bastard has been kidnapping people."
Anasha gripped his shirt, buried her face against his shoulder, and began sobbing even more.
Phineas smiled and waved cheerfully from his position.
"While it’s true I kidnapped people, I didn’t turn them into beasts." Phineas said casually.
Anasha lifted her tear-stained face. "What are you talking about? Who else could do it but the person who kidnapped them! Or was it your colleague!?"
Phineas chuckled and scratched his cheek. "How to explain this... Did you know some special people can gain a connection to their Beast Spirit without attending a Beast Tamer University?"
Reinhard’s eyes widened slightly. "You mean high-level Beast Masters forcing a connection?"
Phineas shook his head while sitting down on a web of golden threads, crossing one leg over the other. "Without any Inquisitor’s help, there are those who can connect to the Throne of Myth and form a faint connection with their Beast Spirit. It’s an extremely rare phenomenon, one that only happens in approximately one in one hundred thousand Beast Masters."
"That isn’t super rare," Reinhard observed.
"If we include the entire human race, that amounts to billions, then you’re right," Phineas agreed. "But if we consider only Beast Masters, it’s extremely rare since there are fewer than ten thousand Beast Masters in the entire world."
Reinhard blinked in surprise. "I was expecting more, honestly."
"Passing the Beast Spirit Trial is very difficult. Only exceptional individuals can achieve this."
"Does this apply to those rare geniuses who form connections without becoming Beast Masters?"
Phineas hummed thoughtfully. "You could see it that way. Those extremely rare individuals are known as the Blessed Ones in Hesod Continent, while in Binah Continent they’re called the Cursed Ones."
Anasha spoke softly, confusion clear in her expression even as she remained in Reinhard’s protective embrace. "W-Why are they called Cursed Ones? Isn’t it good that they can gain a connection so early?"
Phineas’s smile turned somewhat sad. "Unfortunately, it isn’t. When one forms a connection, they’re given power they have no control over and begin subconsciously using it. Can you guess who suffers from this?"
Reinhard’s eyes widened as he glanced down at Anasha. "The people around them?"
"That’s only half the answer." Phineas replied. "In truth, it’s both the people around them and the person themselves."
Reinhard furrowed his brows. "Are you saying the connection will change the wielder?" He recalled his own battle-state calm, the ice-cold focus that descended when fighting. Is it like that? But Anasha isn’t...
Phineas tilted his head. "The connection won’t, but when they notice their surroundings can be manipulated by them, they will change themselves. I’ve seen it before, and it was an interesting sight."
Anasha’s confusion deepened. "What are you talking about..."
"Once there was a boy who had nothing," Phineas began, his voice taking on a storytelling quality. "No family, no friends, not even a home. One could say he was the loneliest person imaginable. Wherever he went, he would be shunned. The neighborhood children who ran through the alleyways would ignore him or flee. The adults in cafes would kick him out or yell at him. Even the people supposed to protect everyone would simply ignore this boy."
Phineas paused as his expression became distant. "He was quite frankly pitiful, with only one thing sustaining him. A dream of having a family, friends, and becoming part of the community. Isn’t he silly? To want to still be part of the community that shunned him? That he would still continue trying to be a part of it?"
Anasha shook her head vigorously. "It just shows he saw something amazing in the community! Don’t call him silly!"
Phineas’s smile softened as he looked at her. "Maybe you’re right... Regardless, the boy kept wishing over and over while trying to get people to stop shunning him... Until finally, one day, people started to change around him. The kids who used to run away began including him in their games. The adults who used to yell instead complimented him and invited him over. Even the guards no longer ignored him and offered him advice. For the first time since he could remember, the boy felt like he was part of the community."
Anasha puffed out her chest proudly. "See! The boy did it! His persistence and dreaming helped him achieve his goal!"
Reinhard bit his lip. "Did the boy... Did he form a connection with his Beast Spirit?"
Anasha blinked. "Huh?"
Phineas looked down. "He did. In truth, those extremely rare people only form a faint connection that grants the skill of the Beast, not the Beast Spirit itself... But it was enough to change everything around the boy."
"What skill was it?" Reinhard asked quietly.
"The skill allowed the boy to control the movements and actions of those around him. The boy didn’t know until people kept dying one by one from not being able to eat without his command..." Phineas said lightly before sighing as he looked up.
Anasha’s eyes widened in horror as she brought her hands to her mouth.
Phineas continued with that same soft smile. "Yes. The boy had subconsciously controlled the community he wanted to be part of and made them bend to his will... But in the end, that simply led to that same community being destroyed by him, and the boy crying in despair as he realized he was the sinner who ruined everything."
"He was just a child." Reinhard said softly as he gripped Zenuken tightly. "He didn’t know any better."
Phineas chuckled softly. "Does it matter? In the end, the child felt despair and horror in that moment..." His gaze landed on Anasha, who flinched. "Which brings us to why I told this story. The one who turned Ven into a beast-"
"Are you saying... it was me?" Anasha’s voice was barely a whisper.
Reinhard gritted his teeth while Anasha trembled and gripped her dress tightly. "I... I have been having dreams. Each of them showed the townspeople and beasts together... I thought it was my fear, but-"
"If only it were that easy," Phineas interrupted, his smile never wavering. "No, Anasha. You have not been turning the townspeople and your family into beasts."
Both Anasha and Reinhard blinked in surprise and confusion.
"You have been turning the Phantasm Beasts into people."
The words hung in the air with the duo not reacting for a couple of seconds before Reinhard and Anasha’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"You heard me right." Phineas continued with a faint smile. "The townspeople were originally Phantasm Beasts and were never humans. This also means your brother, mother, and father aren’t real but fake."