The dimension collapsed without warning.
One moment, Zaraf stood within the endless white silence of the Imagery World. The next, cracks spread across reality itself like fractures tearing through glass. The ground beneath his feet shattered violently, and before he could even react, his body was dragged downward into darkness.
Wind exploded around him.
Cold air tore past his ears as he fell through a spiraling void of distorted light and broken space. Fragments of unfamiliar worlds flickered around him for brief moments—burning skies, endless oceans, ruined kingdoms, forests glowing beneath crimson moons—before vanishing just as quickly.
Then the void opened.
Below him—
was a world he recognized instantly.
His world.
The one he had entered before.
But something was wrong.
Smoke swallowed the horizon. Entire sections of the kingdom burned beneath a darkened sky while distant explosions shook the land endlessly. The sound of battle echoed from every direction—steel colliding against steel, monsters roaring, people screaming.
War.
A full-scale war.
Zaraf's eyes widened slightly.
"…No."
This event wasn't supposed to happen yet.
He remembered enough of the story to know that.
This battle belonged far later in the timeline. A catastrophic invasion arc meant to happen after the protagonists had grown stronger.
But now—
it had already begun.
Bell's calm voice echoed faintly inside his mind.
"Let's see… after witnessing this, what will you choose to do?"
Zaraf frowned slightly as the wind howled around him.
"…So this really is the test."
While falling through the sky, he focused instinctively and activated his Copy Authority. Space folded around him instantly, and his body vanished midair.
A moment later—
he reappeared atop a ruined street before a tall stone tower standing near the center of the city.
The ground trembled faintly beneath distant impacts.
Instead of rushing forward recklessly, Zaraf inhaled slowly and observed the battlefield around him.
His eyes moved across burning buildings.
Collapsed streets.
Wounded soldiers.
"…So it really is the same story," he muttered quietly.
"But the future event already started…"
His gaze darkened slightly.
"And I don't even know the full plot."
Because he never finished the series.
That realization irritated him more than expected.
Normally, transported protagonists entered fictional worlds with complete knowledge of future events. They knew hidden secrets, future betrayals, legendary artifacts.
Zaraf knew almost nothing.
Only fragments.
Only pieces.
A scream suddenly pierced through the chaos nearby.
His eyes sharpened instantly.
Without hesitation, he rushed toward the sound.
An alley several streets away had already become a slaughterhouse. Three massive mountain monsters forced their way through shattered buildings, their gray skin covered in rocky protrusions resembling armor. Civilians ran desperately while the creatures crushed everything in their path.
One of them reached toward a crying child frozen in fear.
Zaraf moved instantly.
Space distorted.
A violent shockwave erupted from his raised hand, blasting the monster sideways hard enough to shatter part of a nearby wall. Before the others could react, Zaraf grabbed the child and pulled her away safely.
The girl clung to him, trembling violently.
"H-Hero…"
Zaraf gently placed her behind fallen debris.
"Stay hidden."
The monsters roared furiously and charged.
Zaraf glanced toward the distant mountains looming behind the kingdom walls.
"…I knew it."
His voice remained calm despite the destruction surrounding him.
"This is the mid-battle invasion."
Then a realization struck him suddenly.
His expression changed slightly.
"…So when I returned to the real world…"
The words came slowly.
"This place didn't stop."
The battlefield continued raging endlessly around him.
Smoke still climbed toward the heavens.
People still fought.
People still died.
Like a movie that never paused.
Like a world that continued existing even when no one watched it.
A strange feeling settled heavily in his chest.
For the first time—
he fully understood.
This world was alive.
Not fiction.
Not imagination.
Alive.
Zaraf slowly raised his hand.
The surrounding monsters froze instantly as invisible pressure crushed down upon them. Their massive bodies trembled violently before being hurled backward through ruined buildings.
Without wasting another second, Zaraf turned toward the main battlefield.
And ran.
—
The warzone near the kingdom gates was pure chaos.
Knights struggled desperately against endless waves of monsters pouring from the mountains. Adventurers fought beside them while mages unleashed destructive spells across the battlefield, illuminating the smoke-filled sky in flashes of blue and gold.
Bodies covered the ground.
Blood stained the shattered earth.
Yet despite the desperate resistance—
something felt wrong.
