The moment Youri's eyes opened, the world returned to silence.
Not the silence of peace—but the kind that pressed against the mind, thick and suffocating, like the deep ocean where no sound could escape. The watery abyss stretched endlessly around him, its dark expanse illuminated only by faint, ghostlike rays filtering from an unseen surface far above. The water did not ripple. It did not move. It simply existed—still, eternal, and watching.
And in front of him…
Altopereh.
No longer the shattered shell, no longer the restrained entity forced into stillness—the being now hovered in its full presence, its form both humanoid and monstrous, shifting subtly as if reality itself struggled to define it. Its silhouette bent the water around it, distorting the abyss with every motion.
It was calm.
Too calm.
Altopereh's voice echoed—not through sound, but directly into Youri's mind.
"So… you saw."
Youri didn't answer.
He remained suspended in the abyss, unmoving, his body relaxed but his mind anything but. The vision still burned behind his eyes—the destruction, the cages of golden light, the screams of beings far beyond human comprehension… and the cold, merciless efficiency of the Sacros knights.
Worlds erased.
Not in anger.
Not in desperation.
But in order.
Altopereh drifted closer.
"Now," it continued, its tone low, almost satisfied, "do you understand the reason for my hatred?"
Youri's gaze remained fixed forward. His expression didn't change.
But inside—something had shifted.
Altopereh circled him slowly, like a predator observing prey that had yet to realize it had already been caught.
"I once ruled this realm," it said. "Not alone… but among equals. There were ten of us. Ten domains. Ten absolute beings."
Its form flickered briefly—just for a moment—revealing something far larger beneath the surface of its current shape.
"Back then… Tartarus was not fractured. It was whole."
The abyss trembled faintly.
"We were not monsters," Altopereh continued. "We were existence itself. Forces that shaped reality—not beings bound by it."
Its voice darkened.
"Until they came."
The water around them warped violently for a split second—like a memory forcing itself into existence.
"Beings… lesser than us. Fragile. Finite. Weak."
A pause.
"And yet… they brought chains."
Youri's eyes narrowed slightly.
Altopereh stopped directly in front of him, their faces now only inches apart.
"Not chains of metal," it whispered. "But chains of control."
A flicker of gold passed through the abyss—the same gold Youri had seen in the vision.
"The Sacros."
The name carried weight.
Not just a faction.
A force.
"They could not destroy us," Altopereh said. "So they did something far worse."
Its voice dropped into something colder.
"They contained us."
Youri's mind flashed back to the vision—the golden cages, the orbitons being forged, the monstrous beings reduced to tools.
"They tore us from our domains," Altopereh continued. "Stripped us of form. Of freedom. Of purpose."
Its expression twisted—just slightly.
"And sealed us… inside machines."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Altopereh tilted its head slowly, studying Youri.
"In a way…" it said softly, "you and I are the same."
That was when Youri moved.
Not physically—but mentally.
A shift.
A rejection.
A faint smirk formed on his face.
"You still call yourself powerful?" he said, his voice calm, almost amused. "After losing twice… to beings you call inferior?"
The abyss seemed to tighten around them.
"Don't make me laugh."
Altopereh froze.
For a fraction of a second.
Then—
It laughed.
A deep, echoing sound that rippled through the water like a shockwave.
"Interesting," it said.
It drifted closer—closer than before—until its presence felt overwhelming.
"Then tell me…"
Its voice sharpened.
"When you look at me…"
A pause.
"…who do you see?"
Youri didn't hesitate.
"Me."
Silence.
This time—Altopereh didn't laugh immediately.
It studied him.
Carefully.
Then, slowly… it pulled back.
Its form stabilized again, returning to its composed, controlled state.
"So what differentiates us?" it asked.
Youri's eyes didn't waver.
"That's simple."
He took a slow breath.
"Unlike you… I let go of my past."
The words settled into the abyss like stones.
"I accepted it," he continued. "Everything. The blood. The destruction. The things I did."
His voice remained steady—but there was weight behind it.
"Good or bad… it's mine."
A pause.
"I cast away my hatred."
Altopereh's expression darkened slightly.
"And I chose to live for something else."
"That future."
Altopereh cut him off instantly.
"Future?" it said sharply.
The word sounded almost mocking.
"Future of what?"
Youri didn't answer immediately.
And that… was enough.
Altopereh moved again—circling him once more.
"You really believe that?" it said.
Its voice was quieter now.
Colder.
"You think those people… your empire… your world…"
It stopped behind him.
"…would ever accept you?"
Youri's gaze shifted slightly.
"Do you think they see you as a man?"
A pause.
"Or as a weapon?"
The abyss grew heavier.
"You are not a person to them," Altopereh continued. "You are a tool. An asset. A solution to problems they cannot solve."
Youri stood there as the next line Altopereh was about to say would truly let him speechless.
Its voice lowered even further.
"When was the last time you were truly free?"
That question…
Landed.
Youri didn't respond.
Couldn't.
Because the answer…
Didn't exist.
His mind drifted—unwillingly.
To Leonora.
To the mansion.
To the brief moments of peace.
To the illusion of normalcy.
And behind all of it…
Something had always been there.
Waiting.
Pushing.
Pulling him back into chaos.
Altopereh noticed the silence.
And smiled.
"You see it now," it said.
It moved in front of him once more.
Close.
Unavoidable.
"You can run from everyone," it continued. "From enemies. From war. From your past."
Its voice softened—just slightly.
"But not from yourself."
The abyss reflected faint light above them—like distant stars seen through water.
"You and I…" Altopereh said slowly, "were born in chaos."
It raised a hand—dark energy flickering faintly around it.
"And chaos…"
A pause.
"…is what we seek."
Youri's eyes hardened.
"You can deny it," Altopereh said. "You can bury it. You can pretend you've changed."
Its voice dropped to a whisper.
"But it will always be there."
A beat.
"Waiting."
The water around them grew colder.
Heavier.
"Because that…"
Altopereh's gaze locked onto his.
"…is the only thing that will never leave you."