Rahat slowly stops crying.
His breathing steadies, but his thoughts refuse to calm.
"No… no, this isn't right," he thinks.
"Why am I crying for someone like him? He caused so much destruction… killed without hesitation—even his own comrades."
His fists tighten.
"What kind of person was he…? And why am I mourning him?"
At that moment, his spirit partner, Prapti, emerges gently from within him.
"What happened?" she asks softly. "You can tell me… Do you remember anything? Someone from your past… someone important to you?"
Rahat wipes his tears and looks away.
"No… it's not like that," he says quietly. "It's just… after killing him… it feels like I've lost someone… someone very precious in my life."
Prapti looks at him for a moment, then steps closer and hugs him.
"Don't worry," she whispers. "I'm always here for you."
They arrive at the base where the Strange Man once ruled.
The battlefield is still chaotic. Natasha stands there, barely holding herself up after fighting off the remaining army.
Rahat approaches her.
"I don't know who you are," he says, "but… thank you for helping us."
Natasha, exhausted and on the verge of collapse, takes a deep breath.
"No… I should be thanking you," she replies weakly. "Because of you… I'm able to take revenge for my boyfriend."
She pauses briefly.
"And… thank you for killing him."
Her voice trembles, but she quickly turns away.
"Anyway, I have my own path… things I need to resolve. But I promise… one day, I'll return the favor."
She speaks in a rush, almost as if trying to escape her own feelings, then leaves quickly—too quickly.
A short distance away, she finally stops.
Her body trembles… and then she breaks down.
Tears stream uncontrollably as she cries out—
"I got my revenge… but at what cost?!"
Her voice echoes in the emptiness.
"I kill the person who saved me… the one who cured my illness… who gives me a new life… who even gave me my name…"
She falls to her knees.
"Why…? Why does everything always end like this for me…?"
Her sobbing slowly fades.
Then—
She feels it.
A presence.
Natasha freezes.
Her eyes widen as she realizes—
Two people are standing right behind her.
On the other side, Rahat and Prapti return to their apartment, trying to slip back into something that resembles a normal life.
But normal no longer exists for them.
They left their college days behind long ago, the moment they realized their lives had crossed a line that could never be undone.
Now, silence fills the room more than anything else.
Inside the apartment, Rahat walks in slowly, his expression distant.
As he absentmindedly reaches into his pocket—
He pauses.
"…What's this?"
His fingers touch something thin.
He pulls it out.
A card.
His eyes narrow slightly.
It's old… yet untouched by time.
Then it hits him.
This is the same card…
From that moment—
When he, the Strange Man, and Lucy were playing a game in the Zero Dimension.
Rahat's grip tightens.
"Why do I still have this…?"
Suddenly—
The card begins to glow.
A soft light at first… then brighter.
Prapti notices immediately.
"Rahat…?"
Before he can respond, the light expands, surrounding the card—and then—
A scene begins to form.
Like a memory being forced into reality.
The air changes.
The room disappears.
Darkness replaces everything.
And then—
Bars.
Cold.
Silent.
A prison cell.
Back in the past.
In the darkest corner of the prison, the Strange Man sat in silence, his body trembling under invisible pain. Chains held his limbs, but they were nothing compared to what he endured within.
Inside him… she was there. His spirit partner.
Her voice echoed softly, gentle like a whisper in the void.
"Are you in pain?"
The Strange Man closed his eyes for a moment, then answered quietly,
"I feel pain… because you're feeling it too. I can endure anything—but not watching you suffer."
There was a pause, then her voice returned—warm, unwavering.
"It doesn't hurt. I can bear any wound, any destruction… as long as you're with me."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"You know… that's why I love you," he murmured. "And I swear… no matter the cost, I'll give you a better life."
She replied without hesitation,
"Every life is already better… if I'm with you."
For a moment, even the darkness around them felt still.
Then—
The iron door slammed open.
Two guards entered, their heavy footsteps echoing across the cold stone floor. Without a word, they grabbed him and dragged him out of the cell.
It was his execution day.
