I stared at the figure.
For several seconds...
I said nothing.
The others didn't seem to understand what they were looking at.
They simply watched the newcomer with curiosity.
Some whispered among themselves.
Others looked toward the elders, clearly expecting an explanation.
But I couldn't move my eyes away.
An Angel.
That was the first conclusion my mind reached.
Yet...
It didn't make sense.
Angels were beings of divine nature.
Their bloodlines were fundamentally different from ours.
Their energy was purer.
Their existence was tied to laws and principles that ordinary cultivators could spend countless lifetimes studying without understanding.
And this being...
Was standing casually inside a fortress in Neraphyx.
As though it belonged here.
My left heart beat faster.
THUMP.
The red energy inside me surged.
The crimson tiger markings across the left side of my body burned brighter.
Not with ordinary heat.
They burned like flames beneath my skin.
THUMP.
My right heart responded.
The blue energy remained calm.
Steady.
Controlled.
Two forces.
Same origin.
Different nature.
The strange reaction only strengthened my suspicion.
Whatever this being was...
It had something to do with my bloodline.
Or perhaps...
With Neraphyx itself.
I slowly spread my senses.
Nothing.
The figure's aura was almost nonexistent.
If I hadn't been looking directly at them, I might have mistaken them for an ordinary person.
But my instincts refused to accept that conclusion.
There was something beneath the surface.
Something enormous.
Something carefully restrained.
I focused on the staff.
My vision sharpened.
For a fraction of a second...
The glossy orb seemed to disappear.
In its place...
I saw stars.
Countless stars.
Galaxies.
Worlds.
Space layered upon space.
A vast cosmic structure seemed compressed inside that tiny sphere.
Then my vision returned to normal.
I blinked once.
An illusion?
No.
My instincts were rarely wrong.
That staff...
Was terrifying.
The being noticed my gaze.
Their narrow eyes shifted toward me.
Our eyes met.
My body immediately became still.
Not from fear.
From instinct.
A predator recognizing another existence at the top of the food chain.
Their expression didn't change.
They simply looked at me.
Calmly.
Observantly.
As though examining something interesting.
For some reason...
I felt exposed.
Not physically.
It was as though their gaze had passed through my skin.
Through my muscles.
Through my blood.
Straight toward the two hearts inside my chest.
My left heart beat violently.
THUMP!
The red flames beneath my skin flickered.
The figure's eyes narrowed slightly.
Just slightly.
But I noticed.
They had sensed it.
My bloodline.
I instinctively gathered my energy.
The red and blue forces inside me responded simultaneously.
The atmosphere around my body distorted.
A few cultivators nearby took an unconscious step away.
I immediately suppressed the reaction.
The figure didn't move.
Didn't attack.
Didn't even change their posture.
Yet somehow...
That made them more frightening.
If they had released their aura...
Perhaps I could have measured their strength.
But they didn't.
Their control was too perfect.
Who are you?
The question formed in my mind.
I didn't ask aloud.
The figure suddenly smiled.
Only slightly.
My pupils contracted.
They had heard me.
No.
That wasn't possible.
I hadn't spoken.
Had they read my thoughts?
Before I could investigate...
A voice echoed through the hall.
"Everyone..."
The figure finally spoke.
Their voice was gentle.
Neither masculine nor feminine in any obvious way.
It carried a strange resonance.
Almost celestial.
The entire fortress seemed quieter after those words.
"Welcome to Neraphyx."
The newcomers listened carefully.
Some visibly relaxed.
I didn't.
The being's gaze swept across everyone.
"You have crossed the Artificial Breach."
"From this moment onward..."
"...the rules you knew in Zeraphyx no longer apply in the same way."
Several expressions changed.
The figure continued.
"Neraphyx is vast."
"Much larger than what you have been taught."
"Here, resources are abundant."
"Opportunities are endless."
"Death..."
Their smile disappeared.
"...is equally abundant."
Silence.
Nobody interrupted.
"The fortress will provide you with protection."
"Food."
"Training grounds."
"Information."
"Resources."
"Exchange facilities."
"But understand this."
Their eyes became slightly colder.
"The fortress protects what lies within its walls."
"It does not protect those who leave them."
A chill passed through the gathering.
Even I listened carefully.
This was the first real warning we had received since entering Neraphyx.
The being lifted their staff slightly.
