Airi remained frozen, her breath uneven after seeing the figure impersonating her. The soft sunset light had turned tense, as if the entire hill were holding its breath.
Nora, Arou, Nova, Rei, Shion, Emi, and Feeth were all ready for anything.
Rei stepped forward, his voice firm.
"Release Airi's form. Now."
The figure only smirked.
"You're all so tense… it's funny to see your reactions."
She raised a finger.
A golden light enveloped her, and the fake Airi vanished, transforming into a young woman with long, shimmering golden hair. Her amber eyes reflected the sunset, and her smile… was too sweet to feel safe.
"This is more comfortable," she said.
Airi took a step back, a mix of shock and irritation crossing her face.
"W-who are you?!"
The woman placed her hand on her chest, pretending to be elegant.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lumina."
Nora narrowed her eyes.
"What is your purpose?"
Lumina grinned mischievously.
"I just wanted to scare Airi a little… sorry~ your reaction was hilarious."
Airi jumped.
"Hilarious??? You think that's funny?!"
Lumina suppressed a laugh.
Feeth stepped forward slightly, his expression serious.
"Your magic isn't ordinary. What kind of being are you?"
Lumina raised an eyebrow.
"Hehe… not human, but not your enemy either."
She surveyed them from head to toe, smiling wider.
"By the way…"
"Huh? Are you part of the same group?"
Everyone fell silent, surprised by her innocent question.
Lumina put her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly, like a curious child.
"If so… may I join?"
Airi, Nora, Rei, Arou, Nova, Shion, Emi, and Feeth froze.
Arou almost choked.
"J-join?! With us?!"
Lumina nodded eagerly, her golden hair swaying with the motion.
"Yes~ sounds fun! You're all lively, your expressions are funny, and there's Airi too…"
Her sweet smile directed at Airi made her panic.
"Huh?! W-why am I mentioned?!"
Lumina only chuckled softly.
Rei stepped protectively in front of Airi.
"You haven't explained your intentions. Don't come closer casually."
Lumina raised her hands.
"Relax~ I'm just interested. That's all."
She stepped back, ready to vanish.
"We'll talk again later. Think about my offer~"
With a shimmer, Lumina disappeared into particles of golden light.
Airi whispered, still in shock,
"She… wants to join…?"
Nora exhaled.
"Whether that's good or bad news… she's clearly not an ordinary person."
That evening at Arou's house felt like an emergency meeting. Everyone sat in a circle: Nora, Arou, Nova, Rei, Shion, Emi, Feeth, and Airi, still clutching her knees and looking anxious.
Nora opened the discussion.
"So… this woman named Lumina said she wants to join. Thoughts?"
Arou crossed his arms.
"Absolutely not. We don't even know what she is."
Rei nodded.
"Agreed. She's too powerful and too mysterious."
Shion added,
"And too playful. People like that aren't safe."
Airi stayed silent, either confused or scared.
Nova glanced at her.
"Airi? Are you afraid she'll come after you again?"
Airi lowered her gaze.
"Not afraid… just… she feels strange. Like she knows something big that we don't."
The tension hung in the air—
Suddenly, a golden light exploded in the middle of the room.
Everyone jumped to their feet.
"W-WHOA?!" Arou shouted.
The glow dimmed, revealing a golden-haired figure with a soft smile.
"Hello everyone~ an emergency meeting without me? How sad."
Rei pulled Airi behind him.
"Don't come closer!"
Lumina raised her hands.
"Relax~ I'm not here to fight. I came to explain something."
Nora stepped forward, her expression tense.
"You said you want to join. For what purpose?"
The room fell silent.
Lumina closed her eyes… then spoke with a voice far more serious than before.
"I want to join you for only one purpose…"
She opened her eyes slowly, her gaze sharp like a flash of light.
"…to kill Zata."
Everyone froze.
Arou reacted first.
"What?! What are you talking about?!"
Rei glared.
"Why target Zata?! Are you an alien enemy?"