And he knew it.
Yet… he smiled.
Not the smile of a broken man—
but of someone who already knew the ending.
Moments later, he stood before the Supreme Judge and the council.
The hall was vast, filled with authority and silent judgment.
When the Judge decided to no execute him
A flicker passed through the Strange Man's eyes.
Inside his mind, he whispered—
"And just like that… the entire committee falls under my control."
His expression shifted instantly. Weak. Fragile. Broken.
With a trembling voice, he spoke,
"My lord… I am nothing but a mere human… a weak, worthless being. Would it not be wiser… to grant me some power instead?"
The sudden change caught the Judge off guard.
For a brief moment, doubt crossed his face.
What is this? Fear? Desperation?
But the image before him was too convincing—a shattered man begging for strength.
The Judge exhaled slowly… then nodded.
"So be it."
Power surged into the Strange Man.
Not just strength—
authority beyond mortal law itself.
And as the energy flooded his being, his head lowered, hiding the truth.
After countless years of war…
the battlefield had finally fallen silent.
The Hero and the Demon Lord stood at the edge of death, their bodies barely holding together.
The Hero lifted his sword, voice trembling but resolute—
"This… will be your last battle."
The Demon Lord smirked, blood dripping from his lips—
"Then come… Hero."
They charged.
But before their blades could meet—
The world froze.
A pressure descended.
Not from the sky.
Not from the ground.
…but from existence itself.
Their bodies were lifted into the air as if reality had lost its meaning.
Then—
He appeared.
A man.
Calm. Silent.
Yet his mere presence made the universe tremble.
It was him.
The Strange Man.
Without raising his voice, he spoke—
"Beyond Judgment."
In that instant—
Laws collapsed.
Time shattered.
Space folded.
Existence itself… rejected its own structure.
Within moments—
The world was gone.
No screams.
No resistance.
Only nothingness.
And then—
He vanished.
From the emptiness…
another figure walked in.
He looked around, unimpressed.
"Hmm… I don't think he should have that much power."
He raised his hand slightly.
"Time Reverse."
But—
Not everything returned.
Only humans and demons came back.
The world remained… unstable.
The Hero and Demon Lord gasped back to life, their memories intact.
Confusion. Fear.
The unknown man looked at them and smiled faintly—
"You're both weak."
They clenched their fists.
"But together… you might stand a chance."
He turned away—
"This world is far deeper than you think."
After a moment of hesitation—
They accepted.
Not out of pride.
But out of fear of what they had
As the man walked away…
His form flickered.
His presence… shifted.
And then—
Revealed.
It was the Strange Man.
"They believe I am controlled…"
"A puppet…"
A faint smile appeared.
"But in all of creation… only a few exist beyond control."
"Five… maybe six."
"And I am one of them."
His body dissolved into illusion.
"Let them fight."
"Let them struggle."
"Let them believe they have hope."
Across countless worlds—
Illusions began to spread.
Peaceful kingdoms turned to ruin.
Demonic realms collapsed into silence.
Magic failed.
Curses vanished.
Strength meant nothing.
No one could stop it.
Because this wasn't destruction.
It was authority.
While the illusion destroyed everything—
The real Strange Man worked in silence.
Reviving.
Collecting.
Merging worlds.
Slowly—
All existence began to converge into one single world.
His world.
After an uncountable span of time—
Nearly 80% of the mortal realm had fallen.
Worlds shattered.
Civilizations erased.
Reality itself bent under his will.
And then—
It stopped.
The destruction… the illusions… all vanished.
Silence took over.
The Strange Man stood still, as if nothing had happened.
Behind him—
A presence.
The King.
He had been watching all along.
The Strange Man didn't turn. He simply asked—
"Everything done?"
The King gave a slow nod.
In his hand appeared a bright, shining star—radiating a deep, living force.
Not just light.
Life itself.
The Strange Man took it quietly.
For a brief second… even he seemed to pause.
Then—
Both of them disappeared.
🌠 The Spirit World
They arrived in another realm—
The World of Spirits.
