[Silence.]
[Absolute silence.]
[The cavern beneath Sanctuary had become still.]
[Even the chains stopped moving.]
[As if the world itself was listening.]
Unknown Voice— "A fragment."
Unknown Voice— "A survivor."
Unknown Voice— "The First."
[The words lingered.]
[Heavy.]
[Impossible.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...The First Regressor?"
[The enormous eyes watched him.]
Then—
Laughter.
[Not mocking.]
[Not cruel.]
[Exhausted.]
First Fragment— "That title sounds much grander than reality."
[The darkness shifted.]
[Slowly.]
[A figure emerged from the shadows.]
[Not a body.]
[A silhouette.]
[A memory struggling to exist.]
[The outline of a man stood among countless chains.]
[His face couldn't be seen.]
[Almost as if history itself had forgotten it.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...You don't look like much."
[A pause.]
First Fragment— "Good."
First Fragment— "That means my ego finally died."
[Abaksa blinked.]
[That wasn't the response he expected.]
Abaksa Einsro— "You're surprisingly normal."
First Fragment— "You expected a god?"
Abaksa Einsro— "Something closer to one."
The fragment laughed again.
First Fragment— "That was the problem."
[The cavern darkened.]
[Images appeared around them.]
[Visions.]
[Timelines.]
[Memories.]
[Thousands of worlds flashed by.]
[Different kingdoms.]
[Different wars.]
[Different endings.]
[Abaksa's eyes widened.]
"What..."
[One timeline showed humanity victorious.]
[Another showed the Demon Lord ruling.]
[Another showed oceans of fire.]
[Another showed stars falling from the sky.]
[Countless possibilities.]
[Countless histories.]
First Fragment— "Regression creates choices."
First Fragment— "Choices create timelines."
First Fragment— "Timelines create problems."
[The visions accelerated.]
[Thousands.]
[Tens of thousands.]
[Then they suddenly stopped.]
[One image remained.]
[A single man standing atop a mountain of broken worlds.]
[Reality shattered around him.]
[Time bent.]
[Fate fractured.]
[And yet he remained standing.]
First Fragment— "That was me."
[Silence.]
[Abaksa stared.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...What happened?"
[The fragment looked away.]
For the first time—
He seemed ashamed.
First Fragment— "I won."
[The answer confused him.]
Abaksa Einsro— "Won what?"
First Fragment— "Everything."
[The cavern trembled.]
First Fragment— "Every enemy."
First Fragment— "Every war."
First Fragment— "Every challenge."
First Fragment— "I beat fate."
[Silence followed.]
Then—
First Fragment— "And the world broke."
[The visions vanished.]
[Darkness returned.]
[Abaksa didn't speak.]
[Because for the first time...]
[He understood.]
[The danger wasn't losing.]
[The danger was winning too much.]
First Fragment— "The strongest regressors all discover the same thing eventually."
Abaksa Einsro— "What's that?"
The fragment looked directly at him.
First Fragment— "The System is not helping us."
[The words struck harder than expected.]
[Abaksa's eyes narrowed.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Explain."
[The chains rattled softly.]
First Fragment— "Tell me, Eleventh."
First Fragment— "How many times has it saved you?"
[Abaksa hesitated.]
[A lot.]
[The Pit.]
[The duel.]
[The mountain.]
[The Poison Valley.]
First Fragment— "And how many times did it place you in danger first?"
[Silence.]
[Too much silence.]
[The fragment smiled.]
First Fragment— "Exactly."
Abaksa Einsro— "You're saying the System is manipulating events."
First Fragment— "No."
[The fragment's smile disappeared.]
First Fragment— "I'm saying it was built for that purpose."
[The chamber suddenly felt colder.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...Who built it?"
[The First Fragment remained silent.]
[For several seconds.]
Then—
First Fragment— "I don't know."
[That answer was somehow worse.]
[If even the First Regressor didn't know...]
[Then who could?]
[The chains suddenly glowed brighter.]
[The fragment looked upward.]
[Concern appeared in his voice.]
First Fragment— "They're noticing."
Abaksa Einsro— "Who?"
First Fragment— "The jailers."
[The cavern shook violently.]
BOOM.
[Something struck the prison from outside.]
[Every chain illuminated at once.]
[The ground cracked.]
Abaksa Einsro— "...What was that?"
First Fragment— "A reminder."
[Another impact.]
BOOOOOOM.
[This one stronger.]
[The eyes of the fragment narrowed.]
First Fragment— "I don't have much time."
[The silhouette began fading.]
[The prison was rejecting him.]
[Or something was forcing him back.]
Abaksa Einsro— "Wait."
Abaksa Einsro— "Why call me here?"
[The fragment stopped.]
[Then smiled.]
First Fragment— "Because you're the first one who reminds me of myself."
Abaksa Einsro— "...That sounds worrying."
First Fragment— "It should."
[The chains tightened.]
[The silhouette faded further.]
First Fragment— "Come back tomorrow."
Abaksa Einsro— "Tomorrow?"
First Fragment— "I'll tell you the truth."
[Silence.]
Abaksa Einsro— "You haven't been telling the truth?"
The fragment laughed.
First Fragment— "Not the dangerous parts."
[Then his expression became serious.]
First Fragment— "And bring your courage."
[The ancient eyes slowly began closing.]
First Fragment— "Because tomorrow..."
First Fragment— "I'm going to tell you what happened to the other regressors."
[The chamber went dark.]
[The eyes vanished.]
[The chains became motionless once more.]
[Only silence remained.]
[Abaksa stood alone.]
[Heart beating slightly faster.]
[Because one thought kept repeating in his mind.]
If the First Regressor was only a fragment...
Then what kind of monsters had the others become?