Evening was falling.
Outside the cave, the sun was slowly sinking behind the mountains, its faint crimson glow dissolving into the darkness. Inside, the stone walls emitted a strange light—sometimes blue, sometimes yellow—as if the cave itself was alive.
Two guards stood at the entrance. Both were in human form, holding spears, their eyes scanning every direction. At the slightest sound, their grip tightened.
Inside…
The air had changed.
Siyam stood straight—calm, completely motionless. Beside him stood Queen Ziya, her red attire deepening her presence. In front of them, several monsters in human form were performing a strange dance—pink dresses, smiling faces, yet something about their movements felt… unnatural.
The music stopped.
Everything ended instantly.
One by one, everyone began to leave.
Queen Ziya glanced at Siyam with a faint smile.
"Let's go," she said softly.
The two began walking toward the cave entrance.
"You want to go to the human city… right?" the Queen asked casually.
A slight unease stirred within Siyam.
Why is she asking this suddenly…? Is she planning to take revenge for the insult…?
He lifted his gaze toward her.
"What do you mean?"
The Queen simply smiled.
"Just asking."
The entrance was now in front of them.
"I'll take my leave," she said, turning back… and slowly walking away.
Siyam stopped where he was.
The air suddenly grew stronger—as if something around him had shifted.
His expression turned serious.
The next moment—
He vanished.
And in the very next second, he was right beside the Queen.
His hand rested directly on her shoulder.
Ziya's eyes widened for a brief moment.
She was about to turn when Siyam's voice echoed near her ear—
"What are you doing…?"
His tone… was calm.
But something else lay beneath it.
The Queen felt a slight shock, then tried to smile—
"Nothing—"
Her words were cut off.
Siyam's face…
Had changed.
His eyes locked directly into hers.
And then—
Ziya saw.
No cave… no light…
Only darkness.
Deep… endless darkness.
She was falling.
Down… and further down…
She whispered to herself—
"Again…?"
This time… deeper.
And suddenly—
BOOM.
As if her entire existence shattered.
---
Ziya snapped back to reality.
Her breathing had turned rapid.
She fell to the ground, clutching her chest tightly. Her entire body trembled.
"Aaah…!!"
Her scream echoed through the cave.
The guards at the entrance rushed inside.
Their footsteps struck the stone loudly—thak… thak… thak…
As soon as they entered, both froze for a moment.
What they saw—
The Queen on the ground… breathing heavily… body trembling.
And in front of her—
Siyam.
Standing. Calm. Completely still.
A second of silence.
Then—
"Attack!"
Without hesitation, both guards swung their spears and threw them at Siyam with full force.
Whooosh—!
The sharp sound of air tearing echoed through the cave.
The spears shot straight toward his chest.
Siyam simply took a small step back—
Then made a light jump.
The spears passed right by him and slammed into the stone behind—
THAK!
The rock cracked. Sparks flickered.
Siyam didn't change his expression even for a moment.
As if all of this… was normal.
The guards stopped.
For the first time, doubt flickered in their eyes.
How did he… survive?
Then—
The air shifted slightly.
And—
Kery arrived.
No one saw him enter.
His eyes scanned the scene once—
Queen.
Siyam.
Guards.
The decision was instant.
The next moment—
He vanished.
CRACK.
The first guard's neck was in his hand.
His eyes remained wide open…
His body went limp.
The second guard tried to react—
But it was too late.
A shadow passed beside him—
And in the next moment, his head rolled across the ground.
Blood spread over the stone.
Red… warm… slowly spreading.
Silence.
The entire hall fell completely quiet.
As if sound itself had disappeared.
Then—
Footsteps echoed from afar.
The remaining monsters rushed in.
The moment their eyes fell on the ground—
Dead guards.
And standing in the center—
Kery.
"What… happened…?" one of them muttered.
"Nary… what—" another stopped midway.
Dhiyano had also arrived.
His eyes locked directly onto Kery.
"Y-you… killed the guards…?"
His voice carried disbelief.
From behind, someone said angrily,
"Kery has sided with the human!"
"Look at the Queen—she's on the ground!"
"This is all because of him—!"
The commotion began to rise.
Voices overlapped each other.
Tension filled the air.
Then—
"Enough."
Kery stepped forward.
His voice wasn't loud…
But it was cold.
And it struck directly.
Everyone fell silent.
"This happened because of the Queen's Mercy Eyes… not because of Siyam."
He looked straight into their eyes.
"The guards attacked first."
A brief pause.
"I only responded."
No one replied immediately.
They looked at each other.
Confusion… doubt… and a hint of fear.
Dhiyano glanced at the Queen… then at Kery…
But said nothing.
Silence returned.
One by one, the monsters stepped back.
No one wanted to speak.
No one wanted to take the wrong side.
Within moments, the hall was nearly empty.
Only the wind moved…
And the blood on the ground was still warm.
