Apocalypse Transmigration - The Card Captor System

Leo had grown proficient enough with the second layer to divide his attention without disrupting the flow of Zen.

That was how he caught the motion behind him.

His eyes remained shut. He continued circulating Zen through his soul while observing the subtle shift in his peripheral awareness.

Gill sat several meters away. The shadowy raven looked innocent. Far too innocent.

Leo narrowed his eyes beneath his closed lids.

There it was again.

A shadowy hand slipped out from beneath Gill’s robe, drifting toward its chest before vanishing inside. A heartbeat later, the hand reappeared clutching a small crystal. It shimmered with countless colors, shifting from red to blue, then green, purple, and gold.

Gill glanced around the empty space. When he felt certain his student wasn’t watching, he popped the crystal into his beak.

Upon swallowing, Gill’s crimson eyes narrowed into satisfied crescents. His entire shadowy form relaxed.

Leo’s brow twitched. So I wasn’t imagining it.

He had caught Gill acting strange from time to time over the past two years. Whenever Leo lost himself in his training, his teacher would sneak off into a corner. Upon returning, his expression—if a shadowy bird could even wear an expression—always carried a smug sense of satisfaction.

Leo had suspected foul play from the start. But for the first few months, his poor concentration required all his focus. Now, however, he could maintain the Star Soul Breathing Technique on instinct.

Which meant he had finally caught Gill red-handed.

Leo snapped his eyes open.

”Oi!”

Gill froze in place.

Leo leveled a finger at him.

”What are you eating so sneakily?”

The raven’s crimson eyes widened.

”Show me what you’ve got there!”

The bird sprang into action.

Whoosh!

Several rainbow-colored crystals slipped from the folds of its robe. Gill vanished in a blur. Faster than Leo could blink, the spilled gems were swept off the floor and stuffed safely back beneath the robe.

Turning around, the raven stared at Leo. Its shadowy wings wrapped protectively over its chest. Its posture screamed a single word.

Mine.

Leo stared in sheer disbelief.

”Oi, oi, oi...”

He pointed at the bird’s chest.

”Don’t you know a teacher should share all his good stuff with his student?”

Gill shook his head.

Leo’s mouth twitched.

”Come on.”

Gill tightened his hold.

”Just one.”

Gill shook his head a second time.

”Half?”

No.

”One tiny piece?”

No.

”Just let me smell it?”

Gill glared as though his student had asked to devour the entire treasure hoard.

Leo sighed.

”Fine.”

He folded his arms.

”Stingy bird.”

Gill turned his head away with an unmistakable snort.

Leo’s face darkened.

”Did you just snort at me?”

The raven ignored the question.

Before Leo could argue further, a familiar presence washed over the dome. The surrounding darkness rippled as the mysterious man stepped out of the shadows, carrying a large black sack slung over one shoulder.

”Gill.”

The raven spun to face him.

The mysterious man smiled.

”Look I’ve brought you a gift.”

He tossed the sack onto the floor.

Thud!

As the bag hit the ground, the tie came loose. A flood of rainbow-colored crystals spilled across the black surface. Gill’s eyes lit up like beacons.

Leo gasped.

”Wait...”

He looked at the pile, then at Gill, and back to the pile.

”So that’s what you’ve been eating!”

Gill rushed forward, frantically scooping up the crystals and stuffing them back inside the sack. But halfway through his sweeping, Gill paused. He turned his head and stared fixedly at the newcomer.

The mysterious man scratched his cheek, looking a bit awkward.

”This was a gift from our dear friends.”

Gill’s crimson eyes narrowed.

The man stared back.

Silence stretched across the dome.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three.

The raven kept staring.

The mysterious man’s smile faded.

”Why are you looking at me like that?”

Gill held his ground, his gaze unblinking.

The man finally broke with a heavy sigh.

”Alright, I confess.”

He raised both hands in surrender.

”The demons were annoying me.”

”So I raided their treasury.”

Gill’s eyes widened. A string of angry caws erupted from his beak.

”Caw! Caw!”

The mysterious man frowned.

”You’re complaining that I didn’t bring you along?”

Gill nodded with wild enthusiasm.

The man let out a long breath.

”Do you remember the last time?”

Gill tilted his head.

”You completely emptied their treasury.”

The shadowy raven puffed out his chest with pride.

The mysterious man rubbed his temples.

”If it happened again, it could have started a full-blown war.”

Gill spread his wings in protest.

The man pointed a stern finger at him.

”Don’t argue.”

”I’m only one person.”

He cast a glance toward the endless darkness.

”Those demons are annoying. They keep coming one after another.”

”I don’t want to spend another ten years fighting them if a war breaks out again.”

He gestured to the sack.

”This time, I only robbed... Ahem took enough to send them a warning.”

”It should force them to keep a low profile for a few years.”

Gill peered down at the glittering pile.

The mysterious man crossed his arms, looking pleased with himself.

”And if they don’t want me visiting their treasury again...”

He let the sentence hang.

”...they should learn to behave.”

Gill resumed staring.

The man avoided eye contact.

”...What?”

Giving up, the raven snatched the bag. The mysterious man strolled over and took a seat on the black crystal floor beside him.

Leo watched the entire exchange in silence, completely lost. One thing, however, was becoming obvious. The mysterious man and Gill... neither of them seemed like honest folks.

Leo glanced at the sack, then at the raven, and finally at the mysterious man. He decided to ask the question burning in his mind.

”So...”

He pointed at the rainbow-colored stones.

”What exactly are those?”

The man looked over.

”Oh.”

He picked up one of the gems.

”These?”

He tossed it into his mouth with ease.

Crunch.

Leo blinked as the crystal vanished down the man’s throat.

”This is a Soul Crystal.”

Leo’s gaze sharpened.

”Soul Crystal?”

The mysterious man nodded.

”It’s an extremely rare resource.”

”These things can only be found inside the Void Dimension.”

He twirled another crystal between his fingers.

”In fact, as far as I know, this is the only place in the entire universe where they naturally exist.”

Leo’s curiosity peaked.

”So they’re beneficial to the soul?”

The man gave a firm nod.

”Very.”

”How beneficial?”

A knowing smile crept onto the man’s face.

”You’ll find out when you consume one ”

Leo eyed the crystals, then turned his attention to Gill. The bird hugged the sack tighter against its chest.

Leo pointed at the bag.

”I want one.”

Gill shook his head.

Leo shifted his gaze to the mysterious man.

The man offered a slight shrug.

”Sure.”

Gill whipped his head around to glare at his partner. Ignoring the furious bird, the man smiled.

”Why not?”

He picked out a crystal and pitched it through the air. Leo caught it in his palm.

The mysterious man raised a hand, remembering a crucial detail.

”Actually, you should probably start with a small bite—”

But Leo had already opened his mouth.

He swallowed the crystal whole.

The warning died in the man’s throat. He stared at Leo in silence for a long moment, then just shrugged his shoulders.

” Well , You reap what you sow ”

Leaving those ominous words in the air, the man stood up from his spot and walked toward Leo.