I left the Patriarch's residence without another word.
No farewell.
No backward glance.
Just… silence.
The kind of silence that lingers after something irreversible has been set into motion.
---
The door closed behind me with a soft click—
Yet it sounded louder in my mind than any explosion I had endured on the battlefield.
---
I didn't fly.
I could have.
It would've taken seconds.
But something in me refused.
So I walked.
---
Each step slow.
Measured.
Heavy.
---
The stone path beneath my feet stretched forward, winding through the quiet gardens and into the dense forest beyond.
The air was calm.
Too calm.
As if the world itself was holding its breath.
---
And my thoughts—
Were anything but calm.
---
First…
The Nameless Sovereign.
The Pure One.
---
If he is the Pure One…
Then what are they?
---
The so-called "pure ones" recorded in the archives…
Beings with absurd bloodline purity.
Existences that defy logic.
Anomalies.
---
I leapt onto a tree branch.
Then another.
Moving instinctively as my mind spiraled deeper.
---
They weren't myths.
They weren't rumors.
They existed.
---
So what does that make them?
Copies?
Fragments?
Imitations?
---
Or worse—
Competitors.
---
My eyes flashed blue.
For a brief moment—
Lightning flickered beneath my skin.
---
Something inside me reacted.
Violently.
Instinctively.
---
No…
Not just reacted.
---
It rejected the idea.
---
There can only be one.
---
I landed softly on a higher branch, pausing for a second.
My gaze turned distant.
Cold.
---
The Nameless Sovereign is the origin.
The beginning.
The absolute.
---
So how…
How can there be others?
---
I dropped to the ground.
Continued walking.
---
Unless…
---
My steps slowed.
---
Unless the universe itself is creating them.
---
My expression hardened.
---
No.
That shouldn't be possible.
---
The universe doesn't think.
It doesn't choose.
It doesn't create with intent.
---
So who—
---
—or what—
is behind it?
---
A faint breeze passed through the trees.
Leaves rustled.
Shadows shifted.
---
I exhaled slowly.
---
From what I know…
The Aeons exist to maintain balance.
They are manifestations of law.
They act—
But only within limits.
---
They cannot interfere freely.
They cannot choose sides.
---
So when they can't act…
Something else does.
---
My eyes narrowed.
---
The "pure ones."
---
Tools?
---
No…
Not just tools.
---
Weapons.
---
Chosen by something deeper than law.
Something outside the system.
---
I clenched my fist.
---
"…So I'm not special."
---
The words felt strange.
Bitter.
---
"…I'm just one of many."
---
BOOM!!!
---
The ground beneath my feet cracked as I launched forward—
Running.
Faster.
Harder.
---
Wind howled past my ears.
Trees blurred.
The landscape distorted as I pushed my body forward.
---
But even then—
I couldn't outrun the thought.
---
If there are multiple "pure ones"…
Then this isn't about uniqueness.
---
It's about selection.
---
And selection implies—
---
A purpose.
---
My speed increased.
---
The forest gave way to an open valley.
Wide.
Endless.
Empty.
---
I ran through it like a streak of blue lightning.
---
If the Nameless Sovereign said a breach is coming…
And it can consume Zeraphyx…
---
Then maybe—
---
Maybe these "pure ones" are being created to stop it.
---
Or—
---
To cause it.
---
My pupils shrank.
---
"…Neraphyx."
---
The name echoed in my mind.
Heavy.
Ominous.
---
That's where I'm being sent.
---
That's where the strongest gather.
That's where chaos thrives.
That's where—
---
—monsters are born.
---
A slow realization crept in.
---
If Zeraphyx has none…
And Neraphyx has many…
---
Then the imbalance…
---
Is already happening.
---
BOOM!!!
---
I pushed harder.
Ignoring the strain.
Ignoring the pain.
---
System.
---
I called out internally.
---
Silence.
---
Then—
---
> Loading… 10%…
---
A faint blue screen flickered before my eyes.
Glitching.
Unstable.
Barely functioning.
---
"…You've got to be kidding me."
---
Still broken.
Still recovering.
Still useless.
---
I clicked my tongue.
---
"Come on…"
---
No response.
---
I exhaled sharply.
---
Fine.
Then I'll figure it out myself.
---
Because one thing is clear—
---
This isn't random.
---
Nothing about this is random.
---
The Nameless Sovereign.
The system.
The "pure ones."
The breach.
---
It's all connected.
---
I just don't see how yet.
---
My pace slowed.
---
An hour had passed.
Maybe more.
---
And finally—
---
My home came into view.
---
The familiar structure stood quietly at the edge of the land.
Unchanged.
Peaceful.
---
But something about it felt…
Different.
---
Too quiet.
---
Too still.
---
I stepped closer.
---
No sounds.
No movement.
No presence.
---
Just silence.
---
I stopped at the door.
---
My hand hovered over the handle.
---
For a moment—
Just a moment—
I hesitated.
---
Not because I was afraid.
---
But because I knew—
---
Everything is changing.
---
The life I had…
The safety I knew…
The answers I thought I understood…
---
All of it—
---
Was gone.
---
And whatever waited beyond this door…
---
Would only push me further into something I still don't fully understand.
---
I tightened my grip.
---
"…Guess there's no turning back."
---
Click.
---
The door creaked open slowly.
---
And I stepped inside—
---
Ready…
Or not.