Arjun Kashyap returned to the waiting sedan.
The driver silently opened the rear door.
Arjun got in.
The car pulled away from the old market without a word.
Ryan City drifted past the window.
Busy streets.
Crowds.
Traffic.
Ordinary life.
Yet...
His thoughts refused to settle.
The quiet girl beneath the parasol.
The strange alley.
The black scorch marks.
The impossible feeling that he had arrived just after witnessing something he was never meant to see.
His hand slipped into his coat pocket.
His fingers brushed the small piece of candy.
He looked at it for a long moment.
Then, almost absentmindedly-
He unwrapped it.
"..."
It looked completely ordinary.
Without thinking further-
He ate it.
Sweet.
Simple.
Nothing unusual.
For several moments...
Nothing happened.
Then-
The tightness that had lingered in his chest for days quietly disappeared.
The constant pressure inside his mind eased.
Even the headache he hadn't realized he had slowly faded.
Arjun looked out the window again.
"..."
For the first time in weeks-
Everything felt...
Quiet.
He couldn't explain why.
He simply closed his eyes.
The city suddenly seemed much less exhausting.
Far away-
Inside an abandoned temple hidden beyond ordinary sight-
Dark mist gathered beneath a broken ceiling.
A lone figure stumbled through the shadows.
The Mask Beast.
Its borrowed body was barely holding together.
Cracks spread across the white mask.
Golden burns covered its arms where Asiya's light had touched it.
It dropped onto one knee.
Silence filled the ruined hall.
Then-
Darkness shifted.
Not violently.
Quietly.
Like something enormous opening its eyes.
The Mask Beast lowered its head.
"...Keeper..."
A calm voice echoed through the darkness.
"...You found her."
"...Yes."
"...She has awakened."
Silence.
Long enough to become uncomfortable.
Then-
A soft chuckle.
"...Interesting."
The Mask Beast remained motionless.
"...She is stronger than expected."
Another pause.
"...Did you complete your mission?"
"...Yes."
"...I confirmed her awakening."
"...Good."
The darkness became still once more.
"...Do not confront her again."
The Mask Beast froze.
"...My Lord?"
"...You are not enough."
Those four words carried no anger.
Only certainty.
"...Wait."
"...Watch."
"...The Gates will open soon enough."
The Mask Beast bowed even lower.
"...As you command."
Far beneath the ruined temple-
Something ancient stirred.
Not awake.
Not yet.
Only...
Turning once in its sleep.
Meanwhile-
Back at the morning market-
Asiya happily counted today's earnings.
"...Fifty..."
"...One hundred..."
"...One hundred and fifty."
She nodded with complete satisfaction.
"...Excellent."
The child ghost floated beside her.
"...You saved the city last night."
"Mhm."
"...And you're happier about one hundred and fifty yuan?"
"Mhm."
"...Your priorities are terrifying."
"They're organized."
The long-haired ghost smiled helplessly.
"...She'll never change."
"I don't intend to."
She tucked the money safely into her little pouch.
Business first.
Ancient destiny later.
Elsewhere-
Inside the moving sedan-
Arjun opened his eyes.
He felt...
Different.
Not stronger.
Not weaker.
Simply...
Calmer.
He frowned slightly.
"...Strange."
Outside the window-
A thin strand of black mist drifted toward the car.
Before it could touch the glass-
It quietly dissolved.
Without sound.
Without leaving a trace.
Arjun never noticed.
He simply continued looking outside.
Wondering why-
For the first time in a very long while-
The world didn't feel quite so heavy.
Far above Ryan City-
Beyond clouds.
Beyond stars.
Beyond where ordinary eyes could ever see-
Something watched.
Not the Keeper.
Not yet.
Its attention slowly shifted.
Toward one ordinary human...
Who had unknowingly stepped onto a path connected to the Keeper of Light.
And somewhere in the endless darkness-
An ancient presence smiled.