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"I know it\'s a compass. I mean, what can this compass do?"

"Make a guess."

Ethan scratched his head helplessly. Lyle really liked to make people make guesses. In the end, he decided to humor the Founder of Eques Manor and gave him an answer.

"It\'s a compass that points to whatever I want the most," Ethan answered.

"What\'s this? You suddenly think you\'re some kind of pirate or something?" Lyle chuckled. "You think that compass points to treasures? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but you\'re way off the mark."

Ethan was very tempted to smack the chubby boy who was making faces at him for giving the wrong answer.

"Then, what is it?" Ethan inquired. "Where does this compass point to?"

Lyle chuckled and spun around Ethan thrice as if he was about to play some kind of prank on him.

"This compass is reaaaaaaally special," Lyle said. "Instead of pointing at the thing you want the most in the world, it points to the thing you fear the most in the world. You see, my friend, Agmundr Schwartz, was a genius among Wizards.

"While I was the strongest Magic Knight, he was the strongest Wizard. His hobby was creating various magical artifacts, and the compass in your hand was one of his creations. He created it on a whim because he was curious to know what thing he feared the most.

"However, his curiosity almost got him killed. This was why, when I asked him to have a bet with me, the item he passed to me was this compass. He hoped that I would seek out what I feared the most and lose my life in the process.

"That comrade of mine has a really bad sense of humor, but he was still nicer compared to the other backstabbers of our generation."

After hearing Lyle\'s explanation, Ethan looked at the compass in his hand, which was currently pointing in a Northwest direction.

Ethan was curious about what was waiting for him in the direction that the compass was pointing.

A part of him wanted to check out what it was, but the other half was cautioning him to not risk facing it head-on.

"Lyle, did you use this compass in the past?" Ethan asked.

"… I did," Lyle replied in a melancholic tone. "And I regretted it."

Ethan looked at the chubby boy, who had a sad expression on his face. "What did you see?"

"What else?" Lyle smiled bitterly. "The thing I fear the most. But, it is not what you\'re thinking. It didn\'t lead me to any monsters or any horrific creatures. What I had seen was a vast emptiness, and it made me feel cold inside."

Lyle sighed before closing his eyes.

"Ethan, remember this," Lyle said softly. "He who fights with Monsters must take care lest he thereby becomes a Monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

There was a profound sadness in Lyle\'s tone, which made Ethan decide to not pry any longer.

"It takes great courage to face your fears, Ethan," Lyle added. "However, there are times when you need to embrace your fears and understand that being afraid is part of being human."

After saying those words, Lyle flew toward the bookshelf and disappeared completely.

Ethan, who was left alone, continued to stare at the compass in his hand.

The tip of the needle was still pointing in the Northwest direction, making him fall into deep thought as he tried to think of his greatest fear.

A few minutes later, he heard a voice inside his head, which broke him out of his daze.

"Ethan, I\'m curious about something," Sebastian commented. "Will this magical artifact work if I take over your body for a while? I want to know if there is something I fear in this world."

Ethan pondered a bit before nodding his head. "Sure. Give it a try."

"Thanks!" Sebastian then temporarily took control of Ethan\'s body.

Ethan, Sebastian, and his Other Half all looked at the compass whose needle started to point toward the South.

"Interesting…" Sebastian muttered. "It\'s pointing Southwest, so I\'m guessing the thing I fear the most is in Midgard. What a unique magical artifact we have here."

"Do you have any idea what it is that you fear the most, Sebastian?" Ethan inquired because he, too, was curious about the thing that the Guardian of Zentris feared the most.

"I do," Sebastian replied. "The thing I fear the most is knowing whether the Tide Bringer has really died. Perhaps this compass is pointing to his final resting place, somewhere out there in Midgard."

The Guardian\'s voice was calm, and yet, Ethan could feel the sad emotions that were whirling inside his chest, which were currently being affected by Sebastian\'s mood.

"Let me try next, Sebastian," Ethan\'s Other Half decided to join in on the fun. "I want to know what I\'m afraid of the most."

"Sounds fun," Sebastian replied. "I\'m also curious to learn what you fear the most."

When Ethan\'s Other Half took over the body, the compass spun counterclockwise, making three complete revolutions.

The compass then flew out of Ethan\'s hand and hovered at the same level of his chest.

The needle was pointing South, which made Ethan\'s Other Half narrow his eyes.

Before Ethan and Sebastian could ask any questions, Ethan\'s Other Half moved to the left side of the compass.

To their surprise, the needle moved to point at Ethan, specifically at Ethan\'s chest, where his heart was located.

Ethan\'s Other Half moved to the right side of the floating compass to see what would happen.

Exactly as what happened earlier, the needle moved to point at Ethan\'s Chest, making Ethan\'s Other Half sigh.

"So that\'s what I fear the most, huh?" Ethan\'s Other Half muttered before surrendering the control of Ethan\'s body back to its original owner.

"The thing you fear the most has something to do with Ethan, huh?" Sebastian rubbed his chin as he looked at his partner in crime. "What are you afraid of, partner?"

"Nothing important," Ethan\'s Other Half replied.

He couldn\'t bring himself to say that what he feared the most were the changes that would happen to Ethan in the future, which might result in him taking the wrong path and hurting all the people whom he held dear in his heart.