Zaraf's gaze swept across the battlefield rapidly.
Then he realized.
The main character wasn't here.
Neither was the heroine.
A cold unease crawled into his chest instantly.
Without hesitation, he unleashed his authority once more. Several charging monsters froze in place simultaneously, granting the exhausted soldiers temporary breathing room.
Then Zaraf disappeared into the battlefield.
Searching.
The anxiety inside him grew stronger with every passing second.
Until finally—
he found them.
A colossal monster towered above a collapsed section of the battlefield, easily three times larger than the others. Black armor-like scales covered its body while crimson eyes glowed with violent intelligence.
The male protagonist stood barely upright nearby, bleeding heavily while struggling to protect the heroine behind him.
They were losing.
Badly.
Zaraf's expression hardened.
He rushed forward instantly.
But the moment he appeared—
the heroine noticed him.
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
That tiny moment of distraction changed everything.
The monster attacked.
A massive claw descended toward her faster than she could react.
Without thinking—
Zaraf stepped in front of her.
The impact struck directly against his body.
Pain exploded through him.
"Ugh—!"
His feet tore through the ground from the force.
The monster roared and prepared another attack immediately, but this time the girl reacted.
She raised her shield desperately and blocked the strike with both hands.
The male protagonist shouted hoarsely,
"I'll distract it! Heal him!"
"Y-Yes!"
The heroine quickly turned toward Zaraf, panic visible in her expression.
"Are you hurt? I'm sorry… because of me…"
Zaraf forced himself upright slowly despite the lingering pain.
"It's fine," he muttered.
"I can manage."
Then after a brief pause, he quietly added,
"After all… this happened because of me."
The girl froze slightly.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…Are you the one who has been helping us during our expeditions?"
"The mysterious person who always disappears afterward?"
Zaraf immediately looked away.
"…I don't know what you're talking about."
Silence lingered briefly between them.
Then the girl smiled faintly.
"…I see."
Her expression clearly said otherwise.
(So you still won't admit it.)
Zaraf ignored her gaze and stood fully.
"I'm just a traveler," he said calmly.
"Passing by."
Then he raised his hand once more.
The giant monster froze mid-movement as invisible force crushed its body completely still.
An opening.
The protagonist reacted instantly.
With a roar, he lunged forward and drove his blade directly through the monster's core.
The battlefield shook.
The creature collapsed.
For a moment—
silence spread.
Then cheers erupted across the battlefield.
"We won!"
"The boss is dead!"
"We survived!"
Relief swept through the exhausted soldiers like a wave.
Far away, Bell silently observed everything from the Imagery World.
Her glowing blue eyes rested upon Zaraf quietly.
"So…" she murmured softly.
"He doesn't see them as toys."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"He sees them as people."
But the fragile peace lasted only seconds.
Behind Zaraf—
space distorted silently.
A man wearing red-and-black robes stepped out from the fracture in reality itself.
No presence.
No killing intent.
Nothing.
As though death itself had quietly entered the battlefield unnoticed.
Bell sensed him instantly.
Her expression changed sharply.
But the contract between her and Zaraf had not been completed yet.
She could not interfere directly.
The man observed Zaraf calmly.
Then smiled.
"So… you are the new Creator."
Zaraf turned instantly.
Instinctively, he stepped in front of the heroine.
The man laughed softly at the reaction.
"Hah…"
"How protective."
Slowly, he floated upward into the air before raising one hand.
A crystal materialized above his palm.
The instant Bell saw it—
her eyes widened.
"That crystal…"
Shock entered her voice for the first time.
"It only exists in the Fairy Realm."
Her gaze sharpened dangerously.
"Who are you?!"
The man's smile deepened slightly.
"You may call me…"
"Death."
The crystal shattered.
A massive magic formation spread across the sky instantly.
Bell's expression changed.
"Zaraf!"
The spell descended.
Zaraf unleashed his power immediately to block it—
but the explosion swallowed the battlefield whole.
Light devoured everything.
At the final moment, Bell forcefully manifested beside him despite the restrictions and expanded a glowing barrier around them.
The impact shook the world.
When the light finally faded, Bell staggered slightly, visibly exhausted.
But before anyone could recover—
Death moved again.
He appeared directly behind them.
Too fast.
Zaraf's eyes widened.
