Silence spread throughout that endless black void for some time.
Neither Zephyrus spoke,
nor Raijin.
Only the leaves of that enormous tree swayed slowly.
Even though there was no wind at all.
Yet every time the leaves moved—
Raijin felt as if some massive being was turning in its sleep.
The white spheres orbiting around the tree left long streaks of light across the darkness,
as though invisible lines were connecting them together.
For brief moments, it seemed as though the spheres were not following any fixed path—
but obeying some unseen will.
And every time they moved,
it felt as if the darkness itself was staring at them.
Raijin's gaze remained fixed upon Zephyrus—
or whatever that thing truly was.
Its form was never stable.
One moment it resembled a human,
the next its body scattered apart like smoke.
Sometimes it looked as though countless eyes were opening within it.
Other times, it felt as though nothing was there at all.
The longer Raijin stared at it—
the more he felt his mind refusing to comprehend that figure.
Slowly, Raijin tightened his fingers against the edge of the table.
Then he quietly asked,
"Am I truly dead?"
His voice was low.
But within that empty place,
the question felt unbearably heavy.
For a few moments, no answer came.
Then—
Zephyrus laughed softly.
But it was not human laughter.
It sounded as though many voices were laughing at once.
Some old—
some young—
and some so strange that it was impossible to tell whether they even belonged to humans.
"Death…"
Zephyrus repeated the word quietly.
"The questions humans fear the most… are the ones they ask the least."
"And yet, you chose to begin with that very question."
The corner of Raijin's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then answer me,"
he said in a deep, heavy voice.
Zephyrus looked toward him.
Raijin suddenly felt as though countless eyes were staring directly at him.
Then Zephyrus spoke.
Its voice sounded distant…
yet near…
and somehow, also inside Raijin himself.
For a moment, it felt as though the entire place trembled faintly.
"Are you prepared to hear the answer?" Zephyrus asked softly.
"And more importantly… are you capable of hearing it?"
Raijin remained silent for a few moments.
Then—
he changed his question.
"Where am I?"
Zephyrus stayed silent.
Slowly, it lifted its head and looked toward the countless stars above.
Suddenly—
it burst into loud laughter.
Its laughter echoed in every direction.
Along with it, some of the stars above began trembling faintly.
Then it slowly repeated,
"You arrived here far too early."
Raijin frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Zephyrus stopped laughing and replied,
"Exactly what you heard."
"You came here much too early."
"Though… I can understand why."
"Because I have seen your fragmented memories."
A cold chill ran through Raijin's body.
Hesitantly, he asked,
"Y-you… can see my memories too?"
There was less fear in his voice—
and more unease.
As though he feared there might truly be something hidden within him…
something even he himself did not know.
"Not all of them," Zephyrus answered.
"But I know enough to understand that you remember very little about your past."
Raijin slowly nodded.
Zephyrus looked at him and smiled faintly.
Ignoring that expression completely, Raijin asked another question.
"How do I leave this place?"
Instead of answering, Zephyrus asked another question in return—
"How did you come here?"
Raijin fell silent for a moment,
as if trying to remember.
After a pause, he answered,
"My friends and I went to a place called Mournvale to hunt Grim Howler Wraiths."
"We killed it."
"After that, the Father of the church brought someone with him."
"I don't even know if calling him human is correct… because he called himself the Servant of the Earth God."
For a moment, Zephyrus became completely silent.
For the first time, its shifting form became still.
Raijin noticed it—
but continued speaking anyway.
"With just a single glance, he made my entire team lose consciousness."
"At that moment… for the first time, I realized the difference between humans and him wasn't merely strength."
"Before I could do anything… my heart was already in his hand."
"And when I opened my eyes again… I was here."
Zephyrus slowly nodded.
Then it asked another question.
"How much do you remember about yourself?"
"Not much," Raijin answered.
Zephyrus replied,
"You will receive answers to all your questions."
"But first… we should restore your memories."
Slowly, Zephyrus raised its hand.
And at that exact moment—
movement spread across the countless stars above.
The next instant, the black void filled with endless stars began shaking violently.
The stars above started glowing together.
Some white.
Some black.
Far away…
among those countless stars—
a black star slowly lit up like an opening eye.
And for the first time—
Zephyrus's voice turned serious.
"Oh…"
"So… they already felt you."
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Thank You For Reading This Chaptar.