A place untouched by the chaos of the mortal realm.
At that very moment—
The Spirit Emperor had just been blessed with a newborn child.
A daughter.
But joy… did not last.
Through his countless illusions, the Strange Man had already seen everything—
The child bore an unknown mark.
A sign.
Of either great blessing… or terrible disaster.
Fear consumed the emperor.
To hide the truth—
He committed a sin.
Secretly…
He ordered the assassination of a newborn baby boy.
An innocent life, taken just to protect his secret.
⚖️ The Fall of an Emperor
But secrets… don't stay hidden.
Not from him.
The Strange Man quietly leaked the truth.
Whispers turned into outrage.
Outrage turned into chaos.
And soon—
The Spirit Emperor fell.
Not by sword.
But by the weight of his own sin.
Before his end—
The emperor made one final decision.
He entrusted his daughter to his "brother"…
Her uncle.
But—
That uncle…
Was never real.
It was the Strange Man himself, already wearing another face.
He took the child without resistance.
Without emotion.
And left the Spirit World.
Back in the human realm—
He stood silently, holding the little girl in his arms.
She was peaceful.
Unaware of everything.
He looked at her… for a long time.
And for the first time—
His voice broke.
"Sorry… Prapti."
"I had to be cruel… for your sake and also for him."
His eyes softened.
"Your father… was a pathetic."
"A man who killed even your mother… just to protect his name."
"If he could do that… he would have destroyed you too."
A pause.
His grip tightened slightly—not in anger, but in restraint.
"And the one you called uncle…"
"He was no different."
His voice lowered—
almost… human.
"But I won't let anything harm you."
"You are… too precious for that."
The wind moved softly around them.
"I can give you safety."
"A peaceful life."
"Everything you need…"
Then—
a quiet confession.
"But I cannot give you… the love you deserve."
Two drops of tears fell from his eyes—
disappearing before they touched the ground.
He gently placed her somewhere safe.
Turned away.
And disappeared.
In the ruins of silence—
The Strange Man stood before a lifeless body.
A newborn boy.
An innocent… killed for nothing but fear.
For a moment, even time felt still.
Then—
He raised his hand.
In it… the bright shining star the King had given him.
A fragment of life itself.
Slowly, carefully—
He placed it on the child's chest.
Light spread.
Soft at first… then overwhelming.
The body trembled.
And then—
A cry.
Loud. Pure.
Alive.
The child had returned.
The Strange Man held him gently, his expression unreadable—but his eyes… carried something deeper.
Without a word—
He disappeared.
They arrived in the human realm.
Night had fallen.
Rain lightly touched the empty roads.
A woman, filled with anger and frustration, drove alone through the darkness.
Then—
Her car stopped.
Out of nowhere.
Confused, she stepped out—
And saw him.
A weak, broken man… holding a child.
(The Strange Man… in another form.)
His voice was fragile—
"I have nothing left… nothing to give him…"
He held the baby forward.
"Please… take care of him."
Before she could even react—
He turned… and disappeared into the night.
The child began to cry.
Loud. Helpless.
The woman froze.
Her anger… slowly faded.
Something in her heart shifted.
She picked him up carefully.
Held him close.
"You're alone too… aren't you…"
A soft sigh escaped her lips.
Then she whispered—
"Your name… is Rahat."
And just like that—
A new life began.
From a distance—
The Strange Man stood silently.
His true form returning.
He looked at the child one last time.
"I hope… you live a happy life."
A pause.
"I couldn't give you everything."
"But as your guardian… I tried."
His voice softened—
almost breaking.
"You are… the most precious to me."
And then—
He vanished again.
Years passed.
Through every moment of Rahat's life… and Prapti's life—
He was there.
Unseen.
Unnoticed.
But always present.
Protecting them from unseen dangers
Guiding their paths silently
Bringing their fates closer
Even their meeting—
Rahat and Prapti—
Was not coincidence.
It was his design.
Even the arrival of Scynthia into Rahat's life—
Was because of him.
He built their happiness.
From the shadows.