One-Eyed Monster

Igor and Kadi were astonished by the manifestation of the Spirit Book. They never would have imagined that these books would be so wary of Kadi.

No one could clearly explain what was special about Kadi, but the Spirit Book’s feelings towards him were akin to the fear a mouse has for a cat...

Previously, on Guru Mountain, these Spirit Books hadn’t displayed this kind of behavior; it’s unclear why they now have such emotions towards Kadi.

"You’d better put us away!"

"Yes, yes, the sunlight outside is too glaring. Let us stay in the satchel; I’d prefer to be with your clothes!"

"I’m sleepy. If you’re busy, please put me back!"

The four Spirit Books chimed in one by one, requesting Igor to put them away.

Igor scratched his head. What’s going on? Why have these Spirit Books become like this? Normally, they don’t react this way!

He had no choice. The books’ rejection was quite strong, so Igor had to put them away. This made Kadi feel regretful; he had wanted to have a good interaction with the Spirit Books, considering that talking books were quite charming to him. Kadi sensed an unknown connection with them.

"I really don’t know what got into them, behaving so oddly!" Igor murmured to himself.

"I think they only react like this when they see me..." Kadi said quietly, his face naturally expressing regret, as if feeling responsible for the situation.

"Don’t guess randomly! These little critters are inconsistent; sometimes they’re very excited, and sometimes they’re just apathetic like now!" Igor comforted Kadi. In reality, Igor didn’t want Kadi to feel his special nature, considering the whole Agent of Destruction business was something Igor was reluctant to discuss with Kadi.

Sometimes Igor himself felt a certain fear of Kadi, because Kadi was like an undeveloped stone, uncertain what changes might occur. With this uncertainty, Igor genuinely didn’t know what to do, so he deceived himself by avoiding the topic.

But this matter persisted regardless of whether he wished to address it; for example, the Spirit Books currently showed such obvious caution towards Kadi.

Things can’t continue like this! Igor perceived a potential crisis, realizing that sooner or later Kadi would ponder his own special identity.

They needed to think of a solution...

Igor once again found himself lost in endless contemplation. He had a habit: when his thoughts deepened, they showed on his face, completely exposing himself at this moment.

Kadi glanced at Igor: "Everything you said earlier was just to comfort me, right?"

"What are you talking about! I would never..."

"Stop pretending, you’re an open book!" Kadi cut him off before Igor could protest.

Igor scratched his head; it had happened many times before, and he hadn’t learned his lesson. Now he felt a bit disappointed with himself.

The situation was worse now, as Kadi had noticed. If Igor kept silent, Kadi would continue pressing for answers, persistently as he had before... What should he do!

Luckily, they were on the carriage with only Kruz driving, unable to hear their conversation. If it had been in public, Igor truly wouldn’t have known how to end it!

"Don’t just stand there! If there’s a problem, find a solution. Since you can’t decipher the mysteries alone, why not bring these guys back out? Don’t they know more than you?" Kadi, seeing Igor’s troubled expression, offered a rather good suggestion, proving himself to be a reliable companion.

"You’re right!" Igor, who had been unable to clarify the matter, needed to resolve the disruption caused by the Spirit Books. Now there was a necessity for them to come out and explain directly.

So Igor retrieved the Spirit Books from the satchel again...

"Ugh... what’s happening now!"

"I just fell asleep!"

"Is something wrong again?"

Complaints rang out instantly in the cramped carriage, adding liveliness to the monotony of the creaking wheels.

Igor rubbed his hands together: "Stop complaining! You all showed evident reluctance earlier, and now I want you to overcome that feeling!"

"Please spare us!"

"We wish to last for a few more years, don’t do this!"

"Are we truly worthless to you? How could you treat us so heartlessly!"

"Have you no conscience? We’ve shared both good and bad times with you, and now you want to discard us!"

The dissatisfaction surged greatly, catching Igor and Kadi off guard.

"Wait!" Igor roughly interrupted the complaints, feeling puzzled about why these little critters were so agitated as if it was a matter of life and death...

"What’s happening with you all? I haven’t said anything yet, and you’re acting like you’re at death’s door! What’s going on?"

"You told us to face him!" A Spirit Book raised its spine, directly pointing a book corner at Kadi!

"I knew it!" Kadi said bitterly, as if he had anticipated the outcome, yet even his expectation couldn’t dispel his sense of regret.

Igor glanced at Kadi, then at the Spirit Books, immediately sensing an unpleasant foreboding...

"You all, facing, what do you mean by facing him? Can he eat you or what!" Igor’s discomforting sensation led him to fumble over his words.

"He can actually eat us!" A Spirit Book unabashedly picked up Igor’s line.

The response left Igor and Kadi stunned. What did the Spirit Book mean!

"Explain clearly, what’s the situation!" Igor was now keen to understand, realizing his worries were minor compared to the extensive knowledge the Spirit Books seemed to hold.

"It’s a long story..." The Spirit Book suddenly took on an elder’s tone, narrating a distant tale with a voice marked by ages...