Sound came first.
Not words—impact.
Baek Siheon slammed into solid ground hard enough to crack stone.
The shockwave rippled outward, shattering already-fractured marble and sending debris flying in all directions. Dust erupted like a small explosion, obscuring everything in a choking gray cloud.
For half a second—
No one moved.
Then—
"S I H E O N !"
Seraphina's voice cut through the chaos, sharp with panic.
She was already running before the dust settled, silver hair streaming behind her, sword forgotten in her hand. Her heart pounded violently as she leapt over fallen debris and slid to her knees beside the crater.
"Siheon—hey—look at me—"
Her hands hovered over him, afraid to touch, afraid of what she might feel.
Then he groaned.
"…Ow."
Seraphina let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob. "You absolute—idiot—"
She grabbed his collar and pulled him upright before he could protest, arms wrapping around him tightly. For a split second she forgot about composure, about professionalism, about being a demon-hunting investigator.
He was warm.
Alive.
Siheon blinked, momentarily confused by the pressure, the warmth, the faint scent of steel and winter.
"…Seraphina?" he rasped. "You're crushing my ribs."
She froze.
Then shoved him back.
"Oh. So now you can talk," she snapped, cheeks flushed. "You disappear into the sky, explode the heavens, and just—drop back in?"
Lucian finally approached, peering into the crater with wide eyes.
"Wow," he said slowly. "So that's what it looks like when the universe spits someone back out."
Ulfric stepped closer too, eyes narrowed, studying Siheon like a puzzle that had just rewritten itself.
"…Your presence," Ulfric muttered. "It changed."
Lilith, standing slightly apart, smiled faintly.
"Yes," she said. "It did."
Siheon pushed himself to his feet, body sore but functional. As he stood, something subtle rippled outward—not a burst of power, not an aura flare, but a shift.
The air acknowledged him.
The ground stilled.
Even Ulfric felt it.
"…Tch," Ulfric clicked his tongue again, but this time there was a sharp edge of excitement beneath it. "You survived something you weren't supposed to."
Seraphina stared at Siheon closely now, eyes searching his face.
"…What happened to you?" she asked quietly.
Siheon hesitated.
Inside his mind, the systems stirred.
〈Celestial Ascension System: STATUS STABLE. HOST RETURN CONFIRMED.〉
〈Demonic Sovereign System: Heh. You didn't break. I'm impressed.〉
They weren't fighting.
That alone felt surreal.
"I'll explain," Siheon said slowly. "Just… not all at once."
Before anyone could press him further—
The sky darkened.
Not naturally.
Clouds twisted violently, forming a spiraling vortex directly above the courtyard. A pressure descended—familiar, suffocating, unmistakably celestial.
Lucian swore. "Please tell me that's not another god."
Ulfric's grin returned—wide and feral.
"Oh, it's worse," he said. "That's an observer."
Golden sigils burned into the sky.
A voice thundered downward, layered and cold.
"BAEK SIHEON."
The sound alone forced weaker hunters nearby to their knees.
Seraphina stepped in front of Siheon instantly, sword raised.
"Stay behind me."
Siheon gently pushed her blade down.
"No," he said. "This one's for me."
He stepped forward.
The pressure increased—testing.
Judging.
Siheon met it head-on.
He didn't resist.
He didn't submit.
He stood.
The celestial voice paused.
"…You have returned altered."
Siheon tilted his head slightly. "Funny. That's what the Arbiter said too."
That name sent a visible ripple through the sky.
Ulfric's eyes sharpened.
Lilith's smile widened just a fraction.
"…You were taken beyond the Axis," the voice said slowly. "Such a thing should not be possible."
"And yet," Siheon replied, "here I am."
The silence stretched.
Then—
"Your existence destabilizes established order," the voice declared.
"You will submit to evaluation."
Lucian muttered, "I hate evaluations."
Siheon inhaled.
Inside him, gold and shadow aligned—not flaring, not exploding, simply present.
"No," he said calmly.
The single word struck like a hammer.
The sky trembled.
Seraphina stared at him.
Ulfric barked out a laugh. "HAHA—he said no."
The celestial sigils flickered.
"…You defy Heaven?"
Siheon looked up, eyes steady.
"I refuse to be owned."
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Then—
The sigils shattered.
The pressure vanished.
The sky slowly returned to normal.
Lucian blinked. "…Did he just… scare Heaven off?"
Ulfric clapped Siheon on the shoulder hard enough to nearly knock him over.
"That," Ulfric said, grinning savagely, "was beautiful."
Seraphina stared at Siheon as if seeing him for the first time.
"…What did you become?" she whispered.
Siheon looked at his hands.
"…Someone still figuring that out."
Far above, unseen—
Eyes watched.
And smiled.