Why should i ?
A simple question.
Yet it was a question that could define a person's entire path.
In a world that moves only for money, power, and recognition, anyone who chooses a different road becomes a target. The moment someone refuses to walk the path that everyone else follows, the world does not leave that person alone. Instead, it points fingers, laughs loudly, and declares with absolute confidence that the person standing before them is nothing more than a failure to society.
And to that world, Dev had only one question.
Why should I?
If the entire world walks in the same direction, does that mean there is some unbreakable rule that everyone else must follow it as well?
Dev had already answered that question in his heart.
No.
Dev was riding on Ruby's back when Kai spoke from behind him.
"My king… I will come with you. I will be your protection."
Dev did not even turn his head.
"No."
His voice was calm, but absolute.
"I will leave all of you five kilometers away from the Pillars of the Dead. You will stay there and wait."
Kai opened his mouth to argue, but Dev continued before anyone could speak.
"After I complete the Blood Soul process, I will come back and get you. Ruby will remain with you until I finish."
Then Dev leaned slightly forward and spoke quietly to Ruby.
"Keep your senses alert. The moment I release even a trace of blood energy or death energy… come and get me immediately."
Ruby gave a silent acknowledgment.
Present
The time had come.
The barrier was about to be opened.
Near the entrance stood an old man holding a long cane. He wore a thick black sweater that covered his entire body and even his head, leaving almost none of his features visible to the outside world.
His back was bent, a large hump rising from his spine, and his body seemed to carry the weight of many centuries.
He was the gatekeeper of the barrier.
His life and the gate had been bound together long ago. As long as the barrier and the Pillars of the Dead continued to exist, the old man would remain immortal.
Slowly, the old man raised his head.
"My name is Raphael Normax," he said calmly.
"I am the gatekeeper of this place… and your guide."
His voice was quiet, yet every person standing there could hear it clearly.
"When I open the barrier, every one of you must take a single step forward and enter. Once inside, a pillar will choose you and pull you into itself."
He paused for a moment.
"Within that pillar, you will attempt to create your Blood Soul and inherit the ability left behind by the dead."
The old man slowly tapped his cane on the ground.
"You may remain inside the pillar for as long as you wish. However, remember this carefully."
"The gate to the real world will remain open after twelve hours."
"If you fail to exit the pillar before that time while forming your Blood Soul… you will be left behind forever."
"That choice is yours."
Dev stood at the very end of the line.
But his mind was not here.
His thoughts were sinking deeper and deeper into questions that had been haunting him for days.
The prophecy.
His grandfather's final wish.
Why did he insist that Dev fuse it with that fragment?
How was the prophecy connected to him?
Why did Dev run through the palace that day when not even ruby noticed ?
Why had all of them suddenly become his subordinates… when he had never even chosen them
And Ruby…
Ruby had waited for him with absolute determination, believing without hesitation that he would return.
The old man removed a fragment from his sleeve and struck it against the barrier.
A low vibration echoed through the air.
Then the barrier slowly opened, revealing a narrow path that led inside.
Beyond it stood a breathtaking sight.
Thousands upon thousands of pillars, each nearly one hundred feet tall, stretched toward the sky. Every pillar was carved with different symbols, designs, and ancient markings, each glowing with its own unique presence.
Some pillars carried royal colors.
Some looked ancient and worn.
And countless pillars surrounded the entire area like a silent army of the dead.
One by one, the people stepped inside.
The moment someone entered the barrier, a mysterious pulling force would drag them toward a specific pillar.
And when the pillar accepted them, it would shine.
A golden light meant a Grade A recipe.
A silver light represented Grades B and C.
And a black light signified Grades D and E.
Some pillars burst into brilliant golden light.
Most shone in silver.
Others were swallowed by dark black light.
Soon the entire Pillar of the Dead glowed with a mixture of gold, silver, and darkness.
The old man watched everything with a faint smile.
"This year's batch has some promising fellows," he murmured.
Dev was still at the end of the line.
The line slowly moved forward.
Step by step.
Person by person.
Yet Dev remained trapped inside his thoughts.
He walked.
But his mind was somewhere else entirely.
After a few minutes, only one person remained in front of him.
That person stepped inside.
Now it was Dev's turn.
The old man stood beside the barrier, lazily observing the faces of the remaining participants.
Dev lifted his right leg and stepped toward the barrier.
His foot crossed the edge.
But suddenly
He stopped.
His leg froze in mid air.
Then slowly, he pulled it back.
He stepped backward.
One step.
Two steps.
Then Dev raised his head toward the sky and suddenly burst into wild laughter.
"YOU SONS OF BITCHES!"
"HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
He laughed until his lungs burned and his breath nearly broke.
Then he shouted.
"WHY SHOULD I?!"
"WHY SHOULD I?!"
"WHY SHOULD I?!"
Again and again.
His voice echoed across the Pillars of the Dead.
"WHY?!"
"WHY?!"
"WHY?!"
The old man stared at him.
To him, Dev looked like a lunatic who had suddenly lost his mind.
"Child," the old man said slowly, "you are the last one remaining. Enter the barrier. I must close it."
Dev wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes.
"I'm not going inside."
"You can close it."
The old man's eyes widened in shock.
"Why?"
Dev looked directly at him.
And smiled.
"Why should I?"
The old man frowned.
"Child… did you not awaken a subconscious mind?"
"I did," Dev replied calmly.
"But I don't like being controlled."
"So I'm stopping it now."
The old man narrowed his eyes.
"Who is controlling you?"
Dev turned his back to the Pillars of the Dead.
Dev suddenly saw it.
Thin strings.
Strings attached to every part of his body his arms, his legs, his shoulders, even his neck stretching outward like invisible chains that bound him to something he could not see, making him look like nothing more than a puppet hanging helplessly in someone else's hands.
Far away, in the darkness of his mind, stood a figure made from black and red shadows, an imaginary presence that radiated a silent authority, its fingers moving slowly as it pulled the strings and controlled every movement of his body.
Dev stared at the figure.
His voice was cold.
"Everyone."
"Until now, everyone has chosen what they want me to do."
He began walking away.
"But from now on…"
"I will do what I want to do."
And without looking back even once
Dev walked away from the Pillars of the Dead.