Lumina shook her head.
"Not an alien."
Everyone looked confused.
She exhaled. Her voice and presence became heavier, as if the air itself had weight.
"Zata is not the alien king as you've heard in rumors."
Airi slowly lifted her face.
"Then… who is he?"
Lumina looked at each of them in turn.
"He is… a God."
The room froze completely. Even the wind seemed to stop.
Nora frowned.
"A God? You mean… a real God?"
Lumina nodded.
"Yes. And not just any God. One of the creators of the races, the world, and the laws you live under."
Arou nearly lost his words.
"So… all this time we've been fighting… a God's creation?"
Lumina's gaze drifted as if seeing something invisible to them.
"Not only creations. We all… you all…"
"…are Zata's creations."
Airi froze completely.
Rei and Shion stared at Lumina, as if making sure she wasn't joking.
Shion whispered,
"We… creations of Zata?"
Lumina stepped half a step closer, her gaze gentle yet carrying old wounds.
"The rumors you've heard about the 'alien king'… it's just a fog. The truth is far more terrifying."
She slowly pointed to Airi's chest.
"Including you, Airi. You were created by the same force as him."
Airi fell to the floor, eyes wide.
"I-I… created by him…?"
Lumina nodded softly.
"I want to join… not for adventure."
Her eyes were no longer mischievous—full of resolve and revenge.
"I want to kill Zata… because he did not create us as living beings—"
"—but as objects. As experiments."
Silence.
No one dared breathe.
Airi looked at her hands, realizing something had been wrong all along.
"…An experiment?"
Lumina looked at her with pity.
"I'm sorry… but that is the truth."
The room remained silent for a long moment after Lumina revealed the greatest secret they had ever heard.
Airi sat on the floor, trembling slightly.
Nora knelt beside her.
"Airi… take a breath. I'm here."
Airi stared at her hands as if she didn't recognize herself.
"So… my whole life… hasn't been mine?"
Rei gritted his teeth.
"Lumina! Explain everything. Now."
Lumina closed her eyes briefly, then began to speak.
The Origin of Zata
"Zata is not just a God. He is the entity who created life models. He made the world, then filled it with beings… including you."
Feeth stepped forward, his eyes dark but calm.
"Including me?"
Lumina nodded.
"You, me, and many other races… are all part of the same project. But only a few knew that he didn't see us as children, or noble creations—"
"—but as tools."
Arou clenched his fists.
"Tools for what?!"
Lumina's gaze was sharp.
"To test strength, emotions, morality, and the limits of existence. We were all… experiments to see what kind of world would endure."
Shion looked down at the floor.
"…like toys."
Lumina nodded softly.
"Yes. We were all toys in Zata's hands."
---
Airi began to collapse inwardly.
She covered her face with her hands.
"So… I've lived all this time… without ever choosing? Everything was just a game?!"
Lumina approached slowly, though Rei blocked her.
"Airi is not just any creation."
Airi lifted her tear-streaked face.
"…w-what do you mean?"
Lumina looked deep into her eyes.
"Of all the beings he created, you are the most 'stable.' The closest to the ideal form Zata desired."
Airi froze. Tears streamed down without her noticing.
"So… even I… was built according to his wishes? I'm nobody…?"
Nora hugged her silently.
"You are Airi. That's enough."
Airi bit her lip, shoulders shaking.
"If I'm just an experiment… who would care if I died…?"
Nova stepped forward, patting Airi's back.
"We care."
Emi hugged her from the side.
"You're our family."
Arou ruffled Airi's hair gently.
"And we don't care who made you. You're alive… and that makes you real."
Slowly, Airi's breathing steadied, her face flushed and wet.
Lumina looked at her with a rare expression—not mischievous, but deep compassion.
"I'm sorry… maybe I was too direct."
Nora stood.
"Back to the main issue. Lumina wants to join. But can we trust her?"
Rei glared at Lumina.
"You speak as if you know everything. But there's no proof yet."
Lumina raised her hand.