The blue ring around their neck brightened.
A faint wave passed through the fortress.
For a moment...
The runes carved into the walls illuminated.
I could finally sense them.
The formations.
Thousands.
No...
Millions.
They were connected.
Layer upon layer.
Formation linked to formation.
The entire fortress was one gigantic defensive structure.
I stared at the walls.
This place...
It wasn't merely a city.
It was a weapon.
A fortress capable of defending an entire population against something terrifying.
Something that required this much preparation.
Something that existed outside these walls.
My eyes narrowed.
What exactly lives outside?
The figure lowered their staff.
"The first thing you should understand about Neraphyx..."
They paused.
Their eyes swept across the newcomers.
"...is that the danger here isn't always what you can see."
My bloodline stirred again.
The red heart beat harder.
THUMP!
The figure's eyes moved back toward me.
This time...
They stared directly into my left eye.
The faint flames beneath my skin burned brighter.
For the first time...
The being's calm expression changed.
A trace of surprise appeared.
It vanished almost instantly.
But I saw it.
They recognize it.
Whatever they had sensed...
They knew something about me.
The thought immediately raised another question.
Why?
The figure slowly approached.
One step.
Tap.
Another.
Tap.
They stopped several meters before me.
The other newcomers watched curiously.
I remained still.
Neither of us spoke.
Then their gaze moved from my left eye...
To my right.
Their expression became unreadable.
"You..."
They paused.
For the first time...
Their voice lost its previous serenity.
"...are unusual."
I raised an eyebrow.
"That's what I've been told."
A few people nearby looked surprised.
The being gave a faint smile.
"Indeed."
Their eyes lingered on me.
"Very unusual."
The red tiger within my System interface suddenly moved.
Its crimson eyes opened.
For the first time since appearing...
It stood.
My mind went silent.
The little tiger stared directly at the celestial figure.
The figure's eyes shifted.
They saw it.
I knew they saw it.
And then...
The red tiger smiled.
A chill passed through me.
Because that smile wasn't playful.
It was recognition.
The figure's fingers tightened slightly around their staff.
For the first time...
Their perfect composure cracked.
Only for an instant.
But it was enough.
I looked at the red tiger.
Then at the mysterious being.
Something connected them.
Something I didn't understand.
The System interface flickered.
DING!
> [Warning.]
> [Unknown High-Level Existence Detected.]
> [Analysis Failed.]
My eyes narrowed.
The figure looked at me.
I looked back.
Neither of us moved.
Then another line appeared.
> [Identity: ???]
> [Classification: ???]
> [Threat Level: Unable to Calculate.]
My expression finally became serious.
Unable to calculate.
The System had analyzed countless things for me.
Enemies.
Beasts.
Treasures.
Bloodlines.
Cultivation realms.
Yet...
It couldn't calculate this being.
The figure's smile returned.
But this time...
It felt different.
As though they had just confirmed something they had been searching for.
"Interesting..."
They whispered.
I heard it clearly.
My eyes narrowed.
"What?"
The figure turned away.
"Nothing."
They began walking.
The ring around their neck shimmered beneath the strange light.
Their staff tapped softly against the metallic floor.
Tap...
Tap...
Tap...
But before disappearing into the corridor...
They stopped.
Without turning around, they spoke.
"Velzahar."
My body froze.
I had never introduced myself.
Not to them.
Not yet.
They knew my name.
"Your journey in Neraphyx..."
They paused.
"...will be very different from the others."
Then they continued walking.
Tap...
Tap...
Tap...
Until their footsteps disappeared.
I stood motionless.
My expression was calm again.
But my mind was anything but.
I looked down at the red System interface.
The little crimson tiger had returned to its original position.
Calm.
Elegant.
As though nothing had happened.
I stared at it for several seconds.
Then...
A single thought emerged.
What exactly did I bring with me into Neraphyx?
Outside the fortress walls...
A distant roar suddenly echoed.
ROOOOOOOAR!
The entire fortress trembled.
The newcomers froze.
The formations covering the walls suddenly lit up.
One after another.
Then another roar followed.
Much closer.
My eyes slowly turned toward the enormous gates of the fortress.
For the first time since arriving...
I smiled.
A genuine smile.
Not because I wasn't afraid.
But because I finally understood.
I hadn't entered Neraphyx.
Not really.
I had only entered...
The place where Neraphyx began.