---
Dhiyano slowly stepped forward.
His footsteps were careful—as if every step was measured.
He stopped in front of Siyam.
For a moment, he looked at him…
Then bowed without a word.
"Forgive us, Master…" his voice was slightly heavy, "our guards attacked you."
For a moment, the air seemed to pause.
Siyam didn't even look at him.
He simply stood there.
Calm. Completely calm.
"That's normal."
Simple. Direct. As if it carried no weight.
Dhiyano slowly raised his head.
His eyes widened.
Normal…?
His mind went blank for a moment.
Those guards were high-level… and this person… wasn't affected at all…?
His gaze fixed on Siyam.
What level… is he…?
His throat went dry.
Siyam said plainly—
"I should leave now."
As if it had already been decided.
Dhiyano took a step forward, almost instinctively—
"W-why are you leaving now…?" his voice trembled slightly,
"Tomorrow… I will personally escort you…"
His words hung in the air.
No response came.
Siyam slowly lowered his head.
His long hair fell over his eyes.
His expression became unreadable.
A moment of silence…
Then—
He turned.
And walked away without looking back.
His footsteps echoed faintly in the cave.
Thak… thak… thak…
Dhiyano remained standing there.
His eyes stayed fixed on his back—
Until he disappeared into the darkness.
He let out a slow breath.
This man… is beyond understanding…
---
Inside his room…
The door closed softly.
Thak.
The sounds from outside the cave slowly faded.
Inside, there was only silence.
Siyam stood there for a while.
As if his body had forgotten how to move.
Then he slowly looked at his hands.
His fingers were trembling slightly.
Under control… but not completely.
He clenched his fist—
Then slowly opened it.
His breathing was heavy.
"What… was that…?" his voice was extremely soft, as if he wanted to hide it even from himself.
His chest rose and fell.
His heart was beating fast.
"Why did I… do that to the Queen…?"
His eyes fixed on a single point.
As if reliving that moment.
That darkness…
That fall…
That breaking sound…
A deep silence filled the room.
A long… empty pause.
Then—
A faint smile slowly formed on his lips.
Unconsciously.
"…and why… did I enjoy it…?"
His voice grew even softer.
But this time…
There was less fear.
And something else… more.
His gaze shifted to his left hand.
The skin slowly began to change color.
From fair…
To deep.
Black.
As if darkness was emerging from within.
His fingers trembled slightly more.
For a moment—
He simply watched it.
Without reacting.
Then—
Everything returned to normal.
As if nothing had happened.
The room became silent again.
But this time…
The silence felt different.
---
Elsewhere—
Queen Ziya stood in her chamber.
Yellow light flickered across the stone walls. Black skins hung around, swaying slightly with the air… as if the room itself was breathing.
Ziya stood straight.
Her breathing had returned to normal…
But something still lingered in her eyes.
In front of her—
Kery.
Standing. Tense.
"You did this intentionally…?" he asked directly.
His voice was controlled…
But anger was suppressed beneath it.
Ziya didn't answer immediately.
She simply looked at him.
Then—
"Master Raman…"
Her voice was calm.
"Don't stand outside. Come in."
A moment of silence.
Then the door slowly opened.
Creaaak…
Master Raman walked in with a smile, his hands behind his back.
"You noticed me…"
There was a faint glint in his eyes.
Kery gave a side glance.
He was listening again…
But this time, he said nothing.
Ziya spoke directly—
"I already suspected… he isn't a normal human."
The air in the room grew heavy.
"He showed neither fear… nor respect."
A brief pause.
"That's why I gave him a task… that no normal human could complete."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"But…"
"He did it."
Kery's jaw tightened.
Raman's smile slowly faded.
Both were now serious.
"I couldn't sense his power…"
Ziya slowly clenched her fingers.
"…so I used Mercy Eyes."
Her fingers trembled slightly.
For a moment, her breath halted.
"I saw… only one thing."
Kery and Raman stepped closer instinctively—
THAPP.
A sharp sound echoed.
Both their faces snapped to the side.
Ziya's hand remained raised.
"Stay back."
Her voice was cold.
Filled with authority.
Both straightened immediately.
This time, without a word.
Ziya lowered her gaze slightly…
Then spoke softly—
"…unknown."
It felt as if time stopped.
No sound.
No movement.
Only one word echoing—
Unknown.
"His power had no limit."
For the first time, there was a trace of fear in her voice.
Master Raman's expression changed.
His eyes deepened.
"…then we must bring him to our side."
he said slowly.
Kery looked at him.
"Unknown…?" he repeated.
As if trying to understand the word.
Raman closed his eyes.
Took a deep breath.
"That means…"
He opened them.
"…there is no limit at all."
A faint smile returned.
But this time…
There was less excitement.
And more tension.
"Now only the gods know…"
His gaze drifted into the distance.
"…what is going to happen in this world."
The room fell silent again.
But this time—
The silence was heavy.