"I can provide proof. But not here. Not now. What's clear… I'm not your enemy."
Shion stared her down.
"Then why do you want to kill him? Kill… your own creator?"
Lumina looked at the window, her amber eyes dimming.
"Because no being deserves to live as an eternal experiment. Because the God who made us… did not see us as living. Because he does not deserve to be called a God."
Arou glanced at Nora.
"If she's telling the truth… we need someone like her."
Rei shouted.
"If she's lying… we all die!"
Feeth stared at Lumina for a long moment, then said,
"She's not lying. The energy from her body… is different from ordinary beings. I've felt it since earlier. She comes from 'above.'"
Nora finally exhaled.
"Airi… what's your decision? She's interested in helping you."
Airi lifted her tearful face. But this time, her gaze was firm.
"…If Lumina wants to help stop Zata… I… I agree she joins."
Everyone was shocked.
Rei exclaimed,
"Airi?!"
Airi wiped her eyes and stood.
"If it's true that Zata is a God… then we don't have many options."
Lumina smiled faintly, this time without mischief.
"Thank you, Airi."
Nora nodded.
"Very well. From today… Lumina is with us."
Lumina bowed slightly.
"You won't regret it."
The chapter ends with the group accepting their most dangerous new member—and the first step toward uncovering the truth about Zata begins.
Lumina's gaze sweeps across them, removing all traces of her mischievous smile.
"Zata is the God who existed before heaven and earth. The God who creates, destroys, and resurrects at will."
"Zata is the Supreme God. The center of all creation. And we all live… in a world made from his boredom."
Arou finally spoke, gritting his teeth:
"If he's that powerful… why do you want to kill him?!"
Lumina's gaze met theirs, and for the first time, they saw fear in the eyes of a wizard this strong.
"Because… if we don't stop him… he will repeat the cycle of destruction. And this time, no one will be resurrected."
The room froze instantly.
After Lumina revealed that Zata is the God of all gods, everyone fell silent—not from disbelief, but from fear too real to ignore.
Rei reacted first, reflexively reaching for the short sword at his waist. The blade trembled slightly under his grip.
Nova stared at Lumina, eyes wide.
"Y–you're joking… right? That's… insane…"
Lumina only smiled faintly, walking casually as if unaware that six people were ready to attack at any moment.
Airi hugged herself, tense.
The shadow of "her other self" had already been confusing enough… and now learning Zata created everything?
Nora looked at Lumina in a low voice.
"If what you say is true… why fight your own creator?"
Lumina raised a finger, signaling "wait a moment."
"First, I want to make sure you understand I didn't come to kill you. If I wanted, I could have done so the first time we met."
Arou stepped forward instinctively, shielding Airi.
"Just answer clearly… why do you want Zata dead?"
Lumina stopped smiling.
For the first time, her expression became serious, her aura heavy, as if it could cut through the air.
"Because Zata is not a God who cares for his creations."
Rei felt a chill down his spine.
"Is he… a God of destruction?"
Lumina shook her head.
"Yes… the destruction or rebirth of the world is not a consequence… it is entertainment for him."
Shion gritted his teeth, voice low but sharp.
"So… we're all just his toys."
Lumina looked at him.
"Yes."
Airi whispered, trembling.
"If he wants… he could erase us anytime?"
Lumina held Airi's gaze, nodding once.
"With a single thought."
Silence.
Everyone swallowed.
Everyone turned pale.
Then Lumina folded her arms, smiling mischievously again.
"That's why I came to you. You're not ordinary humans. You… are variables he cannot predict."
Nova frowned.
"Variables… what do you mean?"
Lumina spun her hands, conjuring particles of light.
"Because… among all his creations… you are the only ones never recorded in his world logs."
Arou swallowed hard.
Nora remained silent.
Rei turned pale.
And Airi? She could only whisper:
"So we… are something even Zata doesn't understand?"
Lumina smiled, satisfied.
"And that, Airi, is why I want to join you."