He reacted a fraction too late.
The blade pierced forward silently.
Straight through the heroine's heart.
Time seemed to stop.
Her eyes widened faintly.
Then slowly lost their light.
Bell immediately tried activating her rule authority—
but Death simply opened another portal behind himself.
He stepped backward into the darkness calmly.
Laughing softly.
"Ah…"
"Hm… my attack failed."
His crimson eyes lingered on Zaraf mockingly.
"What a shame."
The portal closed.
Silence remained.
Bell looked toward Zaraf weakly.
"Zaraf…"
"Are you alright?"
But Zaraf didn't answer immediately.
He simply stared ahead.
At the girl collapsing lifelessly into the protagonist's arms.
"…She's dead."
The protagonist fell to his knees completely.
"No…"
His voice broke.
"This can't be happening…"
Yet reality remained cruelly silent.
—
The burial happened beneath gray skies.
Rain fell quietly across the ruined battlefield while survivors mourned the dead.
Zaraf stood motionless before the heroine's grave long after everyone else had left.
Bell quietly observed him from nearby.
Then finally asked,
"Why are you sad?"
Her gaze remained calm but genuinely confused.
"She was only your creation."
Zaraf lowered his head slightly.
Then spoke quietly.
"…You think I'm a child playing with toys."
Bell remained silent.
"But I'm not."
His voice grew firmer.
"To me…"
"They're people."
"Equal to me."
Bell froze completely.
For the first time—
she truly looked at him differently.
Then her expression slowly became serious.
"If that is truly how you see them…"
Her voice softened slightly.
"Then you must complete this story again."
Zaraf looked toward her.
"…Complete?"
"A world is like a story," Bell explained quietly.
"Every world requires four key pillars to remain stable."
"The protagonist."
"The love interest."
"The confidant."
"And the antagonist."
Her glowing eyes met his.
"One key character has now been destroyed."
"If nothing changes…"
"Your world will collapse."
Zaraf's eyes widened slightly.
"Then what do I do?"
Bell hesitated briefly before answering.
"You have two choices."
"Find another who can bear the role of the heroine."
"Or…"
"Bring her back."
Silence.
"... that's possible?"
"…Yes."
Bell's gaze lowered slightly.
"But to restore her existence fully, you need her Core Fragment."."
Zaraf frowned slightly.
"…Core Fragment?"
Bell nodded slowly.
"Every being created within the Imagery Worlds is born from three things."
Her glowing blue eyes lowered toward the grave quietly.
"A Creator's deepest desire."
"Imagination given form."
"And a fragment of the Creator's soul."
Silence lingered briefly.
"That fragment becomes the core of their existence."
"Without it… they cannot return."
Zaraf's expression darkened immediately.
"…Where is it?"
Bell hesitated.
"Her Core Fragment was dragged into his portal."
Zaraf clenched his fists tightly.
"…That guy again."
His voice turned colder.
"Who is he?"
"I don't know," Bell admitted quietly.
"But her Core Fragment is now lost somewhere across the Creator Worlds."
Zaraf looked toward her immediately.
"How do I retrieve it?"
"You need access to the Creator State."
Zaraf frowned slightly.
" Creator state?"
"The Creator State," Bell said softly, "is the moment when imagination gains authority over reality itself."
Her glowing eyes lingered on him quietly.
"A Creator without restraint eventually collapses beneath their own power."
"That is why contracts exist."
Silence stretched briefly between them.
Then Bell extended her hand.
"Zaraf… form a contract with me."
"…But I failed your test."
Bell slowly shook her head.
"No."
"You passed."
Zaraf frowned slightly.
"When?"
Bell stepped closer.
"When you took the attack for her."
Silence settled between them once more.
Then Bell slowly raised one hand.
A massive magic circle bloomed beneath their feet, illuminating the graveyard in pale silver light.
"…Shall we form the contract?"
Zaraf stared at her quietly for several seconds.
Then reached forward.
Their hands touched.
Light exploded outward.
The world trembled.
And across the vast Imagery Network connecting countless realities—
a voice echoed endlessly.
The Seventh Creator has appeared.
Creator of Protection.
Far away—
within distant worlds hidden beyond reality itself—
several unknown beings slowly opened their eyes.
And turned their attention toward him.