The short old man then said, "I have already told you that the journey is lengthy, so let's set off right away."
Takeshi nodded in agreement and was about to say, "Let's go," when he suddenly heard the flapping of wings. He quickly turned his head in the direction of the sound.
Then he saw it—a white falcon, a bird of wisdom, flying toward him with a folded scroll clutched in its beak.
As soon as Takeshi saw the scene, he instantly realized what was happening.
The undying old man I met in the village Tsukigawa Haruto! He replied to my letter!
In a few seconds, the gracious bird landed gently on Takeshi's arm, which he had extended purposefully. With calm composure, he took the scroll from the bird's beak. As soon as he did, the falcon flew away into the sky without a sound.
As he was about to unfold the scroll and read its contents, a thought crossed his mind: How did the bird know how to find me? And where I was? I've traveled God knows how far from the Forest of Fortune. Am I being tracked somehow?
Takeshi tried to find the answer to that question, but ultimately, he couldn't. So, he simply decided to read the letter.
But before he did, he turned to the short old man standing beside him and said, "This is a letter I received from a friend. Do you mind if I read it now?"
The old man shook his head and said kindly, "Not at all. Please, go ahead."
With that, Takeshi unfolded the scroll and began to carefully read through its contents:
"Dear Takeshi,
All of the information you have written, I already know of. But as you said, it is to be expected of someone like me. And you are right in saying that I did not specify what knowledge I desired. I still won't—because I am seeking all knowledge. I am glad to accept anything you choose to share, even if I already know it.
Now, to answer your question.
The Seven Stages of Power are very mysterious and hold many secrets—even ones I do not know. Throughout my life, I have searched far and wide for information about them, and I will now tell you everything I've discovered. Don't worry—it isn't a lot, so you won't owe me anything.
To give you some perspective on how mysterious these stages truly are, I will tell you this: So far, in my entire lifetime, I have only managed to discover the names of five out of the seven stages. They are as follows: Struggler, Servant, General, Herald, and Heavenly King."
As soon as Takeshi read this, he stopped and pondered: Heavenly King? That's the same title the old man from the Shadow Realm had… Does the title correspond to the Heavenly King stage of power—meaning that whoever holds this title has achieved the fifth stage? How many Heavenly Kings did he say there were? Twenty-two? Does that mean that in the entire world, there are only twenty-two people who have reached the fifth stage of power?
I just have too many questions…
After those thoughts began to settle, they shifted to the name of the fourth stage: Herald.
Didn't this old man say that the Great Wind Sage is a Herald of a god? Does that mean he's at the fourth stage? If so, then I'm even more excited to be trained by someone that powerful.
After calming his thoughts once more, Takeshi continued reading.
"As for the last two stages, I have no idea what their names are. I also know this: The first three stages are considered mortal stages. The fourth is regarded as the perfect balance between humanity and godhood. And stages five through seven are considered the divine stages.
I also know that with each stage comes an incredible increase in power.
That is all I know.
Like I told you, it isn't much—but considering the obscure nature of the stages, it's still significant. If you wish to learn more, I suggest making a contract with your demon and asking him directly.
Best regards,Haruto."
After reading all of this, Takeshi's thoughts were in complete disarray.
So much to take in… so many implications…
But he didn't want to keep the short elder waiting any longer. With a silent breath, he tucked the scroll into his robes, turned to the old man, and said calmly, "I am ready to depart."
The old man nodded and said, "Very well. Follow me."
And with that, he and Takeshi set off on their journey.
They ventured through the mountain—through its dense trees and over its rushing rivers—for an entire day.
During their travels, Takeshi witnessed many magnificent and terrifying beasts, but he was lucky enough to avoid them thanks to the guidance of the old man.
As they walked, Takeshi lost all sense of time. Before he knew it, night was beginning to fall.
He turned inward—into himself—where his power was rooted deep within his soul. What he saw was a massive lump of rapidly shifting matter, a foggy, fiery substance glowing with silver light surging from within.
Calming his breath, he focused deeply on suppressing the power, relying entirely on instinct. The lump of energy slowly shrank, smaller and smaller, until it eventually dissipated completely.
He waited patiently as darkness consumed the sky. And to his relief—when night finally fell—he wasn't transported to the Shadow Realm. He quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder: I hope Rin managed to form a contract with her demon or did she fail and get dragged back into that nightmarish realm? I really hope it's the former.
After a few more minutes of walking, the old man turned to Takeshi and said, "I think we should rest until morning and continue our journey once the sun rises."
Takeshi nodded in agreement.
They each lay under a tree and gradually drifted off to sleep.
As Takeshi succumbed to rest, he couldn't help but bask in the wonderful sensation of peace. Though ever since forming a contract with his demon he no longer needed to eat, drink, or sleep as often—doing so only once a week was enough to keep him functioning but he still deeply savored every moment of calm.
Such moments were rare in this strange, unforgiving world.